[Vision2020] Local Accountability: New Orleans? Iraq?

[Kai Eiselein, LatahEagle Editor]

We've heard a lot about about local, state and federal responsibilty, but
one has been left out: Personal responsibilty.
The first line of defense in any disaster is being prepared. If you live in
an earthquake prone area, you prepare for earthquakes. The same holds true
for tornadoes and hurricanes. How many of the victims in the Big Easy were
not prepared? They knew one would hit eventually. The creator of "Mr. Bill"
even used the character in a PSA several years ago according to an NPR
interview. (Yes, I listen to NPR.)
Too often people get lulled into a sense of security and get a "The
goverment will save us" mentality when we are ultimately responsible for
preparing ourselves.
Now before a bunch you get your hackles up, I am NOT talking about those who
were unable to take care of themselves, I'm talking about the able bodied.
It also begs the question, how many of YOU are prepared to take care of
yourselves and your families? Do you have a plan? Do you have supplies
enough to get you through if the power and water went out? (I'm sure Mark
Solomon would be just fine.)
It doesn't matter how much we build things up or think we can control our
environment. When its man versus nature, my money is on nature. To blame to
goverment for "allowing" this disaster to happen is assinine. The response
has been less than stellar, but the government had no more control over
Katrina than it has over an earthquake or tornado or even a volcano.
At the risk of being crass, I'll point out that despite all of our
technology and advancements, we are not as far removed from nature as one
might think.
In the wild, the first to die in hard times are the very young, the old, the
weak, the infirm and the plain old unlucky.
How does that stack up against the dead in the South? Probably pretty damn
close.
Then witness the aftermath, survivors fighting over limited resources in
order to survive. An absolute parallel to what happens in the wild.......and
we think we are soooooo different. Yeah right.