Moderateman got on a horse because of what he heard the victims of Katrina saying on the news. They were DEMANDINF Help, and he was offended. Well, I am too to a point. But this is not about a question of whether the victims should be demanding or asking. This is about who is doing it.
2 years ago, Virginia was hit by a former class 5 hurricane (class 2 when it made land fall) called Isabel. It was as massive as Katrina, but fortunately not as strong. Still the tidal surge flooded houses 60 miles inland, so it was not a pansy either. I lost power for 10 days.
At the beginning, when it hit, everyone hunkered down, pretty much like they did in New Orleans, Mississippi and Alabama. Afterwards, we peeked our heads out to survey the damage, and there was a lot! My first floor was flooded (sump pumps dont work with out electricity), but I was spared the worst of it. Altho I have over 2 dozen trees on my property, I only lost 2 big limbs off of one of them, and it was not near the house.
But we had to make do with no power. 2 Refridgerators full of food went to waste. And the water supply was tainted. So what did we do? We cleaned up what we could and waited. We waited for 10 days for relief (it was in September, so the temperatures were not too bad).
We knew that everyone was suffering, some worse than us, so we waited. Patiently. At least most of us did.
Who did not? Well, for people familiar with the area, you will know when I say it was the West end and Northside that did not wait patiently. They bitched and moaned and complained because they were not being serviced right away!
And who lives in those areas? IN Richmond, the West end is the are of the noveau Riche. Doctors Lawyers, rich people. Those who can afford to pay a 50% premium on their house for the address.
The North side is the closest thing that Richmond has to a Ghetto. It is the poor side of town. So the Rich and the Poor were bitching, even tho almost everyone was suffering. The rest of us knew that the authorities were working very hard and trying to help out as much as possible. So we were patient and understanding. We did not demand, and indeed when some form of help would arrive in our area, we would welcome them with all the hospitality we could muster given our meager resources.
The Line crew that finally got to us after 10 days was from Pittsburgh. I know cause we all ran out to yell and cheer when we saw them! And offer them anything cold we had to drink, or food that was edible (I quit grilling for 6 months after that because I was sick of grilled food!). But while we were not having maypole dances in the street the first 9 days, we were not bitching and moaning and complaining either. We were trying to restore some semblance of normality to our lives when that was the last thing our lives were like.
And when they people came out to help, we rejoiced and welcomed them! Not with "it's about damn time" , but with Thanks yous! Because they were busting their butts for us, and we knew it. Many had not seen family or friends in weeks (FEMA does not keep a bunch of people at the ready in every potential disaster area).
And for the less informed, Richmond is a lot like New Orleans in racial makeup. Which means not all poor people are of one race or are all rich people. And the ones bitching did not conform to one race or another, but to socio economic class.
The Backbone of America, the middle class, showed what true southern hosptality is. The poor demanded because that is what they have come to expect from living on the public dole. The Rich demanded because they were use to getting their way with their money. But money was not a lot of use when 1m+ people were without electicity and tens of thousands of houses were deemed uninhabitable.
The People who demand are those who are not use to the word NO. Rich or poor. Black or white. They probably should have had better parents as children.