US Homeland Security Dept Refuses to Let Red Cross Enter City of New Orleans

[mandy]

Hurricane Katrina: Why is the Red Cross not in New Orleans?

    * Acess to New Orleans is controlled by the National Guard and local authorities and while we are in constant contact with them, we simply cannot enter New Orleans against their orders.

http://www.redcross.org/faq/0,1096,0_682....html#4524

[rose]

they probably didn't offer enough kickbacks to the neocons. bet you Halliburton and the usual suspects end up getting big contracts there too.

the complete disregard for the lives of the poor in New Oreans shown by Washington makes me 

[Jen]

I hope Haliburton does get some contracts to help restore New Orleans - they were one of the first companies down at the Astrodome offering victims from the storm employment.  A job right now is a wonderful thing for someone that's lost everything.

One of the other "neocons" - our senate majority leader, was volunteering his services as a physician on the ground in New Orleans.

Yep, us conservatives are just a bunch of heartless people  :

[Jen]

Oh, and you forgot to point out this part of the statement:

The state Homeland Security Department had requested--and continues to request--that the American Red Cross not come back into New Orleans following the hurricane. Our presence would keep people from evacuating and encourage others to come into the city.

In fact - the whole rest of the red cross statement on that page makes perfect sense to me.  I'm a member of two different disaster relief teams and do technical rescue in my professional life.