[Munich,Germany]
Getting a new government soon ...
Election in 2 weeks ...
Minister Trittin is part of greens party havin' 5 - 10 % of the votes ...
They are soon out of power polls say, what a relief.

When you hear idiotic arguments about the number and severity of hurricanes in the last few years, take this event into context.

I specifically recall reading articles in the mid-80s and early 90s about how benign the weather had been with regards to hurricanes through the 60s, 70s, and 80s had been, and that we had no reason to expect it to continue. Feel free to research through old papers at your local library for this sort of thing if you doubt me.

Note that this was all before someone had "Global Warming" to find justification for.

It turned out that even the 90s were pretty benign with regards to hurricanes, with one major disaster, Andrew, in the early 90s, and nothing more until 2004.

So the USA has had no less than 40 years of relatively low hurricane damage... and most everyone's totally forgotten what bad hurricanes are really like in the first place... you have to be at least 55 to really recall any time when hurricanes were a major event that truly had "disaster" written about them... and if you did not live somewhere like Florida, even longer.

You think this is an atypical hurricane? Try looking over these pictures from the 1900 hurricane that hit Galveston Texas:
http://www.1900storm.com/photogr...phs/index.lasso
http://www.1900storm.com/
http://www.npr.org/programs/lnfs...08.stories.html

**6000** people died in that storm!

6000. Yes, *three* times the death toll in Iraq, from -one- hurricane, with the US population a bit over one THIRD what it is now!

KATRINA's DAMAGE IS NOTHING ATYPICAL FOR A SEVERE HURRICANE.

Andrew and Katrina had nothing on the 1900 storm... and that in a time with no helicopters, no disaster relief, and no communications.

That is cold comfort for the victims, but it is important to keep all this in historical context when considering responses and causes from an objective standpoint...

Hell, it's important to even HAVE a historical context into which to place it, something modern skuuls do their despiccable best to prevent.

Hell, as far as New Orleans' problems, they've known this was coming for DECADES. I read an article a good five years ago about the pumping systems, which were built at the turn of the century, and still operating, which said in no uncertain terms that they -knew- that if New Orleans took a hit from a hurricane that was class 4 or above the system would be overwhelmed and in trouble... So count THAT up as plain damned stupidity.

Someone kept putting off the butchers bill, and guess what, it just came due in full.

THAT would be the government solution for you:
. Put it off until a
. catastrophe happens.

Challenger, Columbia, 911... Now New Orleans.

Hey, let's ignore international terrorism, too, until it gets powerful enough to destroy us all.

Yeah, there's a good idea!

Andreas - Willkommen!

Ich hoffe für das beste für Sie in Deutschland.

"The European answer is a shrug, the words "you deserve it" and a giggle.
And that my friends, is what makes us who we are and who they are." - your comment.

Great. Maybe you should read more news than that?

In fact germany offered help before George Bush asked for it. At first he rejected foreign help. Saying the united states would handle the desaster by themselves, saying they were capable. After the catastrophe came out more clear, he changed his mind and accepted foreign help.

If you had read the media more carefully you would have known, that germany already has send help. Food (about 20 tons), Helicopters and water-pumps. And germany has send its well know THW - Technisches Hilfswerk teams (technical first aid teams) to the desaster areas (even Stars & Stripes knows it: http://army.laser.net/article.asp?article=31467§ion=104). A flying Hospital - the medevac - of the german army will arrive on monday. On board are more than 40 doctors, nurses and medical equipment, even for surgery.

The criticism of Trittin, even placed absolutely at the wrong time, has a true point. People should rethink their enviromental politics. Only very few countries still deny the effects of polluted air on the climate. China, and the USA. While the european countries have kepts their levels of CO2 emission in the last years, it increased about 20% in the united states. - Just a sidenote.

So, even if you are enraged about Mr. Trittins comments -which I totally understand- your polemic and flat utterances about the foreign help is completely wrong.

Some quotes of the stars and stripes article:
"Nearly 100 volunteers with the German government’s humanitarian assistance organization, THW, have left their full-time jobs for a month or longer to help the disaster-stricken Gulf Coast.
...
Klaus Büchmuller, head of operations and the leader of the contingent heading to Louisiana, said volunteers are enthusiastic about going to the southern United States to use their training and expertise to help Americans. While the governments of Germany and the United States have differed on such issues as Iraq, Büchmuller said his team couldn’t care less about political relations and are focused on helping Americans in a time of need."

Maybe you should take those words to heart. Believe me... germans had to stand way more "bad blood" when we did not follow you into war than those unreflected words of Mr. Trittin. And believe me, you are not so much different to us, than you think. (Except for that I am not as pissed as you are right now...)

Katrina Aid from Germany Blocked

This makes me angry. Der Spiegel is reporting that the US Dept. of Agriculture is refusing to grant entry to an Airbus of the German Airforce loaded with 15 tons of military meals (MREs) for victims of Hurricane Katrina. The ostensible reason is the fear that the MREs are contaminated with Mad Cow Disease, even though they have been certified by the EU and NATO as safe, and the same MREs are shared with the US military in Afghanistan. There is consderable speculation that the true reason the transport has been blocked is that the Bush Administration wants to avoid "embarrassing" pictures of foreign aid being delivered to the disaster region.

Another article reports on how a Swedish transport jet with water purification equipment and mobile wireless telephone GSM base stations has been blocked entry into the US for the past six days.

The US is happy to coordinate international relief efforts in Africa and elsewhere, but when it comes to its own citizens political considerations are more important. The arrogance is appalling.

To those that have come to help, I thank you. I sincerely do. My criticism is often harsh and for that I apologize.

However, for those that have come to lecture or wag your finger at the American people, Im afraid were a bit busy right now to take your complaints.

Someday, after weve found a place to house 200,000 people and after weve rebuilt 4 of our major cities we might find the time to sit down and take the council of those whos only reaction to our disaster is to push forward their political views.

I do hope that one day we can all return to such luxury.

I just read an german hospital-ship of the german army -now on its way to egypt- could come too, if needed.

I have spent the day with reading through the net (Did you ever read through u.s. far right ultra conservative forums?... wow! esp. after mr. t. ;-) ), many blogs are pretty unreflected. - Sorry. But it's true. For my concern, I concentrated on germany helping of course. It would have been so easy to find out that this country actually cares. And you should know that the country is not only the politicans. If it was that, my friend, we both would have serious problems! Anyways: Information was available, in english. The deutsche-welle world or germany-info (www.germany.info) for example. Even USA-Today and Stars and Stripes had articles online.

I do think criticism is something only friends can share. It is a way of participating and therefore it must be allowed. One should be open for it.

Hopeing all the best!

PS: I forgot the put the sources for the above article online: The the quotes about MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) are quoted from: http://dialoginternational.typepad.com/dialog_international/2005/09/katrina_aid_fro.html

I hadnt heard that, but its welcome news just the same. One ofthe single most touching things I remember from 9/11 was the German Navy destroyer flashing "We stand by you" to the American Navy destroyer after news of the attack had been received.

I'm not particularly suprised or bothered by the words of Mr. Trittin and I whole heartedly support his right to say it, but his timing leaves a great deal to be desired.

Its like telling a girl who has just been assaulted that her short skirt may have contributed to the attack.

Timing as they say, is the soul of wit. But its also the core of good taste.

I agree.