I'm gulping like a fish out of water. I'm stunned. I'd say I can't believe it, but to begin with, it happened, and to end with, it fits the whole awful pattern. I lived in New Orleans for 13 years. It's the best city in the whole US, it has a real beating heart, and it'll survive this. But, man, there are people--things in the shape of people, I should say--who would scare a zombie. What's happened to this country? Americans weren't like this. I swear they weren't. I'm posting this on my blog, where I have a smattering of bits and pieces about all this that have left me astounded (like the Shrub's photo op preventing life-or-death emergency flights!). Another factor coming out as the days go by is that FEMA (the emergency management agency) was not merely braindead. They actively interfered with the arrival of help! It sounds impossible, but there it is. They cut all the phone lines in a neighboring town's (Jefferson) sheriff's office. Sheriff Harry Lee takes no guff, reconnected them, and posted a guy with a gun to shoot at the feds if they should try it again! Unbelievable. The King of Zembla blog has a good round-up of links . Some titles: # FEMA won't accept Amtrak's help in evacuations # FEMA turns away experienced firefighters # FEMA turns back Wal-Mart supply trucks # FEMA prevents Coast Guard from delivering diesel fuel # FEMA won't let Red Cross deliver food Unbelievable.