rick_reno
I don't know if NO even has room for active duty troops in that area. For one thing, a total of 18,000 state guardsmen have been called up. Thats a heavy division in number. These people are going to need a lot of logistics in order to feed and house them as it is, and dry ground seems to be at a premium. I have no doubt that should active duty assets be required, they will be sent. The director of homeland security has a large number of assets he can call upon from the 1st US Army. The biggest headache is going to be coordination of the assets they have. You would like to make the skies black with helo's but you're asking for a tragedy if you do so. Plus, they have to fuel up and what not. Places for maintenence. Places to land.
I well understand your anxiousness at getting to the bottom of all the thuggery in the city-I am very concerned myself, but it takes a lot of people other than infantry or MP's to get this problem under control. Medical personnel, some combat engineers would be handier than a hole in your rear end right now. Helicopters, HEMTT's and what have you. Portable fuel bladders and such will be needed if not already in place.
I don't think the President is dragging his feet on this. I wasn't known exactly what damage would be sustained and exactly where the hurricane would hit until hours before it did. Bush has opened a lot of doors for the situation, but we can't blame him on this one-at least not yet, although the cry is going up that he had the chance to strengthen the levies and didn't. But, then so did every pres since Carter, and nobody did anything.
I have to steel myself against most of the reporting, because I know the bad guys in this are a very small minority-most Americans are opening up their homes, sharing food, trying to help where they can. When it comes to generosity and compassion, there is NO better place than America.
The few who are doing bad things will not have a place to hide once their identities are known, and I very much doubt the jury will be sympathetic to their actions.
