anarchy in New Orleans

Here's a sobering thought - is the veneer of civilization so thin?

Anarchy disrupts US storm relief

Already, some are saying "Hurricane Katrina will be as big a test for the United States as was the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001". more.....

Where are the troops? Where is the organization? Where are the humanitarian air drops? And air lifts?

And is it necessary for people to revert to acting like animals the moment there isn't a police force around them? Where are the natural leaders? Where are the ex-scouts and guides in those crowds? Is there nobody there who can organize themselves and a small group of people to act in a constructive way?

Oh yes, there was. There was that group of people who commandeered a bus, pooled money to buy gas & baby supplies for the little ones on board, and drove to Texas. Where they were initially told they couldn't stay at the Astrodome. Presumably because they had jumped the queue. Of course the fact that the queue appears non-existent is a mitigating circumstance.

I'm sure there are other people, doing their bit, behaving like civilized, caring human beings. Taking care of themselves, taking care of those around them. But the reports of gunfights, and the ugliness of the crowds at the evacuation points are sobering. It's eerily like a post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel; the veneer really is thin.