Riding Out Katrina

[Flashermac]

Simply brilliant ...

 

 

 

 

19 September 2005

 

EXCLUSIVE TO THE MIRROR: UP IN FLAMES

 

Tons of British aid donated to help Hurricane Katrina victims to be BURNED by Americans

 

From Ryan Parry, US Correspondent in New York

 

 

HUNDREDS of tons of British food aid shipped to America for starving Hurricane Katrina survivors is to be burned.

 

US red tape is stopping it from reaching hungry evacuees.

 

Instead tons of the badly needed Nato ration packs, the same as those eaten by British troops in Iraq, has been condemned as unfit for human consumption.

 

And unless the bureaucratic mess is cleared up soon it could be sent for incineration.

 

One British aid worker last night called the move "sickening senselessness" and said furious colleagues were "spitting blood".

 

The food, which cost British taxpayers millions, is sitting idle in a huge warehouse after the Food and Drug Agency recalled it when it had already left to be distributed.

 

Scores of lorries headed back to a warehouse in Little Rock, Arkansas, to dump it at an FDA incineration plant.

 

The Ministry of Defence in London said last night that 400,000 operational ration packs had been shipped to the US.

 

But officials blamed the US Department of Agriculture, which impounded the shipment under regulations relating to the import and export of meat.

 

The aid worker, who would not be named, said: "This is the most appalling act of sickening senselessness while people starve.

 

"The FDA has recalled aid from Britain because it has been condemned as unfit for human consumption, despite the fact that these are Nato approved rations of exactly the same type fed to British soldiers in Iraq.

 

"Under Nato, American soldiers are also entitled to eat such rations, yet the starving of the American South will see them go up in smoke because of FDA red tape madness."

 

The worker added: "There will be a cloud of smoke above Little Rock soon - of burned food, of anger and of shame that the world's richest nation couldn't organise a piss up in a brewery and lets Americans starve while they arrogantly observe petty regulations.

 

"Everyone is revolted by the chaotic shambles the US is making of this crisis. Guys from Unicef are walking around spitting blood.

 

"This is utter madness. People have worked their socks off to get food into the region.

 

"It is perfectly good Nato approved food of the type British servicemen have. Yet the FDA are saying that because there is a meat content and it has come from Britain it must be destroyed.

 

"If they are trying to argue there is a BSE reason then that is ludicrously out of date. There is more BSE in the States than there ever was in Britain and UK meat has been safe for years."

 

The Ministry of Defence said: "We understand there was a glitch and these packs have been impounded by the US Department of Agriculture under regulations relating to the import and export of meat.

 

"The situation is changing all the time and at our last meeting on Friday we were told progress was being made in relation to the release of these packs. The Americans certainly haven't indicated to us that there are any more problems and they haven't asked us to take them back."

 

Food from Spain and Italy is also being held because it fails to meet US standards and has been judged unfit for human consumption.

 

And Israeli relief agencies are furious that thousands of gallons of pear juice are to be destroyed because it has been judged unfit.

 

The FDA said: "We did inspect some MREs (meals ready to eat) on September 13. They are the only MREs we looked at. There were 70 huge pallets of vegetarian MREs.

 

"They were from a foreign nation. We inspected them and then released them for distribution."

[Guest]

Flashermac said:

 

HUNDREDS of tons of British food aid shipped to America for starving Hurricane Katrina survivors is to be burned.

 

 

 

 

 

First a hurricane, then a flood, and now British food...gotta feel sorry for them Yanks.

 

Sensible move, if you ask me.

[Steve]

I for one don't think a country's GNP should determine if one should offer help. It may sound cliched but 'its the thought that counts' is true for events like this.

 

To be fair, I did read a story and a video account by the daughter of one of the Neville Bros. singing group who was trapped in New Orleans and said she was raped along with some old women and children in her group. If you recall from earlier posts I questioned how widespread such acts were. She was more angry about the lack of help. She said the rape occured about 2 or 3 days after the flood when it appeared to the thousands stuck there that no one wanted to help. She said that helicopters were circling but no one in them was dropping food or doing anything. Its a sad story actually. Hers is the only first hand account I've read. I am still not sure if its as widespread as the media has said.

 

America gets hit by numerous hurricanes each season, some are dealt with better than others depending on the state in which it occurs in and the severity of the hurricane. This one was far, far more severe than anyone imagined. It could have been and should have been dealt with better but even if all safeguards were in place there would have been a lot of devastation.

[Guest]

 

"First a hurricane, then a flood, and now British food...gotta feel sorry for them Yanks. "

 

 

:grinyes:

[Steve]

Not an excuse. In fact, its an indictment on the system, but although we are only under 300 million people, the economy and accompanying bureacracy that is 24% of the worlds GNP is big beyond imagination. That is compounded by politicians and bureaucrats who pad the system with needless extra federal, state and local workers as well as regulations for every minute thing, real or imagined and its no wonder you have cock ups like burned food that doesn't meet some regulation somewhere.

 

I wonder if China and India have the same bureaucratic nightmare? Or if England had the same when it had their empire? The U.S. tax code looks like the A-C book out of the Encyclopedia Brittanica for god sakes.

[Flashermac]

So you think Eisbein and Sulz is gourmet food??? Maybe some yummy calf's brains with scrambled eggs?

 

[Flashermac]

Sent me from a cousin in Louisiana.

 

________________________________________

 

What I have seen since Katrina:

 

 

The poor and the wealthy hurt by the storm.

 

Black, white, Hispanic, Oriental and Indian all hurt by the storm.

 

Decent people giving, giving, giving.

 

Churches going all out to minister in Jesus' name.

 

Neighbors going door to door helping one another.

 

Thugs and hoodlums going door to door looking for someone vulnerable.

 

Ice and water being fought over as police tried to keep the peace.

 

People coming up from New Orleans taking over empty houses because shelters are full.

 

Out of town volunteers coming with food and staying for now a week -- and still serving it.

 

The Red Cross doing a great job in the shelters.

 

The Salvation Army doing a great job in the community.

 

Four hundred crewman from everywhere bring back the power to our homes, churches and businesses.

 

Lines at service stations a block to a mile long.

 

National Guardsman patrolling the streets of McComb along with Kentucky policemen protecting us from the hoodlums and thugs of McComb, Pike County and New Orleans (possibly the most dangerous city in the world before Katrina.)

 

Doctors, nurses and other hospital personnel working tirelessly, even sleeping in the hospital to do the job God called them to do.

 

 

WHAT I HAVE NOT SEEN:

 

 

The ACLU setting up a feeding line.

 

People for the American Way helping in the shelters.

 

The NAACP doing any work whatsoever.

 

The American Atheist organization serving meals in the shelters.

 

Jesse Jackson directing traffic at the gas stations.

 

I could go on but you get my message. Its the decent people with love and compassion who do the work.

 

The gripers in Congress should come on down and get in line to pass the water and the ice. Are you listening Hillary, Chuck, Teddy and all the sorry loafers we call Senators and Congressmen? They don't have a clue as to what this life is all about here on the Gulf Coast.

 

Boy I feel better now!

[HSTEACH]

Your cousin tells the truth. I see it everyday..

Teach

[sayjann]

the Yanks should think themselves lucky.

after all they are the Nation that inflicted McDonalds on the rest of the World.............

 

nothing wrong with British food.

you can't beat a good fish finger sandwich with lashings of ketchup...............

[Chlp]

You forgot to mention the heroic effort of Cindy Sheehan who tried her best to end Bush' occupation of New Orleans:

George Bush needs to stop talking, admit the mistakes of his all around failed administration, [color:"red"]pull our troops out of occupied New Orleans[/color] and Iraq, and excuse his self from power.

Go Cindy!