Stupid People In The Big Easy

Certainly, nobody wishes harm to the people who escaped from New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina hit this morning. And of course, everyone's thoughts are with those people who, either due to lack of resources or ill health, had to hunker down and try to ride out the storm in place. About ten thousand of them made it to the Superdome.

But there's probably 80,000 people in the area south of Lake Pontchartrain who thought they could beat Mother Nature at her own game. Those people are officially STUPID. And it's hard to feel compassion for people who possess such profound stupidity.

From the AP, here: WGNO reporter Susan Roesgen reported that New Orleans police had received more than 100 reports of people trapped on their roofs.

I think I usually have a fair amount of compassion, but if I were answering the phones at the New Orleans Police Department this morning, I'd be fighting the urge to hang up on these idiots. "You're stuck on your roof? Sorry, we're not coming to get you. There's a hurricane blowing out there, and we're not risking our lives just to save your incredibly stupid ass. You had your chance yesterday. See ya." >click<

"I'm not doing too good right now," Chris Robinson told the AP via cell phone from his home east of the city's downtown. "The water's rising pretty fast. I got a hammer and an ax and a crowbar, but I'm holding off on breaking through the roof until the last minute. Tell someone to come get me please. I want to live."

Tell us, Mr. Robinson, did you want to live when your mayor and governor went on the air yesterday morning and told all New Orleans residents to GET THE HELL OUT? If you had no car, did you call the police yesterday afternoon and ask them to move you to a shelter? Or were you one of the thousands of morons who figured "My home is my castle, and I'll stay with my castle" (at least, until your castle took on ten feet of water)?

I'm reminded of the story of the devoutly-religious gentleman who was placidly rocking away on his front porch as the hurricane approached. The police came by and said, "We've got to get you out of here now!" The man refused, saying, "God will take care of me." When the flood waters rose and the man had to take refuge on his roof, the National Guard came by in a boat and said, "The levees are about to burst! Get in!" The man waved them away, shouting, "God will take care of me." And as the waves covered the roof of the house, the man was perched atop his chimney as an Army helicopter hovered overhead. The soldiers dropped a rope ladder as one shouted through a bullhorn for the man to climb up. "God will take care of me," the man muttered as he sat there.

And when the flood waters had covered the chimney, the man found himself in Heaven, facing God. "God, I don't understand," the man complained. "I was certain that You would take care of me." God glared at the man. "What do you want from me? I sent you the police, a National Guard boat and an Army helicopter. Schmuck."

I share God's disdain.