Americans being helped by Canadians...

[CanadianLoonie]

...faster than they can help themselves:

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N07222207.htm

Canadians beat U.S. Army to New Orleans suburb
08 Sep 2005 05:08:07 GMT

Source: Reuters

BATON ROUGE, La., Sept 7 (Reuters) - A Canadian search-and-rescue team reached a flooded New Orleans suburb to help save trapped residents five days before the U.S. military, a Louisiana state senator said on Wednesday.

The Canadians beat both the Army and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. disaster response department, to St. Bernard Parish east of New Orleans, where flood waters are still 8 feet (2.4 metres) deep in places, Sen. Walter Boasso said.

"Fabulous, fabulous guys," Boasso said. "They started rolling with us and got in boats to save people."

"We've got Canadian flags flying everywhere."

The stricken parish of 68,000 people was largely ignored by U.S. authorities who scrambled to get aid to New Orleans, a few miles (km) away. Boasso said residents of the outlying parishes had to mount their own rescue and relief efforts when Hurricane Katrina roared ashore on Aug. 29.

The U.S. government response to the disaster has been widely criticized. Politicians and editorial writers have called for the resignation of top Bush administration officials.

Boasso said U.S. authorities began airdropping relief supplies to St. Bernard last Wednesday, the same day the Canadian rescue team of about 50 members arrived from Vancouver, nearly 2,200 miles (3,540 km) away. (Didn't know I lived that far away...)

"They chartered a plane and flew down," he said.

Two FEMA officials reached the parish on Sunday and the U.S. Army arrived on Monday, he said.

"Why does it take them seven days to get the Army in?" Boasso asked.

He speculated that the smaller parishes suffered because the focus was on New Orleans, the famous home of jazz and Mardi Gras.

As for the Canadians, Boasso gave thanks for their quick work.

"They were so glad to be here," he said. "They're still here. They are actually going door-to-door looking in the attics" for people to rescue, he said.

 

[Ultra_Kool_Dude]

Not to sound cheesy, but I'll be just as quick to rescue an American as I would a fellow Canadian.

 

[Shawn]

How about the fact that Canada is willing to forgo the Softwood Lumber Dispute for a while to allow to people of Louisiana and Mississippi to rebuild. I doubt America would do that.

We all came together for 9/11 as well... the opportunity will never arise for America to help us, but I have a feeling they wouldn't do the same.

 

[Jostyrostelli]

Wasn't Cuba offering help? Fidel Castro said any political views will be put aside when help is needed...isn't that normal for a country to do?

 

[cvrefugee]

We all came together for 9/11 as well... the opportunity will never arise for America to help us, but I have a feeling they wouldn't do the same.

Dude, we spend all of our money on your cheap drugs already, what more do you expect of us? :lol:

 

[bone]

Wasn't Cuba offering help? Fidel Castro said any political views will be put aside when help is needed...isn't that normal for a country to do?

castro is a dickhead and only said that to be popular. he new in advance america would refuse, or he wouldn't have made the offer

it's about time he dies so cuba can get popular again, and get some wellfaire

 

[swek]

Wasn't Cuba offering help? Fidel Castro said any political views will be put aside when help is needed...isn't that normal for a country to do?

Yes he did. Even Bushs best friend Hugo Chavez offered help in form of fuel and food.

 

[Shawn]

If that country is not America, then yes, it's normal.

I could get into a deep, philosophical conversation about this issue (and I think I've been brainwashed enough at university to do so), but all you have to look at is how Canada wasn't thanked at all for what we did after 9/11. We took in so many Americans and passengers on their way to America... we took them into our homes, not just our country. We did the best we could to help America, and Bush didn't even bother to thank us. Not that he needed to, because any decent human would've reacted as we did... but he thanked so many others which didn't do much except verbally support America.

I remember on the days following 9/11... the radio kept encouraging people to donate blood, and after a day or two they reverted their message to say not to donate blood, as there was already a substantial amount which wasn't needed and that they couldn't use the surplus. I can't blame other Canadians for not being as enthusiastic about helping the victims of Katrina as they were after September 11th.

Wasn't Cuba offering help? Fidel Castro said any political views will be put aside when help is needed...isn't that normal for a country to do?

 

[bone]

ah yeah, and even iran offered help :lol:

20 miljon liters of oil if they stop the boycot on them

yeah right

 

[Shawn]

That faggot Pat Robertson never even apologized... who let's these people on TV? Even more importantly, who listens to them?

Wasn't Cuba offering help? Fidel Castro said any political views will be put aside when help is needed...isn't that normal for a country to do?

Yes he did. Even Bushs best friend Hugo Chavez offered help in form of fuel and food.

 

[Dark_Templer_102]

The Mexican Navy is sending supplies and stuff to help the relief effort

 

[gtrietsc]

Those Canadians are brave - I wouldn't be going into some area where people are shooting/robbing rescuers...

As for the Mexican Army, thats just weird. I mean, they are bring water purification trucks - shouldnt they set up a few of those back home first?

(For those who don't know, you do NOT drink the water in Mexico unless its bottled.)

 

[DJ]

Wasn't Cuba offering help? Fidel Castro said any political views will be put aside when help is needed...isn't that normal for a country to do?

castro is a dickhead and only said that to be popular. he new in advance america would refuse, or he wouldn't have made the offer

it's about time he dies so cuba can get popular again, and get some wellfaire

Have you been to Cuba?

 

[Dr. Woo]

Thousands of National Guard were assembled and ready to go just as the hurricane left N.O. You can blame the sluggish response of the Governor for their slow arrival.

 

[kanderson]

As for the Mexican Army, thats just weird. I mean, they are bring water purification trucks - shouldnt they set up a few of those back home first

They would be the experts on water purification, wouldn't they? Very few people in America care about quality of water, much less know how to purify it.

 

[bone]

Wasn't Cuba offering help? Fidel Castro said any political views will be put aside when help is needed...isn't that normal for a country to do?

castro is a dickhead and only said that to be popular. he new in advance america would refuse, or he wouldn't have made the offer

it's about time he dies so cuba can get popular again, and get some wellfaire

Have you been to Cuba?

no i haven't, but it must be beautifull

but as long as it stays communist, the people will be surpressed, and there will never be decent industrie etc

and only 1 man to blame for this, he tried his best, but failed, and it's about time he accepts it and takes a step back. and he must be like 80 by now.

 

[Renesis]

I wonder what Bush would have done if it happened here

 

[BlaRo]

We love you guys, we really do!


^ I had to throw some in there. I'm sorry.

but as long as it stays communist, the people will be surpressed, and there will never be decent industrie etc

and only 1 man to blame for this, he tried his best, but failed, and it's about time he accepts it and takes a step back. and he must be like 80 by now.

He's probably older than that. And I can't imagine the economic sanctions help, but that's for another discussion.

 

[Shawn]

He'd probably have a nice mince meat pie and run his cattle about his ranch.

I wonder what Bush would have done if it happened here

 

[astroboymoto]

Wasn't Cuba offering help? Fidel Castro said any political views will be put aside when help is needed...isn't that normal for a country to do?

castro is a dickhead and only said that to be popular. he new in advance america would refuse, or he wouldn't have made the offer

it's about time he dies so cuba can get popular again, and get some wellfaire

Have you been to Cuba?

no i haven't, but it must be beautifull

but as long as it stays communist, the people will be surpressed, and there will never be decent industrie etc

and only 1 man to blame for this, he tried his best, but failed, and it's about time he accepts it and takes a step back. and he must be like 80 by now.

hmm, I take it you've never lived under communism but you'll judge it anyway who cares if you live under a dictator if the "forces of democracy" pass legislation that allows a massive invasion of privacy and permanant imprisonment without charge? how is it any better?