Hurricane Katrina

Howard began the show talking about how depressed he was by everything he had been seeing and reading about Hurricane Katrina. He said that he didn’t think much of it when he first heard there was a hurricane set to hit, because often times the news networks exaggerate the potential impact of such disasters.

However, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was recently quoted as saying there could be up to 10,000 people dead as a result of Katrina.

Because the water left as a result of the hurricane is, as some experts are calling it, “a toxic soup,” the death toll is likely to continue to rise. Robin thought the government officials would have some idea of what to do in this kind of situation, but apparently they didn’t.

Howard pointed out that President Bush must not have realized the severity of the devastation before he visited the area, because when he got there he didn’t seem to be very upset. Robin said that once again the president was acting inappropriately, but that “his people” would straighten him out in a day or two.

Artie felt the president shouldn’t get so much flack for his demeanor, seeing as he had his five-week vacation shortened by two days for his appearance.

The Price of Giving

A caller wanted advice about how to donate money to the hurricane rescue effort. Robin advised that people should check to make sure any organization they want to donate to is legitimate. Howard noted that, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Web site, “Operation Blessing”, an organization fronted by fundamentalist Pat Robertson, was actually listed second on the list, right after the Red Cross. Even though Robertson’s agency has since been removed from the list, Howard felt it was a bad sign that such a religious-based, right-wing organization was garnering the support of the federal government. Artie agreed with FEMA, and said that after September 11th he found the Red Cross to be the best organization to donate to.