This Really Steams Me Up

Via Libertas, I see that Cindy Sheehan now wants Bush to pull out of New Orleans

One thing that truly troubled me about my visit to Louisiana was the level of the military presence there. I imagined before that if the military had to be used in a CONUS (Continental US) operations that they would be there to help the citizens: Clothe them, feed them, shelter them, and protect them. But what I saw was a city that is occupied. I saw soldiers walking around in patrols of 7 with their weapons slung on their backs. I wanted to ask one of them what it would take for one of them to shoot me. Sand bags were removed from private property to make machine gun nests.

The vast majority of people who were looting in New Orleans were doing so to feed their families or to get resources to get their families out of there. If I had a store with an inventory of insured belongings, and a tragedy happened, I would fling my doors open and tell everyone to take what they need: it is only stuff. When our fellow citizens are told to "shoot to kill" other fellow citizens because they want to stay alive, that is military and governmental fascism gone out of control.

For the moment, let's nevermind the reports of people trying to stay alive with their stolen big-screen TVs and 30 pairs of jeans -- has Sheehan not read the reports of armed thugs shooting at rescue and repair personnel? What about this man who spent thousands of his own dollars to truck in free food and water to people in New Orleans only to be shot at? There's no rhyme or reason for attempting murder against people who are helping you. The sad fact is that there are barbarians among us -- people who go absolutely wild as soon as law and order break down. Sheehan calls it "fascist" for Bush to reestablish order and protect the vulnerable population of New Orleans against murderous savages. I call Sheehan deranged. It's time for this woman's 15 minutes to be up already.