DAYS

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Sampled below are a few reader letters to the editor from today's NY Daily News, plus my response if I were to ever become editor of Gotham's second-raggiest tabloid... I can't even begin to fathom what letters from NY Post readers might say.

While it is true that the response to Katrina from the federal government was not as fast as it could have been, it should be noted taht state and local governments have primary responsiblity in dealing with local disasters.
– David Reniewich, Brooklyn

And just how do you categorize a direct hit from a Category 4 hurricane which wipes out an entire region of the country, displaces more than half-a-million people and has been repeatedly cited as the second or third biggest threat to the nation as just a "local disaster"? I suppose 9/11 was pretty much just a "Lower Manhattan" disaster, eh?

The real blame for the New Orleans disaster should be directed at the forefathers of the city, who, a couple of hundred years ago, basically said, "Let's dig a hole in the ground, below sea level, and put a major city in it." I'm surprised the terrorist never tried to flood the city by blowing up the vunerable, easy-to-get-to levees.
– Rick Riepl, Roseland, NJ

Hey, lay off, they were probably drunk. And yeah, that's productive, blame a bunch of guys who've been dead for hundreds of years. Someone better launch an independent investigation into Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville right quick! (hey, how convenient, something else to blame the French for!)

How long will it be before we have a "Help the Victims of Hurricane Katrina" bracelet?
– Michael Schmitt, Milford, Conn.

Yeah, those goddam bracelet people must be stopped. I'm so sick of them! Can't we just bring back the ribbons, or maybe switch to "Relief Anklets" or something?

Had the same effort and organization put forth in sending our troops into Iraq was carried out with Hurricane Katrina, maybe less suffering and loss of life would have occurred.
– Curtis Izen, Merrick, L.I.

I see your point Curtis, however it does appear as though the same amount planning did go into Katrina relief efforts as went into Iraq, only with more body armor.

My newspaper was late yesterday; I blame President Bush. My soup for lunch was cold; I blame Bush. Our cat missed the litter box; I blame Bush. And as why I have yet to win the lottery, I blame Bush. To the angry left and Michael Moores of he world, a little advice: Hate consumes you, not those you hate.
– Dan Otto, Wyoming, Minn.

Hey Dan, when your cold soup and cat pee unnecessarily kill scores of civilians, let me know. A little advice: Your stupidity consumes you.

Stop trying to make excuses. Stop blaming the likes of Kanye West, the New York Times and moral decay. There's plenty of blame to go around, but those aren't the parties most responsible. It is crucial to have an independent investigation, not some Republican-led 'show' hunt. Everyone found to be responsible – locally, nationally, Republican, Democrat – in any way should be shit-canned immediately. Stop hiding from accountability. The system is broke and we gotta fix it. Fast. And I have a pretty good idea about where we should start...



Indeed. You suck President Bush. And my soup is cold.