Out-takes from a tragedy

The news is filled with images of the hurricane destruction in New Orleans and along the coast from there, and coverage of the magnitude of the storm. However, a couple of bloggers noticed things that weren't the intentional focus of the camera:

• Making Light notices the extent to which class and race affect the experience and coverage of the disaster and its aftermath. Specifically, for victims sorting through the wastage for supplies, it appears that white folks "find" things, while black folks "loot" things . . . (via rc3.org)
  
  
• Meanwhile, Medley looks at the inadequacy of the response to the foreseeable disaster through the lens of our preparedness for "homeland security" crises, and finds the nation no better coordinated, despite the billions, than four years ago.
  
  
• Update: It turns out that reinforcement of the levees around New Orleans, as well as other improvements to the preparedness and infrastructure, were a direct casualty of spending on the Iraq war. (via Bob Harris at This Modern World)
  
  
• Update 2: Greg Saunders notes the President's choice to give a speech to boost support for the war rather than visiting the site of one of the nation's worst natural disasters.

Oh, and in case you need another reminder, the right way to help out is through the Red Cross -- I take it as a good sign that their server is slow today.