The media seems to be confused by the difference between this weeks situation and the situation in New York on 9-11. The differences are pretty clear.

New York had a strong mayor. The mayor of New Orleans seems to be a bit off, and rather than taking charge like Rudy did, he's screaming for someone to come fix his city.

New York had emergency services workers who, despite losing hundreds of their fellow officers, firemen and paramedics, stayed on scene, and in some cases walked across the bridges to get to the World Trade Center. The emergency personnel in New Orleans seem to have, for the most part, simply disappeared.

The people of New York showed support for their emergency personnel. The people of New Orleans are shooting at those who try to save them.

The remaining command structure in the city of New York regrouped and coordinated the rescue and recovery efforts. Nobody in New Orleans, including the police chief, seems to be doing anything.

Now that the situation in New Orleans is a few days old, the nuts are starting to come out of the woodwork, claiming that the difference is that New Orleans has a black majority. This is not true. The difference is that the government of New Orleans has allowed itself to collapse. They have failed to utilize their police force to control looters, and they have denied access to people who are willing to provide nearly any kind of physical aid.

I am saddened to see that this tragedy is being used to push a racial agenda of any sort.