Sunday, August 19, 2007

From Louisiana to Lima: Property more important than human lives

In rhetoric eerily similar to the Law and Order bullshit spouted by the Federal Government, Ray Nagin, and Democratic Governor Kathleen Blanco in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, Peru's president Alan Garcia has just dispatched hundreds of soldiers to the areas most devastated by last week's earthquake to prevent people without food, water or electricity from taking things needed for their survival from stores (aka looting):

"My obligation is to establish order in the country, and we're going to do that today, whatever it takes. - Alan Garcia"

In the government's drive to protect private property the nearly 1000 troops deployed to the region are not speeding up the distribution of goods to victims, according to the BBC. In fact, they've kept themselves busy firing shots in the air to protect businesses.

Despite the recent arrival of over 1,000 metric tons of aid supplies, according to one Pisco resident (a mother of seven), "The supply trucks go by and the anguish of watching them pass without giving us anything forces us to stop them and take what we need."

Once again, another government has proven that it is willing to tolerate, as well as contribute to, the unnatural disaster and human suffering accompanying a natural disaster in order preserve property. A system that has such disgusting priorities must be changed.