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Boing Boing (The quotation made me laughed out loud):

[M]ost chillingly of all, this is the Law and Order and Terror government. It promised protection — or at least amelioration — against all threats: conventional, radiological, or biological. It has just proved that it cannot save its citizens from a biological weapon called standing water.

But then again, Louisiana isn't entirely blameless either. We do have to consider that though the federal government should be able to respond faster, the state government should have prepared better. Mayor Nagin hadn't done his best to order an evacuation, since he did so in less than 24 hours before the hurricane struck, hardly enough time for any person without a car to get away. There's also problems with evacuation itself, where were the buses?

Boing Boing: A picture that might offend you.

Boing Boing: Sad state of Health Insurance, when people are caught in a cycle of not affording health insurance because of unemployment, yet poorer because of lack of health insurance.

Kuro5hin: Talking about lack of community spirit in New Orleans. Basically, I think high crime rate contributed to the hostility that poor New Orleaners felt for each other. Unlike New York, where former Mayor Rudy Giuliani successfully lowered crime rate, New Orleans had to descend into anarchy. The difference between looting and finding is simply the symptom of the already-prevalent state of despair.

Slashdot: Working with Nature to control flood. The usual and sad thing, naturally, is that barrier islands that would serve as buffer against storm surges are often destroyed for the sake of development.

I'm for development, but it must be with nature, not against, and it must be developed with sustainability in mind. Very likely, we won't smell the old New Orleans again.