Letters: Oct. 17, 2005

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Katrina's damage was multiplied a thousand times by the breach of the levees. That is a classic case of the penny-wise, pound-foolish policies of modern politicians and bureaucrats. The problem is not limited to the Bush Administration. Driven by concepts like cost cutting and lean government, shortsighted budget officials may save a few billion dollars but end up losing $50 billion later on when tragedies must be dealt with.

ANIL KUMAR ALETI

Hyderabad, India

The looters, murderers, and other degenerates who fired on rescue workers in New Orleans should have been shot at by the police to maintain civilized order. Taking food and water from a grocery store in order to survive is understandable, but stealing luxury items just because there is an opportunity to do so is criminal. I hope that those caught on camera will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

ARLINE MCFARLANE

West Vancouver, B.C.

If instead of wasting billions of dollars looking for imaginary weapons of mass destruction, the Bush Administration had spent the money on preparing for natural disasters, a number of innocent lives would have been saved.

NISHITH CHANDRA

New Delhi

The pictures of New Orleans showed that the people most affected were black, poor, vulnerable or sick. One has to ask whether that was the reason for the Bush Administration's delayed, apathetic response. The world watched in disbelief as a superpower that could send troops to fight a war in Iraq couldn't help its own people in their hour of need.

BERNADINE SHARMA

Stamford, England

The suffering that Hurricane Katrina has brought to the residents of New Orleans is heartrending. The entire world is awed by this human catastrophe. The international community must stand by the people of the U.S. through these difficult moments.

M. FAZAL ELAHI

Islamabad

I literally gaped at the photos of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The storm not only blew off rooftops and took the lives of innocents but also swept away the confidence of citizens. Yet now is not the time to assign blame. Instead, Americans need to delve into the heart of the problem and rebuild for the newly homeless and the helpless, regardless of color, race or religion. I am glad I live in a safe place, but we know that disaster can strike anytime.

ARIEL LEE

Singapore

Perhaps Americans are by now waking up to the humbling fact that there is only one superpower: the climate.

BARRY WEIGHTMAN

Port Vila, Vanuatu

Instead of being rebuilt after the ravages of Mother Nature, New Orleans should be allowed to be covered by water and become a part of mythology, like the island of Atlantis. Then a different New Orleans could be built somewhere in the Southwestern desert. We could have history and mythology come together in our very own lifetime.

RATTAN MANN

Oslo

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