Superdome Evacuation Stopped After Shots Fired At Helicopter

[Blalron]

@wolf_meister

Could we assume a person running out of a “Best Buy” or “Circuit City” with a carton of CD players is not doing that for humanitarian reasons?

Sure. But last time I checked, stealing CDs was not punishable by summary execution.

[Batsinma_Belfry]

@Snowboarder Bo

btw, am I the only person who is thinking “gee, if all our soldiers weren’t so busy in Iraq, I bet we could do more to help our own fucking citizens”… or is that just me thinking that?

I’m suprised more people haven’t voiced that oppinion. It’s so obvious.

[bordelond]

@Airman Doors

They can break up violent demonstrations, they can guard stuff, and they can detain, but they cannot arrest and they cannot just open up at the first shot fired and go to town.

This suggests to me that the National Guard is helpless. Either they can fire in defense or they cannot.

So the first shot whizzes over their heads … they can do nothing.

The second shot … still nothing?

The third shot rips through one of the Guardsmen’s arms

…

The one hundredth shot pierces someone’s skull.
At what point are they allowed to fight back?

[AFAIKnow]

Now there are reports of sniper fire on people trying to leave the charity hospital there. WTF!!!

[Larry_Mudd]

Christ.

Reports are now coming in that the evacuation efforts at Charity Hospital have ground to a halt because workers were taking fucking sniper fire while trying to move patients out of intensive care.

What kind of sick bastards would do something like this?

[bordelond]

@Larry Mudd

Christ.

Reports are now coming in that the evacuation efforts at Charity Hospital have ground to a halt because workers were taking fucking sniper fire while trying to move patients out of intensive care.

Snowboarder? Askia? Opinions?

Larry, where did you find this out?

[Xploder]

@Snowboarder Bo

btw, am I the only person who is thinking “gee, if all our soldiers weren’t so busy in Iraq, I bet we could do more to help our own fucking citizens”… or is that just me thinking that?

Probably you aren’t the only one. Truth is that the National Guard is deployed already and the regular army, by law, can’t do much but guard things.

You all need to calm down until we actually get some, ya know, facts or something. Rumors and internet crap are not facts. Just because some talking head on CNN said it does not make it true.

[Bricker]

@Airman Doors

No, they should not. And they cannot, by law. As a matter of fact, the National Guard, even when called up for civil disturbances, needs to be very careful about how they conduct themselves because they are not law enforcement. They can break up violent demonstrations, they can guard stuff, and they can detain, but they cannot arrest and they cannot just open up at the first shot fired and go to town.

Not entirely true.

The active military forces cannot be used for law enforcement purposes, it’s true. The Posse Commitatus Act makes that plain. It also applies to reserve and national guard units activated under federal authority.

However, national guard troops activated under the authority of the state governor derive their authority from the state constitution, and may be deputized and act as law enforcement officers.

[Xploder]

@bordelond

This suggests to me that the National Guard is helpless. Either they can fire in defense or they cannot.

So the first shot whizzes over their heads … they can do nothing.

The second shot … still nothing?

The third shot rips through one of the Guardsmen’s arms

…

The one hundredth shot pierces someone’s skull.
At what point are they allowed to fight back?

Fine except that he specifically said {b]the REGULAR ARMY** not the Guard.

[Larry_Mudd]

@bordelond

Larry, where did you find this out?

It was just on CNN.

[Xploder]

@hillbilly queen

I’m suprised more people haven’t voiced that oppinion. It’s so obvious.

What’s obvious? Are you seriously saying that if all the troops in Iraq weren’t there then we’d have more help for rescue efforts? You do realize that almost none of those troops would be available for immediate relief efforts even if they weren’t in Iraq, right? A hell of a lot of them would be at various bases in Europe and other points around the globe.

Unless you’re advocating that we should always keep ALL of our troops right here just in case they might be needed for a natural disaster relief effort.

[bordelond]

@Bricker

Not entirely true.

The active military forces cannot be used for law enforcement purposes, it’s true. The Posse Commitatus Act makes that plain. It also applies to reserve and national guard units activated under federal authority.

However, national guard troops activated under the authority of the state governor derive their authority from the state constitution, and may be deputized and act as law enforcement officers.

All you people saying that the National Guard can’t do anything needs to explain this passage to me:

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the government is sending in 1,400 National Guardsmen a day to help stop looting and other lawlessness in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Already, 2,800 National Guardsmen are in the city, he said.

So, what can they really do to “stop … lawlessness”? Airman, you basically said their hands are tied. Might this not be a situation where rule of law is ignored for a while?

[bordelond]

@Larry Mudd

It was just on CNN.

Snowboarder, **Askia ** – the national news is now confirming a lot of what I’ve been hearing about all morning.

[Askia]

I’m watching it, too.

I may owe you an apology.

[Duke_of_Rat]

@Larry Mudd

Christ.

Reports are now coming in that the evacuation efforts at Charity Hospital have ground to a halt because workers were taking fucking sniper fire while trying to move patients out of intensive care.

Sorry, Larry. This can’t be right.

@Snowboarder Bo

As I cited the people in direct control and communication with all air traffic have no reports of shots being fired. Even the man on the ground only says he has a report, not that he has confirmation. Crawl back into your survival bunker, throw the blanket back over your head, and wait for further instructions. :wally

[Hentor_the_Barbarian]

@bordelond

Snowboarder, **Askia ** – the national news is now confirming a lot of what I’ve been hearing about all morning.

Really. Any news on the bit about the armed gunmen taking over a building, especially the Convention Center?

@bordelond

BTW – it’s not one shot fired. There are reports of large buildings in the city (the Convention Center for one) that have been taken over by armed gangs. Sorry, no cite – take or leave this info.

[Winnie]

Here’s the latest on the gunmen targeting the hospitals and medical supplies:

New Orleans’ Charity Hospital halted efforts to evacuate its patients after it came under sniper fire, according to Dr. Tyler Curiel, who witnessed the incidents.

[wolf_meister]

Airman Doors
As you probably know, on May 4, 1970, the Ohio National Guard at Kent State University used deadly force without 1 shot ever being fired at them.
I don’t want to debate the events of that 35 year old incident. However, it does show that sometimes, the National Guard does a little bit more than just guard things.

[bordelond]

@Hentor the Barbarian

Really. Any news on the bit about the armed gunmen taking over a building, especially the Convention Center?

Here is where I learned of that. I know and trust the guy that posted it. That won’t impress most here, but so be it.

Being that the raiding of the Convention Center happened last night, I wonder if the armed thugs moved on afterwards. That, I don’t know.

After a lot of this stuff dies down, there will be stories and accounts coming out of a lot of things that happened during Katrina’s aftermath that aren’t being reported now.

[Ike_Witt]

Does all this mean that our entire society is only about 3 bad days from collapse? I don’t remember hearing about crap like this after the tsunami.

I am seriously going to re-think my personal situation and consider stockpiling some canned goods and getting a shotgun for my house. Hey Padeye, if I bring food and beer can I crash at your place during the apocalypse?