Some things I don't understand

Just sitting here at the computer after watching yet another series of news stories on the hurricane Katrina tradegy and I confess I am numbed emotionally by what I have seen and heard over the past eight days. I have been following the story closely because I have attempted to integrate the story into all my classes at school as often as I can. As I watch and listen I can understand the wide range of emotions being expressed with great passion on all sides. I can understand the anger by victims and certain segments of the general population. I can understand the criticism's by those who feel more should have been done. I can understand the outrage of the Mayor of New Orleans. I can understand the frustration of those outside of New Orleans in places like Mississippi who feel they have been ignored and shortchanged. I can understand the actions of those who did not get out of New Orleans for one reason or another. I can understand the utter helplessness of some local governments officials and support staff who are working around the clock to do everything they can in what has been described as a living hell on earth. I can understand the loss of hope and utter fear of those left with nothing and I can understand why some people just refuse to leave their homes.....but......there are some things I cannot understand.....I cannot understand why some national cable news stations continue to talk and talk about the looters and the damage that was done to the business community. Didn't these people represent the extreme minority of the folks left behind? Most folks were held up in the Super Dome. As I tried to explain to my psychology class people often do extreme things when they are faced with extreme circumstances. I am not surprised at all. Don't condone it but shit happens when people are living on the edge and I think we all can agree that this disaster pushed alot of folks over the edge......I cannot understand why some talk show hosts continue to critisize the folks who stayed behind. Maybe if some of these folks had a place to go and a way to get there more would have left.....I cannot understand how anyone with any kind of conscious would want to profit from this disaster. Apparently a significant number of hotels located just out of the direct path of Katrina were jacking up the price to stay in their hotels. No wonder so many folks may have felt the need to stay behind. They couldn't afford to stay in the hotels....and we all know about the gas companies....shame on you......They couldn't wait to jack up the gas prices in my neck of the woods 50 cents before you could shake a stick. They raised prices quicker than adequate help arrived in New Orleans. Just proves, I guess, that the corporations are more organized than the government. No wonder they have become so rich.....I cannot understand why some talk show hosts want to blame to welfare system for the disaster. One host yesterday asserted that the reason many folks did not get out is because they were expecting the government to bail them out which is a lesson they learned from being on welfare....What is the world coming to????....but.....worst of all.....I cannot understand why the people housed in the Superdome and the Convention Center did not get food, water, and other necessities quicker. I can understand the difficulty and extreme challenge involved in the ongoing rescue effort to get people out of their homes and certain parts of the city but tens of thousands of people were crammed together for the whole world to see for days with little or no help and this I just don't understand????????