Who is the black community to think they own New Orleans? This wan't a crime about them. The response of the nation, or lack thereof, was not about them. New Orleans is one of the most beloved cities in the country to all of us: white Americans, graduates of Tulane, Loyala, countless universities, lawyers, doctors, professionals, the white and black middle and upper class, partiers and historians. This isn’t about African Americans, this is about New Orleans- America’s loss.

The blame for the thousands of deaths in this city can be placed at the feet of two people: The mayor of New Orleans (black) and the female Governor. There was a mandatory evacuation in place, which meant that if you chose not to leave your home you were on your own. You had to sign a release. If, for some reason, you had no means, that is where the (black) Mayor of New Orleans had the duty to rally the troops and provide busses and transport and shelter to those who wanted to leave but couldn’t. He failed. He was the first line of defense. Take it like a man.

As far as the Army Corp of Engineers, the professional whiners have called it a conspiracy against the black community that the levees were built to support only a category 3 hurricane: Imagine, the unmitigated narcissism to think that that city was built and saved, or not saved, to gratify you.

New Orleans belonged to everyone. More so to the white middle and upper class who kept that city hopping, and partying and prospering. New Orleans was about history, America's history. Anyone who has seen that city with its antebellum treasures, above ground cemetaries, centuries of cultural history, knows this city is about tradition and a way of life. FEMA was late to respond and the (mostly black) police department dropped the ball because the Mayor and Governor never called on them, gave the orders or coordinated any efforts. It was a complete and utter failure of leadership.

Think of Rudy Giuliani, out front and center, with his immediate response and press conferences surrounded by his Police and Fire Chiefs, each department head and local and federal officials. Where was the mayor of Louisiana? Holed up in some warm, dry shelter, shouting the f-word, calling for a “desperate SOS” via the media.

People get the government they deserve. Unfortunately for the rest of America, the denizens of New Orleans elected a bunch of incompetents. Failing to take responsibility for that they choose to blame the Federal Government, the War in Iraq and a dozen or so other spooks they have managed to conjure up to make political hay. The fact that Mississippi was also decimated seems to be lost on these self-absorbed ghouls.

If the ersatz civil rights movement thinks it can co-opt New Orleans as their cause de celebre, as their loss , they are sadly mistaken. New Orleans belonged to all of us. A big "thanks" to the city planners and elected officials of New Orleans for losing America’s city.

Letters to the Editor