Why does it feel like racism?

I saw racism in the media reports, but it's hard to say whether racism, per se, slowed the evacuation of New Orleans. I would call it discrimination, but more because of class--the N.O. evacuation victims had no means of leaving on their own because they were poor. Keep in mind, however, that without a doubt, poverty is racialized in the United States. Capitalism is the governing philosophy, even tainting religion, so that "the lord helps those who help themselves" becomes a sly way to insinuate that the lord teaches us to blame the poor for their poverty. I have to ask myself if the response would have been the same if the stranded had been wealthy and powerful people. An eye witness reports that the buses rolled past the poor and suffering on their way to evacuate the Hilton, confirming that money and power can get things done.

Let's consider this: if a blizzard and avalanche swallowed Aspen or another playground owned by the rich and powerful, would the rescue response have been as slow? Of course, there's no way to know for sure, but my gut tells me the response would have been faster. In N.O., the victims are the poor and powerless, and in the U.S., the poor and powerless are disproportionately people of color. So it's hard to say that racism isn't involved in the situation in N.O., but I think it's even more about money's power and privilege.

Now for a little rant about the South: It's important to remember that the U.S. South voted Democratic until the Democrats supported Civil Rights, then Southerners raised the pro-segregation platform of George Wallace. After Wallace, the pro-segregation South turned Republican, the party that supports and protects privilege. The under-privileged do not historically vote Republican, and Bush has a clear history of punishing those who do not support him. Case in point: the NAACP. Another case in point: Cindy Sheehan--no "time" to meet with her, but plenty of time for photo ops with an Idahoan mother who supports him. The New South, that is, the Republican South, values privilege far above rights. This was never clearer than in the evacuation of New Orleans.