Good fences make good neigbours, part II.

Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd.
- Bertrand Russell

The London Times has a piece about the town of Estherwood, Louisiana. A 95%-white hamlet located about 260 kilometers west of New Orleans, Estherwood has become known around the world for its callous refusal to take in any Katrina IDPs.

John Humble, a member of the Acadian Parish Police Jury (the board that oversees local affairs) argued that "we don’t have the teachers, we don’t have the classrooms, we don’t have law enforcement, the sheriff doesn’t have the resources [to handle it].” However, a colleague and a local official both call bullshit, citing FEMA's mandate to pay for any infrastucture required to support and sustain evacuees: "the Federal Emergency Management Agency would have paid to install water pipes, sewage lines and electricity on the site..."

Classy, Estherwood; real classy. The Times article is here (will launch a new window).