Lots and lots of email along these lines:

Jonah –
I can’t believe that you posted your “Navy Commander” reader’s comments without comment. A few of his assertions defy commonsense.
“Yes, things went wrong but, believe it or not, many more things went right. “
What things? What single thing on a local level went right? The decision to evacuate the city? It was a day late. The ability to evacuate those who had no means to do so themselves? No existent. The ability to maintain control of looting? Nope.
“The First Responders moved in and did their job.”
They did? By what measure? What discernible effect did the job of the first responders (I assume he means the local authorities) have on the current situation? For instance, would it be safe right now to drop in food and water to the convention center, with no stabilizing federal force pre-positioned to control the crowd? If not why not? And whose fault would that be?
The fact is that the the scene on the ground is a total and complete failure of the local and state authorities having any foresight and ability to protect and defend their own constituents. The fact that the federal government has been caught flat-footed by the local authorities complete inability to maintain any kind of order is not that surprising. I don’t think anybody could have anticipated the utter chaos the local authorities are not only complicit in, but completely responsible for. The failure here is on a local level, plain and simple. Simply put, it is not unreasonable for the federal goverment to expect the locals to hold down the fort for a few days until the cavalry can arrive.
And of course the federal cavalry will arrive. And of course, I and all my friends in all 50 states will be paying for the bail out and the clean up and the rebuilding. Something that could have been prevented if the local planners in a city built several feet below sea level had had the incredible forsight required to prevent or at the very least prepare for the aftermath of a massive flood. Gosh, who could possibly have foretold the possibility of a hurricane that causes massive flooding in N.O.? I mean, what are the chances?