In response to the opinion/editorial by Kyra-lin Hom in the Sept. 14 issue (Hating Bush doesn't help hurricane victims), I agree that when people are passionate about their viewpoints they need to express themselves in a respectful way. Ideally people who have differences of opinion (the "thirty-somethings" with flyers) and the teenagers (the Garfield students) could have had a more productive exchange of ideas. I also agree that relief for the survivors of the hurricane is of paramount importance at this time.

However, I did not agree with Ms. Hom's simplistic summary of what occurred with the Hurricane Katrina disaster and I do not believe that a full accounting of what occurred should lose focus, be reduced, or be pushed off to some uncertain future.

In summary, Ms. Hom's (column) described the hurricane as being so colossally monumental that no one could have anticipated or made preparations to deal with it. The (column) only briefly touched upon Michael Brown's departure from FEMA. The words "lack of response" were put in quotation marks which implied that a lack of response did not occur. Worst of all, Ms. Hom asks "any person who believes that the relief effort was dimmed because the survivors were black" to look at the numbers; the (column) then included a list of how much food, water, housing, and troops were provided in response to the disaster.

As I read this (column), I wondered if its basis was naivet/, a general lack of information, or a lack of willingness to face some stark facts because they make many of us uncomfortable.

In response to the assertion that no one could have predicted or prepared for a storm of this magnitude, I shook my head. Those who have visited New Orleans (as I have several times in the past decade) and who have ventured outside the standard touristy areas, have seen the incredible poverty. They have seen the vulnerability of poor areas of the city, and of the city overall, based on its geographic setting. In addition, media reports have repeatedly described that requests by the city to receive more funding to improve and maintain its levees was denied by the current administration.

The (column) did not address Michael Brown's embarrassing and fatal lack of experience as the appointed head of FEMA. There was no discussion of how hundreds, and possibly thousands, of lives were lost due to his lack of experience and of the lack of action and experience by many other well-paid officials expected to step up and take charge during times of crisis.

Also, how could anyone who has heard about the residents of a nursing home being abandoned to drown, who has heard of victims being herded into the Convention Center and the Dome for days in inhumane conditions, dare to put the words "lack of response" in quotation marks as if the response was not lacking? How dare anyone minimize the horror and hell those flood victims experienced! Yes, the outpouring of food, water, and military presence finally arrived, many days late, many dollars short, and after many lives had been lost.

Finally, most people, black and otherwise, did not immediately jump to the conclusion that race played a factor in the delayed response to this disaster. But after all that we have seen and heard, to pretend that race and class has no part in this disaster is unavoidable. When publications label a photo of white victims as "finding" supplies side by side with a photo of a young black man "looting" supplies, when white survivors report that they are seeing racism all around them, how can people who hear and see this continue to tell themselves that race is not a factor? Many people do not want to face the fact that class and race imbalances are alive and well in this country. No matter how many glaring examples are placed before us, some people take the path of least resistance by simplifying the issue, changing the subject, blaming the victim, and in general, burying their heads in the sand.

What disturbed me the most about the (column) was that its entire approach was cast in black and white rather than in shades of gray. Why is it that when people ask questions that need to be asked about this disaster, or are critical of the current administration in any way, they are immediately given a negative label? For example, in the (column), Ms. Hom described her friends as "almost blindly liberal."

Even the title of the piece: "Hating Bush doesn't help hurricane victims" is inflammatory language that immediately detracts from the valid questions people are raising. As a marketing professional, I'm very aware of the power of labeling and slanting language and images to influence the thought process of an audience. It is chilling that often when a person raises provocative and valid questions, he or she is negatively labeled to minimize or discredit his or her message.

If people aren't allowed to raise questions, to criticize policies, or to hold our leaders accountable, then that is indeed following blindly. To remain silent about unpopular viewpoints is a death of democracy itself. Is it acceptable if the blind following occurs in support of the current presidency, but is not OK if it's in opposition of it?

In the days and weeks that have followed this disaster, people have reacted in many ways. Every reaction, from suicide, to homicide, to incredible humanity and pure selflessness has occurred. However, as evidenced by Hom's (column), some people would like to minimize or simplify the issue, or label those who ask hard questions as "Bush haters." This is unfair and I, for one, refuse to let the issue be "spun" that way.

If nothing else, perhaps this disaster is a wake up call for many Americans to enter that gray zone, to open their eyes and ears, to see and hear information they try to avoid, and to consider information with which they don't agree. Yes, the people of this country must continue to help the survivors move on and rebuild their lives. But we will honor them, and we will honor the people who died in the Hurricane Katrina disaster, by finding out why things happened the way they did.

We must respectfully ask hard questions and let our voices be heard; we cannot allow the issues stirred up by this storm to be simplified away.

Sabrina Urquhart

Westwood Village