Quote from: SlimPickens

did you see the CNN story bout those 3 kids from Duke that faked press credentials and drove down to NO to check the disaster zone out w/ their own eyes?

That I did not. But, every American should be allowed to see the devastation with their own eyes.

just do a site search for puke, errr, I mean duke (sorry, old UConn loyalties surfacing there).

Retailers take a swipe at Katrina card use

Some stores across the country are refusing Red Cross-provided hurricane-relief debit cards because they do not approve of the goods being bought.

Responses have poured in since this column reported last week that the cards had been used to buy $800 handbags at the Louis Vuitton store in Atlanta.

Retailer Vicki Haniford said she has begun refusing the cards at her store in Illinois. "[Last] Saturday, I had 14 transactions go through from about six different people totaling a little over $1,000," she E-mailed. "They purchased jewelry and a TV with a DVD player. I called the Red Cross and they said unfortunately these people made bad choices when purchasing, but there was nothing they could do.

"This is totally and morally wrong," she says. "Many hard-working Americans donated money to the disaster victims so they could have food and clothing, not buy outrageous items."

Another reader told me: "My daughter works at an entertainment store in a suburban Atlanta mall. [Last Sunday], an apparent hurricane refugee came in the store and purchased a personal PlayStation and two games for a total of about $360, using a Red Cross debit card.

"They couldn\'t refuse the sale, but subsequently store policy changed. Everyone in the store was incensed, except the guy using the card, of course."

A Louis Vuitton spokeswoman did not respond to a question about whether their chain would continue to accept the distinctive white debit cards.

A Red Cross rep told me the card could be used to buy anything except alcohol, tobacco or firearms. "Once they\'re out of our hands, there\'s nothing we can do," she said.

^^I heard on the radio this morning that someone in Houston used one at a strip club for beers and lap dances, though I haven\'t found anything to confirm this.