Mr. President, get off your dead ass!

“unlike you y2, i feel the mayor failed (and continues to), the governor failed more miserably than the mayor and the feds failed in that they took so long to get there.

i don't feel this was the feds problem initially. they needed to respond to all areas that were hit.

the governor wouldn't sign over authority to the feds, giving them control of the situation. is she still calling the shots?

so, by your suggestion ("This is afterall a thread about the President."), we can only talk abut the president and not any other officials that may have failed in their duty. even if it is all intertwined. what does that do for open discussion of the matter?”

“I loved how embattled President George Bush said today that he would personally lead an investigation into what went wrong with the disaster relief.

Isn't that kind of like when Libya took a seat on the UN Commission for Human Rights?

Oh, I can't say that. Libya is the big, errr only, foreign policy success story for embattled President George Bush.

Maybe someone has a better analogy?

Bush leading the disaster mistakes investigation is like...”

“And Buck, I wholeheartedly agree. NO needed someone like Guiliani. Admittedly Guiliani lost a few blocks and not the whole of his city though. Not belitting the horrendous loss of life in 9/11 in any way - but it was a different kind of disaster.”

Personally I think the suddenness and shock of 9/11 would have been much tougher to deal with than Katrina, which we watched via satellite approaching for days. Great local leadership goes a long ways. When you get Feds involved you're dealing with an unwieldly bureaucracy, which is why it's standard knowledge in any situation that you're told to be self-sufficient with the basics of life for at least 72 hours after a disaster. The local gov't screwed up and showed no leadership or backbone, and I agree the federal organizations moved like molasis. Personally I still feel it's #1) up to the invididual to last up to 72 hours and it's also up to you to get out if told to evacuate one way or the other no matter how #2) it's up to the local gov't to order and manage an evacuation and if people are unable to evacuate then you find ways to assist them, like all those school buses that were flooded could've been used, or charter other buses at city expense, or march people down the streets and out of there if they are physically able, whatever it takes, you don't just leave people there because they can't afford to evacuate 3) The feds need to respond in a timely manner if people are suffering and time is of the essence, even if it's just dropping off food/water to people stranded on bridges. And if you're being shot at, bring in the military within hours and armored amphibious assualt vehicles to crush lawlessness and then get food/water to people.

I think I'm gonna go head up FEMA, be right back.”

“Well, you are about as qualified as the horse salesman dude who runs it now.”

“Actually, I've never been fired from a job so I think I'm a bit over-qualified. But I'm a Bush-supporter so I'm guessing they'll cut me some slack.”

“I was going to write something along the lines of "I feel sorry for all you people, both righties & lefties, who are so blinded by your idealogy that you can't see another perspective, or are incapable of intelligently debating an issue because there's just NO WAY your "side" could be wrong or somehow be accused of not doing everyting they were supposed to do, 100%correctly (with 20/20 hindsight!), from the very first time a storm warning was issued.

But, then I thought.... hmmmm.... the real losers here are the American people. We have apparantly become so entrenched in our right/left "I WIN-YOU LOSE" approach to everything in life that we can't even DISCUSS, let alone DEBATE, what went wrong & how to fix it.

But going a step further... the REAL losers are those folks who have lost EVERYTHING! The people who lived in NO & the other areas. We're spending more energy fixing blame than we are helping those that need our help right now... they don't need to know it was his fault or her fault,... they need OUR HELP!

Everyone seems to have an agenda. And, it seems the "agenda" isn't to help anyone, the "agenda" is to prove that YOUR SIDE screwed up & MY SIDE was perfect in everything they did! SO THERE!

So anyway, I decided NOT to post all that... I decided to post, instead something we should ALL think about.

So... why don't you stop your "blame-game" BS & DO SOMETHING TO HELP THE PEOPLE! There will be plenty of time for retrospective analysis in the months / years ahead.
last edited: 9/06/05 7:43:28 PM”

“Yeah, you got the job. I think that Michael Brown would probably give just about anything to be selling horses again right now.

You'll just have to try to wrest control from that Chertoff guy. He's one scary looking guy.

But the real guy who should be in charge is General Honore. That is one bad dude.”

“Dumsfeld held a press conference today to tell how everything was done right. Guess those dead people are really alive.”

“wanderer, you're correct. It's sorta odd if you see the polls on who thought Bush did good and those who thought he sucked during this disaster, it's pretty much split along party lines. Surprise!

Oh, the reason I'm here is our Wind River trip got canceled. My partner for the trip developed kidney stones while waiting for me in Paindale, WY. I mean, Pinedale. It's tough to get two old geezers together for a backpacking trip these days without some sort of internal organ failure. Anyway, I'll be giving you a call this week for sure. Adios amigos!”

“Wanderer,

I actually like your philosophy on this. And I would buy into it, except for one thing...

The number #1 rule of the Rove/Bush playbook is to push the advantage. When you have an edge, don't let off the gas pedal. It's one reason why Bush and the Republicans have been so successful.

So, people in the Bush administration actually looked at 911 as a political opportunity. How were they going to use it to their advantage? That's why we ended up with historic tax cuts and a war in Iraq. These were things that they wanted to do anyway and 911 gave them the political capital to do it.

I, personally, would like nothing more than to return to the wonderful days when Reagan and Tip O'Neill could sit down with a pint or two and decide the affairs of the country, but to get there, we have to bring this regime down.

If we wait a month or 6 months, the edge of the concern will be gone. The outrage will be absent. It is time to make Rove proud and push the advantage.

BTW, I also think that it helps save lives, too. So, it is morally justified.”

“Buck I sent you an email... if you're not in the Winds then lets do a quick trip to Carson Pass or somewhere this weekend. Call me!


OK... I'm sorry to the rest of you for that digression into an actual backpacking discussion... please carry on with your narrow-minded, self-congratulatory blame-game stuff, I didn't want to distract anyone :)”

“"So... why don't you stop your "blame-game" BS & DO SOMETHING TO HELP THE PEOPLE! There will be plenty of time for retrospective analysis in the months / years ahead."

I normally try to stay up on these types of events but I gotta be honest; about 20 minutes on TT and I'm ready to eat a gun. I have a few "progressive" friends and none of them are the hateful, depressive, egomaniacal types that seem to prevail here. I get so tired of the feeling that if you are pissed off and carrying a sign and raging all the time you’re just uncaring or misinformed.

I think I need let out of this monkey cage for a while.”

“It's fun to pick on Dumbya and watch his devotees piss and moan!!

Buck is a "Bush Supporter"......
I guess that would be a pair of panties since Dumbya has no ballz.”

“Buck - thanks for the link to that Blog It was compelling reading.”

“It's also fun to point out the facts & watch the self-proclaimed liberal victims piss & moan.

What's even better is that once in a while one of them "get's it" and realizes they don't have to live that life... they are FREE to take control of their own destiny via an acceptance that they are responsible for their own well being, and that thru hard work, discipline & a desire to succeed they can be anything they desire.

Of course, that's a hard concept for some unsuccessful library assistants to accept.”

“Here's an interesting link! http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/law/news/wdl20041129.html

Turns out that all the Federal $$ weren't spent as they should have been for flood mitagation in Louisiana.

I'm SHOCKED, who could have imagined such a thing!”

“another interesting read.

http://www.mises.org/story/1902
last edited: 9/06/05 9:51:02 PM”

“http://www.impeachbush.tv/news/hurricane1.html


Hurricane George
Updated Sept 5, 2005

No, George Bush did not cause Hurricane Katrina. But his slow response to the disaster, and his actions before the hurricane, are generating a lot of heat for the White House.

Under funding: Spiegel reports that "In early 2001, the Federal Emergency Management Agency issued a report stating that a hurricane striking New Orleans was one of the three most likely disasters in the U.S., including a terrorist attack on New York City. But by 2003 the federal funding for the flood control project essentially dried up as it was drained into the Iraq war. In 2004, the Bush administration cut funding requested by the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for holding back the waters of Lake Pontchartrain by more than 80 percent."

Security: The security situation in New Orleans has been terrible, with armed gangs looting stores and attacking citizens. Unfortunately, about 1/3 of Louisiana's "National Guard" are in Iraq. That certainly had an impact on their readiness to solve problems at home.

Global Warming: Bush has resisted any serious attempts to combat global warming and consistently tries to downplay its effects. He even had the chapter on global warming from the 2002 EPA report removed because it conflicted with White House policy. Why is this important? Because global warming causes an increase in ocean temperatures and hurricanes are powered by warm ocean waters. So more global warming means more frequent and more powerful hurricanes.

Bush walked away from the Kyoto Accord on Greenhouse Gasses because, as he said in July 2005 , "it would damage America's economy, you bet". But rising sea levels, and climate change and catastrophic hurricanes also damage the economy.

Slow Response: Bush talks a lot about being prepared for terrorist attacks and protecting America. But when a real disaster occurred the response from the Federal level was too little, too late. The local police, emergency crews and Coast Guard have done a heroic job in the wake of this hurricane. But they were simply overwhelmed by the magnitude of the disaster and needed immediate federal assistance. The National Guard and military were ready to step in immediately but they had to wait until Thursday for orders from Washington. Bush had the authority to send aid immediately but he failed to do so. Why were these orders so slow in coming? People are dying because Bush and his team are fumbling around and unable to muster an adequate response.”

“that article is full of half truths and supposition usa.”

“1/3 of the national guard was in Iraq meaning 2/3rds was still in new orelans. You do know the governor controls the deployment of the national guard right? Why would they wait orders from Washington? That right there shows that whomever wrote that piece has no idea what he's talking about.

Think about how much of this would have been avoided if the city of NO just followed it's disaster plan in place already.

http://www.cityofno.com/portal .aspx?portal=46&tabid=26”

“A Political Look at Hollywood
by James Hirsen

A Special Edition of NewsMax's "Left Coast Report"

James Hirsen's new book "Hollywood Nation: Left Coast Lies, Old Media Spin and the New Media Revolution" (Crown Forum) has been released this week. The book exposes Hollywood's takeover of news. Get your copy of "Hollywood Nation" and check out our FREE offer - Go Here Now.



James Hirsen's "Left Coast Report" follows:



Hollywood's elite didn't miss a beat in using Hurricane Katrina to launch a political attack on the Bush administration - or to seek publicity for themselves.

While many of the stars' actions have been well-intentioned, some sought to turn the hurricane tragedy to their own political advantage and to further an agenda that seemingly blames Bush and the GOP for all of the world's ills - even a natural disaster.

According to some on Hollywood's political fringe, whether it's global warming, the wetlands, the funding for levees, racism, the tax cut or the president's vacation, Hurricane Katrina and the devastation that ensued is somehow the fault of George W. Bush.

It's a further indication of a growing trend explored in my new book "Hollywood Nation: Left Coast Lies, Old Media Spin and the New Media Revolution," which reveals how Hollywood elites are increasingly blurring the lines between entertainment and news to force their views on the rest of the country.

The opportunistic villains in the Katrina tragedy include:

Sean Penn, a vociferous critic of President Bush, traveled to New Orleans and criticized authorities for what he perceived as a lack of support for the victims.
"There are people dying and (the U.S. government is) not putting the boats in the water. I think that's criminal negligence. I don't think anybody ever anticipated the criminal negligence of the Bush administration in this situation."

Penn's personal crusade to rescue stranded victims hit a snag when his small boat - which also carried his personal photographer - sprang a leak and began taking on water.

No wonder he complained on one interview that authorities have yet to provide a place for people to rinse off the sludge from their bodies after wading through flood waters.

Pierce Brosnan took advantage of the spotlight at the Deauville film festival in France to say: "This man called President Bush has a lot to answer for. I don't know if this man is really taking care of America. This government has been shameful."

On his weekly TV show, Bill Maher told his audience that the natural disaster was caused by global warming.

Bush-basher Michael Moore, in a posting on his Web site, wrote that "those pesky scientists" had "predicted this would happen because the water in the Gulf of Mexico is getting hotter and hotter, making a storm like this inevitable." He further mocked the president with the comment, "Ignore them and all their global warming Chicken Littles."
According to Moore's theory, hurricanes didn't exist before man-induced global warming happened. And in left-looped logic, Bush is to blame for the hurricane because he failed to submit Kyoto to another losing vote. (The Senate disposed of the treaty 1995 to nothing in the 1999 vote.)

Regarding efforts to improve the levees protecting New Orleans, Moore maintained that Bush "specifically reduced the Army Corps of Engineers' budget for New Orleans this summer for the third year in a row," adding that there was a "much more important construction job for them - BUILDING DEMOCRACY IN IRAQ!"

Moore is apparently still having problems with his fact checking. Sadly, even with full funding, none of the flood-control projects would have been completed in time to prevent the surge of water that rushed over the city. And on another woeful note, a concrete wall that was breached had already been completely upgraded in accordance with plans that spanned several administrations.

During NBC's live broadcast of "Concert for Hurricane Relief," rapper Kanye West told viewers that National Guardsmen were given orders to shoot African-Americans in New Orleans.
West said when African-Americans were caught stealing in New Orleans "they were called looters," but when whites were caught they were "just feeding their families." He then suggested that "George Bush doesn't care about black people." NBC producers promptly cut away before West could go any further.

Angelina Jolie took a dim view of the massive relief efforts in the stricken region, saying, "It is wonderful to hear of the relief efforts that are finally coming to New Orleans and the rest of the region, but as we all know, it is simply not going to be enough."
She sent letters to members of Congress and the White House asking them to increase aid efforts.

Media celebrities also fell prey to the urge to use the hurricane to attack Bush. Nancy Giles of CBS claimed that the war on poverty is being lost because of the Bush tax cuts, and that since he visited Iraq but not the New Orleans Superdome, Bush doesn't "give a damn" about black people.
The idea that the president would intentionally withhold assistance to any of our people who are in need in such desperate times is so out of line with the character of the man, statements like these are self-refuting.

On Location at the Devastation: New Orleans

Other celebrities refrained from sharply criticizing Bush or the relief efforts, but jumped at the chance to showboat and garner some of the media spotlight.

Oprah Winfrey visited New Orleans, then traveled to the Astrodome in Houston, where she spoke of the "inhumane" and "embarrassing" conditions displaced people were forced to live in.
She also said she would be presenting her show live from the area to ensure that their "stories would be told."

Dr. Phil McGraw also hopped on the bandwagon, paying a visit to the Astrodome that was taped for airing on the future show. John Travolta flew to Louisiana on his private jet to deliver food to hurricane victims.

Crooner Harry Connick Jr., who is from New Orleans, visited the stricken city soon after the hurricane struck and questioned why authorities couldn't get to the people holed up in the convention center.

For sure, Hollywooders have a right to voice their opinion - just like everyone else. But in a time of emergency and crisis, should celebrities like Connick be floating through New Orleans in a row boat looking for a photo op? Is this the future of newsfotainment?

Good Celebrity Stuff

Celebrities who have been out front trying to use their people power to help Americans in need have shown the "right stuff" and deserve to be lauded.

Last week, Matt Lauer hosted an NBC fund-raising telethon featuring Connick, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Mike Myers, Aaron Neville, Kanye West, Hilary Swank, Lindsay Lohan, Glenn Close, Richard Gere, John Goodman and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Jerry Lewis added hurricane victims to the recipients of his Labor Day telethon.

Alan Jackson agreed to headline a concert at the Grand Ole Opry. BET made plans for a benefit telecast starring Stevie Wonder, Chris Rock, Brandy, Diddy, Usher, Alicia Keys and Wynton Marsalis.

ABC, CBS and Fox are currently collaborating on an Ellen DeGeneres-hosted one-hour live broadcast, which will reportedly be similar to the post-9/11 "A Tribute to Heroes" telethon.

MTV, VH1 and CMT announced they would hold a joint benefit featuring Ludacris, Green Day, Gretchen Wilson, Usher, Alicia Keys, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews Band.

"Hollywood Nation"

The intrusion of celebrities into national events and politics exemplifies how Hollywood is trying to set the news agenda. As my book "Hollywood Nation" details, the entertainment world has a subtle but powerful influence in shaping public opinion.

Media moguls, with their politically charged films, distorted documentaries and skewed docudramas, are trying to set the agenda with little regard for the truth.

Even worse, some so-called journalists are mixing information and entertainment in an attempt to ratchet up ratings - and inject their own views into the news. The Knock Iraq/Blame Bush Game
Often those views are at direct odds with the facts.

Some folks who are opposed to the war are trying to tie our military presence in Iraq to the Katrina response, claiming that if those members of the National Guard who were in Iraq had been available, they would have stopped the looting and shooting and been able to rescue everyone.

This talking point with a Democratic scent is making the media rounds. Jesse Jackson recently took to the airwaves and made reference to the "five-billion-dollar-a-month war in Iraq."

The numbers here don't really work out. Only 12 percent of our military forces are in Iraq, Afghanistan and Kuwait. Louisiana actually had plenty of guardsmen available.

The tragic truth is the number of troops wasn't the problem. Getting to the area was. Interstate 10 and other highways had collapsed and the roads were flooded.

Media Missteps

While much of the media coverage deserves praise, some demands criticism.

Just prior to the disaster, we remember how the media seemed to be immersed in a 24-hour Aruba-oriented news cycle. Initially some appeared to take this same type of approach to the hurricane coverage.

The result was a sense of a stretch for the sensational without the sensitivity needed to correspond with the unfolding crisis.

Most striking in contrast are the set of media standards that were in place following 9/11 and the moving of the marker that seems to have occurred with some of the hurricane disaster coverage.

Following 9/11, in deference to those who had lost life and in consideration of viewers' sensibilities, the media generally avoided showing pictures of the bodies of the deceased. With the hurricane catastrophe, though, many of the networks repeatedly showed images of people who had died, sometimes with makeshift coverings strewn over their lifeless forms.

When we think about mainstream media's frequent left-of-center take on events and issues, we realize that the potential for selective coverage exists even in the face of a national disaster. Unfortunately, in this regard, some media networks remained in bias mode.

Less than stellar leadership on the part of local and state officials escaped scrutiny while negative remarks about President Bush garnered ample airtime. Party affiliation appeared to be the "newsworthy" deciding factor.

On one occasion, CNN's Jack Cafferty asked, "Where's President Bush? Is he still on vacation?
"Based on his approval rating in the latest polls, my guess is getting back to work might not be a terrible idea."

As if fresh from a Cindy Sheehan rally, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann reported that "8,000 Guardsmen from Mississippi and Louisiana who might have helped, might have been deployed in the relief efforts are, in fact, in Iraq and not in Mississippi and Louisiana."

And MSNBC anchor Lisa Daniels dourly characterized trucks arriving with emergency supplies as "too little too late."

While discussion is warranted to determine whether 72 hours is a reasonable time for a federal response to a crisis of this proportion, for some opportunists appropriate analysis gave way to political sniping.

Truth Be Told

A few facts are in order:

President Bush declared Louisiana a disaster area two days before the hurricane struck the New Orleans area.
President Bush urged New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco to order the mandatory evacuation that was issued on Sunday, August 28.
First responders to a disaster are always state and local emergency agencies. FEMA is there to supplement the state and local activities.
The hurricane threatened an area as large as 90,000 square miles covering three states. Immediate relief could not possibly have been delivered to all the places that required attention.
An AP photo showed a large fleet of New Orleans buses soaking in six feet of water. The mayor apparently had the means to evacuate many of the folks who ended up stranded at the Superdome and the convention center.
FEMA began its activities immediately, not expecting the magnitude of the flooding, the non-response at the city and state level, and the anarchy that resulted.
The local and state governments had rehearsed for a different scenario. Disaster drills in New Orleans had taken place, but with a false assumption that the levees would hold.
Both the law and protocol prohibit the president from ordering military troops into a state without a formal request to do so from the governor of the affected state.

A Final Note

On August 29 Hurricane Katrina roared into the Gulf region, crushing cities, severing families and destroying lives. Here on the Left Coast our arms stretch out to surround those who grieve. And though our hearts ache at the sight of the devastation and the toll this disaster has taken, our lips join in prayer and our spirit in hope that God will wipe away every tear, work out all things for good and heal our land.”

“Hey wanderer, kiss my ass, you elitist turd.
Define "success", please.

You don't know me.

I did not attack you, only our incompetent president.

And this isn't the first time you have attacked me for my opinions.

You must be a real sweetheart to work for.

Good luck with your small life.”

“To be honest I think the real failure here is not defending New Orleans from floods from years earlier, and that responsibility falls on both sides of the aisle. Spending adequate money on flood defences and looking to enhance natural defences over the past ten-twenty years would have saved a huge amount of heartache now.”

“A right wing analysis of the barbarity seen in NOLA that actually makes some sense:

An Unnatural Disaster: A Hurricane Exposes the Man-Made Disaster of the Welfare State
by Robert Tracinski

Sep 02, 2005

It took four long days for state and federal officials to figure out how to deal with the disaster in New Orleans. I can't blame them, because it also took me four long days to figure out what was going on there. The reason is that the events there make no sense if you think that we are confronting a natural disaster.

If this is just a natural disaster, the response for public officials is obvious: you bring in food, water, and doctors; you send transportation to evacuate refugees to temporary shelters; you send engineers to stop the flooding and rebuild the city's infrastructure. For journalists, natural disasters also have a familiar pattern: the heroism of ordinary people pulling together to survive; the hard work and dedication of doctors, nurses, and rescue workers; the steps being taken to clean up and rebuild.

Public officials did not expect that the first thing they would have to do is to send thousands of armed troops in armored vehicle, as if they are suppressing an enemy insurgency. And journalists-myself included-did not expect that the story would not be about rain, wind, and flooding, but about rape, murder, and looting.

But this is not a natural disaster. It is a man-made disaster.

The man-made disaster is not an inadequate or incompetent response by federal relief agencies, and it was not directly caused by Hurricane Katrina. This is where just about every newspaper and television channel has gotten the story wrong.

The man-made disaster we are now witnessing in New Orleans did not happen over four days last week. It happened over the past four decades. Hurricane Katrina merely exposed it to public view.

The man-made disaster is the welfare state.

For the past few days, I have found the news from New Orleans to be confusing. People were not behaving as you would expect them to behave in an emergency-indeed, they were not behaving as they have behaved in other emergencies. That is what has shocked so many people: they have been saying that this is not what we expect from America. In fact, it is not even what we expect from a Third World country.

When confronted with a disaster, people usually rise to the occasion. They work together to rescue people in danger, and they spontaneously organize to keep order and solve problems. This is especially true in America. We are an enterprising people, used to relying on our own initiative rather than waiting around for the government to take care of us. I have seen this a hundred times, in small examples (a small town whose main traffic light had gone out, causing ordinary citizens to get out of their cars and serve as impromptu traffic cops, directing cars through the intersection) and large ones (the spontaneous response of New Yorkers to September 11).

So what explains the chaos in New Orleans?
To give you an idea of the magnitude of what is going on, here is a description from a Washington Times story:

"Storm victims are raped and beaten; fights erupt with flying fists, knives and guns; fires are breaking out; corpses litter the streets; and police and rescue helicopters are repeatedly fired on.

"The plea from Mayor C. Ray Nagin came even as National Guardsmen poured in to restore order and stop the looting, carjackings and gunfire....

"Last night, Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco said 300 Iraq-hardened Arkansas National Guard members were inside New Orleans with shoot-to-kill orders.

" 'These troops are...under my orders to restore order in the streets,' she said. 'They have M-16s, and they are locked and loaded. These troops know how to shoot and kill and they are more than willing to do so if necessary and I expect they will.' "

The reference to Iraq is eerie. The photo that accompanies this article shows a SWAT team with rifles and armored vests riding on an armored vehicle through trash-strewn streets lined by a rabble of squalid, listless people, one of whom appears to be yelling at them. It looks exactly like a scene from Sadr City in Baghdad.

What explains bands of thugs using a natural disaster as an excuse for an orgy of looting, armed robbery, and rape? What causes unruly mobs to storm the very buses that have arrived to evacuate them, causing the drivers to speed away, frightened for their lives? What causes people to attack the doctors trying to treat patients at the Superdome?

Why are people responding to natural destruction by causing further destruction? Why are they attacking the people who are trying to help them?

My wife, Sherri, figured it out first, and she figured it out on a sense-of-life level. While watching the coverage one night on Fox News Channel, she told me that she was getting a familiar feeling. She studied architecture at the Illinois Institute of Chicago, which is located in the South Side of Chicago just blocks away from the Robert Taylor Homes, one of the largest high-rise public housing projects in America. "The projects," as they were known, were infamous for uncontrollable crime and irremediable squalor. (They have since, mercifully, been demolished.)

What Sherri was getting from last night's television coverage was a whiff of the sense of life of "the projects." Then the "crawl"-the informational phrases flashed at the bottom of the screen on most news channels-gave some vital statistics to confirm this sense: 75% of the residents of New Orleans had already evacuated before the hurricane, and of those who remained, a large number were from the city's public housing projects. Jack Wakeland then told me that early reports from CNN and Fox indicated that the city had no plan for evacuating all of the prisoners in the city's jails-so they just let many of them loose. [Update: I have been searching for news reports on this last story, but I have not been able to confirm it. Instead, I have found numerous reports about the collapse of the corrupt and incompetent New Orleans Police Department; see here and here.]

There is no doubt a significant overlap between these two populations--that is, a large number of people in the jails used to live in the housing projects, and vice versa.

There were many decent, innocent people trapped in New Orleans when the deluge hit-but they were trapped alongside large numbers of people from two groups: criminals-and wards of the welfare state, people selected, over decades, for their lack of initiative and self-induced helplessness. The welfare wards were a mass of sheep-on whom the incompetent administration of New Orleans unleashed a pack of wolves.

All of this is related, incidentally, to the incompetence of the city government, which failed to plan for a total evacuation of the city, despite the knowledge that this might be necessary. In a city corrupted by the welfare state, the job of city officials is to ensure the flow of handouts to welfare recipients and patronage to political supporters-not to ensure a lawful, orderly evacuation in case of emergency.

No one has really reported this story, as far as I can tell. In fact, some are already actively distorting it, blaming President Bush, for example, for failing to personally ensure that the Mayor of New Orleans had drafted an adequate evacuation plan. The worst example is an execrable piece from the Toronto Globe and Mail, by a supercilious Canadian who blames the chaos on American "individualism." But the truth is precisely the opposite: the chaos was caused by a system that was the exact opposite of individualism.

What Hurricane Katrina exposed was the psychological consequences of the welfare state. What we consider "normal" behavior in an emergency is behavior that is normal for people who have values and take the responsibility to pursue and protect them. People with values respond to a disaster by fighting against it and doing whatever it takes to overcome the difficulties they face. They don't sit around and complain that the government hasn't taken care of them. And they don't use the chaos of a disaster as an opportunity to prey on their fellow men.

But what about criminals and welfare parasites? Do they worry about saving their houses and property? They don't, because they don't own anything. Do they worry about what is going to happen to their businesses or how they are going to make a living? They never worried about those things before. Do they worry about crime and looting? But living off of stolen wealth is a way of life for them.

People living in piles of their own trash, while petulantly complaining that other people aren't doing enough to take care of them and then shooting at those who come to rescue them-this is not just a description of the chaos at the Superdome. It is a perfect summary of the 40-year history of the welfare state and its public housing projects.

The welfare state-and the brutish, uncivilized mentality it sustains and encourages-is the man-made disaster that explains the moral ugliness that has swamped New Orleans. And that is the story that no one is reporting.

Source: TIA Daily -- September 2, 2005”

“oops, double tap
last edited: 9/07/05 8:22:21 AM”

“If cut and pastes could actualy change the world TT would be our salvation...

...what a bunch of do nothings.”

“BBW - that was a huge cut and paste for an argument with no logival or evidential substance, merely attack by stereotype and innuendo. A hate mongering appeal to the resentement of those Karl Rove and buddies wish to keep under their spell.

I think Mutt's cut and paste takes a small part of the problem and tries to make it sound as if it is the meat of the issue and casts it in a highly inaccurate light, but it builds and argument on evidence and analysis - it builds a case. It could actually lead to an interesting debate. BBW's cut and paste almost entirely name-calling, the kind of thing that is only likely to invite counter name calling.

While I disagree equally with both, as a college teacher I would give Bacpac's piece a "C-" (there was, at least, some research involved - even though the person seems ignorant of Homeland Security's role in disasters) and give Mutt's a "B+" or better (depending on what level course it was).”

“Thanks Geo, that artist really paints Dumbya as the little man that he is.”

“Well specifically. I think there should be a force assigned within the US military, or the national guard, to deploy to anywhere within the US at 24-hours notice. These people can have normal assignments for the years that this is not needed, but get the training necessary. This force only needs to be 10,000 and can be rotated, but they much have the equipment to respond - say for example, a significany quota of heavy lift helicopters and the supplies to deal with an emergency.
Other resources can be brought to bear when the situation become clearer.

They also need the independant communications and intelligence gathering capacity to cope when normal networks fail.

Much of the modern military is now geared to be on the ground anywhere in the world within hours, or days at the most.
10,000 troops on the ground and significant supplies being lifted in early to New Orleans would have made a huge difference to a situation which quite frankly got completely out of hand.

it's been shown in the past few days that the resources are there to cope with this situation, but the response needed to be more rapid.

The Administration can be faulted for cutting the funding to NO flood defences, and not having the rapid reaction system in place to cope with a significant disaster.

Or would you say nothing could have been done better here?
Or would you rather argue about rules and regulations applies. Regulations which could have been changed ahead of this disaster? This was not a surprise event. Sure the notice was short, but it was going to happen sooner or later.”
Y2
5:44:11 PM

Y2 the National Guard is available and trained to be utilized almost instantaneously in such an event. Much of their training is being on the authoritative control and logistical side of helping those who can help, help those or the situation in need. However, you suggestions primarily fall under the most direct and immediate responsibility of the Governor. When I see 6,000 school buses under water, the Super Dome fiasco, and no mandatory evacuation being given by local officials I'm beginning to question what I assumed yesterday; that the Mayor and Governor attempted to follow their emergency management plans. I don’t know if I would give them the benefit of the doubt now. Also, don't see how disaster defense issues are the heart and soul of the issue. #1 the design is still limited below a strong Cat 3 and #2 while the admin has influence upon such, are you not speaking of a congressional issue? Obviously, the levey issue was of no concern of any local officials; even with the storm at their back door. Also, when you mention rapid reaction, historically 24-48 hours has been considered extremely rapid. But again hopefully that is one area that can be improved upon.
last edited: 9/07/05 9:39:20 AM”

“

Washington D.C. – The Bush Administration has been highly criticized for not responding quickly enough to the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans.

Yesterday, the White House put out a statement finally giving a reason for their delayed response – Bush was finishing up his favorite book, "My Pet Goat."

White House Press Secretary Scot McClellan said that the President cannot be expected to respond to every little apocalyptic disaster that happens in America.

Furthermore, he reiterated that "My Pet Goat" is President Bush's most beloved book and cannot be interrupted unless the situation is truly dire. McClellan concluded by stating, "We do apologize that it took the President a full four days to complete the book, but it is one of the most difficult first grade level books."

- bigfib.com”

“However, you suggestions primarily fall under the most direct and immediate responsibility of the Governor - again looking to scapegoat the lack of federal response further down the chain.

So the federal bodies planning for managing for emergenccy situation can not be faulted for not reforming this situation to enable a faster response despite the resources thrown at this in the past four or five years in the light of the various threats to America.

We're beginning to hear it all, blame the mayor, blame the governor, blame the poor, blame welfare system..... We'll be blaming a bufferfly flapping its wings in China next - wonder when that one will dawn on on Rove, Rush and the boys?”

“I think this addresses a number of the issues about who was in charge and when they should have acted (according to the National Response Plan).


WASHINGTON - The retired admiral who played a key role in drafting the Homeland Security Department's catastrophic emergency plan said the agency was too hesitant in executing it in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Retired Adm. James Loy, who until February was acting secretary of the department, said in an interview yesterday that the need for an immediate federal response was "pretty evident" but that the department did not act fast enough to take the lead.

The National Response Plan, completed last December, makes the secretary of Homeland Security the top authority in a catastrophic emergency. Loy said the plan, which he still believes is a "very good product," was supposed to resolve the question of who's in charge. But "turf protection crap" got in the way, he said.

An internal memo obtained by the Associated Press suggests a lackadaisical attitude also might have played a role. The memo shows that the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Michael Brown, waited until after Katrina was striking the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29 to ask his boss to send 1,000 Homeland Security employees to the region and suggested that they be given two days to get there.

Brown also said in the memo that one of the duties of those employees was to "convey a positive image" of the government's disaster response, according to the AP report.

Brown's boss, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, also did not act with great urgency. He waited until Aug. 30 - a day and a half after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast - to invoke the National Response Plan to take control of the disaster.

In doing so, Chertoff declared the situation an "incident of national significance," which put him in charge of the overall effort - trumping the authority of state and local officials and FEMA, which was folded into Homeland Security after the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

Once Chertoff made the declaration, he designated FEMA's Brown as his top man on the ground.

The plan was designed to cut through bureaucratic red tape, but its execution got bogged down in it, said those who watched the response up close.

The problem, said Loy, was that the plan was tested on what will probably turn out to be the largest natural disaster in the country's history. "There was no crawl before you walk," he said.

The plan allowed Brown to call the shots on how state and federal resources should be used, including the Defense Department. Instead, Loy said, the federal government used a slow "bureaucratic licensing process," in which it waited until local and state governments were overwhelmed before stepping in and waited again before asking the Pentagon, "the ultimate resource provider," to help.

"For God's sake," Loy said, the Defense Department gets "$450 billion a year to do what the federal government needs to get done."

continued...
last edited: 9/07/05 10:27:07 AM”

“More on the effects of those delays here: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/09/07/katrina/main821650.shtml

[...]
CBS National Security Correspondent David Martin reports that while Coast Guard helicopters were positioned nearby before Katrina hit, and were making rescues two hours after the storm moved on, the military response was much slower.

"We weren't able to go for 34 hours!" says Col. Tim Tarchick of the Air Force Reserve Command, who told CBS News that his unit was crippled by red tape. "We could have been airborne in six hours and overhead plucking out people... but between all the agencies that have a part in the approval process it took 34 hours to get three of my helicopters airborne."
[...]”

“"Obviously, the levey issue was of no concern of any local officials; even with the storm at their back door."
- trailhound57
9:33:09 AM


BATON ROUGE, La. — Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center, said yesterday that officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security — including FEMA Director Mike Brown and Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff — listened in on electronic briefings given by his staff before Hurricane Katrina slammed Louisiana and Mississippi and were advised of the storm's potential deadly effects.

Mayfield said the strength of the storm and the potential disaster it could bring were made clear during the briefings and in formal advisories, which warned of a storm surge capable of overtopping levees in New Orleans and winds strong enough to blow out windows of high-rise buildings. He said the briefings included information on expected wind speed, storm surge, rainfall and the potential for tornadoes to accompany the storm as it came ashore.

"We were briefing them way before landfall," Mayfield said. "It's not like this was a surprise. ... I keep looking back to see if there was anything else we could have done, and I just don't know what it would be," he said.
[...]
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002472774_mayfield05.html”

“However, you suggestions primarily fall under the most direct and immediate responsibility of the Governor - again looking to scapegoat the lack of federal response further down the chain.

So the federal bodies planning for managing for emergenccy situation can not be faulted for not reforming this situation to enable a faster response despite the resources thrown at this in the past four or five years in the light of the various threats to America.

We're beginning to hear it all, blame the mayor, blame the governor, blame the poor, blame welfare system..... We'll be blaming a bufferfly flapping its wings in China next - wonder when that one will dawn on on Rove, Rush and the boys?”
Y2

No, none is saying that there are not some federal issues involved. Even President Bush has stated that we need to take a critical look at what has occurred. Eventually, the buck does stop on the federal gov't. However, the blame that continues to be forced about the issue of immediate response and recomendation on how to most efficiently utilize the federal resources is certainly has to begin in the back yard. Even you mentioned that the federal response is father down the chain. Obviously, the local gov't failed to carry out their entire emergency management plan that compounded the tragic event. Even if the entire pop of NO would have evaced, there were still some major issues such as essential surpluses of emergency resources (transportation, food, power supplies, etc.) that easily could have and should have been moved out of harms way and utilized in cooperation with Federal and State relief. However, today it sets under 10 feet of water, destroyed, or looted. Also, who should have to pay for all that?

Obviously, the levey issue was of no concern of any local officials; even with the storm at their back door."
- trailhound57

Violin, you prove my point as you cut and paste shows federal officials were more aware of the danger. However, if local officals did take the levey breech seriously do you think 10,000 folks within direct sight of the levy would have been allowed to not evac? That sure would have been and easy job to accomplish with 6,000 school buses. Before the storm, why would federal officials not assume that NO would follow their own emergency management plan?
last edited: 9/07/05 11:22:25 AM”

“Don’t be so literal.

I figured by now, you’d be aware that there have been projects to raise and strengthen the levees since the 1960’s including the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project which Congress authorized in 1995. Saying that the levees were of no concern to local officials is idiotic. They’ve been aware of the danger and have been begging for Federal dollars for decades.

I also didn’t address your incorrect assertion that a mandatory evacuation wasn’t called. The mayor and governor did that on August 28th. Check for yourself.
last edited: 9/07/05 11:56:59 AM”

“"Even President Bush has stated that we need to take a critical look at what has occurred."

...and OJ will find the real killer someday.”

“Saying that the levees were of no concern to local officials is idiotic. They’ve been aware of the danger and have been begging for Federal dollars for decades.
Violin

In their situation action or therefore lack of action speaks much louder than words. Certainly the resources were available. Even with the storm upon them officials did not believe that any emergency situation for more than 48 hrs could actually happen. What's idiotic is not following your own emergency management plan.

Forgive me for using the term mandatory. Maybe I should have used the word mandatory enforced evacuation. Regardless, even if the levees were funded, nothing remotely suggests that a cat 3 design would survive anything above a strong cat 3. Storm surge didn't just spill over them. The levees themselves completely ruptured as a few have testified to the explosive sound. In all, with the exception of the breeches, the levy system seemed to function quiet well. Efforts funded with federal money have been focused towards maintaining the height of the levees from sinking due to sedimentation loss.
last edited: 9/07/05 12:46:14 PM”

“Sorry about the big cut and post. I am not usually into that sort of thing, but the part about Sean Penn's boat sinking with his personal photographer was too funny.”

“Wednesday, Sept. 7, 2005 12:52 p.m. EDT
New Poll: Americans Not Blaming Bush for Katrina Problems

Only 13 percent of those polled believe President Bush is "most responsible” for the problems in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, a new poll discloses.

And 35 percent said Bush has done a "great” or "good” job responding to the hurricane and flooding, according to the CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll.”

“Like a rock......only dumber”

“Spin the ball...

I checked out the CNN poll. Here's a rare lurker cut and paste...

"Opinions varied widely, however, on the response of federal, state and local officials regarding Katrina. Forty-two percent of respondents characterized President Bush's response to the disaster as "bad" or "terrible," while 35 percent said it was "good" or "great.""

from CNN.com

Wait a second? Isn't 42% more than 35%? The Republican assault on basic mathematics continues.”

“Fox News Channel's Major Garrett reported Wednesday that the Red Cross had "trucks with water, food, hygiene equipment, all sorts of things ready to go ... to the Superdome and Convention Center."

But the Louisiana Department of Homeland Security, Garrett said, "told them they could not go."

"The Red Cross tells me that Louisiana's Department of Homeland Security said, 'Look, we do not want to create a magnet for more people to come to the Superdome or Convention Center, we want to get them out,'" he explained.

"So at the same time local officials were screaming where is the food, where is the water, the Red Cross was standing by ready [and] the Louisiana Department of Homeland Security said you can't go."”

“reformed lurker - Here's another "spin"

from Gallup

Who is responsible for the problems of Katrina?

(in order)

1. nobody
2. act of God (nature)
3. state/local officials
4. federal agencies
5. at 13% - Bush”

“Sept. 8 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush's overall job approval rating in the Zogby America poll slumped to a record low as three-fifths of Americans criticized the government's response to Hurricane Katrina.
[...]
The poll showed 60 percent characterized Bush's handling of the hurricane as ``fair'' to ``poor,'' while 36 percent graded his performance ``good'' to ``excellent.''
[...]
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=a_85Pjjx7jAQ&refer=top_world_news”