Katrina devastated the south, gas 6 $ a gallon

[TaiChiBob]

Greetings..

Who said it was a democratic conspiracy? What is being pointed out is they wasted no time in politicizing the issue (joined eagerly by the mainstream media). What this means is that the mainstream media has demonstrated its profound lack of knowledge of the federal government system, as have all the others that have latched on to the blame Bush bandwagon on this issue.

If it suits you to defend the incompetence of the system and its leadership by believing it's being "politicized", you are missing the point.. it doesn't matter which party or whom is in office.. what matters is that the system and the leadership wallowed in indecision for 5 days while its citizens perished due to that indecision.. to defend such incompetence is to invite more of the same.. if you watched your family pleading on national TV for their lives and nothing was being done you may have a different opinion.. what we must know is that we ARE one big family, when one hurts we all hurt..

Pro-active leadership should have urgently mobilized all available resources regardless of red-tape issues.. the US military could have made emergency aid drops of crucial supplies (water and food) within hours of a directive to do so.. where was the directive? Is it reasonable to watch Americans dying on national TV while politicians negotiate who does what? Less than 60 hours after Katrina hit N.O. the Salvation Army had a significent presence in the area and was delivering aid.. where was the US army?

This is the tip of the iceberg. Hopefully, the harsh light of media scrutiny will illuminate the rampant corruption inherent at all levels of Gov't.. We are a 2 faced nation, self-righteous in our ideals, self-degrading in our deeds.. we talk the moral high-road and ride the highway to hell.. most people complain of the system and how it doesn't work, the same people will, generally, take every opportunity to abuse the system in their favor, from questionable tax loop-holes to slipping a building inspector a hundred dollar bill to look the other way while they violate code and save thousands.. We are our own worst enemy.. i'm no saint, i'm like most people, but i see the problem.. we hire lawers to find ways to beat the system, well.. guess what, the system is beaten and broken.. and, it's very likely that a similar disater in any other area would show the same flaws, it's not just a "deep south" thing..

Our founding documents are profound in their simplicity and vision for a free and independent society.. they ask little and provide much, a common cause and defense, a unity of spirit and deed, the "right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness", and a belief that "one for all and all for one" will raise this nation's standards as evidence of the potential for all mankind.. But, the system became the tool for greedy and self-concerned people to use against the less fortunate and less wealthy.. the simple laws were "interpreted" to favor the the same people that "interpreted" them.. resulting in today's millions of pages of laws rules and regulations that we have to hire attorneys to understand, understanding that it was attorneys that crafted these overly complex and self-serving laws in the first place.. Now, we see the inevitably of the complexities the system has created, a system that fails on its own merits.. we pay taxes with the promise of services and protection.. N.O. and the Gulf Coast now see how well those taxes were managed..

The only thing "political" about these issues, is it's the result of politics.. political parties concerned about the party at the expense of the peoples it represents.. Too often we hear about which party did what, we hold political parties accountable for individual indiscretions or we praise them for individual acts of social competence.. The parties absorb and absolve incompetence.. they accept, assimilate, and embellish individual jobs well done.. they self-replicate rather than create..

Here is a nation that has been led to war on deception and manipulation.. depleting its resources to, ostensibly, save a people that will revert to their historic ways as soon as they are left to their own devices.. a war against a nation and its soverign leader based on what it "might do".. Led by a group of people that feel empowered to export their idea of nationalism by force.. we are no longer have a government "of the people, for the people, and by the people", it has become a turf war between two well-dressed gangs posing as politicians.. manipulating the constituents for agendas neither clearly exposed nor in the best interest of the nation's founding principles..

Katrina ripped off a piece of the camouflage and bared the ugly soul of politics.. so, yes, it is time to scrutinize every level of government regardless of party affiliation.. it's time to watch the watchers..

Be well..

[SPJ]

So the city is dried after the flood water is pumped out.

The mayor issued an order to evacute everyone.

Some people is still holding out and not willing to leave and even arm themself.

---

The UN is coordinating the flows of international relief, from EU, Mexico etc etc.

The Homeland security chartered cruiseships as shelters.

The FEMA and red cross are handing out debit cards.

Universities are adopting college bound students from N.O.

Neighbors are welcoming the displaced to their homes.

Churches, lemon aid stands and girl scout cookies are raising money, food, water and medicine.

From coast to coast, LA and other cities are building shelters or temp homes for evacuee.

From the children, companies, governments, churches to ---.

Everyone is lending helping hands.

---

[Chief Fox]

TaiChiBob for President!

[PangQuan]

TaiChiBob for President!

[PangQuan]

hmmmm.....

[MonkeySlap Too]

Today on CNN Nancy Pelosi got her panties in a bunch because it was pointing out HER voting record hadn't helped New Orleans either...

You know what worries me now? What else is being ignored/ lacks adequate planning.

The dems are determined to turn this into an election issue, despite the huge responsibility owned by members of thier party.

The Repubs are scrambling to make up for f@ck ups/things that did not go well.

Yeah, I think GWB should have taken charge early. But if he sent fed troops in early, and looters got shot - I can only imagine what the dems would be saying now. The difference between me and GWB, is I wouldn't have given a f@ck about being seen as a fascist. It didn't hurt Clinton a bit when he had Janey reno killing religious nuts en masse... (And did they really deserve to die?)

[Shorin Ryuu]

Greetings..

If it suits you to defend the incompetence of the system and its leadership by believing it's being "politicized", you are missing the point.. it doesn't matter which party or whom is in office.. what matters is that the system and the leadership wallowed in indecision for 5 days while its citizens perished due to that indecision.. to defend such incompetence is to invite more of the same..

Again, the "leadership" at fault here is primarily city and state level leadership. That is where the disconnect between you and I exists. The politicization I am referring to is the blind blame assigned to Bush by those who cite rumor mills rather than fact and use emotive words rather than reference to what actually happens. There is a problem of substantiation of claims, and the vast majority of it is coming from those wishing to bash Bush at all costs.

Pro-active leadership should have urgently mobilized all available resources regardless of red-tape issues.. the US military could have made emergency aid drops of crucial supplies (water and food) within hours of a directive to do so.. where was the directive? Is it reasonable to watch Americans dying on national TV while politicians negotiate who does what? Less than 60 hours after Katrina hit N.O. the Salvation Army had a significent presence in the area and was delivering aid.. where was the US army?

Two things: the "red tape" you are referring to is a little thing we call federalism. The federal government called for action and offered all the help you are talking about, but the state level did not allow them to act. This is all basic U.S. government material...there are certain things the federal government is not allowed to do unless given acquiescence by the state. That lack of acquiescence means the state and local governments are responsible for nearly all the bungling that has occurred.

Where was the army? Let's see...
Thousands were mobilized all across the United States before Katrina even hit.
By 7 a.m. on 29 August, the Louisiana National Guard had about 3,500 called up and assisting in relief efforts. By 8 a.m., the number was almost 3,800. After Katrina hit and before the recently upgraded and completed levees broke, the sentiment at the local and state level was they had "dodged the bullet" yet again. This was echoed in the media. Why weren't there even more? The Louisiana government didn't provide more.

When the levies broke, that is when things got worse. But in addition to those already in place, what about the military? Well, within 24 hours, you had 7,500 National Guard units in place doing relief efforts. You also had around 7,000 mobilizing in Mississippi, 10,000 in Alabama and 8,200 in Florida.

Less than 24 hours after the storm passed through, you had 23 Disaster Medical Assistance Teams from all over the U.S. being staged and onway to affected area.
Seven Urban Search and Rescue task forces and two Incident Support Teams have been deployed and propositioned in Shreveport, La., and Jackson, Miss., including teams from Florida, Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, Missouri, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Three more Urban Search and Rescue teams are in the process of deployment.

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) dispatched more than 390 trucks that were beginning to deliver millions of meals ready to eat, millions of liters of water, tarps, millions of pounds of ice, mobile homes, generators, containers of disaster supplies, and forklifts to flood damaged areas. DOT had helicopters and a plane assisting delivery of essential supplies.

All of this within 24 hours of the disaster. Again, no one expected the levees to fail. Consequently, the local and state governments did not allow for a stronger pre-response and initial than this. Once again, knowledge of U.S. government is essential. So within 60 hours, you had around 13,000 state active duty in the area doing relief efforts, with those numbers increasing. You also had a stepped up response by the Active Duty Navy which provided 7,000 troops for relief.
It is ironic you bring up the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army, considering this little tidbit here:


Part of an interview between Hugh Hewitt and Major Garrett, the one who broke the story about how the Louisiana government blocked access to New Orleans for the Red Cross, before and after the hurricane hit.

MG: The Salvation Army basically said look. We...first of all, both agencies also want to let people know that they've served the needs of thousands of people who got out, and who got out just a little bit to high ground, north of New Orleans. But they couldn't get in to meet those needs. They asked to get in. They were prepared with their...the Salvation Army has these ever-familiar portable kitchen canteens, is what they call them. They can actually make food, produce food on spot, and distribute it there. People line up. We've seen that at hurricanes and other natural disasters. They were ready. Not allowed in. At first, it was this idea that we don't want to create a magnet at the evacuation site. Secondarily, it became an issue of well, there's lots of water, and we can't assure your safety, so on and so forth. Here's another key point, Hugh. I was very specific with the American Red Cross, president and CEO Marty Evans, and said wait. Tell me clearly. Were you prepared to go in before the levees broke? Before water became an issue of any kind? She said absolutely. Were you denied access before the levees broke? She said we were denied access from minute one.

Do I need to tell you to read the whole thing here: http://www.radioblogger.com/#000970? I didn't think so...

Now, I know most of my liberal colleagues will scoff and say that is conservative crazy talk. Fortunately, CNN has picked up the story (which only Fox News was reporting). Only they didn't quite pick it up that well...

http://www.cnn.com/2005/uS/09/08/kat...oss/index.html

"The national president of the American Red Cross, Marsha Evans, first made the request to undertake the operation during a visit to the state on September 1, three days after Hurricane Katrina struck, a local Red Cross chapter official said."

However, that is a misleading quote. They fail to mention that it was only one of numerous requests for access that was denied.
Days after Katrina hit, they were denied access. Right after Katrina hit, they were denied access. The day Katrina hit, they were denied access. The days before Katrina hit, they were denied access...All by the Louisiana government. But the quote implies the relief effort was only ready to go on 1 September, when in fact such was not the case. They were ready before the Hurricane even hit. They were just denied access at the state and local level. I look forward to the cognitive dissonance and backpedalling in the media when more (and correct) news of this comes out.

This is the tip of the iceberg. Hopefully, the harsh light of media scrutiny will illuminate the rampant corruption inherent at all levels of Gov't..

I expect there will be a lot of red faces after the massive corruption at the state and local levels is more publicly broadcast.

we pay taxes with the promise of services and protection.. N.O. and the Gulf Coast now see how well those taxes were managed..

Again, a misunderstanding of federalism. The taxes which were supposed to go to flood-control efforts are state and local, not federal.

[ZIM]

hmmmm.....

THAT's TaiChiBob? Holy moly! Ixnay on the resident-pay...

[ZIM]

Think of the worst president in your lifetime (no need to specify your pick). Think of the worst president that you can imagine. Do you think that such a president should have the authority to take over a state simply because he believes the local authorities are being ineffective? I do not. Remember, the distinction here is between sending in federal resources in response to a request versus taking control of the situation by what is essentially armed force, which has been forbidden under these circumstances since after the Civil War. Furthermore, a President can't simply send in troops without a clear line of command.

If you do believe that the Executive should have the power to invade states and supercede local authority on the basis that they were not doing a good enough job, where would you draw the line?

If you still say 'yes he does have that authority', are you willing to have that same standard apply for all future Presidencies?

Let's say you're all correct in all of your nay-saying: Bush is inept and corrupt, lazy and mean-spirited. He gets thrown out of office.

Now you've got Cheney with that kind of power.

Still want to go there?

[SPJ]

Children of the storm or generation K.

Some kids are evacuted to one state by FEMA and the parents to another.

Children are placed away from N.O. and go to different schools.

They are coping with aftermath.

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[SPJ]

Change of guards.

chief change

[SPJ]

Blaming jokes.

jokes

[FuXnDajenariht]

so you think its better to let people begging for help from anyone, to die? lets see....half of my city is destroyed, my local government is in shambles, hundreds of thousands of people are starving and dehydrated.... i think this situation can be an exception. it isn't so much about taking over the city with armed forces as about coordinating relief efforts. you say they were denied access by local government. well thats the reason they should have their authority overrided by the president atleast momentarily. its a stupid decision on their part. put yourself in the victims shoes. do you really care who has control over your non existent local government when you can't even get clean water?

you say the local government is corrupt but then you say the president shouldn't have control because hes incompetent. you can't have it both ways. someone with the means has to step up. better the leader of the free world with all resources that come with that title. how did anyone expect the N.O. local government to coordinate any relief when they couldn't even get half of their police force to show up for work? the ones that were'nt dead atleast. the city is overrun by national guardsmen now. their just there to keep order and make sure everyone gets food and gets out safe. they aren't fulfilling some paranoid vision about taking over state rights or having everyone under martial law. all anyone is saying is that this could of been done alot sooner. even the president realizes this. some of his supporters dont seem to get it tho.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

gda for president!

[SPJ]

People helping people

friends in needs