They Really Dropped the Ball..

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

Well, now that I think about it, W said the initial evacuation of NOLA and MS was unacceptable. So, W probably is on board and wants to have a kangaroo court stacked in his favor and one that he can control. Interestingly, I have to wonder what kind of priviledge FEMA will assert to stymie the hearings. the plan was known publicly, so there can be no security issues. Moreover, they are on public television with outrageous quotes. So, much of the evidence is there. It is just not going to be pretty.

Rumour has it and I do underscore rumour, that President Bush in a private meeting with Governor Blanco tried to get her to sign a document taking some of the responsiblity off of FEMA, Homeland Security and himself. Reportedly, she refused to sign. As soon as I have more concrete information on this, you can bet your bippy I will post it.

[stargazer99]

Originally Posted by sodascouts

Janet, please, be realistic. Of course at least one person would die. Many people REFUSED to leave. Should they have been hit on the head and kidnapped? As for the poor, it's so easy to say "more should have been done! More should have been done! Obviously if one person died someone screwed up!!" Here we are in the comfort of our homes. We weren't there trying to get people out. We weren't there trying our best to save as many people as possible. But we still have the nerve to sit here and gripe how those people just didn't do good enough, according to us, in all our wisdom and vast knowledge about hurricane preparation and relief. Perhaps you know of some of the magical ways technology could have prevented every single death? If so, please alert the proper authorities.

It is absolutely absurd to argue that anyone wanted this massive amount of death.

While I agree with you, Nancy, it's unrealistic to say that every single death could have been prevented, what I think most people have a problem with is the length of time it took for any real rescue effort to get in there and get those people out. And while I'm sure there were many people who just flat refused to leave, I'd be willing to bet that was the minority. New Orleans has an ungodly number of poeple living in poverty. In fact, 50% of children living in New Orleans are living in poverty! When you have no car and no money, how are you supposed to get out of there on your own? There were also many physically handicapped people who were stuck.

And while I don't know a lot about hurricane preparedness, the Louisiana government sure does. They've been begging for years for money to fix the levees, to no avail. They had drills addressing disasters of this magnitude. And the governor sent a very detailed letter to the White House before the hurricane, outlining exactly what they would need both from a money standpoint and a people/equipment standpoint in responding to this hurricane.

What I find "absolutely absured" is the fact that we didn't have any real rescue effort in place until 4 days after the hurricane. And that FEMA didn't accept any of the many offers of resources and equipment from a number of other states. And that the head of FEMA had the nerve to say that the people themselves are partly responsible because they didn't get out. And the lack of communication, where they didn't even realize there were people trapped in the convention center when it had been reported for days. And the fact that there were numerous reporters there, helicopters capturing news footage, etc., but we couldn't get the military in there for several days?

And while it's easy to say that we shouldn't criticize because we didn't go down there ourselves to help, isn't it the government's job to do so? To be prepared for disasters of this magnitude, and have a plan in place when it does happen? And to act on that plan, not 4 days later, but immediately? Especially when they had warning this hurricane was coming?

So yes, it was impossible to prevent any death. But the number of deaths that occurred, due to the fact that it took four days to get help to these people, is totally unacceptable.

- Mary

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by Lux

Sorry if this was posted already, I can't keep up and reposting doesn't really matter anyway.

http://today.reuters.com/investing/f...41_N04630362:1

Asked to say a few words from the pulpit, Rice, a preacher's daughter, said: "The Lord Jesus Christ is going to come on time." She added: "If we just wait."

Jesus christ! These are the people in charge of the country? That's the kind of message they're sending to the people? Juxtapose that with the clip linked to earlier from crooks and liars (http://movies.crooksandliars.com/Mee...-Broussard.wmv) and she's basically telling the dying to wait, just hold off your drowning for a while. This is insignificant though, none of this matters, all that matters is what's going in but to comfort the people by telling the dying to keep waiting? To even link this in with God is disgraceful. People aren't waiting for God missy, they're waiting for you and your f*cking people.

I guess everyone over there is in bed now. No more updates?

Believe me Lux, we are all getting more freaked out by the minute.

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by dissention

http://news.yahoo.com/s/latimests/20...ands&printer=1
He Held Their Lives in His Tiny Hands

BATON ROUGE, La. — In the chaos that was Causeway Boulevard, this group of refugees stood out: a 6-year-old boy walking down the road, holding a 5-month-old, surrounded by five toddlers who followed him around as if he were their leader.

This broke my heart.

[David]

Originally Posted by Frank Rich

But as Americans dig out from Katrina and slouch toward another anniversary of Al Qaeda's strike, we have to acknowledge the full extent and urgency of our crisis.

Do you think Rich is dropping in a reference here to "The Second Coming"?

The Yeats stanza goes:

And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

Rumour has it and I do underscore rumour, that President Bush in a private meeting with Governor Blanco tried to get her to sign a document taking some of the responsiblity off of FEMA, Homeland Security and himself. Reportedly, she refused to sign. As soon as I have more concrete information on this, you can bet your bippy I will post it.

Oh honey - you wanna talk rumors - people have told me they have heard about succesionist meetings Imagine the state that controls somewhat greater than 1/3 of the nation's oil and the delta of the Mississippi succeeding

and - while we are on the topic of conspiracy theory (sort of) - W and crewe are not opposed to taking the opportunity to exploit a disaster (invasion on Iraq after 9/11 anyone) - LA has some of the richest oil fields in the world and it controls, again, greater than 1/3 of the nation's oil. How that fits into the delay in the rescue of the poorest of the poor I am unsure and it probably does not. But, still, the coicindence with the oil is a little jarring.

Finally, www.cnn.com is posting pic.'s of the dead bodies floating in the water - and that is not a rumor

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by David

Do you think Rich is dropping in a reference here to "The Second Coming"?

The Yeats stanza goes:

And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?

I think it is glaring - again, the man can turn a phrase

Interestingly, the Zionists must be filled with glee at the thought.

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

Oh honey - you wanna talk rumors - people have told me they have heard about succesionist meetings Imagine the state that controls somewhat greater than 1/3 of the nation's oil and the delta of the Mississippi succeeding

Jeffersonia? The president of Jefferson Parrish said it on national television yesterday during his appearance on MTP.

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

Jeffersonia? The president of Jefferson Parrish said it on national television yesterday during his appearance on MTP.

In the South perhaps more so than the remainder of the Union, there are usually a few crazies calling for succession. However, from what I hear, this is not the crazies - though I am sure they would readily join in.

[strandinthewind]

There is also a rumorm somewhat substantiated but still a rumor, that parts of NOLA East and most of St. Bernard Parish will not be rebuilt and the people will be relocated to higher areas. It will be interesting to see what will happen. Personally, I think we have the technology to build strong enough levees - for example, the levees almost held this time and many of them are 100 years old and held. Time will tell.

[amber]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

In the South perhaps more so than the remainder of the Union, there are usually a few crazies calling for succession. However, from what I hear, this is not the crazies - though I am sure they would readily join in.

You mean secession, right? Please. And wouldn't the federal gov't. Pull that oil control right out, and put it somewhere else???

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by amber

You mean secession, right? Please. And wouldn't the federal gov't. Pull that oil control right out, and put it somewhere else???

Yep - once again, I apologize for my inability to type

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by amber

You mean secession, right? Please. And wouldn't the federal gov't. Pull that oil control right out, and put it somewhere else???

I don't know that it is possible to do that.

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

There is also a rumorm somewhat substantiated but still a rumor, that parts of NOLA East and most of St. Bernard Parish will not be rebuilt and the people will be relocated to higher areas.

So Hastert's bulldoze comment was really that far off?

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

I don't know that it is possible to do that.

It is not. Much of that oil comes from the ground in Louisiana. I guess they could rebuild the refineries in Houston or some other port. But, that would take time, though I am sure FEMA could have them up in two days

Also, the Mississippi is the exit port for so many products, like grain, produced in the US, that building an infrastructure to recover from that would be difficult and time consuming.

I mean the Fed.'s cannot build another Mississippi River