Y’know…..
….it’s a big deal when CNN brings in Christiane Amanpour and Nick WhatHisBrit to report on conditions in our fair city. These two have impeccable credentials as veteran reporters from international hotspots and various disaster and war zones going back more than a decade. Like when the Weather Channel sends Jim Cantore to a hurricane area — you know it’s Serious. As I remember, they sent Jim to Biloxi this time around. And it definitely got Serious.
Every city is different. It has its own character, its own way of doing things and its own unspoken understandings between residents. What is clear from watching all the TV coverage since midweek has been, more than anything else….
Unless you know New Orleans on a day-to-day basis, from actually LIVING there, you don’t Get It.
We’re now heavily into the Blame Game, with everyone from President Bush to FEMA to Gov. Blanco to Mayor Nagin being accused of being unresponsive, racist, elitist, blind or Just Plain Dumb. We see reporters trying to spoon-feed MILITARY guys questions about “if we weren’t so committed in Iraq, could our reponse in New Orleans have been better?” Like a MILITARY guy is gonna say something like, “Oh yeah — we’d have picked up the Superdome with a helicopter and flown everyone to Denver if we weren’t so bogged down in Baghdad.”
It’s silly, it’s time-wasting and, ultimately, makes no more sense than a circular firing squad. The truth of the matter is that we’re dealing in human fraility here, from victim to leader, and all we can do is try to move ourselves and our preparedness to a slightly higher rung on the ladder so fewer of us are left behind next time. And there WILL be a next time, someplace in the world.
It’s tragic, it’s a shame and it’s also part of Real Life. Let’s get past this one as best we can and as soon as we can, remembering as many lessons as we can. We’ve got a city to rebuild.
Related posts:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050904/ap_on_re_us/hurricane_katrina_5
What is there to get? New Orleans is as ugly as the day is long. The media snakes you foolishly admire are only navigating home.
Well said, Jim. I wonder will we ever walk the street of New Orleans again and feel the laid-back, almost lyrical rythm of daily life?
Will the sound of that beautiful Nawlins accent slowly die away as residents scatter to the winds, maybe never to return?
Will we ever sit and talk music at the Circle Bar?
There is nowhere on earth so welcoming, so charming. Will it ever be again?
Cindi…
Yes it will be again. it may be a bit different.. But it WILL BE.
Faith my friend
FEMA and the relief was late, but they need our support now.
One question: Who was the federal bureucrat
responsible for denying funding for the levees in New
Orleans?
Who was the one that said, we think the levees will
hold and denyed the funding to upgrade the levees of
New Orleans.
That is all I want to know, because FEMA and the
support agencies were not the ones responsble for
thousands of deaths. The one responsible was the one
who denied funding to upgrade those levees. Once
those levees broke, that was the end of thousands of
lives. If the levees held, only a few hundred would
have died - through no one’s fault.
I want to know that name.
I want you to put that name out because when a
bureaucrat denys funding and thousands of lives are at
risk, that person should feel the brunt of the guilt
and responsibility. This was a sin that was
unforgivable, and one person was responsible - put
that name out.
The bureaucrat, as I recall, was our President, George W. Bush. He has been cutting the funding that the Army Corps of Engineers has been requesting every year. It was cut by 7% last year and was called “pork” by Bush.
I’m not really sure why people in NO are so reluctant to say that this entire debacle is Bush’s fault. I will say it. I believe that the entire debacle in NO is GEORGE W. BUSH’s fault. He underfunded the Army Corps who wanted to reinforce the levees, the Superdome and Convention Center were not protected by enough police or Nat’l Guardsman during the hurricane and there certainly were no reinforcements sent for FOUR days and it took CNN and MSNBC reporters complaining on air about the conditions to get that to happen. IF CNN and MSNBC could get to the Superdome and Convention Center, why couldn’t the Nat’l Guard or reservists? Kanye West was right-George Bush doesn’t care about black people or just plain poor people, for that matter. Why should he? His “base” are all elitist pigs.
Craig Giescke said it all and said it well. I am very disappointed that the mayor did nothing the weekend before the storm to bus those people outta there. The school buses that could have been used are now under water and are useless. Yes, Bush should not have cut the funding. But let me tell you, that does not make him the main person to blame. I challenge you all to go to this website and read what should have happened:
http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2005/9/4/151327.shtml
Amen Craig. I feel exactly the same way. And I decided to start a blog specifically for this reason - to discuss moving forward. Working on getting a few posts up now. http://www.blogforthegulf.com
Hmmmmm…let me guess. Christopher Ruddy will soon be a member of Bush’s cabinet, no?
I have about 600 brand new, big, pretty darn nice diaper bags that I’d like to donate to people who need them but I don’t know how to go about it. If you can point me in the right direction, please e-mail me at kemp_nhj@yahoo.com.
Thanks and God bless.
Tom:
I’ll tell you the one person responsible: He’s in your bathroom, right over the sink. Look in the mirror.
If you ever uttered the words “no new taxes;” if you ever insisted your elected officials should be thrown out after 2 terms, before they had a chance to learn how to do their jobs well; if you ever complained about the “size” of the federal government; if you ever let an election go by without voting: You and I and all of us share the blame for letting this happen.
It is time for us liberals to stand up and declare it: There is a role for big central government. Members of civilized societies owe a large chunk of everything we earn and own to institutions who we must charge with the responsibility for protecting us, one and all, rich and poor, large and small. If they try to sell us a line about “shrinking” government, if they try to tell us they can do it on the cheap, in the name of “letting us keep more of our paychecks,” then we call them frauds and incompetents.
I am embarrassed to earn so much more for what I do than similarly educated professionals in other countries. I am embarrassed that our covenant with the poor and infirm has to be maintained by charity and not as a matter of social compact. I am embarrassed that maintaining our way of life depends on a massive gap between rich and poor. I am embarrassed that 15% of my fellow Americans have no realistic way to access healthcare. I am similarly embarrassed that our leaders can claim that no one could have foreseen this catastrophe when the paper trail of all who foresaw it (FEMA, the Times-Picayune, etc.) is so public and so long.
Let’s hope a lasting lesson of this event is some recognition that there is a role for government and that if we are not giving ’til it hurts, it’s likely our government is not doing it’s job. The 9/11 commission report outlined several steps that should be taken to prevent another 9/11; our elected officials have declared many of these too expensive. When the Katrina report comes out, let’s commit to the sacrifice it will take to assuring the security of all. Real protection from real harms will cost a tremendous amount of money but it is necessary if we are to survive as a nation.
Craig: Thanks for being there. I feel for you. Your equanimity in the face of despair is a lesson to us all. Please keep writing, I look forward to giving you a big hug someday. I’m so very sorry for what has befallen you and your fellow citizens of New Orleans.
Mr. Moore, why at this juncture of suffering in my hometown of New Orleans, do you choose to use it to further your agenda?, yes, you have one and are no better than President Bush, (whom I do not support) In fact, you are pimping deaths to further your agenda as did Bush after 911, why are you not bothering to mention that the political leadership in New Orleans knew that this tragedy was a probability for YEARS and chose to ignore it? The budget cuts of Bush have nothing to do with this. Inept leadership in Louisiana is to blame, as with your film F-911 (in which you omit Israel from the discussion, completely)you select your targets to fit a dismal liberal elitisism that has pushed our country to the Right. You are as much of the problem as you ignore facts to feed your bias. ie Oliver Stone,s JFK. America saw your film and re-elected Bush, You failed, try the truth, it might set you free.
Luis Fernandez de la Reguera
I don’t think we need to blame anyone right now either, but just work together to get the problem solved and then learn from this.
I appreciate you and wish you the best of luck. Thanks for keeping us informed! My heart and prayers go out to everyone affected by this Hurricane. God Bless.
God Bless. I guess you have to be over 60 to remember what a war is like. What hunger really is. How your mouth doesn’t even “feel” after days w/o water. There are lots of people who don’t understand what anyone would whine after two or three days, because they spent weeks and months like that. . .
Allow me, if you will, to point out some folks who are doing NOTHING right now. How many shelters are being operated by the NAACP? How many by Jesse Jacksons Rainbow Coalition? How many by Al Shaptons NAN organisation?? How many helicopters, doctors, and rescuers are they providing? If you can count to ZERO, you are correct. Who is pandering that there is a racist response to this disaster? Start with those three. They are all a lot of talk, with no action. They simply proliferate the past.
Is it ironic that it takes a level 5 hurricane to remove the poor, the destitute, and the downtrodden from the poverty and despair to which the aforementioned organizations have relegated them to? Since that is what it takes, thank God for this hurricane. These people who have been waiting on “help” all of their earthly lives can begin to learn how to help themselves in communities that embrace, encourage, expect, and praise self-reliance.
The leaders of the “black community” in this country deserve to take a HUGE amount of the blame that is going around right now. The Rangels, Jacksons, Sharptons to name a few. They have bastardized the message of great self-determination which was the foundation of Dr. Kings dream. For decades now, they have been saying ” Wait for help”. They are dying in their attics because they are waiting for help.
But by the grace of God they have finally been delivered away from those slave masters who breed helplessness.
Welcome to America refugees. Your help arrived. It was Katrina!
How will we respond to this crisis? More talk and the pursuit of placing blame? I hope not. It is time for Americans to start acting like concerned neighbors and help the people of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi out. Save the blame game for later, what we need now is to lend a helping hand rather than our harsh words. Show a little love and donate money, material or your time. Sticks and stones may rebuild homes but harsh words never helped anybody.
About the levees…60 Minutes did a special today, and it WAS NOT the levees that broke…they were FLOOD WALLS that haven’t been worked on in more than 20 years.
I wish that in this time of extreme crisis we could rise above the blame game that we’re playing and simply help the victims. A bunch of people sitting around complaining on the internet isn’t saving anyone’s life, or returning their lost possessions.
Correction - I don’t know for sure wether the floodwalls were being worked on or not, but here are some interesting things to consider (all information from the Chief of Engineers for Army Corps of Engineers):
1. The sections of floodwalls that failed were inspected recently, and were in “excellent condition”.
2. The levee system in New Orleans was only designed to withstand Category 3 storms, and NO officials were well aware of this.
3. Studies were being done about the cost-effectiveness of upgrading the levee protection, but THE STUDIES WEREN’T EVEN SCHEDULED TO BE COMPLETED FOR SEVERAL YEARS. After the studies were completed, it would have been 20-25 years before the system was upgraded.
4. The recent cuts in funding did indeed hinder work that was being done on the levees, but the sections of levee being worked on DID NOT FAIL. It was the sections that were in good condition that failed.
Read about it at http://www.enr.construction.com/news/environment/archives/050901c.asp
and at
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/09/0902_050902_katrina_levees_2.html
On a side note, why is everyone working so hard to make Bush look bad? He did nothing illegal, so he can’t be impeached, and he’s on his second term, so he can’t be reelected. IT DOESN’T MATTER IF BUSH IS TO BLAME OR NOT.
Please don’t use disaster for whatever political agenda you have. It helps no one.
Correction - I don’t know for sure wether the floodwalls were being worked on or not, but here are some interesting things to consider (all information from the Chief of Engineers for Army Corps of Engineers):
1. The sections of floodwalls that failed were inspected recently, and were in “excellent condition”.
2. The levee system in New Orleans was only designed to withstand Category 3 storms, and NO officials were well aware of this.
3. Studies were being done about the cost-effectiveness of upgrading the levee protection, but THE STUDIES WEREN’T EVEN SCHEDULED TO BE COMPLETED FOR SEVERAL YEARS. After the studies were completed, it would have been 20-25 years before the system was upgraded.
4. The recent cuts in funding did indeed hinder work that was being done on the levees, but the sections of levee being worked on DID NOT FAIL. It was the sections that were in good condition that failed.
Read about it at http://www.enr.construction.com/news/environment/archives/050901c.asp
and at
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/09/0902_050902_katrina_levees_2.html
On a side note, why is everyone working so hard to make Bush look bad? He did nothing illegal, so he can’t be impeached, and he’s on his second term, so he can’t be reelected. IT DOESN’T MATTER IF BUSH IS TO BLAME OR NOT.
Please don’t use disaster for whatever political agenda you have. It helps no one.
I agree we need to learn these hard lessons and move on. Right now thousands and thousands of people need our help and that is all that matters.
I posted last night how shelters are opened and ready for flights of evacuees, even had ambulances at the airports as well as stations set up to process them as fast as possible and get medical checks and get them comfortable because they were expected at any time. We have not been told why, but no flights yet. Now they say up to 3 days before they come in but they are still coming.
The one good side I can see with this delay is people are already looking to only keep them in the shelter as temporarily as possible. More comfortable arrangements are being requested such as room in private homes and housing options. Jobs are also being lined up.
These people have been through so much already and I hope we as a community can give them hope.
God Bless you all. We are here for you and will continue to be.
hi craig and all
a month back we faced the same thing in mumbai -INDIA it rained 1000mm in 4 hrs and my city got shattered , the blaim game is common, our chief minister and muncipal commisiional says it happend due to over use of plastic bags which clogged the gutters,actualy they did their job of clearing them before monsoon shabily.the help was given to those who were non victims, the money was swalowd ….so where ever we go on this earth ,we are all same ,
yet you can learn one thing from the people of mumbai the never to say die.. spirit , we all stand helping each other-be it distributing food giving shelters to unknown or any thing …when they(the police ,government ) failed …i feel sorry for you –new orlince…
If there is one thing the aftermath of Katrina proves is that we do not get value for money from Central Government. Tax dollars seem to dissapear into schemes designed to stroke Bush’s ego and benefit his “Big Business” buddies. So how does it feel now to live in a Country run by Big Business fatcats, and not public servants? We think we can run the world? We can’t even save the folks in New Orleans!
From National Hurricane center:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/Deadliest_Costliest.shtml
Yes, updated august 2005.
“One of the greatest concerns of the National Weather Service’s (NWS) hurricane preparedness officials is that the statistics … will mislead people into thinking that no more large loss of life will occur in a hurricane because of our advanced technology. Max Mayfield, spokesman for the NWS hurricane warning service and Director of TPC, as well as former NHC Directors, have repeatedly emphasized the great danger of a catastrophic loss of life in a future hurricane if proper preparedness plans for vulnerable areas are not formulated, maintained and executed.”
and
“A large death toll in a U.S. hurricane is still possible. The decreased death totals in recent years could be as much a result of lack of major hurricanes striking the most vulnerable areas as they are of any fail proof forecasting, warning, and observing systems.
Continued coastal growth and inflation will almost certainly result in every future major landfalling hurricane (and even weaker hurricanes and tropical storms) replacing one of the current costliest hurricanes. For example, 4 out of 6 hurricane landfalls of 2004 made the top 30 list.
If warnings are heeded and preparedness plans developed, the death toll can be reduced. In the absence of a change of attitude, policy, or laws governing building practices (codes and location) near the ocean, however, large property losses are inevitable. ”
And in their conclusion:
“In virtually every coastal city from Texas to Maine, the present Tropical Prediction Center Director (Max Mayfield) former National Hurricane Center Directors have stated that the United States is building toward its next hurricane disaster. The population growth and low hurricane experience levels indicated in Hebert et al. (1984), together with updated statistics presented by Jarrell et al. (1992) form the basis for their statements. The areas along the United States Gulf and Atlantic coasts where most of this country
Ever heard of someone named Michael Moore? It’s been a long time since we heard of him. He was certainly keeping a low profile after his promise of defeating Bush with his low-budgetted-not-too-fair Farenheit 911 Sci-Fi documentary didn’t produce the expected outcome. He certainly missed the mark then.
Guess what? He is up and running again. I am sure we will soon have a homemade “Requiem for New Orleans” documentary telling us how bad the goverment had dealt with the Katrina aftermath.
Be prepared for door-to-door interviews.
Chartoff thought the storm was missing the city cause he “read the newspaper headlines” and Browne did not know there were people (thousands) at the Convention Center,while the split TV screen showed them!!! Should not at least these two incompetents be replaced NOW> Do you trust them to lead the resurrection of the city? Surely we dont need an investigation to get rid of these two.
Am I the only person in America who seems to think the “blame” for this disaster is actually that massive circular storm of monsterous size with winds of 160 MPH+ that happened to hit a populated coastal area?
To steal and redesign some Freud, sometimes a disaster is just a disaster.
Let’s not use this disaster to destroy the consitution and comprimise even more state’s rights and responsibilities. The more we “federalize” government responsibilities, the more inefficient the government is, and more importantly, the closer we are to tyranny.
The person above who wrote that the man in the mirror has the most to blame is right, but for very mucht he wrong reasons.. We don’t need to pay more taxes, have larger government, or throw more money at problems - we need individuals and localities to take responsibility for themselves. How much better would the situation have been if people had heeded the evacuation warnings, or at the very least had prepared themselves with water?
This strategy by the democratic party of immediately politicising this is going to fail miserably. The problem for democrats in 2005 is that the truth always comes out because they can’t control the media outlets like they once did. I would advise them to focus on helping people in NO, stop making this a poltiical issue (including putting out the bullet point memos on what we want the message against Bush to be), and start exuding hope to the people.
This idea that the response was so slow.. I guess if the media says it enough it becomes fact. I wonder who is going to tell the thousands of national guard and coast guardies who were out resuing people during and within minutes after the storm passed through?
I also want to ask, how could the federal government have been quicker? I still haven’t heard exactly how the federal government would have tactically implemented a “quicker” response. Its real easy to say they should have been there to help the people of NO faster - remember, the levee break which caused most of the disaster that rendered local efforts ineffective didn’t get to catastrophic until Tuesday night. By Wednesday, the feds had a massive airlife, naval and road convoy prepared, and by Thursday they were starting to roll in - seems amazingly efficient to me for the federal government - you can’t expect the federal government to respond as if they were local - thats why we have local authorities…
The Fall of New Orleans…
(people lost their lives)
(people died)
( they did not have to )
now it’s spinning
then it is spun.
a sleight of hand.
and nothing is won.
Named.
Blamed.
The song remains
Exactly the same
Nothing is done.
And nothing is changed.
Except a stubborn truth
An echoing refrain:
PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES!!!!!
PEOPLE DIED!!!!!!
THEY DID NOT HAVE TO!!!!!
they didn’t have to
I wonder how many of the critics have been faced with a hurricane threat?
Orlando 2004 - one came after the other. Charley, the first, was to hit the panhandle - we went to bed. It came ashore last minute and ripped SW FL an new one - we had less than a day to prepare… just before the power went out, the storm was tracking 3 miles west of my home. We went for the “hurricane room.” In the dark, it wobbeled 3 miles east - we ended up on the good side of the storm…10 miles west and there was devastation. All my prep on the west of the house was for naught, the winds came from the east…trees were hitting the house as I was shoring up the front doors so they wouldn’t blow open.
My point, you never know until it happens. There is always a element of gamble - moving 50,000 people on already clogged roads to where? NO govt. failed in not recognizing the high risk and not having enough provisions in strategic points, on hand, on high ground, in and around the city so they could ration supply to the “shelters of last resort” if necessary. That blame lies on the local and state “leaders” who failed to lead.
I am really wondering why everybody’s so shocked about the lack of preparedness USA is showing on the wake of the Katrina hurricane. United States is notorious for its lack of preparedness for major disasters. Look back in History.
She was unprepared for Pearl Harbor, San Francisco’s earthquake, Oklahoma bombing and the Twin Towers attack.
What is different now?
What makes America great is her ability to recover afterward, not her preparedness.
About the fund for victims.
Probably not necessary because once the victims have organized and talked about their legal options, look out.
There will be massive lawsuits (both criminal and civil) against FEMA, the corps of engineers and private consultants who were willing to risk the saftey of thousands of people by not funding the levee upgrade.
Here is a simple analogy. When you design an elevator, and you see the sign “This elevator should not exceed a load of 2500 lbs.” Do you really think the elevator is designed to hold 2500 lbs (100% capacity)? No. the elevator is designed to hold 3500lbs (110%+) That levee was at a 90% design capacty at best. This is a criminal issue - and the legal community will respond in FORCE.
A) National Guard??? Most of the Louisiana Guard was/is stuck half way around the world in a quagmire!
B) After Hurricane Andrew devastated south Dade County there was far far less looting, shooting, and raping. And yes, south Dade County has a comparable poverty and low-middle income class as does New Orleans. Suffice to say, the “swine” percentage in New Orleans is significant.
C) Is it no coincidence that the “Southern Decadence Festival” was to take place the weekend after Katrina struck.
Is it no coincidence that the floating casinos in Biloxi, MS were destroyed.
Is it no coincidence that a considerable ammount of voodoo, witchcraft, satanism, and other occultic activity occurs in Louisiana.
I think not.
Yours in Jesus Christs’ name,
John
John please, in Jesus Christ, the point is….?
I am sick of hearing people blaming our President for a job that he handled well under the circumstances. Advisors tell the Predident what is happening. When he heard that the city was under a mandatory evacuation, he sent FEMA to be there, where help could be provided. Not knowing the numbers of people that were left, or any information whatsoever, he did the right thing. Afterwards help is sent in within 24 hours, and individuals are shooting and beating military and police personnel. If you can’t get help to the poeple, it is not the leader’s fault. I pray each and everyday that a soul is spared, and child suffers no more, a family member is found. This blame game has got to stop!
Right John!
It’s the WRATH OF GOD!
Homos! Gambling! Drinking! It’s all RIGHT THERE! And God hissowndangself DESTROYED IT! He SMOTE IT DOWN!
Why doesn’t this forum have an eye-rolling icon?
Were you born this clueless or is it a learned trait?
…Craig
Look at all those houses in New Orleans. New Orleans SHITHEAS ASSHOLE FUCKFACES. All of those houses withstood a category 4 hurricane. Apparently those houses were better built that than PIECE OF SHIT LEVEE that was the resposibiliy of BUSH AND HIS INMCOMPETENT FLAG WAVING ASSSHOLE MORONS LIKE YOU FUCKFACES OUTTHERE!
Yes, no more blame….
The LAWYER will have their day…and the WRATH of LAW will see all you BUSH lovers in hell!
Yes, we should all take a good, hard look at ourselves while we’re assigning blame for this debacle. We’ve elected leaders/lawmakers who cater to the wealthy and to big-business. We’ve allowed the Bush administration to continually cut important funding for social programs, thus making the poor even more destitute than before. We are the richest nation in the world, yet we have a significant population of people who cannot afford decent housing or basic medical care. That is unacceptable.
Because the poor do not have the wealth, they were left to fend for themselves during a natural disaster. Even during the clean-up they will contnue to suffer because too many Americans with wealth are going to be thinking “How does helping a bunch of inner-city poor people benefit my bottom line?” Those in the best position to give money and time will not give enough. Thus,the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, and those of us in the middle support everyone else.
First, look at all those building sunk below the waters from the lake. Apparently, most of those buildings were able to withstand a category 4 hurricane. The levee did not. The buldings of New Orleans and those killed by the flood waters were not destroyed by the hurricane itself. They were killed and the buildings destroyed by waters from a breached levee that was well below design capacity. The Lawyers will have a field day over this, and whatever you feel towards Bush and his incompetent administration will NOT save Bush from the oncomig legal onslaught from the victims of this disaster that could have been avoided from 3 weeks of Iraq operations funding.
Had it been Clinton he wouldn’t have had any concerns in sending the 82th Airborne Division to Louisiana the very first day or maybe launching some cruise missiles to stop looting in Canal Street. Anything to shift public opinion away of the Lewinsky affair.
Didn’t he send the Army to burn down Davidians in Waco TX even though Constitution prevents sending active army troops to deal with law enforcement tasks?
Oh but that was “clever” Clinton good old times. We only have “moroon” Bush now who can not do anything against the Constitution. Shame on him.
Our thoughts and prays go out to all victims of Katrina… N.O. will come back better than before… it will take time but it will happen.. i was shocked that state and local goverment did not have plans for evacuating the population. and that the people themselves did not want to leave, and still don’t want to leave. as for the federal goverment, it doesn’t matter if it is Bush or Kerry in charge, the feds always screw it up.. and this applies to all goverments… i survived Kobe in 1995.. the Japanese goverment response was pitiful.
John’s “Wrath of God” scenario may not be far off the mark. I wonder how our Islamic enemies on their “holy war” view the destruction of the Whore of Babylon’s economic center (9/11) and the “act of God” destruction of the New Orleans Sodom/Gomorah city of excess? Anyone remember the Dylan song, “God On Our Side”?
I don’t know Katrina, but I certainly doubt anyone would consider the 9/11 mayhem as an act of God’s will.
Unless you consider terrorist as Gods, do you?
Not to mention that whatever Mr John here enumerated as the motives God would have to erase New Orleans are just routine adult entertaiment business on any city in the Western Hemisphere.
What makes me think maybe Mr John here is maybe a kid posing as an adult :)
FYI - The facts..and just the facts… cut the crap… now lets move forward.
Is Bush to Blame for New Orleans Flooding?
He did slash funding for levee projects. But the Army Corps of Engineers says Katrina was just too strong.
September 2, 2005
Summary
Some critics are suggesting President Bush was as least partly responsible for the flooding in New Orleans. In a widely quoted opinion piece, former Clinton aide Sidney Blumenthal says that “the damage wrought by the hurricane may not entirely be the result of an act of nature,” and cites years of reduced funding for federal flood-control projects around New Orleans.
Our fact-checking confirms that Bush indeed cut funding for projects specifically designed to strengthen levees. Indeed, local officials had been complaining about that for years.
It is not so clear whether the money Bush cut from levee projects would have made any difference, however, and we’re not in a position to judge that. The Army Corps of Engineers
Disaster seems to bring out a lot of hatred, doesn’t it?
Perhaps some Paxil or Valium would be useful here…
How long have we known this would happen if New Orleans got a category 4 storm? And now everyone wants to blame everyone else for the flooding that New Orleans has been warned about for decades? Forget the blame game folks and build the levees higher. And pray for the good citizens who have been uprooted in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
As for God’s wrath, he chose the poor and downtrodden to suffer and let the fat cat’s escape? I am pretty sure God could have arranged a direct hit with a Category 5 hurricane, and wipe the place out; he did, after all, create the freakin’ universe. Good grief, you people are silly.
they have seen the possibilities of levees failing for decades. even if funding had not been cut, it was still in the study stages and work was not slated to begin for years let alone be completed. even if funding had not been cut for this study, this flooding still would have occurred. this is a problem that should have been addressed many presidents ago and was largely set aside by dems and republicans alike.
Extremely well-said by original author. The only difference between Bush and Clinton on this issue is that Bush got caught by a storm and Clinton didn’t. Trying to politicise this is futile and idiotic. Shame on everyone who is spinning instead of helping.
That said, I’m from Houston and have spent many a delightful hour in beloved N.O. God love the people and the city and I hope it goes back to something approximating its old idiosyncratic self, with maybe a few more scars. If New Orleans came through the War Between the States, it can come through this, too. We’re all pulling for you, guys.
It seems to me the principal government failure in this case is at the local and state level. Here in California, we’re told that, in the case of an earthquake, not to expect the feds for 3-5 days in the best case and probably a week. Until then, we have local and state plans in effect. Is Louisiana any different? Do they have a special hotline that delivers federal aid instantly, as if ordering takeout pizza or Chinese food? It’s ludicrous to immediately point to the feds and say “You didn’t save me!” when it seems quite apparent that they never seriously tried to save themselves when it was clearly their responsibility to do so. The federal aid was there within the expected window of time, what happened in the interim reflects appalling local and state planning and implementation of emergency strategies.
Great site - good work.
I sent a letter to Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin…
thought you might like a copy of it…
To: Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin,
I am truly sorry for the loss you and the good people of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana have suffered. It is a tragedy.
You both have wailed to the world about what the federal government has not done to help the state of Louisiana. How dare both of you! What in the world has the state of Louisiana been doing the past forty years? You and the leaders past and present of your state have had over 4 decades to correct this problem.
And when Katrina hits, which you could have been prepared for you take the role of victim. This was not a crime committed. This was a natural disaster. I am appalled at the lack of professional behavior you both have displayed. Not to mention the indecent moral stand you have taken.
You want the federal government to stay out of state affairs. But, when you have a problem that you could have prevented you wish to blame my government. Shame on both of you! What is it you want? Make you mind up, quickly
Y’know, I’ve noticed an odd thing - Republicans weren’t so fond of phrases like “we must be united” or “let’s all get behind our President” or “now is not the time for fingerpointing” about, oh, five years ago… but that’s percetly understandable; who has time for idealism when there’s a President you’ve gotta crucify for receiving blowjobs?
Stupidest question to OEP director of Louisiana…..”Is the water that’s being pumped out of the city being filtered?” ….Answer: “NO”
To Lynn, who blames the levee failure on Bush denying funding. The fact is that EVERY President, EVERY Congress, EVERY Governor of Louisiana has cut the requested funding by anyone who asked, from the Army Corps of Engineers on, EVERY year for the pawst 20+ years. EVERYONE had other priorities, other concerns and EVERYONE thought that for a remote chance of a Cat 5 hitting at just the right angle it was not worth spending the money. Blame yourself for not voting out the corrupt politicians in NO, blame the politicians, of all parties, in the US for having other interests with higher priorities. And blame the people who live in the NO basin. All these years with levees have damaged the flood plain, damaged the river and caused the city to be lower than the lake and river. EVERYONE knows and knew this. Don’t go Liberal Democrat Hate-Bushie on us. The fault lies on years of neglect by EVERYONE.
Enough with the BLAME GAME!!!!! The real blame is Nature and mankind’s arrogant thinking that nature can be controlled. The city of New Orleans sits in bathtub surrounded by water. This event was a long time overdue. The city should be razed and be rebuilt on higher ground. it makes no sense to rebuild the city where it is because this will just happen again.
BTW who do you think is going to pay for this rebuilding? Insurance? ha-ha lots of luck
AMEN Mike, you go man…. the state and local goverments in Louisiana are the most corrupt in the nation.. it is a different mentality in that state…
Excellent points made, Mike. The problems in New Orleans have developed over many decades. The city planners, if any, are first in my line for a good buttkicking. Half a million people in essentially a cereal bowl surrounded by water was a disaster waiting to happen. Next are city and state leaders. EVERY mayor and governor for the past 20 years (at least) has known that it would take 48 to 72 hours to evacuate N.O. If they cared at all for their poor population, they would have taken all those school buses that we now see drowned and useless, gone through those areas, picked them all up 2 or 3 days before and gotten them out of town. Sure, you are going to have some hurricanes miss, but if you are going to house people at the bottom of a fishbowl, that is the responsibility you assume unless you want thousands dead every time this happens.
Something I haven’t seen mentioned is that right after the storm, everyone thought N.O. had dodged the Big Bullet again. It wasn’t until early the next morning that they, and indeed FEMA, knew they hadn’t. FEMA sure could have done things better, but the fed govt is not where the primary blame should be placed.
Having said all that, my energies will be concentrated on giving as much help as I can to the evacuees in our communities and elsewhere. And continuing to pray a lot. Instead of blowing steam out your ears on this blog, try helping someone. God bless us all.
Gayle
Ah, the rantings of the young. You speak of the unecessary loss of life as though it is mud on the bottom of your shoes. “Forget about the blame, just move on.” Heaven for bid, why hold our leaders accountable? They are infallable right? Turn off the computer and pick up a history book or read one on the computer. The point is, man never learns as history shows. Man’s inhumanity to man continues and each time we learn nothing from the last time.
Mike-
Lincoln was wrong-he should have let you all secede. I’ll go “liberal hate Bushie” all that I want-I pay my taxes AND pledeged money to the Red Cross for your water-logged butt. So, kiss my liberal, blue state hating “Bushie” behind.
Regarding “Y’know” I have been watching this drama play out for over a week now. I become more pissed over the sensationalism the networks portray. They all want to be in line for a “PULITZER”. The bashing of our government, at all levels, they seem to lose sight of the enormity of this tragedy. A category five hurricane is classified as a natural disaster of enormous spectrum. It cannot be cleaned up in a day. I am proud of the accomplishments the federal forces provided. And no, I do not think it was to late. The information provided from the lower levels was not adequate. After all, it is the the responsibility of local government to be first responders. The residents were given adequate time to evacuate. Their choice was to remain and ride out the storm. Mayor Nagin pleaded with them to leave. Finally, he said they were on their own. Now the crisis has set in for a rescue. I have to think, and remind people about the governmental process. We elect officials at the local and national levels. To much focus is put on a candidates popularity than their quality of leadership. Perhaps this is showing through now. When we have elected officials that are not qualified to forsee or handle a potential disaster, the results are devastating. New Orleans and Biloxi will rise again. It’s the American Way.
Everyone makes bad decisions from time to time, especially under duress. That’s no excuse for FEMA, of course, which had plenty of warning.
Those of us who never voted for dubya and live (thankfully) in blue states knew it was just a matter of time before the stupidity of the Bush administration was revealed. What does Mike Brown know about FEMA?
(BTW, as Shirley McLaine once said about JFK and Nixon, “I’d rather have him screwing a few women than screwing the country.”)
There are so many layers to this situation, so much blame, and yet don’t you find it heartening that so many people are doing so much good?
(Gosh, I miss Steve already. He was fun to joust with. I think we are a match made in heaven.)
This is not about placing blame,this is about our leaders taking personal responsibility for the jobs they accepted and are being paid handsomely to do. I run a business and the buck stops with me. My investors would have every right to be angry with me if I dropped the ball at a crucial time or did not take care of problems quickly and efficiently when they arise. Why is this so different??? The head of FEMA was running horse shows last year.He did such a lousy job that he was fired. Who the hell hired this fuck up anyway??? Why has he not been fired yet??? If this was a movie no one would believe it. The rest of the world is watching and I am embarrassed for us, and horrified at the death and destruction. I will go build some houses with habitat since it is what I can do. Now let’s go help any way we can and pray that we learn something from all this to prevent it happening again.
Ok, now everyone needs to remember the each State and City is responsible for their emergency preparidness! The states wanted the Feeral Government out of their business! So…. firt thing the N.O. Mayor sent thousands of people to the Superdome and had no provisions waiting for them, or any real plan to take care of these people. The mayor also should have sent buses to aide the infirm and get them out of the city before Katrinia struck. The Governor, who by the way is in control of the LA National Guard is the one who waited too long to send them in, or to ask for aide from other state’s National Guard units. The state Governments want to take care of themselves without interfernce from Washington, Louisiana failed in taking care of their people!
Hope “the flip side” copied his/her powerful comments to the NAACP, Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson. This opportunity to end the cycle of helplessness and dependence cannot be lost! Already, hope for a new life is obvious in the interviews with Katrina evacuees in Houston. But just wait until Jesse and Al work the crowd… back to the self-defeating victim mentality.
Check out CNN’s Christiane Amanpour visit to St. Gabriel morgue on CNN internet video.
Is Theresa Roy real? Is that a common view?
Incredible.
“firt thing the N.O. Mayor” did was order an evacuation - which 80% of the 1.1 million people in the metro area heeded. He didn’t send “thousands of people to the Superdome” he told them that was and I quote “a shleter of last resort.” The Governor, by the way, had 2000 NG troops on the ground within hours of landfall. As an earlier poster mentioned, if the floodwalls had held, this would all be a moot point. But they didn’t and as soon as the first water began to seep out, FEMA should have stepped up operations to address the issue of evacuation of survivors in the city. The major airlines were not asked to help with airlifts until THRUSDAY!
Yes - the mayor and gov had parts to play but when the heads of a major metro area and a state as well as the state’s Congressional delegation, Republican and Democrat, BEG on national television and radio repeatedly for help and are ignored, that is INEXCUSABLE.
LA did what it could with what it had. She KNEW she a was in dire straits early on; She then, and I quote the mayor again, sent out “a desperate SOS” and which WAS IGNORED!
Any spin about buses and access are paper tigers - Geraldo Rivera could get in to use a old woman as photo op - there is no reason the freakin’ Coast Guard could not. Which, BTW, they tried to do - they were told to hold back, as were all other emergency responders. Why?! Why are firefighters who volunteered to go to NO being used as props in photo ops with W instead of, oh I don’t know, FIGHTING FIRES? Why was water and food prevented from getting into the city AS EARLY AS LAST MONDAY? Why did the FEMA director have to get info from the MEDIA about the situation at the Convention Center? Why did he stand there and LIE about the conditions at the Superdome when EVERYONE knew differently? How could the President, as a “compassionate Christian” LIE thorugh his damned (and he is) teeth - “No one knew the levees would break.” “No one expected the severity of the storm” No one except the rest of the country and the Hurrcaine Center which updated everybody on the federal level about the potential of the storm. I guess it’s hard to play the guitar and “work hard” at the same time.
What about the fact that Governor Blanco and Mayor Nagin met with Bush on Air Force 1 his first trip to N.O. after Katrina - “they were planning what to do”, Bush asked Governor Blanco what she is was going to do - she said - I need 24 hrs. I need to go over all the plans…I think she should be impeached and charged with Criminal Negligence!
FYI, some interesting info that was forwarded to me:
“I think all of Nagin’s pomp and posturing is going to bite him hard in the near future as the lies and distortions of his interviews are coming to light.
On Friday night before the storm hit, Max Mayfield of the National Hurricane Center took the unprecedented action of calling Nagin and Blanco personally to plead with them to begin MANDATORY evacuation of NO and they said they’d
take it under consideration. This was after the NOAA buoy 240 miles south had recorded 68′ waves before it was destroyed.
President Bush spent Friday afternoon and evening in meetings with his advisors and administrators drafting all of the paperwork required for a state to request federal assistance (and not be in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act or having to enact the Insurgency Act). Just before midnight Friday evening the President called Governor Blanco and pleaded with her to sign the request papers so the federal government and the military could legally begin mobilization and call up. He was told that they didn’t think it necessary for the federal government to be involved yet. After the
President’s final call to the governor she held meetings with her staff to discuss the political ramifications of bringing federal forces. It was decided that if they allowed federal assistance it would make it look as if they had failed so it was agreed upon that the feds would not be invited in.
Saturday before the storm hit the President again called Blanco and Nagin requesting they please sign the papers requesting federal assistance, that they declare the state an emergency area, and begin mandatory evacuation.
After a personal plea from the President, Nagin agreed to order an evacuation, but it would not be a full mandatory evacuation, and the governor still refused to sign the papers requesting and authorizing federal action. In frustration the President declared the area a national disaster area before the state of Louisiana did so he could legally begin some advanced preparations. Rumor has it that the President’s legal advisers were looking into the ramifications of using the Insurgency Act to bypass the Constitutional requirement that a state request federal aid before the
federal government can move into state with troops - but that had not been done since 1906 and the Constitutionality of it was called into question to use before the disaster.
Throw in that over half the federal aid of the past decade to NO for levee construction, maintenance, and repair was diverted to fund a marina and support the gambling ships. Toss in the investigation that will look into why the emergency preparedness plan submitted to the federal government for funding and published on the city’s website was never implemented and in fact may have been bogus for the purpose of gaining additional federal funding as we now learn that the organizations identified in the plan were never contacted or coordinating into any planning - though the document implies that they were.
The suffering people of NO need to be asking some hard questions as do we all, but they better start with why Blanco refused to even sign the multi-state mutual aid pack activation documents until Wednesday which further delayed the legal deployment of National Guard from adjoining states. Or maybe ask why Nagin keeps harping that the President should have commandeered 500 Greyhound busses to help him when according to his own emergency plan and documents he claimed to have over 500 busses at his disposal to use between the local school busses and the city transportation busses - but he never raised a finger to prepare them or activate them.
This is a sad time for all of us to see that a major city has all but been destroyed and thousands of people have died with hundreds of thousands more suffering, but it’s certainly not a time for people to be pointing fingers and trying to find a bigger dog to blame for local corruption and incompetence. Pray to God for the survivors that they can start their lives anew as fast as possible and we learn from all the mistakes to avoid them in the future.”
Niggers around the world: STAND DOWN! You know who you are, and that lable knows no boundaries based upon the color of your skin. You come in all shapes, colors, and sizes. STOP THE DAMN WHINING!!!!!!
If you are offended by what I just said, you need to get very introspective with yourself. NO SINGLE HUMAN BEING ON THIS PLANET IS ENTITLED TO HELP BASED UPON THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN. ” Blacks” are not black…. they are brown. ” Whites” are not white… they are khaki. Only the weak in mind, spirit, and heart allow themselves to be labled.
I am sick and tired of the race card. And that “poor blacks” card is EXHAUSTED, quite frankly.
New Orleans population is 67% “black”…. but 670,000 + “blacks” were not rescued in the wreckage. What happened to the half million+ “poor blacks” who did not require a rescue?
“Poor” is such a crappy lable anyhow. Many americans have few means…. but that does not mean they are “poor”. Many americans are very wealthy… but quite “poor”.
We have seen examples of BOTH in our media as of late. The vast mjority are not repeat faces. I have seen peoples of all ages, sized, shapes and colors on my screen, in desperate straights…. searching for loved ones, and expressing their feelings of loss, anxiety, fear, and hope. These are folks who need our help …. few of us will ever see their faces again…God knows who they are and they suffering will be assuaged in time.
Then there are the bigots… These are those very wealthy who are desperately poor. They pull out the race card…. they pull out the failure card. They have all the money in the world, but offer no LEADERSHIP. They are poor. Poor examples. What they hell do they know about being a normal human being with limited resources??? Are they foregoing 10% of their monthly grocery bill in order to help the Red Cross? Nope. But they are ALL OVER THE TV!
Someone tell me…. who is the racist…. Al Sharpton who shows up in Baton Rouge with a camera crew… or Franklin Graham who rolls in with trucks and trucks filled with relief supplies?
I saw two very young men on the TV today… both about 10 or so… they have been helping each other and the National Guard hand out food, water, ice and other relief supplies, without pay, for a week. One of them is “black”… the other is “white”…. They do not inquire as to the race, sex, or religion of the vehicle drivers as they come up…. they simply ask them what they need and then they deliver the goods..filling trunks, seats and laps with whatever they have to fill those needs. One of the young men pretty much said he would continue until the people he is helping are satisfied with the service they are receiving.
THAT IS LEADERSHIP! May those two young boys be a bright, shining, and everlasting example to us ALL.
Cudo’s to flipside!!! So eloquently spoken, or should I say explained. I’m new to this “blogging” business but I can already see the benefits of the enormous exchange of ideas, and valuable input from the readers. I had posted earlier about how eager the opposition is the find an opening to criticize, rather than chipping in and helping out the people in need. The responsibility did indeed fall on local government. We will never fully know why the numerous school buses were not used for evacuation. They were at the Mayor’s disposal. Many of New Orleans residents wouldn’t leave if you set a bomb off beneath them. The levees were built to withstand certain stress levels. Nothing of this magnitude was ever expected. I find it hard to blame the federal government for the inadequate posture of the levee system. The city is built below sea level. Eventually, sad to say, nature was going to take it away. To this day I am impressed with the speed and urgency to facilitate the efforts surrounding this “Natural Disaster” called KATRINA.
I think these responses should be limited to 100 words or less…too much BS here…