Commenting on the Northwest Progressive Institute Official Blog
It must be so frustrating for these Right Wing wack jobs to be have to constantly apologizing for this incompetent, miserable failure of a President. If this were a (D) administration they'd be foaming at the mouth - demanding resignations, investigations, etc.
1. George Bush Wanted to be President.
2. It's called accountability, stupid.
I am glad to see you lefties continue to insist that the Federal Government is responsible for everything. Democrat controlled state and local governments are certainly not to blame.
If only the Republicans (Bush) had ordered all those incompetent state and local Democrats to do their jobs instead of standing around wringing their hands and crying, "if only George Bush would tell us what to do"!
What we have is a failure to understand who failed to do what needed to be done.
How about answering the question you quote me asking, or is that too much to ask? I did not insult you, demean your opinions, or call you names. Can you engage in political discourse without sounding like a conversation in a middle school hallway? For the record, I also said this: "Those that wish to criticize would be advised to roll up their sleeves and help out. There will be plenty of time for talking later. For sure we should learn the lessons... but petty, bitter acrimony will only hurt you in the end - not Bush..."
Get a clue. 300+ school buses (don't forget NO Area Transit buses that "went missing" also) in a lot forgotten by New Orleans, while Nagin and Compass are complaining they need buses to get people out. Blanco admits that Bush made personal appeal to evacuate the city on the Saturday before storm hits and doesn't declare a state of emergency until one week later.
The chairman of the National Sheriff's Association stated this morning on CNN that he had volunteers ready to go early last week to help quell the looting and chaos, but Louisiana said it didn't need them.
As I recall, the states initiate the request for help from the Feds, since they know better what help (oops, I guess this proves that's a flawed model) is needed. I guess it's hard to request help though for an emergency that you don't recognize until the Saturday after it happened.
By the way, if you read the Washington Post, no Bush fans they, from yesterday, you will find that La refused to sign memorandum of agreement to federalize because La feared it would appear it (and, hence, the Dum, err . . . Dim, err . . . Dem Governor) was at fault.
Great going Dims. Muck everything up again and then complain that Repubs weren't there to fix your mess immediately. Fortunately, Bush was at fault regardless of the facts, right?
OK now if Seattle has a 7.0 Earthquake tomorrow. How long will it take to get the Feds here to Seattle if the Governor does not give approval for the federalization of the National Guard. Where are the nearest supplies stored? Honestly IF Seattle gets shook by a major earthquake and the building fell down do you think the Governor would be worried about the Feds taking charge of the National Guard to help get rescue of the Survivors. Think about it. If the Governor dragged her feet like a certain Democratic Govenor is dragging her feet now then tens of thousands will die. FEMA is a management team to help with coordination. DOes the Federal government own thousands of trucks already loaded with goods to go to an area. IT takes time. You first mobilize the trucks then load the trucks. How big is the loading facility? Over the weekend millions of meals are on the trucks and arriving in the stricken area that covers thousands of square miles. All you think about is New Orleans. WHat about the small cities and town within several hundred miles. Each of which needs help and is getting it as fast as they are identified.
The Feds are not God. They can not make food from the dirt. Nor can anyone take a loaf of bread and a few fish to feed hundreds of people.
Think well they need help but only if communications and local government groups can identify where the needs are can the goods get the people who need it. If the emergency system is broken how can you expect the Feds to be able to know where to deliver the goods. Local Communication with Emergency Centers that pass on requests will get help. Those who dont have that capability well they are paying for the local politicians bickering and fear to allow the Federal Goverment full control for coordination. Maybe some politicians are hoping for some payoffs so they can get rich on New Orleans problems. You never know when you have politicians blocking add. That what happens in the third world. Pay off the leaders then we can get aid in to help the people. Maybe Lousiania is a third world country. It sure acts like it. New York during 9/11 had no problem coordinating with Fema. Alabama is not complaining. Sure some people need some help but they are praising the response of the Feds help. Are they not neighbors?
"I do know one thing: it's good to see the administration's lapdogs against the wall for a change".
Nahhh. You at NPI have me on the floor laughing! Laughing at your continued delussional, idiotic, uninformed, unintelligent attempt to place blame of the travesty that followed a disaster on GWB. It is so funny because you so-called "progressives" are so completely void of ideas, solutions, plans, rational arguments or even a single candidate who posses any of these things, that you would stoop to this level of evaluating something that not a one of you are even remotely qualified to do. You are yet once again expediting the implosion of liberalism and the irrelevance of the modern day Democratic party
You NPI guys are getting funny. I didn't launch a war of words, I linked your 'commentary' and gave you extra web traffic. You're welcome. And when/if you crack the top 75,000 website list, please let me or SoundPolitics know, so we can celebrate. Have a great day. ~~~ ORB ~~~
Clearly you wingnuts do not live on this planet, and probably not in this universe. Your single-minded desire to ignore any potential fault with Bush has made you lose touch with reality.
The DHS has primary responsibility for coordinating a response to a disaster when the president has declared a state of emergency. This is clearly laid out in DHS guidelines, including the National Response Plan, and its policies became active when Bush declared the disaster areas 3 days before Katrina hit.
Therefore, any failures are the fault of the federal government. Nagin didn't use the buses? DHS had the responsibility, under federal guidelines, to make that happen. Blanco didn't provide enough cooperation? That is a job for Chertoff or Bush to LEAD, to make that cooperation happen. In any event, how much of New Orleans, exactly, can you evacuate using 300 buses?
And not a single one of you wingnuts is able to answer the questions of why aid took so long to reach not just New Orleans, but the MS coast, where complaints about a total absence of rescue and relief were also widespread last week.
It's typical wingnutism - when confronted with unpleasant facts, either ignore them or lie about them. Not this time. The federal government had statutory authority here, invoked by the president. Authority confers responsibility - wasn't that, after all, what Bush based his 2000 campaign on? So easy to forget all that when it might make you look bad, eh?
Of course, we should also be having the I-912 discussion too...
How much use can you make of 300 buses? 300 x 50 = 15,000. According to "Eugene" 15,000 people aren't worth saving?
Great point, Diesel - but the total of New Orleans city and school district buses is close to 600. So, let's round down to 500. It is less than 90 miles to Baton Rouge. So let's round up to four hours for a less than three hour round trip. Starting Saturday night, that leaves more than twenty four hours to make 6 trips. 6 x 500 x 50 = 150,000 people COULD HAVE been evacuated from New Orleans with plenty of time to spare. This entire crisis could have been averted with New Orleans own resources! And they would have been, IF ONLY Rudy Giuliani were Mayor there! Or, some other Republican. Because the "BLAME & ENTITLEMENT" mentality among Democrats makes them like "deer in the headlights" when forced to deal with real issues and problems, rather than tax-and-spend programs which are choking our urban areas with entrenched belts of multi-generational poverty.
Oh, Genie,
Did you read the responsibilities of the governors under the plan?
Pg. 8, DHS National Response Plan, "When state resources are overwhelmed, Governors may request Federal Assistance under a Presidential disaster or emergency declaration . . . [summarized responsibilities of local leader]:
Requests assistance when it becomes clear that State or tribal [ah, here's the loophole, the tribes defending themselves in the French Quarter didn't make the request, I see your logic now; it's there fault] capabilities will be insufficient or have been exceeded or exhausted."
And, if you look at the provisions regarding the president, they suggest that he uses resources in support of State efforts (pg. 7, DHS National Response Plan).
Er, check me if I'm wrong, but I think dat say Guv's got to make the call? Course, I'm an ilighterute wingnut.
Ahem,
Apparently in your deep research you did not read the post in my blog that raised quite a challenge to President Bush.
Or was it because the challenge was of a conservative nature and made to much sense to place along side the liberal drivel that is oh so prevelent on the screaching lefty sites?
Ok guys... Perhaps I was a bit to sarcastic but you called us wingnuts! When the whole world knows that I am a hexnut.
Yip Yip
It is interesting that you seek to prove something is wrong simply due to the NUMBER of people who, correctly, point out that the Administration in Washington bears little responsibility for disaster preperation in NO and elsewhere. To you, defending the Bush Administration is crime enough in itself. You completely fail to deal with the arguments themselves, namely that the crime, corruption, and welfare dependency of the population, combined with the corruption and incompetance of the all-liberal roster of elected local officials contributed much more to the weakness and chaos of the response to the disaster. Perhaps you didn't address these argements because you can't. Hatred of Bush drives you.
...and I am a corn nut, or a baseball nut, or a lug nut, but not a wing nut. Can't you guys ever get it right? (Sorry, no pun intended.)
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