Thanks for your input.....
"The bottom line is that despite the fact the president was strapped with two governors who bungled this crisis badly, in the end it is the president who sends in the National Guard and FEMA relief. The president's suggestion that the size of this storm caught all by surprise just doesn't get it. His administration was 48 hours late sending in the National Guard and poor Americans got raped and killed because of those mistakes."
-- Joe Scarborough, MSNBC
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Why does Joe Scarborough hate America?
I dont even think that Ox would argue that anyone who thinks the Pres is primarily to blame for the terrible results in New Orleans "hates America." I certainly wouldn't. I WOULD argue that there is something wrong with you if the first thing you saw in the suffering in New Orleans is a political opportunity.
I agree that President Bush didn't act nearly as decisively as he should have (and perhaps that lives were lost in the process), but to universally blame him for all the woes of New Orleans isn't accurate and, I'd argue, politically opportunistic.
So is similar blaming being done by the right, hoping for electoral gains during the next mid-terms.
There were a lot of mistakes made in the Big Easy both before the storm, and after the storm, both by Repubs and Dems, but right now the point shouldn't be about who's to blame, but rather how to fix everything.
There will be plenty of time for finger pointing as the elections draw closer.
there is something wrong with you if the first thing you saw in the suffering in New Orleans is a political opportunity.
No, Nick, not an opportunity; accountability. And I gaurantee you that I have done vastly more than you have in light of this disaster. Don't forget, I live in Dallas. My boyfriend has a family at his house, and I've spent a bunch of money and pitched in directly.
You bought the "blame-game" talking point, and you expressed it quite well.
You know what? It's bogus. You simply cannot allow the same people who are responsible for the pathetic response to continue to in authority, as the process is on-going.
Did the local authorities screw up? You betcha.. but this is a FEDERAL emergency. Get it? It's a federal disaster. It's as if a nuclear bomb went off in New Orleans, and it is the Federal Government that is responsible to protect and assist us.
They failed miserably.
And who's to say another disaster won't happen tomorrow? What about a dirty bomb in Salt Lake City? You want those same incompetent and unqualified people running FEMA? Did you know the top 3 people at FEMA have no disaster related experience? Did you know that Brown's previous job was a beauracratic job with show horses? Did you know the the #2 guys was merely a Bush campaign flacky?
The Presdient is ultimately responsible because he appointed an imcompetent man to the job, and yes, the dems that voted to confirm that idiot shoulder blame as well.
I simply am in awe of the people that want to delay accountability. To when? When do you decide to fire these people??
If I screw up in that magnitude, I'm picking up my last check on my way out the door today.. not 3 years from now.
Yes, the plan now should be to do the best job possible to help people and help the city. We're stuck with this incompetent President, but we don't need to be stuck with the same incompetent administrators who botched the response.
Hell, I'd be more comfortable with Colin Powell running FEMA right now.
By the way, did you know that Dick Cheney spent nearly the entire week last week on vacation - shopping for a new house? A new mansion rather?
Did you know that Nick?
Do you trust these people with your public saftey Nick? They've got 25,000 body bags ready to go for the collection Nick.
This is 4 years AFTER 9/11 Nick. Do you feel safer now?
Holy cow I can't believe that attitude..
To when? When do you decide to fire these people??
In a few weeks when the water's decontaminated and the bodies are all out of the trucks and the streets. I'm not asking for years, just weeks.
Oh and Tom, I'm mostly on your side here, and on the gay marriage post, but you've come across as a condescending asshole. I'm not two and I'm perfectly capable of seing things from your perspective. This whole exasperated tone isn't going to convince anyone.
but you've come across as a condescending asshole.
Well, ya.. You try spending your life being considered a second class citizen and see how nice you are to the people that want to continue that.
I remember there was another person that got into a debate with me here, and I could almost hear her tears from here. It didn't make me feel bad.. you know.. she would quote me, and not even bother to actually quote what I wrote, but skew it to support her view instead, and when I went off on her, I could hear the sobs from here.. and I felt not a shred of sympathy.
I find it rather amusing because I'm supposed to be the liberal one here, and liberals are supposed to be pussies, or something like that.. wussy punching bags, etc. Well, I'm not that way. I really am not a compasionate-liberal. I feel no need to be nice to people who would deny me basic human dignity. In fact, I'd like to kick them all in the balls so hard they'd never be able to breed more trailer park kids.
So, ya.. I stereotype them. Ya.. I insult them.. Frankly, I despise them.. and you may say that is no way to get my point across, but I would suggest that I don't, make that WE don't, really have to ask nicely for what we deserve.
And I have to laugh at people that would scoff at what they know is right, just cause they don't like the way the message is conveyed. Oh look.. I know 2+2=4, but I'm going to stick with the 5 crowd because they don't make me feel stupid.. LOL
So, I'm a condecending asshole to those refuse to even consider a more enlightened approach because they grew up in a hateful and insane environment. And, I have little patience for incompetence when it comes to life and death.
And you know why I'm like this? Because I'm a professional engineer by trade, and what I do has no emotion. It doesn't care that I'm not having a very good day. It doesn't care if somebody's tone is condescending. All that matters is right and wrong. It either works, or it doesn't. If I talk nicely to a $100,00 computer, it's not going to suddenly think my point of view makes sense.
And my father was an engineer also.. and that's what he taught us.. there is right, and there is wrong, and all that other crap gets lost in time.
So, if some right wing Jesus freak with a high school education wants to pass judgement on me.. I'll crush their argument, and if I can make them feel really stupid in the process, that's all the better.
By the way Nick, it seems Brown's resume is a pack of lies. At least according to Time.
Imagine if your employer discovered bogus information on your resume after you were hired. I'd be escorted out.
Brown will get the Medal of Freedom from the President.
The NY Times gets it.
But President Bush chose to make FEMA a dumping ground for unqualified cronies - a sure sign that he wanted to hasten the degradation of an agency that conservative Republicans have long considered an evil of big government.
How about that Nick? How about that Ox? In the post 9/11 world, your President dumped lying and unqualified people in one of the most important agencies in this nation. It contributed to the death and destruction in New Orleans.
And I'm the bad guy because I saw all of this years ago, and I have disdain for the voters that put these people in office.
Sheesh..
For the sake of arguement, lets suppose.. and get your views on the consequences...
Lets suppose a man lies on his resume and gets appointed to a job. Lets suppose that he was totally unqualified, a liar, and incompetent. Lets suppose that people die (are actually dead) because of that incompetence.
Question: Is it just a "blame game" or should there be consequences?
If there are consequences, what should they be? Is it enough that the man who lied and got the job lose his job? If people are dead as a result, would he deserve prison time? Would 20 years in prison be enough?
How about the man that appointed him? Does he have any responsibility? Should he resign? Should he be fired?
Just questions...
This just in.. Brown is out.
But.. he's still the director of FEMA? If he's too incompetent to handle his job, and the President replaced him, why has he not been demoted to something he can handle, or why has he not been fired?
Isn't that strange?
Wow, this is the first time the administration has admitted a mistake. This is the first time anyone has paid a price.
So, now that Brown is out, what price should the man that appointed a Horse association administrator pay?
By the way.. I hear Pelosi and Dean going off.. but not a heck of a lot of noise from Hillary... interesting isn't it? She's just being somewhat low key, calm, and even keeled. I wonder why that is.. I've read some quotes of hers, mainly calling for Brown's head (which was just now delivered), but nothing outrageous.
Damn, you get a little drop of blood in the water and you lefties attack like a pack of piranhas.
Some of Time's sources are revising and extending their remarks.
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Damn, you get a little drop of blood in the water and you lefties attack like a pack of piranhas.
Damn.. a president gets a little head on the side and you wingers want to impeach him.. it's not like anybody died because of incompetence..
or would you argue that working for the Arabian Horse association qualifies one to run the United States Emergency Management Agency?
"drop of blood in the water". How amusing.. try buckets..
By the way, did you know that doctors in NO euthanised patients because they didn't have the ability to get them out? They shot them full of morphine and left them to die.
That was the right decision by the doctor, but a real shame they had to do it because of the incompetence of the federal response.
I'm sure the right wingers would just love to prosecute the doctors, eh? After all, what they did is illegal. The wingers would consider it murder. The president can cut his vacation short for a brain dead woman, but when people who have a shot at living are trapped, they are put down like dogs while he shares cake with John McCain...
link:
a president gets a little head on the side and you wingers want to impeach him
Clinton was NOT impeached for getting a BJ.
.
That is correct.. he was impeached for lying in a deposition about sex. However, it's absurd to think that the blue dress had nothing to do with it...
Right wingers are too hung up about sex..
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