News Blog Comments
Dr. Faust didn't get a mulligan.
These guys already sold their souls.....
Don't worry, Jesus will provide.
Listen, I can't stay to chat. Gotta shop!
Sorry, but I have a feeling some of these "Black conservatives" don't give a damn about the deaths of some poor folks either. Like their white counterparts, they'll point fingers at Mayor Nagin as panicking when disaster struck, and unfit for leadership, while their dear president came in, hugged some people of color (see! that PROVES he's not a racist!), and got the rescue efforts going when no one else could. They will find fault with the mindset of the impoverished, so dependent on assistance from the government, they literally didn't know when to come out of the rain, sitting on their porches or looking for help at the Superdome or convention center, when they should have heeded the evacuation warnings. They will blame the lawless, albeit starving and desperate folks who looted grocery stores, stealing water, Pampers and formula, when they should have simply had the patience to wait for the Red Cross. (My God, they even broke into Saks!) And they will blame the addicted and mentally infirm, who saw the chaos as special permission to freak right the fuck out and scare the shit out of everyone.
These are people who will side with their conservatism over even their own humanity. Fuck 'em. If we don't listen to them, are they talking?
Change "Astrodome" to "Superdome."
How can they ally themselves with such filth? Bush did NOT go down to Louisiana a 2nd time to help the people. He went there to SPIN the tragedy. Can't they see that?
It's as plain as the nose on your face. Can't you smell the stench of corruption and see the maggots that ooze out of the Rethugs? Bush is not a Christian, he is the anti-Christ.
Steve, every conservative, whether black or white, needs to read your post. Christian, Muslim, agnostic, tree worshiper, whatever, if they have aconscience, if they have the ability to take to heart the utter enormity of the national disgrace we have all witnessed in the last week, they need to read your post. If it's ok with you, I'd like to repost it.
The wingnuts are lining up to say that New Orleans should just be written off. Tacitus today: "New Orleans is gone. Do not rebuild New Orleans."
All these pictures of the babies are killing me. Culture of life my ass.
Re: Tacitus - stay the course in Iraq but hastily retreat away from one of our own cities? fucking pussies.
There will undoubtedly be a settlement of some kind in the NOLA area because the economy heavily relies on having a port at the mouth of the Mississippi River, but many impartial observers who recognize the full enormity of the human tragedy are saying that it will never again be the city it once was.
Thank you saying what only you can say. I don't think it will register, though. Those black conservatives were already blind.
Oh, no. If they rebuild it, they'll turn it into an Epcot version of its former self. The property speculator vultures are doubtless circling as we write.
Oh, and Bush is leading the inquiry! Yeah, no conflict of interest there. I await the conclusion finding that the fratboy-in-chief acted magnificently.
Beautiful, Steve. You have been my No. 1 must read through this whole tragedy.
You're pleading to people who have deep self-hatred. It will fall on deaf ears. But you know, there's a lot of that in the black community even among the liberal democrats and activists. It's a problem that has never been addressed. One that is exacerbated by the images in MSM that burn in the psyche of African Americans. I'm going to keep saying this: there is an inner circle dialogue that needs to occur so that we can finally change things in our lives.
In the meantime, fuck all the black conservative assholes.
Can we start having celebrations of the Merkin spirit in stadiums (far from the smell) with many american flags? I'm feeling like I need a 'patriotic' boost right now.
You know, with troops and uniforms and guns?
Oh, riiiiight! We have the 9/11 parade!!
5 days and counting!!!
I don't think folks understand. The hard right-wing, who calls the shots these days, want as many "useless eaters" dead. Off the gov't payroll, which in this case is viewed to be welfare, disability, Medicaid, WIC, take your pick. In this case, the useless eaters happen to be (very) poor niggers.
Think of it this way...if our gov't can't even be bothered to provide proper armor for its fighting forces, why would they care about the poor down South, who have absolutely no voice in our society?
The plan will be to rebuild and give billions of $$ to Halliburton, big real estate developers, etc. That is, if they can rebuild, because the environmental damage may be so great that the wealthy will not want to invest in that area.
Nonetheless, it is painfully obvious that thousands could have been saved had FEMA simply let others do rescue & evacuation. Instead, they actively blocked asisstance.
Isn't blcking humanitarian aid a war crime? Can we get a comment or a post regarding what the Geneva Convention states regarding this?
Oh I forgot, our fuhrers don't do the Geneva Convention. Too quaint for their tastes.
Steve,
Can I repost this in whole (with proper sourcing of course)? It's beautiful.
soon things will return to normal for bush and gang.
just watch the media. first they were outraged, now they have tuned down a step or two. politicians who at first were mad as hell about the whole thing now praise the 'outstanding' work of the military. everything is back 'on script'. not like the rapper who went 'off script' and was promptly thrown off screen.
nothing will happen to bush and his incompetent government. they may be responsible for the death of 10000 or more citizens, but they have mighty friends. no way the industry, the media will let their best friend down. he might be a moron, but he is their moron. nobody gave them more tax cuts and acted as a bulldozer for the industry like little george.
it is also very unfortunate that most people who have died are black. were they white there might be a small possibility for bush voters to identify with their suffering. but now they will simply continue to cherish their ape president and very soon start to blame the victims. just wait.
Just a few thoughts:
http://wreimer2163.blogspot.com/...-
democracy.html
"But you know, there's a lot of that in the black community even among the liberal democrats and activists."
I hear you regarding the levels of self-hatred amongst 'black conservatives', but I'm interested in how this self-hatred manifests itself amongst the activists and lib. dems in the black community.
Your idea of an internal dialog has alot of traction as far as this observer is concerned.
After "Shakedown Sharpton" retires, I think Stevie boy here would make an excellent replacement. Race card? He's got the entire deck up his sleeve. I can't wait to hear more about this uh.... racial issue. Keep it coming!
Sean, in case you were wondering, you're a racist asshole.
Seen on Kos just a few minutes ago:
A Shelbyville, TN reports the death toll of Katrina could be "up to 40,000", according to a funeral director in the area.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/20...9/6/13149/
95072
Sorry, the paper's name is the Shelbyville, (TN) Times-Gazette.
Steve,
Amen, but I wouldn't get your hopes up. Nothing soothes the conscience like a big, fat check signed by Richard Scaife or the RNC.
Why would self betraying, self loathing Blacks listen to reason any more than the self loathing, closeted homosexuals in the White House? (We know who they are.)
"After "Shakedown Sharpton" retires, I think Stevie boy here would make an excellent replacement. Race card? He's got the entire deck up his sleeve. I can't wait to hear more about this uh.... racial issue. Keep it coming"
He then belched loudly and stuffed another cheeto into his weak, chinless face.
Sean, whoever you are, wherever you are, FUCK YOU.
Thousands of people dead and you don't want answers why -- you don't want to look at the background of the tragedy or possible reasons why, you just want to spout predigested bullshit without even thinking about it. You sit on your fucking ass and you mock others.
You've obviously never given any thought to issues of race and poverty. You don't know jack shit about the Black community and you don't fucking care, so why even bother to post here? Why not some white power site? At least have the courage of your moronic convictions.
Instead you come here and you try to tell people racism doesn't exist. You do it to get a rise out of people who express sympathy and outrage -- or people like me, who have relatives who lost everything.
This -- from someone who sounds like they voted for the party that came up with the Southern strategy, Willie Horton, Trent Lott and John McCain's "black baby".
You're just an asshole, a useless cowardly asshole, and a prime example of how pure human scum no longer feels the need to hide its face or its shame in this country.
A musical comedy
Republicans:
We're living it up
We're out on the town
Our profits are growing
So what if they drown
Democrats:
The dead may rot
with an unpleasant smell
but no matter what
we're collegial
Republicans:
Gutter blacks troubles don't make us shed any tears
They coulda gone to Four-Seasons if they weren't drunk on beers
but don't think that we act from senseless race hate
once those slums are bulldozed
they'll be fine real-estate
Democrats:
Geez, we hate to be negative or seem to obstruct
we might raise a fuss if we weren't so corrupt
if our constituents get drowned, murdered, and burned
We're sure to give speeches, we're gravely concerned.
IMO this post is misdirected anger. It is, of course, "right on," but it is also divisive and non-productive.
Your righteous anger is what brings people here, Steve.
LaShawn Barber clearly hates black people herself.
Dear Sean,
This post wasn't addressed to you. Please go away.
The big irony is that for all the Republicans' Southern-Strategic whining about "the evils of affirmative action", black liberal politician and public figures such as John Conyers, Henry Waxman, the late Barbara Jordan, Maxine Waters, and yes, even Al Sharpton (whose control over his constituency rivals Tom DeLay's -- and unlike DeLay, Sharpton didn't gerrymander the snot out of HIS turf to retain power) are all far more competent at governance than are black conservatives.
OT post (this is especially for you, Sean).
I don't know, Steve. Barbara Bush says all these people were "underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them."
Who you gonna trust?
Sad thing is, a lot of people still think Barb is cool -- even my dad, who's a Democrat through and through!
Eric:
I live in the black community. All my life. There are people who will say fuck Bush, the gov't, you name it and still harbor negative feelings about their negritude. I don't intend to go into it on these posts. But developing a positive self image, no matter how difficult under poverty circumstances is key to our recovery. But hey, racism doesn't hurt my feelings or make me think that something is wrong with me. These people can just fuck off because they bleed just as easy as anybody.
"You are racist!". My god, I expected much better. This is not a racial issue, but with time, it will become one thanks to the echos of websites like this one. "Repeat a lie a thousand times, and it becomes the truth." Enjoy your politics, because it's all you have, robots.
Steve,
I know Bill Kristol's not a black conservative, but he does represent the wingnut pundit corps...
And I think the money quote just came in, courtesy of Pandagon:
http://www.pandagon.net/
archives...t_the_fuck.html
"You are racist!". My god, I expected much better."
Nice try. You like the rest of us don't respect any of these black conservatives. Nice try though.
"Robots," said the man, dutifuly reciting his FrontPageMag engrams.
I want to know why NOLA's evacuation plan wasn't implemented. Did anyone in the mayor's office even read it? Hellew? Anyone? There were massive failures at every level of this tragedy, but the citizens of New Orleans should have been out of there BEFORE a Cat 4 hurricane blew into town. I suppose that would have made too much sense.
"Enjoy your politics, because it's all you have, robots."
Thanks, Sean. And I hope you enjoy your blog's strange obsession with gay sex. If we ever lose Fred Phelps, I'm sure you'll be able to step in and...fill the void, as it were.
Look, I'm quite a liberal guy, and think Bush and the Federal government bear massive blame for the aftermath of the hurricane. They need to be held accountable, don't get me wrong about that. But it seems that the black-controlled city government of New Orleans also did a LOT of things wrong. The local authorities had many years to work out an evacuation plan that actually got everyone out of the city, and they didn't do it. The local government itself let their poor population take the risk. There's a LOT of blame to go around here, and it's not as simple as white Republicans not giving a damn about poor blacks. Although that is definitely part of the story.
Which of the multiple failures that happened here does one choose to emphasize? It does seem to depend on politics.
No conservative, whether black or white, should be let off the hook when the revolution comes. We'll swing them high from every lamp post, be they black or white, gay or straight.
Should have pointed out: Bush and the Feds bear significant responsibility for the levee break as well (because of funding cuts), so it is not just their failure in the aftermath but in preparation. But NOLA government could clearly have done a LOT more to get people out beforehand than they did.
Sad:
The problem with NOLA's evacuation plan is that it was unrealistic, i.e., it did not adequately anticipate or address the numbers of poor and disabled people who could not access private transportation.
JG- What the hell are you talking about?
SK- If you see any obsession with gay sex on my blog, it can only be your own, but that's ok.
W- When's this revolution? How many people are you going to hang?
Hey did anyone out there hear AIDS was created to kill black people? It's true. Do society a favor and spread the word.
fullnelson - plus greyhound quit service just before the hurricane - and Greyhound isn't big enough - how were people without a car supposed to get out? And where were they supposed to go?
Sad,
Cite or link to NOLA evacuation plan, please?
If the Bush administration had demonstrated one iota of concern for the poorest and most desperate among us at any point during the last five years, I might be inclined to give them some benefit of the doubt on this tragedy. But they haven't, and I don't. They are rotten through and through, and they have demonstrated over and over again that their only concern is with the wealthy and well-connected-- oh, and with potential Republican voters in an election year. FEMA couldn't get to Florida fast enough last year. I don't give a damn what the mayor or governor failed to do, although it sure as hell isn't what those liars in the White House are saying. That is 90% misdirection, the typical Bushian/Rovian strategy for evading responsibility for their reckless, heartless actions.
"You are racist!". My god, I expected much better. This is not a racial issue, but with time, it will become one thanks to the echos of websites like this one. "Repeat a lie a thousand times, and it becomes the truth." Enjoy your politics, because it's all you have, robots."
He grunted loudly and slurped his sippie cup.
Sean says this isn't a racial issue but doesn't say what kind of issue he thinks it is. Maybe he needs to go back to watching Fox and then he can come and tell us what issue this is...Robots are so predictable.
Sean, you are a black Republican?
Oach - Blame? Oach. First of all you have to realize that there is little to know way into the city. Buses? unless you have a few hundred sitting around ready to roll, it takes a few days to find busses, drivers, a way into the city. It's a bad deal. Thats it. If you want to blame someone blame the the storm. Oh thats right that wouldnt make you feel better...
Scoobie..
as for Bush's religion...rich people don't need religion. They get what they want without having to pray.
I like Bush's Religion. He is a great man. I have seen him hug and cry blacks and whites.
Bush's Golden rule - Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.. Now that is cruel? no so much.
Scoobie
A quote from the plan:
"The City of New Orleans will utilize all available resources to quickly and safely evacuate threatened areas."
So I suppose all those school buses now sitting in 4 feet of water couldn't have been loaded with people and driven out of there? Or city buses?
The plan may have been inadequate, but that lands squarely on the local governments' plate. And maybe the levee board should have put money into the levee instead of the other non-levee investments.
Malcolm X criticized some of his black contemporaries by comparing them with the black slaves who sucked up to their white masters at the expense of their brothers. I won't use his exact words because I haven't the right to do so but he called them "house (N-word)s." He compared these people to those slaves who were best at being servile. They got to work inside while others suffered much more by working in the fields.
sean -
comments like yours lend credence to elijah muhammad's claim that white people were created in a lab by an evil mad scientist. are those bolts sticking out of your neck, or are you just happy to see me?
get back in the sewer where you belong dude.
later!
It's not a racial issue it's an issue of incompitance from the federal government all the way down to the local officials. There was plenty of ball dropping along the way. But I have good news. Oprah will do her show from N.O. today. Isn't she jusy wonderful? Will anyone accuse her of exploiting the poor and the black people to boost her ratings? I doubt it. People fall for her self promoting crap all the time.
The right wing government drags its heels in the face of a clear need to act, an overwhelming number of affected are poor and black and poor, clumsy relief efforts are slowed because of hysterically exaggerated rumors of violence, and slow Sean doesn't see any facet of this being related to race.
Then he slams both Steve and Al Sharpton. But that's not about race, either.
Stupid fuck.
Don't know much about Deroy Murdoch because I don't read NR, but didn't he just write a column a couple of days ago saying there is no God? I thought that was kind of ballsy in the current climate.
Hate is a factory that produces nothing good, nothing usefull, and nothing productive. Salesmen for that factory spread its poison (like Kayne West). Bush does not hate blacks. Some comments that I have read here are lunacy.
Scoobie
Scoobie, you don't know how Bush feels, number one.
What Kanye West said is that he doesn't care about Black people. I defy you to prove that he does.
Perhaps you haven't heard what his saintly mother said about the evacuees who might be staying in Houston?
How "scary" that thought was to her and how "well" it was working out for them that they'd lost their homes and loved ones in a flood so that they could come beg for shelter in Houston?
If you're going to lecture on hate and its salesmen, do the world a favor and drag your soapbox onto a right wing site. Try the National Review Online, if you're really, really interested.
ok scoobie, try imparting some of your sage wisdom to folks like John Derbyshire, Steve Sailer at VDARE and Mommy Bush. if you can't see the contempt in those statements, then bless your blinders, scoob. there'll be a medal of freedom for you, yet.
oh, and i know i linked to a zany loony left-wing site, but just have a look for yourself over at the Corner and VDARE.
something stinks, and it's NOT just the sludge in New Orleans.
mercury beat me to it. 
Steve- seems like there's an infestation of trolls here about. Every time you post-up the truth, as you have done here with your customary vigor and flourish, they come swarming like rats out of a flooded sewer.
You keep telling the truth, we'll keep huntin' down trolls.
Breaking News....
CNN just announced that Bob Denver has died.
Jeebus!
I don't think anyone could have anticipated that we would lose Judge Rehnquist and Gilligan in the same week.
I weep for the loss to of these two giants...it's hard to imagine where our country goes from here.
Soapbox. huh, let me explain soapbox. I have freinds that lived there, a number of them, I dont even know if they are alive. They were good people. I hope they are ok, but even so I dont blame government. What the Heck? Who owes me or you anything? Does anyone owe me a life, a living. Any help that is offered is in utter kindness and not nessessity. You have many people in the Dome that are thankfull to be alive and you have people that are angry. Either way, I would be damn thankfull that late or not late, someone brought relief.
Again - Lunacy
ah, the government exists to serve its people. It is what the middle and lower class pay taxes for. I tis what the President and all those people are paid by US to do.
I can't believe I actally had to tell someone that.
Oh, I get it, Scoobie: Us black folk take our marching orders from Kanye West, who had the temerity to announce, that this admin., and the head could care less about black people. But no, that's 'hateful'.
I certainly don't need white folks, or anyone for that matter, to lecture me regarding hate, after watching black folk die needlessly on the fucking TV.
Scoobie, you have obviously figured out a way to avoid paying all federal state and local taxes. I would assume you have a sure-fire draft exemption, should that come up, too Please tell us your secret.
I've always thought that the only people the government owes nothing to are career criminals. Is that your secret?
Hey Eric,
when I first heard what Kanye West said I thought it was inappropriate for a fundraiser despite agreeing with what he said.
In your eyes, does that make me a racist? I sincerely would like to know.
Thanks...
NOLA's Emergency Preparedness plan:
http://www.cityofno.com/portal.a...tal=46&
tabid=26
Chris C,
Um, better things?
Mooser - Ok, Ok you made your point.
And -
I agree that the government messed up, but I dont think it is some bad plot against us. Its that they were slow. But they did help and they are currently helping.
Black conservatives have betrayed the community and must now come to account for their treason. How can they face themselves, much less the community. They have been the allies of racists and those who hold even black children in contempt.
The dead and suffering of New Orleans demand no less.
indeed, steve.
but - i'm not comfortable singling out just black conservatives, and not just because i'm not black. how about all the working class whites and other ethnicities who have strapped themselves to the deckchairs of the SS Wingnut?
these people deserve our special scorn, as well - and not just because they are helping their overlords further denigrate their own standard of living.
no - it's also because they too have pursued the love of money and power over humanity and concern for others.
everyone, go rent or buy John Carpenter's minor classic They Live TODAY- the metaphor for the humans who sell themselves out for a lick of the brass ring is absolutely perfect for today's sickened culture.
if there's anything that is good about this horrible tragedy, it's that it's galvanized many of us into thinking about what our lives really are about - and what we can do to help others.
i'm at a professional crossroads right now, and i'm seriously considering moving from corporate marketing / communications into something where i can help others - particularly those in need, like those in NOLA.
Sad:
You and every other right-wing apologist seem to think that there's some sort of huge number of buses sitting in water.
Evacuating the city measn a little bit more than simply driving buses out of town. In the case of an evacuation for a hurricane that could swamp the city, you need to get people to shelter. You need to get them to a shelter with food and water and sanitary facilities, because they might not be coming back for a while.
So while you've seen a picture of some school buses sitting in water, do a little math. 10,000 people -- just the number of people estimated to have drowned in New Orleans -- would require 100 buses if -- and this is a big if -- you could get 100 people in them (Blue Bird's biggest buses carry 84).
Add in another 15,000 or so people at the convention center. 20,000 or so from the Superdome. The several thousand people resued off of roofs and from houses in just the past few days. You're talking hundreds of buses or multiple trips with the same buses. Have you actually seen pictures of hundreds of buses? I've seen the same set of fifty or sixty.
How do you get people onto buses who don't evacuate their houses? That means having manpower to go door-to-door to get sick or elderly people, those who haven't heard about the evacuation order, and anyone else. That takes not only people but also time. The more people you've got, the less time.
Where were they going to go? The mayor of New Orleans can't dump tens of thousands of citizens on high ground outside the city as a hurricane approaches. His authority ends at the city limits. Someone outside the city was the responsible party for providing shelter. Without those shelters, there was nowhere to evacuate people to, even if the manpower had been there, even if the equipment had been there.
You've got a lot to learn about logistics.
"Some comments that I have read here are lunacy." -Scoobie
I would characterize judging a politician's attitude and effectiveness on the basis of staged photo ops instead of seeking a consistent pattern in his work to be one of the finest examples of lunacy ever seen in the comments.
That means you win the no-prize, Scoobie.
I also doubt that Chimpy hates black people, at least in the sense that the shitwads who have been flinging the "n-word" all over the blogosphere clearly do. The picture which Dame reality has just rubbed our faces in for the umpteenth time is not that of a hater but that of a spoiled child of privilege who can neither care about anyone save himself and perhaps a very few relatives and friends nor really see anyone outside of a tiny circle of the "right people". In short, Chimpy most likely can neither hate nor love black people, because like all the rest of us ordinary shlubs, they are beneath his notice.
Except, of course, as props and set dressing.
I would be tempted by the preponderance of wingnut trolling in this thread to speculate that Steve is really getting under someone's skin- but then I notice that we're stuck with trolls like Scoobie, who can barely put two simple declarative sentences together in the same post.
Scoobie, the governments not gonna owe you anything if you continue to troll so goddam patheticly!
C'mon, maybe not from Halliburton or IEM, but from you they expect value for money. And your piss-poor trolling is not gonna cut it.
Kitty we agree to disagree, as far as I'm concerned, it's never inappropriate to call it as you see it, and while I'll grant you, that he might have said it in a different venue, but where better than with a national audiance?
As far as the racist bit, just because you personally disagree with someone black doesn't make one a racist. Why you felt it necessary for me to clarify this to you, I don't know, but I feel that(and not you personally)too many white folks think we just reflexively holler 'racism' without thinking about what the fuck we mean or say, and I find that level of condecension annoying.
Furthurmore, it tends to manifest itself amongst liberal whites as well as conservative ones, albeit not true for all
Scoobie:
Are you a fool or what?
Have you not heard about the trucks of water that FEMA wouldn't let through? People died of dehydration. Girls were raped at the Superdome. Old people were allowed to die and their bodies were left in corners. The gov't doesn't owe us anything????!!! Kiss my ass! Reread Kitty's post.
BTW this is the 21st Century. Yes the power of nature is awesome, but in case you haven't heard, civilization is built around the premise of dealing with it, otherwise, what's the point. We might as well go back to the caves.
It's where you belong, however.
-Scoob!
You don't get it. Bush HATES black people. (laughter) You are one of very few voices of reason on this thread. These threads become a lesson in irrationality, hatred, and groupthink. Quasi-Nazis the whole lot of them. When "the revolution" comes, you and I need to beware.
Support your local poverty-pimp!
There probably weren't that many school buses. Many N.O. students ride city buses and are given free bus passes or tickets for schools close to the bus lines.
The man said Bush doesn't care about black people, Sean you slow-witted frog-licking spawn of a mutated sewer rat.
No, I don't think Bush cares at all about black people; but too many of his supporters (and the neuron they share) do hate black people.
Take you, for instance.
"-Scoob!
You don't get it. Bush HATES black people. (laughter) You are one of very few voices of reason on this thread. These threads become a lesson in irrationality, hatred, and groupthink. Quasi-Nazis the whole lot of them. When "the revolution" comes, you and I need to beware.
Support your local poverty-pimp!"
He burped loudly and then started thumbing through his cum-stained copy of SOUTHERN PARTISAN.
The whole NOLA disaster was predicted during the Hurricane Pam exercise which concluded over a year ago. What did NOLA do to prepare itself for the 2005 hurricane season? It is a logistical nightmare, but the city can't count on dodging a bullet every time. Where were the plans?
Sean keeps complaining about "robots" and "nazis" while ignoring the facts that people posting here have spoonfed him.
I think they call that projection.
Sean, go home. You can rail against black folk and spew your garbage with impunity at your white conservative boards. It's not about you here.
Thanks Sean.
Truth is a strait line. What I read here is circles.
On Gilliard's subject, regarding Black conservatives and Bush, power corrupts, and absolute power... you know. Leading sheep is no less a job than leading other beasts, and often easier. But none of us are supposed to be sheep - that's the whole point of God separating humans from the animals. We must now choose to use the gift.
It is so easy to simply be lead, from feeding ground to watering hole. The talented and well-supported opportunists have discovered that, hence the elevation of Fox News and the Mega Churches. It's difficult to decry the integrity of those who claim to represent the word and will of God to those who need or seek. But if those who lead lead with neglect, benign or intentional, then it is the time to show what God made us, and what separates us from the beasts and fish and insects.
I know a lie when I hear it twice. "Help is on the way!" was a lie. Like Bush said of the long-forgotten Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda, "we're going to bring you to justice. And any who harbor, help or house you will pay the price." He lied then, and all the Black conservative politicians and preachers who say Bush's "help is still on the way" must stand up and pay the price, for we are dying.
More Americans have died of unnatural causes on American soil under the Bush Administration than have since the Civil War. Comment on that!
Sad, when cities are completely destroyed, generally the federal govenment needs to step in immediately because only the federal resources have the resources. The city was evacuated as per protocol before the hurricane. They can't force people to leave and there is no set-up in any muncipality to relocate tens of thousands of people outside of the city for a hurricane alert.
This isn't brain surgery.
When a US city is destroyed, by a nuke, natural disaster or whatever, whining and screeching that the city didn't save itself is lame and pathetic.
Yes! Yes!
Let's abandon New Orleans as "untenable", but Goddammit, in Iraq, the "water is receding" AND there's (baked-by-Halliburton!) pie-in-the-sky). There, we HAVE to "stay the course".
Could it be simply that Cities are blue?
Darrelplant-
Um, you made a big mistake. You said that Blue Bird's biggest bus can carry 84. That's only sort of true. It can carry 84 elementary-school size children . It might be able to carry 50 adults or a few more mixed-age WITH NO CARRY-ON BAGS. There is little to no capacity for bags on a schoolie. All those buses there couldn't have carried the number of people many think, and some of these buses are gasoline-fueled which means their milage would have been pretty lousy when full and they may not have been able to make it to distant shelters. Not only this, but a lot of schoolies don't have capability to take handicapped, either.
P.S. If a malignant tumor could take human form, its name would be Sean.
Scoobie plays footsie with Sean but doesn't have the wherewithal to address the 'truth' of what Kanye West actually said, and what Barbara Bush actually said.
Says it all, doesn't it?
Ha! It always about Halliburton. I believe Halliburton sent the Hurrican and secretly broke the dike.
Its all about Halliburton. (ha)
Fat Bastard, they CERTAINLY ARE!
And if Sean, or Bloomie, or any of the other fucksticks that pop up on here, think that Karl Rove and the republicans are going to miss a chance to do a politician-and-realtor "skin-whitening" on the Crescent City, then they haven't been paying attention.
With all of the poor blacks living downtown N.O. there had to be some pretty lenient property tax laws in effect down there.
Wait until the "rebuilding" and watch those taxes go through the roof.
Bust up the black cohesion and culture base of New Orleans, and it will be awfully hard to elect a democratic governor that will fart in bushCo's face.
Scoobie gets off on watching people suffer, especially children especially black children. Lucky him. He's hit the trifecta.
"The real evil with which we have to contend is not the physical evil of famine, but the moral evil of the selfish, perverse and turbulent character of the people."
--comments on the Great Irish Famine by Charles Trevelyan, British Permanent Secretary at the Treasury, circa 1846.
Yep, them Brits weren't racist toward the Irish either, me lad Sean, during the so called great famine in which they let millions of them starve. I'm sure nobody has any clue, least of all you, why the Irish were so offended. Just like blacks in NOLA today, trying to stir up some politics out of nothing, I'm sure you would say.
What am I saying? BushCo will just try to kill the city, and call it "The Terry Schiavo" plan.
Hey Eric, thanks for the thoughtful reply.
I asked you if you thought that was racism not because I wasn't sure I know myself pretty well), but because I wanted to understand what you thought. Sorta gage the viewpoints around here.
I thought that Kanye was wrong to use a fundraiser to say those things because people got together to raise money and you can't do that if you bluntly insult half your audience with the specific Bush comment. Everything else was great. If you think it was more important to say those things than to raise money, then your point about the international stage is understandable. You may well be right.
I put Kayne West right up on the list with Michael Jackson and that stupid white guy - ur uhm... Roger moore.
I got the impression sean and scoobie were the same guy till I read the second name. I stil think they are one guy who can't find anyone else to talk to (or to actually read what he posts.)
That is why these guys come to these boards - they know they will get attention. Anywhere else they are just one more loser in the pack of losers. Here they know they will stand out. The sore thumb always does.
Scoobie...hello...what about the 'truth' part...
After all, who would want to be friends with the trolls? Dreary, whiny, self-absorbed little twits,
Mercury - your right. It just so hard for me to listen to such buffoonery.
The truth is that I do care. I care a lot. I have friends down thier. But I dont beat the Bush drumb just because there was a disasterous storm.
I doubt if Scoobie has any friends. He's just an unprincipled lying little freak.
Angrypaw - Thats not a debate, that is a personal attack. Maybe you should read a bit, study, and come back here better prepared. I enjoy the debate to find the true. I may be wrong, I may be right. The way to reason is through sharing ideas and concepts.
Sour Kraut - I just read the link to William Kristol - that is one fucked up little man.
But he is laying it out honestly = Bush supporters aka cultfollowers will not care about the poor who suffered and died and weren't buried.
They got their war and their tax cuts. Glory be.
Stop fucking whining and go and burn the whitehouse with all the blue and red scum inside.
Your brothers are mutiny-ing in Iraq. Do likewise.
Scoobie: "But I'm not going to beat the Bush drumb (sic)just because thier (sic) was a disasterous (sic) storm"?
Nobody here is saying Bush made the storm. It's just that his legally mandated emergency response was fucked up, he stayed on vacation for days after the hurricane hit, and his politically motivated appointments of incompetents to the heads of DHS and FEMA helped condemn thousands to death.
It all points to the apparent fact that the man just didn't care. About anyone's life, black or white.
But why am I talking to a brick wall who wouldn't understand what I just said even if he cared?
They don't give a fuck about white poor either.
Rural Mississippi is still a no show on FEMA also. No democratic mayor to blame, it's out of the way so no one even knows. They were just a bunch of assholes on vacation who left behind some idiot white-collar welfare cases to pretend to man the switch.
On the other hand, their supporters are some serious racists and the less bright and more crude they were the more likely they were to just outright blame "niggers" instead of using weasal words. Get seriously emotionally deranged in their attacks on largely imaginary, bestial gangs preventing their betters from the greatest efforts in saving them from themselves.
WHOA! "justify your subservience to whites" should read justify your subservience to 'racists', "or even white racsists"
I'm white and proud and I'm also proud of you and your POWERFUL writing....but I am NOT a racisist you intimate in your powerful writing.
I'm neither liberal or conservative I am a brother to all who do not prove to me be not worthy of my brotherhood and that that group is small but contains I'm sure members of every race and creed.
My life has been spent working for the equal treatment to all on this planet and I just got upset when you included me in with the people you were slagging......and believe me they deserve what you gave them and more...but I did not. Keep up the writing, you write well and powerfully but don't make racist statements it does you a diservice.
I hope that it was anger or emotion that caused you use that language and that you really didn't mean to slap me upside my head and heart by lumping me in with those who truly deserve your anger!
I love the internets, but one problem is that it permits mental pipsqueaks to stand behind their placid, glowing screens and type whatever delusional fantasies they choose.
Sean, I am sorry that we are kin of country. I am appalled and disgusted by you. If I could disown you I would, but all I can do is disown your comments. They represent the worst of America. You represent the worst of America.
Thank you for posting all of this. I wonder why all of this information isn't in the mainstream media (read that sentence with HEAVY sarcasm)!
Keep up the great work on informing us on what is REALLY going on!
Kitty,
Exactly what I mean. He just comes right out and admits that having a Republican in the White House is more important than a good disaster response:
"I think the Clinton administration would have done a better job in handling Hurricane Katrina, but I'm also glad Bush is president and not a Democrat."
Bill Kristol
Bravo, Steve!
Sad,
Thanks for the link. Sure looks nice on paper, doesn't it. FEMA would have taken a hand in writing this document.
The para you quote is an overall objective. To know what was planned to happen you would need to look at the SOP. I would also be interested in what FEMA provided in the way of training.
City authorities will not come away blameless. But the "big and unexpected" defense works a hell of a lot better for the city than it does for FEMA. When the local response is overwhelmed, FEMA is supposed to step in. If the mayor exhausted his resources getting people to the Superdome, it was up to FEMA to supply it and provide for onward evacuation. For a start.
mimi,
Just because they hate themselves means we give them a pass. DeGaulle didn't give Vichy a pass.
The Liberal Avenger,
No, the guilty need to accused. Period.
Look, I know talking to these people is pointless, but shaming them is not. Which is the point. Shame.
Sour Kraut,
Yup. The arrogance is astounding.
I certainly hope it is true that this is the last gasp of a dying neocon movement.
And then there is that bitch who went shopping for a pair of $3000 Farragamo shoes while her people floated face down in the flooded sewers of NOLA. M
Good bye all... And God bless the Republicans and this country and even those who are not so bright.
Jabbar Gibson managed to fit 70 adults on the schoolbus he appropriated. Of course they arrested him for it.
They know it's a betrayal of the black community to side with Bush, but they don't care because it's how they get ahead in life. If it's by kicking the corpses of the dead in NO and spitting on their crying, orphaned children, they'll do it. Appealing to the conscience of people who don't have a conscience doesn't work. They're not conservatives, they're just soulless scumbags.
DMort is telling us to expect up to 40,000 bodies," Dan Buckner said, quoting officials with the Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team, a volunteer arm of Homeland Security.
His partner, Dan Hicks, of Paducah, Ky., was deployed Monday. Buckner, of Dickson, is on standby. Their funeral home is one of several collection sites for donations to be taken to the Red Cross in Fayetteville on Wednesday for transfer to places in need.
The 40,000 estimate does "not include the number of disinterred remains that have been displaced from ... mausoleums," Buckner told the Times-Gazette Monday.
Since New Orleans is below sea level, in-ground burial is impossible.
Public health protection and identification of bodies are tasks for DMort, Buckner said. Teams include morticians, medical examiners, coroners, pathologists, anthropologists, odontologists, dental assistants, photographers, police, DNA, X-ray, evidence, fingerprint, mental health and computer specialists, and others such as heavy equipment operators.
"Until they search each and every remaining house and remove all the fallen materials ... they will not know how many people are there," Buckner said.
"The National Association of Funeral Directors and Embalmers will be making assignments to coordinate with local officials ... [for] preparation of bodies," he said. "They'll probably establish a mortuary there where bodies can be taken so forensics can identify bodies and families can decide what they want to do.
"My personal opinion is they will be recovering bodies for 30 ... to 120 days," Buckner said.
url=http://www.t-g.com/story/1116806.html
http://www.t-g.com/story/1116806.html
Steve, you better add Harold Ford's name to this list, and I don't care that he's identifying with Democrats. But for Katrina, he's been singing the same damned tune like the GOPers he worships.
Plus, he has an insane "love" for Bush. See how well that's playing down in Memphis...
OK, Steve. Fair enough.
Once a whore always a Steve. Fuck these people. No one needs them.
"Good bye all... And God bless the Republicans and this country and even those who are not so bright."
He then whined to his mommie because his i.q. test had come back and it said his numbers were negative ones.
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin declared a state of emergency, and ordered a mandatory evacuation of the city. Some of those who remained behind were too poor to escape via normal public or private transportation. The poorest residents had no way out of town. Photos have shown fleets of school buses still parked in their flooded lots. Why those buses were not pressed into service, no one knows. The City of New Orleans Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan clearly states, "The City of New Orleans will utilize all available resources to quickly and safely evacuate threatened areas," and "Transportation will be provided to those persons requiring public transportation from the area." Part II, Section B, paragraph 5 of the Louisiana Emergency Operations Plan (supplement 1A) states, "School and municipal buses, government-owned vehicles, and vehicles provided by volunteer agencies may be used to provide transportation for individuals who lack transportation and require assistance in evacuating."
Public buses only took people to the Superdome, which was clearly not outside the threatened area. The school buses were never used at all. Emergency plans are created for a reason, and need to be followed in order to ensure the safety of the citizens. Perhaps Mayor Nagin, if he was so concerned about evacuating the city of New Orleans and save all the poor black residents who people like Randall Robinson, Jesse Jackson, and Kanye West believe were slighted by the President and the Republican government, he would have used the over two-hundred school buses at a depot in New Orleans. It is estimated that each bus could have carried around sixty-six people. At a round number, if there were two-hundred buses that could carry sixty-six people at a time, that's 13,200 people evacuated to safety - on just one trip. Now those buses are under water and are mostly useless. But instead of doing what he could have done at a local level to save his residents, Mayor Nagin sat on his hands and waited for the federal response, then proceeded to bite the hand that is trying to save his city.
Days later, Nagin complains to CNN, "Right now we are out of resources at the convention center and don't anticipate enough buses. We need buses." You had them, Mayor. You chose not to use them, and now you blame the President and the federal government for your mistakes.
I don't know if Nagin broke city ordinance or state law in ignoring the emergency plans, but his failure certainly makes him morally culpable in the deaths of the people he failed to provide a way out. And his failure likely cost hundreds, maybe thousands of lives.
But instead of doing what he could have done at a local level to save his residents, Mayor Nagin sat on his hands and waited for the federal response, then proceeded to bite the hand that is trying to save his city.
OK, but next time give an advance warning that for the first time ever the federal government has abandoned it's citizens to it's fate, because all the city did was SOP. FEMA exists because cities don't have the resources to deal with emergencies.
You don't even really believe this bullshit. You just emotionally invested yourself in a bunch of horseshit that made you feel good and when the results come home you need a scapegoat. Well, here we are, you really were a jackass. Just bite the bullet and admit it rather than treat us to more sublime bullshit spin in defense of your foolishness.
"...and even those who are not so bright..."
This, from someone who HAS to be a supporter of the Great Mid-east Shitmire!
You guys don't DESERVE to be taken seriously.
Stand up comics...with lousy routines.....And there's a really, really, shitty punchline coming up for you, in Iraq.
Someone said:
"They know it's a betrayal of the black community to side with Bush, but they don't care because it's how they get ahead in life. If it's by kicking the corpses of the dead in NO and spitting on their crying, orphaned children, they'll do it. Appealing to the conscience of people who don't have a conscience doesn't work. They're not conservatives, they're just soulless scumbags."
A lot of statements I've read on this thread give me a WTF moment. It's sort of like the pot calling the kettle black, when you counter racism with racist comments.
"Siding with Bush is a betrayal of the black community"... or is it "siding with Republicans"? Or maybe "being friends with white people"?
First of all, I'm white and a Republican. I've been working for almost a week to raise money for the *people* of NO. I am putting together a caravan to drive supplies down to various shelters in all 3 states.
Read the NO emergency documents - they give the mayor the right to use city buses and school buses for evacuation. The governor could have sent the Louisana National Guard to NO right off to help with the evacuation, and between her and the mayor, they could have taken temporary possession of any privately owned buses as well in a state of emergency.
And so what if the buses couldn't have removed every person that needed a ride? What if they only moved half of them in the 48 hours they had before the hurricane hit that they knew it was a level 4+ coming straight at them? It would have been 50% less killed or less suffering for days in the dome. So was it better to do nothing? Frankly, I don't think so.
The failures started at the local level, moved on to the state level, and then went further to the federal level. But you will no sooner convince me that Nagin didn't use the buses (like the young man who took the school bus and nearly 100 people to safety) because he wanted the blacks in NO to die, than you will convince me that the federal gov't responded more slowly than appropriate because they wanted black people to die.
NO ONE wants black people to die (of course, I'm not including the truly racist whites here, anymore than I'd say that there aren't truly racist blacks that wouldn't get off watching whites die - these people, white and blacks are assholes, and I'm talking about the decent people of every race in my comment).
Look at the fundraising, look at the people down there in the midst of the disaster. Lots of white faces, and I assure you, in Louisiana and the surrounding states where the first responders came from, lots of conservatives. And the military is overwhelmingly conservative, yet there are thousands upon thousands of white conservatives braving the mucky water, risking disease and illness, and even their lives.
That's racism?
It makes me sad that so many people really believe anyone did anything intentionally to delay the relief effort because 67% of NO is black.
Remember that 33% of NO is non-black, and lots of Louisiana that got hit was definitely white, and many of the affected people in all 3 states were white.
So the race accusations don't fly, because ALL races in all 3 states had the same response from the federal government. The difference in how the states fared lies with the local and state governments.
The eye of the storm directly hit Mississippi. The reason Missippi isn't as bad off is because 1. the levee didn't break in MS, and 2. the local government and state government fared better at handling the crisis.
Emergency and crisis handling is singularly the responsibility of the state and city governments. The feds are only supposed to assist. Why is it this worked well for Florida, Mississippi and Alabama and not Louisiana?
As for "black conservatives"? They aren't betraying the black community by being Republicans anymore than whites who register as Democrats are betraying the white community. Conservativism is not about white or black, it's simply about having a more conservative view of everything from religion to family to taxes and everything in between.
There's bad and good in both parties, and in both perspectives. But when all is said and done, it's not about race. Not conservativism and not Katrina.
Of course, everyone is entitled to their opinion. In the meantime, I hope in between blogging, everyone's also donating money, clothes, food or their muscle to help allieviate some of the suffering of EVERYONE who escaped NO and the other disaster cities in the 3 states.
Laura
The eye of the storm directly hit Mississippi. The reason Missippi isn't as bad off is because 1. the levee didn't break in MS, and 2. the local government and state government fared better at handling the crisis.
That isn't true, I've got family in MS and believe me local government didn't "shine on you crazy, diamond" over there either and your statement that it could or should is a result of a recent education on your part that says it should. It's not getting pilloried because it's smaller and out of the way and because there is no Democrat to try and pin everything on.
I don't automatically believe a republican is a racist, but I do have to wonder why racists like republicans if they aren't offering them something.
The whole media spectacle was disgusting. I never saw, and no one else did these gangs of rampaging, psychotic, savages. They just popped up the same way they have for years on years in this country. As far as I can tell with any real evidence this whole dialogue that opened up in American Conservatism about how after the inept, black, mayor failed, Bush was held back by rampaging gangs has about the same sort of existance as older tropes about negro raping sprees complete with pleas for "why aren't they condemning this, what's the real agenda here, let's talk about what shitbags they are".
If this is just a race neutral country, why do those people cling to you?
You are playing the race card from the bottom of the deck.
Where's your outrage when Ted Kennedy put his car under water and killed a young woman?
Ed said:
"If this is just a race neutral country, why do those people cling to you?"
How the feck should I know? I think racists are pieces of shit, and they certainly don't stand for the same priciples that I do.
It's a point that I've wondered about, especially since the racists actually belonged to the southern democrat party initially.
Seriously, "Black Republican" is a term the Democrats gave Republicans because they supported blacks and blacks' rights. Hell, the Republican party was started on the platform of ending slavery.
Perhaps the ultra nutty racists who signed up as Republicans do so because they - like so many blacks - see it as a "white" party. It could be as simple as that - they see most blacks register as Democrats, leaving a mainly white Republican party, and thusly choose the party with most whites.
Really, I don't know. But this is about people suffering at the hands of nature and ineptitude at all levels. All colors are suffering, and the suffering of the white victims is no less than the suffering of black victims. They ALL need help.
And again, look around. There are at least as many white and black Republicans risking everything in the rescue efforts as there are white or black Democrats, if not more when you count the demographics of the military and the states involved.
When you have all these white people and Republicans hands-on helping, how can you even suggest that whites or Republicans are against the blacks in NO?
And I didn't say MS and AL governments did everything right. I said they managed a bit better than NO.
My son joined the Marines a couple months ago and will go to Paris Island after he graduates high school. His recruting officer's family lived in MS where the eye hit. They lost absolutely everything.
I have many, many friends that live in and around NO. Many of them lost family and/or all their material possessions. They are both white and black.
And I'm sure I'm not the only white Republican who has friends of all races in the areas hit by Katrina, or who is trying to do their best to help, even from 1200 miles away.
Laura
Powerfully written, Steve. I hope it gets some circulation.
Laura - in spite of what you seem to honestly believe, current Republican leadership -- who bear a very close family resemblance to those old racist Southern Dems -- are fully bought into a racist agenda. As Steve points out, look at what some of these people are writing. The chips are down, and the masks come off. They're all but saying that rescuing blacks is morally justifiable because blacks are not worth as much as whites.
Good luck to your son.
My cousin was Audrey Lunsford, 1st Battalion, 155th Brigade Combat Team, Mississippi Army National Guard.
Sweetest talking pimp on this planet, next to his old man. Funniest guy I've ever met. Blown to hell in Haswa, 2004. His dad had an "accident" shortly after, he was *maybe* a bit more of the man than his son. He was an auctioneer and maybe that gave him an advantage with the faster mouth.
My aunt and her daughters is up here now, she got wiped out and she got out because she had family up here that got her out. Had nothing to do with the brilliant republicans that run the feifdoms down there.
I've paid plenty for all this. I pray God, misguided though you get passed up on the bill.
City of New Orleans Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan
The clearance times facing Orleans Parish for a severe hurricane will necessitate proper traffic control and early evacuating decision making. The evacuation must be completed before the arrival of gale force winds. Evacuation should also start when school is not in session and when there is at least eight (
hours of daylight included in the evacuation time allowed. Provisions must be made for the removal of disabled vehicles. Flooding of roadways due to rainfall before a hurricane arrives could close off critical evacuation routes rendering evacuation impossible.
V. TASKS
A. Mayor
* Initiate the evacuation.
* Retain overall control of all evacuation procedures via EOC operations.
* Authorize return to evacuated areas.
B. Office of Emergency Preparedness
* Activate EOC and notify all support agencies to this plan.
* Coordinate with State OEP on elements of evacuation.
* Assist in directing the transportation of evacuees to staging areas.
* Assist ESF-8, Health and Medical, in the evacuation of persons with special needs, nursing home, and hospital patients in accordance with established procedures.
* Coordinate the release of all public information through ESF-14, Public Information.
* Use EAS, television, cable and other public broadcast means as needed and in accordance with established procedure.
* Request additional law enforcement/traffic control (State Police, La. National Guard) from State OEP.
C. New Orleans Police Department
* Ensure orderly traffic flow.
* Assist in removing disabled vehicles from roadways as needed.
* Direct the management of transportation of seriously injured persons to hospitals as needed.
* Direct evacuees to proper shelters and/or staging areas once they have departed the threatened area.
* Release all public information through the ESF-14, Public Information.
D. Regional Transit Authority
* Supply transportation as needed in accordance with the current Standard Operating Procedures.
* Place special vehicles on alert to be utilized if needed.
* Position supervisors and dispatch evacuation buses.
* If warranted by scope of evacuation, implement additional service.
E. Louisiana National Guard
* Provide assistance as needed in accordance with current State guidelines.
F. Animal Care and Control
* Coordinate animal rescue operations with the New Orleans SPCA.
G. Public Works
* Make emergency road repairs as needed.
H. Office of Communications
* Release all public information relating to the evacuation.
PART 3: SHELTERING
(See ESF-6, Mass Care)
Emergency shelter operations are the responsibility of the Office of Emergency Preparedness Shelter Coordinator. Shelters are provided by the Orleans Parish School Board, while manager training and support activities and supplies are provided by the Office of Emergency Preparedness.
Reassessment of facilities is an on-going process conducted jointly by the School Board, and Emergency Preparedness Division. The shelter activation list is updated yearly, and takes into consideration new school construction, school closings and renovations.
A. Shelter Demand
Shelter demand is currently under review by the Shelter Coordinator. Approximately 100,000 Citizens of New Orleans do not have means of personal transportation. Shelter assessment is an ongoing project of the Office of Emergency Preparedness through the Shelter Coordinator.
The following schools have been inspected and approved as Hurricane Evacuation Shelters for the City of New Orleans: Laurel Elementary School
Walter S. Cohen High School
Medard Nelson Elementary School
Sarah T. Reed High School
Southern University Multi Purpose Center
Southern University New Science Building
O. Perry Walker High School
Albert Wicker Elementary School
It should not be assumed that all of the approved shelters listed above will be opened in the event of a hurricane or other major tropical storm. The names and locations of open shelters will be announced when an evacuation order is issued. This list is not for public information and should not be duplicated and distributed. In the event that shelters are opened, people who go to their nearest listed location may find, for one reason or another, that the facility is not open as a shelter, forcing them to seek an alternate location. It is also possible that people anticipating the opening of shelters may arrive before shelters are set-up and ready to receive them. For these and other reasons, shelters which are to be used will not be identified until they are ready to open and not until an evacuation order, related public announcement is made.
Last Resort Refuges and Super Shelters are described in specific SOPs covering their applications.
Mitigation actions following natural disasters and post?disaster plan development.
In response to a major destructive storm, future plans call for the preparation of a post disaster plan that will identify programs and actions that will reduce or eliminate the exposure of human life and property to natural hazards. To direct the City's hurricane recovery operations, the Mayor will appoint a Recovery Task Force (RTF). The RTF shall include the Chief Administrative Officer, the Director of the Emergency Preparedness, Public Works Director, Public Utilities Director, Director of Safety and Permits and any others as directed by the Mayor. Staff shall be provided by those appointed, as well as by those elements of the OEP responsible for recovery operations. The RTF shall provide the following tasks:
here is the link.
http://www.cityofno.com/portal.a...tal=46&
tabid=26
Even though "Scoobie" has officially signed off for another Cheeto run, I couldn't resist almost quoting his wisdom anyway:
The whole NOLA disaster was predicted during the Hurricane Pam exercise which concluded over a year ago. What did FEMA do to prepare itself for the 2005 hurricane season? It is a logistical nightmare, but FEMA can't count on dodging a bullet every time. Where were the plans?
An excellent criticism. Of course, it needed slight modification to include a branch of the DHS, which is mandated by the law of its creation to have primary responsibility for natural disasters.
Oh, and mike268, thanks for taking time out from jerking off to post some more about THE BUSES! THE BUSES! Hey, you know, I think New Orleans' Assistant Dogcatcher is a Democrat, too. I think we need to hold him primarily accountable, since he's even less powerful, and has even fewer resources at his disposal!
Besides which, Dear Leader and his coterie have told us that no one could have foreseen that the levees would break, and that this is a completely unprecedented disaster. Enough of an unprecedented disaster that it's taken the federal level of the most powerful nation on earth days to get its photo-ops together...sorry, I mean its act together. Oh, and at the exact same time it's mostly the fault of the mayor of New Orleans, who should have foreseen that the levees would break, and should have been able to immediately cope with the disaster. Or mounted an unprecedented evacuation plan with no assistance whatsoever from the federal government.
Oh, and mike? Just as a helpful proactive measure, blaming the governor of Louisiana for not declaring a state of emergency has already been debunked. That's frequently the next batch of bullshit the trolls dump after ejaculating all over a photo of schoolbuses.
mds said:
"Hey, you know, I think New Orleans' Assistant Dogcatcher is a Democrat, too."
mds, it seems like you're basically advocating not blaming anyone who is a Democrat and laying all the blame at the feet of Republicans.
Sorry, but just as I don't buy the disaster was a result of racism, I don't buy that all the blame should be levied against Republicans.
Whites have died and lost everything, just as blacks did.
Democrats fecked up just as bad as Republicans.
The problem isn't that NO resources were limited. It's that they weren't utilized.
And yes, the buses is an issue. The buses could have theoretically saved at least half of those who perished or who languished in the dome and convention center. Of course, we'll never know how many could have been saved, because the governor did not send the guard in to help with the evacuation prior to the hurricane landing, and the mayor did not use the buses.
You can say the federal government (not all Republicans, by the by) fecked up, and you'd be correct. But their mistakes don't change the mistakes made on the local and state level.
It's the series of feck ups that resulted in the tragedies we've witnessed. Not just one group dropping the ball, but everyone fumbling all the way down the bloody field.
Until people are ready to quit categorizing everything by color or political party, the problems are never going to be solved, because you're giving some people a free pass, while persecuting others for injustices they didn't commit.
Laura
The GOP stands for wrecking social security and medicaid among many social sevices they piss on. Hello? There is a difference in the parties. Get a f*cking clue.
Oh, and have a nice day.
Kitty
Until people are ready to quit categorizing everything by color or political party, the problems are never going to be solved, because you're giving some people a free pass, while persecuting others for injustices they didn't commit.
Yeah, just what I was thinking.
Anyway, one again, good luck.
All of Orleans Parish falls under the order except for necessary personnel in government, emergency and some other public service categories.
People who are unable to evacuate were told to immediately report to a designated shelter.
Why Didn't Louisiana Follow its Required Emergency Plan?
1) Why Didn't Louisiana Follow it's Emergency Plan? Why isn't anyone talking about this?
2) Why hasn't anyone mentioned that a Pre-Requisite for a Federal Response BY LAW is that State Law is Executed and the Emergency Plan is Executed FIRST?
3) Why did the Governor abandon the City of New Orleans for the Safety of Baton Rouge, before the Plan was Executed?
4) Why, when the federal Government was acting in accordance with the Stafford Act, did the State of Louisiana, by its Governors acts, delay making requests when being told this storm was going to hit?
5) Why did Mayor Nagin or Governor Blanco, delay while sleeping on it Saturday night, the Mandatory evacuation spelled out in the Louisiana Emergency Plan? Saturday the Mayor said he may order an evacuation tomorrow. (Sunday)
6) Where were the Parish Presidents who were signatories to the Louisiana Emergency Plan, and why did they fail in its Execution to the plan?
7) In the Parish failure to implement, why didn't the State take over as required by the plan?
Why weren't the Hospitals nursing homes, etc. evacuated since the plan required them to do so?
9) Why did the Mandatory evacuation only occur AFTER President Bush called, and why did Governor Blanco stress that it was only after President Bush Called to urging the Evacuation order? Was she concerned for the Citizens, or was she grandstanding so she could blame the President if the Storm didn't hit?
10) Why were the Action Plan implementations required not done by the Local and State Government?
Links required reading for this information:
Louisiana State Emergency Operations Plan - 2005 :
Louisiana State Emergency Plan
Southeast Louisiana Hurricane Evacuation and Sheltering Plan:
Southeast Louisiana Evac Plan
Southwest Louisiana Hurricane Evacuation and Sheltering Plan:
Southwest Louisiana Evac Plan
Shelter Plan:
Shelter Plan
White House Declarations:
August 27, 2005 Emergency Declaration by President Bush:
Emergency Plan Dec
August 29, 2005 Major Disaster Declaration by President Bush:
Major Disaster Dec
Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as amended by Public Law 106-390, October 30, 2000
Federal Law
Federal Response Plan:
Fed Response Plan
PARTIAL TIMELINE:
6:22 PM Pacific Friday 8/26/05
Quote:
Blanco declares state of emergency as Katrina shifts west
The governor this evening has declared a state of emergency as a major shift west in the projected track of Hurricane Katrina threatens Southeastern Louisiana.
At 5 p.m. federal forecasters made a significant westward shift in the projected path of Katrina, moving the New Orleans area much nearer the center of the cone of warning, with projected landfall now in the Biloxi area.
Note this Forecast and the declaration is almost 1 1/2 days Prior to the Mandatory Evac being instituted. This statement is reported at 2:29 pm Eastern Saturday. He should have ordered it Sooner than he finally did.
Saturday August 27, 2005 2:29 Eastern.
Mayor Delaying Evacuation along with Governor
Quote:
"This is not a test," New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin said at a news conference. He said he would probably ask people to leave at daybreak Sunday, and said the Superdome could be pressed into use as a shelter of last resort for people who do not have cars.
That is Proof the Mayor was already stating he was going to delay the Evacuation. This is Past the Time when the Emergency declarations were Issued by the Governor which was done on Friday.
She apparently said this on Saturday, according to a post , at Freerepublic:
Free Republic Link
But that post was placed on 08/27/2005 6:58:21 PM PDT, which is Saturday Night.
Quote:
Kathleen Blanco - "Lots of people are not aware of this storm because last night when they went to bed the forecast was for it to go into Florida, but overnight that changed to Louisiana."
So she is stating that last night, Friday. It didn't change overnight, she is trying to say she didn't know, and she did.
Sunday August 28, 2005
President Urges Evac
Quote:
Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco said that President Bush had called and urged the state to order the evacuation.
So let's get to the Stafford Act linked to above shall we:
1) § 5191. PROCEDURE FOR DECLARATION {Sec. 501}
a.Request and declaration
All requests for a declaration by the President that an emergency exists shall be made by the Governor of the affected State. Such a request shall be based on a finding that the situation is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the State and the affected local governments and that Federal assistance is necessary. As a part of such request, and as a prerequisite to emergency assistance under this Act, the Governor shall take appropriate action under State law and direct execution of the State's emergency plan. The Governor shall furnish information describing the State and local efforts and resources which have been or will be used to alleviate the emergency, and will define the type and extent of Federal aid required. Based upon such Governor's request, the President may declare that an emergency exists.
NOTE, it says the Following:
A) All requests for a declaration by the President that an emergency exists shall be made by the Governor of the affected State.
B) As a part of such request, and as a prerequisite to emergency assistance under this Act, the Governor shall take appropriate action under State law and direct execution of the State's emergency plan.
Note the word PREREQUISITE. So when the Governor REQUESTED the initial declaration, she was basically lying about the Emergency Plan being implemented.
Now, we take you to the Louisiana Emergency Plan as linked to above.
1) A catastrophic hurricane is defined as a hurricane in Category 3 Slow (5 mph or less forward speed), and categories 4 or 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale of hurricane strength (See Annex A). Hurricanes in Category 1, 2 and 3 Fast, are considered less destructive and can be met through the use of normal emergency preparedness procedures on the part of the Parish and State governments.
The overall strategy for dealing with a catastrophic hurricane is to evacuate as much of the at risk population as possible from the path of the storm and relocate them to a place of relative safety outside the projected high water mark of the storm surge flooding and hurricane force winds. The Southeastern Region is generally defined as those parishes which have all or a large part of their population east of the Atchafalaya River Basin and south of a line drawn along Interstates 10 and 12 from Baton Rouge, through Hammond to Slidell. The Region includes the parishes of Ascension, Assumption, Jefferson, Lafourche, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Terrebonne
2) When a hurricane enters or takes form in the Gulf of Mexico, it is perceived as a potential catastrophic threat to the Southeast Louisiana Region. As the danger from the hurricane requires the initiation of emergency actions, the State Office of Emergency Preparedness and each parish will activate Emergency Operating Centers (EOCs) and declare a state of emergency. The State and parishes will commence planned emergency operations and coordinate their actions including activating and maintaining all means of communications.
Let's Look at the Responsibility of whom during an Evacuation. This can be found beginning on Page 16 0f 45 of the Louisiana Plan.
Voluntary Evacuation:
State Requirements:
State of Louisiana
1. Activate EOC and prepare for 24-hour operations.
2. Put State Departments and the ARC on standby alert in accordance with OEP Implementing Procedures.
3. Put National Guard units on standby alert.
4. Call all nursing homes and other custodial care organizations in the risk areas to insure that they are prepared to evacuate their residents.
5. Alert FEMA of the situation and advise that the State may need Federal assistance.
6. Establish communications with risk area parish EOCs and test all communications means, including conference call procedures.
7. Prepare a proclamation of emergency for the State so that, when needed, State resources can be mobilized to support risk area evacuation and host area sheltering operations.
Prepare proclamations for the State to intervene in local situations if local governments fail to act, in accordance with RS 29:721-735.
***NOTE IT SAYS So State Resources can be mobilized to support evacuation.***
***NOTE IT SAYS for the State to Intervene if Local Governments fail to act.***
Parish Requirements:
1) Local transportation resources should be marshaled and public transportation plans implemented as needed.
2) Announce the location of staging areas for people who need transportation. Public transportation will concentrate on moving people from the staging areas to safety in host parishes with priority given to people with special needs.
Recommended Evacuation:
State Duties:
Mobilize State transportation resources to aid in the evacuation of people who have mobility and/or health problems. Deploy to support risk area parishes.
Coordinate with neighboring states, Mississippi, Arkansas and Texas, and other states to which evacuees may go, such as Tennessee and Alabama. Advise states of the possible extent of Louisiana's evacuation and recommend appropriate traffic control measures.
Mandatory Evacuation:
NOT ISSUED UNTIL SUNDAY MORNING, so the Governor and Mayor
I just read my nasty nore to Laura above and while I meant it zI sure shouldn't have wrttien quite that way.
My regrets for getting mean.
Hey, you conservative liars, this shit was the federal government's fault. Flat-out.
I read the emergency plans, too, but I won't bore you all with links already available in the thread.
First, delay of evacuation can be attributable to the plan requiring 8 hours of daylight. They were certainly on the TV saying, "Get out," and the first full day with more than 8 hours of daylight available, Sunday, they ordered an evacuation. Nothing untoward there.
Second, the buses everyone harps on -- hey, maybe they should have used them, maybe they couldn't, whatever. How far do you think a school bus, which gets crap gas mileage, is going to get in a traffic jam? I'll tell you how much. Enough to strand a busload a people on a freeway with 500,000 people behind them as a hurricane bears down upon them. If you actually read the plan, it doesn't command that the city use the buses, it contains all sorts of suggestions about using the best available options. On top of all that, have you been on a school bus lately in a major city? They're lucky they have cops and garbage collection, but big cities rarely have reliable school buses due to the federal government cutting its revenue sharing with the states which filter down to the cities and counties. Sorry, but the whole shool bus bullshit is a canard.
As for the most important part of the plan, it is get people to shelter if at all possible if they can't evacuate. Guess what? That's just what the mayor did -- the Super Dome, the Convention Center? Hello? And, seeing that they actually withstood the hurricane itself, I'd say the mayor picked a damn good shelter.
Also, Mike268, you big liar, I see you left off some key points in your timeline, which even the White House owns up to and trumpets on its own site, such as...
...The executive branch of the federal government -- Bush and company -- declared Louisiana a disaster area on 8/26/2005. two freaking days prior to the storm hitting, which legally and factually put FEMA in charge of all disaster coordination under the very same Stafford Act you cons are bellowing on about so much.
Bush and FEMA were in charge from two days before the hurricane hit and three days before the levees broke, not the mayor of New Orleans and not the governor of Louisiana. If the buses weren't used, which I don't see as having been some kind of cure-all anyway, blame Bush, not Nagin.
It should be noted, too, Blanco acknowledged federal authority the day after Bush claimed it through a formal request to what Bush already declared, on 8/27/2005.
The FEMA fuck-ups themselves already proclaim they're in charge, so why deny it now?
Oh, yeah, because that would mean this illegitmate president would have to take responsibility for his inaction. So, really, give it a rest with the lies about how it's the local officials fault, when it clearly is not. It was real nice of you to leave out these most important things when discussing the political-caused screw-ups, Mike268.
To top it all off, yes, Katrina destroyed New Orleans, but as your fellow conservative Sad pointed out, it was really the levee breaks which compounded the disaster. And who owns the levees? Why, that would be the Army Corps of Engineers, a defacto federal agency unto itself.
To top it all off, Bush waited two days after the levees were busting up to return from his six-week vacation. TWO DAYS!
The Repblican-controlled Congress waited five days after New Oreans was underwater to return from their summer break to deal with this.
Face facts, cons, the stench you smell is your own.
P.S. Kanye West should be given a prize for telling the truth as clearly as he did. And, yeah, Bush and company hate the white poor, too, they just hate the black poor that much more.
if you look at the plans more closely it stack to have fire and police and food and water....and no that does not put the goverment incharge until the govinur requets it and she delayed along with the mayor...its on the cnn,msnbc,fox news, so you need to get your shit striaght cause you dont know what your talking about! the mayor droped the ball and he will pay!!!!you must be an idiot but as the news grows you will see the the mayor screwed his city.....like he said (I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO) Clearly should have folled the plan..the mayor even stated himself that the leeves would not hold on a cat 4....so its simple he screwed up and it murder!
MiKKKe268, the liar, I give you links and information you intentionally leave out of your cute, little timeline there -- such as Bush saying FEMA's in charge and the governor of La. acknowleding it through formal request days before the levees broke and the hurricane even hit -- and I'm the one who needs to read more closely? No, you, Mike268, the liar, need to read more closely. Not me.
I also watch the news, and for four days last week, I saw the mayor of New Orleans and the governor of La. pleading for federal help, night after night, on national tv.
And where was Bush? On vacation, of course. The Repulican-controlled Congress. Also on vacation.
Face it, man, the Bushies screwed the pooch on this one, probably unintentionally, but also probably because they just don't give a god-damn about poor people, especially poor black people. You know it, too, you know it like I know it Mike268, the liar.
Oh, yeah, and as for the mayor saying levees wouldn't take a cat. 4 hurricane hit, who built, ran, and is responsible for those? Yes, that would be, again, the Army Corps of Engineers. That would be the U.S. Army, as in the federal government. The mayor was just stating a fact, he wasn't responsible for the levees.
Bush is responsible for the levees. Not the mayor of New Orleans. And where was he while they were washing away and putting New Orleans underwater? Bush was on vacation.
So anyway, tell me Mike268 or any other conservative for that matter, just what the hell good is a nation that can't even protect its own citizens? I find myself asking that question a lot these days.
Isn't Mikkke268 the same guy who said on a previous thread that he hates niggers because they stole his kids' bikes? Why does it surprise you that he would tell a lie to defend his Dear Leader? I think Mikkke and Bush have a Smithers/Mr. Burns kind of relationship.
Brian Bell & gordo you sound like a racist for one...for two the bush was never incharge and still ant until govenor give full charge whitch on cnn she said she would not.
Authority to issue evacuations of elements of the population is vested in the Mayor. By Executive Order, the chief elected official, the Mayor of the City of New Orleans, has the authority to order the evacuation of residents threatened by an approaching hurricane.
Evacuation procedures for special needs persons with either physical or mental handicaps, including registration of disabled persons, is covered in the SOP for Evacuation of Special Needs Persons.
Major population relocations resulting from an approaching hurricane or similar anticipated disaster, caused the City of New Orleans Office of Emergency Preparedness to develop a specific Hurricane Emergency Evacuation Standard Operating Procedures, which are appended to the Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan.
The SOP is developed to provide for an orderly and coordinated evacuation intended to minimize the hazardous effects of flooding, wind, and rain on the residents and visitors in New Orleans. The SOP provides for the evacuation of the public from dan