In 2003 and 2004, the Bush Administration cut the funding for the levees that protect the city of New Orleans. Now, I've already heard the Bush apologists claim that any administration would have done the same considering the economic pressures. So, I'm gonna pretend that 100% of all presidential administrations would play Russian roulette with an American city that happens to be our largest sea port, because, you know, we wouldn't want to run up massive budget deficits.
Once you've cut the funding for the levees it seems to me the least you could do would be to be ready to act when the inevitable hurricane smashes into New Orleans. George Bush told the nation that no one could have predicted the damage the hurricane would do. Of course that's not true.
Readers of National Geographic knew of this scenario. The Army Corps of Engineers knew of this scenario. In fact this scenario was well known. For goodness sake, the National Weather Service knew exactly what would happen when Katrina hit.
So, FEMA took advantage of the two days from when Katrina turned category IV and when she hit the coast? That was not the case. Of course FEMA has been neutered by the Bush administration and is run by an incompetent. Michael Brown's main job for eleven years was the commissioner of judges for the international Arabian Horse Association. And he was forced to resign from that job.
And so the horror show continued. The director of homeland security was unaware that thousands of people where at the convention center until NPR told him. I guess he had no TV. The head of FEMA couldn't understand why people hadn't evacuated when the order to evacuate had been given.
And thousands of people died. While I think Kanye West was wrong, I don't think his comments were absurd at all. Certainly the Bush Administration, the State of Louisiana, and the City of New Orleans didn't leave these people behind because they were black. They did it because they were poor. They didn't feel it was necessary to waste time planning for a contingency that only affected the poorest and most vulnerable of their constituents. Kanye West was understandably confused because most of the poor people in New Orleans are black.
So we have demonstrated once again the lack of compassion of the Bush administration. Just like NCLB, just like the Iraq War, just like the giveaway energy policy, and just like the Medicare bill, we see the poor paying the way for the people in power.
As Keith Olbermann points out, this administration won reelection by running around this country claiming the other side couldn't protect them. Meanwhile, they left New Orleans and her most vulnerable population unprotected.
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There should have been a better plan, but there wasn't at the local level. The government knew this was coming, but did nothing to help those trapped in its path. By Monday as the city breathed a sigh of relief, the Army Corps of Engineers knew of the impending levee breaches, yet those who took shelter in the city were not warned, as well as unable to relocate by their own means. The city has a 40 percent poverty rate, and monthly government assistance checks would not be issued for several more days. By Tuesday, the New Orleans mayor and the governor of Louisiana sent out desperate, emotion-filled pleas on national tv, an SOS for immediate help. And those who had taken shelter in the city continued to wait for assistance. By FRIDAY, help started to come in at a rate more than a trickle, people were fed and given water, medical evacuations began, and by Sunday, most at the Superdome and Convention Center and hospitals were out of New Orleans. Aside from those trapped in their homes, it took 48 hours to evacuate New Orleans. It took 5 DAYS to begin. There was absolute desperation felt at my home for those people, the confusion as to, "What is the problem? Get them help! Drop them food and water!" My goodness, I kept seeing celebrities and journalists in the areas that the government stated were inaccessible and dangerous, plucking people to safety themselves, and I just couldn't get it. I will NEVER get it. Where were you, George Bush? You are the president.
If the president is not to blame in a national emergency that has gone so terribly wrong, what is the point of leading? You don't lead only when it goes well, you must be there and be accountable when your people are suffering and dying, and where horrific mistakes have been made.
Please read Andy's blog, "Enter the Rainbow," for some pastoral perspective: http://entertherainbow.blogspot.com/. I'm not too computer handy, so you may have to cut and paste this.
Give what you can to help. Hold your familes close, and pray for those who can't.
Peace,
Shelly
Buddy, the Clintons have been hooked up with them for a long time. As Micheal Moore says Bill Clinton is the best republican president we ever had.
I gotta tell you, I wouldn't read the crap written by Michelle Malkin or posted at the Free Republic unless you gave me the ole' Clockwork Orange treatment. I hope that the propaganda matrix isn't like them.
Look, I didn't quote any factual evidence from Moore although his stuff has more factual basis than Fox News. Most of the stuff I link to comes from mainstream news. Malkin and Free Republic are just masturbation material for people who believe Bill Clinton is Satan. The link to talk show america is dead.
The propaganda matrix link is just the same old tired crap about how 'Clinton did it too.' What the fuck kind of argument is that? I tell my kids that's a stupid ass argument when they make it.
Why do I have to defend Bill Clinton everytime Bush screws up? When Clinton screwed up I got pissed at him. When Bush screws up conservatives get pissed at Clinton.
I'm not just making shit up about free republic. Back before I knew what it was I joined the forum. However, when you try to present a different view they just ban you from particpating.
Everyone can say this that or the other should have been done before this disaster occurred, but that does not fix the abysmal and apathetic response that occurred. Who was in charge of that response? Not a past president, but the inept Dubya and his cronies. Check out this blog http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/the-flyover-presidency-of_b_6566.html about Dubya's belated flyover of the damage to read his unsurpisingly asinine remarks.
I cannot agree with you, Seamhead, that race is not the issue. Although I agree that poverty is a huge reason for the disparity of the response witnessed here versus that if a comparable amount of natural-disaster-related damage to life and property occurred in, say, Boston or Hollywood. But I think Americans are fooling themselves if they duck the race issue here. I think it's too large a component in the big picture to overlook. Kanye West might have picked a better forum, but I don't think he's too far from the truth. He just forgot to add "poverty" in with his rant about "race."
Of course, nobody will come out and confess that race considerations entered the calculation in such a heated political topic as this has become, but that does not mean it wasn't a factor. Racism persists in America as the great unknown variable in a multitude of decisions and situations, great and small, at all levels of society. Based on the things I've seen and heard in my 31 years on this planet, I'm as inclined to believe that race was as prominent a factor influencing the relief decisions as anything else.
To be honest, this thought alone breaks my heart, and I am deeply saddened to live in a country where I could honestly believe that a person's race could have affected the decision to provide him or her life-saving relief in this situation. That is not who I am. Is it who you are? Is it how you want your country to be?
It is not how I want my country to be. Our country does need to answer the question. Why is the poor population disproportionately minority? I'd be especially interested in the views of the people who have taught these minorites.
I found a CBS 60 minutes report where the Army Corps of engineers rep says the levees where inadequate no matter what Clinton and W. did to them. He says they needed to start 20 years ago to get these levees in shape to withstand category 4 or 5. He also says that you have to understand that before they had the Category 3 protection they had nothing.
However this does not excuse the poor disaster planning by all three gov'ts. And definitely doesn't excuse the poor reaction and blame dodging by the Feds.
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