AP: Bush-bashing is back-firing
Question:
Looks like Bruce Morgen has failed for the upteenth time. What he didn’t post and doesn’t want you to know: Don’t Blame Bush for Katrina Christopher Ruddy Monday, Sept. 5, 2005 George Bush and the federal government are not to blame for the disaster we have witnessed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In fact, the primary responsibility for the disaster response lies with New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco and other local officials. Yet leading Democrats and their allies in the major media are clearly using this disaster for political purposes and ignoring one obvious fact. This fact — which needs to be repeated and remembered — is that in our country, state and local governments have primary responsibility in dealing with local disasters. The founding fathers devised a federal system of government — one that has served us remarkably well through great disasters that have befallen America over more than two centuries. But if we believe the major TV networks, George Bush, FEMA and the Republicans in Congress are all to blame for the current nightmare. Let’s remember that FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was created only in 1979. It was formed to coordinate and focus federal response to major disasters — to "assist" local and state governments. Common sense suggests that local and state governments are best able to prepare and plan for local disasters. Is a Washington bureaucrat better suited to prepare for an earthquake in San Francisco, a hurricane in Florida, or a terrorist act in New York? After the Sept. 11 attacks against the World Trade Center, no one suggested that the Bush administration should have been responsible for New York’s disaster response or that federal agents should have been involved in the rescue of those trapped in the buildings. Last year, four major hurricanes slammed into Florida. Governor Jeb Bush led the disaster response and did a remarkable job, with nothing happening like what we have seen in New Orleans. The primary response in disasters has always come from local communities and state governments. First responders and the manpower to deal with emergencies come from local communities: police, fire and medical. Under our federal system, these local departments answer to local authorities, not those in Washington. These first responders are not even under federal control, nor do they have to follow federal orders. In addition to local responders, every state in the Union has a National Guard. State National Guards answer first to the governor of each state, not to the president. The National Guard exists not to defend one state from an invasion by another state, but primarily for emergencies like the one we have witnessed in New Orleans and in other areas impacted by Katrina. (See: http://www.arng.army.mil/about_us/organization/command_structure.asp) Tim Russert and the Blame Game The media would have you believe that this disaster was worsened by a slow response from President Bush and his administration, though the primary responsibility for disaster response has always been with local and state governments. It is true that federal response was not as fast as it could have been. The president himself has acknowledged that fact. But the press has focused on the first 48 hours of federal response, not uttering a word about the fact that New Orleans had 48 hours of warning that a major Category 4 or 5 would make landfall near the city, yet local officials apparently did little to prepare. Obviously, Gov. Blanco did not effectively deploy her state’s National Guard. And New Orleans’ city leaders did almost nothing to evacuate the portion of the population with no transportation. In failing to follow their own evacuation plan, these officials did little to pre-position food, water and personnel to deal with the aftermath. I was surprised Sunday to watch Tim Russert, on his show "Meet the Press," tear into Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff. During his encounter with Chertoff, Russert did not suggest once that local government had any role in dealing with the disaster. Russert also asked for Chertoff’s resignation. It wasn’t until after the first 29 minutes of his show — 29 minutes — that Russert raised the question of local responsibility. And when he did so with Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard, he did so in a passing way. Broussard brushed off his question with a non-answer. Broussard began his interview claiming that the nation had "abandoned" New Orleans. That is nonsense and a lie. Broussard, who was never identified by "Meet the Press" as a Democrat, spent much of his time attacking the Bush administration, as has Democratic New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. Broussard then ended his performance as he collapsed in tears with a demand: "For God’s sake, just shut up and send us somebody!" His tears didn’t wash with me. My sympathies lie with the tens of thousands of people who have suffered or died because local officials like Broussard, Mayor Nagin and Governor Kathleen Blanco, also a Democrat, failed monumentally at their jobs. As former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial told Russert, the disaster in New Orleans was "foreseeable." In fact, New Orleans has long known that such a disaster could take place if a major hurricane hit the city. The municipality even prepared its own "City of New Orleans Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan." The plan makes it evident that New Orleans knew that evacuation of the civilian population was the primary responsibility of the city — not the federal government. The city plan acknowledges its responsibility in the document: "As established by the City of New Orleans Charter, the government has jurisdiction and responsibility in disaster response. City government shall coordinate its efforts through the Office of Emergency Preparedness." The city document also makes clear that decisions involving a proper and orderly evacuation lie with the governor, mayor and local authorities. Nowhere is the president or federal government even mentioned: "The authority to order the evacuation of residents threatened by an approaching hurricane is conferred to the Governor by Louisiana Statute. The Governor is granted the power to direct and compel the evacuation of all or part of the population from a stricken or threatened area within the State, if he deems this action necessary for the preservation of life or other disaster mitigation, response or recovery. The same power to order an evacuation conferred upon the Governor is also delegated to each political subdivision of the State by Executive Order. This authority empowers the chief elected official of New Orleans, the Mayor of New Orleans, to order the evacuation of the parish residents threatened by an approaching hurricane." It is clear the city also recognized that it would need to move large portions of its population, and it would need to prepare for such an eventuality: "The City of New Orleans will utilize all available resources to quickly and safely evacuate threatened areas. Those evacuated will be directed to temporary sheltering and feeding facilities as needed. When specific routes of progress are required, evacuees will be directed to those routes. Special arrangements will be made to evacuate persons unable to transport themselves or who require specific life saving assistance. Additional personnel will be recruited to assist in evacuation procedures as needed … "Evacuation procedures for small scale and localized evacuations are conducted per the SOPs of the New Orleans Fire Department and the New Orleans Police Department. However, due to the sheer size and number of persons to be evacuated, should a major tropical weather system or other catastrophic event threaten or impact the area, specifically directed long range planning and coordination of resources and responsibilities efforts must be undertaken." [You can read New Orleans' Emergency Plan for hurricanes at its Web site: http://www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx?portal=46&tabid=26] The city’s plan also specifically called for the use of city-owned buses and school buses to evacuate the population. These were apparently never deployed, though the Parish of Plaquemines just south of the city evacuated its population using school buses. The plan, written well before Katrina was even a teardrop in God’s eye, was obviously never heeded or implemented by local leaders. But why should the New Orleans mayor and Governor Blanco take responsibility when they can blame George Bush and the Republicans in Washington? With congressional elections fast approaching, Democrats who are out of power in every branch of the federal government know they need to change the tide quickly. They have apparently seized on the Katrina disaster to harm the president politically. Criticism of the federal government’s response is fair and warranted. But putting full responsibility for this disaster on the Bush administration is way over the top. Primary responsibility for this disaster remains with local officials like Nagin and Blanco, not President Bush.
Response:
The Real News The following is the result of an interview I just conducted via cell phone with a New Orleans citizen stranded at the Convention Center. I don’t know what you’re hearing in the mainstream media or in the press conferences from the city and state officials, but here is the truth: "Bigfoot" is a bar manager and DJ on Bourbon Street, and is a local personality and icon in the city. He is a lifelong resident of the city, born and raised. He rode out the storm itself in the Iberville Projects because he knew he would be above any flood waters. Here is his story as told to me moments ago. I took notes while he talked and then I asked some questions: Three days ago, police and national guard troops told citizens to head toward the Crescent City Connection Bridge to await transportation out of the area. The citizens trekked over to the Convention Center and waited for the buses which they were told would take them to Houston or Alabama or somewhere else, out of this area. It’s been 3 days, and the buses have yet to appear. Although obviously he has no exact count, he estimates more than 10,000 people are packed into and around and outside the convention center still waiting for the buses. They had no food, no water, and no medicine for the last three days, until today, when the National Guard drove over the bridge above them, and tossed out supplies over the side crashing down to the ground below. Much of the supplies were destroyed from the drop. Many people tried to catch the supplies to protect them before they hit the ground. Some offered to walk all the way around up the bridge and bring the supplies down, but any attempt to approach the police or national guard resulted in weapons being aimed at them. There are many infants and elderly people among them, as well as many people who were injured jumping out of windows to escape flood water and the like — all of them in dire straights. Any attempt to flag down police results in being told to get away at gunpoint. Hour after hour they watch buses pass by filled with people from other areas. Tensions are very high, and there has been at least one murder and several fights. 8 or 9 dead people have been stored in a freezer in the area, and 2 of these dead people are kids. The people are so desperate that they’re doing anything they can think of to impress the authorities enough to bring some buses. These things include standing in single file lines with the eldery in front, women and children next; sweeping up the area and cleaning the windows and anything else that would show the people are not barbarians. The buses never stop. Before the supplies were pitched off the bridge today, people had to break into buildings in the area to try to find food and water for their families. There was not enough. This spurred many families to break into cars to try to escape the city. There was no police response to the auto thefts until the mob reached the rich area — Saulet Condos — once they tried to get cars from there… well then the whole swat teams began showing up with rifles pointed. Snipers got on the roof and told people to get back. He reports that the conditions are horrendous. Heat, mosquitoes and utter misery. The smell, he says, is "horrific." He says it’s the slowest mandatory evacuation ever, and he wants to know why they were told to go to the Convention Center area in the first place; furthermore, he reports that many of them with cell phones have contacts willing to come rescue them, but people are not being allowed through to pick them up.
Response:
Dear George, I was thrilled to see that your Rovian rehabilitation is underway. What a great photo-op tour of the gulf coast! You had it all together: the swagger, brows creased with concern, the feigning of attention as you met with victims and officials. I have a few minor suggestions that would put the frosting on the cake. Hug as many victims as you can, no matter how badly they stink. Occasionally wipe your hand across your cheek as if you were brushing away a tear. I know this is a challenge, but if your voice could choke with emotion while making a statement, people might think you actually care. I assume Karl dragged you over the coals about jokes and wisecracks. The comment that draws a laugh in the country club locker room just doesn’t play well when surrounded by death and destruction. Thank God, there were no more references to your party-hearty days in Houston. Reformed drunks don’t reminisce. We’ve got to think wardrobe on your next tour. A great photo-op would be you in a bright orange survival suit tooling around New Orleans in a Coast Guard helicopter. The sight of you reaching out to help a survivor out of a rescue basket would be a real crowd-pleaser. You’ve got a lot of things going for you, big guy. Let Karl handle everything and history will remember you as the savior of Hurricane Katrina. Pigeons will be more than happy to decorate the statue the grateful citizens of New Orleans erect in your honor once the city is transformed into an unending sea of shopping malls and condos. Your admirer, Belacqua Jones
Response:
I can’t do anything about what Louisiana or New Orleans officials did or didn’t do and wouldn’t be the least bit surprised of their performances were substandard. My sole concern in this matter as an American citizen who resides elsewhere is the performance of my federal government in a crisis situation, because that performance affects all of us. Moreover, your headline is nonsense — if in fact what you call "Bush-bashing" actually was "back-firing" you wouldn’t have typed a word about it. After all, it would be idiotic to interrupt ones perceived opponent(s) in the process of making a mistake! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >Looks like Bruce Morgen has failed for the upteenth time. What he >didn’t post and doesn’t want you to know: >Don’t Blame Bush for Katrina >Christopher Ruddy >Monday, Sept. 5, 2005 >George Bush and the federal government are not to blame for the >disaster we have witnessed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. >In fact, the primary responsibility for the disaster response lies >with New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco >and other local officials. >Yet leading Democrats and their allies in the major media are clearly >using this disaster for political purposes and ignoring one obvious >fact. >This fact — which needs to be repeated and remembered — is that in >our country, state and local governments have primary responsibility >in dealing with local disasters. >The founding fathers devised a federal system of government — one >that has served us remarkably well through great disasters that have >befallen America over more than two centuries. >But if we believe the major TV networks, George Bush, FEMA and the >Republicans in Congress are all to blame for the current nightmare. >Let’s remember that FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was >created only in 1979. It was formed to coordinate and focus federal >response to major disasters — to "assist" local and state >governments. >Common sense suggests that local and state governments are best able >to prepare and plan for local disasters. >Is a Washington bureaucrat better suited to prepare for an earthquake >in San Francisco, a hurricane in Florida, or a terrorist act in New >York? >After the Sept. 11 attacks against the World Trade Center, no one >suggested that the Bush administration should have been responsible >for New York’s disaster response or that federal agents should have >been involved in the rescue of those trapped in the buildings. >Last year, four major hurricanes slammed into Florida. Governor Jeb >Bush led the disaster response and did a remarkable job, with nothing >happening like what we have seen in New Orleans. >The primary response in disasters has always come from local >communities and state governments. >First responders and the manpower to deal with emergencies come from >local communities: police, fire and medical. Under our federal system, >these local departments answer to local authorities, not those in >Washington. These first responders are not even under federal control, >nor do they have to follow federal orders. >In addition to local responders, every state in the Union has a >National Guard. >State National Guards answer first to the governor of each state, not >to the president. The National Guard exists not to defend one state >from an invasion by another state, but primarily for emergencies like >the one we have witnessed in New Orleans and in other areas impacted >by Katrina. >(See: >http://www.arng.army.mil/about_us/organization/command_structure.asp) >Tim Russert and the Blame Game >The media would have you believe that this disaster was worsened by a >slow response from President Bush and his administration, though the >primary responsibility for disaster response has always been with >local and state governments. >It is true that federal response was not as fast as it could have >been. The president himself has acknowledged that fact. >But the press has focused on the first 48 hours of federal response, >not uttering a word about the fact that New Orleans had 48 hours of >warning that a major Category 4 or 5 would make landfall near the >city, yet local officials apparently did little to prepare. >Obviously, Gov. Blanco did not effectively deploy her state’s National >Guard. >And New Orleans’ city leaders did almost nothing to evacuate the >portion of the population with no transportation. In failing to follow >their own evacuation plan, these officials did little to pre-position >food, water and personnel to deal with the aftermath. >I was surprised Sunday to watch Tim Russert, on his show "Meet the >Press," tear into Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff. During his >encounter with Chertoff, Russert did not suggest once that local >government had any role in dealing with the disaster. Russert also >asked for Chertoff’s resignation. >It wasn’t until after the first 29 minutes of his show — 29 minutes >– that Russert raised the question of local responsibility. And when >he did so with Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard, he did so >in a passing way. Broussard brushed off his question with a >non-answer. >Broussard began his interview claiming that the nation had "abandoned" >New Orleans. >That is nonsense and a lie. >Broussard, who was never identified by "Meet the Press" as a Democrat, >spent much of his time attacking the Bush administration, as has >Democratic New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. >Broussard then ended his performance as he collapsed in tears with a >demand: "For God’s sake, just shut up and send us somebody!" >His tears didn’t wash with me. My sympathies lie with the tens of >thousands of people who have suffered or died because local officials >like Broussard, Mayor Nagin and Governor Kathleen Blanco, also a >Democrat, failed monumentally at their jobs. >As former New Orleans Mayor Marc Morial told Russert, the disaster in >New Orleans was "foreseeable." >In fact, New Orleans has long known that such a disaster could take >place if a major hurricane hit the city. >The municipality even prepared its own "City of New Orleans >Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan." >The plan makes it evident that New Orleans knew that evacuation of the >civilian population was the primary responsibility of the city — not >the federal government. >The city plan acknowledges its responsibility in the document: >"As established by the City of New Orleans Charter, the government has >jurisdiction and responsibility in disaster response. City government >shall coordinate its efforts through the Office of Emergency >Preparedness." >The city document also makes clear that decisions involving a proper >and orderly evacuation lie with the governor, mayor and local >authorities. Nowhere is the president or federal government even >mentioned: >"The authority to order the evacuation of residents threatened by an >approaching hurricane is conferred to the Governor by Louisiana >Statute. The Governor is granted the power to direct and compel the >evacuation of all or part of the population from a stricken or >threatened area within the State, if he deems this action necessary >for the preservation of life or other disaster mitigation, response or >recovery. The same power to order an evacuation conferred upon the >Governor is also delegated to each political subdivision of the State >by Executive Order. This authority empowers the chief elected official >of New Orleans, the Mayor of New Orleans, to order the evacuation of >the parish residents threatened by an approaching hurricane." >It is clear the city also recognized that it would need to move large >portions of its population, and it would need to prepare for such an >eventuality: >"The City of New Orleans will utilize all available resources to >quickly and safely evacuate threatened areas. Those evacuated will be >directed to temporary sheltering and feeding facilities as needed. >When specific routes of progress are required, evacuees will be >directed to those routes. Special arrangements will be made to >evacuate persons unable to transport themselves or who require >specific life saving assistance. Additional personnel will be >recruited to assist in evacuation procedures as needed … >"Evacuation procedures for small scale and localized evacuations are >conducted per the SOPs of the New Orleans Fire Department and the New >Orleans Police Department. However, due to the sheer size and number >of persons to be evacuated, should a major tropical weather system or >other catastrophic event threaten or impact the area, specifically >directed long range planning and coordination of resources and >responsibilities efforts must be undertaken." >[You can read New Orleans' Emergency Plan for hurricanes at its Web >site: http://www.cityofno.com/portal.aspx?portal=46&tabid=26] >The city’s plan also specifically called for the use of city-owned >buses and school buses to evacuate the population. These were >apparently never deployed, though the Parish of Plaquemines just south >of the city evacuated its population using school buses. >The plan, written well before Katrina was even a teardrop in God’s >eye, was obviously never heeded or implemented by local leaders. >But why should the New Orleans mayor and Governor Blanco take >responsibility when they can blame George Bush and the Republicans in >Washington? >With congressional elections fast approaching, Democrats who are out >of power in every branch of the federal government know they need to >change the tide quickly. >They have apparently seized on the Katrina disaster to harm the >president politically. >Criticism of the federal government’s response is fair and warranted. >But putting full responsibility for this disaster on the Bush >administration is way over the top. >Primary responsibility for this
… read more »
Response:
> The following is the result of an interview I just conducted
YOU did not conduct an interview with ANYBODY. YOU are a liar and a THIEF. Lord Valve American
Response:
> > The following is the result of an interview I just conducted > YOU did not conduct an interview with ANYBODY. > YOU are a liar and a THIEF. > Lord Valve > American
you’re so funny.
Response:
Christopher Ruddy is a right-wing spin meister. Who cares what he has to say? Hopefully the Democrat’s will make preparedness an issue in 2006 and win some votes. If they don’t, then they deserve to loose. Hillary was on the ball this morning & asking the right questions. The fact is that FEMA has been screwed up, and we’ve lost site that natural disasters are usually worse than terrorists. Hopefully, it will get fixed. Mr Soul
Response:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1476130/posts this was posted elsewhere on the net. I am disappointed you didn’t locate Bigfoot yourself LV. I do not know the politics of MGNO but his observations from day one of the storm hitting through today are amazing. He actually situated a live cam on a hotel where folks were looting and doing so openly. He also got their plate number. Score one for the good guys. His blog gives an insight rarely spoken of, sharing how it is he can offer this site to the rest of us. http://williambowles.info/no/no_interview.html Here this’ll make yiou mad http://williambowles.info/index.html Nothing, I think illustrates the insanity of the ‘war on terror’ than the aftermath of the hurricane that hit the Gulf states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Some years ago I travelled from New Orleans to Pensacola in Florida with a friend, stopping off in the towns of Gulfport and Biloxi along the way to hang out with friends. Both towns have been totally wiped out by Hurricane Katrina. Most of the houses are made of ‘ticky-tacky’ and occupied largely by working class folks, many of whom are Black and which stand on land barely a few feet above sea level. It’s worth noting the following facts about Bush’s America in the light of the billions being spent on the invasion and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan: In 2001, FEMA warned that a hurricane striking New Orleans was one of the three most likely disasters in the U.S. But the Bush administration cut New Orleans flood control funding by 44 percent to pay for the Iraq war. A year ago the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed to study how New Orleans could be protected from a catastrophic hurricane, but the Bush administration ordered that the research not be undertaken… [B]y 2003 the federal funding for the flood control project essentially dried up as it was drained into the Iraq war. In 2004, the Bush administration cut funding requested by the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for holding back the waters of Lake Pontchartrain by more than 80 percent. Additional cuts at the beginning of this year (for a total reduction in funding of 44.2 percent since 2001) forced the New Orleans district of the Corps to impose a hiring freeze. ‘No One Can Say they Didn’t See it Coming’, By Sidney Blumenthal Adding to the scale of disaster has been Bush’s policy of unleashing commercial land development on the best protection New Orleans had against hurricanes, the wetlands, which according to a report prepared by four environmental groups stated …that without wetlands protection New Orleans could be devastated by an ordinary, much less a Category 4 or 5, hurricane. "There’s no way to describe how mindless a policy that is when it comes to wetlands protection," said one of the report’s authors. The chairman of the White House’s Council on Environmental Quality dismissed the study as "highly questionable," and boasted, "Everybody loves what we’re doing." Everybody that is except the hundreds of thousands of people whose lives have been devastated, not so much by a ‘natural’ disaster but by the twin assaults of global warming and a policy of waging war on the planet and neglecting to invest in essential services in locations like New Orleans. Worse still is the fact that the corporate press has completely ignored the criminal neglect of the Bush government’s cuts that have been the main contributory factor to New Orleans being effectively wiped out. The main breech in the levee or dyke, two blocks long at 17th Street Canal, that until now stopped the massive Lake Pontchartrain from draining into New Orleans, has long been identified as a disaster waiting to happen Yet after 2003, the flow of federal dollars toward SELA [Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project] dropped to a trickle. The Corps never tried to hide the fact that the spending pressures of the war in Iraq, as well as homeland security – coming at the same time as federal tax cuts – was the reason for the strain. At least nine articles in the Times-Picayune from 2004 and 2005 specifically cite the cost of Iraq as a reason for the lack of hurricane- and flood-control dollars. It should also be pointed out that this area, Crescent City which is ten feet below the level of the lake is a poor, working class neighbourhood with some of it now under as much as 20 feet of water. Some experts are predicting that unless the levee is repaired, like real soon, Lake Pontchartrain will continue to drain out until much of Crescent City disappears. The rising tide may not stop until it’s level with the massive lake. – ‘When the levee breaks’ Louisiana is one of the poorest states in the Union and Bush’s tax cuts, which benefit only the rich, have impacted the worst on states like Louisiana. The question that has to be asked is why, when millions of ordinary Americans have suffered so much under a Bush presidency from the collapse of public services through to the rising levels of unemployment, they nevertheless continue to vote in characters like Bush (vote rigging aside)? Why, when it is so obvious that Bush represents a predator class of weapons manufacturers, oil/energy cartels, banking/financial monopolies and media/IT corporations, that millions of ordinary Americans nevertheless are willing to tolerate such cynical and murderous politicians as Bush and here in the UK, his slavish toady, Tony Blair? However, the more observant reader will I hope have noticed a pattern to the events of recent years that reveals the real objectives of the ruling political classes of the US and the UK and the economic class they represent. There are three major planks to US/UK imperial policy: Guaranteeing and extending a continued flow of the key strategic materials needed to safeguard the interests of capital(ism) and of course, unimpeded access to the world’s markets for their products Avoiding at all costs having to deal with the resultant threat to the global environment that these policies have brought about and where possible, transfer the onus of (hopefully and vainly) dealing with it to the developing world The creation of an entirely fictitious threat to ‘civilisation’ that is used to justify points 1 and 2 Thus, the recent G8 summit that in theory at least, dealt with points 1 and 2 although couched in different terminology, ie poverty/’fair trade’ and climate change that was ever so conveniently drowned out by the events of 7/7 and 21/7, ably assisted of course by its handmaiden, the corporate and state-run press that papered over the underlying causes with all the talk about ‘corruption’ and went to great lengths to portray Blair as being totally committed to reversing climate change, in spite of the fact, that the Labour government’s policies actually do virtually nothing to reverse global warming. Any analysis of the major events that have occupied the corporate and state-run media shows that they have in their various ways been forced to deal with these issues not only because, like Iraq or now Hurricane Katrina, they are unavoidable, but because of a recognition by the public that these are issues that do in fact, concern them. The objective therefore, has been to present these key issues in ways that deflects attention away from the real causes of the crisis that confronts us, namely an out of control imperialism, that is oblivious and/or unconcerned about the consequences of its actions. It is perhaps this last aspect of the current situation that is the most frightening for many of us, as unlike previous catastrophes brought about the policies of Western imperialism, which although unimaginably destructive, have not threatened the entire planet with destruction (‘merely’ increasingly large swathes of it). One way of presenting these events so as to mask the real causes is to simply omit the key elements, so for example, BBC ‘news’ coverage of Hurricane Katrina has not mentioned any of the extremely relevant context which I have mentioned above, nor, aside from one brief reference, has it mentioned the fact that due to the occupation of Iraq, almost two-thirds of the Louisiana National Guard are otherwise occupied in bringing ‘democracy’ to Iraq rather than assisting the mostly poor victims of the hurricane trapped in the crumbling infrastructure of New Orleans. And the same applies to the coming (and related) climate catastrophe as the latest MediaLens piece illustrates so clearly, namely the melting of the Siberian permafrost, an event that has been entirely airbrushed out of the news and for obvious reasons as the effects are so catastrophic as to in all likelihood, ‘tip the balance’. Predictions are that in as little as ten years from now, we could be on the slide into global catastrophe. Earlier this month, New Scientist reported the astonishing news that the world’s largest frozen peat bog, comprising an area the size of France and Germany combined, was melting. According to researchers who have been studying the permafrost of western Siberia, the bog could unleash billions of tonnes of methane, a greenhouse gas twenty times as potent as carbon dioxide, into the atmosphere. If this were to happen, the consequences for the climate system, and for humanity, would be appalling. (Fred Pearce, ‘Climate warning as Siberia melts,’ New Scientist, August 13, 2005) And as the MediaLens report says …none of this is allowed to divert media managers from faithfully serving the cause of business as usual. Look at the Guardian newspaper, for example. Less than two weeks after the shocking news of the melting Siberian permafrost, this custodian of liberalism was waxing lyrical over "buoyant corporation tax receipts" and the US "defy[ing] economic gravity"; and was recklessly calling for "stronger world growth". This, the reader was assured, "would be very welcome in Britain." … read more »
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – > Christopher Ruddy is a right-wing spin meister. Who cares what he has > to say? > Hopefully the Democrat’s will make preparedness an issue in 2006 and > win some votes. If they don’t, then they deserve to loose. > Hillary was on the ball this morning & asking the right questions. The > fact is that FEMA has been screwed up, and we’ve lost site that natural > disasters are usually worse than terrorists. Hopefully, it will get > fixed. > Mr Soul
Response:
I don’t suppose you’ve noticed that your initials are the same as Really Stupid.. The Repair Guy http://repairguy1993.netfirms.com/
Response:
>> The following is the result of an interview I just conducted >YOU did not conduct an interview with ANYBODY.
That’s a pretty broad accusation. I’m sure you could prove it upon request, though… The Repair Guy http://repairguy1993.netfirms.com/
Response:
>>> The following is the result of an interview I just conducted >YOU did not conduct an interview with ANYBODY. >That’s a pretty broad accusation. I’m sure you could >prove it upon request, though… >The Repair Guy >http://repairguy1993.netfirms.com/
What LV means is she didn’t interview him, the grand POO-bah. Ken Wilson Proud Owner of Lord Valve, PMG, John Wheaton, Claude Lucas, Freep the Xenophobe, Chuck, the rest of the Union of Rightwing Idiots Needing Explanations (URINE) and, at his own request, Karl Rovershank (aka Lars from Mars) Supporting the Troops at http://www.resisters.ca http://www.criticalhistory.com/
Response:
LV: Flaaarrrrppp! LV’sFC: Boss, did you get enough sleep? Try again!
Response:
>>YOU did not conduct an interview with ANYBODY. >That’s a pretty broad accusation. I’m sure you could >prove it upon request, though…
[any evidence would go here...] The Repair Guy http://repairguy1993.netfirms.com/
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> The Real News > The following is the result of an interview I just conducted via cell > phone with a New Orleans citizen stranded at the Convention Center. I > don’t know what you’re hearing in the mainstream media or in the press > conferences from the city and state officials, but here is the truth: > "Bigfoot" is a bar manager and DJ on Bourbon Street, and is a local > personality and icon in the city. He is a lifelong resident of the > city, born and raised. He rode out the storm itself in the Iberville > Projects because he knew he would be above any flood waters. Here is > his story as told to me moments ago. I took notes while he talked and > then I asked some questions: > Three days ago, police and national guard troops told citizens to head > toward the Crescent City Connection Bridge to await transportation out > of the area. The citizens trekked over to the Convention Center and > waited for the buses which they were told would take them to Houston or > Alabama or somewhere else, out of this area. > It’s been 3 days, and the buses have yet to appear. > Although obviously he has no exact count, he estimates more than 10,000 > people are packed into and around and outside the convention center > still waiting for the buses. They had no food, no water, and no > medicine for the last three days, until today, when the National Guard > drove over the bridge above them, and tossed out supplies over the side > crashing down to the ground below. Much of the supplies were destroyed > from the drop. Many people tried to catch the supplies to protect them > before they hit the ground. Some offered to walk all the way around up > the bridge and bring the supplies down, but any attempt to approach the > police or national guard resulted in weapons being aimed at them. > There are many infants and elderly people among them, as well as many > people who were injured jumping out of windows to escape flood water > and the like — all of them in dire straights. > Any attempt to flag down police results in being told to get away at > gunpoint. Hour after hour they watch buses pass by filled with people > from other areas. Tensions are very high, and there has been at least > one murder and several fights. 8 or 9 dead people have been stored in a > freezer in the area, and 2 of these dead people are kids. > The people are so desperate that they’re doing anything they can think > of to impress the authorities enough to bring some buses. These things > include standing in single file lines with the eldery in front, women > and children next; sweeping up the area and cleaning the windows and > anything else that would show the people are not barbarians. > The buses never stop. > Before the supplies were pitched off the bridge today, people had to > break into buildings in the area to try to find food and water for > their families. There was not enough. This spurred many families to > break into cars to try to escape the city. There was no police response > to the auto thefts until the mob reached the rich area — Saulet Condos > — once they tried to get cars from there… well then the whole swat > teams began showing up with rifles pointed. Snipers got on the roof and > told people to get back. > He reports that the conditions are horrendous. Heat, mosquitoes and > utter misery. The smell, he says, is "horrific." > He says it’s the slowest mandatory evacuation ever, and he wants to > know why they were told to go to the Convention Center area in the > first place; furthermore, he reports that many of them with cell phones > have contacts willing to come rescue them, but people are not being > allowed through to pick them up.
Well, it’s obvious that they did not follow instructions to go to the Crescent City Connection Bridge but went to the Convention Center instead.
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> The Real News > The following is the result of an interview I just conducted via cell > phone with a New Orleans citizen stranded at the Convention Center.
(snip)… PLAGARIST !!
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http://www.pollkatz.homestead.com/files/pollkatzmainGRAPHICS_8911_ima…
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> > The Real News > The following is the result of an interview I just conducted via cell > phone with a New Orleans citizen stranded at the Convention Center. > (snip)… > PLAGARIST !!
source is given above btw – you’re copying Mr. LV..
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LV: Plort! LV’sFC: Got it right here, boss. More?
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Pew has issued their latest poll and it seems to echo the CBS and Zogby polls from earlier today. Bush approval is 40% approve, 52% disapprove, propped up pretty much by whites in the South. Bush handling of Katrina: 67% say he could have done better. Big racial divide on how response to hurricane is viewed. Gas prices are also a huge issue.
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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> > The Real News > > The following is the result of an interview I just conducted via cell > > phone with a New Orleans citizen stranded at the Convention Center. > (snip)… > PLAGARIST !! > source is given above > btw – you’re copying Mr. LV..
RIGHT !!! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –
Response:
LV: Sssshhhhhhhhppppppllllaaaaarrrrrrbbbbbb! LV’sFC: Got it, boss. Hey, this smells familiar. More?
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and?
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