While Bush fiddles, New Orleans dies (Newsday)

[struggle4progress]

September 4, 2005

This is a review of the performance of George W. Bush in tight times in this nation. It might explain the single solitary most catastrophic collapse of American government in all of our times. Mark ye well. This was the week when we turned a major American city into Haiti, and racism put its hand out and started to choke a nation, and it may not let go. <snip>

He barely seemed to understand there was a hurricane for the first three days. He was in Coronado, outside San Diego, and in his speech, he managed to mention New Orleans, by saying that people should not return to their homes until rescue crews could do their work.

Nobody had to be told not to return to their homes because they don't have homes to return to, and no bus fare to go anywhere.

He then told Americans to send donations to the Red Cross and the Salvation Army. How marvelous! His administration sends billions and billions of tax money to his personal war in Iraq to shoot up Fallujah for the third or fourth time since he started the war with his lies, and now he wants everybody to go out on the street and give forty dollars to hurricane charity. <snip>

http://www.newsday.com/news/columnists/ny-d4411450sep04,0,7673371.column?coll=ny-rightrail-columnist

[Loge23]

1. beautiful, who wrote that? (nt)

[Dudley_DUright]

2. Looks like a Newsday editorial

[DinahMoeHum]

5. The print edition of Newsday says Jimmy Breslin.

I should know - I'm holding a copy of it right now.

[nyhuskyfan]

13. Here's a version with a byline

And a different headline

http://www.newsday.com/nyc-bres0904,0,4083077.story

[For PaisAn]

7. Jimmy Breslin wrote it

He's semi-retired from writing columns but does an ocassional one for Newsday.

Newsday is my local paper and IMO one of the best papers in the country.

[Autonomy]

3. That about sums it up

tho the writer missed the opportunity to emphasize the fact that Bush literally played guitar while NOLA drowned. We need to keep hammering that image.

[Name removed]

29. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[For PaisAn]

33. Wow

that is perfect.

[babylonsister]

4. Kick nt

[McCamy Taylor]

6. All too true.

[SlowDownFast]

8. That about sums it up.

Recommended.

[TankLV]

9. Wow - beautifully said.

But we shouldn't criticize, according to some disgusting DU'rs here!

Riiiiiiiiight!

[nyhuskyfan]

10. Another Newsday column from Ellis Henican

Friday, as the first plastic water bottles were arriving at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in downtown New Orleans, George W. Bush finally showed up in New Orleans, too. No, he didn't get to town any quicker than the fresh water did.

And the president didn't make a stop at the convention center or the Louisiana Superdome, where the human misery was packed in tightest concentration. He didn't risk meeting any regular folks on the street, as he had on the Mississippi and Alabama Gulf coasts. People from New Orleans are not known for disguising their outrage. What an angry earful they would have given the president!

"This is a storm that requires immediate action, now," Bush said at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport before flying back to Washington. Only now? How about three and a half days ago?

"The president is starting to grasp the magnitude of the situation," Mary Landrieu, Louisiana's always diplomatic senior senator, said through what sounded like gritted teeth.


http://www.newsday.com/news/columnists/nyc-hen0904,0,426548.column?coll=ny-news-columnists

[For PaisAn]

12. Ellis Henican is great also

As an aside, he's originally from New Orleans.

[Catfight]

11. Well said, Americans must really like to suffer under little w. Until

we see a backlash of all this blatant turn a blind eye to the suffering, until we say no more, this is our country, not George Bush's country, we will suffer more and more and more...

[Lord Kerry]

14. Help me, I am confused.

I wanna be fair about this, but I know people will kill me if I broke rank, but... I found this.

from http://www.postchronicle.com/commentary/article_212499.shtml

(1) It is against the law for any President to order troops into a city or across state lines without a request and permission from the Governor of that state.

John Armor, a First Amendment lawyer and one of my favorite writers, told me, "Federal law prevents the President from sending in the National Guard until the Governor gives the order. It is little known, but the Commanding General of the National Guard in every state reports to the Governor, not the President, until the Governor says otherwise. U.S. military units (regular Army, not the Guard) cannot be used because of the Posse Comitatus law, until the Guard has been authorized."

According to some news sources, the Governor of Louisiana, who knew the levees were weak, who knew that the city had been slowly sinking, and who knew that a major # 5 hurricane was approaching her city, did not call Washington for help.

(2) The Mayor of New Orleans did call for evacuation over a loud-speaker, but did nothing to be sure that the police went door-to-door, followed by transportation, to pick up all those who did not have cars or any ability to leave.

There was no other leadership practiced by the mayor there, as had been in New York City during 9/11 by Mayor Giuliani.

(3) The hurricane veered east and saved New Orleans, Brian Williams announced a week ago, and all breathed a sigh of relief...until the levees broke a day or two later allowing the surrounding waters to pour into the city.

(4) It was this predicted levee failure which had been ignored for so long that doomed the local people to be held hostage in their attics or on rooftops, not the storm. It was also the failure of the local bureaucrats and local elected leaders to maintain law and order, and to have pre-arranged for complete evacuations of the city.

It was only after a request went out to the President that troops could be sent in. Can you imagine the anti-Bush media screaming that Bush had invaded Louisiana as he had done in Iraq if he had gone in before being asked?

[thebigidea]

16. anti-Bush media? what fucking planet are you on?

[For PaisAn]

17. The anti-Bush media??

That tells me all I need to know about where you're coming from.

[Lord Kerry]

18. Calm your ass down, I hate him as much as you do

[For PaisAn]

20. My ass is calm

A little enlightenment - there is no anti-Bush media.
Just trying to help you in your confusion, as you requested in your original post.

[Lord Kerry]

21. It's not about "anti Bush Media"

That was an accident, sorry. It is the 4 points I was concerned. Thats all.

[For PaisAn]

38. OK

I'll go back to your original post and attempt to respond to the 4 points. But the anti-Bush comment appears to be a "slip" rather than and "accident" because either you believe the media is anti-Bush or you know better. Can't have it both ways.

[Lord Kerry]

40. Don't forget I am still kinda newbie

[thebigidea]

53. so? How does being new make you believe in an anti-bush media?

[Jade Fox]

31. Around here claiming to "hate Bush as much as anyone" is...

a dead giveaway as to what you're real intentions are.

We hate what Bush has DONE. (Sorry to disappoint you if you're looking
for crazed Bush-haters) See if you can figure out the difference.

[Lord Kerry]

37. Thank you Mr. Psychic

I am still new, just haven't posted in a long while.

[struggle4progress]

23. Wow! "Why The Katrina Coverage Made Me Switch To Fox News!"

from "The Post Chronicle" whose other insightful commentary today includes: "Society Collapses Before Our Eyes Without The Ten Commandments" and "NBC Telethon Brings Out Another Bush Basher."

I was incredibly excited to see that the "Northeast Office - Main" of "The Post Chronicle" is "PO Box 530 Rockaway NJ" and that their "Washington D.C. Office" is "PO Box 0101 Portsmouth VA." I knew real estate inside the Beltway was tight, but this is the first time I'd realized newspapers were working out of PO boxes.

I'm sure the paper is credible because it's certainly a hit in some quarters: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/user-posts?id=215982 --and what a mix of columnists are evident there!

Before I forget to say it: Welcome to DU! :hi:

[Lord Kerry]

25. As I said before

I know I will get jumped. That was sent to me by a friend of mine, and I thought to get some rightious DU insight on the four points the author made. I just keep thinking he was on to something, but I could be wrong.

[spooky3]

28. because the Search function isn't working

I can't link to posts that show that your friend's author assertions are completely false. However, if you are sincere, I'm sure you'll want to check the threads here to find the info yourself, because it has been posted. And if you have watched CNN or other news outlets this week, you know it's true because we've heard many of these local and state government officials asking for help and discussing their frustrations with the lack of BUSH's team's response.

For example, Blanco asked for help AUGUST 26. More requests of other types were made AUGUST 28.

Are you honestly unable to see a critical difference between the current situation what Giuliani faced and had available to him? The city of New York was not destroyed or flooded or rendered without power on 9/11. Other than the area around the twin towers, the infrastructure, hospitals, and people including first responders, were still available for the mayor and other local officials to utilize to help deal with the crisis. This was pointed out very clearly by a member of the Congressional Black Caucus this week.

[Lord Kerry]

36. Getting clearer

Did Blanco activate the National Guard in her state specifically?

[nyhuskyfan]

42. For God's Sake, Yes...

How can this even be a talking point...

This is from before the storm hit...

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2005/08/mil-050829-arnews02.htm

[nyhuskyfan]

44. Here's a MSM story...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0508300163aug30,1,4149404.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed

[struggle4progress]

45. Do you even know where the Louisiana National Guard is?

... "We are doing the best we can with the resources we have, but almost all of our guys are in Iraq," a Louisiana National Guard soldier said ...
http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=globalNews&storyID=2005-09-04T150135Z_01_EIC453534_RTRUKOC_0_US-KATRINA-SNAPSHOT.xml

[struggle4progress]

32. Why not read the homepage archives here for the last few days?

You'll find plenty of mainstream media stories that might educate you a bit about exactly what's happened, over the past week and the past several years.

[zalinda]

27. And, if all communication is cut off

the President should just sit there with his thumb in his mouth and do nothing? There are more and more accounts that help was there, but held out of NO, until the President's go ahead. Relief arrived when he did. Why? Photo op!

zalinda

[Lord Kerry]

34. Wait a min.

I thought it was illegal for the president to activate the national guard without the governors order. More confusion.

[struggle4progress]

47. ... New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson offered Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson offered Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco help from his state's National Guard last Sunday, the day before Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana. Blanco accepted, but paperwork needed to get the troops en route didn't come from Washington until late Thursday ...
http://www.dailysouthtown.com/southtown/dsnews/0412nd2.htm

[nyhuskyfan]

35. The national guard was activated...

Other governors offered to send their national guards as well (New Mexico in particular was the basis of the story) before the storm hit and Blanco accepted, but Washington red tape didn't allow that to happen.

If you want to understand why the federal response was so slow, just read this. It was written last summer by the Best of New Orleans, and it pretty much lays out for the you the gutting of FEMA under Bush's watch and what has happened. This was written 11 months ago, so

http://www.bestofneworleans.com/dispatch/2004-09-28/cover_story.html

[For PaisAn]

41. Your 4 points

1) the Governor did ask for help early on, actually I believe it was before Katrina hit. Can't search right now to find the threads on this.
2)The Mayor of New Orleans does not have the resources to go door to door and pick all those people up. That's why we have a National Guard, you know those guys and gals who protect and serve in our country but are in Iraq right now.
3)Nobody was breathing a sigh of relief.
4)And precisely, it was a known fact that the levees could not withstand a hurricane of this force and Bush & Co cut funding to repair those levees, by 70+ %. Again, in a crisis of this magnitude, the National Guard is needed to maintain law & order and to evacuate the city.

[govegan]

50. She sent the following letter to President Bush

Governor Blanco requested $9,000,000 and a federal state of emergency declared Saturday. She sent the following letter to President Bush:

Dear Mr. President:

Under the provisions of Section 501 (a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 5121-5206 (Stafford Act), and implemented by 44 CFR § 206.35, I request that you declare an emergency for the State of Louisiana due to Hurricane Katrina for the time period beginning August 26, 2005, and continuing. The affected areas are all the southeastern parishes including the New Orleans Metropolitan area and the mid state Interstate I-49 corridor and northern parishes along the I-20 corridor that are accepting the thousands of citizens evacuating from the areas expecting to be flooded as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

In response to the situation I have taken appropriate action under State law and directed the execution of the State Emergency Plan on August 26, 2005 in accordance with Section 501 (a) of the Stafford Act. A State of Emergency has been issued for the State in order to support the evacuations of the coastal areas in accordance with our State Evacuation Plan and the remainder of the state to support the State Special Needs and Sheltering Plan.

Pursuant to 44 CFR § 206.35, I have determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the State and affected local governments, and that supplementary Federal assistance is necessary to save lives, protect property, public health, and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a disaster. I am specifically requesting emergency protective measures, direct Federal Assistance, Individual and Household Program (IHP) assistance, Special Needs Program assistance, and debris removal.

Preliminary estimates of the types and amount of emergency assistance needed under the Stafford Act, and emergency assistance from certain Federal agencies under other statutory authorities are tabulated in Enclosure A.

The following information is furnished on the nature and amount of State and local resources that have been or will be used to alleviate the conditions of this emergency:
. Department of Social Services (DSS): Opening (3) Special Need Shelters (SNS) and establishing (3) on Standby.
. Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH): Opening (3) Shelters and establishing (3) on Standby.
. Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (OHSEP): Providing generators and support staff for SNS and Public Shelters.
. Louisiana State Police (LSP): Providing support for the phased evacuation of the coastal areas.
. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (WLF): Supporting the evacuation of the affected population and preparing for Search and Rescue Missions.

Mr. President
Page Two
August 27, 2005

. Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD): Coordinating traffic flow and management of the evacuations routes with local officials and the State of Mississippi.

The following information is furnished on efforts and resources of other Federal agencies, which have been or will be used in responding to this incident:
. FEMA ERT-A Team en-route.

I certify that for this emergency, the State and local governments will assume all applicable non-Federal share of costs required by the Stafford Act.

I request Direct Federal assistance for work and services to save lives and protect property.

(a) List any reasons State and local government cannot perform or contract for performance, (if applicable).

(b) Specify the type of assistance requested.

In accordance with 44 CFR § 206.208, the State of Louisiana agrees that it will, with respect to Direct Federal assistance:

1. Provide without cost to the United States all lands, easement, and rights-of-ways necessary to accomplish the approved work.

2. Hold and save the United States free from damages due to the requested work, and shall indemnify the Federal Government against any claims arising from such work;

3. Provide reimbursement to FEMA for the non-Federal share of the cost of such work in accordance with the provisions of the FEMA-State Agreement; and

4. Assist the performing Federal agency in all support and local jurisdictional matters.

In addition, I anticipate the need for debris removal, which poses an immediate threat to lives, public health, and safety.

Pursuant to Sections 502 and 407 of the Stafford Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 5192 & 5173, the State agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the United States of America for any claims arising from the removal of debris or wreckage for this disaster. The State agrees that debris removal from public and private property will not occur until the landowner signs an unconditional authorization for the removal of debris.

I have designated Mr. Art Jones as the State Coordinating Officer for this request. He will work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in damage assessments and may provide further information or justification on my behalf.

Sincerely,
Kathleen Babineaux Blanco
Governor
Enclosure

[Cookie wookie]

43. Maybe the mayor and governor were busy.

And, just exactly how were the police to maintain law and order when they had no cars, no gas, no water, no power, no communications, etc etc etc?
Just confused.

And BTW, the mayor and governor hadn't ignored the problems with the levees, nor had Louisiana legislators. They didn't have the money and bush and the republicans cut funding for the corp of engineers levee project, which some now admit might not have been a good idea, and considering how our tax money is supposed to be going for the common good of us all, but was diverted into the pockets of the few superrich through tax cuts, and into the pockets of all the war profiteers for bush's war, it's remarkable how anyone could be "confused" about that issue.

[PATRICK]

55. Venezuela and Louisiana

All in all with all the oil money and trade in that state it is treated exactly like a third world country, a model used in Latin America until Chavez simply started using oil profits for the basic good of the people who live there.

Palast has a bitter article about Huey Long "daring" to seize Standard Oil money and assets to cope with the disaster to NO back in a FEMA-less day.

Crippled, subservient, even ewell-meaning(weak) leaders in both parties have to suffer this unnatural injustice and simply let their people die.

And those who still have them must get on with their lives with not a thin dime from the regions golden resource ever to make up for it or prevent MORE desertification- of America.

The same as they have been turning other countries with oil into poverty deserts- possibly on the enlightened religious model of Saudi Arabia.

America IS the third world when it comes to the tyranny of big money rule. And it is on its way to becoming an uninhabitable mockery of a free land.

[struggle4progress]

46. ... The Louisiana National Guard's 256th Brigade Combat Team ...

.. which was preparing to go home later this month, will be staying in Iraq despite a request from their commander to return to support hurricane relief efforts ...http://www.saukvalley.com/news/288523635199866.bsp

[ClintonTyree]

52. This is sarcasm, right?

Because if it isn't, you're about as ignorant and uninformed as they come. This will be deleted soon because we're not supposed to point accusatory fingers at people, but you better do a little fact checking and time-line research ASAP.

Your pResident failed everyone in the Gulf States, black, white, poor rich....everyone. But mostly black and poor. You can stick up for Der Failure all you want, but with your 14 posts and obvious affection for the moron in chief you won't be sticking up for him around HERE much longer.

[Lord Kerry]

56. Don't worry

And don't judge me. Just wanted some advice from the most rightious. I'm not bothering anyone.

[ClintonTyree]

57. Wrong.......

you're bothering the hell out of me. Advice from the most righteous? Look to the White House, they're the ones who claim to be the most righteous while leaving a trail of death and destruction wherever they go. And I'm not judging you, your words judge and expose you well enough.

[Cha]

59. Bothering me, too!

Anyone defending bush no matter how subtle is looking for a RIGHTEOUS attack.

[Lord Kerry]

60. ????

I am not defending the bastard.

[Laurab]

61. Bothering me a bit too

But, hopefully you will take your answered questions back to the "friend" who sent them to you, and set them straight. Your pResident is in charge of this country, and as he has shown over and over, he can do any damn thing he wants to, legal or not.

There is NO defense for him, NONE. He is a murderer, plain and simple. Not only a murderer, but one who plays guitars and eats cake while "his" people are dying. The RW talking points are LIES, as they always are.

[blue neen]

62. "most rightious" Hmm. Sorry, but

you're looking in the wrong place for that. You'll likely find the "most rightious" person at the 700 Club. His name is Pat Robertson.
You've heard of him, haven't you? His most recent inspirational lesson included a call for the assassination of Venezuelan President Chavez, a man who showed more compassion for the victims of Katrina than our own "President" Bush.

BTW, here at DU we spell that R-I-G-H-T-E-O-U-S. Maybe you can remember it a little better if you think of it this way: self-righteous George W. Bush, self-righteous racists, self-righteous freepers.

I hope that helped you out so that you won't feel like such a newbie. :hi:

Psst...I almost forgot to let you in on a little secret. You need to change your user name. It's not Lord Kerry. It's President Kerry.

[alcibiades_mystery]

58. I will address POINT 2 specifically

The mayor publicized the evacuation order as much as he could, which was through the public airwaves and through loudspeakers going around the neighborhoods. He did not have people going door-to-door, because that is, in essence, impossible given the timeframe, as any idiot with the foggiest sense of what a city looks like would know. Now, compare Giuliani on the morning of 9/11. What were his major "evacuation plans" for Lower Manhattan? None. We're police asked to keep crowds away from the towers? No, not really. You could watch the fires from across the street. Oh, after the first collapse, while he was running around getting stuck in parking garages, etc., he finally asked a pool reporter to announce that anyone south of Canal Street should "go north." Over the television - the best mode of communication, although we weren't watching must television in the huge, confused crowd inching up the FDR Drive near the South Street Seaport...we kinda figured that "going north" was the best strategy. The leadership during the events of 9/11 was non-existent. The planning and equipment was piss poor, and probably cost hundreds of firefighters their lives. Giuliani didn't emerge as a "leader" until his very moving statements later that day. So, let's go back to Ray Nagin. He was dealing with a situation far in excess of anything Giuliani had to deal with, and he actually managed to get large numbers of people to shelter, even with limited resources. I think he actually compares quite favorably to Giuliani.

[bring_em_home_bush]

63. Blanco did ask for help, the Washington Post issued a correction

stating so.

What an interesting screen name you have--what does it mean, pray?

[For PaisAn]

15. The last papragraph sums it all up perfectly

"Without somebody in front, Bush stands there, uncovered, without an American flag draped around him, as the most incompetent president we've ever had."

[Hardknock]

19. WE HAVE BILLIONS FOR WAR BUT CAN'T FEED THE POOR???

FUCK YOU BUSH

[babsbunny]

24. And the war is a lie!

The war was unnecessary! If the Democrats are not gonna be part of the solution, then they too are part of the problem.

[Arugula Latte]

30. Welcome to DU, Hardknock!!

:hi: :toast:

[checks-n-balances]

22. Breslin also has some interesting revelations about Giuliani...

(snip)

In New York, Giuliani did nothing but go on television. That's all he did and all he ever can do. Beautiful! There are television cameras in New Orleans. And just like Bush, Giuliani doesn't want many blacks near him. If more than two blacks entered City Hall, he called for snipers. Giuliani doesn't even have a show black like Condoleezza Rice, who bought shoes in Ferragamo in Manhattan this week.

Bush got found out this week and he needs his own rescue. Assure Giuliani that he could run for president if he does the job. As New York found, he can do nothing good about anything. That doesn't matter. Without somebody in front, Bush stands there, uncovered, without an American flag draped around him, as the most incompetent president we've ever had.

(end)

[robbedvoter]

26. And thank Jimmy for that! The nausea over Rudy's beatification

still lingers...

[MADem]

39. It was beatification by comparison, nothing more

I know what you mean, but that was simply a compare and contrast exercise.

It was not that Rudy was so great, it was that chimpy was so bad. And true to form, the monkeyking is BAD yet again.

FAILURE TO LEAD.

[ShockediSay]

49. And just what did Rudy do? He put on a show.

He put on a show.

It was all after the fact. The damage was done, the dead were dead when Rudy set up his command post. (Bye the way, the recently released tapes show the real heroes on the scene, when there were lives to be saved, had faulty comm equipment, Rudy's responsibility - - HE COST MORE LIVES THAN HE SAVED.

And just how many lives were saved on account of 'take charge Rudy' and his command post? I don't know of one. If there were any, they were damn few.

[HockeyMom]

51. Rudy did not have to bring in food, water, or medical supplies

The entire City of New York, including the rest of the Manhattan or the other 4 boroughs, was not devastated.

[robbedvoter]

54. No, but he needed to close Union Square Park where we were gathering

to mourn and protest war. That was a hell of an action!

Anyway, I am using this paragraph as a signature:


Bush's style is to be nowhere if things that carry a bit of fear happen. During Vietnam, he kept all dental appointments. For the World Trade Center attack, he first froze in a classroom in Florida. Then he flew off in his plane for long hours. Three days later, he got to New York where a flunky placed a retired firefighter, alongside him atop a truck. Then Bush called out a football dressing room speech over a bullhorn.

[indepat]

48. Jimmy minces few word