The two words conspicuously absent from MSM coverage of NOLA:

[wtmusic]

"National Guard".

"Police are exhausted...stretched to the limit..."

"Pentagon mounts relief effort..."

How many lives would have been saved, had there been 5K Guards in LA before the hurricane helping people move to higher ground? Now that bodies are floating down the Mississippi we have the Army to come in and help pick them up...

[malaise]

1. They're busy

spreading 'freedom and democracy' in Iraq. This is utter madness. Bush should be impeached for this.

[OrangeCountyDemocrat]

2. What......Him Worry? n/t

[Cha]

3. It's the media's fault there is

no National Guard to rescue these people in Mississippi, Louisiana, and wherever else they're needed in the USA.

[HamdenRice]

4. Democracy Now, Amy Goodman ...

the best news show and radio reporter working in the US today, did mention it in the morning broadcast. She said that most (I forget which percentage) of the LA and Miss NG are in Iraq, and she added something like they are unable to help because they are 6,000 miles away in Iraq.

She also mentioned that the LA NG has suffered more casualties than any other state NG, except for NY.


http://www.democracynow.org/

Louisiana National Guard Equipment in Iraq
The war in Iraq may also play a role in the recovery and cleanup of the hurricane. Earlier this month the Louisiana National Guard publicly complained that too much of its equipment was in Iraq. The local ABC news affiliate reported dozens of high water vehicles, Humvees, refuelers and generators are now abroad.

[wtmusic]

8. I'd expect that out of Amy

but nobody else seems to give a crap :grr:

[Coventina]

5. Agreed, and another two "GLOBAL WARMING"

Also brought to you courtesy of the BFEE

[Historic NY]

6. Yes its a real shame.......

we send the people we depend on most in our hour of need to carry out a mission in an undeclared war based on a lie. Who will step up to the plate for these poor people. We will probably never know just how many lives could have been saved had the La NG been in place here at home with their equipment instead of in the sandbox, trying to stay alive against people that hate them.

[wtmusic]

9. The policy of calling up NGs at the outset of war

started only in 1973 under the "total force" policy:

"In 1973, DOD adopted the total force policy, which recognized that active and reserve U.S. military forces should be readily available to support military operations. As a result, reserve forces were no longer considered to be forces of last resort; rather, they are now recognized as indispensable to the nation's defense from the earliest days of a conflict."

http://usmilitary.about.com/cs/guardandreserve/a/reservecallup.htm

(during the waning days of Viet Nam enlistees were pretty hard to come by too).

[leftchick]

7. LA NG soldier on TV just said their first duty is to the US

and that is why they are in Iraq, their second id to their state. Daren dinkus just interviewed him in Iraq. The battalion will be coming home in 2 weeks.

[TheDebbieDee]

10. The battalion will be coming home in 2 weeks.

Coming home to what?

I'd be pi$$ed if I was sent 6,000 miles away from home on a wild goose chase that affords Halliburton to make billions while my home was being ransacked by nature!

[leftchick]

13. I would be too

I was amazed at his lack of emotion. Perhaps it was that year in Iraq.

[wtmusic]

17. Love your animation

Reminds me of a photo I took in DC in March or some young women honoring our president

[leftchick]

27. cute gals

and smart too! ;)

[Catherine Vincent]

11. And you know, I heard on CNN last night that they had to

send national guard to NOLA to combat the looting but yet they didn't show any. They had lots of video of the so called looting but none of national guardsmen around.

[wtmusic]

14. I haven't seen ONE clip showing NG in New Orleans

:wtf:

[HamdenRice]

12. 6,000 LA National Guard members are in Iraq!

according to Democracy Now.

[The Stranger]

15. National Guard and their Helicopters are in Iraq fighting for PNAC.

[dogday]

16. When all of this is over and all of these

poor displaced people get settled, there will be a time to deal with this and I am sure all of these displaced NO citizens will be voicing their opinion as well. Nothing like hearing it first hand...

[FloridaPat]

18. Here's a problem - how much federal help do you think these people

will get if their governors start complaining about how the Great War to Bring Democracy to Iraq has destroyed NO and created a bigger disaster than would have happened if they had their NG? We all know how * is vengeful.

[wtmusic]

20. Or you can look at that from the other side

If Bush doesn't push through a massive FEMA allocation, residents will be getting vocal about it

[FloridaPat]

24. Once most of the paperwork is filed, the MSM looses interst. Florida

was suppose to get $12 billion. We are now going to have to pay the state insurance for the uninsured. I know the $12B didn't get spent. There are still homeless people here. There were tons of people with problems with FEMA and insurance companies. Then FEMA had the nerve to ask for some of the money back because they claim they made mistakes.

[RiDuvessa]

19. According to MSNBC

There are 3000 Louisiana National Guard troops in Iraq. That's about 35 percent of the total force available there. Here's the link.

<http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9117367/>

According to a report I saw this morning on CNN, LA had the highest percentage of troops in Iraq of the four states most affected by the Hurricane. I believe the percentages of NG troops at home was as follows:

Florida - 77%
Alabama - 75%
Mississippi - 68%
Louisiana - 65%

[wtmusic]

21. That's 5,500 NG still in Lousiana

Where are they? :shrug:

[RiDuvessa]

22. If you read the article from the link

It will tell you where the NG is. That's why I posted the link.

[wtmusic]

23. So only 3,500 are active, and 3,000 of those are in Iraq

so only 14% of active NG are available. Bah.

[RiDuvessa]

25. No.

You are misreading the article.

"More than 5,000 National Guard troops across four states have already been activated; 3,500 of those in Louisiana alone, Lt. Col. Mike Milord said Monday as the hurricane was lashing parts of Louisiana and Mississippi. “The troops are available, they’re responding as we speak.”

[RiDuvessa]

26. More information

According to Global Security

"Today's Louisiana Army and Air National Guard consists of 74 units spread among 43 cities and towns of the state and numbers some 11,500 Army and Air Guardsmen. As a result of various reorganizations the present Army Guard is composed of a State Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 204th Area Support Group, the 256th Separate Infantry Brigade, the 225th Engineer Group and various Medical, Maintenance, Aviation, Military Police, Armored Cavalry and Special Forces units and the 156th Army Band."

Here's the link

<http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/arng-la.htm>