Bush fired ACOE Chief in 2002 for criticizing NOLA levee cuts

[xray s]

Why does this not surprise me in the least. Once again, Bush fires the people who know what they are talking about.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-050831corps-story,1,2364215.story?coll=chi-news-hed

Funding cuts led way to lesser levees

By Andrew Martin and and Andrew Zajac
Washington bureau
Published August 31, 2005, 10:24 PM CDT


WASHINGTON -- Despite continuous warnings that a catastrophic hurricane could hit New Orleans, the Bush administration and Congress in recent years have repeatedly cut funding for hurricane preparation and flood control. The cuts have delayed construction of levees around the city and stymied an ambitious project to improve drainage in New Orleans' neighborhoods.

For instance, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requested $27 million for this fiscal year to pay for hurricane protection projects around Lake Pontchartrain. The Bush administration countered with $3.9 million, and Congress eventually provided $5.7 million, according to figures provided by the office of U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.)...

Similarly, the Army Corps requested $78 million for this fiscal year for projects that would improve draining and prevent flooding in New Orleans. The Bush administration's budget provided $30 million for the projects, and Congress ultimately approved $36.5 million, according to Landrieu's office.

"I'm not saying it wouldn't still be flooded, but I do feel that if it had been totally funded, there would be less flooding than you have," said Michael Parker, a former Republican Mississippi congressman who headed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from October 2001 until March 2002, when he was ousted after publicly criticizing a Bush administration proposal to cut the corps' budget.

[Botany]

1. just like this?

<Walter Maestri, emergency management chief for Jefferson Parish, told the New Orleans Times-Picayune (June 8, 2004): "It appears that the money has been moved in the president's budget to handle homeland security and the war in Iraq, and I suppose that's the price we pay. Nobody locally is happy that the levees can't be finished, and we are doing everything we can to make the case that this is a security issue for us.">

from buzzflash bush should be out on his ass by the 15th of sept.

[cthrumatrix]

2. IMHO this was well known -- there are tooo many facts that show BUSH KNEW

[wakeme2008]

3. The Paper Trail on Bush's funding cuts IMHO

are too big for Rove to whitewash this time.

[cthrumatrix]

4. there are more trails than the above....read this link of facts

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4545852

[xray s]

5. I'd like to link this thread with yours

its all falling together

[greenman3610]

6. I have sent this info to

my core group of 20, we will email to our
"Big" group of 100+, and I have
sent to all local newspapers.

[1932]

7. The media should have reported levees were weak before storm.

That would have encouraged more people to leave.

[nonconformist]

8. Nominated. nt

[SammyWinstonJack]

9. IMPEACH HIM! NOW!

[nolabels]

11. AND CONGRESS

LIke the whole effing pot.

I have also seen no brave Democrats stand up and pin the donkey tale on a congress dominated by the ethics of republicans. Yea just go along to get that campaign funding, it will all work out, okay, yea.

We deserve what we got, which is whole lot of nothing.

The differance between Bolivia and the US is the people in Bolivia are smarter. They know when their government is corrupt, they let it fall flat on face and then demand it gets out town

Revolution in Bolivia

The government's failure to nationalize its natural gas industry has led to an explosive situation.
by Ryan Grim
In these Times magazine, July 2005

Bolivian legislators abandoned a besieged La Paz on June 9 to convene in Sucre, nearly 500 miles to the southeast, in order to select a new president. But demonstrators had other ideas. Blockades were lifted so that truckloads of protesters could race to Sucre to prevent parliament from naming right-wing Senate leader Hormando Vaca Diez as the successor to the ousted Carlos Mesa. Mayors of La Paz and El Alto announced hunger strikes to oppose Vaca Diez, who was supported by only 16 percent of Bolivians in a recent poll.

Parliament's morning session was cancelled as miners, coca growers and other demonstrators battled police in the streets, leading to one death, labor leader Juan Coro, who was shot in the chest by police. According to news reports, several legislators urged the cancellation of the session so that they could fly out of Sucre before demonstrators took over the airport. They didn't move quickly enough. In protest of Vaca Diez, airport workers went on strike and the airport was shut down. Now stuck in Sucre, parliament met near midnight and gave in. Vaca Diez-yes, his name is "Ten Cow"-resigned his constitutional right to ascend to the throne, as did the next in line, Marlo Cossio. At 11:47 p.m., the man whom protesters had been demanding for president, Supreme Court leader Eduardo Rodriguez, was sworn in.

Since then, blockades have been lifted along with tensions, and Rodriguez has vowed to call new elections for president and congress within six months. Bolivia has been locked in an ideological stalemate for several years now, but the wind seems to be blowing leftward after the last several weeks. Although the crisis is simmering for now, the main thrust of the demonstrators' demand has not yet been met.

The uprising revolved around control of Bolivia's vast and recently discovered reserves of natural gas, valued at more than $250 billion-lo times the nation's annual GDP. On May 16, the Bolivian government raised taxes on foreign companies who exploit the reserves. Indigenous groups took to the streets, claiming the bill didn't go far enough and calling for full nationalization of the industry. Evo Morales, leader of the strongest indigenous party in the nation-Movement Toward Socialism, or MAS-initially rejected calls for nationalization, asking instead for higher taxes. Caught in the middle, he has since moved to the left, endorsing nationalization but arguing that it should be done through a national constitutional assembly. A June 12 poll showed 76 percent support for nationalization.
(snip)
http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/South_America/Revolution_Bolivia.html

http://www.onnnews.com/Global/story.asp?S=3775915&nav=LQlCdqjK

[Just Me]

10. Whoah!!! The BushCO/neoCON regime is directly accountable,...

,...for the extent of this tragedy!!! They've been funneling important security funds away from protection of Americans and into war profiteers pockets for four years. Shit.