FEMA Dir. insists remaining in NOLA was choice -- in face of contrary info

[krkaufman]

Just wanted to post this perspective as its own thread, to highlight the fact that the FEMA Director, Michael Brown, persists in characterizing failure to evacuate New Orleans, prior to the arrival of Katrina, as a choice -- even in the face of the CNN anchor informing him that many "could not flee".

From the article...

Asked later on CNN how he could blame the victims, many of whom could not flee the storm because they had no transportation or were too frail to evacuate on their own, Brown said he was not blaming anyone.

"Now is not the time to be blaming," Brown said. "Now is the time to recognize that whether they chose to evacuate or chose not to evacuate, we have to help them."

Apparently, this dear fellow doesn't seem to understand the concept of "choice." The CNN anchor had just told him that these people had NO CHOICE; they had NO VIABLE OPTIONS for getting out of the path of a Cat-5 hurricane bearing down on them -- and they were given no assistance by their government -- yet this soulless ghoul persists in saying that remaining in their homes was a choice!

So, lacking transportation and the ability to perambulate their way out of the disaster zone before the arrival of Katrina, staying was a "choice" -- rather than the only option for possible survival. I suppose, though, that they could have just started marching, taking their chances, hoping to make it to some shelter or sanctuary before the hurricane hit.

Originally alerted to this info via the following thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4566584

Thanks, steve2470 .

[ohio_liberal]

1. This is our new talking point

Blame The Victims.

Haley Barbour did it tonight too.

"We begged them to leave"

[lebkuchen]

2. We have a FEMA director who BLAMES THE VICTIMS?

What a horse's ass!

What's even worse is that we have govt. leadership with no social conscious about the depth of poverty in the US. FEMA didn't know these Gulf Regions housed America's poorest?!

[2Design]

5. that does seem to be the way they are going to play this out

it is the people fault for not leaving
it is the people fault for going to dome
it is the people fault

the government is only there to suck our dollars and use it for bombs and their salaries - our dollars are not for the people

yuck AAAArrrgggghjhhhh

[riverwalker]

3. study by LSU

said 100,000 would not BE ABLE to evacuate, in their computer models.
They COULD not. FEMA knew this.

[krkaufman]

8. And it was constantly being reiterated throughout the weekend.

I was quickly aware that 100,000 had no means of getting out of town, and was wondering where the bus shuttles were.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

4. And our talking point should be that this simply proves how out of touch

these wealthy corporate cronies are with the economic hardships of many Americans. Even for a MIDDLE class family, evacuating was a hardship. Many of them will have no business to return to, do not have the luxury of filing bankruptcy and will have staggering credit card bills.

[Democrats_win]

6. Did we or did we not see people having trouble getting gas to leave?

I know I did and that's only a small part of the problems that people had leaving.

[krkaufman]

12. MASSIVE traffic congestion and LONG lines at gas stations...

... were all over the news throughout the weekend, so even those w/ transportation and the ability to get out of NOLA had a helluva time doing so. Those lacking transport/ability were LEFT BEHIND.

Oooo... there's a new T-shirt design. Superimpose the Left Behind book graphics over a picture of New Orleans Katrina victims.

[ThoughtCriminal]

7. It's bad when you can't finish a sentence

without contradicting themselves. YOu could spend a lifetime sifting through lifetime failures, and not find a gang as incapable of helping people.

[applegrove]

9. They would have made it to about the middle of Lake Ponchichain -

on the I 10, if they had marched. Then the hurricane would have hit. Anyone with an elder over the age of 70..could not march.

Do you think some of them new there would be rape in the Dome?

[1932]

10. On NewsHours woman said pay day was 31st. Had no money on 28th

to get out.

[1932]

11. ...and again, Edwards was right: there are two Americas.

People who have choices and people who don't.

[krkaufman]

13. Yep. The contrast could hardly be more stark. n/t

[kestrel91316]

14. Hey Mr. Brown:

What about the folks interviewed on tv who said they loaded up cars with family and TRIED TO LEAVE NOLA and couldn't get anywhere, and GAVE UP TRYING and came back? What about them?????

You sick motherfucker.

[Booster]

15. Doesn't he sort of contradict Bush by saying this? Didn't Bush

tell Diane Sawyer that they couldn't have predicted how bad this would be and that's why they weren't prepared? So the victims should have known better, but Bush didn't?

[Trillo]

16. I thought it was common knowledge that in the United States

choice is purchased with disposable dollars.

If I'm correct and it is common knowledge, then some in government persist in deliberate lies.