HEY FREEPS - About that heroic Administration of yours

[nonconformist]

You know, the one that will protect us all from terrorism.

The one that knows how to "get the job done".

The one that first and foremost is concerned with protecting the lives of the American people.

For over two days prior to Katrina hitting, it became quite apparent that the CAT 5 hurricane would hit New Orleans. For years, this was known to be one of the biggest catastrophes that America could experience. So well known that FEMA actually had drills concerning this precise scenario earlier this year. So well known that the city requested aid to fix the levees to withstand a CAT 4 or 5 storm - which was denied by the Bush administration.

Two days they knew. They even declared Louisiana a disaster area before Katrina even hit so that aid would be immediately available.

Katrina's eyewall made landfall in the pre-dawn hours of Monday, August 29.

That same day, Bush leaves his Crawford ranch and heads for Arizona to have a "Conversation about Medicare" and present John McCain with a birthday cake. Later that day, he heads to San Diego to attend a fundraiser that evening. He stayed the night in San Diego at the luxury resort Hotel del Coronado.

On Tuesday, August 30, Bush speaks at a VJ-Day ceremony in San Diego. Later, he is presented a guitar from singer Mark Willis and poses for a photo-op. He then returns to Crawford for the night.

On Wednesday, August 31, over 50 hours since this national nightmare began, he cuts short by two days the vacation he went on at the first of August to return to Washington DC. His only response to the unfolding tragedy is to say that he will fly over the region on Friday to view the damage. There is an outcry, so Bush takes Air Force One over the area for 35 minutes. He later addresses the nation - for the first time. He speaks for well under 2 minutes and takes no questions.

Meanwhile, Dick Cheney is STILL ON VACATION. Condelezza Rice is shopping in NYC and attending plays. The former real estate guy that Bush appointed to head FEMA, replacing the Clinton appointee that handled 9/11 so professionally, is lying through his teeth and being caught in those lies.

CAN YOU IMAGINE THE OUTCRY AND HORROR IF THIS IS HOW SERIOUSLY THEY WOULD HAVE TAKEN 9/11? What if this would have been an attack? Because we're sure as shit not only unprepared but LESS prepared than we were on 9/11.

Defend your glorious King and his strong and effective leadership. Please, I beg of you. I'm so fucking pissed I'm shaking right now.

[back2basics909]

1. I cannot beleive they are still...

... spinning this whole time. Jail is too good for this administratoin.

[C_U_L8R]

19. TAR AND FEATHER EM

Dress em up like the chickenhawks and chickenshits that they are.
That goes for you too.. fweepies.

The whole lot of you are going DOWN (pun intended, sorry)

[mattclearing]

2. They know what we know: That Bush will be there in two shakes if it's

white people dying.

The Freepers could not care less. They think the people of New Orleans deserve this. They were either gay, black, or on welfare, and chose to live below sea level, and as such, deserve no compassion or sympathy, much less taxpayer-funded aid.

The Freepers are horrible people who will use any rationalization to justify their pathetic, hateful, empty, and meaningless lives.

[nonconformist]

7. I've known for a long time that anyone who could support this regime

had a serious character flaw - at BEST.

I'm now convinced that anyone who can still defend or support them is a flat-out sociopath.

[Burried News]

3. Party on - but they are already in the Whale undergoing

digestion. Pinocchio redux. They'll smell better when the Whale's finished.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

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

[cthrumatrix]

5. excuse me?...FEMA bragged about gaming this for two years

"pipelines over stuffed"...

BUT...they didn't plan for water...even though they had told OUR govt for four yrs about the water disaster.

What more do you need for "impeachment hearings"?

the following facts are laid out:

#1 Bush was told in 2001 that New Orleans was a National Issue
#2 Bush funded a $500K study to confrim this in 2004
#3 Bush cut New Orleans hurricane funds by 80%

Point #1
----------
In 2001, FEMA ranked a major hurricane strike on New Orleans as “among the three likeliest, most castastrophic disasters facing this country.” Bush slashed hurricane funding anyway. August 29, 2005 10:19

http://thinkprogress.org/2005/08/29/bush-knew /


Point #2 - Study to confirm
----------------------------
IEM Team to Develop Catastrophic Hurricane Disaster Plan for New Orleans & Southeast Louisiana
June 3, 2004

IEM, Inc., the Baton Rouge-based emergency management and homeland security consultant, will lead the development of a catastrophic hurricane disaster plan for Southeast Louisiana and the City of New Orleans under a more than half a million dollar contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

In making the announcement today on behalf of teaming partners Dewberry, URS Corporation and James Lee Witt Associates, IEM Director of Homeland Security Wayne Thomas explained that the development of a base catastrophic hurricane disaster plan has urgency due to the recent start of the annual hurricane season which runs through November. National weather experts are predicting an above normal Atlantic hurricane season with six to eight hurricanes, of which three could be categorized as major.

The IEM team will complete a functional exercise on a catastrophic hurricane strike in Southeast Louisiana and use results to develop a response and recovery plan. A catastrophic event is one that can overwhelm State, local and private capabilities so quickly that communities could be devastated without Federal assistance and multi-agency planning and preparedness.

Thomas said that the greater New Orleans area is one of the nation’s most vulnerable locations for hurricane landfall.

snip

http://www.ieminc.com/Whats_New/Press_Releases/pressrel ...


Point #3 - Bush cuts NO funding by 80%
--------------------------------------
In early 2004, as the cost of the conflict in Iraq soared, President Bush proposed spending less than 20 percent of what the Corps said was needed for Lake Pontchartrain, according to a Feb. 16, 2004, article, in New Orleans CityBusiness.

On June 8, 2004, Walter Maestri, emergency management chief for Jefferson Parish, Louisiana; told the Times-Picayune: "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."

Also that June, with the 2004 hurricane season starting, the Corps' project manager Al Naomi went before a local agency, the East Jefferson Levee Authority, and essentially begged for $2 million for urgent work that Washington was now unable to pay for. From the June 18, 2004 Times-Picayune:

"The system is in great shape, but the levees are sinking. Everything is sinking, and if we don't get the money fast enough to raise them, then we can't stay ahead of the settlement," he said. "The problem that we have isn't that the levee is low, but that the federal funds have dried up so that we can't raise them."
snip

http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_di...


AND he runs our country????

Where are democratic leaders on this?

IF DU can piece this together in 3 days -- anybody can. Where is accountability?

Where is our media? Bush knew...OUR govt KNEW the danger !

[nonconformist]

8. Do you?

PEOPLE ARE FUCKING DEHYDRATING. IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

They have managed to get buses in there, sandbags in there.... BUT NOT FUCKING FOOD AND WATER?!?

[nonconformist]

9. Explain how the media can get in and out but aid can't?

Because I'd fucking LOVE to hear this.

[mattclearing]

32. I've been wondering about that one.

And today on the Early Show, Harry Smith was there debunking the looting, people running around with guns myths, and showed people calming awaiting help, and interviewed them

Even the CBS coverage was pretty condemning of the rescue efforts, and they are second only to Fox in conservative bias.

[Streetdoc270]

10. As a matter of fact I do....

North Carolina handles disaster response using a 'push' method, meaning when you identify an disaster potential like say a cat 5 hurricaine heading for your biggest city you 'push' resourses into staging areas for immediate deploymnt when the storm ends. What this looks like to me is a 'Pull' response. DHS and FEMA is tring to get assessments and the pull the resources they need to handle it. This type of response will always have you playing catch-up. You will never get the needed resources in place untill the ending stages of the event.

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

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

[txindy]

21. LA's NG is in Iraq. Other resources now under Homeland Sec. control

Get out much? Read any? Learn the facts.

[ScreamingMeemie]

25. Do we not have a Department of Homeland Security? Are you

not in the least bit worried about response time after a terrorist attack...Do you not wonder where all that money went to "prepare us in the event"? Your leader is NAKED. N-A-K-E-D. and you seem to be okay with the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands of Americans..were you that way on 9/11?

[Pretty_in_CodePink]

62. I would guess not

Big difference between white stockbrokers and impoverished, African Americans. It just makes me SICK!!!!!!

[mondo joe]

26. What the fuck do you think FEMA's job is?

And what do you think about its totally unqualified head who claims he DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS GOING ON?

[alcibiades_mystery]

50. They think FEMA should be defunded

And they've worked very hard to defund it.

It's the ownership society! If you own a car, you get to evacuate, and live! If you don't, too bad, soo sad, devil take the hindmost.

Nice system, huh?

To all the Bushbots trying to rationalize this mass murder through ineptitude: We're trying to have a fucking SOCIETY here!

[nonconformist]

27. The freaking GOVERNOR doesn't sit around all day, every day

making computer models of potential disasters and planning response. Guess what, that's what FEMA DOES!!!! THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE FOR!

They *asked* for help. That's why the state was declared a national emergency BEFORE Katrina even hit - so that aid would be immediately available.

The fucking last superpower, richest nation in the world with the strongest and most capable military in the world apparently "can't handle" this. You expect a governor and a mayor to be able to?

Newsflash - most of the aid and relief that HAS taken place has been through local means.

[Spazito]

31. Interesting, the new meme from the right-wing spewing talking heads

newest attempt to try and divert blame from their 'hangin-loose' guy is to point to the Mayor and the Governor and, bam, it is showing up on DU right on schedule. Hmmmm, coincidence, I think not.

[Maru Kitteh]

34. What part of FEDERAL emergency management agency do you not understand?

And it's p-r-e-p-a-r-e. I know you're probably unaccustomed to the more sophisticated and contemporary interface we have here but please do avail yourself of the easy to use spell checker while you are here.

[auburngrad82]

41. Check your spelling. You spell like the pricks on FreeRepublic nt

[distantearlywarning]

74. He argues like them too. "Don't confuse me with the facts!" n/t

[alcibiades_mystery]

48. Hey, it was your guy Bush who put the DHS over FEMA

and federalized the whole business. The governor is meant to coordinate with FEMA. Unfortunately, Bush appointed a know-nothing political contributor to head FEMA, so the coordination from the federal side was non-existent. Did Brown's boss, the intolerably whiney Michael Chertoff, intervene, as is his mandate as the head of DHS? No. He sat on his ass and was informed of ongoing events by an exasperated and astounded news media. Lucky we pay all those billions for Homeland Security! Bzzzzzt. You can't have it both ways, ace. You can't praise Bush for organizing the DHS as a coordination umbrella, then turn around and blame the local officials when the coordination umbrella fails to keep anyone dry. This is Bush's bed, baby, and you and the other Bush bots, and the federal administration (along with its executive) are gonna hafta eat it.

[Don Claybrook]

60. You stupid fuck

It's spelled "P R E P A R E".

As for the rest of your question, go fuck yourself, then do it again. There are people dying in agony right this minute. I'd love to throw your dumbfuck ass in an attic in New Orleans with a cell phone. Then I'd call you repeatedly so I could get your quotes about what the governor should be doing and how wonderful George W Bush is doing.

I'm going to borrow a line from Bill Hicks and ask you to do me a favor. Go kill yourself. Please. Our society would be just a little better if you did. Please kill yourself, don't dealy, your existence is really bothering me and the rest of the civilized world.

[Name removed]

63. Deleted message

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

[mondo joe]

64. bladegrip again chooses to argue rather than answer questions

regarding his or her stance.

Not surprising.

[Name removed]

65. Deleted message

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

[nonconformist]

67. Stance on your glorious leader

SIEG HIEL

[mondo joe]

69. bladegrip chooses to call names rather than answer questions, again.

Why didn't FEMA do any preplanning on how to deal with a disaster we were ALL warned of?

Why weren't supplies, national guard and hospital ship brought into safe space nearby so they could move in as soon as possible?

[Name removed]

71. Deleted message

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

[nonconformist]

72. The media can get in. Fucking Harry Connick Jr could get in

but they can't get bottled water in.

They brought BUSES in. Why were those buses not loaded with supplies?

Do you plan on answering any questions whatsoever or should we just go ahead and alert on your ass and get it over with?

[Name removed]

76. Deleted message

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

[nonconformist]

78. why don't you share them then?

because right now, you just appear to simply be a disruptor.

we're giving you a chance to explain and defend. we're welcoming it.

[Don Claybrook]

70. My life sucks? I'm not in New Orleans, Einstein

My life doesn't suck nearly as bad as all the people dying in agony--the elderly, infants, everyone. These are the people you're using to try to score polical points for a mass murderer. Their lives suck really, really badly right now. I don't know why I bother mentioning this to you; you obviously don't give a fuck.

It's clear you inbreeders have nomotherfuckingidea what you've unleashed. Lots and lots and lots of bottled up anger has built up for years now, and it was TRIPLED this week, just like that. My special anger for all of the thugs in the administration and their boosters (that means you) did something that I didn't think was possible: it tripled overnight. This is so beyond the pale. If you have one or two brain cells left bouncing around in your hate cavity, you may wish to heed the warning. I'm not the only one. The opposition is no longer being run by spineless democrats. It's being run by The People, or if the imagery helps you, Vlad the Impaler. My countrymen, my human brothers and sisters, are being slaughtered by your administration and your ilk, and they're being slaughtered by the thousands. Wobetide the stupid motherfucker (that would be you) who decides to get in the way at this point.

[Name removed]

73. Deleted message

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

[nonconformist]

75. Helping? Many of us have donated

Some DU'ers are even offering rooms in their homes for victims to live in.

We also PAY TAXES FOR THINGS LIKE FEMA.

[Don Claybrook]

77. I am helping, you worthless little fuck

Do a search if you want to see how I'm helping. Of couse, you'll need to donate first. Meantime, STFU.

[mondo joe]

80. Didn't see the deleted message, but why would that little shit think

a few citizens can do what the federal goverment with its resources can't?

[Don Claybrook]

83. he was a little pissant who didn't seem to understand

the gravity of the situation. He clearly thought he was engaging in the same old 12-post freeper-style attack-and-run. I swear joe, these idiots don't understand what's been unleashed here, they don't have a clue. This week has shifted many millions of people to a new reality (and I'm not even talking about the immediate victims, but about the rest of us). This week, George W Bush raised the ante by a hundred-fold. And as I said somewhere on one of these threads, woe unto the dumbfuck who doesn't understand this and decides to pop his mouth off like he has in the past.

[EFerrari]

13. I do. Unfortunately, I'm not heading up FEMA.

Slow response my bald headed granny.

Bush response.

[nonconformist]

16. Explain why it took him so long

to "cut short" that month-long vacay and address the nation. He completely ignored this until the media, even FOX (!), were GUTTING HIM.

We're waiting.

[txindy]

18. You're kidding, right?

Or living in a dream world. It's their JOB. They've had YEARS of prep time.

Wake up. Or go back to the other board.

[ScreamingMeemie]

20. Do you know that volunteer corps like the Civil Air Patrol have been

there since Monday evening? Logistics my ass. :hi:

[ima_sinnic]

22. "LOGISTICS" MY FUCKING ASS!!!

sheesh! WHERE WAS THE SAD SORRY PIECE OF SHIT ON MONDAY, when he could have been mobilizing the vast arsenal of vehicles, resources, and personnel at his disposal -- THAT OUR TAXES PAID FOR??

WHERE WAS HE ON TUESDAY? how about WEDNESDAY??

THE MAN HAS DONE NOTHING to make him worthy of being administrator of those resources!!! HE HAS NO LEADERSHIP ABILITY AT ALL!! he has NO VISION, NO INSPIRATION, NO IMAGINATION, NO PURPOSE, NO LOFTY THOUGHTS --NOTHING, NADA, ZILCH

HE DOES NOT INSPIRE OTHERS TO DO ANYTHING LOFTY, either. If he is incapable of making a decision, FORMULATING A PLAN, and WORKING WITH THE VIRTUALLY UNLIMITED RESOURCES AT HIS DISPOSAL, then WHY THE FUCK HASN'T HE LET SOMEBODY ELSE TAKE CHARGE SO THAT LIVES COULD BE SAVED?

are you one of "them" (the disgusting brainless grunts who frequent that "other board" and chum up to Bush like a bunch of cavemen around the one with the biggest club and longest line of bull)? or are you just playing devil's advocate (don't like to assume anything by low post count)?

kindly take the "logistics" garbage and shove it. another month from now, maybe they will say, "oh we finally figured out how to coordinate everybody, it's all logisticized ..."

INCOMPETENT, SELF-SERVING COWARDLY MORON is running what USED TO BE a great country. Now it is rapidly becoming just another 3rd World country run by an egomaniacal conscienceless FOOL for HIS OWN BENEFIT.

[Name removed]

30. Deleted message

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[ima_sinnic]

33. "stress relief"?? excuse me?

yeah, I get a little stressed when I hear a FOOL making excuses for ANOTHER FOOL when people are DYING. go back to your comic book.

[Ripley]

36. LMAO

The one with just cartoons, no words.

[Name removed]

40. Deleted message

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

[ScreamingMeemie]

42. Ummmm...but you play one on DU.

[nonconformist]

43. So the alternative is to just let them dehydrate and starve to death?

Spoken like a true sociopath.

[Name removed]

45. Deleted message

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[nonconformist]

47. If you're defending allowing people to sit and die

yes, you are a sociopath.

[Name removed]

52. Deleted message

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[ScreamingMeemie]

55. Errrrr....Sunday, we have the Mayor telling everyone to evacuate

and somehow that's not a prediction? You've got trouble with that line of thought buddy.

And yes, you are defending death, on a grand scale. Sleep tight tonight in your comfortable bed...while images of starving babies dance through your head.

[nonconformist]

57. Way worse than predicted? You just get here from Mars?

HELLO! They've been predicting this for YEARS.

You are truly a heartless bastard. Babies are dying. Old, disabled people are dying. They survived the storm, but they're having trouble surviving the federal response.

You have very low expectations of the world's greatest superpower with the most powerful military in the world.

[mondo joe]

59. Not Mars - Orwell's 1984

Revisionist freepers like to pretend no one could have known.

[mondo joe]

58. Lie: "every single person". Please stop lying.

No one has argued that every single person had to be evacuated, rescued or treated.

Please abandon your straw man and address the actual case: FEMA delayed its response by DAYS and did nothing to prepare in advance.

[ima_sinnic]

68. so, um, what ARE they prepared to handle?

please enlighten me. I was under the sorry delusion that one thing this dumbass incompetent piece of scheist administration MIGHT be able to do is save my life, or at least TRY TO, in case of terrorist attack or natural disaster. how would a terrorist attack--which actually CAN'T be forecast the way a hurricane can (except by the people who benefit from it, receive warnings about it, and allow it to happen by encouraging terrorism in the world, like your pal Bush and his greed-head buddies)--be handled? apparently we'll all be dead meat with this fool in charge and that's okay by you because, "logistically" "it takes time"??

so tell me, what ARE they prepared to handle?

ohhh, I live for the day when that useless cowardly no-brain ASSHOLE and his incompetent friends have to answer to The People. And that day is comin, my friend. It just got a whole lot closer. what will you say then? it's not as bad as lying about a blowjob??

[alarimer]

81. Unfortunately I think we are on our own

In the event of another disaster, I am not counting on the federal government after this sorry performance.

I think it is up to us, our families and neighborhoods to have a plan and execute it. I would suggesst that each neighborhood or apartment complex have a plan to get everyone out in the event of something like this. I don't think we can sit around and wait for the government anymore. Clearly they are incompetent.

[mondo joe]

49. Why the inabiliity to answer any questions?

You haven't answered any yet.

Just defended the incompentence of Bushco.

Nice.

[ScreamingMeemie]

53. If someone is okay with it taking four days to respond...and then

have an almost nonexistant plan in place. If someone cannot see how this is completely messed up and has cost untold numbers of lives...well then I have no use for them.

[mondo joe]

44. Tell me: with warning of a disaster like this do you think there is ANY

preplanning FEMA could have done to prepare?

You know, like having NG ready to go? Like getting supplies in place to swoop in after the hurricane? Like getting the hospital ship out and in place to move in?

[nonconformist]

46. The magnitude of a.... terrorist attack?

Again, this is why you sociopath's love him right? His ability to handle homeland threats and national disasters?

[Name removed]

54. Deleted message

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

[mondo joe]

56. Is it possible for you to answer any questions regarding your stance?

You haven't done so yet.

[Pretty_in_CodePink]

66. Well now you can consider yourself educated

by the well informed, thoughtful folks at DU. Read a bit before hitting the keyboard and give our frazzled nerves a break. I frankly, am ready to jump out of my skin. The problem is not that aid has not gotten to everyone in a couple of days - the problem is that aid has gotten to NO ONE.

[nonconformist]

37. Why don't you answer any of the questions we've asked? nt

[mondo joe]

39. I don't know you or care who you are, but your opinions are utterly

uninformed and your conclusions fallacious.

Thanks.

[mondo joe]

23. I know that I knew about NO before the President or FEMA head CLAIM to

have known.

But they DID know about what was predicted.

Did they prepare ships, supplies and troops in preparation for rescue work? NO.

Did they do ANYTHING?

The person here who knows SHIT aabout logistics is the bungling unqualified FEMA head and his CHIMP master.

[SammyWinstonJack]

24. Apparently the lawyer bush appointed to FEMA doesn't!!

[Maccagirl]

51. Buh Bye

[liberalitch]

6. There isn't enough kool-aid in the world to drown this one...

[cthrumatrix]

11. it's all about $$$$$ ....well saving $$$$ cost NO and lives

[nonconformist]

12. Blackstar is going to get the aid package congress passed

So they're finding a way to profit. It took them a few days, but they're crafty motherfuckers.

[Ripley]

14. Thank you.

Well said.

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

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

[mondo joe]

29. If they can say NO residents should have prepared by evacuating why on

earth couldn't FEMA prepare?

What an outrage.

[kiraboo]

38. Yup. The excuse is that thousands of people didn't have means

to evacuate. Now tell me, if they can manage to bus thousands out of the city now, with floodwaters raging and people looting, raping and shooting all over the place, couldn't they have brought a few buses in BEFORE the whole city blew up? I'm sitting at home getting info second, third and fourth hand and even I know there were measures that could/should have been taken.

[leftchick]

28. and bush's HOMELAND SECURITY IS IN CHARGE

Not the Mayor, Not the Governor, Not the Senators. Bush' FEDERAL
Government, The Dept Of Homeland Security and Chertoff are Calling ALL of the shots through the thoroughly useless FEMA. The locals can only ask for help they are not in charge. The lack of communication is just so much bullshit. It looks like they want those people to die!

[txindy]

35. Everything you've said is very true

And I'm getting damned tired of this "blame the local gov't. and people" bull that's been floating around here.

Continue to tell it like it is, leftchick. The DHS has usurped power and resources. Our NG is in Iraq. The federal government is responsible for this. It is a complete and utter failure.

[ComerPerro]

61. Isn't that about how seriously Bush DID take 9/11?

[leftofthedial]

79. impeachment and prison

are in order

[killbotfactory]

82. We have to attack the hurricanes over there, so they wont attack us here

This is unbelievable. This administration has been clueless from day one, and the only thing that's kept them afloat is a constant stream of spin and bs from their lackeys. They should all be in jail.

[warrens]

84. A guy from the Kennedy School was on NPR last night...

He nailed it. He said, here it is, everything they have accomplished since 9/11, four years ago, live on TV. And it's a miserable failure. I'm paraphrasing; I was half asleep but that remark woke me right up.

[nonconformist]

85. It is horrifyingly clear this country is FUCKED if we're attacked again

I WANT SOMEONE TO TELL ME DIFFERENT.

Freep idiot above didn't answer shit and got deleted because of it.

Anyone? Anyone?!? Bueller?

[nonconformist]

86. Kick 'cause I'm fucking PISSED. nt