German correspondent shocked about staged Biloxi events

[Woody Box]

The "tagesschau" is the most popular German news program by far, aired at 8 p.m. The German US correspondents, usually very careful in criticizing the US government, wer outraged.

Christina Adelhardt was in Biloxi the whole day. She said she couldn't believe what she saw: Rescue teams, teams for searching bodies and their vehicles showed up, but without being necessary at all - the area was vacated since days.

She said: I'm shocked about the amount of destruction caused by Katrina. But the coreographed events I've seen here today shocked me the same, if not more.

http://www.tagesschau.de/sendungen/0,1196,SPM830_VID4700910_OIT_RESreal120_PLYinternal_NAV,00.html (in German)

[Avalux]

1. Reminiscent of Nazi Germany, no?

They can see it long before we do.

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. They learned their lesson already

-----------------------------------------------------
Save New Orleans, then save this country!
http://timeforachange.bluelemur.com/electionreform.htm

[Wizard777]

11. And even tried to warn us about our current Hitler.

But he had too many Brown Shirts screaming Zeig Hile Bush!

[Nothing Without Hope]

50. I've read that Hitler never had more than about 1/3 of the popular vote

We were always taught that he was wildly popular during his heyday, but apparently that's not true.

That's about the level of Bush's approval polls. But then, he stole both elections, so what does he care?

By the way, the Bush Administration is currently trying to blackmail Governor Blanco into signing over civil powers to the federal military in her state. A MAJOR MAJOR MAJOR development that so far seems to have not gathered the interest it should. I've posted on this with links to where it's being discussed downthread:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4622712&mesg_id=4624923

[im10ashus]

53. Thanks for sharing that, NWH!

That's VERY important.

[Nothing Without Hope]

55. Here's the excellent article where I read it. Hugo Chavez, of course,

was popularly elected. So it's bizarre that the nasties in this country call Chavez a dictator, and when you point out that he was elected, they unfailingly respond, "Well, so was Hitler." They don't care that they're being stupid and wrong because they belong to the ruling party.

http://www.counterpunch.org/chuckman08252005.html

Why Pat Robertson Isn't Treated as a Terrorist

By JOHN CHUCKMAN
August 24, 2005

(snip)

We really do know why Pat Robertson won't be treated as a terrorist. It's for the same reason Bush's former Attorney General of the United States could tell a group of decent, honest, hard-working American Muslims that they should count themselves lucky they weren't being treated the way Japanese Americans were during World War II. It's for the same reason that Bush protects a mass murderer named Luis Posada Carriles from extradition and trial. It's for the same reason that American troops have made a horror of the lives of millions of innocent Iraqis. It's for the same reason a distraught mother who lost her son in Iraq is vilified by Right Wing savages. It's the same reason why the morally-contemptible Bush is President.

(snip)

The success of vicious Pat Robertson and his even more vicious President, George Bush, provide almost perfect allegories for the soul-dead thing America has become.

Religion, politics, journalism, and even academics serve the American worship of power and greed. I had a brief exchange recently with an exalted fellow from one of America's many well-financed propaganda mills tarted up to resemble research organizations. This exalted fellow had been on a national radio interview, interestingly enough on the same subject of Venezuela. Apart from inaccurate claims about a new broadcast network established in Venezuela while he made a case for American interference, when reminded that Mr. Chavez was democratically elected, he chimed in with, "So was Hitler!"

Hitler, despite huge expenditures and desperately hard campaigns, never received more than just over a third of votes. He was appointed Chancellor, after a long series of backroom manipulations, by the Republic's ancient and exhausted President von Hindenburg. Hitler's rise more closely resembles that of some of America's favorite shady men in Iraq and Pakistan than it does that of a man whose election was closely scrutinized and declared fair by international watchers.

(snip)

[im10ashus]

56. "after a long series of backroom manipulations"

Not unlike our current "leader" who used backroom manipulations to get in power.

[Swamp Rat]

10. Ja

[omega minimo]

24. Big Brother's human suit has come off the lizard

Howyadoin Swampy. I hope your family is all well.

Your images, as ever, cut to the quick-- we are living "1984." They don't even CARE that there are international WITNESSES to their staged photo ops--

What I wonder about is all the people standing around Bush yesterday in front of the cameras, trying to look as if they believed he was the President, when he is clearly COMPLETELY out of touch with reality.

What's the frequency of his drug cocktail, Kenneth?

:bounce:

[Swamp Rat]

27. Thanks

:hug:

[omega minimo]

28. They methed up this nation fo sho

Turned it into desperate, garbage strewn, chemical poisoned, trailer park.............

Only THEY are the White House Trash.

Anti-Christ as tacky Good 'Ol Boy-- who'd a thunk it?

[Swamp Rat]

29. me

:(

[omega minimo]

35. Indeed, you did. And W IS the classic image of the innocuous bidnessdemon

George W. Abyss.

:loveya: Swamp Rat-- thank you for your generosity in sharing your gifts and (dark, twisted, true, Black Humorous) visions. You truly sustain DU with art and comic relief when we are all suffering bullshit fatigue, and now rage against the inhumane.

[Zhade]

32. There you are!

Is everyone okay? I've been worried for you for days.

[Swamp Rat]

41. Yes, I posted in GD a couple of days ago

Thanks for asking. I looked for the thread (where I thanked all y'all), but cannot find it. My mom is in the house of a good Samaritan in Baton Rouge, and my dad, brother and his SO are with me in Memphis. :hug:

Here's the pic: :)

[Zhade]

44. Oh, that's a relief! I missed the thread somehow.

Very glad to hear everyone is okay! :hug:

My friend at work, who has a huge family there, has only heard from three people so far. :( She's already had something like 8 people die over the past couple (!) of years, including a couple who were murdered, so I really hope her family is all okay!

[NuttyFluffers]

13. Hidden in plain sight. If it was a snake it would've bit us. Oh, wait...

:eyes:

[understandinglife]

3. Oh Yes. Yes, indeed.

The whole world is watching and they know exactly what they see.


Peace.

[SittingBull]

4. Hello Woody

old Heise-Team8+ and OP911-friend... It's quite a lot easier for me to talk with you in german.
;)

DU is a complete mess right now.

I have a similar thread.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x2055564


You forgot to mention that is was staged for the Bush visite.

[Woody Box]

31. Hi Stting Bull

freut mich, dich zu treffen. Herr Ober, zwei Kölsch bitte!

:toast:

[SittingBull]

54. Aber immer doch!

Man tut doch was man kann, um unsere amerikanischen Freunde zu unterstützen!

[HereSince1628]

5. Get the names, get the names, there WILL be trials.

[cthrumatrix]

25. if bush called Northern Command on time ---this would not be an issue

he fucked up or LIHOP..which one

[xchrom]

6. i'd like to say i'm shocked and awed...

too much water has passed under that bridge.

[jpgray]

7. This is worth a kick, and a fifth vote (nt)

[fujiyama]

8. Just when you thought the people in power couldn't be more inhumane

you see them detouring rescue teams from getting where they are needed.

[NYC]

42. That's the most important information in this article.

Rescue teams were with Bush in an evacuated area instead of rescuing people in need. People were dying while this was being staged.

[4MoreYearsOfHell]

9. Everything, anything, is possible

in bush (orwell) land...

[IdaBriggs]

12. Can anyone do a translation for those of us who don't know German? nt

[zwielicht]

23. Quick translation

Christine Adelhardt live from Biloxi:

"Two minutes ago the President drove by with his convoy. What happened here in Biloxi during the day is really unbelievable. All of a sudden the rescue troops finally showed up, the clean-up vehicles; we didn't see those over the last days here. In an area where it really isn't urgent, there is nobody around, all the remaining people went to the city center.

The President is traveling with a press convoy, so they get wonderful pictures saying the president was here and the help will follow. The amount of this catastrophe shocked me, but the amount of set-up that happened here today is at least equally shocking for me.



sorry my english is really poor, i hope its comprehensible, heres the original transcript:

vor 2 min ist der pres hier gerade mit seinem convoy vobeigefahren, was sich hier in biloxi aber während des tages abgespielt hat, ist wirklich unglaublich. lötzlich tauchten hier bergungstrupps auf, plötzlich waren hier räumfahrzeuge, die hatte man hier die letzten tage lang nicht gesehen. und das in einem gebiet wo es wirklich nicht notwendig wäre, groß aufzuräumen, weil hier lebt weit und breit kein mensch mehr, die menschen sind weiter innen in der stadt. der präsident reist mit einem pressestross, dieser tross hat damit sehr schöne bilder die da sagen sollen der präsident war da und die hilfe, die wird auch kmmen. das ausmaß der naturkatastrophe hat mich geschockt, aber das ausmaß der inszenierung hier heute schockt mich mindestens genauso.

[IdaBriggs]

33. Thank you! Good job! nt

[Karenina]

37. Your Englisch gets the job done.

:yourock:

[zwielicht]

38. thanx alot IdaBriggs and Karenina!

I was about to post something like "*please* could anybody translate this to real english" ;) :toast:

[Karenina]

40. Du hast alles schön gemacht!

Bitte bleib um und herum. Wir brauchen Dich! ;-)

[Sugarbleus]

14. I've been arguing back and forth with that nerd John Rothmann

at KGO overnight about just this very thing. He keeps "apologizing" and making "excuses for" why "we weren't prepared" to aid the victims of Katrina. He was saying that remember, the whole coast needed attention. I said yes, BUT those folks were NOT swimming through corpse infested waters with NO WAY OUT for 5 DAYS.

Planes and vehicles can and did and will get to those parts much much more easily--I saw bulldozers cleaning up debris in one area in a gulf state already. IMO, aid should go to the MOST URGENT areas FIRST when disasters are this big.

[Usrename]

15. He thinks he really is the Pres. Dumb as a bag of hammers.

He thinks what he does is real. Just saw him getting briefed by National Guard. Unbelievable. At least Ronnie was an actor.

[DoYouEverWonder]

16. When Clinton tried to get Monica a job

he was charged with Abuse of Power.

Yet Bush can use and divert valuable resources during a National Emergency just to make himself look presidential and this is supposed to be okay?

[Usrename]

17. This is Abuse of Power.

[Nothing Without Hope]

18. CNN article on FACTS versus ADMINISTRATION STATEMENTS

They don't say "lies," but with verbatim quotes compared, some with video clips showing them spoken, it's all very clear;
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4600287

[Hubert Flottz]

19. Karl needs to bear some of the blame too.

He's the one who created this monster in the White House! He's the one behind this too!

[SittingBull]

20. Adelhardt

Studio Washington: Christine Adelhardt
Christine Adelhardt (40) verstärkt seit dem 1. Oktober 2004 als Fernsehkorrespondentin das Team des ARD-Studios Washington. Christine Adelhardt wird für das ARD-Morgenmagazin aus der US-Hauptstadt berichten. Christine Adelhardt wurde in Erlangen geboren. In ihrer Geburtsstadt studierte sie Politische Wissenschaften. Nebenher arbeitete sie als freie Journalistin u.a. bei Zeitungen und im Hörfunk. Nach dem Magisterabschluss und einer Dozententätigkeit in der Erwachsenenbildung kam sie 1994 als freie Mitarbeiterin zum Bayerischen Rundfunk. Im Oktober 2001 wechselte sie zum NDR nach Hamburg in die Redaktion "Panorama". Derzeit ist sie als Fernsehredakteurin im Programmbereich Zeitgeschehen tätig.




Video-Link ( on german! )

http://www.tagesschau.de/video/0,1315,OID4700936,00.html

[slor]

21. print and pass out !

Amazing.

[BQueen]

22. German TV had similar take, apparently

http://www.warandpiece.com/blogdirs/002485.html

"Dutch viewer Frank Tiggelaar writes:

There was a striking dicrepancy between the CNN International report on the Bush visit to the New Orleans disaster zone, yesterday, and reports of the same event by German TV.

ZDF News reported that the president's visit was a completely staged event. Their crew witnessed how the open air food distribution point Bush visited in front of the cameras was torn down immediately after the president and the herd of 'news people' had left and that others which were allegedly being set up were abandoned at the same time.

The people in the area were once again left to fend for themselves, said ZDF."

[NYC]

43. Everyone read this:

Their crew witnessed how the open air food distribution point Bush visited in front of the cameras was torn down immediately after the president and the herd of 'news people' had left and that others which were allegedly being set up were abandoned at the same time.

The people in the area were once again left to fend for themselves, said ZDF."

[Mairead]

26. Alles Theater. Reinstes politisches Theater, nichts anders. (nt)

[michael_1166]

30. So schaut's aus... und ich verstehe nicht, wie

noch irgend jemand darauf hereinfallen kann.

[Mairead]

34. Naja, das verstehe ich auch gar nicht! (nt)

[bobbieinok]

36. niemand kann das verstehen.....kein echter Mensch koennte das verstehen

[Nikki Stone 1]

39. kick

:kick:

[Nothing Without Hope]

45. There needs to be an effort by DUers who can speak German, French, etc.

to gather together these damning articles showing what is really happening and how false Bush's pretended concern and the "progress" he claims really are.

The US Press is all too quiet, suppressed and willing to collaborate in this organized program of LIES AND PROPAGANDA. (I call it the Poodle Press when I'm not too angry tor polite language.)

The Press from other countries sees and reports what they OBSERVE, not what they are told to write.

This objective view, BACKED UP BY EYEWITNESS OBSERVATON AND RECORDED VIDEO AND AUDIO, is desperately needed by the American public, which has been held hostage to the colloboraing Administration and its tame media. What the American public doesn't hear, the lies they DO hear, controls the level of public pressure to change, the awareness of otherwise hidden criminal plots here and around the world.

To get the truth to the American public will benefit the whole world. Unforntunately, all too many Americans cannot read non-English reports, so they are effectively cut off from these sources of truth.

I believe that additional efforts like this one by DUers familiar with the press in other countries can render an extremely valuable service to the blinded American people and the whole world -all of whom are threatened by further Bush Admnistration crimes. We need to organize some way for threads like this one to be seen more easily and these factual observations then spread to the public in every way we can do it.

[michael_1166]

46. It would be no problem to collect

those articles and videos, but there are two difficulties:

1. Translating them to English takes a lot of time, and
2. How do you get the material to the American public? Could be difficult to make the blinded people read "just" another Internet website collecting foreign press articles.

If you know how to tackle this, count me in, I'm from Germany and can provide you with the raw material. :-)

[Nothing Without Hope]

47. Glad to hear from you on this, Michael. Re translations, are there any

major German news sites that include, say, an abstract in English? Or a video clip may have an interview in which the person speaks in English with German subtitles. Another possibility: translating only up to four short paragraphs, or even just one or two that have the important facts. (Paragraphs are usually short in newspaper articles anyway, at least in this country.) The link to the original could be given and also a link to one of the internet translation programs. They produce very strange language, but the gist is there.

We can get the material to the American public in many ways. Media blasting and posting on prominent blogs are two obvious possibilities. Keith Olbermann on MSNBC might interview the German news team and show their footage - he's a truthteller. And the major media do monitor the prominent blogs for news. It can be done. We would also send the information to congressional representatives and activists.

I think this is an avenue that is not being utilized enough. One of the failures of the public educational system in the US is the lack of truly effective non-English language training. It is to our great cost in so many ways. We'll have to get around that, and we can with the help of bi- and multilingual friends.

I wish people in the rest of the world knew how saturated Americans are in lies all day from their government as well as from all the major media with a few minor exceptions. I also wish they knew that we did NOT elect Bush either time. Both elections were stolen. The good-hearted Americans the world used to like are still there, but they are being fed propaganda and terrorized and don't realize what is really happening. It's an ongoing nightmare.

Now the administration is taking advantage of and - I believe - deliberately prolonging the suffering and dying in the south. Part of the outcome is more racial/class tension, which the government will also take advantage of. They want an excuse to take the next step - and they have already taken many - in suspending the constitution and instituting Pentagon-directed military police rule. No doubt they will use a typically Orwellian name, like "Project Safe America" or some such.

In this regard, I recommend this article from Dec 2003, written in response to Gen. Tommy Franks' statement that one more hit (like the 9/11 attacks) would be enough for them to suspend the Constitution. The whole article is worth reading, but this paragraph is especially apropos now:

http://www.sptimes.com/2003/12/07/Columns/From_Tommy_Franks__a_.shtml

It was the Nine Years' War in Aldous Huxley's Brave New World that facilitated the seizure of power by the world reformers who then took control of nearly all human and social development. In 1984, George Orwell described Oceania as in a constant state of war with a changeable enemy who "always represented absolute evil." These inventors of the great dystopias understood the way governments use war and its associative fear and instability to consolidate power. Despotism thrives on insecurity. Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs puts safety right behind food, water and sleep. Humans naturally crave stability and are willing to sacrifice values such as liberty in its pursuit.

Let's continue to pursue the idea of finding a way to get non-US news reports that show what is REALLY happening out to the American people. Needs more thought, but it can be done.

Edited to add; one source of translated articles on America from around the world is here:
http://www.watchingamerica.com
This is a great site and now I am reminded to check it thoroughly often. There are a lot of hurricane-related articles there now.

But overall, there is still a great need for alert eyes to find crucially important facts that are being withheld from the American people and get them to progressives so we can get them out.

[michael_1166]

48. I'll have a look

There certainly are some mayor German news sites with selected articles in English... I'll have a look around.

For now, here are some links to articles from the very popular German net magazine "Telepolis". They sometimes release English translations of their articles. I've picked out some that may be interesting to you, but most of them are not related to the New Orleans catastrophe. Let me know if the texts contain information or viewpoints that could be interesting for the American public.

Articles by Ronda Hauben
The Tyranny of the Two Party System in the US
The Crisis in the US Media and the 2004 Election
Targeting the News media
Karl Rove deserves a prize
"Tantamount to Negligence"


Articles by Craig Morris
Tweaking the vote
The US against the UN

Culture Shock USA, a 6-part series about an American revisiting the US after living in Europe for 8 years:
Home Sweet Home?
Looking at each other
Do you know what it means to miss New Orleans?
The frontier spirit
Love it or leave it
The grass is always greener...



And here are recent newspaper articles about Katrina and New Orleans in German language:

4 links to index pages leading to a lot of reports:
Die Flut von New Orleans
Südstaaten unter Wasser - Katrina und die Folgen
Hurrikan Katrina
New Orleans wird evakuiert

Single articles:
Luftbrücke nach New Orleans
Wer Wind sät, wird Sturm ernten
In New Orleans kollabiert Amerikas Zivilgesellschaft
"Alle Weißen sind oben in den Hotels"
"Wir leben in Holzhütten"
New Orleans, mon amour



The content is there, lots of it, I guess the problem is the delivery...

[Nothing Without Hope]

49. Thank you for all this effort! I have to leave now but will look tonight

I can get an idea even without a translation, and I can find one of those silly but useful internet translation engines to give a better idea of where to focus in the absence of English text in the original.

Do you have a favorite among the online translation sites? I've never used one before, but that's going to change.

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

51. l'image terrible

my french isn't great but i saw on saturday night french tv2 and i picked up a few words. they also showed the reporter lying on the ground after he was beaten up.

[Nothing Without Hope]

52. I have no French, but enough old French is in the English language to

understand that title. :scared:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

57. The report talked about Bush flying over NO in a helicopter, but

"he couldn't hear the angry shouts of the people on the ground."

He comes off as quite an ass in the German report.

[michael_1166]

58. See it this way...

Bush almost always comes off as an ass in German newspapers and TV reports. Now add to this that we too don't trust our media because the media doesn't dare to really speak out against the Bush government, and you get an idea of how popular Bush is here. ;-)

Just drop him without his security in any city here and he'd get tarred and feathered within minutes.