Theory: One reason Bush wanted total control of NO operation

[JDPriestly]

Here is my theory as to ONE OF THE REASONS Bush wanted Blanco to give him total control of the NO rescue/clean up operation (besides his desire to control the purse strings for the benefit of his friends, etc.):

Bush wanted to make sure that death toll estimates would not start to leak out around September 11.

We are hearing very little about the numbers of dead or injured in NO.

There must be information out there, or are they not counting a la Iraq.

Bush's whole administration is about news control, propaganda control, image control. I suspect that Bush is controlling much of the news coming out of the hurricane area right now. The point is to create the illusion that his administration is competent, to cover up for the great failure: THE FAILURE TO TIMELY FUND THE IMPROVEMENTS AND MAINTENANCE OF THE LEVEES.

My thoughts and information are not well developed on this, but I think I'm on to something important. Please add your thoughts and information and help me develop mine. Let's make a list of all the ways in which Bush is attempting to control the news about NO.

[JuniperLea]

1. Agreed

Everything we hear is carefully choreographed. We are being treated like the audience in a Broadway play instead of human beings and citizens of the United States of America.

[Gyre]

3. What we are hearing

is how low the "real" body counts are. It's very curious.

Gyre

[JuniperLea]

5. If they are so low, the why aren't they praising Nagin

instead of crucifying him?

[JDPriestly]

12. I think the death toll will be lower than expected.

I think more people evacuated than originally believed.

I think that more people escaped to higher ground than believed.

I think that the property damage will exceed original expectations.

No evidence -- just my intuition. Take it for what it is worth.

[The Traveler]

2. Too bad for them

that much of the press, finally, seems out of control. In the long run, truth comes out ... when the press is on the case, it comes out faster.

[ret5hd]

4. i disagree that he wanted TOTAL control of NO...

what he wanted was a REFUSAL, by someone, anyone, to reliquish control...then, after tragedy has struck, we get this:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1771840

in essence, NO will give to bush* re: citizens what 9-11 gave to bush* re: foreigners.

[jean]

6. Regarding the eventual death toll .. and this is so horrible to think ...

but could the Blackwater mercenaries working in NO be trying to impact the eventual death toll - under cover of night, retrieving and disposing of bodies?


Overkill: Feared Blackwater Mercenaries Deploy in New Orleans
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0910-07.htm

Blackwater USA
http://www.blackwaterusa.com/

[yy4me]

10. Do these Blackwater mercenaries have ""SWAT" on their chest?

Perhaps they are the ones whose picture I am looking for from yesterdays Boston Globe p A10. They sure didn't look like US troops. Fierce and machine gun laden, four of them aiming up close at 2 men who were lying on the floor. This picture seems to have vanished from the earth. I searched yesterday including here on DU. No-one can find it but those who get the Globe saw it.

[jean]

11. I don't know ... surely someone has the pic

[Skidmore]

7. O - I - L

[Coastie for Truth]

8. He wants to carry out and cover up an American Nakba of African Americans

[gratuitous]

9. Stupidhead doesn't work or play well with others

Remember his "dictator" comment: He's fine with a dictatorship as long as he's the dictator. Total control over a situation, as he had in Iraq and so many other episodes, makes sure that nobody outside his cabal has the full story or all the facts in hand, and any criticism can be deflected with "Oh, you don't know the whole story, so you don't really know what you're talking about."

Then the discussion devolves from whatever latest deadly fuck-up just happened to a discussion about security concerns, information, disinformation, and of course, supporting the troops.