9/11 and Katrina: Katrina far, far worse ......

[Stinky The Clown]

The facts are out there. This post is simply a rumination.

9/11 was caused by outside forces. Some can argue (I am not one of them) that it was a pure surprize and we had no warning. 3,000 sould lost their lives. Bush faltered until his political machine was able to spin it to their advantage. Given that the villians were non-American and identifiable (or not, depending on which response to the event we're talking about) it was easy for the coutry to 'rally 'round the flag' as it were. The overall result ...... the idiot son of the head of an organized crime syndicate is hailed as a great leader.

Katrina was an act of God. But it was predictable and the warning signs were clear and self-evident. There is no foreign enemy. No .... in the case of Katrina, the only enemy is within. And that enemy is our own government. Avoidance, politicisation, obfuscation, lies. But most of all, EXCUSES.

That's all we get. Excuses.

We need to wash this government out of power along with the raw sewage in New Orleans.

Forget the politics. This is incompetence.

[GeorgeGist]

1. It's like watching 9/11 and BushCos insufferable incompetence...

in slow motion.

[Liberty Belle]

2. Yes, + 1 million are homeless & death toll may exceed 9/11.

NYC lost 2 buildings, but most survivors at least had homes to return to. The entire city of New Orleans is underwater and being evacuated, a doomed metropolis. Thousands are trapped, without food, water or medical supplies. That doesn't even count the hurricane damage in Missippi, Alabama and elsewhere.

[spooked911]

4. The death toll WILL EXCEED 9/11, I hate to say, but it will.

[Dawgs]

3. I posted this same statement three days ago..

Some clown actually argued with me.

[Adelante]

5. Incompetence and incompetent leadership

I hope you had a chance to read today's editorial in the New York Times, called "Waiting for a Leader." If you haven't read it yet, please take a few minutes to do it. The Times is asking an important question. It's one I've been asking for a long time as well: Where is the leadership in America today?

With respect to Iraq, "stay the course" is only a slogan, not a strategy. What is our strategy for success in Iraq? Where is the leadership?

The president's own Republican party just passed an energy bill which has absolutely no effect on gas prices for now or the forseeable future, and moves us no further along the path to energy independence. Where is the leadership?

Every day American technology and manufacturing skills are sent abroad, along with American jobs. Where is the leadership?

Again, just this past week, there was at least 36 hours notice that a major hurricane was going to hit the Gulf Coast, including likely a devastating blow to New Orleans, which certainly came to pass. The President continued with his regular schedule on Monday and Tuesday in California, Arizona, and Texas to hold some staged Medicare events and enjoy more vacation time, while finally returning to the White House yesterday. The joint task force including National Guard set up by the Pentagon failed to be on the scene in New Orleans in a timely manner to stop the looting and assist in the evacuation. Where is the leadership?

Then just this morning, the President claimed that no one could have anticipated the levee breaches we've seen in New Orleans after Katrina hit. That's not leadership, that's an excuse. In fact, people have predicted this kind of disaster for many years, including President Bush's own FEMA in 2001, when they ranked hurricane flood damage to New Orleans among the three likeliest, most catastrophic disasters facing America. Instead, funding was significantly cut back, leaving key engineering projects on hold. Instead, this Administration focused on the war in Iraq, tax cuts, and private sector economic growth without asking the American people to make needed sacrifices for the good of the country. Again I ask you, where is the leadership?

-more-


http://www.tpmcafe.com/story/2005/9/1/123536/7907

Anybody wonders why Clarkies are Clarkies, this is it.

Where is the fucking leadership?