Katrina, Category 5 Hurricane

[cybercoma]

The current administration sees funding as a means to buying votes and helping out its friends. There were no friends or votes to be had in New Orleans so putting money there would have been a waste.

Short sighted and stupid? Sure. You're surprised?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You're talking about the American government, right? If it wasn't for the name "New Orleans" in there, I wouldn't be sure.

[B. Max]

How naive some people are.

Tell me about it. I am sure there's people naif enough to think there's no connection between the breach of the levees and the Bush adminisration's decision to cut the funds to fix those same levees, in order to divert that specific funding to Iraq. Or the decision to cancel open up parts of the wetland buffer zone between New Orleans and the gulf for development. All this despite warnings from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that in the event of a "New Orleans hurricane scenario...the city's less-than-adequate evacuation routes would strand 250,000 people or more, and probably kill one of 10 left behind as the city drowned under 20 feet of water. Thousands of refugees could land in Houston.

Economically, the toll would be shattering. Southern Louisiana produces one-third of the country's seafood, one-fifth of its oil and one-quarter of its natural gas. The city's tourism, lifeblood of the French Quarter, would cease to exist. The Big Easy might never recover." (Link)

Yet some people are still naive or ignorant enough to make statements like:

"I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees."

- George W. Bush, August 31, 2005

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

As i understand it, in the US leftist treehugger law forbids anyone from making dry land out of wet lands. How could bush divert money from the levees to the war when all the money for the war was borrowed and at the time the war was far more important with the war being a certainty and a class five hurricane with a direct hit in that area not a certainty. Of course clinton was in there for 8 years and never built them higher either. Which is what they needed to be, not repaired.

[mirror]

Actually you seem to understand very little.

Why they didn't rescue those poor people right away is beyond comprehension.

New Orleans and the Death of the Common Good

[Argus]

As i understand it, in the US leftist treehugger law forbids anyone from making dry land out of wet lands. How could bush divert money from the levees to the war when all the money for the war was borrowed and at the time the war was far more important with the war being a certainty and  a class five hurricane with a direct hit in that area not a certainty.

It was known for many years that the levees could not withstand a category 4 storm, and that it was an absolute certainty that one would eventually hit New Orleans. Nor was this a lack of money due to the war. The war is not particularly expensive as compared to previous US wars, especially given the present size of their economy. This was a lack of will, pure and simple.

Of course clinton was in there for 8 years and never built them higher either. Which is what they needed to be, not repaired.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

As I understand it, the levees were a work in progress, something built up over decades. What Bush did was to cut funding to the upgrading and extension of those levees and dikes, and cut funding to FEMA.

[mirror]

This was published in October, 2004:

Gone with the Water

I would imagine that the political reprecussions from this are going to be huge and that Bush could well end up bearing the brunt of people's frustrations.

[crazymf]

Blah blah blah. The levees this and the government that.

What about the fact that nobody thinks it's strange that a whole city on the ocean is below sea level? DUHH!!!

How did that come to be in the first place??

http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/...hurricane1.html

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/re...ch/1282151.html

[Chimera]

Blah blah blah. The levees this and the government that.

What about the fact that nobody thinks it's strange that a whole city on the ocean is below sea level? DUHH!!!

How did that come to be in the first place??

http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/...hurricane1.html

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/re...ch/1282151.html

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There's a whole country below sea level in Europe.

Mankind will always try to conquer nature (and quite often lose).

[Shady]

No, funding was cut in order to cut taxes and because New Orleans was 2/3 black, and 75% Democrat

Can you provide any evidence to back up this racist statement?

in the US leftist treehugger law forbids anyone from making dry land out of wet lands

You're correct. These are also the same people who forbid the building of power plants and oil refineries, but complain about the price of electricity and gasoline.

It was known for many years that the levees could not withstand a category 4 storm

Yes it has, for decades. There's plenty of blame to go around.

[Black Dog]

QUOTE(Argus)

No, funding was cut in order to cut taxes and because New Orleans was 2/3 black, and 75% Democrat

Can you provide any evidence to back up this racist statement?

Uh...how is that a rascist statement?

[B. Max]

Actually you seem to understand very little.

Why they didn't rescue those poor people right away is beyond comprehension.

New Orleans and the Death of the Common Good

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You're correct. These are also the same people who forbid the building of power plants and oil refineries, but complain about the price of electricity and gasoline.

Mirror, you resembale those remarks incuding your own.

Why they didn't rescue those poor people right away is beyond comprehension.

Who is they. Do you have any comprehension of the scale of what's going on there.

[B. Max]

This was published in October, 2004:

Gone with the Water

I would imagine that the political reprecussions from this are going to be huge and that Bush could well end up bearing the brunt of people's frustrations.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Why blame bush, when it is state officials who have authority and jurisdiction.

[cybercoma]

This was published in October, 2004:

Gone with the Water

I would imagine that the political reprecussions from this are going to be huge and that Bush could well end up bearing the brunt of people's frustrations.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Why blame bush, when it is state officials who have authority and jurisdiction.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Because FEMA is responsible for disasters of this magnitude. Obviously the state was overwhelmed by it.

[mirror]

Since 2000 the Bush & the Republicians have ruled. Now they will finally pay the political price for their transgressions.

If we had a similar type disaster in Canada I wonder who would be in charge. Do we know? Perhaps our governments need to explain to us how things would work in an emergency. Who was in charge in Quebec during the Ice Storm? Or the storm that hit Nova Scotia? We had better find out, eh!

Link

I just checked and Landslide Annie is in charge. I feel much better already!

[B. Max]

A lot of the problem here and in the US is that people have forgotten that it is they themselves that are ultimately responsible for their own. However we have become nations of entitlements and government do this and government do that, and whine if the government doesn't supply a host of tear catchers and nose wipers.

[B. Max]

This was published in October, 2004:

Gone with the Water

I would imagine that the political reprecussions from this are going to be huge and that Bush could well end up bearing the brunt of people's frustrations.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Why blame bush, when it is state officials who have authority and jurisdiction.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Because FEMA is responsible for disasters of this magnitude. Obviously the state was overwhelmed by it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Obviously, but FEMA is only a coordinating body. If those that they are to direct and coordinte are rendered out of service for the most part it's game over.

[mirror]

You really are living in denial. First the denial about the levees NOT being upgraded properly, and secondly about the US Administration's response.

Bush is going to be trying to do damage control over Katrina for the rest of his term, but as he was already so low in the polls, I would imagine that it will be impossible for him to recover. He will probably go down in history as the worst president the US has ever had.

And just wait until next month when the grand jury reports!

[B. Max]

You really are living in denial. First the denial about the levees NOT being upgraded properly, and secondly about the US Administration's response.

Bush is going to be trying to do damage control over Katrina for the rest of his term, but as he was already so low in the polls, I would imagine that it will be impossible for him to recover. He will probably go down in history as the worst president the US has ever had.

And just wait until next month when the grand jury reports!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I wasn't wrong about anything. I never said anything about the levees not being upgradded properly. The government responded as best they could. What are you suppose to do when those that are suppose respond, are in many cases those who have to be responded to.

[Shady]

WHY DIDN'T YOU DEPLOY THE BUSES DURING THE MANDATORY EVACUATION, MAYOR?...

Link

Louisiana disaster plan, pg 13, para 5 , dated 01/00

'The primary means of hurricane evacuation will be personal vehicles. School and municipal buses, government-owned vehicles and vehicles provided by volunteer agencies may be used to provide transportation for individuals who lack transportation and require assistance in evacuating'...

[mirror]

Instead of accepting responsibility for the disasterous response right wingers have now seized on a picture of some flooded school buses that were not used. From all accounts I have seen the Mayor of NO stayed in the city doing the best he could, with no help from Bush who was vacationing as usual at his ranch, or was he delivering some fund-raising speech in Idaho. Great president indeed!

[Shady]

I think we're still waiting for an answer...

Louisiana disaster plan, pg 13, para 5 , dated 01/00

'The primary means of hurricane evacuation will be personal vehicles. School and municipal buses, government-owned vehicles and vehicles provided by volunteer agencies may be used to provide transportation for individuals who lack transportation and require assistance in evacuating'...

[Argus]

If we had a similar type disaster in Canada I wonder who would be in charge. Do we know? Perhaps our governments need to explain to us how things would work in an emergency. Who was in charge in Quebec during the Ice Storm? Or the storm that hit Nova Scotia? We had better find out, eh!

Canada has a sort-of equivilent to FEMA, only about 1/100th its size with about 1/1000th its resources, few plans to speak of, few personnel, no power. Basically, if something happens in Canada you're on your own. We have few real plans to speak of, and little communication about what plans and resources there is between various levels of government.

The Liberals take disaster planning as seriously as - well, as they take national security.

[mirror]

Bourque has some good pictures of a Canadian Search & Rescue Team on his website this AM.

Vancouver Search & Rescue

[Montgomery Burns]

Local and State govts are to operate on their own without the micromanaging of the federal govt. As long as state laws do not conflict with the constitution and federal laws, all is well. American teenagers learn this in basic high school level government class. Funny how a lot of people blame Bush for not preparing for the hurricane, but it was the local and State govts who were supposed to prepare and or evacuate. If they cannot take care of things on their own, THEN they are obligated (because you are elected to take care of your people) to contact the federal gov’t for additional help. It has worked like that very well in the past.

I predict the contempt shown for the Louisiana citizens by the Democrat Mayor and Democratic Governor will be the undoing for the Democrats in 2006 and 2008.

Many of the leftwingers are getting more and more uneducated-sounding every day. It has already become your undoing. You do nothing but scare the moderates away to the Republican Party.

[Montgomery Burns]

Instead of accepting responsibility for the disasterous response right wingers have now seized on a picture of some flooded school buses that were not used. From all accounts I have seen the Mayor of NO stayed in the city doing the best he could, with no help from Bush who was vacationing as usual at his ranch, or was he delivering some fund-raising speech in Idaho. Great president indeed!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah the mayor is busting his butt screaming for help now. But he had the opportunity to evacuate thousands and thousands of people via the 364 school buses. But apparently, he was just too goddamned lacking in his duties to protect the people who elected him. And the Democratic governor is safely tucked away in Baton Rouge, where she ignored Bush's call to her that she should start evacuating.

These 2 Democrats were negligent in their duties and yet the leftwingers want to put the blame on Bush. Apparently he is supposed to micromanage every town, city, county, and state in the country.

This will backfire on the Democrats. The public has seen their negligence and won't forget it. That was one of the main reasons why they lost in 2004. Would you trust the Democrats to protect you from Islamic extremists?

No wonder they are in the minority of all 3 branches of govt and in the minority for governorships.

It's much like Canada. Does anyone really trust the Liberal Party to protect this country? Osama named 5 countries on his hitlist. Four have been hit (well Australia was sorta hit - Bali bombing); only one country on his list hasn't been hit yet. Sadly, Canada will likely be hit by Al Qaeda. And who do I expect our govt and many of its citizens to put the blame on?

President Bush.

It won't be Canada's fault for electing a party that decimated a once decent military. No siree. I've noticed that Leftists rarely accept responsibility for their own doings. They always blame someone else.

[Riverwind]

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