Hurricane Bush

[Argus]

Disasters are bad enough when they are not foreseen, when nothing can be done. But I find it most infuriating when disasters were utterly predictable, and could easily have been mitigated or avoided if only those in charge were paying attention. That is the case with New Orleans.

Politicians can be notoriously short-sighted and parochial, and never has that case been better displayed than in the person of George W Bush Jr and his administration.

The disaster at New Orleans was long-predicted. It was only a matter of time. What needed to be done to mitigate or eliminate the damage was repair of the barrier islands, which would have absorbed some of the flood surge, and upgrading and repairing of the city's dikes. Neither was done. Years of pleading fell on deaf ears. Funding for flood control and disaster mitigation was slashed brutally in succesive federal budgets. Money for barrier restoration never came. Money for upkeep and repair, let alone expansion of the dike systems was actually cut, and heavily cut by the Bush administration. One long section of the dike had, over the years, sunk by 4 feet, for example.

This is where parochialism and probably racism turn into outright pig-ignorant stupidity. I can see Bush sitting around with his southern friends and saying, in effect, "There ain't nothin' in New Orleans but niggers and nigger lovers", to a round of appreciative chuckles. "An all of `em vote Democrat. I ain't wasting our money on them."

How much money is this going to cost, now? How much disruption to the economy just due to the increase in gas prices? How many tens and hundreds of billions will now be required to rebuild the city of New Orleans?

In addition to the lack of funding for the dikes, FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was allowed to run down, its budget cut, put in charge of totally inexperienced political appointees (Ie, his campaign manager) who hadn't a clue or a care about emergency response. There were all sorts of things which were supposed to be done in the event of a possible New Orleans flood, like the pre-positioning of ships, equipment and military teams. In this case, even though there were strong suspicions well before Katrina hit, that this would cause a huge disaster, nothing was done. Rescue ships are only now leaving port, five days later, and it's obvious that nothing was pre-positioned, and no one of any authority with any organization was put in place to manage the oncoming disaster.

More Americans were likely killed, more infrastructure destroyed, more costs incurred by this diaster than by almost any amount of terrorist attacks. Yet despite the obvious need of protection the Bush administration did nothing. Criminal negligence which will cost every American - and not just the poor blacks of New Orleans.

[Toro]

This is where parochialism and probably racism turn into outright pig-ignorant stupidity. I can see Bush sitting around with his southern friends and saying, in effect, "There ain't nothin' in New Orleans but niggers and nigger lovers", to a round of appreciative chuckles. "An all of `em vote Democrat. I ain't wasting our money on them."

The ignorance in this statement is unbelievably astonishing.

[I Miss Trudeau]

Condi goes shoe shopping....

Just moments ago at the Ferragamo on 5th Avenue, Condoleeza Rice was seen spending several thousands of dollars on some nice, new shoes (we’ve confirmed this, so her new heels will surely get coverage from the WaPo’s Robin Givhan). A fellow shopper, unable to fathom the absurdity of Rice’s timing, went up to the Secretary and reportedly shouted, “How dare you shop for shoes while thousands are dying and homeless!” Never one to have her fashion choices questioned, Rice had security PHYSICALLY REMOVE the woman.

Shoe shopping while NO sinks...

Around the same time, Canadian search and rescue teams were ready to fly in to help with the efforts in the Gulf states, but couldn't get permission to enter the country.

Canadian agencies are saying that foreign aid is probably not being permitted into Louisiana and Mississippi because of "mass confusion" at the U.S. federal level in the wake of the storm.

Wow. If only there was a cabinet official who was charged with dealing with foreign countries that wanted to help.

Oh, I guess there is...but she's shoe shopping.

[Argus]

This is where parochialism and probably racism turn into outright pig-ignorant stupidity. I can see Bush sitting around with his southern friends and saying, in effect, "There ain't nothin' in New Orleans but niggers and nigger lovers", to a round of appreciative chuckles. "An all of `em vote Democrat. I ain't wasting our money on them."

The ignorance in this statement is unbelievably astonishing.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So you don't dispute the truth of anything I've said but you're indignant at my depiction of Bush as an archtypical southern cracker?

[Toro]

This is where parochialism and probably racism turn into outright pig-ignorant stupidity. I can see Bush sitting around with his southern friends and saying, in effect, "There ain't nothin' in New Orleans but niggers and nigger lovers", to a round of appreciative chuckles. "An all of `em vote Democrat. I ain't wasting our money on them."

The ignorance in this statement is unbelievably astonishing.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So you don't dispute the truth of anything I've said but you're indignant at my depiction of Bush as an archtypical southern cracker?

No I dispute it. I don't know if its a comment worthy of a response.

[Argus]

This is where parochialism and probably racism turn into outright pig-ignorant stupidity. I can see Bush sitting around with his southern friends and saying, in effect, "There ain't nothin' in New Orleans but niggers and nigger lovers", to a round of appreciative chuckles. "An all of `em vote Democrat. I ain't wasting our money on them."

The ignorance in this statement is unbelievably astonishing.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So you don't dispute the truth of anything I've said but you're indignant at my depiction of Bush as an archtypical southern cracker?

No I dispute it. I don't know if its a comment worthy of a response.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, so far you're doing a great job at that non-response thing.

[mirror]

I'm no Bush fan but would the Democrats have done any better. I have my doubts. What I cannot comprehend is that if the US is so prepared for a security attack from al Quaeda how come they have botched their response to this NO crisis so badly? I think we should scrap all this security protection nonsense and the billions of costs that go with it.

BC's Search & Rescue people are there but are unable to work because of the snipers. The rest of the people on the planet are watching this and the US will be losing any credibility they had left. Unbelievable!

The Real Disaster: Bush and the Democrats

[Shady]

Well, so far you're doing a great job at that non-response thing

Are you for real? Do you actually expect people to take that seriously? Just wondering.

[mirror]

Shady

It is obvious to all those except the totally blind that Bush's presidency has been an unmitigated disaster from stealing an election, to creating an illegal war, to not properly protecting Americans at home from the threat of natural disasters, and to not properly rescuing the stranded people. I mean, come on, how long ago did we all know the NO was going to be in Katrina's path.

NO teachers have been told there jobs are gone, there is no money to pay them and they need to look elsewhere for work.

Troops enter New Orleans to ease chaos (1st Update)

[mirror]

I would be very surprised if the Republicans survive this debacle:

Local Officials Criticize Federal Government Over Response

[BHS]

Let me get this straight: millions of people live, of their own free will, in a bowl surrounded by water. Which is stupid, but not George Bush's fault. They have a municipal, state and finally federal government government, layers and layers of governmental oversight comprised of thousands upon thousands of people overseeing this situation, not just George Bush. The situation has been in need of improvement for decades, not just since 2000.

So you decide to blame it all on Bush anyway, and use the opportunity to surmise that he's a racist on top of it all. Just freakin' ridiculous. Get a life.

[Argus]

Let me get this straight: millions of people live, of their own free will, in a bowl surrounded by water. Which is stupid, but not George Bush's fault.

Are you kidding me? Are you blaming those people for living there!? The United States NEEDS a major city-port there. New Orleans grew up to serve that need. I don't recall anyone ever suggesting the city be closed and everyone move. Do you similarly blame the people in California for living in an earthquake prone area? Should the whole state be abandoned? What about desert states like Arizona? Do you think they should be abandoned too?

They have a municipal, state and finally federal government government, layers and layers of governmental oversight comprised of thousands upon thousands of people overseeing this situation, not just George Bush. The situation has been in need of improvement for decades, not just since 2000.

Maybe so, but it is the White House which has been steadily cutting funds meant to help repair and upgrade the levees since Bush was elected. It is the White House which has been refusing funds to repair the barrier islands. Is it your position Bush isn't at fault for that?

So you decide to blame it all on Bush anyway, and use the opportunity to surmise that he's a racist on top of it all. Just freakin' ridiculous. Get a life.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

How old are you? Seriously? I stopped thinking "get a life" was sophisticated dismissal when I turned 20. I didn't blame Bush for "everything" I blamed Bush for doing "nothing". Actually he did less than nothing, given he cut funding. And so given the obvious need one must surmise why he did that: the fact New Orleans is mostly made up of blacks and democrats is certainly a valid suggestion given Bush's known shallowness. Can you think of another reason to slash funds by up to 2/3rds?

[Black Dog]

Well, the current line of defense from the Bush admin is that now is not the time for "politics" (a phrase which, when uttered by a politician, is as good as an admission of guilt). Of course that didn't stop the RNC from using the occassion of New Orleans' continued descent into chaos and destruction to rally supporters for more tax cuts.

[Cartman]

Yeah, you can't blame people for living there. If they took that approach, much of the US would be abandoned. In Canada, we would have to evacuate Winnipeg and a large portion of Manitoba. BTW, let's just get rid of Vancouver too as they will experience an earthquake some day. Victoria just to be safe.

I didn't blame Bush for "everything" I blamed Bush for doing "nothing". Actually he did less than nothing, given he cut funding. And so given the obvious need one must surmise why he did that: the fact New Orleans is mostly made up of blacks and democrats is certainly a valid suggestion given Bush's known shallowness. Can you think of another reason to slash funds by up to 2/3rds?

I am not sure whether racism entered into the equation, but I would be lying if I said it had not occurred to me.

Why are we so reluctant to blame politicians for their errors?

[Toro]

Its a fair criticism to state that such funds have been cut. Its quite another to state that its about race. The counties along the Gulf coast that are effected by hurricanes every single year are pretty much solid GOP. Those counties along the coast in Alabama and Mississippi that were devastated by Katrina vote Republican. On the coast, the homes are owned by rich, white people. All of those people are also effected by hurricanes.

[Black Dog]

Its a fair criticism to state that such funds have been cut.  Its quite another to state that its about race.  The counties along the Gulf coast that are effected by hurricanes every single year are pretty much solid GOP. Those counties along the coast in Alabama and Mississippi that were devastated by Katrina vote Republican.  On the coast, the homes are owned by rich, white people.  All of those people are also effected by hurricanes.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

90 per cent of the people still in New Orleans are black. Poverty is widespread and the black population doesn't have the resources to get out of harm's way, let alone rebuild. The rich white folk (Bush's base, as he calls them) can always go back and rebuild. The poor, predominately Democrat black population can't. That's the difference.

[kimmy]

I have been wondering how it is that they can get a session of Congress overnight to keep a brain-dead cripple on life-support, but it takes 3 days to get Congress into session to address the biggest disaster in the nation's history.

-k

[Black Dog]

Excellent point, kimmy.

[Guest eureka]

To extend the idea a little, we would have to evacuate the whole of the US; possibly the whole earth. Yellowstone Park is an ancient crater from a quake that probably destroyed everything within thousands of miles and wiped out much of life on earth.

It was possible to restrict the damage from a major hurricane and measures were in place before the Bush Presidency. There is no doubt of the culpability of this administration since the needed repairs and enhancements were abandoned due to the withdrawal of the funding that had been allotted in the Budget.

The responsibility is with the administration since it is the authority with the jurisdiction and it reduced the funding for, first, its own idological reasons and then to divert most of the remaining funds that were approved to the Iraq budget.

[Toro]

Its a fair criticism to state that such funds have been cut.  Its quite another to state that its about race.  The counties along the Gulf coast that are effected by hurricanes every single year are pretty much solid GOP. Those counties along the coast in Alabama and Mississippi that were devastated by Katrina vote Republican.  On the coast, the homes are owned by rich, white people.  All of those people are also effected by hurricanes.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

90 per cent of the people still in New Orleans are black. Poverty is widespread and the black population doesn't have the resources to get out of harm's way, let alone rebuild. The rich white folk (Bush's base, as he calls them) can always go back and rebuild. The poor, predominately Democrat black population can't. That's the difference.

Have you ever been in New Orleans? Have you ever been in the South? There are lots of poor white folks who vote Republican. Something like 75% of white males in the South vote Republican. And as much as you like to cartoonishly label Republican supporters as rich white people, there are a lot of poor white folks who have been killed in Alabama, Missisippi and, yes, Louisiana.

As someone who both lives in the South who has never supported Bush, I can say that's a brutally ignorant argument.

[mirror]

I don't think it is as much race as it is more of the rich usually get their needs meet by government because they run for office and are actively involved in the political process.

Vancouver is a good example. If you go to the West (read: rich) side of town you will observe that the public facilities are usually in a better state of repair than those facitities on the East (read: poor) side. The rich have more time to lobby for better government services as the poor are living in survival mode a lot of the time.

I think it is the cutbacks due to the war effort, and access to government funds from more powerful lobbyists that pulled the money away from repairing the levees. As well it is almost a religion now in the US to discredit scientists, those people who warned about the hurricane dangers. (See National Geographic October, 2004 edition). Of course the people that made these political decisions to reward their corporate buddies, rather than look after the safety of NO, hopefully will be held accountable at the polls next election.

And I do think Ms Rice can kiss her future political ambitions away, if those stories about her out shopping for thousand dollar shoes, in the middle of the crisis, have any truth to them. This just shows how out of touch with the average person the rich and powerful are, including the current US administration.

[Toro]

I think this is a tough spot for the Republicans. They are going to have to answer the question why they have spent $200 billion in Iraq, yet didn't spend that money to help prevent this tragedy. Even if it is unfair - after all, Clinton didn't spend $20 billion improving the natural disaster infrastructure - the Republicans have been in power for 5 years. Its going to be an issue.

[mirror]

Politically the Republicans have had things go their way since Clinton left politics, including the 2000 election which has left a sour taste about democracy in America for a lot of people. Katrina may well be the turning point.

[Argus]

90 per cent of the people still in New Orleans are black. Poverty is widespread and the black population doesn't have the resources to get out of harm's way, let alone rebuild. The rich white folk (Bush's base, as he calls them) can always go back and rebuild. The poor, predominately Democrat black population can't. That's the difference.

Have you ever been in New Orleans? Have you ever been in the South? There are lots of poor white folks who vote Republican. Something like 75% of white males in the South vote Republican. And as much as you like to cartoonishly label Republican supporters as rich white people, there are a lot of poor white folks who have been killed in Alabama, Missisippi and, yes, Louisiana.

Perhaps, but it is New Orleans which was the main disaster area, a city which was 2/3rds Black and solidly Democrat. And it is the dykes and levees of New Orleans, along with the outlying islands, which might have made a huge difference in the survival of the city had they been properly attended to.

[newbie]

I have been wondering how it is that they can get a session of Congress overnight to keep a brain-dead cripple on life-support, but it takes 3 days to get Congress into session to address the biggest disaster in the nation's history.

-k

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Excellent post. Kinda shows the twisted mentality of the Bush administration.