lanky189 said:
When a state of emergency is declared does it not involve the federal government? I actually don't know this as I do not know the intricacy's of the American system.
Dave
(from Canada.)
Katrina Relief Efforts Not Quick Enough? Pffft..
- Thread starter drunk_medic
- Start date
When a state of emergency is declared does it not involve the federal government? I actually don't know this as I do not know the intricacy's of the American system.
Dave
(from Canada.)
You're damn straight, Lanky.
People need to educate themselves on the issues at hand before they just go and open there mouth and act as if they're the experts on everything. This relates to everything, not just this topic.
There is no excuse nor need for what is usually willful ignorance.
Anomili-Your last comment is how to stay respectable in this situation.
Asking questions when you don't know is a great method of learning.
People need to educate themselves on the issues at hand before they just go and open there mouth and act as if they're the experts on everything. This relates to everything, not just this topic.
There is no excuse nor need for what is usually willful ignorance.
Anomili-Your last comment is how to stay respectable in this situation.
Asking questions when you don't know is a great method of learning.
Thanks for the tip SP 7M, lol. I am postponing any further comments until tomorrow as I am exhausted, sick and have 8:30 class.
Dave
Dave
they don't really claim it till after the storm when they realize that it can't be fixed within the state. Now i cant remember if New orleans did before the storm or not but they should have because even a catagory 3 would have put them under. Even tho their system was rated to handle catagory 3 i doubt it would.
New Orleans Didn’t Just Go Nuts -- It’s Been Nuts
by Mac Johnson
Where to even begin in being one more idiot talking about Hurricane Katrina? I hate the subject. It should be a news item and a humanitarian cause --a huge recovery and reconstruction effort joined in by all. It should not be a political issue fit for “commentary.”
But the Hurricane tore at more than just the weaknesses in New Orleans’ inadequate levees. The shortcomings of the levee system were known to all who ever lived on the Gulf Coast, and in the end, all the levees really did was encourage expanded development in a huge geologic bowl sitting between a large lake, North America’s mightiest river, and the immense green waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The whole booby-trap was simply yet another triumph of government subsidized and directed development. And its failure was long anticipated.
What was not anticipated was the way the Hurricane tore at our human divisions.
First out of the gate were the Holy Men of the Cult of Global Warming, who couldn’t wait for the first dead to wash up before they declared the Hurricane irrefutable proof of Global Warming and a direct responsibility of George W. Bush.
Next up were the racial ambulance chasers, always looking for another grievous injury to add to their political caseload. Looking at the Sea of Black faces abandoned without transportation, food, water or protection, they somehow managed to look past the City’s Black Mayor, Black Police Chief, Black City Council members and all the other Black office holders that run the 67% Black city, and found that the whole thing was: white folks’ fault. Yet another example of racism at its worst.
This opened up a torrent of Bush-bashing, since he was the closest Republican that had any responsibility for the City. The Democratic Governor of Louisiana -- though white -- was merely a victim of the whole thing it seems, just like the Mayor of New Orleans. Nobody has any power in this world other than George Bush. Nobody has any responsibility. George Bush is now the navel of the world for his enemies. If a butterfly flaps its wings in Central Park, it’s George Bush’s fault. And the butterfly is racist. And it was blown there by Global Warming.
And at some point during the disaster, the most disturbing of all the infighting began. The thugs of New Orleans turned on their neighbors like a Mongol horde. Looting erupted, as did arson and robberies, shootings and beatings. Rape became an organized crime as gangs preyed on the defenseless stranded girls of New Orleans. Pharmacies were looted and hospitals were surrounded and invaded in a manic hunt for drugs. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin couldn’t stop such junkie armies from destroying much of what was left of the City’s medical infrastructure, but he could excuse them, explaining that it was all just people “looking for something to take the edge off their jones, if you will.” Actually, no, I won’t. (The mayor added a few minutes later in the same interview: “You know, I'm not one of those drug addicts. I am thinking very clearly.” And nobody said different, Mayor.)
Barbarians with an edgy jones shot a cop in the head, shot a national guardsman, halted life-saving evacuations by firing on helicopters and humvees. Police had to mow down a gang of six shooting at contractors who came to repair the levee breaches. A group of white civilians that came into the city in private boats to save as many refugees as they could -- giving lie to the racism howls of the media -- gave up and turned back because people began shooting at them, trying to take their boats.
Soldiers who should be concentrating on rescue operations are carrying full battle gear through the streets of an American City, opening doors with rifles at the ready. Overnight, it seems, The Big Easy had become Thunderdome, and Mad Max was nowhere to be found. In the middle of the worst American natural disaster in over a century, gang warfare, anti-authority psychosis and individual malevolence finished off the hope of tens of thousands that had survived the flood. It did more to demoralize the nation than the storm had done.
What happened?
The storm may have triggered the violence, but it did not cause it. What we saw in New Orleans was what happens in America’s most murderous city when the criminals realize that all the cops have left.
It wasn’t desperation, or insanity, or protest. It was New Orleans, without police.
Many people believe that Washington, D.C., is the “murder capital of America.” And indeed it often is, but that is only because such rankings are limited to “major cities” –those with a population of 500,000 or more, and New Orleans has (or had) a population of 485,000. Were it not for this actuarial accident, Washington, D.C.. wouldn’t even have a shot at the murder title. The per capita murder rate in New Orleans is 16% higher than in “Murder Capital” Washington, D.C.; and nearly 10 times the national average. To have a murder rate equal to that of New York City, New Orleans would need to reduce its murders by 86%. No, that’s not a typo.
At a time when crime is plummeting in most of America, it has been steadily increasing in New Orleans. And one cause is simple: The New Orleans City Government has run its law enforcement apparatus into the ground. On a per capita basis, New Orleans has less than half as many cops as Washington, D.C.: just 3.1 police officers per 1,000 citizens. Turnover has become a huge issue, as young cops leave at the first opportunity. A report conducted for the city two years ago said that New Orleans was “bleeding police officers.”
The strain shows. Fewer than one in four murder cases in New Orleans results in a conviction. 42% of violent offenders have their charges dropped by prosecutors because the cases are “not suitable for court.” Many in New Orleans will not now testify against the thugs that they know -- more likely than not -- are going to be released Scot-free. People don’t even bother calling the police in New Orleans anymore. In 2004, academic Researchers conducted an experiment in which they had police fire 700 blank rounds into the air, in a single afternoon, in one neighborhood. No one -- not one person -- called to report the gunfire. It was background noise.
The report on police levels mentioned above stated that New Orleans needs 2,000 cops just to maintain order in normal times. When Katrina struck, the city had only 1,700. No more than 1,500 are on duty now, after dislocation, desertions, resignations, and two suicides.
There is no wonder the place went chaotic. There should be no mystery. It is barely under control on a good day.
Why are the cops leaving? They are utterly demoralized. They face low pay to fight a losing war against crime in a city that will not commit resources to the battle. “We have to use our own shotguns," one patrolman was quoted in the New York Times. "This isn't theirs; this is my personal gun."
They are demoralized because they have to bear the reputation of working in what is widely acknowledged as the most corrupt police department in the country. More than fifty NOPD officers were sent to prison in the 1990’s, two of them to death row.
They are demoralized because they have to live in New Orleans, due to a strict residency requirement for police. And unless you are wealthy enough to live in the perpetual party of the Vieux Carre, New Orleans is not a nice place to live -- especially for those with children. 84% of officers with children reported sending them to private or parochial schools, at their own expense. That’s quite an endorsement of Mayor Nagin’s schools.
So they leave, and are not replaced. It is not just “white flight” either, for those that want to see the world through racial lenses. Most of those leaving are black officers.
All this is not to say that New Orleans has had no plan to reduce its high crime statistics. For a while, one police district tried lying about the statistics. It meant letting some violent thugs go (and with an edge on their joneses, I’m told), but it was cheaper than fighting real crime; and it kept the tourists coming.
Asked if such lying meant that perhaps the NOPD should have its stats audited by an outside agency, Police Chief Eddie Compass stated, “I don't need an outside agency coming in. I think we have proven that we are capable of taking care of our own house.”
This is the same Chief that now screams on camera for outside agencies to just take over. As soon as order is restored, you can bet the New Orleans City Government will rediscover its need for independence -- and privacy.
The overnight crisis we saw in New Orleans this week has been a long time coming. It was just the bursting of a purulent boil that has been festering for years.
Undoubtedly, that is Bush’s fault as well. Perhaps his Global Warming has been putting an edge on criminal’s joneses, unbeknownst to the City Government.
by Mac Johnson
Where to even begin in being one more idiot talking about Hurricane Katrina? I hate the subject. It should be a news item and a humanitarian cause --a huge recovery and reconstruction effort joined in by all. It should not be a political issue fit for “commentary.”
But the Hurricane tore at more than just the weaknesses in New Orleans’ inadequate levees. The shortcomings of the levee system were known to all who ever lived on the Gulf Coast, and in the end, all the levees really did was encourage expanded development in a huge geologic bowl sitting between a large lake, North America’s mightiest river, and the immense green waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The whole booby-trap was simply yet another triumph of government subsidized and directed development. And its failure was long anticipated.
What was not anticipated was the way the Hurricane tore at our human divisions.
First out of the gate were the Holy Men of the Cult of Global Warming, who couldn’t wait for the first dead to wash up before they declared the Hurricane irrefutable proof of Global Warming and a direct responsibility of George W. Bush.
Next up were the racial ambulance chasers, always looking for another grievous injury to add to their political caseload. Looking at the Sea of Black faces abandoned without transportation, food, water or protection, they somehow managed to look past the City’s Black Mayor, Black Police Chief, Black City Council members and all the other Black office holders that run the 67% Black city, and found that the whole thing was: white folks’ fault. Yet another example of racism at its worst.
This opened up a torrent of Bush-bashing, since he was the closest Republican that had any responsibility for the City. The Democratic Governor of Louisiana -- though white -- was merely a victim of the whole thing it seems, just like the Mayor of New Orleans. Nobody has any power in this world other than George Bush. Nobody has any responsibility. George Bush is now the navel of the world for his enemies. If a butterfly flaps its wings in Central Park, it’s George Bush’s fault. And the butterfly is racist. And it was blown there by Global Warming.
And at some point during the disaster, the most disturbing of all the infighting began. The thugs of New Orleans turned on their neighbors like a Mongol horde. Looting erupted, as did arson and robberies, shootings and beatings. Rape became an organized crime as gangs preyed on the defenseless stranded girls of New Orleans. Pharmacies were looted and hospitals were surrounded and invaded in a manic hunt for drugs. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin couldn’t stop such junkie armies from destroying much of what was left of the City’s medical infrastructure, but he could excuse them, explaining that it was all just people “looking for something to take the edge off their jones, if you will.” Actually, no, I won’t. (The mayor added a few minutes later in the same interview: “You know, I'm not one of those drug addicts. I am thinking very clearly.” And nobody said different, Mayor.)
Barbarians with an edgy jones shot a cop in the head, shot a national guardsman, halted life-saving evacuations by firing on helicopters and humvees. Police had to mow down a gang of six shooting at contractors who came to repair the levee breaches. A group of white civilians that came into the city in private boats to save as many refugees as they could -- giving lie to the racism howls of the media -- gave up and turned back because people began shooting at them, trying to take their boats.
Soldiers who should be concentrating on rescue operations are carrying full battle gear through the streets of an American City, opening doors with rifles at the ready. Overnight, it seems, The Big Easy had become Thunderdome, and Mad Max was nowhere to be found. In the middle of the worst American natural disaster in over a century, gang warfare, anti-authority psychosis and individual malevolence finished off the hope of tens of thousands that had survived the flood. It did more to demoralize the nation than the storm had done.
What happened?
The storm may have triggered the violence, but it did not cause it. What we saw in New Orleans was what happens in America’s most murderous city when the criminals realize that all the cops have left.
It wasn’t desperation, or insanity, or protest. It was New Orleans, without police.
Many people believe that Washington, D.C., is the “murder capital of America.” And indeed it often is, but that is only because such rankings are limited to “major cities” –those with a population of 500,000 or more, and New Orleans has (or had) a population of 485,000. Were it not for this actuarial accident, Washington, D.C.. wouldn’t even have a shot at the murder title. The per capita murder rate in New Orleans is 16% higher than in “Murder Capital” Washington, D.C.; and nearly 10 times the national average. To have a murder rate equal to that of New York City, New Orleans would need to reduce its murders by 86%. No, that’s not a typo.
At a time when crime is plummeting in most of America, it has been steadily increasing in New Orleans. And one cause is simple: The New Orleans City Government has run its law enforcement apparatus into the ground. On a per capita basis, New Orleans has less than half as many cops as Washington, D.C.: just 3.1 police officers per 1,000 citizens. Turnover has become a huge issue, as young cops leave at the first opportunity. A report conducted for the city two years ago said that New Orleans was “bleeding police officers.”
The strain shows. Fewer than one in four murder cases in New Orleans results in a conviction. 42% of violent offenders have their charges dropped by prosecutors because the cases are “not suitable for court.” Many in New Orleans will not now testify against the thugs that they know -- more likely than not -- are going to be released Scot-free. People don’t even bother calling the police in New Orleans anymore. In 2004, academic Researchers conducted an experiment in which they had police fire 700 blank rounds into the air, in a single afternoon, in one neighborhood. No one -- not one person -- called to report the gunfire. It was background noise.
The report on police levels mentioned above stated that New Orleans needs 2,000 cops just to maintain order in normal times. When Katrina struck, the city had only 1,700. No more than 1,500 are on duty now, after dislocation, desertions, resignations, and two suicides.
There is no wonder the place went chaotic. There should be no mystery. It is barely under control on a good day.
Why are the cops leaving? They are utterly demoralized. They face low pay to fight a losing war against crime in a city that will not commit resources to the battle. “We have to use our own shotguns," one patrolman was quoted in the New York Times. "This isn't theirs; this is my personal gun."
They are demoralized because they have to bear the reputation of working in what is widely acknowledged as the most corrupt police department in the country. More than fifty NOPD officers were sent to prison in the 1990’s, two of them to death row.
They are demoralized because they have to live in New Orleans, due to a strict residency requirement for police. And unless you are wealthy enough to live in the perpetual party of the Vieux Carre, New Orleans is not a nice place to live -- especially for those with children. 84% of officers with children reported sending them to private or parochial schools, at their own expense. That’s quite an endorsement of Mayor Nagin’s schools.
So they leave, and are not replaced. It is not just “white flight” either, for those that want to see the world through racial lenses. Most of those leaving are black officers.
All this is not to say that New Orleans has had no plan to reduce its high crime statistics. For a while, one police district tried lying about the statistics. It meant letting some violent thugs go (and with an edge on their joneses, I’m told), but it was cheaper than fighting real crime; and it kept the tourists coming.
Asked if such lying meant that perhaps the NOPD should have its stats audited by an outside agency, Police Chief Eddie Compass stated, “I don't need an outside agency coming in. I think we have proven that we are capable of taking care of our own house.”
This is the same Chief that now screams on camera for outside agencies to just take over. As soon as order is restored, you can bet the New Orleans City Government will rediscover its need for independence -- and privacy.
The overnight crisis we saw in New Orleans this week has been a long time coming. It was just the bursting of a purulent boil that has been festering for years.
Undoubtedly, that is Bush’s fault as well. Perhaps his Global Warming has been putting an edge on criminal’s joneses, unbeknownst to the City Government.
theres alot that is actually TRUE in that write up. ALOT of the young officers move here!
It's a horrible and low act of these people trying to play the race card while so many black people are in office as I stated in another thread.
Theres alot I can qoute in that Drunk but no need to!
I couldn't agree better on what was stated and if people think its a media thing, thats bullshit in a hand basket because I go there and a regular basis and know ALOT of people that live there that will agree.
If ya ask me New Orleans should be a dead city. Just let it sink!
GOOD FIND! Everything I was thinking summed up so nice and neatly!
It's a horrible and low act of these people trying to play the race card while so many black people are in office as I stated in another thread.
Theres alot I can qoute in that Drunk but no need to!
I couldn't agree better on what was stated and if people think its a media thing, thats bullshit in a hand basket because I go there and a regular basis and know ALOT of people that live there that will agree.
If ya ask me New Orleans should be a dead city. Just let it sink!
GOOD FIND! Everything I was thinking summed up so nice and neatly!
Wow, i wasn't going to post in this thread or any other political/N.O. threads, but what i just read that was posted by Drunk was, thats crazy, I had some sence that it was hell, but not like that. Good find D_M.
Adjuster
Supramania Contributor
I agree that at this point, it would be cheaper to just just own up to the fact that any areas below sea level, should be condemmed.
Remove the houses, leave the foundations, and remove or breach the dykes. I think you would still need a deep water port of some kind, and areas above sea level should be maintained, but rebuild the city somewhere else. (Further inland above sea level would be a good choice.) To heck with the history of the city. I don't care about it, and really don't want my tax dollars going to restore it.
I'd much rather see those dollars spent building a new city, at least 10 feet or more above ocean level. If we used the existing dykes and walls to help control flooding, and regulate the needs of wetlands and open water for boating etc, this could really result in a nice city to replace what was once NO. Name the city Katrina if you want. It sure would be easier to say than "Nawrlens" LOL
Remove the houses, leave the foundations, and remove or breach the dykes. I think you would still need a deep water port of some kind, and areas above sea level should be maintained, but rebuild the city somewhere else. (Further inland above sea level would be a good choice.) To heck with the history of the city. I don't care about it, and really don't want my tax dollars going to restore it.
I'd much rather see those dollars spent building a new city, at least 10 feet or more above ocean level. If we used the existing dykes and walls to help control flooding, and regulate the needs of wetlands and open water for boating etc, this could really result in a nice city to replace what was once NO. Name the city Katrina if you want. It sure would be easier to say than "Nawrlens" LOL
I've never been to NOLA (New Orleans, LA) or any other part of Louisiana for that matter. If it becomes a city once again, my wife and I would like to take a vacation there. The biggest thing I recognize it for is its musical background.
It would really bad sad to see it condemned or anything of that nature. Hopefully our country will eventually be able to rebuild it even if it has to be moved to a place that is above sea level, which I agree that it should be.
I'm a member on www.nolaunderground.com, a site/forum dedicated to the underground NOLA metal scene. There are a lot of great bands that have come out of there and I'm a big fan of many of them. Unfortunately, some of them are going to be breaking up since some of the band members are not moving back.
As you can imagine, we've been actively discussing many issues that have arose due to the hurricane. There is a lot less activity on that forum when compared to this one, but there have been some good threads on there as well.
It would really bad sad to see it condemned or anything of that nature. Hopefully our country will eventually be able to rebuild it even if it has to be moved to a place that is above sea level, which I agree that it should be.
I'm a member on www.nolaunderground.com, a site/forum dedicated to the underground NOLA metal scene. There are a lot of great bands that have come out of there and I'm a big fan of many of them. Unfortunately, some of them are going to be breaking up since some of the band members are not moving back.
As you can imagine, we've been actively discussing many issues that have arose due to the hurricane. There is a lot less activity on that forum when compared to this one, but there have been some good threads on there as well.
Transcript from "Meet the Press", Sep 4, 2005. You may have seen this:
MR. RUSSERT: More on Hurricane Katrina, the response from the governor of Mississippi and the president of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, after this station break.
(Announcements)
MR. RUSSERT: And we are back.
Jefferson Parish President Broussard, let me start with you. You just heard the director of Homeland Security's explanation of what has happened this last week. What is your reaction?
MR. AARON BROUSSARD: We have been abandoned by our own country. Hurricane Katrina will go down in history as one of the worst storms ever to hit an American coast, but the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina will go down as one of the worst abandonments of Americans on American soil ever in U.S. history. I am personally asking our bipartisan congressional delegation here in Louisiana to immediately begin congressional hearings to find out just what happened here. Why did it happen? Who needs to be fired? And believe me, they need to be fired right away, because we still have weeks to go in this tragedy. We have months to go. We have years to go. And whoever is at the top of this totem pole, that totem pole needs to be chain-sawed off and we've got to start with some new leadership.
It's not just Katrina that caused all these deaths in New Orleans here. Bureaucracy has committed murder here in the greater New Orleans area, and bureaucracy has to stand trial before Congress now. It's so obvious. FEMA needs more congressional funding. It needs more presidential support. It needs to be a Cabinet-level director. It needs to be an independent agency that will be able to fulfill its mission to work in partnership with state and local governments around America. FEMA needs to be empowered to do the things it was created to do. It needs to come somewhere, like New Orleans, with all of its force immediately, without red tape, without bureaucracy, act immediately with common sense and leadership, and save lives. Forget about the property. We can rebuild the property. It's got to be able to come in and save lives.
We need strong leadership at the top of America right now in order to accomplish this and to-- reconstructing FEMA.
MR. RUSSERT: Mr. Broussard, let me ask--I want to ask--should...
MR. BROUSSARD: You know, just some quick examples...
MR. RUSSERT: Hold on. Hold on, sir. Shouldn't the mayor of New Orleans and the governor of New Orleans bear some responsibility? Couldn't they have been much more forceful, much more effective and much more organized in evacuating the area?
MR. BROUSSARD: Sir, they were told like me, every single day, "The cavalry's coming," on a federal level, "The cavalry's coming, the cavalry's coming, the cavalry's coming." I have just begun to hear the hoofs of the cavalry. The cavalry's still not here yet, but I've begun to hear the hoofs, and we're almost a week out.
Let me give you just three quick examples. We had Wal-Mart deliver three trucks of water, trailer trucks of water. FEMA turned them back. They said we didn't need them. This was a week ago. FEMA--we had 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel on a Coast Guard vessel docked in my parish. The Coast Guard said, "Come get the fuel right away." When we got there with our trucks, they got a word. "FEMA says don't give you the fuel." Yesterday--yesterday--FEMA comes in and cuts all of our emergency communication lines. They cut them without notice. Our sheriff, Harry Lee, goes back in, he reconnects the line. He posts armed guards on our line and says, "No one is getting near these lines." Sheriff Harry Lee said that if America--American government would have responded like Wal-Mart has responded, we wouldn't be in this crisis.
But I want to thank Governor Blanco for all she's done and all her leadership. She sent in the National Guard. I just repaired a breach on my side of the 17th Street canal that the secretary didn't foresee, a 300-foot breach. I just completed it yesterday with convoys of National Guard and local parish workers and levee board people. It took us two and a half days working 24/7. I just closed it.
MR. RUSSERT: All right.
MR. BROUSSARD: I'm telling you most importantly I want to thank my public employees...
MR. RUSSERT: All right.
MR. BROUSSARD: ...that have worked 24/7. They're burned out, the doctors, the nurses. And I want to give you one last story and I'll shut up and let you tell me whatever you want to tell me. The guy who runs this building I'm in, emergency management, he's responsible for everything. His mother was trapped in St. Bernard nursing home and every day she called him and said, "Are you coming, son? Is somebody coming?" And he said, "Yeah, Mama, somebody's coming to get you. Somebody's coming to get you on Tuesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Wednesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Thursday. Somebody's coming to get you on Friday." And she drowned Friday night. She drowned Friday night.
MR. RUSSERT: Mr. President...
MR. BROUSSARD: Nobody's coming to get us. Nobody's coming to get us. The secretary has promised. Everybody's promised. They've had press conferences. I'm sick of the press conferences. For God sakes, shut up and send us somebody.
MR. RUSSERT: Just take a pause, Mr. President. While you gather yourself in your very emotional times, I understand, let me go to Governor Haley Barbour of Mississippi.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9179790/
Greg
MR. RUSSERT: More on Hurricane Katrina, the response from the governor of Mississippi and the president of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, after this station break.
(Announcements)
MR. RUSSERT: And we are back.
Jefferson Parish President Broussard, let me start with you. You just heard the director of Homeland Security's explanation of what has happened this last week. What is your reaction?
MR. AARON BROUSSARD: We have been abandoned by our own country. Hurricane Katrina will go down in history as one of the worst storms ever to hit an American coast, but the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina will go down as one of the worst abandonments of Americans on American soil ever in U.S. history. I am personally asking our bipartisan congressional delegation here in Louisiana to immediately begin congressional hearings to find out just what happened here. Why did it happen? Who needs to be fired? And believe me, they need to be fired right away, because we still have weeks to go in this tragedy. We have months to go. We have years to go. And whoever is at the top of this totem pole, that totem pole needs to be chain-sawed off and we've got to start with some new leadership.
It's not just Katrina that caused all these deaths in New Orleans here. Bureaucracy has committed murder here in the greater New Orleans area, and bureaucracy has to stand trial before Congress now. It's so obvious. FEMA needs more congressional funding. It needs more presidential support. It needs to be a Cabinet-level director. It needs to be an independent agency that will be able to fulfill its mission to work in partnership with state and local governments around America. FEMA needs to be empowered to do the things it was created to do. It needs to come somewhere, like New Orleans, with all of its force immediately, without red tape, without bureaucracy, act immediately with common sense and leadership, and save lives. Forget about the property. We can rebuild the property. It's got to be able to come in and save lives.
We need strong leadership at the top of America right now in order to accomplish this and to-- reconstructing FEMA.
MR. RUSSERT: Mr. Broussard, let me ask--I want to ask--should...
MR. BROUSSARD: You know, just some quick examples...
MR. RUSSERT: Hold on. Hold on, sir. Shouldn't the mayor of New Orleans and the governor of New Orleans bear some responsibility? Couldn't they have been much more forceful, much more effective and much more organized in evacuating the area?
MR. BROUSSARD: Sir, they were told like me, every single day, "The cavalry's coming," on a federal level, "The cavalry's coming, the cavalry's coming, the cavalry's coming." I have just begun to hear the hoofs of the cavalry. The cavalry's still not here yet, but I've begun to hear the hoofs, and we're almost a week out.
Let me give you just three quick examples. We had Wal-Mart deliver three trucks of water, trailer trucks of water. FEMA turned them back. They said we didn't need them. This was a week ago. FEMA--we had 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel on a Coast Guard vessel docked in my parish. The Coast Guard said, "Come get the fuel right away." When we got there with our trucks, they got a word. "FEMA says don't give you the fuel." Yesterday--yesterday--FEMA comes in and cuts all of our emergency communication lines. They cut them without notice. Our sheriff, Harry Lee, goes back in, he reconnects the line. He posts armed guards on our line and says, "No one is getting near these lines." Sheriff Harry Lee said that if America--American government would have responded like Wal-Mart has responded, we wouldn't be in this crisis.
But I want to thank Governor Blanco for all she's done and all her leadership. She sent in the National Guard. I just repaired a breach on my side of the 17th Street canal that the secretary didn't foresee, a 300-foot breach. I just completed it yesterday with convoys of National Guard and local parish workers and levee board people. It took us two and a half days working 24/7. I just closed it.
MR. RUSSERT: All right.
MR. BROUSSARD: I'm telling you most importantly I want to thank my public employees...
MR. RUSSERT: All right.
MR. BROUSSARD: ...that have worked 24/7. They're burned out, the doctors, the nurses. And I want to give you one last story and I'll shut up and let you tell me whatever you want to tell me. The guy who runs this building I'm in, emergency management, he's responsible for everything. His mother was trapped in St. Bernard nursing home and every day she called him and said, "Are you coming, son? Is somebody coming?" And he said, "Yeah, Mama, somebody's coming to get you. Somebody's coming to get you on Tuesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Wednesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Thursday. Somebody's coming to get you on Friday." And she drowned Friday night. She drowned Friday night.
MR. RUSSERT: Mr. President...
MR. BROUSSARD: Nobody's coming to get us. Nobody's coming to get us. The secretary has promised. Everybody's promised. They've had press conferences. I'm sick of the press conferences. For God sakes, shut up and send us somebody.
MR. RUSSERT: Just take a pause, Mr. President. While you gather yourself in your very emotional times, I understand, let me go to Governor Haley Barbour of Mississippi.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9179790/
Greg
alot of people have the chance to walk, they don't!
The City officials of New Orleans have enough responsibility to do things themselves, They have done what most people would think if they even consulted the federal government but they infact havent. You seen all those buses on the news (school buses) that the mayor and city officials could have used before the storm. They I would say should have more to be blamed for then the president. It was a little of everyones fault.
The City officials of New Orleans have enough responsibility to do things themselves, They have done what most people would think if they even consulted the federal government but they infact havent. You seen all those buses on the news (school buses) that the mayor and city officials could have used before the storm. They I would say should have more to be blamed for then the president. It was a little of everyones fault.
Justin727 said:
Yeah... some people DID try to walk out.....
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/13/katrina.bridge/index.html
As for those mythical school buses...
http://mediamatters.org/items/200509120005
Don't let me forget just what the government is supposed to do...
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/theme_home2.jsp
Greg
You clearly know what you're talking about. You live in the effected area and you know what should've been done and whose responsibility it is/was to see that it happens/happened.Justin727 said:
Greg-Thank you for keeping your comments to a limit, but you've still put enough out there to label yourself as ignorant. I didn't even look at the links you posted, as I felt it unecessary to further expose to what is most-likely more liberal-biased media propaganda.
So everyone says that they should have left if they could have, and those who remained in New Orleans stayed as a result of either their poverty, or maybe their memories. But that begs the question, where would everyone go? I think even if the Mayor were successful in evacuating most if not all the residents, he would run into some trouble as to where to put them. Maybe not a whole bunch of trouble, but some. As with all things in the public eye, this has turned into the blame game complete with the shoulda coulda woulda's but didn't. I'm not a huge fan of Bush. I think he's a moron. To be fair, I'm partially liberal with a dash of conservatism (moderate I guess). However, the current Liberal media have been spewing mainly know-nothing garbage ever since Bush went into Iraq. On the flip-side, the Conservative media has been painting a glamorous picture of its heroes whenever it could. I honestly don't know too much about the current state of affairs in New Orleans, however, I did what I could and donated what I could. I will bet that a week, a month, a year from now we will be hearing the same stories over and over again. Lack of supplies. Lack of Police. The only thing we seem to not be lacking is our own opinionated egotism. Dick Cheney goes down and someone yells "F*** you Cheney" out of frustration. Al Sharpton blames the white people. Kanye West breaks down and says Bush doesn't care about Black People. A mother drowns. Heartbreaking. Absolutely heartbreaking isn't it? Bush's Presidency has been riddled with tragedy on American Soil. September 11. Thousands die. Iraq. Thousands of Iraqi's and hundreds of Americans. Now Katrina. Thousands more are dead or in danger of it. Meanwhile in EACH and every case, the media ends up playing the blame game. Asking those Oh so "impertinent" questions as to who's fault it is and why. Then they add a spin by seeming to have "heart" by portraying a dying mother, a grieving son, or something around there that tugs at the heart strings. Police IN New Orleans are doing what they can. They have to be or they're dead. The city, in its engineering, set itself up for destruction. Building it too far below sea level with inadequate levees is playing with fire. Again, you can blame the engineers, but what good would that do? Did anyone ever stop to think that Cheney and Bush are doing what they can to help? Reserve Guards take time to mobilize. Supplies take time to mobilize. Turning away supplies? Maybe the people who turned them away are afraid for the suppliers safety. People going nuts and shooting private boats? To me that doesn't seem to be governmental failure as much as humanic failure. The people that dare to do these things don't have a public face. They don't spend their days in the camera explaining what could or should be done. They're out there taking whatever was left of New Orleans because, yes, they are that self-centered and, yes, they do it because they can. But just like September 11th, put the personal face onto it. Look at not just the acts of selfcenteredness, but the acts of selflessness. In the midst of tragedy, some people had the courage to go beyond their means. Losing everything of material worth, but still risking their lives to save others. Yes, I agree, the aide should come as quickly as possible, but I also understand that even then, it may not be in time. Be prepared for the worst, and hope for the best is all I can say. I don't want to blame either side. I don't want to blame Bush. I don't want to blame FEMA. So I am not going to. I could blame the criminals, but will that make them stop? People are trying to survive out there but that doesn't mean it's ok. You can probably surmise that I don't like the mass media. But I don't blame them either. In fact, who cares who I want to blame? Who cares who you want to blame? We should be focused on getting relief there now for those who don't have it yet or are running out. It isn't as if the relief never got there. It did, and now they need more. The media may have actually done some good by encouraging americans to donate more by portraying more pictures of tragedy. But as for who's to blame, the Hurricane came and went. People's lives were destroyed regardless of whether they were a criminal or a saint. Mother nature is impartial to who you are or where you're from. Point is, they need our help NOW. They will continue to need our help for some time. If you can't get that through your skull, then what kind of a person are you? But they're all just looking for handouts right? I mean they were all told to Evacuate right? Did they have a real place to evacuate to? Here's where everyone says they shoulda or coulda done this or that, but they didn't. For a moment, let me be a jackass and request that instead of focusing on the percieved failures, how about we help those who need it? Yes, they could have started walking instead of waiting for a handout. But somewhere along the line, they'd need a different kind of handout. I do realize I have inadvertantly placed blame on the mass media. Probably a bit unfairly. Still, the media is run by people. Police departments are run by people. Governments are run by people. If you won't help all those people now, then when will you? When it's too late? So to recap, I don't blame any party as a whole. People need help, and that's the bottom line. It seems like we're all stuck in this I'm right you're wrong battle and overlooking the people still in No Man's Land. Go ahead and argue about the facts, Hindsight is 20/20. Justin's right, everyone shares a little in the blame.
I'm sorry for all of that personal mumbojumbo, as it really has nothing to do with the topic of this post, but I'm done venting now.
I'm sorry for all of that personal mumbojumbo, as it really has nothing to do with the topic of this post, but I'm done venting now.
Last edited:
L
lanky189
Guest
Anomili said:
The problem there is when it was declared a federal emergency..and when the gov/mayor actually finally asked for help.
L
lanky189
Guest
SP 7M said:
easy killa
there is definetly room for debate without personal attacks/labelling..
don't make me hafta lock this one too..
Greg. I was talking before the storm. Common sense if you're a new orleans native or official you better get everything u can because a cat. 5 storm is comming towards us.
Funny I have been in the city in and out 3 times. Funny thing is the parish police department stole the guys Big ford truck and left our boat trailor so we atleast had something to come back to. So we took the car packed full of clothes that i was sitting on top of to the parish police station and thats where the owners truck was. The police broke the driver side window and somehow took the thing. Didnt say if they towed it or not. Then we went back and the boat was gone. Police took that too.
Now there was times the bridge going into the city was up because they were letting barges thru and trying to repair the levy.
I must say don't let the media fool you about this tragedy because 85% is crap. Just people trying to point fingers at someone because they don't know anything better to do.
Funny I have been in the city in and out 3 times. Funny thing is the parish police department stole the guys Big ford truck and left our boat trailor so we atleast had something to come back to. So we took the car packed full of clothes that i was sitting on top of to the parish police station and thats where the owners truck was. The police broke the driver side window and somehow took the thing. Didnt say if they towed it or not. Then we went back and the boat was gone. Police took that too.
Now there was times the bridge going into the city was up because they were letting barges thru and trying to repair the levy.
I must say don't let the media fool you about this tragedy because 85% is crap. Just people trying to point fingers at someone because they don't know anything better to do.