pattbateman

CNN PRODUCERS TOLD ON-AIR GUESTS: GET ANGRY Mon Sep 12 2005 12:42:11 ET After weeks of intense Katrina coverage from the main press, LA TIMES guru and former CNN host Michael Kinsley divulges that CNN was coaching guests to artificially enhance emotions! Kinsley writes: "The TV news networks, which only a few months ago were piously suppressing emotional fireworks by their pundits, are now piously encouraging their news anchors to break out of the emotional straitjackets and express outrage. A Los Angeles Times colleague of mine, appearing on CNN last week to talk about Katrina, was told by a producer to 'get angry.'" Developing...

FEMA Chief Relieved of Katrina Command Sep 09 3:13 PM US/Eastern By LARA JAKES JORDAN Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown, the principal target of harsh criticism of the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina, was relieved of his onsite relief command Friday. He will be replaced by Coast Guard Vice Adm. Thad W. Allen, who was overseeing New Orleans relief, recovery and rescue efforts, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced. Earlier, Brown confirmed the switch. Asked if he was being made a scapegoat for a federal relief effort that has drawn widespread and sharp criticism, Brown told The Associated Press after a long pause: "By the press, yes. By the president, no." "Michael Brown has done everything he possibly could to coordinate the federal response to this unprecedented challenge," Chertoff told reporters in Baton Rouge, La. Chertoff sidestepped a question on whether the move was the first step toward Brown's leaving FEMA. But a source close to Brown, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the FEMA director had been considering leaving after the hurricane season ended in November and that Friday's action virtually assures his departure. Brown has been under fire and facing calls for his resignation because of the administration's slow response to the magnitude of the hurricane. On Thursday, questions were raised about whether he padded his resume to exaggerate his previous emergency management background. Less than an hour before Brown's removal came to light, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Brown had not resigned and the president had not asked for his resignation. Democratic lawmakers weren't satisfied with the move; they immediately demanded Brown's ouster from FEMA. "The events of the last ten days have shown that Mr. Brown has repeatedly exercised poor judgment and has failed in his basic responsibilities," said a letter to Bush from Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid and Sens. Dick Durbin, Debbie Stabenow and Charles E. Schumer. His continued presence in this critical position endangers the success of the ongoing recovery efforts. ... It is not enough to remove Mr. Brown from the disaster scene." Chertoff suggested the shift came as the Gulf Coast efforts were entering "a new phase of the recovery operation." He said Brown would return to Washington to oversee the government's response to other potential disasters. "I appreciate his work, as does everybody here," Chertoff said. In a telephone interview with AP, Brown said he was "anxious to get back to D.C. to correct all the inaccuracies and lies that are being said." Asked if the move was a demotion, Brown said: "No. No. I'm still the director of FEMA." He said Chertoff made the decision to move him out of Louisiana. It was not his own decision, Brown said. "I'm going to go home and walk my dog and hug my wife and, maybe get a good Mexican meal and a stiff margarita and a full night's sleep. And then I'm going to go right back to FEMA and continue to do all I can to help these victims," Brown said. "This story's not about me. This story's about the worst disaster of the history of our country that stretched every government to its limit and now we have to help these victims." Amid escalating calls for Brown's ouster, the White House had insisted publicly for days that Bush retained confidence in his FEMA chief. But there was no question that Brown's star was fading in the administration. In the storm's early days, Brown was the president's primary briefer on its path and the response effort, but by the weekend those duties had been taken over by Brown's boss _ Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. Also, while Brown was very visibly by the president's side during Bush's first on-the-ground visit to the hurricane zone last week, he remained behind the scenes _ with Chertoff out front. Even before Chertoff's announcement, the beleaguered Brown was facing questions Friday about his resume. A 2001 press release on the White House Web site says Brown worked for the city of Edmond, Okla., from 1975 to 1978 "overseeing emergency services divisions." Brown's official biography on the FEMA Web site says that his background in state and local government also includes serving as "an assistant city manager with emergency services oversight" and as a city councilman. But a former mayor of Edmond, Randel Shadid, told The Associated Press on Friday that Brown had been an assistant to the city manager. Shadid said Brown was never assistant city manager. "I think there's a difference between the two positions," said Shadid. "I would think that is a discrepancy." Asked later about the White House news release that said Brown oversaw Edmond's emergency services divisions, Shadid said, "I don't think that's a total stretch." Time magazine first reported the discrepancy. Separately, Newsday reported another discrepancy regarding Brown's background. The official White House announcement of Brown's nomination to head FEMA in January 2003 lists his previous experience as "the Executive Director of the Independent Electrical Contractors," a trade group based in Alexandria, Va. Two officials of the group told Newsday this week that Brown never was the national head of the group but did serve as the executive director of a regional chapter, based in Colorado. A longtime acquaintance, Carl Reherman, said Brown was very involved in helping set up an emergency operations center in Edmond. "From my experience with Mike, he not only worked very hard on everything he did, he had very high standards," said Reherman, who was a city councilman and also knew Brown when he was a student taking classes from Reherman, a professor of political science at Central State University. Nicol Andrews, deputy strategic director in FEMA's office of public affairs, told Time that while Brown began as an intern, he became an "assistant city manager" with a distinguished record of service. "According to Mike Brown," Andrews told Time, a large portion of points raised by the magazine are "very inaccurate." ___ Associated Press writers Ron Fournier, Pete Yost and Ted Bridis in Washington and Richard Green in Oklahoma City contributed to this story.

stupid monkey

wasnt that in time magazine?

liberals have been running that city for years and now everyone can see what a great job they did.

Before residents had ever heard the words "Hurricane Katrina," the New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE ran a story warning residents: If you stay behind during a big storm, you'll be on your own! Editors at TIMES-PICAYUNE on Monday called for every official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be fired. In an open letter to President Bush, the paper said: "Our people deserved rescuing. Many who could have been were not. That's to the government's shame." But the TIMES-PICAYUNE published a story on July 24, 2005 stating: City, state and federal emergency officials are preparing to give a historically blunt message: "In the event of a major hurricane, you're on your own." Staff writer Bruce Nolan reported some 7 weeks before Katrina: "In scripted appearances being recorded now, officials such as Mayor Ray Nagin, local Red Cross Executive Director Kay Wilkins and City Council President Oliver Thomas drive home the word that the city does not have the resources to move out of harm's way an estimated 134,000 people without transportation." "In the video, made by the anti-poverty agency Total Community Action, they urge those people to make arrangements now by finding their own ways to leave the city in the event of an evacuation. "You're responsible for your safety, and you should be responsible for the person next to you," Wilkins said in an interview. "If you have some room to get that person out of town, the Red Cross will have a space for that person outside the area. We can help you." Developing...

igloo

seems to me that the blacks are making themselves look very bad down there. like fucking wild animals.

if you do it prepare yourself because it is very intense and scary as fuck. just remember that it will end eventually

what are you talking about?

narcotics

a big fat line! i bet they got some good ass shit down there!

thats not good..... i couldnt fall asleep and i was sooo tired. i tend to overload on new years though!

i def will be enjoying the weed, shrooms and hopefully some pure mdma!!!!!! why the hell else would i be going there!?!?!!

thats usually how it goes. life sucks anyways!

ok people so its done now im going end of march! any more suggestions from people who have been there already? ANY info would be very helpful?!?!??

blow for 3 hours before the club- e at the club with a little blow on top and a few random drinks inbetween and some good as pot and some tylenol pms to finally pass out at 6 am!

no tiesto??

so is pvd gonna be 21+ i hope so???

i just wanna get fuckin high. i went out and JUST drank for the first time in months and ill tell you alcohol fucking blows! straight up alcohol alone just fucking sucks! id rather sit at home smoke a bowl and watch a fucking movie! alcohol=worst drug ive ever done! nothing gives me the shitty feeling like i am gonna have in a few hours!

remember super mario brother 2? i remember i was so excited to get that when i was a kid then i got home to play it and i was like what the fuck is this? looked like mario ate a bad mushroom and went on a horrible trip. that was a weird game

yeah no shit what the fuck is this dude talking about?

the "war" on drugs is an absolute fucking joke

yeah my buddy leaves the 10th for iraq.

i love trance and that is the only place playing that NYE in cleveland or the only place spinning all EDM all night so i have no choice........think it will be packed?