25 Mind-Numbingly Dumb Quotes About Hurricane Katrina And Its Aftermath

[bigpoppanils]

) "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees." –President Bush, on "Good Morning America," Sept. 1, 2005, six days after repeated warnings from experts about the scope of damage expected from Hurricane Katrina (Source)

2) "What I'm hearing which is sort of scary is that they all want to stay in Texas. Everybody is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway so this (chuckle) – this is working very well for them." –Former First Lady Barbara Bush, on the Hurricane flood evacuees in the Houston Astrodome, Sept. 5, 2005 (Source)

3) "It makes no sense to spend billions of dollars to rebuild a city that's seven feet under sea level....It looks like a lot of that place could be bulldozed." –House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), Aug. 31, 2005 (Source)

4) "We've got a lot of rebuilding to do ... The good news is — and it's hard for some to see it now — that out of this chaos is going to come a fantastic Gulf Coast, like it was before. Out of the rubbles of Trent Lott's house — he's lost his entire house — there's going to be a fantastic house. And I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch." (Laughter) —President Bush, touring hurricane damage, Mobile, Ala., Sept. 2, 2005 (Source)

5) "Considering the dire circumstances that we have in New Orleans, virtually a city that has been destroyed, things are going relatively well." –FEMA Director Michael Brown, Sept. 1, 2005 (Source)

6) "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job." –President Bush, to FEMA director Michael Brown, while touring Hurricane-ravaged Mississippi, Sept. 2, 2005 (Source)

7) "I have not heard a report of thousands of people in the convention center who don't have food and water." –Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, on NPR's "All Things Considered," Sept. 1, 2005 (Source)

8) "Well, I think if you look at what actually happened, I remember on Tuesday morning picking up newspapers and I saw headlines, 'New Orleans Dodged the Bullet.' Because if you recall, the storm moved to the east and then continued on and appeared to pass with considerable damage but nothing worse." –Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, blaming media coverage for his failings, "Meet the Press," Sept. 4, 2005 (Source)

9) "I mean, you have people who don't heed those warnings and then put people at risk as a result of not heeding those warnings. There may be a need to look at tougher penalties on those who decide to ride it out and understand that there are consequences to not leaving.†–Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), Sept. 6, 2005 (Source)

10) "You simply get chills every time you see these poor individuals...many of these people, almost all of them that we see are so poor and they are so black, and this is going to raise lots of questions for people who are watching this story unfold." –CNN's Wolf Blitzer, on New Orleans' hurricane evacuees, Sept. 1, 2005 (Source)

11) "What didn't go right?'" –President Bush, as quoted by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), after she urged him to fire FEMA Director Michael Brown "because of all that went wrong, of all that didn't go right" in the Hurricane Katrina relief effort (Source)

12) "Now tell me the truth boys, is this kind of fun?" –House Majority Leader Tom Delay (R-TX), to three young hurricane evacuees from New Orleans at the Astrodome in Houston (Source)

13) "We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn't do it, but God did." –Rep. Richard Baker (R-LA) to lobbyists, as quoted in the Wall Street Journal (Source)

14) "Louisiana is a city that is largely under water." –Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, news conference, Sept. 3, 2005 (Source)

15) "I also want to encourage anybody who was affected by Hurricane Corina to make sure their children are in school." –First Lady Laura Bush, twice referring to a "Hurricane Corina" while speaking to children and parents in South Haven, Mississippi, Sept. 8, 2005 (Source)

16) "It's totally wiped out. ... It's devastating, it's got to be doubly devastating on the ground." –President Bush, turning to his aides while surveying Hurricane Katrina flood damage from Air Force One, Aug. 31, 2005 (Source)

17) "I believe the town where I used to come – from Houston, Texas, to enjoy myself, occasionally too much – will be that very same town, that it will be a better place to come to." –President Bush, on the tarmac at the New Orleans airport, Sept. 2, 2005 (Source)

18) "Last night, we showed you the full force of a superpower government going to the rescue." –MSNBC's Chris Matthews, Sept. 1, 2005 (Source)

19) "You know I talked to Haley Barbour, the governor of Mississippi yesterday because some people were saying, 'Well, if you hadn't sent your National Guard to Iraq, we here in Mississippi would be better off.' He told me 'I've been out in the field every single day, hour, for four days and no one, not one single mention of the word Iraq.' Now where does that come from? Where does that story come from if the governor is not picking up one word about it? I don't know. I can use my imagination.†–Former President George Bush, who can give his imagination a rest, interview with CNN’s Larry King, Sept. 5, 2005 (Source)

20) "We just learned of the convention center – we being the federal government – today." –FEMA Director Michael Brown, to ABC's Ted Koppel, Sept. 1, 2005, to which Koppel responded " Don't you guys watch television? Don't you guys listen to the radio? Our reporters have been reporting on it for more than just today." (Source)

21) "I don't want to alarm everybody that, you know, New Orleans is filling up like a bowl. That's just not happening." -Bill Lokey, FEMA's New Orleans coordinator, in a press briefing from Baton Rouge, Aug. 30, 2005 (Source)

22) "FEMA is not going to hesitate at all in this storm. We are not going to sit back and make this a bureaucratic process. We are going to move fast, we are going to move quick, and we are going to do whatever it takes to help disaster victims." --FEMA Director Michael Brown, Aug. 28, 2005 (Source)

23) "I don't make judgments about why people chose not to leave but, you know, there was a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans." –FEMA Director Michael Brown, arguing that the victims bear some responsibility, CNN interview, Sept. 1, 2005 (Source)

24) "I understand there are 10,000 people dead. It's terrible. It's tragic. But in a democracy of 300 million people, over years and years and years, these things happen." --GOP strategist Jack Burkman, on MSNBC's "Connected," Sept. 7, 2005 (Source)

25) "Thank President Clinton and former President Bush for their strong statements of support and comfort today. I thank all the leaders that are coming to Louisiana, and Mississippi and Alabama to our help and rescue. We are grateful for the military assets that are being brought to bear. I want to thank Senator Frist and Senator Reid for their extraordinary efforts. Anderson, tonight, I don't know if you've heard – maybe you all have announced it -- but Congress is going to an unprecedented session to pass a $10 billion supplemental bill tonight to keep FEMA and the Red Cross up and operating." –Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), to CNN's Anderson Cooper, Aug. 31, 2005, to which Cooper responded:

"I haven't heard that, because, for the last four days, I've been seeing dead bodies in the streets here in Mississippi. And to listen to politicians thanking each other and complimenting each other, you know, I got to tell you, there are a lot of people here who are very upset, and very angry, and very frustrated. And when they hear politicians slap – you know, thanking one another, it just, you know, it kind of cuts them the wrong way right now, because literally there was a body on the streets of this town yesterday being eaten by rats because this woman had been laying in the street for 48 hours. And there's not enough facilities to take her up. Do you get the anger that is out here?" (Source)

http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/currentevents/a/katrinaquotes_2.htm?terms=katrina+quotes

[drlogic]

25 Mind-Numbingly Dumb Quotes About Hurricane Katrina And Its Aftermath

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

) "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees." –President Bush, on "Good Morning America," Sept. 1, 2005, six days after repeated warnings from experts about the scope of damage expected from Hurricane Katrina (Source)

- this is taken out of context. I saw that interview. People thought a direct hit from the hurricane in New Orleans would damage/breach the levees. It did not! They survived the storm! The levees broke a day later. That quote was a reply to the levees actually surving the hurricane, then breaking later. No one thought they would survive the hurricane

2) "What I'm hearing which is sort of scary is that they all want to stay in Texas. Everybody is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway so this (chuckle) – this is working very well for them." –Former First Lady Barbara Bush, on the Hurricane flood evacuees in the Houston Astrodome, Sept. 5, 2005 (Source)

-Although politically incorrect, it is factually accurate. She's getting old..that one slipped! LOL

3) "It makes no sense to spend billions of dollars to rebuild a city that's seven feet under sea level....It looks like a lot of that place could be bulldozed." –House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.), Aug. 31, 2005 (Source)

-Logical? Absolutely. New Orleans was built in the late 1700's and was above sea level. Over time and after building the levee's the growing/expanding city began to sink. Truth hurst sometimes

4) "We've got a lot of rebuilding to do ... The good news is — and it's hard for some to see it now — that out of this chaos is going to come a fantastic Gulf Coast, like it was before. Out of the rubbles of Trent Lott's house — he's lost his entire house — there's going to be a fantastic house. And I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch." (Laughter) —President Bush, touring hurricane damage, Mobile, Ala., Sept. 2, 2005 (Source)

-Nothing wrong w/ that. It's an optimistic statement in a zone which was demolished by the storm. It's called moving forward! Nothing wrong w/ that statement!

5) "Considering the dire circumstances that we have in New Orleans, virtually a city that has been destroyed, things are going relatively well." –FEMA Director Michael Brown, Sept. 1, 2005 (Source)

-Considering the size of the destruction and lack of execution of the LA/New Orleans emergency plans, it absolutely has been an amazing effort!

6) "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job." –President Bush, to FEMA director Michael Brown, while touring Hurricane-ravaged Mississippi, Sept. 2, 2005 (Source)

-Largest mobilization of federal rescue/aid in American history. Especially in Mississippi which was wiped off the map. Mississippi ain't complain'n! They had a good Governor!

7) "I have not heard a report of thousands of people in the convention center who don't have food and water." –Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, on NPR's "All Things Considered," Sept. 1, 2005 (Source)

-Which he did not hear from the LA governor who was blocking the Red Cross from entering the area due to security concerns and the effort to avoid making the SuperDome a magnet for more residents to swarm to. They wanted people out of the there, not flocking there...Key point: LA Gov. calling the shots.

8) "Well, I think if you look at what actually happened, I remember on Tuesday morning picking up newspapers and I saw headlines, 'New Orleans Dodged the Bullet.' Because if you recall, the storm moved to the east and then continued on and appeared to pass with considerable damage but nothing worse." –Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, blaming media coverage for his failings, "Meet the Press," Sept. 4, 2005 (Source)

-Blaming media? LOL It's the truth! That's exactly what I saw on the news! "NEW ORLEANS DODGED A BULLET! THE FRENCH QUARTER WAS DRY! Levee's had not broken yet.

9) "I mean, you have people who don't heed those warnings and then put people at risk as a result of not heeding those warnings. There may be a need to look at tougher penalties on those who decide to ride it out and understand that there are consequences to not leaving.†–Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), Sept. 6, 2005 (Source)

-BINGO! TOUGH LOVE BABY!

10) "You simply get chills every time you see these poor individuals...many of these people, almost all of them that we see are so poor and they are so black, and this is going to raise lots of questions for people who are watching this story unfold." –CNN's Wolf Blitzer, on New Orleans' hurricane evacuees, Sept. 1, 2005 (Source)

-LOL,,,,,and?????????????????????????? Your point is?

11) "What didn't go right?'" –President Bush, as quoted by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), after she urged him to fire FEMA Director Michael Brown "because of all that went wrong, of all that didn't go right" in the Hurricane Katrina relief effort (Source)

-At that point, there was still a rescue effort under way. The federal gov't was there, the local gov't opted to no use them right away. Bush is factually accurate although it's tough to figure out why he couldn't just slap that puta governor and do what he's gotta do...oh yeah,,,there are laws that don't permit him to....

12) "Now tell me the truth boys, is this kind of fun?" –House Majority Leader Tom Delay (R-TX), to three young hurricane evacuees from New Orleans at the Astrodome in Houston (Source)

-It's called compassion. You don't tell little kids who've lost everything,,,,HEY FUCKER, YOU'RE FUKT!...

13) "We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn't do it, but God did." –Rep. Richard Baker (R-LA) to lobbyists, as quoted in the Wall Street Journal (Source)

-ouch! GET SOME!!!! Sounds like a frustrated congressman expressing his frustration w/ the OBVIOUS FAILURES OF THE 40 YR. WAR ON POVERTY and levels to which a welfare state can destroy people.

14) "Louisiana is a city that is largely under water." –Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, news conference, Sept. 3, 2005 (Source)

- okay? and?????????

15) "I also want to encourage anybody who was affected by Hurricane Corina to make sure their children are in school." –First Lady Laura Bush, twice referring to a "Hurricane Corina" while speaking to children and parents in South Haven, Mississippi, Sept. 8, 2005 (Source)

-I guess she doesn't care...racist! LOL You people are reaching! LOL How petty! Pity!

16) "It's totally wiped out. ... It's devastating, it's got to be doubly devastating on the ground." –President Bush, turning to his aides while surveying Hurricane Katrina flood damage from Air Force One, Aug. 31, 2005 (Source)

-Obvious observation from the results of a cat 4/5 storm. And??????

17) "I believe the town where I used to come – from Houston, Texas, to enjoy myself, occasionally too much – will be that very same town, that it will be a better place to come to." –President Bush, on the tarmac at the New Orleans airport, Sept. 2, 2005 (Source)

-Optimistic vision for a better future for NO. That's one of the job of leaders. To help people be their best. Where's the rub?

18) "Last night, we showed you the full force of a superpower government going to the rescue." –MSNBC's Chris Matthews, Sept. 1, 2005 (Source)

-didn't see it. Coming from MSNBC, I'm guessing barely no one else did. I'll assume it was sarcasm. Was he talking about he Coast Guard or the mayhem in the SuperDome?

19) "You know I talked to Haley Barbour, the governor of Mississippi yesterday because some people were saying, 'Well, if you hadn't sent your National Guard to Iraq, we here in Mississippi would be better off.' He told me 'I've been out in the field every single day, hour, for four days and no one, not one single mention of the word Iraq.' Now where does that come from? Where does that story come from if the governor is not picking up one word about it? I don't know. I can use my imagination.†–Former President George Bush, who can give his imagination a rest, interview with CNN’s Larry King, Sept. 5, 2005 (Source)

- Well, over 60% of Mississippi's and LA Nat. Guard troops were home and not abroad. Granted, that's not what the haters in the media what you to think.

20) "We just learned of the convention center – we being the federal government – today." –FEMA Director Michael Brown, to ABC's Ted Koppel, Sept. 1, 2005, to which Koppel responded " Don't you guys watch television? Don't you guys listen to the radio? Our reporters have been reporting on it for more than just today." (Source)

-Right! So, why the Gov. of LA not allowing the aid in? Why is she not letting the gov't help? Oh yeah,,,cause she's an idiot! She put politics over helping her own people in her state. Imagine if that aid would not have been blocked and the gov't aid was allowed in sooner? Could that have been another bullhorn moement for Bush? Probably! You figure it out!

21) "I don't want to alarm everybody that, you know, New Orleans is filling up like a bowl. That's just not happening." -Bill Lokey, FEMA's New Orleans coordinator, in a press briefing from Baton Rouge, Aug. 30, 2005 (Source)

- Probably prior to the levee breaking. And?

22) "FEMA is not going to hesitate at all in this storm. We are not going to sit back and make this a bureaucratic process. We are going to move fast, we are going to move quick, and we are going to do whatever it takes to help disaster victims." --FEMA Director Michael Brown, Aug. 28, 2005 (Source)

-So why did the LA gov. get in the way? Why did Mayor Nagin let her get in the way of helping his people? Gulianni was roaming the streets in New York wearing a mask trying to console his people? Where was Nagin or the LA gov. oh yeah,,in Baton Rouge....NICE! Way to lead!

23) "I don't make judgments about why people chose not to leave but, you know, there was a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans." –FEMA Director Michael Brown, arguing that the victims bear some responsibility, CNN interview, Sept. 1, 2005 (Source)

-absolutely correct! suck it up! Those who could not, rely on their local gov't (mayor/gov) to get them to safety.

24) "I understand there are 10,000 people dead. It's terrible. It's tragic. But in a democracy of 300 million people, over years and years and years, these things happen." --GOP strategist Jack Burkman, on MSNBC's "Connected," Sept. 7, 2005 (Source)

-Actually, that # now seems extremely exagerated. Natural Disaster DO HAPPEN!

25) "Thank President Clinton and former President Bush for their strong statements of support and comfort today. I thank all the leaders that are coming to Louisiana, and Mississippi and Alabama to our help and rescue. We are grateful for the military assets that are being brought to bear. I want to thank Senator Frist and Senator Reid for their extraordinary efforts. Anderson, tonight, I don't know if you've heard – maybe you all have announced it -- but Congress is going to an unprecedented session to pass a $10 billion supplemental bill tonight to keep FEMA and the Red Cross up and operating." –Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), to CNN's Anderson Cooper, Aug. 31, 2005, to which Cooper responded:

"I haven't heard that, because, for the last four days, I've been seeing dead bodies in the streets here in Mississippi. And to listen to politicians thanking each other and complimenting each other, you know, I got to tell you, there are a lot of people here who are very upset, and very angry, and very frustrated. And when they hear politicians slap – you know, thanking one another, it just, you know, it kind of cuts them the wrong way right now, because literally there was a body on the streets of this town yesterday being eaten by rats because this woman had been laying in the street for 48 hours. And there's not enough facilities to take her up. Do you get the anger that is out here?" (Source)

-RIGHT? It's called assessing the damage first....hence having hurrican kit which is supposed to last you at least a week! Anyone who lives in hurricane zones knows this! HELLO!

http://politicalhumor.about.com/od/...=katrina+quotes

in closing: read this:

Louisiana update

>>

>>

>> This note is from a girl who I work with named Robin. She's in

>> Louisiana

>>

>> and amid all the turmoil there. When I read her story I got

>>

>> the chills, this is horrible. I'm sending this to all of you

>> to spread

>>

>> the word, PRAY. There are local churches where she lives who

>>

>> will be housing the homeless but "they will be getting no

>> support from the

>>

>> RED CROSS."

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>> Here's here note:

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>> ** We have had a battery operated TV so we've been getting

>> local channels

>>

>> focusing on the situation there and here. I'm just getting

>>

>> the "national perpsective" and its *(&*&(*ing me off!

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>> First, this is not a racial thing. I'm sorry if all the

>> reporters are

>>

>> seeing are black faces but if they would

>>

>> take their cameras to places like Slidell, Mandeville, Metairie

>> and

>>

>> CHALMETTE! they would see a several thousand white faces being

>>

>> affected by this. Most of the tip of the boot that is Louisiana

>> south and

>>

>> east of Baton Rouge is under water. Those people are stuck

>>

>> too waiting for help, dying, but all the news people can focus

>> on is the

>>

>> Superdome.

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>> Another misconception. The violence going on there is not the

>> reaction of

>>

>> desparate people. Its typical New Orleans on any given

>>

>> Tuesday!!! Its a dangerous, dirty, drug infested place where

>> the city

>>

>> police and city government is corrupt and useless. Volunteers

>>

>> are getting shot at and their cars vandelized. Hellicopters are

>> being shot

>>

>> at. Just another day in the city.

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>> Another misconception. These poor people couldn't get out

>> because they

>>

>> don't have cars. If the cameras show the city once the waters

>>

>> recede, you'll notice all the flooded out cars littering the

>> streets. They

>>

>> couldn't all have been broken down before the storm hit .

>>

>> Yes, there are always people who do not have transportation.

>> Part of

>>

>> making the call for a MANDATORY evacuation is that the city has

>>

>> to provide for transportation and/or shelter in the city.

>> People stayed

>>

>> for the same reasons they always stay. They think the storm

>>

>> will turn and go in another direction. They think they can

>> "ride it out."

>>

>> Or, they're just too (*&( lazy to pack up and leave.

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>> Another misconception. The federal government was slow to

>> respond. The

>>

>> president issued a state of emergency BEFORE the storm ever

>>

>> hit, unprecedented. This means that the full access of the

>> federal

>>

>> government, be it military or civil, were at our govenor's

>>

>> disposal. The levee broke early Monday afternoon. She did not

>> call

>>

>> evacuation until Tuesday morning. You cannot call up National

>> Guard

>>

>> units in 20 minutes. It takes time. The

>>

>> governor and mayor are in high CYA mode at the moment.

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>> The situation is bad here. Crime is becoming a problem in

>> Gonzales and

>>

>> Baton Rouge where the evacuees are being housed. We live

>>

>> between the two cities and there is pistol on my desk shelf as

>> a type

>>

>> (yes, I know how to use it). Hellicopters flying overhead all

>> day, gas is

>> running out, stores shelves becoming empty. Its like a war

>> zone. Our kids are

>>

>> both here and are staying here until the crime situation gets

>> under control

>>

>> and I fear it will get worse before it gets better. Pray for

>> us.

[bigpoppanils]

- this is taken out of context. I saw that interview. People thought a direct hit from the hurricane in New Orleans would damage/breach the levees. It did not! They survived the storm! The levees broke a day later. That quote was a reply to the levees actually surving the hurricane, then breaking later. No one thought they would survive the hurricane

the national weather service warned the US government that the levees would break if a direct hit occured.

-Nothing wrong w/ that. It's an optimistic statement in a zone which was demolished by the storm. It's called moving forward! Nothing wrong w/ that statement!

Bush showing sympathy for one of the richest people in the area was a bad PR move.

-Considering the size of the destruction and lack of execution of the LA/New Orleans emergency plans, it absolutely has been an amazing effort!

This was said on September 1st....not now.

-Largest mobilization of federal rescue/aid in American history. Especially in Mississippi which was wiped off the map. Mississippi ain't complain'n! They had a good Governor!

Then why is he gone?

-Which he did not hear from the LA governor who was blocking the Red Cross from entering the area due to security concerns and the effort to avoid making the SuperDome a magnet for more residents to swarm to. They wanted people out of the there, not flocking there...Key point: LA Gov. calling the shots.

All he had to do was turn on the TV. all of the networks were covering it.

9) "I mean, you have people who don't heed those warnings and then put people at risk as a result of not heeding those warnings. There may be a need to look at tougher penalties on those who decide to ride it out and understand that there are consequences to not leaving.†–Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), Sept. 6, 2005 (Source)

-BINGO! TOUGH LOVE BABY!

Most of the people who did not leave did not have the means to leave. No cars, no money. The city of new orleans's mass transit system shut down.

-LOL,,,,,and?????????????????????????? Your point is?

so black? wtf is that supposed to mean?

-At that point, there was still a rescue effort under way. The federal gov't was there, the local gov't opted to no use them right away. Bush is factually accurate although it's tough to figure out why he couldn't just slap that puta governor and do what he's gotta do...oh yeah,,,there are laws that don't permit him to....

The governor decleared a state of emergency before the storm made landfalland told Bush "Send me all you've got." I don't see what else she needed to do.

-It's called compassion. You don't tell little kids who've lost everything,,,,HEY FUCKER, YOU'RE FUKT!...

Its fun to lose your house and watch your family and friends drown?

-ouch! GET SOME!!!! Sounds like a frustrated congressman expressing his frustration w/ the OBVIOUS FAILURES OF THE 40 YR. WAR ON POVERTY and levels to which a welfare state can destroy people.

So wait....you put your blame on the dems, now you solely blame welfare? make a point and stick to it.

14)

- okay? and?????????

LOUISIANA IS A STATE, NOT A CITY. that statement alone proves that Chertoff is a dumbass.

-I guess she doesn't care...racist! LOL You people are reaching! LOL How petty! Pity!

who called her a racist? dumb, yes. but racist? no.

- Probably prior to the levee breaking. And?

No. After.

-So why did the LA gov. get in the way? Why did Mayor Nagin let her get in the way of helping his people? Gulianni was roaming the streets in New York wearing a mask trying to console his people? Where was Nagin or the LA gov. oh yeah,,in Baton Rouge....NICE! Way to lead!

http://www.dod.gov/transcripts/2005/tr20050901-3843.html

23) "I don't make judgments about why people chose not to leave but, you know, there was a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans." –FEMA Director Michael Brown, arguing that the victims bear some responsibility, CNN interview, Sept. 1, 2005 (Source)

-absolutely correct! suck it up! Those who could not, rely on their local gov't (mayor/gov) to get them to safety.

[drlogic]

You've got some facts wrong. She and the mayor failed their people. The feds do not have the authority to do as they please. The gov. calls the shots in her state. She flinched. The mayor flinched. Now their in CYA mode.

Too many myths out there...

Jack Kelly: No shame

The federal response to Katrina was not as portrayed

Sunday, September 11, 2005

It is settled wisdom among journalists that the federal response to the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina was unconscionably slow.

"Mr. Bush's performance last week will rank as one of the worst ever during a dire national emergency," wrote New York Times columnist Bob Herbert in a somewhat more strident expression of the conventional wisdom.

But the conventional wisdom is the opposite of the truth.

Jason van Steenwyk is a Florida Army National Guardsman who has been mobilized six times for hurricane relief. He notes that:

"The federal government pretty much met its standard time lines, but the volume of support provided during the 72-96 hour was unprecedented. The federal response here was faster than Hugo, faster than Andrew, faster than Iniki, faster than Francine and Jeanne."

For instance, it took five days for National Guard troops to arrive in strength on the scene in Homestead, Fla. after Hurricane Andrew hit in 2002. But after Katrina, there was a significant National Guard presence in the afflicted region in three.

Journalists who are long on opinions and short on knowledge have no idea what is involved in moving hundreds of tons of relief supplies into an area the size of England in which power lines are down, telecommunications are out, no gasoline is available, bridges are damaged, roads and airports are covered with debris, and apparently have little interest in finding out.

So they libel as a "national disgrace" the most monumental and successful disaster relief operation in world history.

I write this column a week and a day after the main levee protecting New Orleans breached. In the course of that week:

More than 32,000 people have been rescued, many plucked from rooftops by Coast Guard helicopters.

The Army Corps of Engineers has all but repaired the breaches and begun pumping water out of New Orleans.

Shelter, food and medical care have been provided to more than 180,000 refugees.

Journalists complain that it took a whole week to do this. A former Air Force logistics officer had some words of advice for us in the Fourth Estate on his blog, Moltenthought:

"We do not yet have teleporter or replicator technology like you saw on 'Star Trek' in college between hookah hits and waiting to pick up your worthless communications degree while the grown-ups actually engaged in the recovery effort were studying engineering.

"The United States military can wipe out the Taliban and the Iraqi Republican Guard far more swiftly than they can bring 3 million Swanson dinners to an underwater city through an area the size of Great Britain which has no power, no working ports or airports, and a devastated and impassable road network.

"You cannot speed recovery and relief efforts up by prepositioning assets (in the affected areas) since the assets are endangered by the very storm which destroyed the region.

"No amount of yelling, crying and mustering of moral indignation will change any of the facts above."

"You cannot just snap your fingers and make the military appear somewhere," van Steenwyk said.

Guardsmen need to receive mobilization orders; report to their armories; draw equipment; receive orders and convoy to the disaster area. Guardsmen driving down from Pennsylvania or Navy ships sailing from Norfolk can't be on the scene immediately.

Relief efforts must be planned. Other than prepositioning supplies near the area likely to be afflicted (which was done quite efficiently), this cannot be done until the hurricane has struck and a damage assessment can be made. There must be a route reconnaissance to determine if roads are open, and bridges along the way can bear the weight of heavily laden trucks.

And federal troops and Guardsmen from other states cannot be sent to a disaster area until their presence has been requested by the governors of the afflicted states.

Exhibit A on the bill of indictment of federal sluggishness is that it took four days before most people were evacuated from the Louisiana Superdome.

The levee broke Tuesday morning. Buses had to be rounded up and driven from Houston to New Orleans across debris-strewn roads. The first ones arrived Wednesday evening. That seems pretty fast to me.

A better question -- which few journalists ask -- is why weren't the roughly 2,000 municipal and school buses in New Orleans utilized to take people out of the city before Katrina struck?

[igloo]

Bigpops...this little crusade you are on to bash Bush only, or defend the Mayor and Governor is absurd.....I would expect it from a social defect like destruction....I know you don't like Bush, and he deserves blame too....but you are being ridiculously one sided

[bigpoppanils]

but you are being ridiculously one sided

dr logic, among others on this board, is being very one-sided against the governer and mayor. where is your disdain for them?

[igloo]

dr logic, among others on this board, is being very one-sided against the governer and mayor. where is your disdain for them?

Bigpops...the lengths that you and others have gone to bash Bush, in many ways, and give the Mayor and Governor a break, is incomparable to the so called one-sideness coming in the other direction.......it is so ridiculous it is embarassing..

Quite frankly, I see plenty of Bush blame coming from the Bush side........but the Bush critics of course are going to great lengths to make it seem like this was a Bush and a race thing only......shameful.....

It was a complete debacle from top to bottom, and side to side.....all levels of Govt failed......some of the people who CHOSE to stay when they had the means to leave, it is on them......and some of those people who acted in a repulsive way (true looters, criminals, etc)--it is on them.....and BTW--Mother Nature did have a little something to do with this too.......

The one-sided Bush bashing contributes nothing to the situation, except to mask the comprehensive failure as a whole, and what is needed going forward to coordinate a better response effort in the event of the next disaster, natural or man-made.....

[drlogic]

Damn it! PUT ME IN COACH!

You took the words right out of my mouth!

[destruction]

- this is taken out of context. I saw that interview. People thought a direct hit from the hurricane in New Orleans would damage/breach the levees. It did not! They survived the storm! The levees broke a day later. That quote was a reply to the levees actually surving the hurricane, then breaking later. No one thought they would survive the hurricane

the national weather service warned the US government that the levees would break if a direct hit occured.

-Nothing wrong w/ that. It's an optimistic statement in a zone which was demolished by the storm. It's called moving forward! Nothing wrong w/ that statement!

Bush showing sympathy for one of the richest people in the area was a bad PR move.

-Considering the size of the destruction and lack of execution of the LA/New Orleans emergency plans, it absolutely has been an amazing effort!

This was said on September 1st....not now.

-Largest mobilization of federal rescue/aid in American history. Especially in Mississippi which was wiped off the map. Mississippi ain't complain'n! They had a good Governor!

Then why is he gone?

-Which he did not hear from the LA governor who was blocking the Red Cross from entering the area due to security concerns and the effort to avoid making the SuperDome a magnet for more residents to swarm to. They wanted people out of the there, not flocking there...Key point: LA Gov. calling the shots.

All he had to do was turn on the TV. all of the networks were covering it.

9) "I mean, you have people who don't heed those warnings and then put people at risk as a result of not heeding those warnings. There may be a need to look at tougher penalties on those who decide to ride it out and understand that there are consequences to not leaving.†–Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), Sept. 6, 2005 (Source)

-BINGO! TOUGH LOVE BABY!

Most of the people who did not leave did not have the means to leave. No cars, no money. The city of new orleans's mass transit system shut down.

-LOL,,,,,and?????????????????????????? Your point is?

so black? wtf is that supposed to mean?

-At that point, there was still a rescue effort under way. The federal gov't was there, the local gov't opted to no use them right away. Bush is factually accurate although it's tough to figure out why he couldn't just slap that puta governor and do what he's gotta do...oh yeah,,,there are laws that don't permit him to....

The governor decleared a state of emergency before the storm made landfalland told Bush "Send me all you've got." I don't see what else she needed to do.

-It's called compassion. You don't tell little kids who've lost everything,,,,HEY FUCKER, YOU'RE FUKT!...

Its fun to lose your house and watch your family and friends drown?

-ouch! GET SOME!!!! Sounds like a frustrated congressman expressing his frustration w/ the OBVIOUS FAILURES OF THE 40 YR. WAR ON POVERTY and levels to which a welfare state can destroy people.

So wait....you put your blame on the dems, now you solely blame welfare? make a point and stick to it.

14)

- okay? and?????????

LOUISIANA IS A STATE, NOT A CITY. that statement alone proves that Chertoff is a dumbass.

-I guess she doesn't care...racist! LOL You people are reaching! LOL How petty! Pity!

who called her a racist? dumb, yes. but racist? no.

- Probably prior to the levee breaking. And?

No. After.

-So why did the LA gov. get in the way? Why did Mayor Nagin let her get in the way of helping his people? Gulianni was roaming the streets in New York wearing a mask trying to console his people? Where was Nagin or the LA gov. oh yeah,,in Baton Rouge....NICE! Way to lead!

http://www.dod.gov/transcripts/2005/tr20050901-3843.html

23) "I don't make judgments about why people chose not to leave but, you know, there was a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans." –FEMA Director Michael Brown, arguing that the victims bear some responsibility, CNN interview, Sept. 1, 2005 (Source)

-absolutely correct! suck it up! Those who could not, rely on their local gov't (mayor/gov) to get them to safety.

Mega-PWN3D!!

[drlogic]

Mega-PWN3D!!

Pobresito....

[destruction]

pendeja

[bigpoppanils]

Bigpops...the lengths that you and others have gone to bash Bush, in many ways, and give the Mayor and Governor a break, is incomparable to the so called one-sideness coming in the other direction.......it is so ridiculous it is embarassing..

Quite frankly, I see plenty of Bush blame coming from the Bush side........but the Bush critics of course are going to great lengths to make it seem like this was a Bush and a race thing only......shameful.....

It was a complete debacle from top to bottom, and side to side.....all levels of Govt failed......some of the people who CHOSE to stay when they had the means to leave, it is on them......and some of those people who acted in a repulsive way (true looters, criminals, etc)--it is on them.....and BTW--Mother Nature did have a little something to do with this too.......

The one-sided Bush bashing contributes nothing to the situation, except to mask the comprehensive failure as a whole, and what is needed going forward to coordinate a better response effort in the event of the next disaster, natural or man-made.....

question: what am I doing that constitutes Bush bashing (besides that cartoon I posted)? or in your twisted mind does questioning the criticisms against the LA governer equate to bush bashing?

in case you didnt notice, most of those quotes were not made by Bush.

[igloo]

question: what am I doing that constitutes Bush bashing (besides that cartoon I posted)? or in your twisted mind does questioning the criticisms against the LA governer equate to bush bashing?

in case you didnt notice, most of those quotes were not made by Bush.

You are right bigpoops...you are not Bush bashing....I guess just making sure Bush gets his fair share of the blame, and not too much blame gets attributed to the LA GOV.......of course you should question the criticisms levied against that outstanding performing Gov in the face of this event, and never, ever question the same against Bush...my mistake, I should have recognized that....

I should have also recognized that what you posted was not a Bush Bash theme, especially since not all the quotes was his......after all, what Laura Bush, Bush's mom, Brown, Chertoff, Hastert-R, Baker-R, Santorum-R, DeLay-R said in your post should not be attributed to the Bush bash theme...including your post on another thread that some Rep voted against an aid package....

My mistake, I should have noticed Bigpoops that you are an objective noter (outside of the cartoon) who is just questioning the "charges" levied against the GoV in the name of fair and balance...

Keep up the good work

[drlogic]

pliz,,,no speeky eenglich

mira!! look!

http://thepoliticalteen.net/2005/09/12/blancocnndaybreak/