Why did the Mayor of New Orleans and the Governor of LA suddenly order the mandatory evacuation of the city? The answer will surprise you.
In my last post, I expressed a great deal of anger over the fact that partisans were politicizing the horrible tragedy which has been unfolding in New Orleans. As a matter of fact, I accused them of being worse than the looters themselves.…
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126 - kittygogo
I don't understand why anyone is defending any of these asswipes. They ALL failed. Why does it even have to be repos vs. demos? Why isn't anyone saying that they are ALL to blame and should ALL be blamed and gotten rid of, from Bush on down. Not Brownie though, he's totally adorable!
All of these Bush supporters are just grasping at straws. Yeah, the mayor most likely f'd up, as well as the governor, but Bush had the opportunity to rectify an already horrible situation and he just made it 50 million times worse. Why are you people defending him? It absolutely boggles the mind and makes no sense. Do you really want to have this idiot be our leader? He is obviously incapable.
I've said it b4, I'll say it again. They are all to blame, get rid of them all. Or maybe it is just hard to raise an arguement out of this one, because it is not festered in useless ideology.
127 - Dave Nalle
I'm not defending anyone, kitty. That's not terribly interesting. I'm just pointing out where those who are attacking are attacking based on lies and distortions. That seems more productive.
Dave
128 - Verified Patriot
Dave -
I don't care how corrupt you say Louisiana politics are. Corrupt compared to what exactly? Cheney dropping a CIA name? National Guard are the first response to prevent looting. You imagined that there are enough cops to protect every building in New Orleans.
A third of National Guard are in Iraq. This is the fault of the man who made up a reason for the war that has been disproven. Remember we are there to find WMDs not terrorists.
Iraq became chaos for the same reason New Orleans did. Looting was allowed to get out of control while Iraqis were still thankful to see Saddam out. Terrorists from surrounding countries infultrated the borders during this chaos. On top of the looting, electricity and water systems were out of commission...sound familiar. This changed public opinion because Saddam now seemed merciful. But the Iraqis are supposed to be thankful for their freedom to live in the dark.
Policemen in New Orleans were demoralized from being victims and rescuers. Policemen on Sept. 11th had houses to go back to, bathrooms to use, radios that worked, food, and water. You have overlooked their reality. National Guard troops did not share this demoralizing perspective and could catch their breath. The government should be able to swoop in, anywhere and anytime, no matter the capabilities of the local government. If they can supposedly shoot down a terrorist plane in 30 minutes, why can't they make it to New Orleans in 3 days?
129 - max
Don't forget the fact that bush cut funding for the police. I have many cop friends that are kicking theirself in the head for voting for bush.
130 - Dave Nalle
>>Don't forget the fact that bush cut funding for the police. I have many cop friends that are kicking theirself in the head for voting for bush.<<
Max, do you live in a different reality? Bush increased federal funding for police more than any president in history in the wake of 9/11.
Dave
131 - Dave Nalle
>>I don't care how corrupt you say Louisiana politics are. Corrupt compared to what exactly? <<
Compared to other US states.
>>National Guard are the first response to prevent looting. You imagined that there are enough cops to protect every building in New Orleans.<<
There are 1600 uniformed officers in the NOPD. That's enough to cover a lot of territory, but no, I didn't expect them to stop looting - I did expect them to evacuate people and protect the people at the Superdome and Convention Center. They certainly had enough men to do that.
>>A third of National Guard are in Iraq. This is the fault of the man who made up a reason for the war that has been disproven. Remember we are there to find WMDs not terrorists. <<
This is completely irrelevant. There were more than enough national guard available as I pointed out in my article on that subject. They could have had 30,000 men there if they'd wanted or needed them.
>>The government should be able to swoop in, anywhere and anytime, no matter the capabilities of the local government. If they can supposedly shoot down a terrorist plane in 30 minutes, why can't they make it to New Orleans in 3 days?<<
6000 national guardsmen were on the ground in Louisiana two days before the hurricane hit and another 10,000 arrived in the next three days. They were kept out of the city by local authorities and FEMA until the situation had stabilized because the flood waters made it too dangerous to engage in rescue operations.
Dave
132 - max
Well Dave,
I live in the real world of Texas where our police have had their funds cut drastically. No increases here. It must be lonely being one of the only three people in America that feels that bush has done no wrong. You can defend this man all you want. How much do they pay you? Yep, I live in Texas and know thousands of people...only 3 are republicans...hmmm...
133 - Verified Patriot
Dave - you wrote -
"[National Guard] were kept out of the city by local authorities and FEMA until the situation had stabilized"
wrong: as of yet, the situation still has not stabilized.
case: thousands of citizens remain near downed power lines which are being turned on & near water-born diseases.
wrong: local authorities kept NG out. case: Governor filed STATE of EMERGENCY papers on Aug. 26 not after flooding. NG ignored her request.
wrong: point of NG to enter after things stabilize.
case: NG stabilizing mission is not a mission that can be delayed after things stabilize because it stops all relief efforts.
example: the national guard saves more lives if they stabilize the relief effort not if they stabilize businesses (why FEMA sent them). without guards doctors cannot evacuate patients. without guards water cannot be handed out to angry evacuees at convention center. It is dropped after dehydration set in and not distributed evenly.
example: hundreds die at convention center from lack of insulin and water= more lives lost than if NG work amidst shootings.
"the flood waters made it too dangerous to engage in rescue operations"
correction: the national guard was held back because of a few shootings overemphasized by Karl Rove to take the heat off the President. soldiers that have a high chance of dying in iraq are afraid of a few meth addicts on their home turf.
FEMA Problem identified: War-time mission missing war-time mentality!
correction: flood waters pose greater danger as time elapses. so why not send troops in sooner when disease hasn't set in? under your guidelines, FEMA would send troops in after the water was pumped out. it's Sept. 9, the water is still there! the absence of water does not eliminate disease. these troops face illness in Iraq and have been vaccinated more than the relief workers and local police.
you were way off target. it's unbecoming to defend the indefensible!
134 - Dave Nalle
>>I live in the real world of Texas where our police have had their funds cut drastically. No increases here. It must be lonely being one of the only three people in America that feels that bush has done no wrong. You can defend this man all you want. How much do they pay you? Yep, I live in Texas and know thousands of people...only 3 are republicans...hmmm...<<
Odd, I live in an entirely different Texas where our police in small towns have received millions of dollars to spend on new equipment and facilities from Homeland Security, and where the people I know are mostly independents or divided roughly 50-50 between Republicans and Democrats. And unlike you I've got a firm handle on this, since I know our local police chief and I'm a precinct election judge.
Dave
135 - Dave Nalle
>>[National Guard] were kept out of the city by local authorities and FEMA until the situation had stabilized"
wrong: as of yet, the situation still has not stabilized. <<
They've pumped most of the water out. Where do you get this crazy stuff from? The reason they kept relief workers out of the city was the danger from flood water.
>>case: thousands of citizens remain near downed power lines which are being turned on & near water-born diseases.<<
Of course all the dangers aren't gone - that's why they have people in there fixing things.
>>wrong: local authorities kept NG out. case: Governor filed STATE of EMERGENCY papers on Aug. 26 not after flooding. NG ignored her request.<<
Actually, she filed them on the 27th. It's a matter of record. But I never said she filed them after the flooding - that's something the media and the left are claiming the administration has said, but it's not true.
>>wrong: point of NG to enter after things stabilize.
case: NG stabilizing mission is not a mission that can be delayed after things stabilize because it stops all relief efforts.<<
The Army Corps of Engineers needed to make some progress with the water before guardsmen on foot could go into the city. That's just the way it was.
>>example: the national guard saves more lives if they stabilize the relief effort not if they stabilize businesses (why FEMA sent them). without guards doctors cannot evacuate patients. without guards water cannot be handed out to angry evacuees at convention center. It is dropped after dehydration set in and not distributed evenly.<<
The Bataan and guard units were evacuating large numbers of sick and injured people by helicopter starting very shortly after the city flooded.
>>example: hundreds die at convention center from lack of insulin and water= more lives lost than if NG work amidst shootings.<<
The shootings were never an issue as far as keeping the guard out, and most of the sniping was after the guard was already in the city.
>>correction: the national guard was held back because of a few shootings overemphasized by Karl Rove to take the heat off the President. soldiers that have a high chance of dying in iraq are afraid of a few meth addicts on their home turf.
FEMA Problem identified: War-time mission missing war-time mentality!<<
This just isn't true. There's no evidence to back it up.
>>correction: flood waters pose greater danger as time elapses.<<
Not when they have pumps to drain the water. Have you seen current photos? Downtown and the French Quarter and other areas are completely dry now.
>> so why not send troops in sooner when disease hasn't set in? under your guidelines,<<
Because when the water is raging ground troops will need to be rescued to. This is standard flood procedure.
>> FEMA would send troops in after the water was pumped out. it's Sept. 9, the water is still there! <<
Wrong. Look at current photos.
>>you were way off target. it's unbecoming to defend the indefensible!<<
At least I'm not just making stuff up as you seem to be.
Dave
136 - max
Who's talking homeland security? I'm talking about local police that have had their funding cut to pay for this homeland bull rap. You're a judge? Well, a phony good for nothing election judge? So what! I know our police chief and many local cops and many DPS officers that see things differently than you. Homeland security does nothing for local crime. And don't try to tell me that we've strengthened our borders!!!
137 - max
Never mind Dave,
I just noticed that you're the raging homo on the other blog. Your opinion is worthless.
138 - Verified Patriot
Dave "you're just making stuff up" Nalle-
You BLAMED THE LEFT AGAIN for making up that Governor Kathleen Blanco withheld filing a state of emergency until after the hurricane...while the source of this lie (as it was FIRST TOLD in the WASHINGTON POST) was a "senior Bush official" in its September 4 story.
My evidence proves this lie came from the RIGHT. This is just one of your lies and Republican lies to make the local government and FEMALE Governor appear incompetant.
The evidence states the declaration came on FRIDAY, Aug. 26. You actually tried to correct this to the 27, but without proof. Aug. 26 is stated time & time again according to many newspaper timelines.
Jeff Smith from the Louisiana National Guard said, "one problem in getting people out of New Orleans was that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was slow providing buses."
David Passey with FEMA said "it took time to get the buses because they came from out of state." So, the plan to remove poor residents was instigated by the mayor by coordinated by FEMA. And we now know that FEMA's coordination spells disaster. FEMA impeded the effort with using buses that were from out of state. FEMA makes bad decisions in crises.
Again FEMA not local government was slow to respond.
How are you going to spin these facts?
139 - Dave Nalle
>>You BLAMED THE LEFT AGAIN for making up that Governor Kathleen Blanco withheld filing a state of emergency until after the hurricane...while the source of this lie (as it was FIRST TOLD in the WASHINGTON POST) was a "senior Bush official" in its September 4 story.<<
Are you incapable of understanding that this is credited to an UNNAMED SOURCE. That's not evidence, that's not anything. That's someone at a cocktail party making an offhand comment that gets passed on to a reporter. It's crap, but people are trying to play it up into some sort of disinformation campaign from the administration. No one in the media is pursuing this claim or taking it seriously. Why are you?
>>My evidence proves this lie came from the RIGHT. This is just one of your lies and Republican lies to make the local government and FEMALE Governor appear incompetant.<<
It's not MY lie. I don't work for Bush and I don't work for the post. We all know it's not true. The administration has said it's not true, Blanco has said it's not true. Why is it an issue at all?
>>The evidence states the declaration came on FRIDAY, Aug. 26. You actually tried to correct this to the 27, but without proof. Aug. 26 is stated time & time again according to many newspaper timelines.<<
No, you nitwit. Blanco's formal request for aid is DATED the 27th. It's on the paper in black and white. Here's a link to the text from Blanco's official website. Note the date. request
>>Jeff Smith from the Louisiana National Guard said, "one problem in getting people out of New Orleans was that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was slow providing buses."<<
Yes, FEMA caused a variety of problems. Of course, if the buses in NO had been available they could have used them.
>>David Passey with FEMA said "it took time to get the buses because they came from out of state." So, the plan to remove poor residents was instigated by the mayor by coordinated by FEMA. And we now know that FEMA's coordination spells disaster. FEMA impeded the effort with using buses that were from out of state. FEMA makes bad decisions in crises.<<
The mayor had an opportunity to use his buses before FEMA got there, as specifically required in the disaster plan which he signed off on as required by FEMA. Yes, FEMA was slow, but they shouldn't have had to get buses from out of state.
>>How are you going to spin these facts?<<
The facts are the facts. FEMA screwed up in a number of ways, but Nagin's failure to follow the disaster plan is the starting point from which all other problems originate.
Dave
140 - Dave Nalle
>>Who's talking homeland security? I'm talking about local police that have had their funding cut to pay for this homeland bull rap. <<
Where do you get this crazy information from?
These are the appropriations from the last three congresses for federal funds to assist state and local police under the DHS.
2006 - 3.36 billion
2005 - 2.5 billion
2004 - 3.63 billion
That's not exactly chump change.
>>You're a judge? Well, a phony good for nothing election judge? So what!<<
That information only went to my awareness of the balance between democrats and republicans in Texas.
>> I know our police chief and many local cops and many DPS officers that see things differently than you. <<
I know our police chief as well, and they're getting enough money from homeland security to increase their force by about 20%.
>>Homeland security does nothing for local crime.<<
Well, that's obviously a lie, given all the massive grants they've provided to local authoritiies who've chosen to apply. Maybe you should let your local police chief know about the Homeland Security Grant Program for local law enforcement.
Dave
141 - IgnatiusReilly
"I'm just pointing out where those who are attacking are attacking based on lies and distortions."
Have you pointed out anyone on the right?
142 - max
Verified Patriot,
I am no republican or democrat, but will tell you...That governor of LA IS incompetent! Just listen to her. Just look at her. I think she's a special ED case.
143 - Verified Patriot
Listen max,
Our president is special ED. Our ex-FEMA head used to supervise Mr. Ed. The problem with America is we elect officials that make us feel better about ourselves.
If she was purrty would you care if she was at the president's tested education level? She does have a conscience.
And, she doesn't pretend to have graduated from YALE.
We can't stop dumb people from electing dumb people, but we can impose rules on FEMA!!! Dumb people should not work at or manage emergency relief organizations. We can't let people die because they were born into poverty or are rich dumb brats or because their neighbors elected stupid officials.
Even Laura Bush calls it Hurricane Karina.
144 - Dave Nalle
>>Have you pointed out anyone on the right?<<
Yes, many times.
Dave
145 - Luke
I got a question, when was the last time the president got blamed for a natural disaster, i mean, when was the last time the local government couldn't handle their shit, and then blamed the president for everything? Plenty of natural disasters have happened, I'm just trying to figure out what past presidents did to make them so overwhelmingly competant in comparison to Mr Bush.
146 - Verified Patriot
President Bush's "no tree left behind" act is working pretty well against natural disasters. He's fired more trees that appointees. Score 125,000 to 0.
You cut down every fourth tree, build a home, with the trees you cut down, and that way the fire can be contained in your bonfire house.
147 - max
Verified Patriot,
I agree with post #143. No argument from me.
But, I don't care how ugly she is ...she is still incompetent, slow, and appears to be on drugs.
Luke,
The past presidents didn't go on another vacation and ask..."What problem". They were not as slow to act. No one blames the storm on anyone. They are being blamed for lack of action. No other president would allow his citizens to starve and die of thirst. There is no excuse.
148 - Verified Patriot
Max,
If I have to put up with Dick Cheney's half-paralyzed scowl and go f-yourself ventriloquism act, you can handle whatever problems you have with LA's governor.
I have yet to come across a news program that does specials on her and condemns her to the likes of Ozzie Osbourne. Are you watching FOX? CNN?
It's one thing to be a bad speaker, it's another thing to be a bad policy maker.
149 - max
Verified Patriot,
Fox news is blocked on my set. I hate being lied to, and listening to "talking heads up their a..". I really only watch the local news. i just saw her talking and thought she had to be on drugs. I'm sorry to hear that you're sick of Cheney, So am I.
I didn't vote for Bush/Cheney...I didn't vote for your boy Kerry, either.
I vote constitutionalist when they are on the ballot, then green, then libertarian, then independent...according to who is on the ballot. We don't get much of a choice here.