Pray for the citizens of New Orleans

[Miulang]

The latest predictions have Hurricane Katrina (http://www.thehawaiichannel.com/weather/4887230/detail.html) intensifying into a Class 4 hurricane and hitting the New Orleans area sometime Monday. Right now, massive evacuations are being undertaken; all highways have been turned into northbound-only to allow people to leave. Since NO is below sea level, there's a great possibility that most of that beautiful town will be flooded. NO is one of my favorite cities to visit. There's just so much history in that area. Eating fresh beignets from the Cafe du Monde and getting the powdered sugar all over you while you sit on the banks of the Mississippi watching the riverboats go by is a wonderful experience. If Katrina does hit NO directly, it'll probably be years before the city is restored to its original beauty.

I'm grateful that up here in the PNW, we only have the occasional earthquake or minor volcanic eruption occurring. I can't imagine what it would be like to have to worry about your property and life every hurricane season. And the meterologists predict this will be a bad season.

Miulang

[1stwahine]

Thanks Miulang for this post. I'm unable to watch anything as you know MAMA is glued and obsessed with... I pray for all New Orleans and it's citizens. Yes, NO has a long history and I got to know about it more when my son, Conrad was station at Ft. Polk. He would venture to the Mardi Gras with friends to the celebrations two years in a row. The photo's I recieved were beautiful and fun to behold. He shared and spoke of what it was liked and I saw it from his perspective.

May God protect and calm Katrina so that she brings only minimal damage.

[Surfingfarmboy]

I've always thought if there was one city on the mainland where locals from Hawai'i would feel at home, it would be New Orleans. The climate isn't too far off from what Hawai'i has, though the summers are brutal, (it's semi-tropical), occasional winter blasts from the Great Lakes come in during winter, but more importantly, the locals of New Orleans seem to possess that take the time to talk story, what's your rush, Mista, type attitude. It's a very laid back city with a diverse population that I believe a local from the islands could easily assimilate into. They even have their own version on shave ice. They call shave ice in NO "snowballs". The ice isn't quite a cottony as shave ice..it is a bit more granular, but not quite a granular as the "snow cones" most mainlanders are familiar with. There are corner snowball places throughout most NO neighboorhoods and they come in, just like Hawai'i, dozens, if not hundreds of flavors.

New Orleans is a lovely city...one of my favorite cities on the mainland. I will join both Miulang and 1stWahine in praying for the safety of the citizens of it.

[Glen Miyashiro]

Funny. I always thought that the most similar thing between New Orleans and Honolulu was the corrupt politics. :p

[Surfingfarmboy]

I forgot...our own member, Ailina, is down in harm's way, in Lafayette, LA, only 133 miles from the Big Easy. That is if she and her family haven't evacuated by now. Let's pray that she and her 'ohana get through this nightmare unscathed.

[islandsoljah]

My lil brother is living there (he's a US Army soldier) and he's just informed me of how hectic it has been all day for them. Him and his unit are on standy by to help out the NG when that time comes. God Forbid. And, may God Bless him and the families out there.

[alohabear]

:eek: Katrina and The Waves are hitting the Big Easy and " it don't feel good".They ain't "Walkin in Sunshine" today. May God bless them all.

[Glen Miyashiro]

Well, at least the levees didn't collapse. This time.

[Miulang]

Well, at least the levees didn't collapse. This time.
One levee was breached, in East Orleans (9th ward). What I saw on the TV in NO still wasn't very pretty...they're afraid because the Industrial Canal overflowed that there's going to be all kinds of contamination (chemicals and sewage) where the water is standing. Canal St. looked like a tsunami had hit it. But I'm glad the French Quarter didn't suffer as much damage as it could have it Katrina had hit NO directly. Looks like prayers to the city's patron saint spared NO from really bad damage.

Miulang

[Glen Miyashiro]

Looks like prayers to the city's patron saint spared NO from really bad damage.I heard that the ghost of Marie Leveau is the one who should get the credit. :D

[Miulang]

I heard that the ghost of Marie Leveau is the one who should get the credit. :D
Marie Leveau and St. Expedite (http://www.wired.com/news/print/0,1294,65184,00.html) are 2 of the most widely revered religious icons in NO.

Miulang

[alohabear]

Why is it when a tsunami hits,like the one in Asia, the World rallies to them for aid, and the U.S. gets slammed for not doing enough. Yet when it happens to us, like it did with this storm, no one comes to our aid? No Moviestars donate thier time to a national telethon or say they will donate 1 million dollars to help U.S. refugees. No school groups will collect money for Americans(well not as much as they did for Tsunami victims). These people are Americans That's Why! The World takes and takes from the U.S. , but when it comes time to return the favor most will turn the other cheek. :(

[Miulang]

Brings to mind something my Mom asked me when I was working for a nongovernmental international development organization years ago. I was telling her about how we were raising money for people in Bangladesh, the Sahel and Brazil, and she said, "We have enough problems in this country. Why are you trying to help people in some far away countries?" Out of the mouths of Moms! ;)

Miulang

[Pikake]

Brings to mind something my Mom asked me when I was working for a nongovernmental international development organization years ago. I was telling her about how we were raising money for people in Bangladesh, the Sahel and Brazil, and she said, "We have enough problems in this country. Why are you trying to help people in some far away countries?" Out of the mouths of Moms! ;)

Miulang

Heard the same thing from both parents, grandparents and my business instructor. Then again, I have compassion - so here I am and I teach my own children to have that as well. What are we doing...reaching out to help those around the globe (and here in overweight America) that needs help despite of what my folks say. I think we have more than enough in our pockets to go around a few times.

[Glen Miyashiro]

Why is it when a tsunami hits,like the one in Asia, the World rallies to them for aid, and the U.S. gets slammed for not doing enough. Yet when it happens to us, like it did with this storm, no one comes to our aid? No Moviestars donate thier time to a national telethon or say they will donate 1 million dollars to help U.S. refugees. No school groups will collect money for Americans(well not as much as they did for Tsunami victims). These people are Americans That's Why! The World takes and takes from the U.S. , but when it comes time to return the favor most will turn the other cheek. :(Errr... because we're mostly rich and they're mostly not? And I would point out that when we have problems, other countries do help. If I recall there were several countries who sent rescue teams for the 9/11 World Trade Center recovery, for example.

[alohabear]

Errr... because we're mostly rich and they're mostly not? And I would point out that when we have problems, other countries do help. If I recall there were several countries who sent rescue teams for the 9/11 World Trade Center recovery, for example.
I guess helping the poor and unfortunate in third world countries make Celebrities feel good about speading thier wealth, but to waste thier money and time to help U.S. refugees will not get noticed.

[Palolo Joe]

Or could it be that the U.S. has progams in place, like those of FEMA, to help Americans who are affected by natural disasters?

[Glen Miyashiro]

Or could it be that the U.S. has progams in place, like those of FEMA, to help Americans who are affected by natural disasters?Make that, "the U.S. used to have programs in place like those of FEMA". Apparently, the Department of Homeland Security is busily gutting FEMA (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/29/AR2005082901445.html):

In the days to come, as the nation and the people along the Gulf Coast work to cope with the disastrous aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, we will be reminded anew, how important it is to have a federal agency capable of dealing with natural catastrophes of this sort. This is an immense human tragedy, one that will work hardship on millions of people. It is beyond the capabilities of state and local government to deal with. It requires a national response.

Which makes it all the more difficult to understand why, at this moment, the country's premier agency for dealing with such events -- FEMA -- is being, in effect, systematically downgraded and all but dismantled by the Department of Homeland Security.

Apparently homeland security now consists almost entirely of protection against terrorist acts. How else to explain why the Federal Emergency Management Agency will no longer be responsible for disaster preparedness? Given our country's long record of natural disasters, how much sense does this make?

[Palolo Joe]

Not used to have, if they're being gutted and not dismantled. The programs might suck, but they will still be there.

My point was that there aren't any "safety net"-type programs in third world countries. That's why the rich donate money to them and not people in the U.S.

[Glen Miyashiro]

I agree, PJ. Got a little distracted by the impending Homeland Security rant building in my head. Sorry. :p

[Palolo Joe]

No worries... reading that WP story is starting to get my blood boiling too. :mad:

[Linkmeister]

Errr... because we're mostly rich and they're mostly not? And I would point out that when we have problems, other countries do help. If I recall there were several countries who sent rescue teams for the 9/11 World Trade Center recovery, for example.

Thank you, Glen. This is by far the richest country in the world. Who in Bangladesh thinks we need financial help?

And because people in Washington would rather spend money on tax cuts and bridges in Alaska, FEMA resources, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, and educational help are all being cut back.

[kimo55]

unbelievable... heartrending...
reading the Times-Picayune blog, basically what newspaper can do anything in those conditions but post as a blog, updated every few minutes...


incredible devastation.

[Glen Miyashiro]

It just gets worse and worse. I spoke way too soon.

How in the world are they going to plug up 200 feet of busted concrete floodwall?

[Glen Miyashiro]

Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez is offering food and oil to the USA (http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050829/pl_afp/usweathervenezuelaoil) to help with hurricane relief.

There you go, alohabear; them foreigners do care. Even if they've been targeted for assassination by U.S. preachers.

[1stwahine]

The devastation is horrendous. Looting and survival of the fittist is being taped as it is being seen live. Food are being taken on whole racks and not wanting to be shared by others. The count of victims lost and being found is growing by the minute. The Superdome has no electricity, no ice, no toilets that are useable, 30,000+ are in there and more are on there way.

This is America! These are fellow Americans who need our help. It makes me wonder with the fact that the authorities knew many years in advance what could happen if they were hit with a hurricane as Katrina in NO...why did they not evacuate and get their citizens okoles out of there!

Also, In Hawai'i are there plans in place in case such a devastating event occurs? Hmmm...perhaps, a hurricane, tornado, tidal wave or God forbid a Terrorist Attack -- to protect us regular citizens? I hope and pray so.

In New Orleans, at least they had the chance to move inland. In Hawai'i...we will not have that. Who will disguinish who gets to go and who stays? :eek:

Watching the news tonight was like watching something out of a horror End of The World Movie Drama. Only thing it wasn't. It's happening as I type this entry...it's happening in New Orleans!

Auntie Lynn

[DaveNSoKona]

Irony department:

Emergency Medical Services conference wrapped up on Saturday in NOLA.

Honolulu attendees couldn't get flight out, offer services. Link (http://news.yahoo.com/s/kitv/20050831/lo_kitv/2910272)

[1stwahine]

Irony department:

Emergency Medical Services conference wrapped up on Saturday in NOLA.

Honolulu attendees couldn't get flight out, offer services. Link (http://news.yahoo.com/s/kitv/20050831/lo_kitv/2910272)


I am a very proud and hard Tita. I don't easily CRY. DaveNSoKona, mahalo for sharing this article with us. I cry because our own are there amongst the craziness that is going on in New Orleans. I pray from deep within that the God I believe there is, will get them out of there and stop this madness soon. My heart aches and my tears fall. I have never been touched like this since the war started in Iraq and my kids were deployed.

Auntie Lynn

[Linkmeister]

It just gets worse and worse. I spoke way too soon.

How in the world are they going to plug up 200 feet of busted concrete floodwall?

If they'd gotten the funding they should have over the past three years, it wouldn't have broken.

http://www.pnionline.com/dnblog/attytood/archives/002331.html

This is criminal negligence on the part of the Bush budgeters.

[Miulang]

If you feel moved to do something to help the people of the Gulf Coast, please consider either contributing some money (every little bit helps) to the American Red Cross or to the Baton Rouge Area Foundation (http://www.braf.org/page25206.cfm), which has 2 funds: 1 for the immediate needs of all the people from NO who evacuated to Baton Rouge and a second one for the long-term rebuilding efforts, which is where the help will really be needed, because once the Red Cross and the feds move out of the area, there will still be months or even years of assistance that will be required for the people who lost everything in the hurricane.

"The Hurricane Katrina Displaced Residents Fund will benefit those individuals evacuated to Baton Rouge from the hurricane impacted areas in Greater New Orleans, who are now unable to return for what may be an extended period. Early official estimates suggest that as many as 500,000 individuals may be required to remain in our area for up to six months, and they will face numerous challenges related to housing, food, education, healthcare and basic survival necessities. This fund will support those entities and programs in our area that endeavor to meet these critical needs, as well as address the impact this influx of residents will have on our community.

The Hurricane Katrina New Orleans Recovery Fund will focus on the rebuilding of infrastructure to provide basic human services to residents of these devastated areas. The Baton Rouge Area Foundation will coordinate closely with federal, state and local officials in an attempt to provide resources to programs and efforts that positively and immediately impact the quality of life of these individuals, and contribute to the overall rebuilding of critical service delivery mechanisms in the New Orleans area."

Miulang

[Glen Miyashiro]

If they'd gotten the funding they should have over the past three years, it wouldn't have broken.

http://www.pnionline.com/dnblog/attytood/archives/002331.html

This is criminal negligence on the part of the Bush budgeters.Oh wait, they did fund disaster planning. They privatized it. (http://shetterly.blogspot.com/2005/08/new-orleans-private-enterprise.html) Boy, wasn't that effective?

[Linkmeister]

Who left? Who stayed?

http://www.livejournal.com/users/wicked_wish/582898.html

[1stwahine]

Thanks Miulang. I might not have much...but I will make a donation and ask others in my family to do the same. It could be "us" someday. The devastation continues and whatever we can give to ease their sufferings is all that matters. God bless all America, as we stand together. To once again, help our fellow brothers and sisters in need.

Auntie Lynn

[kimo55]

Who left? Who stayed?

http://www.livejournal.com/users/wicked_wish/582898.html

mahalos for that. interesting perspective.

[Ailina]

We barely missed it here in Lafayette. We were just outside the storm bands.

Lafayette's feeling it, though. The traffic has been so bad. Making long distance calls is nearly impossible. The hotels are full. Churches are pulling together to provide shelter and hot meals for all the people here from N.O.

It's awful, awful.

Mark (significant other) works offshore, and a lot of the people he works with are from coastal cities and Mississippi. His coworker got off his hitch to find his house was wrecked, so Mark is going back out early in his place.

My son was supposed to fly out of N.O. airport today. The airlines are rearranging the schedules for people to fly out of Baton Rouge.

I think most people down here are still in shock and disbelief. We all say to each other "We can't go to New Orleans," but it hasn't quite sunken in, the full meaning of that. "New Orleans" isn't there anymore. It's a ghost town. I see the footage on TV, hear about the looting, recovering the dead, $X billions of dollars damage, X years it will take to recover....

It's traumatic. Unbelievable.

[Glen Miyashiro]

A‘ilina, good to hear from you. Glad you and your family are OK.

I ran across this Katrina Information Map (http://www.scipionus.com/) that someone put together -- it's a smart use of the Google Maps interface to allow people to post information about local conditions. Wow, maybe all this technology can actually help people sometimes.

[1stwahine]

So glad you're ok!


Just heard the Prez on the tv. 78,000 displaced
America will come stronger because of this...we always do!

[Miulang]

As I was watching the pictures of the devastation wrought by the hurricane and the looting that was going on there, this conundrum kept coming into my head: given how poor most of the people who live in the areas devastated by the hurricane are and how politically and socially oppressed they have been for so many years, is it really wrong for them to want to take advantage of the situation by looting abandoned shops? I've been through the poorest and the richest neighborhoods surrounding NO. The difference between the two communities is striking. If my whole world was wrapped up in my house and the things inside, would I want to leave that house and any beloved animals behind, even when told by the government to leave? If I didn't have a car or if I did have a car but had no money for gas or a hotel or food, would I want to leave my world? I don't think I would, even if it meant dying in my house.

If I wasn't so afraid of getting shot in the back, and if I wore the shoes of the poor in the South, would I be looting those businesses and taking "my fair share"? You bet your bippy I would. There's a lot of pent up anger and resentment toward upwardly mobile people there (the "ruling class"). I doubt, however, that any sane person would choose to be poor (except maybe for Mahatma Ghandi, and he's dead). Looting is a property crime. Looting will probably result in all of our insurance premiums going up. But looting isn't the Watts riots, either, where people were killed because of the pent up rage.

I hope some sociologist takes a look at what's going on in NO and Mobile and Biloxi and Gulfport and documents what happens to poor people in disasters (gee, they react just like poor people everywhere) and that the government tries to give those people their "fair share" before physical violence breaks out.

The Republican Party has a heart after all. Here's an email I got from the RNC asking me to donate to the American Red Cross to help assist victims of the hurricane. Don't ask me how I got onto their mailing list...I am now a mole! ;)

"...Hurricane Katrina has passed and now the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama must begin the process of rebuilding. Our thoughts are with those who were affected by this powerful storm. During times like these, there is no room for politics and partisanship. This is a time when we all come together to help our neighbors.

Due to the size of this storm and the area of impact, the cost for recovery will be staggering. For that reason, we are asking you, our supporters, to make a donation to hurricane relief efforts. The American Red Cross and the Salvation Army provide shelter, food, water, blankets and clothing to those who have lost everything.

We appreciate your willingness to help these groups. Your generosity will help the people impacted by the storm begin the process of rising up and recovering from this disaster.

Thanks for all you do.

Sincerely,
Ken Mehlman
Chairman, RNC "

Hui Ailina:
I'm glad Lafayette didn't have to bear the brunt of the hurricane. When your SO comes home again, give him one big honihoni from me for helping out his coworker by going back to work early. These small acts of kindness are what make America a great place to live.:)

Miulang

[Miulang]

Linkmeister published the following blog entry (http://asmallvictory.net/archives/009722.html) with eye witness accounts of what was happening in downtown NO today. The picture isn't pretty. The writer asks where is the National Guard to help put down the violence that's occurring in the streets, where the looters all are armed and the security people are so few in number that they cannot control the crowds. Well, in the state of LA, more than 3,000 of its citizen soldiers are stuck in the middle of Iraq. Most of the national guard troops and active military troops being sent in are coming from other states, if they can get through the water and the debris.

"...The city now has no clean water, no sewerage system, no electricity, and no real communications. Bodies are still being recovered floating in the floods. We are worried about a cholera epidemic. Even the police are without effective communications. We have a group of armed police here with us at the hotel that is admirably trying to exert some local law enforcement. This is tough because looting is now rampant. Most of it is not malicious looting. These are poor and desperate people with no housing and no medical care and no food or water trying to take care of themselves and their families.

Unfortunately, the people are armed and dangerous. We hear gunshots frequently. Most of Canal street is occupied by armed looters who have a low threshold for discharging their weapons. We hear gunshots frequently. The looters are using makeshift boats made of pieces of styrofoam to access. We are still waiting for a significant national guard presence...."


Miulang

[Palolo Joe]

If I wasn't so afraid of getting shot in the back, and if I wore the shoes of the poor in the South, would I be looting those businesses and taking "my fair share"? You bet your bippy I would.

Wow... so you're saying it's actually okay for these people to break the law and go looting from local businesses.

Your twisted sense of logic amazes me - and not in a good way.

[Miulang]

Wow... so you're saying it's actually okay for these people to break the law and go looting from local businesses.

Your twisted sense of logic amazes me - and not in a good way.
And I guess the good doctor who is quoted in the blog above is just as demented as I am, then.

"...Most of it is not malicious looting. These are poor and desperate people with no housing and no medical care and no food or water trying to take care of themselves and their families. ..."

[Palolo Joe]

That still doesn't make it okay. Just because there's a homeless guy with no money and no healthcare who lives at the bus stop on Ala Moana Blvd., does that mean it's okay for him to walk into Longs at Ala Moana and take what he needs?

Looting might be a necessary evil, but it still ain't right.

[Menehune Man]

Just my opinion. I believe there's a big difference in taking critical items like food, fresh water or medicines and stealing anything just because it's there.

[Surfingfarmboy]

I was watching the NBC Nightly News Hurricane Katrina coverage yesterday, and viewed a clip of pallets of emergency food supplies being unloaded into a warehourse in the Biloxi area. I just happened to catch a glimpse of what one of large pallets consisted of..it was just a quick thing, happened to see it at the right time as it was being hauled off by a forklift..it was a pallet of Hawai'ian pineapple juice.

It made me think that farmers on Maui who grew this pineapple, and those who canned the juice, would have never dreamed that their food product was ultimately going to be instrumental in providing relief to survivors in this unparalled disaster.

[alohabear]

And I guess the good doctor who is quoted in the blog above is just as demented as I am, then.

"...Most of it is not malicious looting. These are poor and desperate people with no housing and no medical care and no food or water trying to take care of themselves and their families. ..."
If most is not malicious looting ,then why does the mainsteam media only show the malicious looting? I guess it makes a better story and adds to the drama.
BTW... I am humbled by the world's support. I guess once the "shock" made it's way around the planet, support will be rolling in.

If anything good comes out of this disaster, it should be a wake up call to ALL of us in Hawaii (http://www.usatoday.com/weather/hurricane/2003-09-01-hawaii-hurricnes_x.htm) and around the world. I heard in news reports that a lot of people in New Orleans said that "storms always by pass us" so they stayed and nearly died. It scares me to think that if a BIG storm like Katrina was head to O'ahu , how many lives would it take. Our WHOLE State would shut down for months. Be Prepared! (http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/disaster_prevention.shtml) I am .

[Miulang]

If most is not malicious looting ,then why does the mainsteam media only show the malicious looting? I guess it makes a better story and adds to the drama..
You got that right. And notice that they only show black people walking off with stuff? It's still that ol "plantation mentality" going on. I read somewhere that even though people of other ethnicities are taking things which don't belong to them, when the culprits are black, it's called "looting". When the culprits are white, it's called "found", as in "Residents found electronic equipment in the demolished and abandoned buildings." :mad:

Miulang

[Glen Miyashiro]

And even when the world offers aid, the USA won't take it.

United Nations Undersecretary-General Jan Egeland, who oversaw relief efforts after the Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004, offered Washington U.N. assistance in a formal letter to new U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton.

"The United Nations stands ready to help with any kind of disaster expertise that might be required ... in full recognition that the United States is the country in the world that possesses the greatest civilian and military search and rescue and recovery assets themselves,'' Egeland told Reuters in an interview.

He said U.S. officials had thanked the U.N. for its offer, but had not requested any assistance so far.

(New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/politics/politics-weather-katrina-un.html))

[MadAzza]

given how poor most of the people who live in the areas devastated by the hurricane are and how politically and socially oppressed they have been for so many years, is it really wrong for them to want to take advantage of the situation by looting abandoned shops?

Yes, it is wrong.

"Oppressed"? I don't think so. People do make choices. Anyone who feels "oppressed" is welcome to get out there and work hard for his own success instead of blaming others for his problems. You know, the way people used to, before it became convenient to seize the nanny-state mentality. "You have to excuse all my bad behavior! I'm oppressed!" (Or, as the kid in West Side Story put it, "I'm depraved on account I'm deprived!") That only makes sense if you buy into the idea that people of certain races or income levels are somehow not as smart or willing to work as others are. I don't.

[MadAzza]

If most is not malicious looting ,then why does the mainsteam media only show the malicious looting? I guess it makes a better story and adds to the drama.

They show it beccause that is what's happening in front of their cameras. Do you really believe they go out in search of material to make black people look bad?? Like they have all freakin' day to do that, even if they wanted to, which they don't?

They are showing us malicious looting because looting is malicious! Oh, sure, two or three people out of a hundred are just trying to get food and water. But what about the guy who dragged away 15 cases of beer in the trunk of his car? Alcohol dehydrates, so it's not a good water replacement. What about the guy carrying the TV set out of the electronics store? I hope it falls on him and he drowns under all that water. Oh, that's right, all those poor people are *oppressed* ... they're not thieves, they're victims!

[Miulang]

So the State of LA should send the repair bill directly to the White House, along with the cost to import all the National Guardsmen from other states because 3,000 of the local Guardsmen were on duty in Iraq instead of being on call to deal with local emergencies? :mad:

The fingerpointing (http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10050.htm) has begun:
"...A year ago the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed to study how New Orleans could be protected from a catastrophic hurricane, but the Bush administration ordered that the research not be undertaken. After a flood killed six people in 1995, Congress created the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project, in which the Corps of Engineers strengthened and renovated levees and pumping stations. In early 2001, the Federal Emergency Management Agency issued a report stating that a hurricane striking New Orleans was one of the three most likely disasters in the U.S., including a terrorist attack on New York City. But by 2003 the federal funding for the flood control project essentially dried up as it was drained into the Iraq war. In 2004, the Bush administration cut funding requested by the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for holding back the waters of Lake Pontchartrain by more than 80 percent. Additional cuts at the beginning of this year (for a total reduction in funding of 44.2 percent since 2001) forced the New Orleans district of the Corps to impose a hiring freeze. The Senate had debated adding funds for fixing New Orleans' levees, but it was too late. ...

"...The Bush administration's policy of turning over wetlands to developers almost certainly also contributed to the heightened level of the storm surge. In 1990, a federal task force began restoring lost wetlands surrounding New Orleans. Every two miles of wetland between the Crescent City and the Gulf reduces a surge by half a foot. Bush had promised "no net loss" of wetlands, a policy launched by his father's administration and bolstered by President Clinton. But he reversed his approach in 2003, unleashing the developers. The Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency then announced they could no longer protect wetlands unless they were somehow related to interstate commerce. ..."

Miulang

[MadAzza]

And from CNN.com:

"The evacuation of patients from Charity Hospital was halted after the facility came under sniper fire, while groups of armed men wandered the streets, buildings smoldered and people picked through stores for what they could find."

Those poor, oppressed snipers!

Sickening.

[Miulang]

Legendary rock 'n roller Fats Domino (http://entertainment.tv.yahoo.com/entnews/eo/20050901/112562478000.html) is listed among the missing in the wake of the devastating flooding in New Orleans. He reportedly chose to stay in his house which was located in the 9th Ward where flooding was most severe.

Miulang

[Palolo Joe]

They found Fats.

And stop it already with the racial crap in regards to looting. I'm sure I wasn't the only one watching haoles and blacks side by side, looting television sets and other non-essential stuff from local stores.

I also heard that a truck headed for an area hospital, filled with medical supplies, that was held up at gunpoint and looted by others waiting nearby.

How can something like that ever be justified?

[Miulang]

I was curious to find out if any social psychologists or sociologists had any theories about the anarchy that seemed so prevalent on the TV screens over the last 4 days. I found this (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002463350_katrinaloot01.html):

"images repeated in video loops on 24-hour cable-news networks raise stereotypes. That struck Robert Smith, political-science professor at San Francisco State University. "All the people that appear to be in distress ... have been African American, people coming from the [housing] projects," he said. "All the looters that have been shown are black."

Smith said he's not surprised. He said the neglected people in those communities — those stranded without resources — often are black. But he added that the pictures and footage of the looting "will reinforce the image of black people as criminals."

The population of New Orleans is about 67 percent African American, the fifth-largest percentage among American cities with more than 100,000 population.

Ronald Walters sees "a global issue."

"Black people are no different than any other group of people in the world," said Walters, political-science professor and director of the African American Leadership Institute at the University of Maryland at College Park. "Explaining [the looting], you have to go far, far beyond skin color."

Walters said any group — black, white, Hispanic, Asian, whatever — would do anything necessary to survive when faced with tragic circumstances, including raiding stores for supplies....

"But what about the looting of luxury items? Some media images showed people hauling off television sets and DVD players, in an area with no electricity. "That's something we as researchers are going to take a closer look at," he said.

He offered a hypothesis — not an excuse, he stressed: "You'd probably find the people doing this to be very poor. Pretty much they have nothing in their lives. They didn't have the resources to escape, didn't have a car or money to leave.

"Now, on this one occasion, suddenly they think, 'Wow, I can have these things,' for once."

Much of what's being taken are essentials: anything edible, disposable diapers, water and clothes.

"That is the behavior people take under the pressure of survival," said Benigno Aguirre, professor in the department of sociology and criminal justice and the Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware in Newark. "This is misconstrued as looting, as thievery."

In disaster, social norms shift, sociologists say. What may be considered criminal or unacceptable under ordinary circumstances becomes reasonable...."

And this, a very interesting forum on the psychology of looting (http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread166204/pg1).

Miulang

[Palolo Joe]

From the same link:

"Ronald Walters sees 'a global issue.'
'Black people are no different than any other group of people in the world,' said Walters, political-science professor and director of the African American Leadership Institute at the University of Maryland at College Park.
'Explaining [the looting], you have to go far, far beyond skin color.'"

[U'ilani]

I think any discussion of the reasons for the looting have to include the fact that New Orleans had a weak civil and social infrastructure before the disaster, with the murder rate 10xs the national average, a poverty rate twice the national average and a corrupt local government.

[DaveNSoKona]

Mr. Fournier in his AP column points out that just last year, the Army Corps of Engineers sought $105 million for hurricane and flood programs in New Orleans. The White House slashed the request to about $40 million. Congress finally passed 42.2 million of the $105 million requested by the Army Corps of Engineers. While appropriating $231 million on a bridge to a small, uninhabited Alaskan island. Has "Democracy" ceased to be an effective form of government as practiced in the US? :confused:


Our Government at work (http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050901/D8CBNMA88.html)

[Ailina]

I think any discussion of the reasons for the looting have to include the fact that New Orleans had a weak civil and social infrastructure before the disaster, with the murder rate 10xs the national average, a poverty rate twice the national average and a corrupt local government.

Notoriously. "New Orleans"--as far as we're concerned here--is synonymous with "chaos." Not always/necessarily chaos of a violent or malicious nature, but in Nawlins, all sorts of lines have always been blurred.

[Palolo Joe]

Watching the coverage on Dateline NBC tonight was just heartbreaking... can't believe that some of the displaced are being told that they simply can't come back. For months - if not longer.

Living in Hawaii means there's not a lot of money saved up by most residents, but please try to find a little something to donate. I can't afford it, but I'll be punching my credit card number in online sometime soon to try and do my part.

[Miulang]

The last couple of nights on the cable news shows have been really really interesting. Whenever CNN has interviewed Michael Brown, the FEMA Director about why aid has been so slow in getting to the people of NO, he has always dodged the question by saying, "We're getting help there as fast as we can."

Yesterday, Paula Zahn asked him why there weren't more efforts to help the 10,000+ people stranded at the Convention Center in downtown NO (I've been to conferences in that place and it's huuuuge) and his response was, "We only learned about the Convention Center this morning (4 days after the storm)". You should have seen Paula's face go red on that comment. Another anchor asked him the same question later, and he gave the same answer. DUH. Where was he when the Mayor of NO was begging and pleading on television and the radio for help for the people at the Convention Center 3 days ago?

The Pres will be touring the destruction of the Gulf States today. This morning, he held an informal press conference where the Gov. of MS and AL were present, along with Michael Brown (FEMA), Michael Chertoff (Homeland Security), and some representatives of the Coast Guard. The governors both were effusive with praise over the assistance that FEMA and the Coast Guard had given their states in their recovery efforts. They praised the Pres for his assistance in getting them the aid.

I think the story will be completely different in LA. He's supposed to meet with the Governor of LA and Ray Nagin, the Mayor of NO, later today after taking a tour of NO. I doubt the press will be privvy to that conversation because I'm sure the Mayor especially will read the Pres the riot act for his lack of leadership, for the failure of FEMA to adequately address the health and safety issues of his constituents, for not providing enough National Guard troops to protect the people and businesses, for cutting back funding to the Army Corps of Engineering to upgrade the levee system...all that's ironic because Nagin himself is safe in Baton Rouge. The people left in NO are upset because he's not down among them, but I think his safety would be jeopardized right now.

The Houston Astrodome is now not accepting anymore victims of the hurricane. The officials there admit that they are having logistical problems with dealing with the 12,000 people who are there. So where are the people still left in NO supposed to go? There's a convoy of some 100 buses in the city right now, but once people get on those buses, where will they end up? Apparently San Antonio and Dallas will also be accepting some of those people, which will put a burden on those cities' infrastructures, too. Will people also have to be bussed to TN, NC, SC, and KY? Can those states absorb so many new residents at one time who need all kinds of assistance? Someone likened this hurricane to an "American tsunami". The shameful part is the victims of the Indonesian earthquake and tsunami had food and water dropped to them the day after the disaster. In this country, it's taking 6 days for some of our own citizens to get help. This is not acceptable. :mad:

Miulang

[pzarquon]

That convention center story is harrowing. And I remember hearing reports out of there more than a day ago. The NPR reporter calling in yesterday seemed genuinely distressed.

Hearing a major official say he had no idea is... well, about as apalling as a president saying, "No one imagined the levees wouldn't hold." When everyone was imagining the levees breaking as the storm approached, and in fact hundreds civil defense and other officials from across the region only months ago held a tabletop drill (with a fictional Hurricane Pam) that presupposed the levees failing to hold back a storm surge and a city fully flooded.

[Miulang]

Another harrowing thought: since there's no way of predicting when another hurricane might be spawned, or its intensity or where it will ultimately hit, is this the best the Feds can do to come to the aid of our citizens? If it is, then I think we'd all better prepare ourselves to have to go it alone for weeks if a natural disaster of a magnitude like this ever hit us.

Scientists believe that global warming has something to do with the numbers and severity of hurricanes. So why hasn't the Pres signed the Kyoto Protocol? Why have some States been proactive and signed their own version of this protocol because they also agree that protecting the environment is one way to stave off catastrophes of this kind?

Miulang

[Linkmeister]

Another harrowing thought: since there's no way of predicting when another hurricane might be spawned, or its intensity or where it will ultimately hit, is this the best the Feds can do to come to the aid of our citizens? If it is, then I think we'd all better prepare ourselves to have to go it alone for weeks if a natural disaster of a magnitude like this ever hit us.
Miulang

Er, more than a natural disaster, what about a suitcase with a dirty bomb?

[alohabear]

Another harrowing thought: since there's no way of predicting when another hurricane might be spawned, or its intensity or where it will ultimately hit, is this the best the Feds can do to come to the aid of our citizens? If it is, then I think we'd all better prepare ourselves to have to go it alone for weeks if a natural disaster of a magnitude like this ever hit us.

Scientists believe that global warming has something to do with the numbers and severity of hurricanes. So why hasn't the Pres signed the Kyoto Protocol? Why have some States been proactive and signed their own version of this protocol because they also agree that protecting the environment is one way to stave off catastrophes of this kind?

Miulang
Because a lot of proof on global warming is just theory. The earth has always warmed ( remember the Ice Age?). The planet goes through stages and it going through one now. Just like Hawaii is overdue for another hurricane or tsunami, Kyoto won't do Jack!

[Miulang]

If you contributed money to aid the victims of the Indonesian earthquake and tsunami last year, please consider contributing the same amount---or more--to an organization like the Red Cross. If you didn't contribute anything to the relief efforts in Asia, please make a donation to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. These are our citizens, not people in some foreign country. Many of the victims will never be able to return to their homes; they will have to start over in some place hundreds of miles from everything they are familiar with.

Let's show the US government that individual citizens do care about their countrymen. After all, it might have been any of us who might have been subjected to this human disaster instead of the Gulf Coast.

Miulang

[Miulang]

Because a lot of proof on global warming is just theory. The earth has always warmed ( remember the Ice Age?). The planet goes through stages and it going through one now. Just like Hawaii is overdue for another hurricane or tsunami, Kyoto won't do Jack!
Here's some proof of global warming (http://www.truthout.org/issues_05/081805EA.shtml), out of the mouths of 4 Senators who toured the Alaska tundra area. You may say, "so what? Only a few Eskimos are being impacted..." the truth is, much like the canary in the coal mine, what the Eskimos are experiencing is a symptom of what lies ahead for us.

" "If you can go to the Native people and listen to their stories and walk away with any doubt that something's going on, I just think you're not listening," said Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Democrat Hillary Clinton of New York told reporters in Anchorage that Inupiat Eskimo residents in Barrow, Alaska, have found their ancestral land and traditional lifestyle disrupted by disappearing sea ice, thawing permafrost, increased coastal erosion and changes to wildlife habitat.

Heat-stimulated beetle infestation has also killed vast amounts of the spruce forest in the Yukon Territory, they said. ..."

And if the earth isn't warming up, why is the world's largest frozen peat bog (http://www.truthout.org/issues_05/081105EA.shtml) in Siberia melting?

"...The world's largest frozen peat bog is melting. An area stretching for a million square kilometres across the permafrost of western Siberia is turning into a mass of shallow lakes as the ground melts, according to Russian researchers just back from the region.

The sudden melting of a bog the size of France and Germany combined could unleash billions of tonnes of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere.

The news of the dramatic transformation of one of the world's least visited landscapes comes from Sergei Kirpotin, a botanist at Tomsk State University, Russia, and Judith Marquand at the University of Oxford.

Kirpotin describes an "ecological landslide that is probably irreversible and is undoubtedly connected to climatic warming". He says that the entire western Siberian sub-Arctic region has begun to melt, and this "has all happened in the last three or four years".

What was until recently a featureless expanse of frozen peat is turning into a watery landscape of lakes, some more than a kilometre across. Kirpotin suspects that some unknown critical threshold has been crossed, triggering the melting.

Western Siberia has warmed faster than almost anywhere else on the planet, with an increase in average temperatures of some 3 °C in the last 40 years. The warming is believed to be a combination of man-made climate change, a cyclical change in atmospheric circulation known as the Arctic oscillation, plus feedbacks caused by melting ice, which exposes bare ground and ocean. These absorb more solar heat than white ice and snow..."

Again, you might scoff and say that that area is uninhabited so what difference does it make? But the fact is, the world is getting warmer.


Miulang

[Miulang]

Here is a report (http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/090205R.shtml) from someone who just escaped the devastation that is in NO:

"...While the rich escaped New Orleans, those with nowhere to go and no way to get there were left behind. Adding salt to the wound, the local and national media have spent the last week demonizing those left behind. As someone who loves New Orleans and the people in it, this is the part of this tragedy that hurts me the most, and it hurts me deeply.

No sane person should classify someone who takes food from indefinitely closed stores in a desperate, starving city as a "looter," but that's just what the media did over and over again. Sheriffs and politicians talked of having troops protect stores instead of perform rescue operations.

Images of New Orleans' hurricane-ravaged population were transformed into black, out-of-control criminals. As if taking a stereo from a store that will clearly be insured against loss is a greater crime than the governmental neglect and incompetence that did billions of dollars of damage and destroyed a city. This media focus is a tactic; just as the eighties focus on "welfare queens" and "super-predators" obscured the simultaneous and much larger crimes of the Savings and Loan scams and mass layoffs, the hyper-exploited people of New Orleans are being used as a scapegoat to cover up much larger crimes.

City, state and national politicians are the real criminals here. Since at least the mid-1800s, the danger of flooding to New Orleans been widely known. The flood of 1927, which, like this week's events, was more about politics and racism than any kind of natural disaster, illustrated exactly the danger New Orleans faced. Yet government officials have consistently refused to spend the money to protect this poor, overwhelmingly black city. While FEMA and others warned of the urgent impending danger to New Orleans and put forward proposals for funding to reinforce and protect the city, the Bush administration, in every year since 2001, has cut or refused to fund New Orleans flood control, and ignored scientists' warnings of increased hurricanes as a result of global warming. And, as the dangers rose with the floodwaters, the lack of coordinated response dramatized vividly the callous disregard of our elected leaders.

The aftermath from the 1927 flood helped shape the elections of both a US President and a Governor and ushered in the southern populist politics of Huey Long. ..."

Miulang

[Linkmeister]

Not to plug myself, but I've been posting a bunch of links to various stories at my place (Linkmeister (http://linkmeister.com/blog/)), in case you're not finding enough.

[Palolo Joe]

Images of New Orleans' hurricane-ravaged population were transformed into black, out-of-control criminals. As if taking a stereo from a store that will clearly be insured against loss is a greater crime than the governmental neglect and incompetence that did billions of dollars of damage and destroyed a city.

That link read like propaganda...

An interesting note from that radio interview that the mayor of New Orleans did, blasting Bush and other government officials.

He said it's drug addicts who are looting for guns and ammunition, then turning their sights on people/places that can provide them with a fix.

One CNN producer, holed up on the roof of a police substation, said these thugs are roaming the streets, taking shots at police officers and other authority figures.

Not only does the aid need to get to the hurricane-affected areas, but so do armed law enforcement officers. The stupid actions of a few are affecting the amount of help that get to the rest of those who need it.

.

[Peshkwe]

Here's a live blog from Michael Barnett:

http://mgno.com/

[Miulang]

Here's a live blog from Michael Barnett:

http://mgno.com/

Gawd...the latest entry in this blog says the NO police say Saks 5th Ave is on fire...that's right on Canal St., very near the Convention Ctr...

The troops are now out in force in NO. I saw on Fox that there were convoys of trucks not only with supplies, but with people who will be able to restore the landlines in the area. Fox was also the only network that was showing the huge airlift operations that were going on at the Convention Ctr this morning. I'm sure many of the evacuees never could have imagined in their lifetimes being ferried to the airport in a military chopper. Now that the people on the ground have been fed and given water, I didn't see any disorder at all...everyone was calmly getting into line waiting their turn to get on board a chopper. I don't know what it's like when the sun goes down, though.

Miulang

[cezanne]

Amen to the thread title... also to those in Mississippi.

[Miulang]

No thanks to the immediacy now of electronic media, the world is weighing in (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050902/ts_nm/weather_katrina_reaction_dc) on the ineptitude of the US government to quickly send assistance to the victims on the Gulf Coast.

What gets me is initially, the White House had declined offers of assistance from other countries, apparently believing that we could take care of the situation ourselves. Thank goodness Condoleeeeeza decided that accepting help from other countries was important, not just for the aid that was offered, but because politically it makes us look less like the big bullies and more like we can be humbled. Hell, even Sri Lanka, which was so devastated in the Dec. Asian tsunami, came up with $25,000 to donate to us.

Miulang

[Peshkwe]

Foamy got upset with the talking heads and armchair analysts:

http://www.illwillpress.com/kat.html

[U'ilani]

Did any of you watch Newshour last night on PBS? Very interesting discussion with David Brooks, Tom Oliphant and Clarence Page because they left their political bias at the door and gave an excellent analysis, as far as I could tell, of the politics after Katrina:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/political_wrap/july-dec05/bop_9-2.html

[Miulang]

A big mahalo to the Mayor of Houston, TX and the Gov. of Texas, and the leaders of neighboring states (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/09/03/national/a170547D19.DTL) for having the compassion to welcome with open arms hurricane evacuees from the Gulf Coast into your communities. For people who have left everything in their lives behind in NOLA, MS and AL, your willingness to help our fellow citizens start anew is heartwarming. To the many institutions of higher education (including UH) who have offered to take in students whose lives have been disrupted because the hurricane damaged their schools, thank you for allowing the future leaders of this country to continue their education without interruption.

And to everyone who has already made a contribution to the many legitimate charities that will be assisting these citizens, thank you for caring. For those who have not yet made a contribution, there's still time. Even though the majority of the evacuees are now safe, they face a very long road to recovery and will need our help for many months to come. We need to show the world that we do care about each other.

Miulang

[Miulang]

It appears that many of the iconic historic landmarks (http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/09/03/national/a102646D63.DTL) that made NOLA the wonderful place to visit were spared Katrina's wrath. It was either some heavy duty prayers or the booze flowing in the streets that protected this part of the city (actually, the French Quarter is at a slightly higher elevation than most parts of NOLA).

Miulang

Here's a commentary on the future of NO from CNN (http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/03/katrina.french.quarter/index.html). "The South shall rise again."

[Miulang]

It's too bad that only a catastrophic natural disaster can bring the leaders of countries that we don't necessarily like or who don't like us to step up and offer humanitarian assistance to our country. I mean, CUBA, Venezuela, IRAN, Afghanistan, China...countries who have far less than we do, are all volunteering to send personnel or supplies or money to help us. I'm amazed at these gestures. Even though some people might perceive some dark political motives behind these acts of generosity, I still believe that it's the act of one group of people who are trying to help another group of people because they have all experienced the kind of disaster that the people of the Gulf Coast are now in the midst of. Maybe there is still some hope for humanity if the politics can be set aside.

Miulang

[Miulang]

Some of the positive things (http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050904/NEWS12/509040339/1001) people from Hawai'i are doing to collect funds for the people of the Gulf Coast.

Miulang

[kimo55]

a few benefit concerts are being planned within the next couple weeks, with bands playing for free, and portions of the bar sales as well as the donation/admission to the "concert" going toward hurricane victims...
look for them in the local media shortly and please attend if ya can. good live music at a few different venues for a good cause of course, and the bands donating their time would love to see a great turnout.

[waioli kai]

.
Miulang: "It's too bad that only a catastrophic natural disaster can bring the leaders of countries that we don't necessarily like or who don't like us to step up and offer humanitarian assistance to our country. I mean, CUBA, Venezuela, IRAN, Afghanistan, China...countries who have far less than we do, are all volunteering to send personnel or supplies or money to help us. ..."

When Cuba is struck over and over again by hurricanes such as Katrina and worse, I do not remember the U.S. government being concerned about anything more than the condition of its Guantanamo military installation that is dedicated to US Homeland Security's global war on the ideology and militantism of anti-terrorUSts. Longtime non-terrorUSts, anti-terrorUSts leaning Nicaragua has also been devastated by hurricanes in the recent decade.

With regard to Cuba, it might seem, following the numerous hurricanes devastating parts of Cuba, that the U.S. would have, as a humanitarian gesture (even if not heartfelt) at least suspended, if not end, its economic sanctions on Cuba. But "No, politics reigns over compassion and humanity" in the Americuban contribution to revenge-politics of US.

[Miulang]

.

When Cuba is struck over and over again by hurricanes such as Katrina and worse, I do not remember the U.S. government being concerned about anything more than the condition of its Guantanamo military installation. Nicaragua has also been devastated by hurricanes in the recent decade.

With regard to Cuba, it would seem, following the numerous hurricanes devastating parts of Cuba, that the U.S. would have, as a humanitarian gesture (even if not heartfelt) at least suspend, if not end, its economic sanctions on Cuba. But "No, politics reigns over compassion and humanity" in the Americuban contribution to revenge-politics of US.

That's very true, Waioli. Why a backward Communist country like Cuba should be able to keep its citizens safe during hurricanes is a testament to the government's ability to plan for such emergencies (they actually had the plan drawn up in case the US ever attacked Cuba again). The citizens know exactly where they must go if they are ordered to evacuate (and remember, they are an island country, so there's no hopping in a car to drive to another country or state) and the medical people who know about the evacuees' health status because they are from the same neighborhood, are evacuated and stay with that same group of people. Their disaster planning has won accolades from the United Nations (http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10112.htm). "...After Hurricane Ivan, the United Nations International Secretariat for Disaster Reduction cited Cuba as a model for hurricane preparation. ISDR director Salvano Briceno said, "The Cuban way could easily be applied to other countries with similar economic conditions and even in countries with greater resources that do not manage to protect their population as well as Cuba does....

" When Hurricane Ivan hit Cuba, no curfew was imposed; yet, no looting or violence took place. Everyone was in the same boat.

Fidel Castro, who has compared his government's preparations for Hurricane Ivan to the island's long-standing preparations for an invasion by the United States, said, "We've been preparing for this for 45 years."

On Thursday, Cuba's National Assembly sent a message of solidarity to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. It says the Cuban people have followed closely the news of the hurricane damage in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, and the news has caused pain and sadness. The message notes that the hardest hit are African-Americans, Latino workers, and the poor, who still wait to be rescued and taken to secure places, and who have suffered the most fatalities and homelessness. The message concludes by saying that the entire world must feel this tragedy as its own...."

Can our government leaders ever be so humbled that they can learn from the experience of poorer nations that have done a better job of protecting their citizens? I doubt it. Humility is a scarce commodity in the hallowed halls of Washington, DC.

Miulang

[waioli kai]

Today will end a week since Hurricane Katrina blasted the Mississippi River mouth Gulf Coast region. The President ordered that the U.S. flag fly at half staff to honor Judge Rehnquist who passed away yesterday Sept 3, 11pmEST Saturday.

***For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 4, 2005

Proclamation by the President: Death of William HR Rehnquist (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/09/20050904-3.html)
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

As a mark of respect for William H. Rehnquist, Chief Justice of the United States, I hereby order, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, including section 7 of title 4, United States Code, that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and on all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, Tuesday, September 13, 2005. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same period at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirtieth. GEORGE W. BUSH

And then,

**** For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 4, 2005

Honoring the Memory of the Victims of Hurricane Katrina Proclamation (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/09/20050904-2.html)

A Proclamation by the President of the United States of Amercia (sic)

As a mark of respect for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, I hereby order, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States of America, that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and on all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, Tuesday, September 20, 2005. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same period at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand five, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirtieth. GEORGE W. BUSH

Back when,

** For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 12, 2001

Honoring the Victims of the Incidents on Tuesday, September 11, 2001 (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/09/20010912-1.html)
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation

As a mark of respect for those killed by the heinous acts of violence perpetrated by faceless cowards upon the people and the freedom of the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001, I hereby order, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States of America by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, Sunday, September 16, 2001. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eleventh day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand one, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-sixth. GEORGE W. BUSH

It must have quite a dilemma for the Karl Rovian Bush White House wondering how they could possibly be politically correct in making a proclamation on behalf of Judge Rehnquist regarding the location of the U.S. flag on flagpoles in the U.S. domain. "We made a proclamation on behalf of all the still buried mostly white people of the World Trade Center collapse the day after the collapse and this is the sixth day since the even worse tragedy of Hurricane Katrina!! Do you think anybody will notice? We have to make the ritual proclamation on behalf of the Judge, can we just attach to it a proclamation honoring the hurricane's victims, or vice versa?"

[Miulang]

Aysus! Thanks for the heads up, Waioli. I can't believe that the Office of the Press Secretary couldn't be a little more creative in the verbiage of its proclamations to honor Judge Rehnquist and the victims of Hurricane Katrina. What makes it worse is the White House basically used the same template for the proclamation that was issued to honor the victims of 9/11. :eek: Like everything else in this Administration, everything is just a template...fill in the appropriate occasion, names and effective dates and it's good to go. :mad: I would think that as the leader of this country, the President could at least have put a little thought into the wording of each proclamation, especially since they were released on the exact same day and probably within minutes of each other. The death of one man is given the same weight as the sorrow of an entire country over the plight of hundreds of thousands of our countrymen. Just doesn't seem right.


Miulang

[waioli kai]

"The death of one man is given the same weight as the sorrow of an entire country over the plight of hundreds of thousands of our countrymen. Just doesn't seem right."

It may be that the Administation gave "the death of one man (Wm. Rehnquist) the same weight as the sorrow of an entire country over the plight of hundreds of thousands of our countrymen." But, could it possibly be that the administration gave more weight to Rehnquist's death? That it wasn't until they were faced with issuing a proclamation on Rehnquist's behalf that they even thought a proclamation on behalf of the initial victims of Hurrican Katrina, muchless a proclamation on behalf of all the victims of an obviously lacking, belated U.S. government response to the hurricane?

[Miulang]

But, could it possibly be that the administration gave more weight to Rehnquist's death? That it wasn't until they were faced with issuing a proclamation on Rehnquist's behalf that they even thought a proclamation on behalf of the initial victims of Hurrican Katrina, muchless a proclamation on behalf of all the victims of an obviously lacking, belated U.S. government response to the hurricane?
Sure, that may have been the final result, but you'd think they would have more class than to issue the same damned proclamation with only the occasion, names and effective date changed, wouldn't you?

Here's what the RNC sent out today on behalf of the Pres. as condolences to the Rehnquist family. At least the ghost writer of this one put more thought into it:

"Dear Miulang,

President George W. Bush issued the following statement on the passing of Chief Justice William Rehnquist.
PRESIDENT BUSH: Our nation is saddened today by the news that Chief Justice William Rehnquist passed away last night.

Laura and I send our respect and deepest sympathy to this good man's children, Jim, Janet and Nancy. We send our respect to all the members of the Rehnquist family.

William H. Rehnquist was born and raised in Wisconsin. He was the grandson of Swedish immigrants. Like so many of his generation, he served in the Army during World War II. He went on to college with the help of the G.I. Bill.

He studied law at Stanford University. He graduated first in his class. That included his future colleague Sandra Day O'Connor.

Judge Rehnquist and his late wife, Nan, raised their family in Phoenix, where he built a career as one of Arizona's leading attorneys.

He went on to even greater distinction in public service: as an assistant U.S. attorney general, associate justice of the Supreme Court and, for the past 19 years, chief justice of the United States.

He was extremely well-respected for his powerful intellect. He was respected for his deep commitment to the rule of law and his profound devotion to duty.

He provided superb leadership for the federal court system, improving the delivery of justice for the American people and earning the admiration of his colleagues throughout the judiciary.

Even during a period of illness, Chief Justice Rehnquist stayed on the job to complete the work of his final Supreme Court term.

I was honored and I was deeply touched when he came to the Capitol for the swearing-in last January.

He was a man of character and dedication. His departure represents a great loss for the court and for our country.

There are now two vacancies on the Supreme Court. And it will serve the best interests of the nation to fill those vacancies promptly. I will choose in a timely manner a highly qualified nominee to succeed Chief Justice Rehnquist.

As we look to the future of the Supreme Court, citizens of this nation can also look with pride and appreciation on the career of our late chief justice. More than half a century has passed since William H. Rehnquist first came to the Supreme Court as a young law clerk.

All of those years, William Rehnquist revered the Constitution and the laws of the United States. He led the judicial branch of government with tremendous wisdom and skill.

He honored America with a lifetime of service, and America will honor his memory.

May God bless the Rehnquist family.

Thank you all very much.


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BTW: The proclamations that are issued by the Gov. of WA are the exact opposite of the Bush proclamations. They're so long and detailed, you could finish a power nap before the person announcing the proclamation gets to the end! :eek: OOOOH! I just reread the condolence letter and where I italicized is a faux pas that if taken the right (or if interpreted wrongly by a feminist) way would seem to imply that Justice Rehnquist was better than Sandra Day O'Connor because he graduated first in his class at Stanford (the same class that retiring Justice O'Connor was in). It is of historical interest to note that at the time both Justices were in law school, women were still pretty rare in the legal profession except as secretaries.

Miulang

[shaveice]

Miulang: "Can our government leaders ever be so humbled that they can learn from the experience of poorer nations that have done a better job of protecting their citizens? I doubt it. Humility is a scarce commodity in the hallowed halls of Washington, DC."
...............................

man, you got that right.

[Peshkwe]

Here's an article on why NO will be rebuilt:

http://www.stratfor.com/news/archive/050903-geopolitics_katrina.php

[Peshkwe]

Here's a department briefing about the Guard and what they've been doing:

http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/2005/tr20050903-3850.html

[Peshkwe]

Here's a listing of blogs from both sides of the fence:

http://www.themoderatevoice.com/posts/1125807743.shtml

[shaveice]

apologies if someone's already posted this link but the stories are unbelievable. mind boggling.

some of the video links didn't work for me but they did say they were overwhelmed by hits so that might be it.

anyway, the stories themselves are enuf. (the link will jump to a particular story but the web page is full of other stories.)

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/09/04.html#a4783

[Tiger Beer]

New Orleans is messed up.

Was talking to a guy who is from New Orleans.. he was saying it was because the government thinks so little of both southerners and blacks in the United States. I guess that could be one reason.

But honestly.. I don't think the federal government cares all that much about most of the U.S (or else more $ would go domestically than towards Iraq)... but if something happened in one of the rich cities like New York, Boston, San Francisco, Washington DC. I'm sure the government would have responsed MUCH sooner! Everything comes down to $$.. and what cities have stronger/lesser impacts on the national economy. Thats my opinion anyways.

Anyhow.. the people of New Orleans.. the spirit and soul of the city.. seems kind of blighted. The way things happened when bad things went down.. it just seemed to spiral worse and worse. Usually tragedies bring out the best of humanity.. and quite curious how what happened down in New Orleans brought out the worst in humanity.. I'm curious about that.

[Miulang]

Now FEMA (http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/090705Y.shtml) is warning the news agencies that they'd better not take any pictures of all the dead victims of the hurricane. I wonder if it's another attempt by the Administration (much like the order not to show caskets of troops killed in Iraq) to hide the truth. I am horrified at the reports of how many people could be dead from this storm. But I think as long as the pictures are tasteful (how can you make a picture of a dead body look tasteful?) and not done to exploit the families of the victims, then the American public has a right to see them, if only to grieve symbolically with their families for this unnecessary wasting of human life.

Miulang

[Miulang]

If you saw on TV the blue tarp-covered temporary grave in the streets of New Orleans, with the cross and the simple "rest in peace Vera (http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10156.htm)", here is the true, sad story of her life and death.

The saddest part is that she wasn't even killed by the flooding or the hurricane; she was run over in the street trying to get to a store for more supplies after the hurricane, and her body lay in the streets for 5 days before it was covered up.

If FEMA won't allow pictures of the other dead bodies, let Vera's grave, lovingly built out of bricks from a fallen building and that blue tarp, symbolize the loss that so many people of New Orleans felt.

Miulang

[toeknee]

I agree that the weak response from the Government was, in part, because the the victims were black. And even if it was not, even if officials didn't exactly sit around saying, "ah, it's just a bunch of black people. No rush..." they certainly perpetuated that notion with their slow response. I think that a prime reason for the slow response and large number of victims was the fact that many of these folks are poor. I've read that New Orleans poverty rate is much higher than the national average; between 23% and 30%. Even the middle class there are urban city dwellers who don't own cars and rely on mass transit to get around. Decision makers in Washington are completely disconnected from that way of life. They have no clue about the way many - maybe most - Americans live. They did not consider the fact that many in a city like New Orleans could not simply pack up the SUVs, grab the credit cards and drive to the Ritz at a moment's notice. Nor did they heed the warnings that have been presented by scientists and engineers for years; that New Orleans levies and sea walls could not withstand a storm the size of Katrina. The walls, the levies - they could have been re-engineered long ago, but there was never any money or the wherewithall to do that.
I also believe that some of the unexpected compassion we've received from other countries is the result of what many outside the U.S. now see as surprising images coming America; a place they had been led to believe was populated with nothing but wealthy, materialistic people. They see poor people, people struggling, people just trying to survive, just like they do around the world.
Finally, I think that FEMA functioned much better when it was an independent agency. Now, it is simply another layer, lost in the piles of bureaucratic BS that make up the Division of Homeland Security. It seemed that delays were caused because everyone was standing around waiting for orders, which never came, rather than having the autonomy to act immediately on their own. I'm not feeling real good about the prospects of a terrorist attack right now. If they can't respond promptly to an event that was expected, how will they respond to a surprise attack?
The crime, looting and shooting present a sad commentary on our society. There were those who stole water and food just to survive. Those people, I can forgive. There were also many more, taking loads of clothing, electronics, etc. just because they could. Those are the bad apples.
The people who refused to wait for the government to sanction a rescue effort and went in with their own cars and trucks and boats with food and water to help - the American citizens who simply took it upon themselves to help - that is a bright spot. People offering rooms in their own homes, hotels offering lodging, schools enrolling students - that effort demonstrates that there may be a smidgeon of hope for humanity.
Finally, I will give credence to the notion that the scope of the devastation was greater than maybe anybody could have anticipated. Now that we have seen what can happen, I hope we make the necessary adjustments to our approach to crisis. We did well implementing the Marshall Plan, which brought emergy relief to Europe's victims of WWII. Maybe we should pull that one out of the mothballs, dust it off, merge it with the successful elements of the Tsunami relief effort and 9-11 rescue efforts and put it back in play as a guide to responding to an event here at home. Oh wait. This is the federal government we're talking about. Guess I shouldn't get my hopes up too high. :(

[MadAzza]

Now FEMA (http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/090705Y.shtml) is warning the news agencies that they'd better not take any pictures of all the dead victims of the hurricane.

Miulang

Good luck with that, FEMA. This is America. Free press and all that. Neener, neener!

[MadAzza]

New Orleans is messed up.

Was talking to a guy who is from New Orleans.. he was saying it was because the government thinks so little of both southerners and blacks in the United States..

That fella needs to point his finger directly at the mayor of New Orleans, who is black and Southern, and who screwed the pooch as much as the fed. So did the state government. There's plenty of blame to go around, but it starts with the corruption and incompetence at the city level.

The incompetence in this case is at the city, state and federal levels.

[Glen Miyashiro]

I'd say it's more because New Orleans is poor, and poor people don't get any help from this White House.

[Miulang]

I'd say it's more because New Orleans is poor, and poor people don't get any help from this White House.

If that's the case, then 90% of us are gonna get squat every single time we need help. The middle class is eroding while the rich get richer off the sweat of the middle class workers' backs.

Miulang

[Glen Miyashiro]

Last year, National Geographic had an article (http://www3.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature5/) about the drowning of New Orleans.

It was a broiling August afternoon in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Big Easy, the City That Care Forgot. Those who ventured outside moved as if they were swimming in tupelo honey. Those inside paid silent homage to the man who invented air-conditioning as they watched TV "storm teams" warn of a hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico. Nothing surprising there: Hurricanes in August are as much a part of life in this town as hangovers on Ash Wednesday.

But the next day the storm gathered steam and drew a bead on the city. As the whirling maelstrom approached the coast, more than a million people evacuated to higher ground. Some 200,000 remained, however—the car-less, the homeless, the aged and infirm, and those die-hard New Orleanians who look for any excuse to throw a party.

The storm hit Breton Sound with the fury of a nuclear warhead, pushing a deadly storm surge into Lake Pontchartrain. The water crept to the top of the massive berm that holds back the lake and then spilled over. Nearly 80 percent of New Orleans lies below sea level—more than eight feet below in places—so the water poured in. A liquid brown wall washed over the brick ranch homes of Gentilly, over the clapboard houses of the Ninth Ward, over the white-columned porches of the Garden District, until it raced through the bars and strip joints on Bourbon Street like the pale rider of the Apocalypse. As it reached 25 feet (eight meters) over parts of the city, people climbed onto roofs to escape it.

Thousands drowned in the murky brew that was soon contaminated by sewage and industrial waste. Thousands more who survived the flood later perished from dehydration and disease as they waited to be rescued. It took two months to pump the city dry, and by then the Big Easy was buried under a blanket of putrid sediment, a million people were homeless, and 50,000 were dead. It was the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States.

When did this calamity happen? It hasn't—yet.

[toeknee]

You are right, MadAzza. There is plenty of blame to go around - local, state and federal. I totally agree, except for the "that fella" description. This toeknee is one wahine :rolleyes:

I hear you too, Miulang. The shrinking middle class, the great divide between rich and poor, is growing greater each year. It's a complex issue, but it must be tackled and resolved or we will end up with a total colapse of our society.

[Palolo Joe]

This toeknee is one wahine :rolleyes:
Toeknee = Toni?

*Lightbulb goes on over my head*

Ah... I get it.

[Miulang]

Even if FEMA forbids the media from photographing the bodies that are piling up in NOLA, it still won't stop the truth from surfacing in the print media. And the truth (http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10167.htm) is gushing out in the stories of unnamed victims found piled up everywhere.

"..."I ain't got the stomach for it, even after what I saw in Iraq," said Brooks, referring to the freezer where the bulk of the bodies sat decomposing (in the Convention Center). "In Iraq, it's one-on-one. It's war. It's fair. Here, it's just crazy. It's anarchy. When you get down to killing and raping people in the streets for food and water … And this is America. This is just 300 miles south of where I live..."


Miulang

[Palolo Joe]

"Scores of rescue workers this week repeated the same mantra, over and over: We can't worry about the dead; we're still trying to save the living."

[Miulang]

Here's one picture (http://www.truthout.org/imgs.art_01/3.090705BL2_sm.jpg) of a dead person lying in water in NOLA that FEMA didn't stop from being published (warning: picture is graphic).

Miulang

[Miulang]

Instead of being told to go out and fight fires or rescue survivors or recover bodies, firefighters (http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/090705E.shtml) from outside the area who had volunteered to come to the disaster scene on their own time, were ordered by FEMA to work as "community-relations" officers. I thought the most important job was to save lives??? :mad:

"...As New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin pleaded on national television for firefighters - his own are exhausted after working around the clock for a week - a battalion of highly trained men and women sat idle Sunday in a muggy Sheraton Hotel conference room in Atlanta.

Many of the firefighters, assembled from Utah and throughout the United States by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, thought they were going to be deployed as emergency workers.

Instead, they have learned they are going to be community-relations officers for FEMA, shuffled throughout the Gulf Coast region to disseminate fliers and a phone number: 1-800-621-FEMA. ...

"...One fire chief from Texas agreed that the call was clear to work as community-relations officers. But he wonders why the 1,400 firefighters FEMA attracted to Atlanta aren't being put to better use. He also questioned why the US Department of Homeland Security - of which FEMA is a part - has not responded better to the disaster.

The firefighters, several of whom are from Utah, were told to bring backpacks, sleeping bags, first-aid kits and Meals Ready to Eat. They were told to prepare for "austere conditions." Many of them came with awkward fire gear and expected to wade in floodwaters, sift through rubble and save lives.

"They've got people here who are search-and-rescue certified, paramedics, haz-mat certified," said a Texas firefighter. "We're sitting in here having a sexual-harassment class while there are still [victims] in Louisiana who haven't been contacted yet."

The firefighter, who has encouraged his superiors back home not to send any more volunteers for now, declined to give his name because FEMA has warned them not to talk to reporters. ..."

Miulang

[Palolo Joe]

Instead of being told to go out and fight fires or rescue survivors or recover bodies, firefighters from outside the area who had volunteered to come to the disaster scene on their own time, were ordered by FEMA to work as "community-relations" officers. I thought the most important job was to save lives???
Well, there's at least one group of New York City Firefighters (http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/344042p-293681c.html) doing the dirty work in NO. They got there Monday. Saw footage of them in action on the news tonight.

[Miulang]

I sure hope when all is said and done that there aren't 25,000 bodies (http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050908/ap_on_re_us/hurricane_katrina) filling the body bags FEMA has set aside for the victims of the hurricane.

"...Bob Johannessen, spokesman for the state Department of Health and Hospitals, said the Federal Emergency Management Agency has 25,000 body bags on hand in Louisiana.

Asked if authorities expected as many as 25,000 bodies, he said: "We don't know what to expect."

"It means we're prepared," Johannessen said.

Marty Bahamonde, a FEMA spokesman, said the agency has hired a contractor to help remove bodies in the expectation that there may be large numbers of corpses.

"Nobody has any numbers or anything they're going by other than guesswork," Bahamonde said.

The enormity of the disaster came ever-clearer in neighboring St. Bernard Parish, which was hit by a levee break that brought a wall of water up to 20 feet high. State Rep. Nita Hutter said 30 people died at a flooded nursing home in Chalmette when the staff left the elderly residents behind in their beds. And Rep. Charlie Melancon said more than 100 people died at a dockside warehouse while they waited for rescuers to ferry them to safety...."

Miulang

[junebloom]

It's quite interesting reading all of the different post on the devestation that has taken place in these three states. speaking as a black person and certainly not a rich person and a citizen of the U.S. I feel that there are many possible reasons for why things went wrong and their was so much delay. Here is just one more. I think it's fair to say that we here in the U.S. are a very blessed nation. But I also think that with that comes a very arrogant attitude on our nations part. This stuff happens all around the world. But for some reason we as nation in general lose our own volnurabity in at least speculating the thought this the same disasters that happen elsewhere could certainly happen right over here. And that is exactly what happened the only thing is we were caught us off guard and our government was not prepared. Because I think America for some reason has got it into it's head that we are the greatest country in the world and nothing can touch us. And I am speaking in general. It seems that 9/11 should always be a reminder But We have been blessed to be spared from so much that we either don't want to think about such thing or forget that the worst could happen right hear. We spend out time and money as a nation to go and help out other nations and that is a good thing but, we have to take care of home sometime. I will say this, everything happens for a reason and maybe this is a wake up call to America to remind us of the poor, the middle class, that people like this do exist right over here in America. And maybe GOD is trying to wake us up because He is tired of how we treat our very own.

[Miulang]

It's quite interesting reading all of the different post on the devestation that has taken place in these three states. speaking as a black person and certainly not a rich person and a citizen of the U.S. I feel that there are many possible reasons for why things went wrong and their was so much delay. Here is just one more. I think it's fair to say that we here in the U.S. are a very blessed nation. But I also think that with that comes a very arrogant attitude on our nations part. This stuff happens all around the world. But for some reason we as nation in general lose our own volnurabity in at least speculating the thought this the same disasters that happen elsewhere could certainly happen right over here. And that is exactly what happened the only thing is we were caught us off guard and our government was not prepared. Because I think America for some reason has got it into it's head that we are the greatest country in the world and nothing can touch us. And I am speaking in general. It seems that 9/11 should always be a reminder But We have been blessed to be spared from so much that we either don't want to think about such thing or forget that the worst could happen right hear. We spend out time and money as a nation to go and help out other nations and that is a good thing but, we have to take care of home sometime. I will say this, everything happens for a reason and maybe this is a wake up call to America to remind us of the poor, the middle class, that people like this do exist right over here in America. And maybe GOD is trying to wake us up because He is tired of how we treat our very own.

Brava, Junebloom! Very well put and good insight. Thnks.

Miulang

[Glen Miyashiro]

From the Hawaiian Sovereignty Groups thread (http://www.hawaiithreads.com/showthread.php?t=6408):
I'm very curious, too. An analogy for this situation that just popped into my head is what's going on with the handling of disaster relief in the wake of the hurricane. Lots of good intentioned people (we won't talk about the bad ones :p ) with no clear plan of how to reach the objective, which is restoration of the Gulf Coast.And the bad ones happen to be the ones in charge, who could care less about the restoration of the Gulf Coast. (Hint: their boss's name rhymes with Forge Push.) Don't ignore them, that's what they want because then they can go on their merry way and not have to explain their incompetence and malice. :mad:

[Miulang]

From the Hawaiian Sovereignty Groups thread (http://www.hawaiithreads.com/showthread.php?t=6408):
And the bad ones happen to be the ones in charge, who could care less about the restoration of the Gulf Coast. (Hint: their boss's name rhymes with Forge Push.) Don't ignore them, that's what they want because then they can go on their merry way and not have to explain their incompetence and malice. :mad:
Yup. Everyone's looking to get some accountability. But if Push is the one who is going to be doing the investigating (as he is offering to do), the chances of getting any accountability are like the Eskimos praying their permafrost doesn't melt even more. There has to be an independent inquiry into what went wrong. I think there's enough blame to go around...starting with the office of the President, on down to his underlings, to the governments of the states of MS and LA especially, the Mayor of NOLA, even down to the leadership of the American Red Cross (they prevented a lot of assistance from getting through because they wanted to be the ones coordinating relief activities and getting all the kudos). I'm certainly not going to fault all the good people---the military, the civilian workers or the good hearted people of this country---for the disorganization.

Miulang

[Tiger Beer]

http://www.operationflashlight.com/wp-content/photos/Photo_71.jpg

[admin]

Tiger, are you connected to that website? Or have they posted specific hotlinking or copyright clearances? Just want to make sure it's appropriate for you to be pulling an image from a remote site in your message. If not, please just link to the page where the image appears.

Read this thread (http://www.hawaiithreads.com/showthread.php?t=31) for more information.

[Tiger Beer]

I don't have any copyright clearances.

I post like that on other message boards.. but not based in the U.S... and the U.S. policies are quite a bit more stringent.

[Miulang]

Here's a somewhat objective chronology (http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10193.htm) of the events leading up to the debacle, starting with the NOAA warning on the evening of Aug. 28 that Katrina would wreak heavy damage on the Gulf Coast.

Miulang

[Miulang]

It's going to make for some high drama in the halls of Congress if, when the rebuilding of NOLA begins, Halliburton or any of its subsidiaries gets awarded a no-bid contract worth billiions to come in and rebuild the city. If that happens, then country will know "the fix is in."

As it is, there is now evidence that the White House and FEMA deliberately prevented (http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10182.htm) outside assistance from entering the damaged cities because they were trying to take control of the rights States have in cases of emergencies.

"...The administration intentionally withheld desperately needed aid to the city to force Governor Kathleen Blanco into surrendering control of the National Guard and local police to federal authority. This explains why neither FEMA, nor Homeland Security nor the Pentagon lifted a finger to help the distraught townspeople for 4 full days. The administration was using vital supplies as bargaining chips to bribe the governor into submission. The goal was to dismantle regional defenses and militarize a major port city; an ambition that persists to this day. ...

Aaron Broussard, President of Jefferson Parrish, LA said the following on Sunday's Meet the Press (this is the interview where he broke down in tears of frustration)... quote from the same article above:

"..."We had Wal-mart deliver three trucks of water. Trailer trucks of water. FEMA turned them back, said we didn't need them. This was a week go. 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 way. 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 our emergency communications lines. They cut them without notice."

FEMA, which is supposed to work as a federal relief agency for major natural disasters, was functioning entirely as an intermediary for the Defense Dept to subvert relief efforts to force the Governor to capitulate. It is as close to a military-coup as we have ever seen in America...."



Miulang

[Miulang]

What I want to know is how a Canadian search and rescue team (http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/canada_canadians_neworelans_col) from Vancouver could be in the suburbs of NO helping to save victims 5 days before the federal government had troops arrive in the area?

Miulang

[Miulang]

Here's a list (http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10195.htm) with links of some (but I'm sure not all) ways FEMA and the federal government prevented help from the outside from coming into the disaster area immediately after the storm subsided. This list doesn't include all the offers from other countries which are languishing on the desk of Condoleeeza Rice.

Miulang

[toeknee]

It's unbelievable, isn't it?

[waioli kai]

Cheney, Katrina aftermath USman

Cheney is on TV now ....guess all the reruns of his "long-ago" televised, amplified, and, repeated ad nauseum assertions re: "WMD's in Iraq are there, they are just hidden real well; besides I would have died naturally before I even rode in on Bush coattails, and whether I'm right or wrong has never really mattered! Just look! I'm almost, if not, the most powerful person on Earth !! Being wrong? Are you kidding?" How else could Cheney expect to believed by any one but US for saying on the shores of Hurricane Katrina's passing that "No need to raise taxes (no need for more revenue, no end to tax reform for corporatUSt$) to pay for this (promised recovery and renewal) ."

Cheney has no qualms about further bankrupting the United States Government. He and his ilk are the reasons why the U.S. Govt is bankrupt in the first place. "What's more debt anyway? We won The Cold War, and that was priceless."

[waioli kai]

Since FEMA's authority comes down from Chertoff's (ie, BushCheney's) Dept of Homeland Security, how can FEMA have any authority (especially as regards being backed up by armed federal agents or military)to do anything that is not condoned, approved, sanctioned when otherwise not initiated by Homeland Security. The so-called "Homeland Security" department given birth by BushCheney is happy to let everyone use FEMA as a scapegoat for federal failings prior to and following Hurricane Katrina.

[waioli kai]

Tiger Beer: "New Orleans is messed up.

Was talking to a guy who is from New Orleans.. he was saying it was because the government thinks so little of both southerners and blacks in the United States."

It's a relative issue. When one is related to money, especially to BushCheney, Inc., it only stands to reason that one is going to care a tremendous amount for those direct beneficiaries of US's establishment wealth, the order (or, more precisely the lack order which so tolerates oppression by US's established wealth) and laws (of justUS) which concentrate US's establishment wealth in many who (with few exceptions) would or could rightly ever, call themselves either "a southerner" or "a black".

So its not that US's government cares so little for others, its just that it cares so much for those of its establishment wealthy that, relatively speaking, it just looks or seems like it doesn't have the need for, the time, or the resources for others.

[waioli kai]

Let's be clear about one thing. Nothing that happened last week -- the mass destruction in the Mississippi Delta, the obliteration of the city of New Orleans, the murderous abandonment of thousands of people to death, chaos and disease -- will change the Bush Administration or American politics at all. ....
One indication of this can be found in the first polls coming out after the disaster, which show that some 45 percent of the American people approve of Bush's handling of the relief effort. It seems inconceivable that any sentient being could witness the agonizing results of the Bush team's dithering, dilatory response -- an agony played out in the full glare of non-stop media coverage -- and not come away with a sense of towering anger at this criminal incompetence. But it's obvious that nearly half the American people have now left the "reality-based community" (http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/09/09/120.html) altogether; they see only what they want to see, a world bathed in the hazy, golden nimbus of the Leader. .... ... (Cont'd at www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2005/09/09/120.html )

45% may well be the BushCheney administration's high "score" in this post-Katrina cover-up recovery, although 30% is likely as low a "score" as CheneyBush would receive in polls of the U.S. populace even when it is crystal clear to all the world that CheneyBushites comprise the latest (the last?) link to the worst ideology borne of the United States befalling Humanity.

[shaveice]

how reliable is brown's resume?

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1103003,00.html

brown's background? how about other fema folks?

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2005_09/007080.php

jon stewart anyone? (if you're unable to download it, email me and i'll email it to you. classic stuff.)

http://movies.crooksandliars.com/TDS-Meet-the%20F--kers-9-7.wmv

and another jon stewart clip:

http://movies.crooksandliars.com/The-Daily-Show-Katrina-Disaster.wmv

Dems On GOP's Inquiry Into Hurricane Response: "An Investigation Of The Republican Administration By A Republican-Controlled Congress Is Like Having A Pitcher Call His Own Balls And Strikes”...

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/08/politics/08cong.html?ex=1283832000&en=558d21e9df8584bd&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss


sigh...

[Miulang]

Last night, the US House of Representatives voted to appropriate another almost $52 billion (http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Republicans_block_efforts_to_amendment_relief_bill _vote_without_c_0907.html) (on top of a previous $10 billion "down payment") to the reflief efforts on the Gulf Coast. Unfortunately, the Republican majority did not allow for sufficient time to discuss what the funding would be used for, except that the largest part of it would be used by FEMA.

The fact that we, the taxpayers, are handing a $52 billion blank check over to FEMA both concerns and angers me. With what we already know about the management at FEMA, how c