I've been reading a lot this morning about Bush returning to New Orleans and pledging the Federal Government's assitance and still accepting responsibility for the lack of action by the Federal Govenment last year.
Some excerpts:
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“Unfortunately, the hurricane also brought terrible scenes that we never thought we would see in America: citizens drowned in their attics, desperate mothers crying out on national TV for food and water, a breakdown of law and order, and a government at all levels that fell short of its responsibilities.
"I have returned to make it clear to people that I understand we're marking the first anniversary of a storm, but this anniversary is not the end,'' Bush said on the stage of the oldest public school in New Orleans, which is set only now to reopen, next week. "We will stand with the people of southern Louisiana and southern Mississippi until the job is done.'' http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/...ome_home_.html
Before attending a memorial service at Saint Louis Cathedral, Bush took his motorcade down Canal Street, still blighted by boarded-up shop fronts and shattered windows, to Betsy's House of Pancakes.
Here, waitress Joyce Labruzzo jokingly asked him: "Mister President, are you going to turn your back on me?"
"No, ma'am," Mr Bush said, with a laugh and a pause.
There's a lot more out there, I just took some highlights.
So what do you all think? Obviously there are plenty of people to blame for the lack of action in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The governor and the mayor should be blamed too. An emergency evacuation should of been called right off the bat! And the request for National Guard troops should of been requested by the governor ASAP.
But here's what irks me. I think it's easier for a politician or any person of prominince to say "mea culpa" and apologize for whatever. He could of been Presidential and been there and stayed there like LBJ did with Hurricane Betsy back in 1965. Instead, he viewed the damage from Air Force one after he took care of fund raising in San Diego.
I'm still pissed at him for Katrina. Forever pissed at him. I didn't think he cared back then, and I think he doesn't care now.
I still say 95% of the blame rests on Ray Nagin's and Kathleen Blanco's heads. He didn't execute the evacuation plan and she waited too long to declare a state of emergency. Its very telling how much better off Mississippi and the other gulf states who took precautions weathered the storm...
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I'm guessing that Bush in your book, only gets the 5% at fault beause of turning to then Fema Chief, Michael Brown and saying, "You're doing one heckuva job."
Interesting.....
You do know that Bush cut funding for the levee program right? http://www.factcheck.org/article344.html I would highly suggest to anyone to read that entire link.
You also do know that he was informed of the seriousness of Hurricane Katrina by that patsy, Michael Brown?
Once again, I do agree with you that both the mayor and the governor are to blame as well, but in my opinion, you're letting Bush off easy.
the blame should start at the state level and work its way up to the federal level. all played a part in this disaster. i dont know if i agree with you when you said Bush doesnt care....I just believe he has no idea what the hell he is doing.
Who's responsibility was it to put into action the New Orleans evac plan? Ray Nagin
Who is it that didn't do so? Ray Nagin
Who is responsible for all those busses just being left unused that according to plan were to carry people out of the city? Ray Nagin
Who made sure as hell his own ass was out of New Orleans? Ray Nagin
Who didn't put the national guard units on alert? Kathleen Blanco
Who didn't declare a state of emergency until AFTER the hurricane hit? Kathleen Blanco
Nope I'm not saying Bush is 5% at fault, because some fault belongs with the residents as well and their non-chalant, "we can ride it out" attitude. The government be it local, state or federal should not be anyone's babysitter, ultimately the individual has to take responsibility for their own survival.
Of course the levees are Bush's fault...not like NO and Lousiana don't have their own coffers they could have spent money from to repair/reinforce them. That kinda work can only be done by the feds! The levees are part of the problem in the first place. Without the natural flooding and deposition of silt NO is sinking at increased rates.
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Saw the 2nd part of Spike Lee's Katrina Documentary (missed the first 2 hour installment) on HBO this last week. It's pretty powerful and the saddest thing is how we've all moved on as a nation, how we've got other things occupying our consiousnous now and those people are feeling totally abandoned.
Bush has the right attitude. he doesn't want people to dwell on who did what wrong, so he says it's his fault. He wants people to focus on what to do right from here on out.
IMO when unexpected natural disasters occur no one is fully prepared for the aftermath effects. It also depends on the region of the world and the intelligent level of the people and government that live there. Finger pointing is an easy way to vent frustrations but has very little impact on future disasters due to the lack money and resources to fully solve every problem that can arise from these events
For example:
Rebuilding a city that is 6 foot below sea level and requires pumps running 24/7 to keep the water out. The billons of dollars of tax payers money should be used on more realistic long term programs to provide aid and early warning research. It’s kind of like living in a house that’s been flooded 5 times, let’s blame it on the city for allowing more concrete to be poured to increase jobs and promote a stronger economy.
Like move the hell out or buy a house boat on stilts and get on with your life.
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IMO when unexpected natural disasters occur no one is fully prepared for the aftermath effects. It also depends on the region of the world and the intelligent level of the people and government that live there. Finger pointing is an easy way to vent frustrations but has very little impact on future disasters due to the lack money and resources to fully solve every problem that can arise from these events
For example:
Rebuilding a city that is 6 foot below sea level and requires pumps running 24/7 to keep the water out. The billons of dollars of tax payers money should be used on more realistic long term programs to provide aid and early warning research. It’s kind of like living in a house that’s been flooded 5 times, let’s blame it on the city for allowing more concrete to be poured to increase jobs and promote a stronger economy.
Like move the hell out or buy a house boat on stilts and get on with your life.
move out, buy a house boat, and/or get on with your life with what resources? FEMA sucks, the federal government is preoccupied with other "shit," the insurance companies that supposedly insured these homes won't pay for shit, most of the people were too poor to have it in the first place, and most have absolutely nothing but a trailer from the feds.
these people were an afterthought before this happened. they're not "his base." do you really think bush, his cabinet, or any of the rest of the rich, fat, old, white guys around him gave a damn about the poor people in new orleans? do you think they give a damn about the homeless guy on every corner who asks you for change? actions speek louder than words, and that's so evident in his, "brownie, you're doing a great job" speech. bet this...if new orleans had a ton of oil under it, his "base" lived there, or there was a high concentration of middle class to rich non-minority people there, they would have had heavy equipment over there a week before the shit hit.
plain and simple, bush is a moron. he always was, and he always will be. i still can't believe the governor of texas, who had absolutely no experience in federal government except for collating his dad's papers, become president. i also can't believe we let him back us into a corner by getting us into a war. we had no choice but to elect him again despite what anyone says. he's straight up lost. all of this is coming down on him like a ton of bricks, and his party members in the congress are feeling it too. it's amazing how many of them are trying to get away from him. finally they understand exactly how stupid this guy is, since their jobs are threatened.
we'll see what happens...
p.s. the other side of the coin isn't great either. the elephants and the donkeys are all f'in idiots.
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"i wonder if this grief would ever let me go? i feel like i am the king...king of sorrow."
You always hear, 9/11, we will never forget. The country came together and united behind a catastrophe. Worst terrorist attack ever.
Last year, the citizens of New Orleans faced the worst natural catastrophe ever on U.S. soil. One year later, I think most people have forgotten about them. Post-Katrina, FEMA has been sooooo slow to respond. The neighborhoods still look ravashed and war torn.
How quickly were the streets in Manhattat cleaned up after the towers fell?
How quickly has clean up happened in the communities of New Orleans? It doesn't look much different a year later.
And I whole-heartedly agree with UT on this. FUCK DEMS and REPUBLICANS both!
But New Orleans is still a thriving port city and one of the most cosmopolitan in the nation. A year later with debris and rummage still in the street is unacceptable for any city in this country.
perhaps because manhattan is the major financial district in the world
that's the same thought process that kept our stupid president in that plane instead of on the ground when the 'ish was hitting the fan. they're americans. maybe they weren't born into the family/money that some of us have. that's not their fault. should they be left to suffer 'cause they're not in a "major financial district?" f that.
how would you feel if your neighborhood was next to one that was grossly more affluent than yours is, and the FEDS left you alone while they helped the rich people? you're an american right? you deserve the same treatment they get right?...or maybe you don't. since you're relatively poor, in my example, you suffer. you wait, you starve, you need, and you die. that's bullshit no matter who's at the controls, and it's bullshit no matter if it's done explicitly or implicitly.
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"i wonder if this grief would ever let me go? i feel like i am the king...king of sorrow."
Katrina, One Year Later . . .
