Look we've done hurricanes and floods before. Both of these are survivable events if the proper steps are taken. Relatively few people die in the US in this day and age from hurricanes and flood any more. Most of the deaths that we are seeing in the NOLA disaster were completely preventable. After the storm passed and the flood waters came in, the people who survived and had gotten to the shelters could have been easily taken care of. We've did this in Florida last year after 4 hurricanes. We had people living in shelters for months and not a single death except for natural causes. It seems that in this disaster Bush is doing everything he can to stall, slow things down and when help does come it's inadequate. He is preventing even the Red Cross from coming and doing their job. Why? Why? Because he doesn't want to save the people of the New Orleans. He wants more people to die. That's the only thing that makes sense to me at the moment.
It seems that in this disaster Bush is doing everything he can to stall, slow things down and when help does come it's inadequate. He is preventing even the Red Cross from coming and doing their job. Why? Because he's a Christian and has no ability to think rationally? Nah.
New Orleans Louisiana maybe??? I don't think Bush wants people to die. There is, however, something that seems to be missing in his response to this whole thing, I get an overall feeling of apathy from the White House, at least to a certain degree. It would be more likely that they had no clue the disaster was this severe, and are only now reacting to it in an appropriate manner. Granted, it is extremely difficult to mobalize all that aid and get it to those who need it in a day or two, but it is not impossible. With determined leadership, I think It could have been pulled of, at least a lot better than it was following the disaster.
I watched a press conference with Bush, standing with all the officials grouped behind him, in a hangar with rescue personnel lined up in the background, standing to attention in front of big, bright and shiny rescue helicopters. Bush stands there with everyone nodding sagely as he spoke of how help was on the way and how the response to this crisis was not the best it could have been, blah, blah, blah. The reason why the rest of his conference seemed to be to be a series of "blah" comments coming out of his mouth? All I could concentrate on was those big, bright and shiny rescue helicopters behind him and thinking why weren't they in the air actually doing something worthwhile other than providing a backdrop to a photo opportunity to Bush...
The word "apathetic" comes to mind. Is the man completely without an adrenalin response? Sometimes you need to get buzzing a little just to get in tune with the idea that things have to move along. Christ, the leader wants people to wait for him to make a decision, then he doesn't make a decision, but everyone stands around waiting for him to finish stuttering and stammering.
why the hell wasnt your national guard and the navy mobilised to help BEFORE the cyclone hit land? How long did it take you to get your mobile hosipitals to india? now how long would it have taken to just move it in your own country??? Why wasnt food, water, fuel, generators ect all mobilised 4 days before rather than 2 days afterwards?
51% of the american public voted for and re-elected this crazy dude. Why? You tell me. So what do you expect? He has been a big problem right from the start and he's not going away anytime to soon. Everyone has to wait untill the next election or unless he's impeached or resigns first. We can only hope for the latter. Okeydoke
I've answered this already ...a couple of times! They did NOT know that the levees would fail! The flooding is what caused the main problems and the isolation. So how was FEMA to know that the levees would fail? And if they did NOT know, then what assets do they mobilize?? And don't forget ......it's FIRST the city's problem, then the state's problem, and THEN the federal assets are requested. Did any of that happen? When? Or has this nation become a socialist nation where everything is the responsibility of the federal government????? Baron Max
Mikasa11: You're accusing Bush of ethnic cleansing? Don't be silly. The lack of response for these people was caused by ignorance and uncaring, but don't confuse that with murderous intent. Baron: Let's have a discussion that doesn't devolve into a diatribe on socialist ideology. We can start a new thread for that. Pretty much every pre-Katrina analysis that had been done on New Orleans assumed that levees would fail in a Category 4 or 5 hurricane. I think the real question is what FEMA could or would have done about it. I think you are right - by the way - FEMA is about Emergency Management, not emergency prevention. If the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana had taken the analyses seriously they would have invested in levee upgrades that would have prevented the flooding. No flooding equals MUCH MUCH less trouble. Remember, after the hurricane passed people came out on the streets of N.O. Monday evening and there was no flooding - and not much damage, really, beyond blown-out windows and no power - the usual. The waters came in Monday night and then all hell broke loose. No, the onus was clearly on the city. If they had taken a cold look at the situation five years ago, decided that they were in trouble and also decided that they didn't have the resources to deal with it, then they should have turned to the state for help. Ditto for the state - they could have turned to the federal government for help. That's what they exist for. Expecting everybody to jump with no advance planning on Tuesday morning was just not realistic, especially with this hidebound bureacracy. Let's be fair, though. There was an awareness of the vulnerability, there was a will to carry out work, but it never got completed. I refer you to http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001051313 for the details. But that changes nothing. If the federal government chose to cut the funding, that's their business. It was still the responsibility of the mayor's office to scream bloody murder instead of shrugging their shoulders and saying "oh well".
Look, lay off the President already. Let’s look at this rationally: OK, 1) It takes a little while for Bush-handlers to get him back from another vacation and to get the photo opts ready. 2) Then they have to tell him what to say and what to do. 3) To do this they have to figure out how much money each person stands to make. 4) Then they have to analyze the political and strategic opportunities. Forr instance – will Americans believe that maybe terrorists caused the storm if we tell them over and over and over? Probably not…. F*ck!!! 5) Again go back over the numbers - analyze how much money each person stands to make or lose and to organize this by political rank . 6) Then of course we have to see who owns how much of each company and who is going to get a bit of that big fat payout that Congress is going to pay. Who can buy how much of what stock in which company (ie: HomeLandSecurity Halliburton incorporated). This shit takes time PEOPLE!!! At least a week, so stop bitching - we’re doing everything as fast as we can!!!!! where were we....Oh yes, 7) How much money can we each make? 8) Are there any whites down there? No, just minorities and Brits? 9) How much money? 10) Do we make money off from the Red Cross? No? They're out. Next - Do we make money . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Twenty billion dollars a year down a black hole and the so-called Homeland Security is still to disorganized to get some trucks headed down to Lousiana in a short time.
But aggravated incompetence, surrounded by apologists, and costing dearly in lives and prosperity, has personified a systemic, self-destructive American malice.
well, that clears up my confusion and dismay at the events of the last week. Finally something that makes sense.
Lordy, you're beating with the same stick again Baron? I am going to give you the same response that was given to you in another thread where you made the same claims. Not only have experts been saying for years that the levies could very well fail in the event of a large storm or flood, the people were told to evacuate not just because of the storm, but because of fears that the levies could break in light of this category 5 storm: FEMA was meant to be prepared since your own President declared a State of Emergency even before the hurricane hit, to ensure that federal aid would be given immediately. From what has been reported, the request for aid was made immediately. Hell even your President saw fit to ensure that Federal aid be given immediately by declaring a State of Emergency so that 'federal assets' could be made immediately available before Katrina hit and as the evacuation order was given. Tell me Baron, do you have these same arguments saved in a document so that you can copy and paste them in each time you post? Well the Government saw it as its responsibility seeing they declared the state of emergency so that federal aid would be forthcoming immediately. And as was pointed out to you in another thread, the Government is there to serve the people because after all, it is a Government by the people... for the people.. It is a shame that their response was so... lacking and so slow... And as even your own Government has conceded, the response to this has been way below parr and way below what was expected.
bell its simple, in an effort to prove they arnt commies like those terrioust they are killing the goverment cant be seen to be doing anything FOR the people just TO the forigners
I don't think Bush is trying to make things worse, either. What was missing in the disaster response was an upcoming election in that state, and a request from Jeb Bush to move in rapidly.
