OT: Compliments to President Bush...Hurricane Gustav

[Allied Forces]

No one could have really expected the tragedy of Katrina. EVERYONE was caught off guard. To put it all on your president is assinine. Slow to respond, I guess, but the governor of Louisiana is very much to blame as well. Hopefully the current storm will spare those citizens there.

Also, it the idiots that remained during Katrina behaved awfully at the Superdome. Instead of people helping people, they behaved like animals.

It was handled well the first time. The people failed.

The people DID fail.

They were just fighting to survive. When you have no leadership whatsoever, you do what you have to.

Bullshit. You bond and help each other as human beings. You don't kill and loot.

[annpea]

It was handled well the first time. The people failed.

There's a lot of truth to that statement, sadly. I got to see some first hand aftermath and it was nothing less than heartbreaking and horrible.

George Bush doesn't care about black people.

- Kanye West

I think Bush has a problem relating to anyone;that's not in his select circle of friends and that's worst than any form of (ism) that darken the basic values of this country.

[DerriD]

It was handled well the first time. The people failed.

No, it wasn't handled well AT ALL - my best friend lived in New Orleans back then. But yes, the people in charge did fail. The Bush Administration had no blame whatsoever for the immediate aftermath. It's what a sad state the city was in three years later that he shares the blame for.

I'm pretty sure that if it had been Greenwich, Connecticut, that there would have been much more expedience in helping out the victims.

There would have been no 'victims' in Greenwich.

1. THEY would have evacuated after watching 2 weeks of non-stop weather channel coverage.

2. THEY would have insurance and would not have needed debit cards, FEMA trailers etc...

3. THEY are a little more self reliant and don't look to Daddy Government to solve their problems and would have rebuilt themselves.

Most people forget that in 2004 (the year prior to Katrina) 4 major hurricanes hit Florida. My in-laws live in Pensacola and let me tell you Hurricane Ivan butt-fucked that town. There was no outcry from Florida, no debit cards, no looting, no calling for Bush to explain why HE let this happen to THEM. There are still some people to this day that have not rebuilt, but nobody seemingly cares about anyone but Katrina victims. Why is that I wonder?

Additionally, after the storms hit Florida, 3 of them rolled up through Alabama, Tennessee and North Carolina. Those states saw massive flooding as the storms stalled on the Appalachian Mountains. Flooding is usually worse in the mountains versus flat lands because the valleys funnel the rain which rushes down the mountain sides. So many people more lost their homes there, hundreds of miles from the coast. The homes that are being rebuilt are required to be built outside previously flooded areas. They are also required to be built to better standards and with a crawlspace to minimize any potential future flooding. I know this because I have gone up the last 4 winters to work on Habitat for Humanity Houses.

Funny, little news coverage is given to the people in Alabama, Tennessee and NC who also lost their homes. Again, why is that?

[The_Noble_Cause]

There's a few others too. Like Keith Olbermann, Rosie O'Donnell and the rest of these poisonous people that think 9/11 was planned by the Bush administration....

Olbermann has never said this.

[The_Noble_Cause]

No one could have really expected the tragedy of Katrina. EVERYONE was caught off guard. To put it all on your president is assinine. Slow to respond, I guess, but the governor of Louisiana is very much to blame as well. Hopefully the current storm will spare those citizens there.

Also, it the idiots that remained during Katrina behaved awfully at the Superdome. Instead of people helping people, they behaved like animals.

Bullshit.

Over a period of two years (2004-2005), the New Orleans Times-Picayune laid in detail how Bush’s budget took funds away from fortifying the levees and protecting pumping stations, with the Jefferson Parish emergency mngt. chief at one point lamenting:

“It appears the money has been moved from in the president’s budget to handle homeland security and the war in Iraq, and I suppose that’s the price we pay. Nobody locally is happy that the levees can’t be finished,…”

The former head of the Army Corps of Engineers, Mike Parker, even resigned in 2002 after bringing eroded chunks of the levees into the administration's annual budget office and got ZERO response.

Of course, every failure of government only serves to bolster the right wing meme that privatization, not the government, is the answer.

[The_Noble_Cause]

Heck, if he were in charge during such a situation, New Orleans would probably sink to the center of the Earth due to his mismanagement of the situation !!!!!

The calculus is simple.
You appoint competent public servants to run government agencies.

You don't sneak in disqualified cronies with recess appointments like Bush did with the head of mine safety.
You don't appoint a lobbyist for the timber industry in charge of forest service and land conservation.
And you most certainly don't appoint the former head of an Arabian horse sporting group to run FEMA.

[DerriD]

Heck, if he were in charge during such a situation, New Orleans would probably sink to the center of the Earth due to his mismanagement of the situation !!!!!

The calculus is simple.
You appoint competent public servants to run government agencies.

You don't sneak in disqualified cronies with recess appointments like Bush did with the head of mine safety.
You don't appoint a lobbyist for the timber industry in charge of forest service and land conservation.
And you most certainly don't appoint the former head of an Arabian horse sporting group to run FEMA.

Nor do you elect corrupt idiots to be your mayor and governer.

[Saint John]

Bullshit. You bond and help each other as human beings. You don't kill and loot.

Well said. That's what they did do in Mississippi and they survived just fine by helping each other.

[Michigan Girl]

No one could have really expected the tragedy of Katrina. EVERYONE was caught off guard. To put it all on your president is assinine. Slow to respond, I guess, but the governor of Louisiana is very much to blame as well. Hopefully the current storm will spare those citizens there.

The bolded part is correct except Bush was slow to respond because our local Government was slow in providing him the necessary information. You're right that noone could have predicted the tradegy we call Katrina, but everyone knew those levee's would not hold in the event of a Katrina.

Also, it the idiots that remained during Katrina behaved awfully at the Superdome. Instead of people helping people, they behaved like animals.
The people DID fail.

This is partially correct.....SOME people failed!!!!

[Michigan Girl]

No one could have really expected the tragedy of Katrina. EVERYONE was caught off guard. To put it all on your president is assinine. Slow to respond, I guess, but the governor of Louisiana is very much to blame as well. Hopefully the current storm will spare those citizens there.

Also, it the idiots that remained during Katrina behaved awfully at the Superdome. Instead of people helping people, they behaved like animals.

It was handled well the first time. The people failed.

The people DID fail.

They were just fighting to survive. When you have no leadership whatsoever, you do what you have to.

Bullshit. You bond and help each other as human beings. You don't kill and loot.

ABSOLUTELY~ and alot, not all, of the people that stayed behind, intentionally, did it for this reason and now want handouts..... I could go on and on
with this, but I shall refrain.

[Saint John]

Michigan Girl, do you need to be held after losing again opening day to a half-ass opponent? Cuz, if so, I'm volunteering.

[weatherman90]

That's a pretty indefensible statement.

He is no more over the top than the guys you fawn over - Limbaugh, Hannity, and Becj.

You think Hannity would say something like that? You're out of your mind.

[Michigan Girl]

"Isn't that the same mayor they had before? Just saw him talking about all the faith he has in the new modified levees."

He's also one of the main reasons for the bs the first time around. If anyone should have been prepared, it was the Mayor of the frickin city. They had years to prepare, they did nothing. Hey...if you're going to live in a bowl, chances are it's going to get a little wet once in a while.

As stated previously, we have a new Governor who is doing a fantastic job, anything the mayor says is just reiterating what the Governor has already done......yes they live in a bowl and the bowl is BELOW SEA LEVEL.

[Saint John]

......yes they live in a bowl and the bowl is BELOW SEA LEVEL.

Which is mind-boggling that people are surprised when they have 13 feet of water in the fucking living room.

[Michigan Girl]

Michigan Girl, do you need to be held after losing again opening day to a half-ass opponent? Cuz, if so, I'm volunteering.

I am so SAD .....whatcha got?
It better be good, I think I'm in for a whole season of this.......

[Michigan Girl]

It was handled well the first time. The people failed.

You're out of your flippin' mind, dude! It wasn't handled at all, let alone "well"! To say it was handled "well" makes it look like you live under a rock! Saying "the people failed" is so short-sighted, and shows that you have absolutely zero clue about the demographics of New Orleans. Just because you have the ability to pack your family into your car or SUV and drive to higher ground, doesn't mean everyone else is in that same position. The reality is that in an economically depressed city like New Orleans, most of the people simply don't have the means to get themselves out of there. A motor vehicle is a luxury, that many simply cannot afford!

I am certainly not defending any idiot who refuses to evacuate, because I truly feel like these people get what they deserve. I am referring to the people who wanted out (and there were MANY), but had no way to get out. There are ENDLESS buses getting people out of that area that absolutely, positively weren't there last time, and according to the news, it's almost all FEMA related. Not only are there buses getting people out of New Orleans, but there are actually buses going through every neighborhood to get people to the bus terminal so they can evacuate. NONE of this happened "the first time". It was a fucking disaster the way it was handled last time, by the Governor of Lousiana, the Mayor of New Orleans, and the President of the United States. Anyone who ruly feels otherwise needs to go get their brain cells re-connected! People REALLY need to get politics off their mind and stop blindly following politicians, no matter what they do. Adults worshipping politicians makes as much sense as little Johnny worshipping professional athletes, who they think can do no wrong! Wrong is wrong...even if it's the candidate who you think is the greatest who fucked up.


John from Boston

[Michigan Girl]

Michigan Girl, do you need to be held after losing again opening day to a half-ass opponent? Cuz, if so, I'm volunteering.

I am so SAD .....whatcha got?
It better be good, I think I'm in for a whole season of this.......

oops....I thought this said...HELP......I do need help, though!!!!

[Saint John]

You're out of your flippin' mind, dude!

Nope. Just a guy that doesn't depend on the governement for everything. Especially my life when all I would have to do is travel a few hundred miles because I was told a week in advance that a HURRICANE was coming to the stupid fucking place below sea level that I live!!!

I am certainly not defending any idiot who refuses to evacuate

You absolutely are. They failed as Americans to have the means to be prepared for an emergency getaway. What are we talking about here...a few hundred dollars at the most to get out of there? Or merely a credit card. The nerve of me to expect someone to have a few hundred bucks or a credit card!!! But you're right, that too is the government's fault.

[Allied Forces]

Bullshit. You bond and help each other as human beings. You don't kill and loot.

Well said. That's what they did do in Mississippi and they survived just fine by helping each other.

Thanks.

People bond together in tragedies. Despite what the taco bell lib just said. You look out for your fellow man and woman and not worry about the government. Katrina was a tragedy the likes we have nver seen. Lasy people like the taco man point the finger.

[The_Noble_Cause]

Hope you libs are proud. Your supposed leaders are happy that people might be going through hell, all to score some perceived political point. Sick MF'ers.

This guy speaks for all Democrats in about as much as Focus on the Family spoke for all Conservatives when it prayed for a biblical downpour at the DNC convention. This type of snake venom has no place in the societal bloodsteam.

[The_Noble_Cause]

Katrina was a tragedy the likes we have nver seen. Lasy people like the taco man point the finger.

Real Conservatives demand accountability in government, not more buck-passing.
You are a Bush whore.

[Allied Forces]

Katrina was a tragedy the likes we have nver seen. Lasy people like the taco man point the finger.

Real Conservatives demand accountability in government, not more buck-passing.
You are a Bush whore.

I hate Bush. You are an idiot. I am so far from being ANYTHING in your stupid country's 2 party mess that it is laughable.

No one WANTED that to happen in N.O. douche.

[Enigma869]

Nope. Just a guy that doesn't depend on the governement for everything. Especially my life when all I would have to do is travel a few hundred miles because I was told a week in advance that a HURRICANE was coming to the stupid fucking place below sea level that I live!!!

We'll agree to disagree, SJ. You are WAY over-simplifying things. How about the endless nursing homes and hospitals that had hundreds of people killed, because nobody got them out???? Were those people also supposed to "travel a few hundred miles", because they knew a hurricane was coming

You absolutely are. They failed as Americans to have the means to be prepared for an emergency getaway. What are we talking about here...a few hundred dollars at the most to get out of there? Or merely a credit card. The nerve of me to expect someone to have a few hundred bucks or a credit card!!! But you're right, that too is the government's fault.

I absolutely am not defending anyone who refused to evacuate. You're simply delcaring (as if it's a fact, when it is absolutely NOT a fact) that everyone who was left behind was left behind on their own volition. Also, you make it sound like the whole world has a "few hundred bucks" or even credit cards. Listen, I'm a fairly comfortable person (when it comes to finances), but that doesn't mean I think the whole world is in the same situation. I know this may shock you, but believe it or not, some people have no credit cards and don't even have two nickels to rub together. If you want to criticize someone for living in poverty, go right ahead. Just don't give me this bullshit of "everyone who wanted to get out got out", and "our government has absolutely zero responsibility to help its citizens" (when we help other country's citizens all over the freakin' world)!!!!


John from Boston

[Saint John]

Real Conservatives demand accountability in government, not more buck-passing.

First and foremost, they demand personal responsibility.

You are a Bush whore.

How's Congress' approval ratings these days, big guy? Remember all of the sweeping "changes" we were promised when they became the majority? How's that coming along?

[The_Noble_Cause]

I hate Bush. You are an idiot.

Let me guess - another card-carrying Republican who had a St. Paul epiphany sometime mid-second term that Bush was a bad dude?
Aside from attaching laser beam turrets to the Mexican border, and maybe signing an executive order to chemical castrate all libruhls (hyuck hyuck), Bush fulfilled every want of the GOP hive mind.
Reap the whirlwinds of self-fulfilling prophecy, motherfuck.

No one WANTED that to happen in N.O. douche.

No one stated that the levees breaking was by conscious design.

[The_Noble_Cause]

How's Congress' approval ratings these days, big guy? Remember all of the sweeping "changes" we were promised when they became the majority? How's that coming along?

In light of the record breaking filibustering, I am ok with it.

[LazzMan]

There's a few others too. Like Keith Olbermann, Rosie O'Donnell and the rest of these poisonous people that think 9/11 was planned by the Bush administration....

Olbermann has never said this.

I never said he did. But, Rosie has said this (and continues to say it). Just poor syntax on my part. Nevertheless, Olbermann does fall into the same category as Moore and, therefore, should be beaten with blunt objects.

[LazzMan]

No one could have really expected the tragedy of Katrina. EVERYONE was caught off guard. To put it all on your president is assinine. Slow to respond, I guess, but the governor of Louisiana is very much to blame as well. Hopefully the current storm will spare those citizens there.

Also, it the idiots that remained during Katrina behaved awfully at the Superdome. Instead of people helping people, they behaved like animals.

It was handled well the first time. The people failed.

The people DID fail.

They were just fighting to survive. When you have no leadership whatsoever, you do what you have to.

Bullshit. You bond and help each other as human beings. You don't kill and loot.

I agree with you. I was being sarcastic to make a point about the overall poor leadership in that city.

[X factor]

Nope. Just a guy that doesn't depend on the governement for everything. Especially my life when all I would have to do is travel a few hundred miles because I was told a week in advance that a HURRICANE was coming to the stupid fucking place below sea level that I live!!!

We'll agree to disagree, SJ. You are WAY over-simplifying things. How about the endless nursing homes and hospitals that had hundreds of people killed, because nobody got them out???? Were those people also supposed to "travel a few hundred miles", because they knew a hurricane was coming

You absolutely are. They failed as Americans to have the means to be prepared for an emergency getaway. What are we talking about here...a few hundred dollars at the most to get out of there? Or merely a credit card. The nerve of me to expect someone to have a few hundred bucks or a credit card!!! But you're right, that too is the government's fault.

I absolutely am not defending anyone who refused to evacuate. You're simply delcaring (as if it's a fact, when it is absolutely NOT a fact) that everyone who was left behind was left behind on their own volition. Also, you make it sound like the whole world has a "few hundred bucks" or even credit cards. Listen, I'm a fairly comfortable person (when it comes to finances), but that doesn't mean I think the whole world is in the same situation. I know this may shock you, but believe it or not, some people have no credit cards and don't even have two nickels to rub together. If you want to criticize someone for living in poverty, go right ahead. Just don't give me this bullshit of "everyone who wanted to get out got out", and "our government has absolutely zero responsibility to help its citizens" (when we help other country's citizens all over the freakin' world)!!!!


John from Boston

So John, we agree on this one.

I have to put this out there again, but here's the way Katrina happened, and people living in the area got caught off guard.

1) The hurricane gained strength and turned eastward ever so slightly at a very late time. A good friend of mine who lives in NO (who's a realtor, btw, not a crackhead) said that when he went to bed the storm was a 2 and predicted to miss landfall, he woke up Sunday morning and it was a 4 and headed straight for them. For those of you who havent lived through this, you can't really understand. it's not as simple as telling people a week in advance "Hey, there's a Hurricane coming right for you, it'll be catagory whatever, and make landfall PRECISELY at this location! It's simply not that exact of a science.

2) The people who live and work in these areas were experiencing "hurricane fatigue", which basically means that a number of small storms, predicted to be the big one, had come and gone recently with no real effect. The area hadn't been through a real doozy since Camille in the late 60's, and much of the population didn't remember it or weren't there when it hit. It's not enough to just say "OK , storms coming! Everyone clear out! " People have homes and livelyhoods to protect. And as John mentioned, people in nursing homes and hospitals many times are at the mercy of whomever can help them. It's also unfair to say "Oh well- that's what they get for living there! They should move!"
No one suggested the residents of San Francisco should "move" after the 89 quake! "Hey dumbass- you live on a faultline ! Just move!!" Not that simple- this is their home. It's also not like this happens every other day, or YEAR for that matter. Camille was in 1969- Katrina was in 05. Pretty big distance between those two. Nothing in between came CLOSE to the magnitude of damage they saw with Katrina. I was in Biloxi for Georges in 98 (a strong Cat 3 that hit Gulfport / Biloxi head on) and my apt. complex never even lost power! A WORLD of difference to what they experienced in 05.

I agree, too, that Bush has handled this well so far. Let's just pray for all the folks down there and hope they make it out alive and intact this time.

[4everkop]

Well a couple of weeks ago me and 12 other people went on a Mission trip to Waveland Mississippi to help rebuild from Katrina, and we learned that this part of Mississippi was totally abandoned by the media in 2005. All the coverage went to New Orleans, well Waveland got a direct hit from the hurricane, not New Orleans. But now it looks like God's hammer is gonna hit it again and I pray it's not as severe as Katrina. But I think they are taking the correct precautions! Actually the person who headed up the trip made an organization called RebuildMS and we are raising money to send skilled workers to the area. So last night after my band played we took up a collection for the organization and gave half of the proceeds there. So as a shameless plug... Volunteers are still needed. And obviously after Guztav they will need more