# Hurricane Katrina: The Ongoing Saga



## Everness

Powerful Hurricane Katrina has died. However, the deep wounds she inflicted on individuals, families, communities and an entire nation will take long years to heal. 

I just hope that the American people don't deal with Katrina --a natural disaster-- the same way we dealt with 9/11 --a manmade disaster-- by trying to put it behind us and move on (the quintessential American myth).  

In order to move on, we first need to look back and understand what happened, why it happened and who should be held responsible (By the way, God, fate, back luck, and Mother Nature are off the list of potential culprits.) 

In the meantime, the real stories --good and bad-- are just coming out and need to be told and heard. 

I read this article by a Scottish reporter. It's good that foreign journalists are helping Americans to look into and sort out these tragic events. I just hope that a particular story he tells isn't true and that the reporter was under the influence of some good Scottish whiskey when he either heard it or wrote it. Otherwise...

http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1886932005


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## modgirl

Everness said:
			
		

> I just hope that the American people don't deal with Katrina --a natural disaster-- the same way *we* dealt with 9/11


 
Out of curiosity, are you an American, or do you live in the States?


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## Everness

Here's another article that hopefully captures some positive angles of an tragic story. Keeping a balance between the positive and negative is utterly important when it comes to telling stories that facilitate grief work. 

http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/09/03/162034.php


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## Everness

modgirl said:
			
		

> Out of curiosity, are you an American, or do you live in the States?



I'm an American who lives in the States. Don' worry, you aren't the first one to ask me that question. What can I say? I think I'm not your ordinary American!  Go figure!


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## modgirl

Everness said:
			
		

> I'm an American who lives in the States. Don' worry, you aren't the first one to ask me that question. What can I say? I think I'm not your ordinary American! Go figure!


 
Oh okay.  Your profile says that you are a native of Castellano (I thought it was a language, not a country or area, but I'm afraid I don't know), so when you say "we," I just wondered who "we" are!  It is a bit confusing.


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## cuchuflete

Chronology:

1. Natural disaster= hurricane
2. Human disaster*s*: Evacuees; those who didn't or couldn't get out of N.O.
3. Organizational/administrative disaster:  federal government response or lack of same, despite years of supposed planning, and days of prior notice
4. To be determined.  Will electoral candidates and voters 'move on' or remember who failed?
So far, it seems that #3 is being acknowledged on a non-partisan or bi-partisan basis.

There is little room for debate about the source of the failure: Bush and his team.
What we have yet to learn are the details: How and why.  

We need to learn these things, or be doomed to repetitions of #3.


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## modgirl

Out of curiosity, what did the city of New Orleans do to protect its city, since they had warning of the hurricane?  Couldn't they have raised the levies?  The city is under sea level, so it seems to me that a hurricane was bound to hit sometime.


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## Go army5

Its sad what happened to the people in Lousina and Mississippi alot of people in New orleans died and theres alot of homeless people.Only thing we can do is pray and Jesus will make somethin good happen it might not happen now but it will happen later on.


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## GenJen54

> Originally posted by *cuchuflete*
> 3. Organizational/administrative disaster: federal government response or lack of same, despite years of supposed planning, and days of prior notice


Local and state officials must also share the burden. Hundreds of school busses that could have been used to carry people to higher ground before the storm now sit under water. It is an administrative disaster of calamitous proportions. Blame needs to go around on all levels. 



> 4. To be determined. Will electoral candidates and voters 'move on' or remember who failed? So far, it seems that #3 is being acknowledged on a non-partisan or bi-partisan basis.


I agree, pundits on both sides are pointing fingers. Sadly, politics will get in the way and usurp any meaningful discourse on providing real, workable solutions. While I don't believe voters will forget what we are now facing, I doubt it will affect change in the distribution of party power once mid-term elections arrive fourteen months from now.


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## BasedowLives

modgirl said:
			
		

> Out of curiosity, what did the city of New Orleans do to protect its city, since they had warning of the hurricane? Couldn't they have raised the levies? The city is under sea level, so it seems to me that a hurricane was bound to hit sometime.



from what i know, the hurricane was expected yes.

what wasn't expected was how bad the city would flood.


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## cuchuflete

modgirl said:
			
		

> Out of curiosity, what did the city of New Orleans do to protect its city, since they had warning of the hurricane? Couldn't they have raised the levies? The city is under sea level, so it seems to me that a hurricane was bound to hit sometime.



Raising miles of levies in a matter of days?  Doubt it could have been done.
I believe the problem was caused not by overflowing of levies, but by a major breach in one.   

Those levies have been sufficient for many decades, but we now know with perfect hindsight that they were not strong enough for a storm of this force.


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## timpeac

Everness said:
			
		

> I'm an American who lives in the States. Don' worry, you aren't the first one to ask me that question. What can I say? I think I'm not your ordinary American! Go figure!


 
Probably easier if we don't have to - why don't you put your history in your profile? It's not nosiness, our linguistic - and cultural - histories are enormously relevant in these forums. For example whether you are BE or AE speaker often polarises your opinion on linguistic matters.


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## Jonegy

I read on MSN this morning that during a relief concert a rapper called something like Kanye or Kenya West went ' off script' and really laid into Dubya and government officials.  It said he went on for some time before he was cut off because the operator on the delay machine wasn't listening to 'content' only for 'expletives'.

Apparently this show was going out on several major networks but the article went on to say that by the time the show had reached the west coast the 'offending' (??) piece had been cut.

Do I take it from this that censorship is alive and well over there and if so can someone explain where it comes-in in a democracy????


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## modgirl

"A PANICKED George Bush yesterday ordered elite troops on to the streets of New Orleans in an unprecedented attempt to stop violence in the disaster-struck city spiralling out of control. 

The deployment, nearly a week after Hurricane Katrina struck, will see 7,000 marines and airborne troops sent to the emergency zone, where they are expected to crack down on the gun-toting gangs terrorising survivors." 

http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1886932005


And, for those who think anarchy is a really great concept:

_Thousands of New Orleans residents streamed north on Saturday, escaping the violence that gripped the city in the days after it was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. _


_Women spoke of the terror they felt as gangs of thieves and rapists roamed the streets and temporary shelters night after night, plucking victims -- some of them children -- at whim and with no fear of police intervention. _


_"They took what they wanted and nobody stopped them," said Tanika James, 27, who was among a large group of refugees who arrived in Baton Rouge and other parts of Louisiana on Friday. "It was the most scared I (have) been."_

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N03580482.htm


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## cuchuflete

Jonegy said:
			
		

> Do I take it from this that censorship is alive and well over there and if so can someone explain where it comes-in in a democracy????



The FCC...Federal Communications Commission, the gov't. authority that regulates broadcasts supposedly for the public good, does not allow what they define as obscene language. They publish a list of words that must not be spoken on TV or radio broadcasts. Cable broadcasting is exempt, I think, for some obscure reason a Jesuit and a Talmudic scholar might enjoy debating with some fellows in a sports bar...

So let's debate the rest of it.  *Cu*  on my left, debating *chuflete* on my right.

Cu- censorship is totally inappropriate, at all times and in all places!

Cuflete- Well, not so fast. If my kids and I tune in to see a benefit concert for victims of governmental ineptitude, why should we have to listen to political diatribes, when what we were expecting was just free songs, and the chance to go to the bathroom while they ask us to contribute?

Cu- What's wrong with political diatribes? Everness and I enjoy them at every opportunity, and even Modgirl has been known to throw a verbal punch from time to time. That's what democracy is all about. 

Chuflete- You're just too ideologically pure. What if a kid walks in when my lady and I are snuggled up enjoying the show, and some freaky left-wingnut starts whuppin on our man dubya. It could mess the kid's head something awful. 

Cu- Is that the best you can do?  Not much of an argument.  I remain respectfully unpersuaded.

Chuflete-  You'd best sit down.  I'm about to tell you about the "C" word.

Cu- Wowwwwweeeee!  I've heard of it, but I thought it was just an urban legend.  

Chuflete-  (_In a low, conspiratorial voice..._) OK my good fellow, it's like this. Television is all about bucks, moolah, coin of the realm, brass money! If an advertiser pays a network to attract yuppies, and get them to buy cornflakes or beer, they want that audience HUC.

Cu- H U C?  What's that?

Chuflete- Stands for Happy, Unthinking, and Content. So you see if you start mixing reality with entertainment, they get cranky and change channels. Cornflakes and beer people get testy, network loses clients, and ...well I'm sure you get the picture. 

Capitalism requires that the audience for simple-minded entertainment not be forced, against their will and instinct, to think. There are severe economic penalities for enforced thought. I think Congress put something about that in the patriot act or No Child Left Behind.

Cu- I'm overwhelmed by the intricacy of the entire matter.  I better start looking up new words to use in place of 'democracy'.


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## Everness

Jonegy said:
			
		

> Do I take it from this that censorship is alive and well over there and if so can someone explain where it comes-in in a democracy????



You bet! 

Nipple exposure and off-script attacks on the current administration aren't tolerated. I loved Mike Myres' expression when West went off-script! Here's another article on the topic.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNe...atrina_houston_update_050902/?hub=CTVNewsAt11


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## timpeac

modgirl said:
			
		

> "A PANICKED George Bush yesterday ordered elite troops on to the streets of New Orleans in an unprecedented attempt to stop violence in the disaster-struck city spiralling out of control.
> 
> The deployment, nearly a week after Hurricane Katrina struck, will see 7,000 marines and airborne troops sent to the emergency zone, where they are expected to crack down on the gun-toting gangs terrorising survivors."
> 
> http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1886932005
> 
> 
> And, for those who think anarchy is a really great concept:
> 
> _Thousands of New Orleans residents streamed north on Saturday, escaping the violence that gripped the city in the days after it was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. _
> 
> 
> _Women spoke of the terror they felt as gangs of thieves and rapists roamed the streets and temporary shelters night after night, plucking victims -- some of them children -- at whim and with no fear of police intervention. _
> 
> 
> _"They took what they wanted and nobody stopped them," said Tanika James, 27, who was among a large group of refugees who arrived in Baton Rouge and other parts of Louisiana on Friday. "It was the most scared I (have) been."_
> 
> http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N03580482.htm


 
Yes, thanks for that, a real (disappointing) insight into human nature. Lord of the flies is perhaps not as silly as it may seem.


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## Jonegy

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> Cu- I'm overwhelmed by the intricacy of the entire matter. I better start looking up new words to use in place of 'democracy'.


 
The following quotation has been attributed to several people (but it does saound very Anthony Wedgewood-Benn to me) but it's a pretty good description of the UK.

"This (the UK) is not a Democracy but an Elected Dictatorship"

At least the Freedom of Information act over there is better than ours and ours is newer (???) Could it be that our politicians have more to hide than yours ??


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## timpeac

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> The FCC...Federal Communications Commission, the gov't. authority that regulates broadcasts supposedly for the public good, does not allow what they define as obscene language. They publish a list of words that must not be spoken on TV or radio broadcasts. Cable broadcasting is exempt, I think, for some obscure reason a Jesuit and a Talmudic scholar might enjoy debating with some fellows in a sports bar...
> 
> So let's debate the rest of it. *Cu* on my left, debating *chuflete* on my right.
> 
> Cu- censorship is totally inappropriate, at all times and in all places!
> 
> Cuflete- Well, not so fast. If my kids and I tune in to see a benefit concert for victims of governmental ineptitude, why should we have to listen to political diatribes, when what we were expecting was just free songs, and the chance to go to the bathroom while they ask us to contribute?
> 
> Cu- What's wrong with political diatribes? Everness and I enjoy them at every opportunity, and even Modgirl has been known to throw a verbal punch from time to time. That's what democracy is all about.
> 
> Chuflete- You're just too ideologically pure. What if a kid walks in when my lady and I are snuggled up enjoying the show, and some freaky left-wingnut starts whuppin on our man dubya. It could mess the kid's head something awful.
> 
> Cu- Is that the best you can do? Not much of an argument. I remain respectfully unpersuaded.
> 
> Chuflete- You'd best sit down. I'm about to tell you about the "C" word.
> 
> Cu- Wowwwwweeeee! I've heard of it, but I thought it was just an urban legend.
> 
> Chuflete- (_In a low, conspiratorial voice..._) OK my good fellow, it's like this. Television is all about bucks, moolah, coin of the realm, brass money! If an advertiser pays a network to attract yuppies, and get them to buy cornflakes or beer, they want that audience HUC.
> 
> Cu- H U C? What's that?
> 
> Chuflete- Stands for Happy, Unthinking, and Content. So you see if you start mixing reality with entertainment, they get cranky and change channels. Cornflakes and beer people get testy, network loses clients, and ...well I'm sure you get the picture.
> 
> Capitalism requires that the audience for simple-minded entertainment not be forced, against their will and instinct, to think. There are severe economic penalities for enforced thought. I think Congress put something about that in the patriot act or No Child Left Behind.
> 
> Cu- I'm overwhelmed by the intricacy of the entire matter. I better start looking up new words to use in place of 'democracy'.


 
Censorship is just plain scary, and governments to be trusted as far as you could carry a hot stove.

Recently in the UK, in fact in the town where I come from, there was a horrible case of a nurse who was raped and murdered. It turned out that her murderer had for a long time been looking at pictures on the internet which linked sex and violence (like really disgusting stuff). So her parents campaigned, and won a lot of support for, a change in the law to ban this sort of stuff (note my use of the word "stuff" it is not my decision to be woolly but a true reflection of what has been banned, of which more later). They were successful and the change made. The government also used it as an opportunity to ban other sorts of "filth" such as owning pictures of beastiality. Now, all fine and good - who could complain about all of that? Well when you start to look at the details of the law I can. It has been left completely up to government opinion what is "violence in a sexual context". Note that depictions known and proved to be "mock ups" are also made illegal by this (apart from cartoons, so I am still at liberty to caricature TB being strangled with a broom stuck up his ego). The infamous ice pick episode in basic instinct, would that count? I can only presume so. Do people realise they have effectively allowed through a piece of legislation that allows the government to ban what the hell they like? I imagine not.

J'accuse the government of shamelessly using an emotive murder (and an extremely unusual one at that - I am not aware of any other murders at all where unhealthy interest in sex and violence on the internet was given as a contributing factor) to get through bad legislation that they thought (rightly) everyone would be too frightened to object to.

I am a libertarian to a fault, I know, but I find am yet to be convinced by any argument for censorship.

Cuchu, this is totally off topic - but I would hate for our ideas to be deleted. Would you like to move these to a new thread? Or ban me of course, I'm sure I know which TB would favour


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## Kelly B

cuchuflete said:
			
		

> Raising miles of levies in a matter of days?  Doubt it could have been done.
> Those levies have been sufficient for many decades, but we now know with perfect hindsight that they were not strong enough for a storm of this force.


We knew this with fairly accurate foresight, too.
"If a lingering category 3 storm—or a stronger storm, say, category 4 or 5—were to hit the city, much of New Orleans could find itself under more than 20 ft (6 m) of water.... evacuating could be difficult. Experts say close to 400,000 people could be stranded in the city."

For a link to the Civil Engineering Magazine article from which this is drawn, see my post 22 here: http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=48311&page=2&pp=20


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## cuchuflete

See US version below..





			
				timpeac said:
			
		

> Censorship is just plain scary, and governments to be trusted as far as you could carry a hot stove.
> J'accuse the government of shamelessly using an emotive murder   9-11. (and an extremely unusual one at that - I am not aware of any other murders at all where airplanes were used to crash into skyscrapers, killing thousands ) to get through bad legislation that they thought (rightly) everyone would be too frightened to object to, Patriot Act.
> 
> It's just one of those AE and BE things.
> 
> Cuchu, this is totally off topic - but I would hate for our ideas to be deleted. Would you like to move these to a new thread? Or ban me of course, I'm sure I know which TB would favour



If we get deleted or banned, we go together.  I think we are very much on topic.  This is about the ongoing saga of the hurricane.  I trust my goverment will censor, obfuscate, lie and otherwise cover up the blunders it has made.  And millions of people in the US and elsewhere will be watching them do it.

The lies began with dubya on Tues. and continued today with Mr. Chertoff's comments.


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## cuchuflete

For those who have been following the 'specially/especially' thread in the English forum...


> Responding to accusations of racial insensitivity, Secretary of State
> Condoleezza Rice said, "Nobody, *especially* the president, would have left people unattended on the basis of race."


 Which I suppose means that she isn't so sure about other government colleagues in the bush mis-administration. 



> Chertoff echoed the White House line — saying the time to place blame will come later, but he also said federal officials had trouble getting information from local officials on what was going on. For instance, he said, they hadn't been told by Thursday of the violence and horrible conditions at the New Orleans convention center.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050904/ap_on_go_pr_wh/katrina_washington


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## Everness

The Times-Picayune of New Orleans printed an open letter to the President. I highlighted a couple of paragraphs:

_We, who are from New Orleans, are no less American than those who live on the Great Plains or along the Atlantic Seaboard. We're no less important than those from the Pacific Northwest or Appalachia. Our people deserved to be rescued.

No expense should have been spared. No excuses should have been voiced. Especially not one as preposterous as the claim that New Orleans couldn't be reached._

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/04/times.picayune.editorial/


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## Everness

Some ways that you can help Katrina's victims:

http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2784188p-9223736c.html


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## Isolde

Everness said:
			
		

> The Times-Picayune of New Orleans printed an open letter to the President. I highlighted a couple of paragraphs:
> 
> _We, who are from New Orleans, are no less American than those who live on the Great Plains or along the Atlantic Seaboard. We're no less important than those from the Pacific Northwest or Appalachia. Our people deserved to be rescued._
> 
> _No expense should have been spared. No excuses should have been voiced. Especially not one as preposterous as the claim that New Orleans couldn't be reached._


 
How very, very true.  This calamity has served to expose once more the unbelievable hypocrisy of US leaders.  A shameful chapter in the history of human kind:  a nation that turns a blind eye to save their own people and yet invades foreign countries as self-appointed "saviours", without understanding the beliefs and feelings of the people they trampled on their way to obtain what motivates them: $$$.

It does not matter now if the levees were not high enough, it does not matter if they knew about this hurricane...these issues will now teach everybody in power that from now on they have to DO something about essencial infrastructure in any city.  What does matter is that tragedy struck and the MIGHTY and POWERFUL USA did not lift a finger to save lives. 

Where were the thousands of soldiers you have?  The massive equipment we see on TV?  In Iraq? Afghanistan? Chechnya? or who knows where else in the world?

Shame...shame.

What is more unbelievable is that although I have seen that many people are unsatisfied with this pathetic nincompoop called George Bush, he actually gets re-elected!!!  How do you figure that one?

Sometimes some countries get the leader they deserve...

True or false?


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## GenJen54

> Originally posted by *Isolde*
> What is more unbelievable is that although I have seen that many people are unsatisfied with this pathetic nincompoop called George Bush, he actually gets re-elected!!! How do you figure that one?


I don't know that you do.   59,439,413 American citizens are still scratching their heads over it.


> Sometimes some countries get the leader they deserve...


Certainly the victims of Katrina are not getting the leadership _they_ deserve. 
Honore for President 2008?  Given he's the only one thus far who has _managed_ to get anything done, maybe we should led him _manage_ the country, as well.


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## cuchuflete

What dubya spends on bombs and bullets in Iraqi might have prevented thousands of deaths at home.



> Lt. Gen. Carl Strock, the Corps commander, conceded Friday that the government had known the New Orleans levees could never withstand a hurricane higher than a Category 3. Corps officials shuddered, he said, when they realized that Katrina was barreling down on the Gulf Coast with the vastly greater destructive force of a Category 5 — the strongest type of hurricane.
> 
> Washington, he said, had rolled the dice.


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationw...4sep04,0,3450779.story?coll=la-home-headlines


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## asm

I always thought Everness was from a Hispanic country . now I see that our profile does not say much about us. I just saw yours, and you claim to be prime minister of your country  



			
				modgirl said:
			
		

> Oh okay. Your profile says that you are a native of Castellano (I thought it was a language, not a country or area, but I'm afraid I don't know), so when you say "we," I just wondered who "we" are! It is a bit confusing.


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## modgirl

asm said:
			
		

> I just saw yours, and you claim to be prime minister of your country


 
Considering that the United States does not have a prime minister, I was hoping to elicit a smile! (It's a joke)

However, Everness' profile doesn't sound like a joke, so it is a bit confusing and possibly misleading.


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## cuchuflete

asm said:
			
		

> I always thought Everness was from a Hispanic country . now I see that our profile does not say much about us. I just saw yours, and you claim to be prime minister of your country



Hola ASM,

You've prompted me to look at my own profile, which I hadn't done since about last October!   Other than the homepage, and this, in 'interests', it's accurate.

algún día voy a inventar la rueda



Back to the hurricane, the bushies are starting a campaign to blame the states for the lack of federal response, saying they --the feds-- didn't know how bad things were in New Orleans until Thursday.   I suppose the feds don't own radios, computers, or televisions.  Pooooor babies!

Or...maybe they are lying to us?  Would you believe that?  Both incompetent and dishonest?   



I would. 


regards,
Cuchu​


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## asm

Now I know why I couldn't find your name in the Bush's cabinet . For one moment I thought you were Condo Rice, or ms-spell . 

I agree that Everness was not joking, however, he was playing with the information as he always does. 
I still need to understand his style; however, I enjoy his "mysteries".

Have a nice labor day (do not work to celebrate we have a job!!!!)



			
				modgirl said:
			
		

> Considering that the United States does not have a prime minister, I was hoping to elicit a smile! (It's a joke)
> 
> However, Everness' profile doesn't sound like a joke, so it is a bit confusing and possibly misleading.


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## Everness

The identity of who's behind Hurricane Katrina has been confirmed.

http://www.unconfirmedsources.com/?itemid=1164


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## timpeac

Everness said:
			
		

> The identity of who's behind Hurricane Katrina has been confirmed.
> 
> http://www.unconfirmedsources.com/?itemid=1164


 
Well I suppose if you can wage a war on "terror" you can wage a war on "unfavourable meteorological conditions" When you think about it, storms don't believe in democratism so they must be evil.


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## GenJen54

> Originally posted by *Everness*
> The identity of who's behind Hurricane Katrina has been confirmed.


It's not just Al-Quaeda. All sarcasm aside, it appears some believe Katrina was not caused by the forces of nature, but rather was cast upon us as punishment by God for our worldly sins. You can find articles about it here, here and here. 

I was talking about these religious remarks the other day to a New Orleans native whose son barely made it out, and who still has family down there. His remark? If God was so mad at New Orleans, why did he spare the French Quarter? 

It's not something you want to laugh about necessarily given the continued suffering of so many, but does add a bit of irony.


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## Everness

Click on this link...

http://www.bushwatch.com/

Then click on She Drowned  (top left)...

Yes, the same thing happened to me...


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## Everness

What do Katrina and 9/11 have in common? 

Lack of government preparedness for worst-case-scenario events. 

On 9/11 we underestimated the ingenuity of the terrorists. They definitely outsmarted and shamed our intelligence community. A week ago, we underestimated the power of Mother Nature. Not even 9/11 was preventable (forget about Katrina), and I'm starting to think that such discussion is a waste of time. If terrorists want to attack the continental US again --and they will do it --, they will succeed. If Mother Nature wants to send us another Katrina --and eventually another storm or earthquake will hit America--, she will succeed. 

The only thing we can do is respond as fast as possible and in the most coordinated way to manmade or natural disasters. Apparently we learned very little from 9/11. In 2005, four years later, our local, state, and federal governments have shown that they don't plan for worst-case-scenario situations. I know that a zillion investigations and probes at all levels will be launched by politicians who want to get elected or reelected. I also know the outcome of all these investigations and probes 4 or 5 years from now: No one will take responsibility for anything and, maybe one or two supervisors who work for the city of New Orleans --both black, of course-- will be fired. 

The worst thing is that our families are in the hands of these incompetent officials who are only good at covering their asses. I hope you can sleep tonight. (Thank God for booze, Ambien is too expensive.)


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## Everness

More information for those who are following Katrina from abroad. This was published today by a major US newspaper.

http://www.boston.com/news/weather/...sess_damage_10000_urged_to_leave_city?mode=PF

_In addition, Senate committees are prepared to launch a series of oversight hearings into the federal response to the storm as well as gas prices nationwide.

''We're going to take a hard, hard look at our disaster response," said Frist, Republican of Tennessee,_ 

TRANSLATION: "We are going to do what we did in response to 9/11. We are going to set up an "independent" commission made up by Democrats and Republicans (by the way, the two parties that share absolute responsibility for these 2 fiascos). The Commission will then write a 900-page document that will state the obvious but it will be written in such a way that nobody will go to jail, nobody will quit, and nobody will be fired." (Hopefully this time some politician will commit suicide like the 2 poor cops in New Orleans but you need to pray stronger for this type of outcome.)


_Frist returned to Washington yesterday after two days volunteering his medical services in Louisiana. ''We are here to work. We've got our sleeves rolled up, and we are ready to address it aggressively."_

COMMENT: Mr. Frist, it's wonderful that you travelled south to help folks hurt by Katrina. I'm also sure that you had your aides take a lot of pictures of your work, and that sooner than later we'll all be admiring them on TV or in a newspaper. But if you and your buddies had done the job you were elected for, all of this extra work would have been unnecessary and you could have spent this long weekend with your family. 

_GOP leaders had come under fire in recent days for not announcing plans to address the hurricane immediately. Democrats pointed out that, until Frist's announcement yesterday, the first major item on the Senate agenda this week was a permanent repeal of the estate tax -- a tax that applies only to the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans._

COMMENT: The richest folks in America are going to be pissed and rightly so.  Due to a hurricane that mostly affected poor black people, they will have to wait for the estate tax to be repealed. Yes, life is unfair...

(Estoy tan envenenado que si me muerdo la lengua, me muero en el acto.)


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## asm

This is an article in a Mexican newspaper; although it contains some opinions I do not support, it is a worthwile point of view.

http://www2.eluniversal.com.mx/pls/impreso/web_editoriales_new.detalle?var=30794





			
				Everness said:
			
		

> More information for those who are following Katrina from abroad. This was published today by a major US newspaper.
> 
> http://www.boston.com/news/weather/articles/2005/09/06/thousands_assess_damage_10000_urged_to_leave_city?mode=PF
> 
> _In addition, Senate committees are prepared to launch a series of oversight hearings into the federal response to the storm as well as gas prices nationwide._
> 
> _''We're going to take a hard, hard look at our disaster response," said Frist, Republican of Tennessee,_
> 
> TRANSLATION: "We are going to do what we did in response to 9/11. We are going to set up an "independent" commission made up by Democrats and Republicans (by the way, the two parties that share absolute responsibility for these 2 fiascos). The Commission will then write a 900-page document that will state the obvious but it will be written in such a way that nobody will go to jail, nobody will quit, and nobody will be fired." (Hopefully this time some politician will commit suicide like the 2 poor cops in New Orleans but you need to pray stronger for this type of outcome.)
> 
> 
> _Frist returned to Washington yesterday after two days volunteering his medical services in Louisiana. ''We are here to work. We've got our sleeves rolled up, and we are ready to address it aggressively."_
> 
> COMMENT: Mr. Frist, it's wonderful that you travelled south to help folks hurt by Katrina. I'm also sure that you had your aides take a lot of pictures of your work, and that sooner than later we'll all be admiring them on TV or in a newspaper. But if you and your buddies had done the job you were elected for, all of this extra work would have been unnecessary and you could have spent this long weekend with your family.
> 
> _GOP leaders had come under fire in recent days for not announcing plans to address the hurricane immediately. Democrats pointed out that, until Frist's announcement yesterday, the first major item on the Senate agenda this week was a permanent repeal of the estate tax -- a tax that applies only to the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans._
> 
> COMMENT: The richest folks in America are going to be pissed and rightly so. Due to a hurricane that mostly affected poor black people, they will have to wait for the estate tax to be repealed. Yes, life is unfair...
> 
> (Estoy tan envenenado que si me muerdo la lengua, me muero en el acto.)


----------



## VenusEnvy

I don't like to participate in politically charged threads, but I'm going to stick my neck out here to comment . . . (a.k.a. Everness, please don't hurt me!)


Everyone seems to be more concerned with the level of federal involvement in Hurricane Katrina. As far as I know, problems that occur in the states within the U.S.A. are to be handled locally. When 9/11 occured*, the Major of NYC became publicly known very quickly. I don't even know what the Mayor of New Orleans looks like! I'm not saying that the Hurricane didn't affect people across our nation, but is the hurricane really an issue for our federal government to fix? I was under the impression that local/state problems should be addressed at the local/state level. I think we should be asking, "What did New Orleans do to prevent this problem?" instead of, "What did Bush do to prevent this problem?" 

I was told that when problems occur at the local/state level, the federal government isn't to step in unless asked for aid from the state. I heard that the reason, perhaps, that the federal government wasn't too quick to act on things was because the states weren't too quick to ask for help.
This is, once again, only something that I've heard.

* I am not saying that 9/11 was a local problem. It was an attack that sparked global involvement in the fight against terrorism. But, as NY was the state that was attacked, Mayor Giuliani really took great strides to inform the national public of his efforts. I'm just not seeing this from New Orleans' Mayor . . . . Once again, though, this could all be a product of what is shown to me by the media...


----------



## Everness

Bueno, mi última queja del día. Ya parezco un loco hablando solo. Más declaraciones de mi presi preferido.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-09-06-katrina-wash_x.htm

_"What I intend to do is lead an investigation to find out what went right and what went wrong," Bush said._ 
Oh, that's easy, Mr. Presi. You don't need to spend our tax dollars on an investigation. Answer: Nothing went right and everything went wrong.  

"We still live in an unsettled world."
No shit!

_We want to make sure we can respond properly if there is a WMD (weapons of mass destruction) attack or another major storm." _ 
So how many more 9/11s and Katrinas you think need to happen and be investigated in order to start responding properly, Mr. President?


----------



## Everness

asm said:
			
		

> This is an article in a Mexican newspaper; although it contains some opinions I do not support, it is a worthwile point of view.
> 
> http://www2.eluniversal.com.mx/pls/impreso/web_editoriales_new.detalle?var=30794



Ay hermano, gracias por el artículo, pero si este es profesor, ¿!cómo serán los alumnos?!  Seriously, what's his point? The guy is, at best, rambling. ¿Tú qué rescatas?


----------



## Everness

VenusEnvy said:
			
		

> I don't like to participate in politically charged threads, but I'm going to stick my neck out here to comment . . .



Hola Venus, this is political issue because it has to do with a series of polis (cities) that have been obliterated or almost obliterated. 

I agree with you. Local AND state AND federal officials are responsible for this mess. 

What local officials are doing is blaming state and federal officials, and state officials are blaming local and federal officials and federal officials are blaming city and state officials. 

This is the game they are playing and these are the rules. They are throwing shit at each other. The person at the receiving end picks it up and throws it to someone else, etc. etc. The winner is the person who ends with the least amount of shit on his face or body. Prize: he/she get reelected. (Well, I shouldn't be so critical. At least they are in the business of recycling.)


----------



## Noel Acevedo

The first 4-5 paragraphs are basically a summary of how the city developed in an essentially floodable area, with massive dikes, levees and pumping system, certified to keep the city safe.  The next patragraphs merely detailed that those that left were the privileged few, and those remaining  were the ones affecter by the disaster: the downtrodden, the poor, the african-american, as a direct result of a government that has lost its baring and is nothing more than a plutocracy.  And that if anything, the world, at least the 1st world waits and hopes that some good will come out of this natural but man made compounded disaster an "aftermath with a process of social and economic change as a result of katrina".  

That one was from México, but much closer to home in PR (www.endi.com Tercermundismo en el seno de EE UU,5 sept. '05), was one even more daming.  Essentially that the US has 37 million people living below poverty level (according to the US Census Bureau).  That's like having a third world contry within the borders of the US, a country with a larger population than each Central American country, at least 18 European countries, all South American ones, with the exception of Colombia and Brazil and all of Africa, with the exception of Egypt, Ethiopia and Zaire.

The social tragedy bestowed by that Hurricane is as great or greater than the physical and economic loss, as it uncovers a "darker side" that has been hidden for decades and only now surfaces. 

That is the thrust of the article from that "profesor de México" and from many others as well, many who have lived in awe of the US, and now see her as she is, made out of flesh and bones, terrible inconsistencies.

Noel


----------



## astronauta

Noel Acevedo said:
			
		

> Essentially that the US has 37 million people living below poverty level (according to the US Census Bureau). That's like having a third world contry within the borders of the US, a country with a larger population than each Central American country, at least 18 European countries, all South American ones, with the exception of Colombia and Brazil and all of Africa, with the exception of Egypt, Ethiopia and Zaire.
> 
> The social tragedy bestowed by that Hurricane is as great or greater than the physical and economic loss, as it uncovers a "darker side" that has been hidden for decades and only now surfaces.


What a dirty little secret; entirely different to what is sold outside...
And by what I have seen in telly, mostly Afro-american.

I just wanted to point out that the arrogance in which Bush said that "we don't need help, we have the resources to take care of everything" is most appalling once linked to every-day images.


----------



## cuchuflete

Noel Acevedo said:
			
		

> The next patragraphs merely detailed that* those that left were the privileged few*,



Noel,   
I agree with most of your post, but the lines above are utter nonsense. As of Monday and Tuesday, it seems that about 50-100k of the population of 480k remained in the city. In all liklihood they included the poorest, but to call the hundreds of thousands who evacuated "the privileged few" is a gross distortion worthy of a statement by a bush spokesman.

One doesn't need lies and distortions to win this argument.  To the contrary, the plain truth is quite effective.


----------



## cuchuflete

I still believe that the ineptitude and cynicism of the federal government was mostly at fault, closely followed by city and state officials. But now I've read the article by Pablo Marentes González. He did not say what Noel Acevedo says he said, in the paraphrase in post #43.

Read it yourselves and judge. 





> En la tarde las autoridades admitieron que la carretera federal 10 estaba bloqueada por los autos, las casas móviles y los enormes "vehículos todo terreno" de las familias de altos ingresos.



If you believe that only the 'privileged few' owned all the "autos", that the 'casas móviles' were just vacation homes, and that some 80% of the city's population constitute 'the privileged few', then all is well for the anti-bush gods.

And even Mr. Marentes González was not above a substantial stretch of the facts, in claiming that ownership of an SUV makes one a member of a high income family.

Come on guys...there's enough real cause to criticize the admistration and social ills of this country without resorting to invention and distortion of the kind used by the real bad guys. 

When one round of dishonesty begets another, how are people supposed to know what's really worth reading and listening to? Perhaps this is yet another example of why so many people don't bother to vote.


----------



## asm

I hadn;t thought this way, compared to the CIA website, a country with 37 M should be number 35, just between Poland and Tanzania. This list has the whole world and the EU, so USA should be # 33. 
However, this is not a "scientific" comparison; the ratio is more significant and that should be close to 13%.
Poverty, Ruby Payne says, is relative and it is difficult to compare this condition here in America with other third world countries.

I could not find the article you mention (tercermundismo ..)




			
				Noel Acevedo said:
			
		

> (www.endi.com Tercermundismo en el seno de EE UU,5 sept. '05), was one even more daming. Essentially that the US has 37 million people living below poverty level (according to the US Census Bureau). That's like having a third world contry within the borders of the US, a country with a larger population than each Central American country, at least 18 European countries, all South American ones, with the exception of Colombia and Brazil and all of Africa, with the exception of Egypt, Ethiopia and Zaire.
> 
> Noel


----------



## cuchuflete

asm said:
			
		

> Poverty, Ruby Payne says, is relative and it is difficult to compare this condition here in America with other third world countries.
> 
> I could not find the article you mention (tercermundismo ..)



Hola ASM...good point. Those below the poverty line in the US have much more, in the way of material goods, than those in some other places. Still, there is real poverty here, and it's widespread.

You could not find the article because the link takes you to today's edition.
The article cited was from yesterday.  For about $12 USD you could subscribe, and have access to their archive....


----------



## Everness

asm said:
			
		

> This is an article in a Mexican newspaper; although it contains some opinions I do not support, it is a worthwile point of view.
> 
> http://www2.eluniversal.com.mx/pls/impreso/web_editoriales_new.detalle?var=30794



I reread the article. I'm sorry but I still can't find anything redeemable in it. 

The author uses the title of his article "Flood" as a metaphor to put forward his forecast of deep social and economic changes in the US triggered by Katrina. (My hunch is that he is a closeted Marxist.) 

What I found plain silly about this article is that the author lashes out at everyone and everything in America.  He first attacks local officials who allegedly sold their souls to developers, ultimate responsibles for what happened in New Orleans. He then depicts city and federal politicians as corrupt. But his laundry list doesn't end there. He adds officials, legislators, and federal and local judges. He then proceeds to attack the US government and characterizes it as a philanthropic ogre. Well, at least he must have something good to say about us, ordinary Americans, right? Wrong! He says that the entire US population is immature. That we don't know how to put on hold our needs and that we demand they be met immediately. Ah, we have also become a nation of spoiled brats and crybabies. Wait, he ain't finished yet: Social solidarity is non-existent! We only act with solidarity and altruism under police pressure or in front of TV cameras. Otherwise, we are a bunch of egotists who don't give a damn about other people. 

I have a good number of white liberal friends who love to be flogged and would therefore love this article. I still think it's just a crock.


----------



## cuchuflete

Maybe bashing anything and everything about the US sells well in México.  I cannot remember ever reading anything good about México in the US press, except in the travel sections of the NY Times!  At least that journal finds lots to praise about Mexican culture, but the nice sentiments have not spilled over to the news pages.


----------



## Everness

Some comments on today's news.

http://www.boston.com/news/weather/articles/2005/09/07/disease_fear_rises_in_new_orleans?mode=PF

_Mayor C. Ray Nagin, after viewing his battered city from the air, said 60 percent of its terrain remained flooded, down from 80 percent in the immediate aftermath of the killer storm. Beneath the water, he said, lay a nightmarish soup of bodies, mosquitoes, fuel, and contaminants._

Pardon my ignorance Ray and all of you, but I always thought that mosquitoes were airborne insects.  

_Blanco said those who had stayed behind may have criminal records and fear incarceration, or may have mental health problems exacerbated by the destruction._

I never liked the multiple-choice format, especially when you only have 2 options. According to Louisiana’s governor, those who stay behind are either criminals or loonies. C'mon governor, I'm sure you can come up with some less negative categories, right? 

_''We're going to coax them out," she said. ''We're bringing in chaplains to talk to them."_
This is how religion gets a bad reputation. If you can’t convince people using common sense just use their faith to manipulate them. I have an idea. Why don’t the chaplains tell people that if they don’t leave God will send them a flood? I’m sure that would do the trick.  


*Moderator intervention:  please re-read the WR rules.  Here's a copy of the pertinent one,  *


> No web pages or copyrighted or plagiarized content may be inserted into WordReference posts. Minor fair use excerpts from dictionaries such as a definition/translation or two is permitted. Other quotes of less than one paragraph (4 sentences) are permitted as well. All other forms of inserted content from press releases, newsletters, web pages, or any other copyrighted content placed into messages will be removed without exception. A link to the content is acceptable and appropriate.


* If you wish to quote more extensively, please paraphrase instead, or use multiple posts.  Your commentaries are welcome, but we must deal with the realities of copyright law. All deleted quotations are visible in the link posted above.   *
_....._
Hey Brady, so you are going to use food to lure them out, right? You are talking about stray pets left behind, right?  

_.....
_ 
Embed? Don’t get me wrong but can’t we put sex on hold for a while?  
....

Lifetimes? I think Bobby needs a refresher for addition skills.  

_...._
Well, either kids had sex prematurely or Fleming believes that no children have died.
_...._
The cover-up operation has officially started. I’m sure that governor Blanco has too many skeletons in her closet. 
_...._
I hope he's right. But let's not forget that these are the same guys who said almost 5 years ago they would catch Osama Bin Laden.


----------



## gotitadeleche

> Pardon my ignorance Ray and all of you, but I always thought that mosquitoes were airborne insects.



But they breed and lay eggs in stagnant water. The larva live in the water until they become adults and fly.


----------



## Noel Acevedo

Everness:

Mosquitos have a life cycle in 4 stages: egg, larvae, pupa and adult.  The first three are in stagnant or slow moving water; and they are carriers of some pretty bad stuff.  So mayor Nagin isn't off the mark.

Noel


----------



## Noel Acevedo

Everness,

Oh and something else.  Having the National Guard embeded (or in bed) with the N. Orleans Police can't be that bad; look how well it worked for the "coalition" forces in Iraq; the inbeded press only saw, heard and reported what they were told...  And boy were there a lot of suckers sucking it all up...

Noel


----------



## Everness

This is what former first lady Barbara Bush said yesterday on National Public Radio the other day.

''What I'm hearing is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, this, this is working very well for them."

I think it runs in the family...


http://www.boston.com/news/weather/articles/2005/09/07/bush_vows_probe_of_what_went_wrong?mode=PF


----------



## Everness

Noel Acevedo said:
			
		

> Everness,
> 
> Oh and something else.  Having the National Guard embeded (or in bed) with the N. Orleans Police can't be that bad; look how well it worked for the "coalition" forces in Iraq; the inbeded press only saw, heard and reported what they were told...  And boy were there a lot of suckers sucking it all up...
> 
> Noel



Tienes razón. Ese maridaje de conveniencia bastardeó la cobertura periodística de la guerra en Iraq y la tornó en pura propaganda tendenciosa. Todavía los medios de comunicación (y pocos se salvan) nos deben una disculpa que, por supuesto, nunca llegará. ¡Mamita! ¡Qué manera de chuparnos los dedos!


----------



## Everness

Noel Acevedo said:
			
		

> Everness:
> 
> Mosquitos have a life cycle in 4 stages: egg, larvae, pupa and adult.  The first three are in stagnant or slow moving water; and they are carriers of some pretty bad stuff.  So mayor Nagin isn't off the mark.
> 
> Noel



Ok, pero a mí el mosquito que me interesa es el que vuela y el que te pica. Mayor Nagin is a cool dude and he has my utmost respect.


----------



## cuchuflete

She proved the genetic theory:  stupidity is hereditary,  one gets it from one's offspring.




			
				Everness said:
			
		

> This is what former first lady Barbara Bush said yesterday on National Public Radio the other day.
> 
> ''What I'm hearing is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, this, this is working very well for them."
> 
> I think it runs in the family...
> 
> 
> http://www.boston.com/news/weather/articles/2005/09/07/bush_vows_probe_of_what_went_wrong?mode=PF


----------



## Everness

More on mother and son. 

http://www.unconfirmedsources.com/index.php?itemid=1170

I loved the final paragraph of the article:

_By finding that no one was at fault, he's (Bush) allowed the American People to shift their focus from a bunch of impoverished Black people back to the real problems facing America..._

And which are thre real problems facing America? 

_...gutting Social Security, packing the Supreme Court and continuing to de-populate Iraq.'_


----------



## Phryne

Everness said:
			
		

> Ok, pero a mí el mosquito que me interesa es el que vuela y el que te pica. Mayor Nagin is a cool dude and he has my utmost respect.


 Everness,

Noel lo explicó muy bien:


			
				Noel Acevedo said:
			
		

> and they are carriers of some pretty bad stuff.


" Mosquito bites can transmit diseases, such as malaria and West Nile Virus, so authorities in many areas take measures to reduce mosquito populations through pesticides or more organic means." from wikipedia.

saludos


----------



## Everness

Here's a "A Glossary of US Political Terms" that will hopefully help people from other countries understand the American political discourse related to Katrina. It can be kind of confusing. 

http://www.boston.com/news/weather/...asks_for_518b_more_in_aid_for_victims?mode=PF

_The two top Republican lawmakers on Capitol Hill announced that they will form a bipartisan task force from both legislative chambers to examine the government's relief efforts. The move came as Democrats continued to sharpen their criticism of Bush's response to the tragedy._
*Bipartisan task force:* It means that when there’s a major screw-up (e.g.: 9/11 or Katrina) Democrats and Republicans get together behind doors and come up with a well choreographed plan that will ensure that no one suffers politically and/or goes to jail.


----------



## GenJen54

> Originally posted by *Everness*
> More on mother and son.
> 
> http://www.unconfirmedsources.com/index.php?itemid=1170


For the sake of those who may not read to the bottom of each "Unconfirmed Sources" page, may I remind everyone that these news articles are political satire written for comedic purposes. While amusing, the site should *not* be looked upon as a credible news source.


----------



## Everness

GenJen54 said:
			
		

> For the sake of those who may not read to the bottom of each "Unconfirmed Sources" page, may I remind everyone that these news articles are political satire written for comedic purposes. While amusing, the site should *not* be looked upon as a credible news source.



True. Just listen to and trust what the government says.


----------



## cuchuflete

Both of you make good points.  Everness quotes *satire* while the government *parodies* government.


----------



## cuchuflete

Phryne said:
			
		

> authorities in many areas take measures to reduce mosquito populations through pesticides or more organic means."



I have hundreds of bats in my attic, and perhaps in my belfry.  Do these qualify as "more organic means"?  I'm willing to lend them to the cleanup efffort. Bush can keep the guano for use in press releases.


----------



## Nocciolina

Without a doubt what happened in the US is tragic and I think the support that everyone showing is great. The world is pulling together and donations are help are being sent to the US. Even Castro offered to send doctors and supplies. As nice as it is to see this demonstration of humanity I can't help but be skeptical. Why is the world in such a rush to send money and aid to save the richest nation in the world? Shouldn't these funds be coming from the US government? I work in disaster management, working mainly with Caribbean States and South America. The Caribbean is slammed by hurricanes and storm surges every year. Every year people die, every year lives and destroyed and yet they rarely make the international news. Last year 90% of Grenada was destroyed by a hurricane, I was there two months ago and they are still trying to clean up the mess while at the same time preparing for the peak of hurricane season. 60% of housing is still without rooves. These poor states in the caribbean rely on donations for richer western countries, and Japan to survive these hurricanes and now the donations that they were dependant have been taken away and given to the super wealthy states. Why is this? Well, I think a lot of it is to do with politics and the media. Natural disasters occuring in the Caribbean are rarely reported on such an international scale. Hurricane Jeanne hit Haiti last year and killed close to 3500 and didn"t get a similar response. I am not disputing that those afflicted do not need help it is just frustrating that the government has the means to respond but is not and as a result this has negative implications for poorer countries.


----------



## GenJen54

> Originally posted by *Nocciolina*
> Why is the world in such a rush to send money and aid to save the richest nation in the world? Shouldn't these funds be coming from the US government?


 
Is *$60 billion* not enough? We'll have to see. The Administration originally pledged $10 billion, and are considering another pledge of $50+ billion, which will most likely pass in congress today. I don't know about you, but I consider that to be quite a bit.

This is first-response government-aid only, and _does not include_ the housing allowances, unemployment allowances or other monies that will be distributed directly to Katrina's victims. It also _does not include_ the private donations made by US corporations and individuals to the Red Cross, Salvation Army and other relief organizations, which once tallied, will also be in the hundreds of millions. 

We may be the "richest nation," but sometimes even the biggest kid on the block needs a helping hand every now and again. It's important to remember, as well, that most of Katrina's victims were among the poorest in the country. 

The US has been very careful about receiving aid, and I think that in many instances, until recently, it has declined aid from other countries, deeming it wants to stand on its own two feet. (The manner in which we declined is another matter altogether).

You might wish to review this thread here which makes specific references to the US refusal of aid. 

Military, medical and volunteer assistance is pouring into the afflicted areas from every state in the country. Some of this is government sanctioned, some is not. Some groups are going down specifically to help out the pets who were left behind and are in need of care. 

We are now receiving s_ome_ aid from neighboring countries by means of military and personnel support. Overall, however, I think we have turned down more international aid than we've been willing to accept. 



> I am not disputing that those afflicted do not need help it is just frustrating that the government has the means to respond but is not and as a result this has negative implications for poorer countries.


 
Like others, I have been openly critical of my own government's response to this tragedy. I don't argue that other countries shouldn't get attention, they should. However, whenever a disaster occurs in other countries, the US is usually among the first to respond.

The US has never encountered the kind of disaster that Katrina wrought. Government estimates yesterday cited that approximatley 450,000 jobs were lost. The number of persons who have been rendered homeless has yet to be determined, as is the number of deaths. 

Some of the larger issues, however, are how Katrina will affect the global economy as a whole. Energy and transportation prices notwithstanding, the prices of other commodities will be sharply affected because of the loss of the major shipping port in New Orleans. 

Coffee prices in the US are projected to rise approximately 30%. Prices on bananas and other produce imported by the US will also rise. The US provides one-quarter of the world's grain products. Approximately one-half of that travels down the Mississippi river and into the gulf via the Port of New Orleans before being exported to other countries. 

The export of other agricultural and consumer goods will also be affected. We are just starting to see the ripple effects of this storm, and it will most likely be years before the entire bill can be tallied.


----------



## Everness

_The former head of the International Arabian Horse Association, Brown had no background in disaster relief when Joe Allbaugh a longtime friend who was FEMA director at the time, hired him to serve as the agency's general counsel in 2001._

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/09/08/anger_directed_at_fema_leader?mode=PF

Not only he had no background in disaster relief, not only someone thought Brownie was qualified for the job because he was the former head of an international horse association, but of all the international horse associations he happened to be head of the *Arabian * one. This isn't bullsh*t; it's real horsesh*t! 

This only could happen in America!


----------



## cuchuflete

Everness said:
			
		

> This only could happen in America!


 Utter nonsense, my good fellow.
Cronyism and nepotism and incompetence in government are well known throughout the world, _as we know it.
_
Time to stop bragging, and acknowledge our cultural debts to other nations.


----------



## cuchuflete

The BBC reports today, yet another cynical diversion of attention from cynical failure:


> US President George W Bush has declared Friday 16 September a national day of prayer and remembrance for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.


Does this include those who died due to failure to help in time?


----------



## GenJen54

> Originally posted by *cuchuflete*
> Does this include those who died due to failure to help in time?



Or the ones who are still caught in the waters.  Just today, rescuers going house-to-house pulled out a woman who had been stuck in a stairwell for ten days.  She had been standing in chest deep water the entire time, and has even had to drink the water for survival.


----------



## cuchuflete

Let's see if we have the sequence right:

1. Hurricane
2. Fema responds ineptly, under the leadership of Mr. Brown

Mr. Brown was hired by former Fema director Mr. Allbaugh.
Where is Mr. Allbaugh now?

Working for...you will never guess!


Halliburton.  [KBR is owned by Halliburton]



> In March, the former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is tasked with responding to hurricane disasters, became a lobbyist for KBR. Joe Allbaugh was director of FEMA during the first two years of the Bush administration.



Almost immediately after the hurricane hit, guess what happened?  Halliburton got a repair job.



> WASHINGTON, Sept. 1 (HalliburtonWatch.org) -- The US Navy asked Halliburton to repair naval facilities damaged by Hurricane Katrina, the Houston Chronicle reported today. The work was assigned to Halliburton's KBR subsidiary under the Navy's $500 million CONCAP contract awarded to KBR in 2001 and renewed in 2004. The repairs will take place in Louisiana and Mississippi.


----------



## Everness

Leaders of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim organizations prayed ogether for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. They met at Trinity Church in Boston. Only 300 people attended. 

Although one shouldn't be analyzing or criticizing prayers, I definitely liked the one Rev. Ray Hammond of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church offered:

_Forgive us, Lord, for slowness in responding to the needs of our brothers and sisters because they looked different, and talked different._  

He concluded asking God to help us _face the hard questions about race, class, and poverty and be unafraid to ask why thousands had to die before we finally saw those who lived for decades in grinding poverty._

I think America isn't ready to lift this type of prayer. Why? Because we are afraid God could answer it...


----------



## GenJen54

> Originally posted by *Everness*
> This isn't bullsh*t; it's real horsesh*t!


But, he was an "intern" for a city manager's office in a town with a population of 70,000?  Is that not qualification enough?

Apparently Brown's not alone in his ineptitude.

Vice President Cheney also defended FEMA leaders, saying, "We're always trying to strike the right balance" between political appointees and "career professionals that fill the jobs underneath them."

Hmmmm.....let me get this straight.  "Political appointees" _don't have to be qualified_ so long as their underlings _are_.  Wow.  That's a concept.


----------



## modgirl

Everness said:
			
		

> This only could happen in America!


 
You really need to get out and see more of the world to experience how it functions!   Perhaps then, your loathing of the US might wane.


----------



## Papalote

Hello,

Could someone explain to me, and I am not being fascetious, how the following can happen? (the bolded text). I would`ve thought that there are other ports around the area that could take over. And why specifically coffee and bananas? Was there another hurricane or natural disaster in Colombia or Costa Rica we didn`t hear about? It looks to me like just another instance in which big business is trying to take advantage of public gullibility.

_Some of the larger issues, however, are how Katrina will affect the global economy as a whole. Energy and transportation prices notwithstanding, the prices of other commodities will be sharply affected *because of the loss of the major shipping port in New Orleans.Coffee prices in the US are projected to rise approximately 30%. Prices on bananas and other produce imported by the US will also rise. * The US provides one-quarter of the world's grain products. Approximately one-half of that travels down the Mississippi river and into the gulf via the Port of New Orleans before being exported to other countries. _ (as posted by GenJen54)

One more thing, this referring to Cuchuflete's comment _(Cronyism and nepotism and incompetence in government are well known throughout the world, as we know it.

Time to stop bragging, *and acknowledge our cultural debts to other nations*._)

I sincerely hope this was said tongue-in-cheek!

Well, keep upt with this interesting thread. There`s nothing like democracy!

Cheers,

P


----------



## Everness

modgirl said:
			
		

> You really need to get out and see more of the world to experience how it functions!   Perhaps then, your loathing of the US might wane.



My loathing of the US? So how would you qualify the article that asm posted? 



			
				asm said:
			
		

> This is an article in a Mexican newspaper; although it contains some opinions I do not support, it is a worthwile point of view.
> 
> http://www2.eluniversal.com.mx/pls/impreso/web_editoriales_new.detalle?var=30794



This was my response to this incoherent loathing of the US. Please read the original article in Spanish. Just in case you are not familiar with the heavenly tongue, I included a summary and my unbiased review.



			
				Everness said:
			
		

> I reread the article. I'm sorry but I still can't find anything redeemable in it.
> 
> The author uses the title of his article "Flood" as a metaphor to put forward his forecast of deep social and economic changes in the US triggered by Katrina. (My hunch is that he is a closeted Marxist.)
> 
> What I found plain silly about this article is that the author lashes out at everyone and everything in America.  He first attacks local officials who allegedly sold their souls to developers, ultimate responsibles for what happened in New Orleans. He then depicts city and federal politicians as corrupt. But his laundry list doesn't end there. He adds officials, legislators, and federal and local judges. He then proceeds to attack the US government and characterizes it as a philanthropic ogre. Well, at least he must have something good to say about us, ordinary Americans, right? Wrong! He says that the entire US population is immature. That we don't know how to put on hold our needs and that we demand they be met immediately. Ah, we have also become a nation of spoiled brats and crybabies. Wait, he ain't finished yet: Social solidarity is non-existent! We only act with solidarity and altruism under police pressure or in front of TV cameras. Otherwise, we are a bunch of egotists who don't give a damn about other people.
> 
> I have a good number of white liberal friends who love to be flogged and would therefore love this article. I still think it's just a crock.



And you know what? I was the only one who condemned this hysterical anti-American diatribe by a so-called Mexican college professor.


----------



## Everness

GenJen54 said:
			
		

> But, he was an "intern" for a city manager's office in a town with a population of 70,000?  Is that not qualification enough?
> 
> Apparently Brown's not alone in his ineptitude.
> 
> Vice President Cheney also defended FEMA leaders, saying, "We're always trying to strike the right balance" between political appointees and "career professionals that fill the jobs underneath them."
> 
> Hmmmm.....let me get this straight.  "Political appointees" _don't have to be qualified_ so long as their underlings _are_.  Wow.  That's a concept.



Thank you for the new information. However, the more you learn about the qualification of these guys, the more depressing it gets. I thought that the almost 3000 people who died on 9/11 hadn't died in vain and that we had learned important lessons about how to deal with and be prepared for manmade or natural disasters.

At least it's comforting to know that things like these happen in other countries.


----------



## cuchuflete

Papalote wrote:


> One more thing, this referring to Cuchuflete's comment (Cronyism and nepotism and incompetence in government are well known throughout the world, as we know it.
> 
> Time to stop bragging, and acknowledge our cultural debts to other nations.)
> 
> I sincerely hope this was said tongue-in-cheek!


 Let me reassure you that it was a little sarcastic, and intended to annoy those who think that all things US are superior. If it bothered anyone else, that's likely because they don't want to confess that their own country suffers these universal ills. Pride can be hurt when it bumps into reality, regardless of which passport one carries.

Everness...I too had unkind words for the pseudo prof. I differ with you in that I found a few true statements mixed in with his fiction and distortions. 

I'm really appalled by the absence of the "America, Love it or Leave it" crowd in this thread. Our diversity rating will plummet for the lack of bushies rushing in to defend the Brown/Bush axis.


----------



## Everness

More on Brownie: 

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1126286105472_12/?hub=TopStories

_He spent nine years as commissioner of the International Arabian Horse Association. There are conflicting stories about his stint there, but some reports say Brown was fired after an acrimonious relationship with judges and stewards. _ 

That's a relief! At least he wasn't fired for beating the living sh*t out of the poor equines...


----------



## GenJen54

> More on Brownie


Looks like he has been "sh**ed," oops, I mean, "shifted" from his position. Let the shift fall where it may!

*Quote from Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff*:
_"FEMA has the responsibility not only to participate in this recovery effort, it's got a lot of other responsibilities. We've got tropical storms and hurricanes brewing in the ocean," Chertoff said._

I didn't know FEMA changed its monniker to the "Federal *Equine* Management Association."  I hope Brown's experience handling the Katrina disaster will come in handy when Ophelia pounds the East Coast!


----------



## Everness

GenJen54 said:
			
		

> Have you seen that he has been "sh**ed," oops, I mean, "shifted" from his position. Let the shift fall where it may!



You'll love this one then:

_But Randel Shadid, former mayor of Edmond, told AP on Friday that Brown had been an assistant to the city manager, not assistant city manager._

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1126286105472_12/?hub=TopStories

Let's hope they stop this investigation right now on Brownie's resume. Otherwise we'll find out the truth: he was assistant to the assistant of the city manager's assistant.


----------



## GenJen54

But, wait! It get's better. Here's an article from the Edmond Sun, where Brown is from.  Please keep in mind Edmond is a suburb of a much larger community and has a current population of approx. 70,000. At the time Brown "served" in whichever capacity he claims (apparently there were several), Edmond was probably a town of about 30,000 people - or less.


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## Everness

Good news for the president... finally!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/09/AR2005090901135.html

_The deployment of thousands of National Guard troops from Mississippi and Louisiana in Iraq when Hurricane Katrina struck hindered those states' initial storm response, military and civilian officials said Friday._


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## Jonegy

A 1-Act piece of  "fiction" composed by a devout cynic.

SCENARIO : A meeting (in camara) of highly placed policians and influential businessmen.  The conversation proceeds as follows.......

"Well  -  looks like we're gonna get it"

"S**t  -  we've knew that was coming - just a matter of seeing how strong it was going to be"

"But what are we going to do about it  -  we already know them defences ai'n't gonna hold "

"Don't panic !!  We've already got some 'Ollie Norths' lined up to take the rap"

"But what about the clean-up"

"Hell man - that's already in place  -  just a matter of finishing off the demolition work ready for the Developers to move in - then we really clean up"

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Can't help wondering how much of this could be true  -  only time will tell.


----------



## GenJen54

_Originally posted by *Jonegy*_

_I hope you don't mind the minor edit: _

"But what about the clean-up?"

"Hell man - that's already in place - just a matter of finishing off the demolition work ready for Developers *Halliburton* to move in - then we really clean up."


----------



## Jonegy

GenJen54 said:
			
		

> _Originally posted by *Jonegy*_
> 
> _I hope you don't mind the minor edit: _
> 
> "But what about the clean-up?"
> 
> "Hell man - that's already in place - just a matter of finishing off the demolition work ready for the Developers *Halliburton* to move in - then we really clean up."


[/QUOTE]

Aaaaaawwwwwww !!  GenJen !!!   You saw through my ruse  -  and I did try sooooo hard to subtly avoid names and actual incedents


----------



## Everness

For those Americans, non-Americans, and un-Americans who love to take a peek at life in the US, here's a good short story about the evacuees who were flown to Massachusetts.

http://www.boston.com/news/weather/articles/2005/09/09/evacuees_arrive_on_cape?mode=PF

_While still on the plane, the evacuees were screened by police, after air marshals who had flown with the evacuees radioed ahead to say they suspected some of the travelers might be gang members carrying weapons. No weapons were found, the governor's office said._

Please notice the following.

First, it doesn't mention the race or age of those suspected of unlawful behavior. But if there are cops aboard any means of transportation (bus, train, plane), it's not very difficult to infer it: black male adolescents. Another safe assumption that one can make is that the air marshalls were white.

Second assumption: if you are black, and especially if you're an adolescent black male, most white people assume that you are gang-involved, especially if you are too vociferous and bombastic. And I assume that the kids were horsing around making people feel nervous. 

Third assumption: if you are black, adolescent, and male and the cops stop you in the street or on a plane, you are considered guilty until proven innocent. In this case, they found no weapons. But I'm sure they never get an apology from anyone. This last one is the safest assumption of all...


----------



## Jonegy

Everness said:
			
		

> _While still on the plane, the evacuees were screened by police, after air marshals who had flown with the evacuees radioed ahead to say they suspected some of the travelers might be gang members carrying weapons. No weapons were found, the governor's office said._
> 
> QUOTE]
> 
> Yee Gods!!  Everness.  Does this mean that in all this time since "9/11" people still get onto aircraft without going through  X-Ray/ Metal Detector Gates ????
> 
> Please pass on the following  message to the person concerned  -  HEY "DUBYA" !!!  -  HOW  MANY  F*****G  LESSONS  DO  YOU  NEED !!!


----------



## Everness

Jonegy said:
			
		

> Yee Gods!!  Everness.  Does this mean that in all this time since "9/11" people still get onto aircraft without going through  X-Ray/ Metal Detector Gates ????
> 
> Please pass on the following  message to the person concerned  -  HEY "DUBYA" !!!  -  HOW  MANY  F*****G  LESSONS  DO  YOU  NEED !!!



You make a good point. 

Once the officials at the airport had realized that most people about to board the plane were black, 1) they would have made them go through the x-ray/metal detectors gates 3 times (or as many times as necessary until they found something suspicious), 2) next they would have stripped them down to their underwear and searched their private parts to find dope or weapons (in case they found nothing, they would have planted it), and 3) finally half of them would have stayed behind "just in case." 

Thank you for helping me to think clearly. Undoubtedly the Globe made up this story.


----------



## Everness

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/09/09/national/w150706D17.DTL

_As for his plans, Brown said, "I'm going to go home and walk my dog and hug my wife, and maybe get a good Mexican meal and a stiff margarita and a full night's sleep._

Get a stiff margarita? Come clean Brownie! You are going to get wasted and cuss out the SOB who offered you the job until you pass out...


----------



## Everness

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/09/10/katrina_death_toll_may_not_hit_10000?mode=PF

_Authorities said the first street-by-street sweep of this swamped city revealed far fewer corpses than originally feared... The mayor and others had predicted up to 10,000 deaths, but that number appeared less likely after Friday's count, said retired Marine Col. Terry Ebbert, the city's homeland security chief._

I just hope that reality proves the mayor wrong and less than 10,000 people died. I have to take my hat off to mayor Nagin. He pleaded for federal help to no avail. I'm sure that he soon realized that the only way people in Washington would get off their asses and send help was by making this projection of number of casualties. His plan worked, even if he guessimated or consciously made up the figure. Black people have learned to survive in the States! 

Mayor Nagin knew that if he said, "I think 400 or 500 people died," he would have gotten nothing. People in Washington would have said (to themselves of course): "What's the big deal. Maybe we'll all be better off with a couple of hundred niggers off this world. Let's wait a couple of extra days and maybe we are lucky and the figure raises an extra couple of hundred. If they lived on the low ground, they were poor and therefore criminals. Katrina is helping us in our ethnic cleansing crusade. The world has seen our poor who are black and who on top of that speak weird. These people don't reflect the real America."

Kudos to Mayor Nagin's ingenuity and his skills in playing the political system!


----------



## Everness

Did you hear about the debit card fiasco? 

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/us-fema0911,0,353161.story?coll=ny-top-headlines


Last Friday, FEMA announced that a $2,000 debit car was going to be issued to the most needy evacuees. This created a near-stampede by evacuees at the Houston Astrodome. 

Late Friday FEMA said that except for those who had received card in Texas, other evacuees would get the financial aid by direct deposit into bank accounts. 

Here we are making some interesting assumptions: 1) that all people have a bank account, 2) that their banks have branches outside New Orleans, and 3) that their banks in the flooded areas still exist and/or are operational.  

But listen to this. *They advised people to register for help on FEMA's Web site!  * 

Dialogue at undisclosed shelter filled with thousands of people:

Black dude 1: Hey bro... once you're done with your notebook, could you pass it along so I can connect to the FEMA website?

Black dude 2: No problem! I have this Pentium 4 notebook that works like a breeze. I'm also subscribed to the Verizon Wireless’ NationalAccess service so I can connect to the Internet from any location. By the way you also get Fourelle’s Venturi™ compression software, which can improve performance on both NationalAccess and Quick 2 Netsm circuit-switched connections for Internet browsing, e-mail downloads, and file transfers. But if you can't connect from here --there are too many brothers and sisters trying to log on to the internet right now from their laptops-- we can go to the Starbuck around the corner and browse the Internet from their in-store wireless hot spots while we sip a latte. 

Ah, FEMA also said that folks could phone a toll-free number. Well, people are saying that calls to the number continued to be answered by a recording followed by a an automatic hang-up.


----------



## lsp

Everness said:
			
		

> Did you hear about the debit card fiasco?
> 
> http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/us-fema0911,0,353161.story?coll=ny-top-headlines
> 
> 
> Last Friday, FEMA announced that a $2,000 debit car was going to be issued to the most needy evacuees. This created a near-stampede by evacuees at the Houston Astrodome.
> 
> Late Friday FEMA said that except for those who had received card in Texas, other evacuees would get the financial aid by direct deposit into bank accounts.
> 
> Here we are making some interesting assumptions: 1) that all people have a bank account, 2) that their banks have branches outside New Orleans, and 3) that their banks in the flooded areas still exist and/or are operational.
> 
> But listen to this. *They advised people to register for help on FEMA's Web site!  *
> 
> Dialogue at undisclosed shelter filled with thousands of people:
> 
> Black dude 1: Hey bro... once you're done with your notebook, could you pass it along so I can connect to the FEMA website?
> 
> Black dude 2: No problem! I have this Pentium 4 notebook that works like a breeze. I'm also subscribed to the Verizon Wireless’ NationalAccess service so I can connect to the Internet from any location. By the way you also get Fourelle’s Venturi™ compression software, which can improve performance on both NationalAccess and Quick 2 Netsm circuit-switched connections for Internet browsing, e-mail downloads, and file transfers. But if you can't connect from here --there are too many brothers and sisters trying to log on to the internet right now from their laptops-- we can go to the Starbuck around the corner and browse the Internet from their in-store wireless hot spots while we sip a latte.
> 
> Ah, FEMA also said that folks could phone a toll-free number. Well, people are saying that calls to the number continued to be answered by a recording followed by a an automatic hang-up.


Is it a matter of race or economics that these "black dudes" don't have Internet access in your play?


----------



## Everness

lsp said:
			
		

> Is it a matter of race or economics that these "black dudes" don't have Internet access in your play?



Neither. Maybe these folks had notebooks with wireless connectivity but they decided to leave them behind because it made more sense to save their lives when the water reached their neck level. 

But if you are black and poor and living in the Houston Astrodome and white folks see you carrying a Dell notebook, I'm sure they will assume you didn't buy it...


----------



## lsp

Everness said:
			
		

> Neither. Maybe these folks had notebooks with wireless connectivity but they decided to leave them behind because it made more sense to save their lives when the water reached their neck level.
> 
> But if you are black and poor and living in the Houston Astrodome and white folks see you carrying a Dell notebook, I'm sure they will assume you didn't buy it...


There are other people there, too. Every hurricane victim isn't black. We risk swinging the emphasis back so strongly in an effort to balance it that we become guilty of the same exclusionism. That was my point. If you make it all about race, YOU make it all about race.


----------



## Everness

lsp said:
			
		

> There are other people there, too. Every hurricane victim isn't black. We risk swinging the emphasis back so strongly in an effort to balance it that we become guilty of the same exclusionism. That was my point. If you make it all about race, YOU make it all about race.



Don't leave out class. It's about race and class. 

But even if all evacuees were white and relatively well-off, the purpose of my post was to show how incompetent FEMA's officials are. They are not putting themselves in the shoes of the evacuees who are piled up in a football stadium. 

FEMA officials: Please make things easier for folks who have already gone through hell. Before announcing plans, just make sure they make sense and they are feasible.


----------



## Everness

lsp said:
			
		

> There are other people there, too. Every hurricane victim isn't black. We risk swinging the emphasis back so strongly in an effort to balance it that we become guilty of the same exclusionism. That was my point. If you make it all about race, YOU make it all about race.



http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/03/AR2005090301548_pf.html

Just in case, I just want to restate that I completely agree with you. 

Althought there's a connection between race and class, Katrina has exposed America's class fault lines.

_The fact is, the most vulnerable victims of Katrina, though largely black, are also poor whites and Latinos. The poor are paying the highest price._


----------



## Everness

lsp said:
			
		

> There are other people there, too. Every hurricane victim isn't black. We risk swinging the emphasis back so strongly in an effort to balance it that we become guilty of the same exclusionism. That was my point. If you make it all about race, YOU make it all about race.



http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/03/AR2005090301548_pf.html

I also liked what Noel Ignatiev, author of "How the Irish Became White," had to say:

_"White is not a matter of color. White is a matter of a sense of entitlement, a sense they are or ought to be entitled to specially protected place in society," he says. "But there are plenty of white folks on the bottom rung of society, people for whom whiteness isn't doing much at all._

_Some may be awakening to the notion there's no use clinging to an identity that's doing them no good. If white folks start thinking of themselves as poor and dispossessed instead of privileged, it will change the way they act. We will see the beginnings of class conflict."_


----------



## Noel Acevedo

Everness said:
			
		

> Good news for the president... finally!
> 
> http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/09/AR2005090901135.html
> 
> _The deployment of thousands of National Guard troops from Mississippi and Louisiana in Iraq when Hurricane Katrina struck hindered those states' initial storm response, military and civilian officials said Friday._


Everness,
New Orleans is now truly safe, the Blackwater merc's have arrived...

Noel


----------



## Everness

Hail to the Spinner in Chief! 

_Bush also clarified his now-criticised remark that no one had anticipated the levees being breached. He said he was referring to that “sense of relaxation in a critical moment” when many people initially thought the storm had not inflicted heavy damage on the city._

http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=66578014&p=665783y6


----------



## Everness

More on Brownie:

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1509368/20050912/index.jhtml?headlines=true

_Saying he feared he was becoming a distraction to relief efforts, Brown submitted his resignation to President Bush on Monday morning..._

Distraction? Oh please Brownie don't be so self-critical! You were just getting in the way of trained professionals who really knew how to handle Katrina...

He also said he was resigning (sounds better than sacked) because it was in the _"best interest of the agency and the best interest of the president" _ (and please allow me to complete his thought) "... _and the best interest of the whole nation due to my fully proven incompetence."_

I'm sure that very soon Brownie will get a new job due to his ability to write resumes. Actually, he already started a new business! See this story


----------



## cuchuflete

and more yet:

 http://www.meteorologicalsociology.net/persistence=Ever..3458923
 



> Boston, _United Press Int'l. Sep. 13_...Strong, hot winds left over from the hurricane continued to swirl about the Northeast, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Seismologists reported fears that the ongoing blasts of superheated air might cause a breach in the already fluid continental shelf, disturbed by the 'Big Dig'. While relief workers tried to focus on concerted efforts to simultaneously confuse and relieve survivors, with a temporary flood of debit cards, Congress aborted that program and appointed Jack Evenness to head a commission looking into the pipeline between FEMA and Halliburton. Recently resigned FEMA head Brown was quoted as saying, on his way to his new office at Halliburton, "No comment. I don't know Jack."


----------



## Everness

As stated above, Brownie submitted his resignation to President Bush yesterday saying it was in the "best interest of the agency and the best interest of the president." 

I think his words had a prophetic ring. Look what happened that same day in New Orleans. 

_As President Bush's military convoy treaded through floodwaters in this city, rolling past collapsed buildings and eerily deserted streets, his open-air truck headed straight for a dangling power line. *Quickly, the man Bush has picked to lead the recovery effort, Vice Admiral Thad Allen, spied the line and made sure it cleared the president's head*._

http://www.boston.com/news/weather/articles/2005/09/13/bush_travels_through_a_ravaged_city?mode=PF

Brownie is your ordinary city guy who, I'm sure, was never in a truck. If he had been on the truck next to Bush, I bet that he wouldn't have spied the line or ensured that it cleared the president's head. 

Brownie actually saved the president's life!


----------



## Edwin

Put to music:

http://www.harryshearer.com/clips/heck_of_a_job.mp3


----------



## Everness

Jajajaja ¡Excelente Edwin!


----------



## cuchuflete

Just when we thought we were almost done with the lies and excuses comes this:



> "I've overseen over 150 presidentially declared disasters. I know what I'm doing, and I think I do a pretty darn good job of it," Brown said.


Could he have taken a job overseeing shrub's judicial appointments?


----------

