<p>“Sorry xigs. Valiant effort. Even the president says it was not an adequate response.”</p>
<p>Cheers, just to clarify a few things. I started posting regarding the mounting criticisms of the authorities’ response. My position is was and still is that this was not the time to play the game game. It is clear that we should hold the agencies and inidviduals accountable, but only after enough time has passed to bring together the pieces of a gigantic puzzle and verify the timelines. Right now, we have a hodgepodge of information and misinformation. As I wrote in another post, I do not see this as a failure of a few, but the collective failure of a system that is far from being as effective as one would hope. There is a good reason from this, as it is the chronic symptom of our government: it is inefficient, arrogant, and mostly heartless. </p>
<p>Regarding criticisms, I do resent the stories regarding the funding or lack of funding in the costal area of Louisiana. The story that fueled the anti-Bush blogs was nothing but shoddy tabloid journalism that did not get any attention when it was first printed. It highlighted a microscopic item of a huge program. The fact that the story was blatanly misleading because of incompleteness did not stop morons with hatred for Bush as large as their ego and waist-size to run with it. For people such as Dear Molly, the facts are not as important as sensationalism. After all, the retractions (as in the case of most of her Iraq “numbers” do not get as much attention from her loving and misguided followers. </p>
<p>This is one of the reasons, I started posting negative stories about the local government’s ineptitude. If everyone is responsible, why not lash out at the poor mayor? There is enough blame to go around, and the smallest faux-pas can have tragic repercussions when dealing with tragedies of this magnitude. After all, it is so easy to criticize. However, it is also pointless. </p>
<p>My theory has not changed much: we are in the mess, and we ought to let the people trying to bring solutions do their job. After everything is done, there will be plenty of time to find scapegoats and heroes.</p>
<p>Some of what I found interesting in the news coverage today:</p>
<ol>
<li> David Brooks, a frequent supporter of Bush policies, stating his anger at the president for failing to understand the shame Americans feel at seeing images shown all over the world that show us abandoning the poorest people. He described this as analogous to leaving wounded on the battlefield and predicted it might gain a Republican nomination for Guliani and ignite a discussion of the “two Americas” that John Edwards addressed in the last election.</li>
<li> An op-ed piece in the NYT by someone at Scientific American who described the differences between the Corps of Engineers and scientists who had made models of what might happen to the region – differences he said had been resolved in a concensus plan. That was the plan that was not funded because the cost was considered too high.</li>
<li> An article that discussed how the slashing of FEMA led to some of the most experienced people leaving the agency. An interview with a FEMA official on the ground who acknowledged the agency would “take it in the shorts” because they do not have enough people and help on the scene.</li>
<li> The two captioned pictures someone mentioned earlier in which black people were described as looting while the white-looking people were described, at least on our local channel, as “finding” food and water.</li>
</ol>
<p>And, on the question of how Iraq has drained resources, I add some questions I have not seen addressed, hoping someone might have read answers somewhere:
Manpower issues aside, what about equipment? I remember in articles about the roadside bombs that the vulnerable vehicles are amphibious troop transports being used in the desert, though they were not designed to be. Aren’t these exactly the vehicles needed – ones that can drive in, then float, and could carry a lot of people? As for manpower, has anyone seen figures on what proportion of the National Guard deployed from Mississippi and Louisiana are police, firefighters, and other service personnel whose jobs are being held for them without replacements?</p>
<p>It makes for fascinating reading, especially when it is coupled with some of the pieces produced by Senator Breaux’s political machinery. It goes a long way to bring perspective to the insignificance of the Philadelphia cheeseteak stand story that circulated earlier.</p>
<p>CGMom, I do not have an answer about the Cheney’s whereabouts. I’ll send him an email and remind him he needs to keep me abreast of his travel plans. </p>
<p>For all I know, he is speeding from Florida in one of those cigarette speedboats and preparing to enter the bayou on a paddleboat (to avoid a link to the gas guzzling speedboat). Would it make you feel better if the VP were to show up and rope up a few looters with his Wyoming made lasso? As far as I am concerned, I prefer to see him in some kind of command room. You know, like the one they show on West Wing. :)</p>
<p>Gentlemen and Ladies, you are watching the irreversible decline of the Bush and Republican administration. What he sold this Country was confidence and competence. Both are swiftly evaporating. In round one, he showed himself to be slow. In round two, he is finding out that unlike the Iraq War, he has no control over presentation, In round three, he will himself become a casualty of national impatience.</p>
<p>CGM how many times are you gonna ask about where Cheney is and in how many forums??? give it a break - he is doing a job somewhere - somehow - get a grip!! You were having a real toot about the First Lady also - not everything is on the news or maybe you DID miss something - you glued to the news/tv 24/7???</p>
<p>Just imagine how the people in LA/MS feel - they have NO news about ANYTHING and yet us lucky ones are seeing/hearing TOO much!!!</p>
<p>what i thought was interesting was bill o’reilly blasting both the administration and the oil companies. He actually managed to get himself called a socialist. I was astounded</p>
<p>xiggi, there hasn’t been much to smile about in the past week but I want to thank you for your reply to cgm regarding Dick Cheney. You’ve put a smile on my face. :)</p>
<p>Now that Bush has done his photo op walk around he is getting a sense of how bad it is and will send in more troops. If only he had done this at the beginning of the week instead of going to California to hang with his donators there. I understand there is a photo of him playing a guitar…reminding me of Rome burning while Nero played. </p>
<p>I see two disasters, one the hurricane and its aftermath…the other the massive amount of poverty and ignorance. Our country needs to address both problems. </p>
<p>I understand xiggi’s reluctance to hold the President accountable…but it was under his adminstration that the Federal Government took control of the disaster relief programs. He appointed the people who failed to deliver the most basic of help to the people at the dome where people were told to stay. I do agree with Xiggi that this is more than one man’s fault, shame on the people who voted for him too.</p>
<p>Politicians of both parties, particularly those up for re-election in 06 or contemplating a run for president in 08 are not about to wrangle with the details of this mess. The correct thing to say is what Romney said, if you want to avoid being immolated by the press. The truth will come out, and that will be that this was primarily a failure by the mayor to follow his own evacuation guidelines, and—the really big failure—what the heck was the governor doing with all the resources at her disposal? Apparently, she totally panicked and froze.</p>
<p>I understand the Chicago offered all kinds of help, equipment, supplies, etc to be sent in last Sunday, they were turned down by the Bush Adminsitration</p>
<p>See its the FEDS job to coordinate those things- if one state wants to help another, and to have euqipment go through states, logistcally, I would hope that is the DHS or FEMAS job</p>
<p>To turn down help of any sort is awful</p>
<p>Those snow plows, that water, whatever could have been on its way ready to replenish supplies, but no,our Presdient turned it down</p>
<p>Oh yeah, Chicago has a democratic mayor and can’t let them llok good</p>
<p>And the Mayor, the Governor had been begging for help</p>
<p>And why did it talke this long to get water to those people…what excuse you gonna give for that, hmmm,</p>
<p>If the mayor failed, are you saying that the FEDS have done the absolute perfect handling…evidence is quite to the contrary</p>
<p>Excuse after excuse- and today they food and water finally</p>
<p>Keep excusng the DHS and FEMA, and the President- as people die all over the south everyday</p>
<p>So leave NO for just a minute, out side of NO, 100 people died of dehyadration after being rescued they waited for days in the hot sun with no water</p>
<p>Is that the Mayors fault, or did FEMA and the DHS blow it, tell that to the families that lost a loved one due to lack of water</p>
<p>Look outside of NO and see what has been going on, FEMA and DHS screwed up badly, and we all can see it</p>
<p>There was no need to airdrop to the Convention Center. It is the most accessible point in New Orleans. Trucks and buses wouldn’t encounter so much as a rain puddle driving there. There is immediate on-ramp and off-ramp access to the major bridge leading into the city. Every vehicle that has entered New Orleans since the hurricane has driven on the bridge which literally goes over the top of the convention center. And, the whole thing is on the banks of the Mississippi with boardwalks and ferry docks lining the entire back of the Convention Center. </p>
<p>If you were planning an evacuation point for the easiest access in the entire city, the Convention Center would be it. So much so, that it really should be the command center for the entire relief effort.</p>
<p>The fact that those people have gone five days without help is stark testimony to the failure of the relief effort.</p>
<p>“If you were planning an evacuation point for the easiest access in the entire city, the Convention Center would be it.”<br>
This may well be true, and if so, a competent mayor would have parked his 600 buses in such a way that they would be usable in the evacuation, instead of leaving them in the obvious flood zone.</p>