Some Facts on the Hurricane

[Mickey]

As long as we are going to be arguing about Katrina and who screwed up the worst, we might as well use the facts. FactCheck.org has a good article with lots of information that looks pretty solid and balanced to me. For those interested:

 

Fact Check

[RkFast]

Sindey Blumenthal should be ashamed of himself for writing such bull sh--.

 

Hes probably just pissed off that people lay a lot of the blame for 9/11 at Clinton's feet and is looking for "revenge."

[Crap Throwing Monkey]

As long as we are going to be arguing about Katrina and who screwed up the worst, we might as well use the facts.  FactCheck.org has a good article with lots of information that looks pretty solid and balanced to me.  For those interested:

 

Fact Check

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In other words, never mind the relief effort, the actual flood's Bush's fault.

 

Guess what? The New Orleans levees have needed work for decades, and no one ever funded them.

[KRC]

In other words, never mind the relief effort, the actual flood's Bush's fault. 

 

Guess what?  The New Orleans levees have needed work for decades, and no one ever funded them. 

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It happened on Bush's watch. Therefore, it is his fault. I just thought I would pre-empt the inevitable response.

[Wacka]

What FACT they omitted was that the levees that broke were already improved. The ones that had funding cut for their upgrade held . The decision to improve the levees to withstand a Cat3 rather than a Cat5 was made 10 years ago.

 

All his quotes are articles from the paper or Sidney Blumenthal ( a real impartial source ) .Why didnt he quote actual govt documents?

[Dan Gross]

What FACT they omitted was that the levees that broke were already improved. The ones that had funding cut for their upgrade held . The decision to improve the levees to withstand a Cat3 rather than a Cat5  was made 10 years ago.

 

All his quotes are articles from the paper or Sidney Blumenthal ( a real impartial source ) .Why didnt he quote actual govt documents?

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Actually, from what I understand the design of the levees to withstand Cat 3 came more like 40 years ago...

[RkFast]

In other words, never mind the relief effort, the actual flood's Bush's fault.  

 

Guess what?  The New Orleans levees have needed work for decades, and no one ever funded them.  

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Never mind the lack of good advance warnings, the lack of a good evacuation plan by the city, the lack of local law enforcement, the delayed deployment of the NG by the Governor and the State's response as a whole.

 

You know....ALL those things that are to be executed before the Feds should even have to pick up the phone.

 

But hey....."Bush Bad!!!!!"

[KRC]

Never mind the lack of good advance warnings, the lack of a good evacuation plan by the city, the lack of local law enforcement, the delayed deployment of the NG by the Governor and the State's response as a whole.

 

You know....ALL those things that are to be executed before the Feds should even have to pick up the phone.

 

But hey....."Bush Bad!!!!!"

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I heard on the radio this morning that the Red Cross was ready to deploy to the region with supplies, namely the convention center and Superdome, but were told by the Louisiana Department of Homeland Security (not the feds, the state) that they were forbidden from going there. The reason: LDHS did not want those places to become magnets for refugees seeking help. They wanted people out of those places and by sending in relief supplies to those areas, it would attract more people. This information came from the Red Cross, if you need a source. Otherwise, I have no link since it was on the radio.

[Cheeseburger_in_paradise]

Back when I was in high school, I think I remember driving my Chevy to the Levee, but...it was dry

[SilverNRed]

I heard on the radio this morning that the Red Cross was ready to deploy to the region with supplies, namely the convention center and Superdome, but were told by the Louisiana Department of Homeland Security (not the feds, the state) that they were forbidden from going there. The reason: LDHS did not want those places to become magnets for refugees seeking help. They wanted people out of those places and by sending in relief supplies to those areas, it would attract more people. This information came from the Red Cross, if you need a source. Otherwise, I have no link since it was on the radio.

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There's video of that online. I'll find it.

 

EDIT: All I could find was the transcript but here it is.

 

EDIT AGAIN: Here's a link with video

[Terry Tate]

What FACT they omitted was that the levees that broke were already improved. The ones that had funding cut for their upgrade held.

Strange, but true. I would be amused by the irony if the results weren't so heartbreaking.

(you can use bugmenot for registration if you need to)

No one expected that weak spot to be on a canal that, if anything, had received more attention and shoring up than many other spots in the region. It did not have broad berms, but it did have strong concrete walls.

 

Shea Penland, director of the Pontchartrain Institute for Environmental Studies at the University of New Orleans, said that was particularly surprising because the break was "along a section that was just upgraded."

 

"It did not have an earthen levee," Dr. Penland said. "It had a vertical concrete wall several feel thick."

[RkFast]

I heard on the radio this morning that the Red Cross was ready to deploy to the region with supplies, namely the convention center and Superdome, but were told by the Louisiana Department of Homeland Security (not the feds, the state) that they were forbidden from going there. The reason: LDHS did not want those places to become magnets for refugees seeking help. They wanted people out of those places and by sending in relief supplies to those areas, it would attract more people. This information came from the Red Cross, if you need a source. Otherwise, I have no link since it was on the radio.

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I actually "kind of" understand that line of reasoning. But by following it, it implies that the locals must then be evacuated. And I understand the NO evacuation procedure as it was written was just terrible.

[Crap Throwing Monkey]

I actually "kind of" understand that line of reasoning. But by following it, it implies that the locals must then be evacuated. And I understand the NO evacuation procedure as it was written was just terrible.

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Not "terrible". "Non-existent." Literally, just try to find a post-emergency evacuation plan.

[KRC]

I actually "kind of" understand that line of reasoning. But by following it, it implies that the locals must then be evacuated. And I understand the NO evacuation procedure as it was written was just terrible.

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But, the federal government is being held accountable for LDHS making that decision. "Why did it take so long to get help to the people in the Superdome and Convention Center?" Here is a reason why it took so long. The state said "No."

[Crap Throwing Monkey]

But, the federal government is being held accountable for LDHS making that decision. "Why did it take so long to get help to the people in the Superdome and Convention Center?" Here is a reason why it took so long. The state said "No."

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Of course, at the time the governor had ordered a complete evacuation of the "city"...so even the question "Why did it take so long to get help to the people...?" is incorrect. It should be "Why did it take so long to get people out...?"

 

And the answer to that should be: because the state and local governments ordered the evacuation without having the means to accomplish it, and are now bitching because the feds didn't bail them out immediately. Wednesday: "We're evacuating the city." Thursday: "What's taking the feds so long to evacuate the city?"

[Gavin in Va Beach]

And the answer to that should be: because the state and local governments ordered the evacuation without having the means to accomplish it, and are now bitching because the feds didn't bail them out immediately.  Wednesday: "We're evacuating the city."  Thursday: "What's taking the feds so long to evacuate the city?" 

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Friday:"Oh BTW, never mind that fleet of school buses sitting under water. It's the feds fault for not telling us to get them rolling."

[callemasiseesem]

As long as we are going to be arguing about Katrina and who screwed up the worst, we might as well use the facts.  FactCheck.org has a good article with lots of information that looks pretty solid and balanced to me.  For those interested:

 

Fact Check

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This Washington Post article is a much better article about overall funding.

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...5090702462.html

[BigAL]

As long as we are going to be arguing about Katrina and who screwed up the worst, we might as well use the facts.  FactCheck.org has a good article with lots of information that looks pretty solid and balanced to me.  For those interested:

 

Fact Check

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Mickey, the funding aspect is pretty much irrelevent. Even if Bush had fully funded the Levee project in 2001, do you really think the work would have been completed enough to make a significant enough difference in what happened?

[erynthered]

In case you aren't familiar with how our government is SUPPOSED to work:

The chain of responsiblity for the protection of the citizens in New Orleans is:

 

1. The Mayor

2. The New Orleans director of Homeland Security (a political appointee of the Governor who reports to the Governor)

3. The Governor

4. The Head of Homeland Security

5. The President

 

What did each do?

 

1. The mayor, with 5 days advance, waited until 2 days before he announced a mandatory evacuation (at the behest of the President). The he failed to provide transportation for those without transport even though he had hundreds of buses at his disposal.

 

2. The New Orleans director of Homeland Security failed to have any plan for a contingency that has been talked about for 50 years. Then he blames the Feds for not doing what he should have done. (So much for political appointees)

 

3. The Governor, despite a declaration of disaster by the President 2 DAYS BEFORE the storm hit, failed to take advantage of the offer of Federal troops and aid. Until 2 DAYS AFTER the storm hit.

 

4. The Director of Homeland Security positioned assets in the area to be ready when the Governor called for them

 

5. The President urged a mandatory evacuation, and even declared a disaster State of Emergency, freeing up millions of dollars of federal assistance, should the Governor decide to use it.

 

Oh and by the way, the levees that broke were the responsibility of the local landowners and the local levee board to maintain, NOT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

 

The disaster in New Orleans is what you get after decades of corrupt (democrat) government going all the way back to Huey Long.

 

Funds for disaster protection and relief have been flowing into this city for decades, and where has it gone, but into the pockets of the politicos and their friends.

 

Decades of socialist government in New Orleans has sapped all self reliance from the community, and made them dependent upon government for every little thing.

 

Political correctness and a lack of will to fight crime have created the single most corrupt police force in the country, and has permitted gang violence to flourish.

 

The sad thing is that there are many poor folks who have suffered and died needlessly because those that they voted into office failed them.

 

For those who missed item 5 (where the President's level of accountability is discussed), it is made more clear in a New Orleans Times-Picayune article dated August 28:

 

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - In the face of a catastrophic Hurricane Katrina, a mandatory evacuation was ordered Sunday for New Orleans by Mayor Ray Nagin.

 

Acknowledging that large numbers of people, many of them stranded tourists, would be unable to leave, the city set up 10 places of last resort for people to go, including the Superdome.

 

The mayor called the order unprecedented and said anyone who could leave the city should. He exempted hotels from the evacuation order because airlines had already cancelled all flights.

 

Gov. Kathleen Blanco, standing beside the mayor at a news conference, said President Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation for the low-lying city, which is prone to flooding. (emphasis mine)

 

The ball was placed in Mayor Nagin's court to carry out the evacuation order. With a 5-day heads-up, he had the authority to use any and all services to evacuate all residents from the city, as documented in a city emergency preparedness plan. By waiting until the last minute, and failing to make full use of resources available within city limits, Nagin and his administration f**ked up.

 

Mayor Nagin and his emergency sidekick Terry Ebbert have displayed lethal, mind boggling incompetence before, during and after Katrina.

 

 

 

As for Mayor Nagin, he and his profile in pathetic leadership police chief should resign as well. That city's government is incompetent from one end to the other. The people of New Orleans deserve better than this crowd of clowns is capable of giving them.

 

If you're keeping track, these boobs let 569 buses that could have carried 33,350 people out of New Orleans-in one trip-get ruined in the floods. Whatever plan these guys had, it was a dud. Or it probably would have been if they'd bothered to follow it.

 

As for all the race-baiting rhetoric and Bush-bashing coming from prominent blacks on the left, don't expect Ray Nagin to be called out on the carpet for falling short. You want to know why? Here's why:

 

It's more convenient to blame a white president for what went wrong than to hold a black mayor and his administration accountable for gross negligence and failing to fully carry out an established emergency preparedness plan.

 

To hold Nagin and his administration accountable for dropping the ball amounts to letting loose the shouts and cries of "Racism!". It's sad, it's wrong, but it's standard operating procedure for the media and left-wing black leadership.

 

Mark my words: you will not hear a word of criticism from Jesse Jackson Sr., Randall Robinson, the Congressional Black Caucus, the NAACP, or Kanye West being directed toward Clarence Ray Nagin Jr. Why? Because he is just another black politician instead of a responsible elected official who happens to be black. In the mindset of more-blacker-than-thou blacks, black politicians who are on their side can do no wrong.

[stuckincincy]

In case you aren't familiar with how our government is SUPPOSED to work:

The chain of responsiblity for the protection of the citizens in New Orleans is:

 

1. The Mayor

2. The New Orleans director of Homeland Security (a political appointee of the Governor who reports to the Governor)

3. The Governor

4. The Head of Homeland Security

5. The President

 

What did each do?

 

etc.

 

 

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Good post, eyrn.