I'm fed up with the blaming over NO.

[Rondinone]

Originally posted by LeRoy
The following is a partial transcript of an interview between Garland Robinette of WWL radio in New Orleans and the city's Mayor, Ray Nagin.




Robinette: What do you need right now to take control of the situation?

Nagin: I need reinforcements. I need troops, man. I need 500 buses, man. They're talking about, you know, one of the briefings we had, you know, they were talking about getting uh, uh you know, public school bus drivers to come down here and bus people out of here. I'm like, 'You gotta be kidding me!'

This is a national disaster. Get every doggone Greyhound bus line in the country and get their asses moving to New Orleans. That's, they're thinking small man, and this is a major, major, major deal. And I can't emphasize it enough, man

Unbelievable.

[artplumber]

Originally posted by Tim Hancock
Oh yeah, what the hell is wrong with the president overflying the area while traveling back to DC. Should he have instructed the pilot to ditch AF 1 in the lake near the levee break? WTF?

Do people really believe that all the rescue organizations involved thought to themselves.... These people are black so we should let half of them die, then we will go in and help. Give me a break!!!!!!!!

Frankly, I never have cared when the pres (of any party) overflew a disaster zone. I suppose it makes people feel like someone's taking notice, but from a practical standpoint it's worthless...

President: "General/FEMA mgr (whatever) Did your men notice that there at intersection so & so there appear to be survivors? They need to be taken care of right now" ---not!

[artplumber]

Originally posted by Rondinone
Unbelievable.

Like I said before. Who didn't have a plan? Or even save the resources available.

[David]

Why the ARMY wasn't there sooner:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/9/1/175159/9135

[RoninLB]

The President declared an emergency 2 days before the storm hit to dispatch FEMA early. Well known by all since the levee's construction is that the only recourse to a #4 or #5 hurricanes is evacuation. FEMA declared total evacuation.

no info on who's responsible for evacuation on a state and local level ?

[artplumber]

Responsible parties are Mayor and Governor. That's who should have had better plans in place both in a general sense and once the disaster was iminent.

[techweenie]

Originally posted by artplumber
Responsible parties are Mayor and Governor. That's who should have had better plans in place both in a general sense and once the disaster was iminent.

We al know Idiot Boy isn't responsible for anything that happens.

Are you sure you can't find some way to blame Clinton for this?

[artplumber]

Originally posted by techweenie
We al know Idiot Boy isn't responsible for anything that happens.

Are you sure you can't find some way to blame Clinton for this?

Please read Ronin's post above mine to see the reference. Or you could continue in the usual "if something bad happens, GWB (or the republicans?) must be responsible for it" vein.

[350HP930]

Originally posted by artplumber
Please read Ronin's post above mine to see the reference. Or you could continue in the usual "if something bad happens, GWB (or the republicans?) must be responsible for it" vein.

As opposed to your 'bush has no responsibility for what occurs under his administration' vein?

[artplumber]

Originally posted by 350HP930
As opposed to your 'bush has no responsibility for what occurs under his administration' vein?

Now who's assuming something?

see...Chertoff: No one saw this coming.

There's plenty of blame to go around. It's stupid (IMHO) to be doing this fingerpointing now when people need to be helped - that's where all the energy should be directed. And frankly, I think it's simplistic to lay all of the blame at GWB's feet (or his administration). BTW show me a thread where I have written that the admin has no responsibility for this cleanup. (I have said that some expectations are unrealistic).

[tabs]

Ohhhh Fk ...let em all die like the rats that they are....Bull Doze the place and start over....now that is my kind of URBAN RENEWAL

[tabs]

And exactly what the fk do U all expect anyway this is Louisana and Missippi for Christs sake...they barely know how to read and write down there....

Folks in Houston ain't too happy about putin up 100,000 Cajuns that are all going to be futher WELFARE receiptants....these folks ain't never gona go back...cause they don't know how to go back...

[johnco]

it a sham wese cant all speel azz good azz U. not too many cajuns going to Houston as Welfar receiptants.
there's a big differeance between cajuns and inner city poor blacks. the cajuns are still down here marrying their sisters, jacking the firebirds back on to the jackstands out in front the trailer, picking their one tooth with their knives, hanging some niggras in the trees, and wrestling gators while drinking moonshine, thinking about stumpbreaking fat californian/ las vegas trust fund idiots. come on down ya hear!

[artplumber]

Originally posted by johnco
come on down ya hear!

Makes me want to watch Southern Comfort again.

[Mule]

Tabs, I'm assuming you have a tv. If those are cajuns I'm an astronaut. Those are by and large black folks from the projects. They are no more cajun than you are.

[tabs]

"CAJUNS" is what the fellar down in Houston told me was comin his way....

Now those Cajuns sound just like my kindo folks....except my kinda people just ain't fkin their sisters if ya know what I mean...

[johnco]

actually I believe the correct term would be sister/mamas, so that kind of makes it okay. I notice you have no problem with the stumpbreaking part. they will have you squealing like a pig in no time. come on down, take your shoes off, relax, stay a while. we'll have the sofa on the porch all ready for you.

[tabs]

"Stumpbreaking" My motto is I aim to Please....jus so they give a reacharound....an .they'lll be able to hear me all the way to New York City......

[johnco]

so I guess this proves everything they say about Californians is true...

[1967 R50/2]

Final word before I unsubscribe to this thread.

I think it is pointless to try and figure who is responsible for the levees breaking and what not...they have been there for a long time, but nobody had done anything to improve them. There is a long list of responsibility...too long to discuss.

Therefore I will address how the disaster was handled AFTER the levees broke....particularly the looting and other chaos. There are many parties that share in the blame of this travesty.

1. The people of NO. During the North East black-out which was a disaster which encompassed many more people, rioting and looting did not break out...even though it was a choice opportunity. Likewise during 911 there was no widespread looting even though the entire financial district of NY was buried under inches of powdered concrete dust for weeks.

So why is there looting in NO? I am not enough of a sociologist to figure this one out...but clearly the people actually doing the stealing and shooting are responsible. First and foremost.

2. The Mayor...It is HIS city. It is HIS responsibility. By putting all of the burden for fixing the disaster on the government, he made the same mistake that Bilandik made during the 1979 Blizzard.

http://www.chipublib.org/004chicago/disasters/snowstorms.html

Unlike other Chicago blizzards Bilandik made no appeal to the public to help out...to help the government help them. So the people just looked for the gov't to save them. Problem was, the blizzard was WAY beyond the ability of the government to deal with without the support of the people. Very similar to what has transpired in NO.

3. The Governor. It's the largest city in her state. Once the levies broke it was clear that the "shoot to kill" order should have been issued immediately.

4. The Federal Gov't. Call it Bush...call it FEMA...call it whatever you will. I think we can all agree that faster action needed to be taken to restore order.

That is all I have to say about that.