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Boortz: "[P]rimary blame" for Katrina goes to "worthless parasites who lived in New Orleans"

February 01, 2008 9:22 pm ET

On his nationally syndicated radio show, Neal Boortz made disparaging remarks about Hurricane Katrina victims, stating, "When these Katrina so-called refugees were scattered about the country, it was just a glorified episode of putting out the garbage." Boortz also described New Orleans as "a city of parasites, a city of people who could not and had no desire to fend for themselves."

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On the January 30 edition of his nationally syndicated radio show, while discussing former Sen. John Edwards' (D-NC) then-upcoming announcement that he was withdrawing from the 2008 presidential race, Neal Boortz asserted: "But I am fed up with this conventional wisdom that Katrina and the disaster that followed was George Bush's fault. It was not. The primary blame goes on the worthless parasites who lived in New Orleans who you -- couldn't even wipe themselves, let alone get out of the way of the water when that levee broke." Edwards made his withdrawal announcement in the city of New Orleans.

Earlier in the show, Boortz described the city of New Orleans as having been, prior to Hurricane Katrina "a city of parasites, a city of people who could not and had no desire to fend for themselves." During the show, Boortz also said, "When these Katrina so-called refugees were scattered about the country, it was just a glorified episode of putting out the garbage." Responding to a caller who said she used to work for the post office and claimed that "[t]he people in New Orleans were waiting on their government checks. They weren't moving until they got them ... trust me. As a mail carrier, they were waiting on their checks," Boortz stated: "Well, I don't know if -- you see, I don't think they were waiting on their checks before they would evacuate after a flood. But I do think, I do think that their entire lifestyle prior to Katrina was sitting around on their asses and waiting for checks."

Reading from a January 30 Associated Press report on Edwards' withdrawal, Boortz said:

BOORTZ: I like this: "Edwards' campaign will end the way it began 13 months ago, with the candidate pitching in to rebuild lives in a city still ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. Edwards embraced New Orleans as a glaring symbol of what he described as a Washington that didn't hear the cries of the downtrodden." Cries of the downtrodden, my left butt cheek. That wasn't the cries of the downtrodden; that's the cries of the useless, the worthless. New Orleans was a welfare city, a city of parasites, a city of people who could not and had no desire to fend for themselves. You have a hurricane descending on them and they sit on their fat asses and wait for somebody else to come rescue them. "It's somebody else's job to get me out of here. It's somebody else's job to save my life. Not mine. Send me a bus, send me a limo, send me a boat, send me a helicopter, send me a taxi, send me something. But you certainly don't expect me to actually work to get myself out of this situation, do you? Haven't you been watching me for generations? I've never done anything to improve my own lot in life. I've never done anything to rescue myself. Why do you expect me to do that now, just because a levee broke?"

And then Edwards said, yeah, it was Washington's problem, it was all Washington's problem, it was all George Bush's fault. You had a city of parasites and leeches, and that's George Bush's fault? So, boy, I need to slow down. I'm saying too many of the things I actually believe today.

Boortz has previously made disparaging remarks about Katrina victims. For instance, on June 6, 2006, Boortz told his listeners: "I love talking to you about these Katrina refugees. I mean, so many of them have turned out to be complete bums, just debris. Debris that Hurricane Katrina washed across the country." In 2005, Boortz suggested that a victim of Hurricane Katrina housed in an Atlanta hotel consider prostitution: "I dare say she could walk out of that hotel and walk 100 yards in either direction on Fulton Industrial Boulevard [the street on which the hotel is located] here in Atlanta and have a job." After his show's then-former engineer warned, "Watch out, Neal. Those people who know Fulton Industrial Boulevard think you might be suggesting something a little risqué," Boortz replied: "If that's the only way she can take care of herself, it sure beats the hell out of sucking off the taxpayers."

From the January 30 edition of Cox Radio Syndication's The Neal Boortz Show:

BOORTZ: I'm reading here about John Edwards. Oh, what a wimp. You know what he's gonna do now? He's gonna, he's going to continue work with Habitat Humanity, or for Humanity, at the volunteer-fueled rebuilding project at Musicians' Village. Where's that? Oh yeah, New Orleans, is that New Orleans? I like this: "Edwards' campaign will end the way it began 13 months ago, with the candidate pitching in to rebuild lives in a city still ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. Edwards embraced New Orleans as a glaring symbol of what he described as a Washington that didn't hear the cries of the downtrodden." Cries of the downtrodden, my left butt cheek. That wasn't the cries of the downtrodden; that's the cries of the useless, the worthless. New Orleans was a welfare city, a city of parasites, a city of people who could not and had no desire to fend for themselves. You have a hurricane descending on them and they sit on their fat asses and wait for somebody else to come rescue them. "It's somebody else's job to get me out of here. It's somebody else's job to save my life. Not mine. Send me a bus, send me a limo, send me a boat, send me a helicopter, send me a taxi, send me something. But you certainly don't expect me to actually work to get myself out of this situation, do you? Haven't you been watching me for generations? I've never done anything to improve my own lot in life. I've never done anything to rescue myself. Why do you expect me to do that now, just because a levee broke?"

And then Edwards said, yeah, it was Washington's problem, it was all Washington's problem, it was all George Bush's fault. You had a city of parasites and leeches, and that's George Bush's fault? So, boy, I need to slow down. I'm saying too many of the things I actually believe today. Let's see, I'm gonna start, who's been waiting the longest? Well, that would be you, Mr. Ed.

[...]

BOORTZ: Hello, [caller], how you doing?

CALLER: I'm doing great. How are you today?

[...]

CALLER: I used to walk for the post office. The people in New Orleans were waiting on their government checks. They weren't moving until they got them. That's what they were waiting on. You know, not only for somebody to do something for them, because they certainly weren't gonna do it for themselves; they were waiting on their checks. One other thing: I have a sister-in-law in Newport, Rhode Island.

BOORTZ: Yeah.

CALLER: Which is probably the snootiest of the snoot-snoot places you can live.

BOORTZ: Oh, do you think it's snootier than Martha's Vineyard?

CALLER: I think so.

BOORTZ: Well, maybe -- I'm not gonna say that it's snootier than Cape Cod because you know whose radio show is number one on Cape Cod?

CALLER: Oh, my gosh.

BOORTZ: Me, me. Can you believe that? Cape Cod. Me.

CALLER: No, I can't believe it. Then you're really moving on up.

BOORTZ: Oh, that's stunning stuff. In fact, Belinda [Skelton, producer] and Royal and I are gonna do a road trip up to Cape Cod this spring just to say thanks to those people up there. And maybe go pick some cranberries.

CALLER: Yes, do that. They got 100 of the Katrina refugees in Newport. So the whole town goes crazy, oh, we've gotta help these people, we've gotta get jobs for them, we have to get them a place, we have to do this. So they put on a job fair. Do you want to take one guess how many showed up?

BOORTZ: I'll say two.

CALLER: Zero.

BOORTZ: Zero?

CALLER: Zero.

BOORTZ: Listen, listen. When these Katrina so-called refugees were scattered about the country, it was just a glorified episode of putting out the garbage.

CALLER: And when they keep on railing on TV, we want our homes rebuilt, our home, our homes -- they weren't their homes. It was public housing.

BOORTZ: It's like these people say, they're taking my jobs and sending them overseas. It's not your job.

ROYAL MARSHALL (engineer and "sidekick"): I've got to jump in here and bring some sense back to the program. A lot of people that lost their homes in New Orleans did actually own them. If you look at the videos -- I'm sure this caller has watched Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke and saw the tragedy that was, you know, laid upon these people at their feet. And to assume that they were waiting on a welfare check is just ridiculous.

BOORTZ: Royal was right, [caller], a lot of these people did own their homes.

CALLER: Yes, they did. A lot of them did; a lot of them did not. I would imagine the ones that did not were the most vocal.

BOORTZ: Well --

CALLER: And that, yes, trust me. As a mail carrier, they were waiting on their checks.

BOORTZ: Well, I don't know if -- you see, I don't think they were waiting on their checks before they would evacuate after a flood. But I do think, I do think that their entire lifestyle prior to Katrina was sitting around on their asses and waiting for checks.

[...]

BOORTZ: I mean, I am sick -- here is this John Edwards character announcing, admitting to the world that he's a complete failure as a presidential candidate in New Orleans. Now he's gonna go build Habitat for Humanity homes. Well, isn't that just so sweet and warm and fuzzy. If he walks by here before he drives in the next nail I'll kiss him right on the mouth. But the fact of the matter is, you know, he's doing good work, fine.

But I am fed up with this conventional wisdom that Katrina and the disaster that followed was George Bush's fault. It was not. The primary blame goes on the worthless parasites who lived in New Orleans who you -- couldn't even wipe themselves, let alone get out of the way of the water when that levee broke.

NEW CALLER: I completely agree. And anybody who had the right mind to get out of there did.

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    • Author by Sueelldd (February 01, 2008 9:40 pm ET)
         
      Boortz is scum.  These people who were victims of Katrina were and are American heros who prevailed and are still fighting despite the stupidy of FEMA and the Bush administration.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by solonswine (February 01, 2008 9:45 pm ET)
           
        You mean their still filthy poor because of their own stupidity, right?
        Report Abuse
        • Author by solonswine (February 01, 2008 9:46 pm ET)
             

          Sorry, they're still poor because of their stupidity.

          Report Abuse
          • Author by mary59 (February 02, 2008 10:35 am ET)
               
            Chris, since you know all of them personally, I'm sure they will benefit from you going to New Orleans and giving them a lecture about pulling oneself up from one's bootstraps, etc.

            Your example of doing that is...yourself. But you, and everyone else on this planet, are hanging by a thread.

            It doesn't take a lot to unravel anyone's security. Then you might appreciate what the poor of New Orleans; many who had worked all their lives...are going thru.
            Report Abuse
            • Author by juliajayne (February 02, 2008 6:55 pm ET)
                 
              Oh joy, A Crisp Bacon is back with some more compassionate conservatism: Poignant Concern for the Very Wealthy. 
              Report Abuse
          • Author by dave_chicago (February 02, 2008 3:34 pm ET)
               
            ----"....they're still poor because of their stupidity."----

            Please do use that phrase to promote your candidate in November. It's a real winner.
            Report Abuse
          • Author by indigo1968 (February 02, 2008 5:46 pm ET)
               

            Jesus Christ, do either you or Boortz have a soul?

             

             

            Report Abuse
          • Author by snoopy (February 02, 2008 6:58 pm ET)
               
            No, they're poor because there ain't no friggin' jobs, sherlock. That economic miracle chimp keeps bragging about can't even open enough McDonalds to keep up with the population growth.
            Report Abuse
          • Author by solon (February 03, 2008 8:11 pm ET)
               
            No but you are still ignorant because of YOUR stupidity.
            Report Abuse
      • Author by the Grey Path (February 01, 2008 11:09 pm ET)
           
        The blame for the Katrina debacle falls entirely on the shoulders of the Homeland Security Dept.  See http://greytheory.blogspot.com/2007/08/katrina-debacle-entirely-homeland.html.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by solonswine (February 01, 2008 9:43 pm ET)
         
      Amen!!!  Boortz is so spot-on. Is it insensitive and crude? Yeah, but so is reality.
      Report Abuse
      • Author by carlileb5935 (February 01, 2008 10:00 pm ET)
           

        Let us pray:

        May your own automobile break down in the middle of a rainy, stormy night, right next to a flooding river.

        Report Abuse
        • Author by solonswine (February 01, 2008 10:11 pm ET)
             
          Let us rejoice, for if such a situation would occur, I would be prepared to escape the impending deluge.
          Report Abuse
          • Author by roundhouse (February 01, 2008 10:25 pm ET)
               
            Are you a Christian?
            Report Abuse
            • Author by funnymanpants (February 02, 2008 12:54 am ET)
                 
              He still hasn't answered this question. Wonder why?
              Report Abuse
              • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 12:59 am ET)
                   
                Lutheran. Happy now?
                Report Abuse
                • Author by MickD (February 02, 2008 1:48 am ET)
                     
                  So that explains the self hatred, and thereby the projected hatred.
                  Report Abuse
                  • Author by doggone-ga (February 02, 2008 9:45 am ET)
                       

                    "So that explains the self hatred, and thereby the projected hatred"

                    Nah, that can't be right.  Just because he SAYS he's Lutheran doesn't mean he IS.

                    Report Abuse
                • Author by funnymanpants (February 02, 2008 1:49 am ET)
                     
                  Hmm. I guess I don't know the bible that well. Can you cite the verse in which Jesus calls the poor garbage, as Boortz did?
                  Report Abuse
                • Author by claypot (February 02, 2008 12:02 pm ET)
                     

                  I would love to hear how you reconcile you attitude with the teachings of jesus:

                  ""As you treat the least among you is how you treat me (Jesus)". Feed the poor, visit the sick, counsel the afflicted, admonish sinners, clothe the naked, ect. "

                  Perhaps your bible says something like:

                  "The worse you insult and spit upon the least and most helpless among you, the more you will be rewarded in heaven."

                  You simply cannot be a christian yet refuse to follow christ's teachings. You are acting and thinking in the exact opposite way your lord commanded.

                   I can't wait to hear your justification...

                  Report Abuse
                  • Author by claypot (February 02, 2008 12:13 pm ET)
                       

                    solonswine,

                    I would like to take my comment a bit further and add, not just to you but to the others that share your attitude, that your attitude and thinking has contributed to a self-centered "group-think" which has resulted in the deaths of the least among us.

                    You think you are being so smart and above those "parasites" that you tread upon. You are a murderer. You do not have to pull a trigger to kill people your very attitude and choices gives power to those that act as the hit-man.

                    Their is blood on your hands...

                    Report Abuse
                    • Author by claypot (February 02, 2008 12:15 pm ET)
                         
                      Meant to write: "Their blood is on your hands."
                      Report Abuse
                      • Author by claypot (February 02, 2008 1:45 pm ET)
                           

                        solonswine,

                        When disaster strikes you go ahead and self-centeredly run away. Don't consider anything but your own inflated self-value.

                        It is the "compassionate" that will ask themselves "What can I do to help if I stay behind?"

                        The heroes, something you wouldn't know anything about:

                        The nurse who sends her family to safety and returns to the hospital she works at. The doctor, the EMT, the police.

                        The animals shelter worker, the local radio station employees, the able bodied men with guns that go to their local police department and say "WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP?"

                        The firemen, the nursing home workers, the local government officials, the store owners, the boat owners, the helicopter pilots.

                        Oh, how easy to be a chicken cowardly pathetic person who needs to tell themselves the only ones left behind were parasitic, criminals instead of recognizing the HEROES our government abandoned.

                        Report Abuse
                        • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 4:25 pm ET)
                             

                          Most of your pathetic arguments operate under the false assumption that those who chose to stay were somehow "helpless". Now, for a number of them, that was indeed the case. And God bless those who chose to stay behind as "first-responders". They weighed the odds and they were prepared to not only take care of themselves, but also others who NEEDED the help. But those poor souls were overwhelmed. Why?

                          Because the cold, harsh reality of the situation is that the MAJORITY of those who stayed were NOT helpless. They simply ignored the warnings and decided that it would be a grand idea to sit in the middle of the most powerful hurricane ever recorded. It was only AFTER the storm that these people became "helpless". And it was all because of their choice to ignore the evacuation orders and warnings, and to NOT be prepared enough to ensure the safety of themselves and their families.

                          Any parent who kept a child in that city during that storm is, in my eyes, guilty of child abuse. Those infants that died in their mothers arms died in the hands of a murderer.

                          So spare me the "poor, helpless people" routine. It's worn out. We all watched the events unfold. We all know the reality of the situation. Where's the responsibility of the individual? Why must blame go to government? After all, we are a free nation, and that means that we are free to make choices. If our choices are good, we reap the rewards. If are choices are bad, we reap those rewards as well.

                          I'll say it again: Barring the physically and mentally disabled (who I agree should be cared for and protected due to the fact that they are unable to care for themselves), any adult who is "living in poverty" is doing so by choice. Any child who is "living in poverty" has a parent or legal guardian that is guilty of child abuse.

                          Report Abuse
                          • Author by slothrop (February 02, 2008 5:06 pm ET)
                               
                            How does any of that nonsense change the fact that Boortz is a useless, worthless parasite? What can or does Boortz actually do? Other than sit on his backside and collect his checks? I mean he's a no talent talk radio host. He might want to live, for awhile, in the real world. I will say it again, how does any of your nonsense change the fact that Boortz is a useless, worthless parasite?
                            Report Abuse
                          • Author by What Happened to Gannon (February 02, 2008 5:57 pm ET)
                               

                            <<They simply ignored the warnings and decided that it would be a grand idea to sit in the middle of the most powerful hurricane ever recorded>>

                            It was NOT the most powerful hurricane ever recorded. It wasn't even close, and you know it. Go lie your azz off somewhere else.

                            Report Abuse
                            • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 6:14 pm ET)
                                 

                              Oops, you're right. Meant to say "most destructive". My bad.

                              Report Abuse
                              • Author by snoopy (February 02, 2008 6:38 pm ET)
                                   
                                Boy, you sir are a real, a number 1 christian! We should all strive to be more like you. If we had more people like you, why the world would be perfect! There wouldn't be black or brown, oriental, jewish or muslim. Just white christian people. You are such a credit to God!
                                Report Abuse
                                • Author by juliajayne (February 02, 2008 7:00 pm ET)
                                     
                                  Oh Snoopy, Swiney has faith: The stubborn belief that God approves of rightwing moral values despite the perponderance of textual evidence to the contrary.
                                  Report Abuse
                          • Author by loonz (February 02, 2008 6:36 pm ET)
                               

                            Any parent who kept a child in that city during that storm is, in my eyes, guilty of child abuse. Those infants that died in their mothers arms died in the hands of a murderer.

                            I disagree.  They died at the hands of an incompetent president.

                            Report Abuse
                            • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 6:46 pm ET)
                                 

                              What would you say about a mother that locked her children in a burning house or allowed them to play with a loaded gun? George Bush's fault?

                              I've addressed your LOONacy further down the thread.

                              Report Abuse
                              • Author by snoopy (February 02, 2008 6:50 pm ET)
                                   
                                Not even close to a similar example.
                                Report Abuse
                                • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 7:00 pm ET)
                                     

                                  Oh, you're right. What I meant to say was a mother who FORCES her children to play with a loaded gun.

                                  Report Abuse
                                  • Author by snoopy (February 02, 2008 7:06 pm ET)
                                       
                                    Nope, not that one either. God help us that they let someone like you have access to weapons.
                                    Report Abuse
                              • Author by loonz (February 02, 2008 7:28 pm ET)
                                   

                                What would you say about a mother that locked her children in a burning house or allowed them to play with a loaded gun? George Bush's fault?

                                You have a wild imagination.  If someone actually does that, I'll tell whether or not if it's Bush's fault.

                                Report Abuse
                                • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 7:52 pm ET)
                                     

                                  Forcing children (infants, no less) to endure a major hurricane in a city below sea level is gambling with their lives, just like forcing them to play with a loaded gun. Your non-answers are proof enough.

                                  Report Abuse
                                  • Author by loonz (February 02, 2008 8:02 pm ET)
                                       

                                    Forcing children (infants, no less) to endure a major hurricane in a city below sea level is gambling with their lives, just like forcing them to play with a loaded gun. Your non-answers are proof enough.

                                    No federal aid during the most catastrophic natural disaster in our history is what caused the deaths.  Bush is to blame. 

                                    Report Abuse
                          • Author by tman418 (February 04, 2008 1:39 am ET)
                               
                            Solonswine, many of those people did not have cars. Where were they going to go anyways?
                            Report Abuse
                            • Author by tman418 (February 04, 2008 3:54 pm ET)
                                 
                              What would you say about victims of the Holocaust who did not leave until it was too late?
                              Report Abuse
      • Author by funnymanpants (February 01, 2008 11:49 pm ET)
           

        >>Amen!!!  Boortz is so spot-on. Is it insensitive and crude? Yeah, but so is reality.

        Yea, that's a real intelligent argument. When a shock jock makes fun of peoples' misfortunes, it must be "spot-on" and "reality."

        Let's play this game.

        "Solonswhines is the stupidest, crassest person ever." 

        Report Abuse
        • Author by funnymanpants (February 01, 2008 11:53 pm ET)
             

          Funnymanpants said: 

          >>"Solonswhines is the stupidest, crassest person ever."

          What funnymanpants said is spot-on. Is it insensitive and crude? Yeah, but so is reality.

          Wow. I'm good. 

          Report Abuse
          • Author by solonswine (February 01, 2008 11:54 pm ET)
               
            Well, you're entitled to your opinion. Your opinions, however, can never escape truth.
            Report Abuse
            • Author by funnymanpants (February 02, 2008 12:03 am ET)
                 

              >>your opinions, however, can never escape truth.

              Escape truth? Do you even know what you are talking about?

              Let me state as fact again: Solonswhine is the stupidest, crassest person ever. What I say is a fact, in the same way that what Boortz and you say is fact. Oh, but I guess I need to dress up my facts some more with meaness that masquerades as an argument. Ever have any misfortune befall you, moron? Like someone close to you die? Well, it is your fault, because you are scum.

              See, that type of angry argument is easy.  

              Report Abuse
              • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 12:11 am ET)
                   
                Observe, when the liberal resorts to personal insults and childish banter, it is his way of admitting defeat. Thank you for your thoughtful insight. Very enlightening, indeed.
                Report Abuse
                • Author by funnymanpants (February 02, 2008 12:13 am ET)
                     

                  Observe, when the right wing reactionaries declare that they have won a debate, they are admitting defeat. It is the way they work. They can't stand a logical argument, so they pretend they have won and run away.

                  What't the matter, baby, you don't want to argue like Boortz and you? You throw around insult and meaness, and mistake them for fact, but when someone plays your game you can't handle it?

                  Wah! Wah!  

                  Report Abuse
                  • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 12:33 am ET)
                       
                    I have neither insulted you or any other poster on this website. Thank you for solidifying my previous post.
                    Report Abuse
                    • Author by funnymanpants (February 02, 2008 12:38 am ET)
                         

                      Sorry, Solonwhine, but you wrote:

                      >>The primary blame goes to the residents of New Orleans  who were too stupid to get out of the way of a 300 mile wide tornado.

                      Amongst other hateful, inflamatory remarks. I didn't say you insulted posters. Read more carefully. I said you use meaness and insults in place of logic.

                      So again, you are the stupidest, crassest person. You know how i know? I'm using Boortz logic, which you said was spot on. See, that type of angry argument is easy. 

                      Report Abuse
                      • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 12:49 am ET)
                           
                        Nope. Not an insult. I truly believe that anyone who chooses to ride out a major hurricane in a city below sea level is genuinely STUPID.
                        Report Abuse
                        • Author by funnymanpants (February 02, 2008 12:52 am ET)
                             

                          Great! As you said about opinions..

                          And I truly believe you are the stupidest crassest person ever. See how it works? See how Boortz logic works? Just throw out insults and inflamatory rhetoric and pretend it is logical. 

                          Report Abuse
                          • Author by Col. Harlan Sanders (February 02, 2008 3:27 am ET)
                               
                            Funny, Swiney's pretty thick, but I think even it realized it was dead meat. Those are my favorite wingnuts, the ones who don't realize they've had their arse handed to them until they can't ignore how bad their hands  stink.
                            Report Abuse
                            • Author by dave_chicago (February 03, 2008 1:40 pm ET)
                                 

                              It's the moth-to-the-flame syndrome we've seen here dozens of times. He/She is obviously believes Boortz is the second coming. And thinks they are the third. Probably heard somewhere or read someplace about this Media Matters post. And just couldn't resist. Now they're here to Straighten Us All Out with The Truth.

                              You just know what's coming soon. The moth gets burned and/or (most likely) banned. But declares Victory! while whining "I've been censored!". 

                              Report Abuse
                    • Author by Col. Harlan Sanders (February 02, 2008 3:23 am ET)
                         

                      I have neither insulted you or any other poster on this website.  - solonswine

                      You insult everyone's intelligence with every post.You might try freerepublic, where the posters will be challenged by your ideas.

                      Report Abuse
                      • Author by What Happened to Gannon (February 02, 2008 6:00 pm ET)
                           
                        He probably checks in at "The Freeper" every day to receive his marching orders.
                        Report Abuse
                    • Author by solon (February 03, 2008 8:21 pm ET)
                         
                      You are such a whiner. He did EXCTLY what you did. Make a straight out attack without any attempt at logic, insight or information. Like a typical crybaby conservative you just HATE it when you are treated the way you treat others.
                      Report Abuse
            • Author by kromecom48 (February 03, 2008 10:38 am ET)
                 

              You're also entitled to your opinion Solonswine. You're entitled to expose that segment of the conservative wing that claim to be values voters and Christians while really worshipping Mammon. Although agnostic, I find little in the New Testament to object too, particularly any of the words of Christ which are pretty universal. Have you NO decency?  That was a rhetorical question since anyone here with a modicum of intelligence already knows the answer. You're an embarassment to us as nation, to your party and to all humanity. But as my enemy I am entreated to love you despite your ignorance and lack of empathy. I sincerely hope you come to some understanding of our values as Americans. We take care of those less fortunate and do so with compassion and empathy -- not by casting blame and engaging in hateful rhetoric masquerading as "the truth."

              Report Abuse
      • Author by Sams Computer (February 02, 2008 9:14 am ET)
           
        Right SWINE...

        AND YOU'RE SPOT OFF!.... Boortz is a disgusting excuse for a human being and is worst than a "worthless parasites! Boortz has the audacity to defend the failures of BUSH & (Great Job) BROWNIE and he instead, attacks the poor victims of a Hurricane.

        That is CLASSIC REPUBLICANISM & HATRED!

        Attack the Victims! I grew up down there! I know Hurricanes! I was born in a hard working middle class family! When the storms come we stayed home to protect all that we had in this world including our lives.

        KATRINA is another in a long list of Republican Failures that is putting them out of power. Boortz and his Hate Talk is counter productive. Every single one of those "Parasites" will be at the poles to answer this Hatred by voting against Republicanism.

        Republicans are even going to vote against themselves. Ann Coulter just said if McCain is the nominee she will support Hillary! Most of my Rep friends say that if its McCain they WON'T VOTE! Hillary hating Rep's tell me they might vote for Obama!

        Republicans are Fracturing Big Time! Breaking News! You got it here first! Duh! I think it might be common knowledge by now but the conservative Media is MUTE,
        Report Abuse
        • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 4:45 pm ET)
             

          SC,

          I read your post and appreciate your opinion. I do have a question, though:

          You said "When the storms come we stayed home to protect all that we had in this world including our lives."

          Hurricanes release the energy equivalent of every nuclear weapon - ever built - EVERY 10 MINUTES. How can you say that choosing to let one of these hit you square in the face is an example of "protecting your lives"? I would say that a more accurate statement would be "gambling with our lives."

          Let's take it a bit farther, shall we? If your house were on fire, what would you do to "protect your life"? Would you do whatever it took to get away from the flames, or would you just sit in there and wait for someone to come and get you? You see, there comes a point where each and every one of us is responsible for doing everything possible to avoid becoming "helpless". If, in the case that we cannot overcome the situation, there are those who are there to help. But, we are PRIMARILY responsible for our own preparedness and survival (excluding children, mentally and physically disabled).

          Just as with the example of the burning house. If you are presented with a life-threatening situation, it is YOUR responsibility to do whatever it takes to survive. If you are a parent, you need to take care of the children. Be prepared to get out at a moments notice. Stuff can be replaced. Life cannot. Those people in New Orleans chose to gamble their lives, and sadly, many of them lost. But it WAS their choice to make.

          Report Abuse
          • Author by loonz (February 02, 2008 6:13 pm ET)
               

            Those people in New Orleans chose to gamble their lives, and sadly, many of them lost. But it WAS their choice to make.

            I would say it was a fraction of the victims who chose to "gamble their lives" but  who knows.  The problem I had with the situation is that Bush had other priorities while an American city was eighty incapacitated; while people were drowning in the streets of this American city; and while Americans were stuck in conditions (in the Astrodome) that would be unbearable for a dog.  The bástard waited four to five days to provide federal aid New Orleans.

            Report Abuse
            • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 6:40 pm ET)
                 

              That is a flat-out lie. Trying to re-write history so soon?

              Aug. 27 - 72 hours Prior to landfall - Impending national disaster area defined, allowing 10,000 National Guard troops to be dispatched along the Gulf Coast. National State of Emergency Declared, FEMA dispatched and ordered into position.

              Aug. 30 -Day after landfall - levee breach confirmed - Bush cut his trip short and returned to Washington to petition Congress to provide 10.5 billion in immediate aid. (BTW-he recalled Congress - they were on vacation, too. But don't let that little "inconvenient truth" slip out). Ordered 40,000 more National Guardsmen into the area. Authorized active-duty military to assist with relief and search and rescue.

              Aug. 31 - 4 Navy ships arrive with supplies and medical aid. Wonder how that happened? Navy and Coast Guard helicopters start plucking people from rooftops. Do you think that Blanco ordered them in?

              So, what was this four or five days garbage?

              Report Abuse
              • Author by snoopy (February 02, 2008 6:49 pm ET)
                   

                In a September 26, 2005 hearing, Michael Brown was questioned by Republican members of Congress about FEMA's response. During that hearing, Representative Stephen Buyer (R-IN) inquired as to why Bush's declaration did not include Orleans, Jefferson, or Plaquemines parishes.[13] (In fact, the declaration did not include any of Louisiana's coastal parishes, whereas the coastal counties were included in the declarations for Mississippi[14] and Alabama.[15]) Brown testified that this was because Governor Blanco had not included those parishes in her initial request for aid, a decision that he found "shocking." After the hearing, though, Blanco released a copy of her letter, which requested assistance for "all the southeastern parishes including the New Orleans Metropolitan area and the mid state Interstate I-49 corridor and northern parishes along the I-20 corridor that are accepting [evacuated citizens]."[16]

                As usual, the facts elude you. Bush sat around with his thumb up his arse strumming a guitar the same way Nero fiddled while rome burned. He's the most incompetant president ever.

                Report Abuse
              • Author by loonz (February 02, 2008 7:59 pm ET)
                   

                So, what was this four or five days garbage?

                Because Bush lives in a bubble, his staff had to put together a video of the death and destruction in New Orleans four days after the hurricane hit to get across the gravitas of the situation to the aloof president.  He staged a photo op on Friday (five days after the hurricane hit) and this is when most of the federal aid came in.

                There were repeated cries from Blanco , Nagin and the media for more federal help throughout the week but bush had higher priorities (McCain's Birthday party, playing guitar with Mark Willis, talking to seniors about his Medicare plan, etc.).

                Report Abuse
          • Author by roundhouse (February 03, 2008 6:29 pm ET)
               
            "Just as with the example of the burning house. If you are presented with a life-threatening situation, it is YOUR responsibility to do whatever it takes to survive. If you are a parent, you need to take care of the children."

            And sometimes you're trapped in that burning house. Thank God for fearless public servants who risk their lives to get you out.
            Report Abuse
      • Author by solon (February 03, 2008 8:17 pm ET)
           
        No it isnt. Its a delusion the two of you soulless creatures share.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by slothrop (February 01, 2008 9:48 pm ET)
         
      Boortz's rant sounds like the "cries of the useless, the worthless." What has Boortz ever done? When will he actually get a real job, in the real world? Instead of being a worthless parasite, who sits on his backside waiting for another check? What has he ever done of value? Of meaning? Boortz has all the tell-tale marks of the useless, the worthless parasites who sit on talk radio and pretend that they actually know something, that their views are meaningful. They are not. Boortz is a parasite on this country, worthless and useless.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by notbuying (February 01, 2008 9:48 pm ET)
         
      lines 25-26: "just because a levee broke";

      the citizens of New Orleans expected federal assistance "just because a levee broke";

      Boortz is as low as they come.

      By the way, any chance (in some alternate future) we can watch 2-ton Rush Limbaugh trying to outrun the onrush of water that pursues him "just because a levee broke"?

      I'm sure he will not require any assistance.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by mefirst (February 01, 2008 9:50 pm ET)
         

      the fact is that katrina was another disaster in the making that bush ignored, like 9-11.   he sat in on a meeting a couple days before, where he was warned that there was a danger of the levees overtopping, and he said nothing the whole meeting.  it's bush's modus operandi.  what time is my nap?   and then his homeland security chief said he saw headlines that new orleans "dodged a bullet", so he thought that was the all-clear.  government by newspaper headline.   [saw "there will be blood", good movie, daniel day-lewis is great]

      Report Abuse
    • Author by solonswine (February 01, 2008 9:58 pm ET)
         

      The primary blame goes to the residents of New Orleans  who were too stupid to get out of the way of a 300 mile wide tornado.

      Report Abuse
      • Author by Sueelldd (February 01, 2008 9:59 pm ET)
           
        You are a disgusting person.  Get real.
        Report Abuse
        • Author by solonswine (February 01, 2008 10:15 pm ET)
             
          Remember this image? A 300 pound woman about mid-twenties, standing outside the superdome, holding a big bag of Doritos in one hand and a brand new Sidekick cell phone in the other hand chanting "Help! Help!" into the camera with a big, fat smile on her face.
          Report Abuse
          • Author by DorisRussell (February 01, 2008 10:38 pm ET)
               

            I do not remember the image. Your racism though is showing loud and clear. 

            Report Abuse
            • Author by solonswine (February 01, 2008 11:56 pm ET)
                 
              Excatly how do you extract "racism" from my comments?
              Report Abuse
              • Author by dave (February 02, 2008 12:23 am ET)
                   
                C'mon Solonswine, be honest. I saw the racism in your post, too. You hate fat women who use cell phones. You should be ashamed.
                Report Abuse
                • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 12:34 am ET)
                     
                  Yeah, you got me. So much for my dream of landing a date with Camryn Manheim.
                  Report Abuse
                  • Author by mefirst (February 02, 2008 8:26 pm ET)
                       
                    then what was the woman?  white or black?  given your comments on this thread, one could make a reasonable inference she was black.  here's your chance.  clear it up. 
                    Report Abuse
                    • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 9:22 pm ET)
                         

                      Ok, I'll bite. How, pray tell, could one make a "reasonable inference" that I was describing a black woman? This should be entertaining.

                      Report Abuse
          • Author by seraphim (February 01, 2008 10:40 pm ET)
               
            I love you people who know nothing about New Orleans, or the people who live here, yet you are experts on how fat and stupid and lazy these people are. Did you know that 80 percent of people evacuated? Did you know that despite the Ninth Ward being one of the poorest neighborhoods in the country over 50 percent of its residents were home owners? That is higher than the national average. My good friend didn't evacuate because she stayed with her sick Grandma, is she stupid? I love this city, and all of the people I know here are good and normal people who are just trying to survive. There is an affluent mostly white part of the city called Lakeview, and a majority of the homes in that area are still in ruin because people are having such a hard time collecting on insurance they have paid into for years. Are they lazy losers waiting for a handout also? This is a problem all along the Gulf Coast. It really makes me sad when people have so little compassion. We New Orleanians are Americans too, who pay our taxes and who deserve to be treated like human beings.
            Report Abuse
            • Author by solonswine (February 01, 2008 10:53 pm ET)
                 

              Interesting remarks. Why couldn't grandma be moved? Because she was sick? Would you use that same excuse if she were laying in the path of a train? Doubtful. Or what is something else? Like perhaps, POVERTY, the lifestyle choice that put those people in that situation to begin with. BTW, if 50% of the people in the Ninth Ward OWNED their homes, how can you describe them as "poor"?

              You see, poverty is to blame. But poverty is not an affliction. It is a lifestyle choice. You state that 80% evacuated. Then, what was left. Criminals, thieves, government dependents, etc. Those we like to call the "less fortunate" which is ridiculous since their very actions put them where the were. Listen to the audio clip. Boortz nails it. But "compassionate" people just don't want to believe that it's true.

              Report Abuse
              • Author by Clevenative (February 01, 2008 11:06 pm ET)
                   

                You see, poverty is to blame. But poverty is not an affliction. It is a lifestyle choice.

                You HAVE to be one of the infamous right-wing talk show hosts we love so much around here - just using the solonswine alias. I mean NO ONE could have the exact Rush Limbaugh conservative talking point response for every topic of conversation. Unless maybe right-wing radio IS your day job and MMFA is your evening entertainment?

                You're unbelievable - hard to believe a mind could be so warped. 

                Report Abuse
                • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 12:15 am ET)
                     
                  Great, I'm interested in your views. Please explain to me how a perfectly able-bodied individual can be "afflicted" or "stricken" with poverty. No need to bring up the physically or mentally disabled. I understand that situation, and those people SHOULD be given everything that they are unable to obtain themselves. I'm wondering how a perfectly healthy person becomes "poverty stricken".
                  Report Abuse
                  • Author by roundhouse (February 02, 2008 12:40 am ET)
                       
                    "No need to bring up the physically or mentally disabled. I understand that situation, and those people SHOULD be given everything that they are unable to obtain themselves."

                    They should be given everything except the right to vote because it reflects a conflict of interest. Remember writing that, solonswine? I bet clevenative remembers.

                    So if people with disabilities can't vote how are they supposed to secure their future and vote for those who would make sure public assistance will be there for them?

                    I actually believe you're on to something with this kind of thinking. I believe that people who earn more than $250,000/year should not be able to vote because they cannot be trusted to vote outside their own self-intersts. Besides, they're just a tiny minority and their input wouldn't be missed. Whaddya say?
                    Report Abuse
                    • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 12:58 am ET)
                         

                      I'd say you were taking this thread off-topic to begin with, but I'll play along.

                      I don't ever remember saying that disabled people shouldn't be allowed to vote. I DO, however, remember saying that anyone who lives off of the government and provides nothing in return should NOT be allowed to vote. That would include alot more than just some disabled people.

                      Then, Cleve said that he was disabled and he lived off of public assistance. I said that I believe he shouldn't be able to vote. I STILL believe that. And I expressed WHY I believe that.

                      But that has nothing to do with this topic.

                      So, yes I remember PRECISELY what I said, unlike you. What's your point?

                      Report Abuse
                      • Author by roundhouse (February 02, 2008 1:00 am ET)
                           
                        I think I made my point...and you ignored it.
                        Report Abuse
                      • Author by funnymanpants (February 02, 2008 1:03 am ET)
                           
                        >>I DO, however, remember saying that anyone who lives off of the government and provides nothing in return should NOT be allowed to vote. That would include alot more than just some disabled people.

                        >>Then, Cleve said that he was disabled and he lived off of public assistance. I said that I believe he shouldn't be able to vote. I STILL believe that. And I expressed WHY I believe that.

                        Wow! More pearls of wisdom from the Boortz ranting club member. You realize what you propose would be flat out unconstitutional, of course? 

                        You are such a beacon to humanity. Oh, and since we are throwing out inflamatory opinions, I don't think you should be able to vote. I think you should have to pass a test of reasonableness, and anyone who thinks that a person who called refugees garbage spot on is not reasonable and is not fit to vote.  

                        Report Abuse
                      • Author by Clevenative (February 02, 2008 9:09 am ET)
                           

                        Now you’re playing a word parsing game. According to what you just wrote, you said that you ”never said disabled people shouldn’t be allowed to vote” yet in nearly the same breath you go on to say that “anyone who lives off of the government and provides nothing in return should NOT be allowed to vote”.  I’m confused – So in your world, how should disabled persons support themselves in such a way that they don’t lose voting rights?

                        I’m not saying you’re an moron, only that your views are moronic.

                        Report Abuse
                        • Author by mescal (February 02, 2008 8:11 pm ET)
                             
                          "Are there no prisons? And the Union workhouses? Are they still in operation? The treadmill and the Poor Law are still in full vigor, then? I help support the establishments I have mentioned -- they are enough; and those who are badly off must go there. If they would rather die, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population." - Ebeneezer Swiney
                          Report Abuse
                  • Author by Clevenative (February 02, 2008 9:22 am ET)
                       

                    Please explain to me how a perfectly able-bodied individual can be "afflicted" or "stricken" with poverty.

                    The same way most people are afflicted with the disease of wealth – they’re born into it.

                    I'm wondering how a perfectly healthy person becomes "poverty stricken".

                    Well, for example when they lose a good-paying job because the company they worked for moved to another state for tax breaks or overseas for cheaper labor and the only replacement job they could get pays minimum wage which is hardly enough to support the family as they have been accustomed to.

                    Try comparing the minimum wages for each state vs. federal guidelines for poverty level using these 2 links…

                    http://www.dol.gov/esa/minwage/america.htm

                    http://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty/07poverty.shtml

                    Of course the “I’ve got mine” crowd that you belong to doesn’t see the reality of the issue – it’s much easier to parrot Rush Limbaugh’s talking points.

                    Report Abuse
                  • Author by claypot (February 02, 2008 12:33 pm ET)
                       

                    <blockquote>No need to bring up the physically or mentally disabled.</blockquote>

                    How about the guy who was laid off 3 months before katrina and didn't have a dime left?

                    How about the girl who was raped and just can't "pull herself together" and join the workforce.

                    How about the abused? The bankrupt? The addicts? How about all the elderly? How about all those hospital patients the nurses couldn't move?

                    And how about the people whose IQ just isn't high enough to get a "real" job?

                    You have an attitude of euthanasia for anyone who doesn't meet your standards. Everyone deserves to die right? How dare anyone cost you a dime in tax dollars those stupid, worthless people and their problems. Screw 'em!

                    Report Abuse
                    • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 4:51 pm ET)
                         
                      Gee, claypot, did you miss the part where I said (with the exception of the physically or mentally disabled)? Since you obviously did, your argument has little, if any, meaning.
                      Report Abuse
                      • Author by claypot (February 04, 2008 11:57 am ET)
                           

                        No YOU are missing the point that a high margin of "poor" people are mentally or physically disabled.

                        Also poor are those hit by a HUGE financial disaster such as medical bills and losing their jobs.

                        And let's not forget the college students who use milk crates for coffee tables and don't have a dime. How about the artists and musicians? I guess in your world these people have no value?

                        And YES some people CHOOSE to be poor. Some people exercise their rights as FREEMEN to not participate in your idea of what makes a human valuable. It is not big screen tvs and investing in stocks that makes a person. All people deserve assistance during a disaster if our government has ONE responsibility this is it.

                        Report Abuse
                • Author by solon (February 03, 2008 8:33 pm ET)
                     

                  Yes, sadly, they can. They have been assmiliated. They are of the Limborg hivemind. Resistance to their stupidity is a moral imperative.

                  Report Abuse
              • Author by tex (February 01, 2008 11:22 pm ET)
                   

                SOLON'S WINE is a sour vintage indeed.

                SW says, " But "compassionate" people just don't want to believe that it's true."

                RESPONSE: That WHAT is true? That these people are worthless, lazy, useless, parasites? That it's their CHOICES that brought a hurricane upon them? That they are deserving of scorn, contempt, and hatred and deserve to suffer and die?

                See, you shouldn't try to speak for what "compassionate people" might want, because you have no clue. Compassion doesn't care if Boortz might be correct about why a particular human being might be poor and in need of help. The compassionate person helps because that is the right and humane and moral thing to do. It is MORAL, because it follows the golden rule, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. What if it was YOUR family caught in flood? Would you want strangers to help?

                Since you obviously possess NONE of those goals, you have no basis on which to judge.

                Your mindset is not NEW, unfortunately. DEHUMANIZING people, calling them "garbage" or "vermin", is a way to justify treating them in cruel and inhuman fashion. It is the EXCUSE of the cruel and inhuman, and you and Boortz do not disappoint.

                In Nazi Germany, the "enemies of the state", like the Jews, were referred to as VERMIN, the better to exterminate them. People of pure evil always have a justification, by which they fool themselves into thinking they can still be good people while doing evil things, having evil thoughts, and behaving inhumanely.

                It's horrendous, and sad, to see that same mindset exists in America today. Luckily, such evil is overcome by good works by good people. America will be a good nation, DESPITE you and your ilk. 

                Report Abuse
                • Author by roundhouse (February 01, 2008 11:28 pm ET)
                     
                  Well put, Tex.
                  Report Abuse
                • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 12:02 am ET)
                     
                  Tex, thanks for your views. I'm sorry that we don't agree. Nice Nazi reference, too. Vintage liberal debate playbook material. Well done.
                  Report Abuse
                  • Author by funnymanpants (February 02, 2008 12:05 am ET)
                       

                    What's the matter, Solon? That is the best response you can give? Oh, I guess you can't think of any Rush Limbaugh talking points, so you can't say much.

                    Tex just demolished your whole meaness. And you can't respond? What's the matter?  

                    Report Abuse
                    • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 12:31 am ET)
                         

                      Tex is insinuating that I believe that people in a desperate situation shouldn't be helped. That's not true.

                      Regardless of the circumstances, each and every person stranded in that city deserved to be helped. I'm not saying anything to the contrary on that point. My argument is that the "Blame FEMA, Blame Bush" rhetoric just doesn't do it for me. Lest we forget, FEMA was positioned outside the potential "blast zone" before the storm hit to ensure that THEY were'nt wiped out (dead rescue teams don't make good rescue teams).

                      Still, after the storm passed, FEMA had to cut through literally hundreds of miles of sheer destruction (Katrina cut a swath of destruction that extended well north of New Orleans, BTW). It's not like they could just drive on down I-55 right into New Orleans, could they? Simply getting there was a logistical nightmare. Power lines, flood waters, downed trees, etc. for hundreds of miles around New Orleans made for a delay. It was a bad a$$ storm, no question. FEMA is comprised of people, and people have a hard time moving around a destroyed area.

                      As for the people who chose to stay in New Orleans in the first place, that is their fault. THAT is the basis of my beliefs. They heard the warnings, they refused to leave. It's their fault. Not George Bush's.

                      Report Abuse
                      • Author by funnymanpants (February 02, 2008 12:39 am ET)
                           

                        Solonwhines wrote: 

                        >>Regardless of the circumstances, each and every person stranded in that city deserved to be helped. I'm not saying anything to the contrary on that point.

                        But earlier you wrote:

                        >>The primary blame goes to the residents of New Orleans  who were too stupid to get out of the way of a 300 mile wide tornado.

                        and

                        >>Why couldn't grandma be moved? Because she was sick? Would you use that same excuse if she were laying in the path of a train?

                        Are you serious?  

                        Report Abuse
                      • Author by funnymanpants (February 02, 2008 12:46 am ET)
                           

                        >>As for the people who chose to stay in New Orleans in the first place, that is their fault. THAT is the basis of my beliefs. They heard the warnings, they refused to leave. It's their fault. Not George Bush's.

                        Yes, because Bush was so well prepared and took such great steps when he knew it was coming. Funny, the poor people in NO are to blame in your opinion, but the person with the most power in the world, who also knew it was coming, is not to blame. And why did Bush later say that he had no idea catastrophe could strike?   

                        Report Abuse
                      • Author by claypot (February 02, 2008 12:47 pm ET)
                           

                        "FEMA had to cut through literally hundreds of miles of sheer destruction "

                        Have you perhaps heard of AIRPLANES and HELICOPTERS. It took days for them to even get water to people. DAYS!

                        How do you move the sick that are recovering from surgery, suffering from disease, and hooked to life support????????? Do you not understand how many people has to stay behind? The nurses, doctors, police, fireman, EMT ETC ETC ETC ETC And some people just stayed to HELP! 

                        You act like the superdome people were the only ones there.

                        Report Abuse
                        • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 5:01 pm ET)
                             

                          That, sir, is where you are wrong. I was working at the Pensacola Naval Air Station when the storm hit, and we launched relief crews by helicopter the very next day. Your argument has been shattered.

                          Besides, if the "city" were even the least bit prepared, wouldn't there be water? One further, if the citizens had oh, I don't know, heeded the warnings and complied with the evac orders, there wouldn't have been such mayhem in the first place. But blame George Bush, right?

                          Report Abuse
                          • Author by claypot (February 04, 2008 11:59 am ET)
                               
                            Don't call me sir, for I am not male. Keep you sexist assumptions to yourself.
                            Report Abuse
                      • Author by slothrop (February 02, 2008 5:10 pm ET)
                           
                        How, again, does any of your nonsense change the fact that Boortz is a mere talk radio host, and a useless, worthless parasite who does not live in the real world?
                        Report Abuse
                • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 12:09 am ET)
                     
                  Look, I'm all for helping those who truly need it. But sympathy for those who refuse to "escape the affliction of poverty" or refuse to be prepared enough to deal with natural disasters? Sorry, no can do. Boortz got it right - "I've never done anything for myself up until now, and you expect me to do something NOW?" Those people had ample time and opportunity to evacuate. The warnings were crystal clear. Those people gambled with their lives, and sadly, alot of them lost. They weren't victims of anything but their own calculated decisions.
                  Report Abuse
                  • Author by funnymanpants (February 02, 2008 12:16 am ET)
                       

                    Solonwhines wrote: 

                    >>Why couldn't grandma be moved? Because she was sick? Would you use that same excuse if she were laying in the path of a train?

                    But then wrote:

                    >>Look, I'm all for helping those who truly need it.

                    See any contradiction?  

                    Report Abuse
                    • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 12:38 am ET)
                         
                      No. The question was simply to ascertain what is it about grandma's condition that it made more sense to leave her to survive a major hurricane instead of taking her to safety? Just wondering what the thought process was. She's too sick to move, but she'll do just fine when all the power goes out for weeks on end? Logic, anyone?
                      Report Abuse
                      • Author by funnymanpants (February 02, 2008 12:42 am ET)
                           

                        >>No. The question was simply to ascertain what is it about grandma's condition that it made more sense to leave her to survive a major hurricane instead of taking her to safety?

                        Sure, Solonswhine. Silly me. You were just wondering! Of course, I am not supposed to take your question in context, which is that you say the people are to blame, a point you made repeatedly. So yes, you are contradicting yourself. And of course, you said Boortz was spot on, and Boortz said:

                        it was just a glorified episode of putting out the garbage."

                        But of course, you were just asking a question! 

                         

                        Report Abuse
                • Author by solon (February 04, 2008 6:28 am ET)
                     

                  Very well put Tex. The best reason to help is simply because we CAN. It is THAT which makes us human. Those who eschew compassion deny that very impulse that defines our very humanity.

                  I wrote this a while ago for another venue but think it is relevant here

                  Can I help, I see those words as the paragon of humaneness. Those words not I love you as being indicitive of that best part of us all. Can I help is a concrete commitment toward making a connection, manifesting a committed attempt to be part of anothers world and try to make it a brighter place. Of course I love you is a wonderful sentiment but I am championing can I help because it implies a physical connection. I love you is an idealistic feeling in your hert or an attempt at the idealistic feeling you think should be in your heart. Can I help is so 3d. It speaks to the connection we should be developing with one another, it is the essence of the difference between a large group of people and a society, the desire to help and willingness to make a commitment to do so. This is the essence of what makes us human and humane. Suspending judgement for just a moment because you see this isnt the time to endulge in self righteousness and just pitching in. This is or should be what defines our commitment to a social wholeness, Can I help. Not because of who you are or how they are like you but because they are in need and because you can. Can I help. Because they are human and therefore part of your family, and not because of that but because it should be who we are. Can I help. Once this defines our lives, our society, I think the world will be a better place, lets try it and see. Can I help, it has a side effect, it feels good to do good.

                  Report Abuse
              • Author by tex (February 01, 2008 11:22 pm ET)
                   

                SOLON'S WINE is a sour vintage indeed.

                SW says, " But "compassionate" people just don't want to believe that it's true."

                RESPONSE: That WHAT is true? That these people are worthless, lazy, useless, parasites? That it's their CHOICES that brought a hurricane upon them? That they are deserving of scorn, contempt, and hatred and deserve to suffer and die?

                See, you shouldn't try to speak for what "compassionate people" might want, because you have no clue. Compassion doesn't care if Boortz might be correct about why a particular human being might be poor and in need of help. The compassionate person helps because that is the right and humane and moral thing to do. It is MORAL, because it follows the golden rule, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. What if it was YOUR family caught in flood? Would you want strangers to help?

                Since you obviously possess NONE of those goals, you have no basis on which to judge.

                Your mindset is not NEW, unfortunately. DEHUMANIZING people, calling them "garbage" or "vermin", is a way to justify treating them in cruel and inhuman fashion. It is the EXCUSE of the cruel and inhuman, and you and Boortz do not disappoint.

                In Nazi Germany, the "enemies of the state", like the Jews, were referred to as VERMIN, the better to exterminate them. People of pure evil always have a justification, by which they fool themselves into thinking they can still be good people while doing evil things, having evil thoughts, and behaving inhumanely.

                It's horrendous, and sad, to see that same mindset exists in America today. Luckily, such evil is overcome by good works by good people. America will be a good nation, DESPITE you and your ilk. 

                Report Abuse
              • Author by MoonbatYouBet (February 02, 2008 8:06 am ET)
                   

                "Poverty is a lifestyle choice."

                There is no rational debate required when someone earnestly believes in something so mind-numbingly vapid and insane.  Clearly you are either delusional or just enjoy saying shocking things for the attention it brings you.

                Go Cheney yourself.

                Report Abuse
              • Author by seraphim (February 02, 2008 12:58 pm ET)
                   

                "Why couldn't grandma be moved?"

                She could be moved, but she was old and stubborn and sick and had been through so many false hurricane alarms in her life. She probably thought evacuating would be a waste of time and money like every other time in the last 40 years. 

                "Would you use that same excuse if she were laying in the path of a train? Doubtful. Or what is something else? Like perhaps, POVERTY, the lifestyle choice that put those people in that situation to begin with."

                Your analogy is poor. There is a difference between knowing a train is coming and something as unpredictable as how a hurricane will manifest itself. If the levies hadn't broke the hurricane wouldn't have been that bad in New Orleans. Was she supposed to know the levies were going to break? As for being poor, do you think a 80 year old black woman in the South has had an easy life? She worked hard her whole life, isn't that enough anymore, or would she have to be well to do to receive any compassion and understanding from you? 

                "BTW, if 50% of the people in the Ninth Ward OWNED their homes, how can you describe them as "poor"?"

                The people in the Ninth Ward are low income working class, generally speaking. And home prices in that area were pretty cheap. Also, a lot of people passed the family home down to their children because often that was all they had to leave their families when they died. It is a fact that despite being poor, many people in the Ninth Ward worked hard for the little they had and were able to achieve home ownership despite the odds. My parents were pretty poor, but my dad managed to buy a house. We didn't have money for much else, but we had a roof over our heads.

                "You see, poverty is to blame. But poverty is not an affliction. It is a lifestyle choice."

                A lot of things in life are a matter of choice, but some things are purely up to ones luck in life. Being poor is a cycle that can be overcome, but it isn't easy. I wouldn't say people choose to be poor most of the time. If you have to work to support yourself from a young age and don't have the time or money to go to college it is very difficult to escape poverty. I was lucky enough that by the time I was old enough to go to college my dad was doing better and could help me, but many of my friends were not. Many people I know had to pay rent and bills and work two jobs just to survive. It is not simple to escape that cycle, and many people don't have much choice but to struggle everyday simply to subside.

                "You state that 80% evacuated. Then, what was left. Criminals, thieves, government dependents, etc. Those we like to call the "less fortunate" which is ridiculous since their very actions put them where the were."

                How do you know all that was left was criminals and government dependents? That is simply not true. Some people who stayed were what you say, but most people I know who stayed do not fit your description. I think I will take my first hand experience over your lazy speculation when forming my opinions. Of course, with hindsight it is easy to say that the choice not to evacuate was a poor one, but does that mean that those people who stayed deserved to suffer?

                "Listen to the audio clip. Boortz nails it. But "compassionate" people just don't want to believe that it's true."

                Boortz did not nail anything. I get the impression neither you nor Boortz have ever been here or know anything about what people have gone through during and after Katrina and Rita, whether they evacuated or not. Compassion means understanding where people are coming from and trying to look at things from their perspective. Everyone makes bad choices, no one is perfect, that is being human. I don't have to agree with your choices to have compassion for you, but that is something you don't seem to understand. 

                Report Abuse
                • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 5:13 pm ET)
                     

                  Seraphim, I appreciate your comments and I thank you for your civility (a rarity on this site indeed). I was out of line to say that those who stayed were all criminals, etc. I do apologize for that. I get spun up just like everyone else.

                  But I will hold firm that "riding out" a hurricane is a dangerous gamble. You gamble your life. These storms are brutal (did we learn nothing from Hugo and Andrew)? Add the geography of New Orleans to the equation and the odds only get worse. You take those gambles and you can only be lucky for so long.

                  You also pretty much made my point by saying:

                  "Of course, with hindsight it is easy to say that the choice not to evacuate was a poor one, but does that mean that those people who stayed deserved to suffer?"

                  Although I never said that anyone deserved to suffer, I do believe that they deserve the primary blame, as Boortz said. We are free people, we are responsible for our lives and our choices. If we play the odds and lose, we live with the choice. Again, I appreciate your civility. 

                  Report Abuse
                  • Author by seraphim (February 02, 2008 9:29 pm ET)
                       

                    Your welcome. As much as I may disagree with someone, I always try to be respectful. Thank you for admitting your mistake- which we all make. I agree riding out a hurricane is not a good idea, but you must understand that many years during the summer and early fall New Orleanians are told to evacuate, and people become complacent after so many years of false alarms. Nobody who stayed expected it to be as bad as it was, trust me. I am sure many of those who stayed, who could have left, consider it to be one of the biggest mistakes they have made. Those who did not have cars, however you may feel about why they didn't have cars, couldn't leave. That is just the way it was and they could have used some help beforehand. There is plenty of blame to go around. There is the responsibility of the individual, the mayor, the governor, FEMA, and the president. There were mistakes made and neglect at every level. What is upsetting to me is Boortz calling people he doesn't even know worthless parasites, and you seeming to agree with him. These people aren't worthless parasites to me, they are my neighbors, my friends, my co-workers, people I meet at the store or in a coffee shop. The stories of pain and loss and sadness are real to me, not just something you see on TV or read in the paper. When people here speak of Katrina, it doesn't matter if you evacuated or stayed, if you are conservative or liberal, all that matters is that people have an unspoken sadness and understanding of exactly how each other feel. Everyone talks in terms of before and after Katrina. 

                    I don't agree with calling people parasites, it is dehumanizing and cruel. As you have expressed gratitude for my civility, which leads me to believe civility is something you appreciate generally, I find it uncouth that Boortz would speak so uncivilly about other human beings who, as distasteful as he may find them, don't deserve his inhumane judgment. If you do truly value civility, you should not condone Boortz's discourteousness.

                    Report Abuse
                    • Author by commonsenseliberal (February 04, 2008 5:00 pm ET)
                         
                      Seraphim, your post was absolutely beautiful.  I enjoyed reading it.  Thank you!
                      Report Abuse
              • Author by solon (February 03, 2008 8:31 pm ET)
                   
                Poverty is a lifestyle choice. That Calvinist ignorance is still being bandied about by the truly ignorant. What I want to know is whether or not  your ABJECT STUPIDITY is a lifestyle choice.
                Report Abuse
            • Author by mefirst (February 01, 2008 10:56 pm ET)
                 

              a lot of the tax breaks that were supposed to go to katrina victims ended up going to things like condos built near the university of alabama at tuscaloosa, an area that had almost no damage. 

              http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20070813/katrina-luxury-condos/

              Report Abuse
              • Author by Clevenative (February 01, 2008 11:12 pm ET)
                   
                I bet Halliburton did the digging.
                Report Abuse
              • Author by dave (February 02, 2008 2:00 am ET)
                   

                And your point would be?

                They were tax breaks for rebuilding damaged areas which was what they were used for.

                Report Abuse
                • Author by mefirst (February 02, 2008 6:55 am ET)
                     
                  i think my point would be that the tax breaks were not designed to go to areas that had little damage.  and that's what i  said, that there was little damage in tuscaloosa.  but i guess you didn't read that.
                  Report Abuse
                  • Author by dave (February 02, 2008 3:42 pm ET)
                       
                    Actually, they were designated to go to that particular area. It was one of the counties listed. And no aid was ever taken away from the selfish folks who voluntarily elected to stay to make sure that the first responders would have to risk their necks saving them because they gambled against a highly publicized deadly storm and lost.
                    Report Abuse
                    • Author by mefirst (February 02, 2008 11:26 pm ET)
                         
                      they were supposed to go to areas heavily affected by the storm, areas such as the mississippi and alabama coasts as well as louisiana.  that county was "listed" because senator richard shelby got it included.  again, it suffered little damage. 
                      Report Abuse
            • Author by Col. Harlan Sanders (February 01, 2008 11:08 pm ET)
                 

              Seraphim, did you read the part in the item about Cape Cod? Boortz is driving home the popular right wing nut as regular guy story, feigning shock that he's popular with the wealthy. But who do you think his show (especially crap like this) appeals to?

              I'm not very familiar with Boortz, but I know he is (or was ) on the radio here in SoCal, only because I used to work with a guy who was a fan.This guy grew up in one of the priciest neighborhoods in the area (probably in the country), on one of the little Islands in the harbor of Newport Beach.

              Now I get the appeal to the silver spoon set. Easier to not worry about other less lucky people when you have a douchebag like Boortz to tell you they deserve what they get. It's Greed Therapy for the elites who might otherwise feel the occasional pangs of humanity.

              Report Abuse
            • Author by Col. Harlan Sanders (February 01, 2008 11:08 pm ET)
                 

              Seraphim, did you read the part in the item about Cape Cod? Boortz is driving home the popular right wing nut as regular guy story, feigning shock that he's popular with the wealthy. But who do you think his show (especially crap like this) appeals to?

              I'm not very familiar with Boortz, but I know he is (or was ) on the radio here in SoCal, only because I used to work with a guy who was a fan.This guy grew up in one of the priciest neighborhoods in the area (probably in the country), on one of the little Islands in the harbor of Newport Beach.

              Now I get the appeal to the silver spoon set. Easier to not worry about other less lucky people when you have a douchebag like Boortz to tell you they deserve what they get. It's Greed Therapy for the elites who might otherwise feel the occasional pangs of humanity.

              Report Abuse
              • Author by eweston8542983 (February 02, 2008 12:17 pm ET)
                   
                Driving that is the neocon meme that anyone you meet in trouble, especially a potential political opponet, is worth kicking a few times someplace vunerable.
                Report Abuse
              • Author by seraphim (February 02, 2008 1:18 pm ET)
                   
                Yeah, I read that part. Maybe instead he should take a trip down here and talk to some of these people he is so convinced are human trash. I would assume he would rather have his ego inflated by a bunch of sycophantic fans while picking berries rather than challenge his ignorant opinions, but that would be typical of his sort. I don't know why this ignoramus appeals to anyone rich or poor. You may be right about it being greed therapy, but it will never make sense to me how people can be so lacking in compassion.
                Report Abuse
          • Author by slothrop (February 02, 2008 5:22 pm ET)
               
            No, I don't remember that image at all. I do remember that the worthless, useless parasite Boortz sat on his backside collecting checks, unconcerned about the suffering of others.
            Report Abuse
      • Author by carlileb5935 (February 01, 2008 10:02 pm ET)
           

        "The primary blame goes to the residents of New Orleans  who were too stupid to get out of the way of a 300 mile wide tornado."


        That was a hell of a tornado, cowboy. You're not too quick on specifics, eh?

        Report Abuse
        • Author by solonswine (February 01, 2008 10:21 pm ET)
             
          What is a hurricane other than a huge tornado? The primary difference with hurricanes is that you've got roughly a weeks notice to get out of town.
          Report Abuse
          • Author by roundhouse (February 01, 2008 10:27 pm ET)
               
            Which would also indicate that FEMA would have had ample time to provide an organized and safe exit from the city for those who needed the help.
            Report Abuse
          • Author by Clevenative (February 01, 2008 10:37 pm ET)
               

            I live in one of the most frequently hit areas of the country when it comes to hurricanes and I can tell you firsthand the longer someone has lived in the area the less likely they are to evacuate. When Katrina was downgraded to a Cat 4 and then Cat 3 before it made landfall, I am sure many residents thought "no big deal". A Cat 3 storm made landfall 12 miles from my home in 1986 and no one on my street left their homes.

            The problem was not the hurricane winds (the reason for any hurricane evacuation), it was the collapse of the levy from heavy rains. Had that not happened there would have been far less damage and loss of life.

            Why do conservatives pass always pass the buck or make excuses for government ineptness? I bet if there were a Democratic Administration you'd be up in arms about the poor response. It's just so damn hypocritical, ignorant, and selfish for anyone to blame the victims - I'm practically speechless with amazement.

             

            Report Abuse
            • Author by roundhouse (February 01, 2008 10:49 pm ET)
                 
              There wouldn't have been such a poor response had there been a Democratic administration. Gore or Kerry would have rallied FEMA to the task.

              Katrina is an example of what Naomi Klein calls disaster capitalism. Historically, these radical marketeers have capitalized on the heels of catastrophe. In the wake of disaster people are much more compliant and willing to accept the radicalized ideals of the free market as a solution to what would otherwise be the moral responsibility of government fulfill.

              All the Bushites had to do was sit tight, witness the carnage then start handing out the no bid contracts to their cronies who would rebuild New Orleans as some consumerist playground for the wealthy.
              Report Abuse
              • Author by solonswine (February 01, 2008 10:55 pm ET)
                   
                Democratic Administration? You mean like the local and state governments involved? Yeah, they did a GREAT job!!
                Report Abuse
            • Author by Limit Corp. Ownership (February 02, 2008 1:59 am ET)
                 

              Good point Cleve...

              If there was a Democratic administration, Fixed News would be screaming about Govmint ineptness.  

              Cartoons, for a distracted and ignorant people. 

              Report Abuse
          • Author by funnymanpants (February 02, 2008 2:07 am ET)
               

            >>What is a hurricane other than a huge tornado?

            Wow. I guess you know as much about weather as you do about poor people. Are you serious? A hurricane is not a  huge tornado, unless in your fantasy world. Hurricanes don't form inland, don't have a narrow funnel, and don't have speeds up to 320 MPH.

            Report Abuse
          • Author by T-Hone (February 02, 2008 9:08 am ET)
               

            "What is a hurricane other than a huge tornado?"

            Oh great, here we go, another right-wing scientist!

            Report Abuse
            • Author by Clevenative (February 02, 2008 11:18 am ET)
                 

              I chuckled at this one too, but figured I’d let it slide. You’d be surprised at how many people try to make the comparison.

              If you never lived through a major hurricane you haven’t got a clue of how scary they are. I’ve never been hit by a tornado, but at least that would be over in a few minutes and not have you crapping your pants for hours!

              Report Abuse
          • Author by claypot (February 02, 2008 12:57 pm ET)
               

            You seem to be devoid of any facts regarding this disaster. You are aware the "tornado" didn't do this aren't you? The levee broke  and the people were not told in advance the levee would break now were they?

            But who knew the levee was gonna break???? Gorge Bush was told in advance and he CHOOSE not to warn the people of NO. He CHOOSE not to start mobilizing the national guard. This was a calculated decision by our President.

            If the levee had not broke there wouldn't have been a disaster.

            Report Abuse
            • Author by claypot (February 02, 2008 1:04 pm ET)
                 

              Oh and solonswine,

              Another group of people that stayed behind who were interviewed on NPR was the people that worked at a local radio station.

              They stayed and were the ONLY people able to broadcast news and updates for the people of new orleans.

              You are so self-centered you can't even fathom how many people stay behind to HELP.

              Nursing home workers, animals shelter workers, store owners to provide goods and protect their stores.

              The more I read your comments the more disgusted I am. You don't have a clue about the reality of a disaster.

              Report Abuse
              • Author by claypot (February 02, 2008 1:13 pm ET)
                   

                Basically, solonswine, you are saying you are a self-centered CHICKEN who will always run at the 1st sign of danger and you would never have the GUTS the residents of new orleans who stayed behind showed because their first thought wasn't "I need to save myself", but what they could do to help the people if they stayed behind.

                Disgusting, pathetic and cowardly. <------solonswine

                 

                Report Abuse
          • Author by dave_chicago (February 02, 2008 4:11 pm ET)
               
            ---"What is a hurricane other than a huge tornado?"---

            And what is a tornado other than a breeze?

            Thanks, Einstein.
            Report Abuse
      • Author by mefirst (February 01, 2008 10:02 pm ET)
           

        how about these florida airboaters who were denied permission to go in and help rescue people.  i guess maybe bush didn't think they were needed because barbara bush said all those people were so lucky to be packed in the superdome.

        http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=8066#airboaters

        Report Abuse
        • Author by carlileb5935 (February 01, 2008 10:11 pm ET)
             

          No actually Ma Bush said that things were working out pretty well for them because they were stuck in Houston.

          We have to be accurate about our Bushes. 

          Report Abuse
          • Author by mefirst (February 01, 2008 10:24 pm ET)
               
            you're correct, it was the astrodome.  she said, "this is working out very well for them".
            Report Abuse
        • Author by dave (February 02, 2008 2:19 am ET)
             
          You honestly think a bunch of untrained first responding airboaters should have been allowed to go in? And if someone got hurt or killed during a rescue attempt, who would cover that lawsuit? Mark Foley?
          Report Abuse
          • Author by claypot (February 02, 2008 1:22 pm ET)
               

            So by that logic no one should ever risk their own lives to save another because of a possible "lawsuit"? Those people KNEW they might die that's what being a hero is, but obviously you can't comprehend that.

            I just can't believe the mentality of some people.

             

            Report Abuse
            • Author by dave (February 02, 2008 3:49 pm ET)
                 

              Clay,

              You must know and for good reason that the Feds aren't going to sign off on private citizens helping during a crisis for fear of lawsuits. That's why they don't enlist the help of people with garden hoses to help put out California wild fires. It wouldn't be smart and it wouldn't be safe. They simply aren't trained.

              Report Abuse
              • Author by claypot (February 04, 2008 12:05 pm ET)
                   

                Wow Dave and here I was under the impression we were "freemen". I wasn't aware we needed to ask permission of the government to use our own property to save lives.

                When did we give up our contitutional rights to make our own choices? I know I didn't.

                Report Abuse
          • Author by roundhouse (February 02, 2008 1:32 pm ET)
               
            Oh, please, Dave. It's not the government's responsibility, it's not the responsibility of private citizens. Whatever.

            You remind me of that clip in Airplane, you know the quick cutaway of the tv pundit on Point, Counterpoint saying, "They knew the risk they were taking when they got in the plane. I say let 'em die."

            How things have changed. Guys like that, guys like you and guys like Biirtz used to be considered comically out of touch. Now you guys have sway in the public mind.

            Sick.
            Report Abuse
      • Author by dave_chicago (February 02, 2008 3:56 pm ET)
           

        What kind of person writes stuff like this, people? And feels good about putting it out in public?

        What do you feel for this "swine" person--anger? pity? shame? disgust? Maybe all.

        They're out there. These are the fans Boortz, Limbaugh, etc. appeal to, and earn them their $$.

        Money for hating. 

        Report Abuse
      • Author by solon (February 03, 2008 8:28 pm ET)
           
        Typical heartless blame the victim tripe. Does EVERYBODY have the resources to take their car, which they may or may not have, drive it a hundred miles or so away, live off their savings in a motel and eat restaurant food for a week or so? If they DONT then that means to soulless creatures they DESERVE to drown? You are dispicable. Boooooore is dispicable. The two of you are poster children for lack of empathy and compassion. I am ashamed FOR you since clearly you do not have the capacity for shame.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by Clevenative (February 01, 2008 10:22 pm ET)
         

      WOW! If anyone ever needs a link to exemplify the Conservative stereotype of how they like to "Blame the Victim"... well just bookmark this story.

      p.s. MM: Nice pic of Boortz - He looks like he just ran a spoonful of smack up his arm. A fitting junkie shot, I'd say?:)

      Report Abuse
      • Author by Limit Corp. Ownership (February 02, 2008 2:06 am ET)
           

        Yeah, Media Matters does get some good pics...

        The hapless Boortz drones on....................... 

        Report Abuse
    • Author by roundhouse (February 01, 2008 11:24 pm ET)
         
      What's the deal with Belinda and Royal? Royal made a good point. The few times I listened they have made comments that would demonstrate that they actually have compassion. Why do they put up with Boortz' sociopathic crap?
      Report Abuse
    • Author by funnymanpants (February 02, 2008 12:18 am ET)
         

      Solonwhines wrote: 

      >>But sympathy for those who refuse to "escape the affliction of poverty"

      You still haven't answered the question: are you a Christian?  

      Report Abuse
    • Author by funnymanpants (February 02, 2008 12:25 am ET)
         

      >>Please explain to me how a perfectly able-bodied individual can be "afflicted" or "stricken" with poverty.

      link 

      Norwegian mathematician who accomplished an amazing amount of brilliant work in his short lifetime. Abel was born on August 5, 1802 in the small village of Findoe, Norway, where his father was minister in the diocese of Christiansand. Abel's life was spent in poverty, caused by the large size of his family (he had six brothers and his father died when he was only eighteen) and the difficult economic situation in Norway at that time. Abel died of tuberculosis at the age of 26 after being forced to live in miserable conditions because of his inability to obtain a university post.

      **

      I know. It was Abel's fault he was poor. What a moron, huh?  

      Report Abuse
      • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 12:46 am ET)
           

        Actually, it was Abel's parents that were to blame. Not poverty, he was not "stricken with poverty", he was born into it. If he remained in poverty during adulthood, he did so by choice.

        But what about this country, you know, in this century. How does one become "poverty stricken" in America?

        Report Abuse
        • Author by funnymanpants (February 02, 2008 1:58 am ET)
             

          >>he was born into it. If he remained in poverty during adulthood, he did so by choice.

          Sure, SolonWhines. Here is what the website says:

          At the age of 16, Abel gave a proof of the binomial theorem Eric Weisstein's World of Math valid for all numbers, extending Euler's result which had only held for rationals. Eric Weisstein's World of Math At age 19, he showed there is no general algebraic solution for the roots Eric Weisstein's World of Math of a quintic equation,

          And so on and so on. The man was a mathmatical genius. (By the way, do you even understand his accomplishments--how he had to invent group theory to prove their was no solution for quintic equations?) He died in poverty when he was 26, so it wasn't his parents fault. Why do you think it was Abel's fault he died in poverty, even though he was a genius and extremely hard working? 

          I'll tell you how you know. It is the same way you know that the people in NO are to blame for their poverty.

          You don't. You are just using rhetoric and idealogy. But it feels good to feels good to call poor people "garbage," as Boortz does, doesn't it?  Hate just feels so good, especially when it is based in ignorance, doesn't it, Solon?

          Report Abuse
          • Author by foghornleghorn (February 02, 2008 9:31 am ET)
               

            Swine is a great example of the 29%ers who care only about themselves and blame the victim.

            Why do you have America so much, Swine?

            Report Abuse
        • Author by Limit Corp. Ownership (February 02, 2008 2:11 am ET)
             

          "How does one become 'poverty stricken in America'"?

           

          You vote Republican.  Wake up, Mr. and Mrs. America.  

          Report Abuse
        • Author by funnymanpants (February 02, 2008 2:31 am ET)
             

          >>How does one become "poverty stricken" in America?

          According to he U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs:

          About one-third of the adult homeless population have served their country in the Armed Services. Current population estimates suggest that about 195,000 veterans (male and female) are homeless on any given night and perhaps twice as many experience homelessness at some point during the course of a year. Many other veterans are considered near homeless or at risk because of their poverty, lack of support from family and friends, and dismal living conditions in cheap hotels or in overcrowded or substandard housing.

          So to answer your question, one way to become poverty stricken is to become a veteran.  

           

          Report Abuse
          • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 5:19 pm ET)
               
            Funny you should mention that, manpants. I am a veteran (combat, deployment, everything). Luckily, I haven't been "poverty stricken" yet. Perhaps I can get a vaccination to protect me from it.
            Report Abuse
            • Author by slothrop (February 02, 2008 5:29 pm ET)
                 
              If you are a veteran, then you bring shame to this country and all those who have served and continue to serve with honor. Pity.
              Report Abuse
              • Author by hstybuf6553 (February 02, 2008 7:21 pm ET)
                   
                I am certain you cut him to the quick.  I was in the 221st sig co combat photo in vietnam.
                Report Abuse
                • Author by slothrop (February 03, 2008 8:16 am ET)
                     

                  And how does that change the fact that Boortz is a useless, worthless parasite?

                  Cut to the quick? Hardly. I doubt it cares much one way or the other about people. So, no, I doubt I cut anyone to the quick. Nor was I trying. Just reminding people that not everyone who serves in the military is a hero, some are just useless, worthless parasites. Being in the military does not make one above critique, and using one's military service to protect against criticism? That makes one a coward.

                  Report Abuse
              • Author by dave_chicago (February 03, 2008 12:22 pm ET)
                   
                As a Vietnam vet myself, I really wonder how supportive of ---in spirit and in deed--- this "swine" person was of his brothers-in-arms.
                Report Abuse
    • Author by Limit Corp. Ownership (February 02, 2008 1:51 am ET)
         

      Primary blame for Neal Boortz...

      Is those who forgot to flush their toilets. 

      Report Abuse
    • Author by Sams Computer (February 02, 2008 9:29 am ET)
         
      Qoutation; - "Amen!!! Boortz is so spot-on. Is it insensitive and crude? Yeah, but so is reality. " - SOLONSWINE / Friday February 1, 2008 9:43:46 PM EST

      REALITY IS... That SWINE FACE IS A Pig Face !

      I hereby award Pig Face with Worst Poster Today!

      AND YOU'RE SPOT OFF PigFace!.... Boortz is a disgusting excuse for a human being and is worst than a "worthless parasites! Boortz has the audacity to defend the failures of BUSH & ("Great Job") BROWNIE and he instead, attacks the poor victims of a Hurricane.

      That is CLASSIC REPUBLICANISM & HATRED!

      Attack the Victims! I grew up down there! I know Hurricanes! I was born in a hard working middle class family! When the storms come we stayed home to protect all that we had in this world including our lives.

      KATRINA is another in a long list of Republican Failures that is putting them out of power. Boortz and his Hate Talk is counter productive. Every single one of those "Parasites" will be at the poles to answer this Hatred by voting against Republicanism.

      Republicans are even going to vote against themselves. Ann Coulter just said if McCain is the nominee she will support Hillary! Most of my Rep friends say that if its McCain they WON'T VOTE! Hillary hating Rep's tell me they might vote for Obama!

      Republicans are Fracturing Big Time! Breaking News! You got it here first! Duh! I think it might be common knowledge by now but the conservative Media is MUTE,

      Get a better life PigFace!
      Report Abuse
    • Author by pbg (February 02, 2008 10:16 am ET)
         
      It's plain old Social Darwinism--added to a wilful ignorance of what life is like in the South.

      Why, all that Jim Crow stuff was DECADES ago! And those white people who fought so hard to keep black people down--why, they're all gone by now! look! We have a black mayor here and there!

      No, let's ignore the fact that the white landowner and industrialists who spent a century keeping blacks from owning property, starting a business, from voting, are still there and still in power.

      But of course they won't admit that there are active, powerful human forces keeping southern blacks in poverty. That would ruin even their morally bankrupt social darwinist argument.

      Look around you! Look at how ignorant and ill-educated all our children are! Look at the kids today who can't tell you who fought in World War II. Are these the triumphant products of the survival of the fittest?

      Our president can't speak correctly, was ignorant of vital facts in the job he was trying to get into, shirked his military service , and failed at every business he was plunked into.

      But he became President, and those ignorant white kids get good jobs, and this spectacle is the level playing field.

      There's no indication that social darwinism works even in theory: we have too few offspring, they take too long to develop, and the unworthy child of a worthy parent is far too protected for it to show any results in less than thousands of generations. But what we've got in America isn't even it.

      When the Jews cane to America, they became doctors and lawyers and college professors, movie moguls and captains of industry. But when they were in Russia, they were poverty-stricken peasants living in shtetls barely gettng by. Why was that?

      And African Americans have gotten where they are without leaving the land of their oppression. An oppression that's still going on.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by hstybuf6553 (February 02, 2008 11:12 am ET)
         

      I have read some of the dumbest drivel ever on this site.  It's as if no one ever heard of local government, or state government who had the primary responsibility for aiding the community.  fema is not a first responder, do you understand that?

      but the governor blanco and mayor nagin sat around with thumbs up their butt and then blamed the feds for not rushing to their rescue (which they ultimately did, e.g. the coast guard made a substantial number of rescues).

      Democrats have ruled Louisiana and n.o. in particular since reconstruction and left a people and government unable to take care of themselves.  Cities like Houston took in thousands of evacuees and were sorry they did.

      but it was all bush's and the republican's fault.  That's why pals, the citizens of louisiana just elected their first republican governor since reconstruction.  I guess they just don't know what's good for them.

      Report Abuse
      • Author by Clevenative (February 02, 2008 11:44 am ET)
           

        How soon we forget history, “HSTYBUF6553” - or are you trying to rewrite it, like the good conservative you are?

        I was glued to the TV the morning Katrina hit and saw the news coverage. By that evening YOUR favorite news channel had the world convinced that the city was overtaken by rioters and violence – and that citizens were shooting at first responders left and right. Not that there was no lawlessness, but as usual this is what the media – especially Fox News - decided to focus on, report, and blow out of proportion.

        So with this fact in mind, we should blame the first responders for being reluctant to get in there and do their jobs? If you were in command, would you have sent your foot soldiers into as situation that was being made out by the media to be a skeet shoot?

        Quit making excuses for the feds waiting for DAYS to do anything - because there is no excuse for it.

        Report Abuse
      • Author by roundhouse (February 02, 2008 1:18 pm ET)
           
        Any fool could have assessed the situation. That was the failure of the Republicans; they were unconcerned. The situation was that the entire Gulf Coast was about to be inundated by a catastrophe far beyond their material and financial ability to cope.

        The fundamental difference between the Conservative and Liberal view of government is that liberals believe government is like a community beholden to each other and as such it has a moral obligation to protect and empower one another. Conservatives believe government should merely facilitate competiton. The flaw in the Conservative mind is that, not only does competition unfairly favor the wealthy, it pits neighbor against neighbor in bitter struggles to acquire the bare neccessities.

        So how does this apply to Katrina?

        The well born and well-to-do out maneuvered the struggling masses due to their disproportionate advantage in resources and options, they won the competition. They mad it to safety. The winners won and the losers lost as it should be in conservo world.

        If you believe that all men are created equal then this view of winners and losers is anti-American to the core. In our country the man who mops the floor is just as important as the man who owns the building. Therefore, we all deserve to be spared the greatest consideration of protection by those entrusted to keep us secure.

        When it became apparent that New Orleans was facing certain death it was the duty of the federal government to institute, by all means neccessary, a full scale rescue mission.

        And don't even get me started on the neglect of those suffering in the critical hours and days after the disaster.

        But keep it up rightwingers, this defense of the elitist, eliminationist rhetoriticians is the stuff that will relegate conservatism to the footnotes of history.
        Report Abuse
        • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 5:29 pm ET)
             
          Yeah, roundhouse, and you keep preaching your nirvana of an imperial, top-down rule by an all-responsible government that cares and provides for all (well, except for those evil, filthy rich). No, thanks, Castro. I'll take personal freedom and responsibility, thank you very much.
          Report Abuse
          • Author by roundhouse (February 02, 2008 5:41 pm ET)
               
            What part of my description of government as a community beholden to one another makes you think I'm talking about anything except a government of, by and for the people?

            Oh, I forgot. The default insult for some brands of conservative is to characterize the other side as socialist. Real gamesmanship there, buddy.
            Report Abuse
            • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 5:59 pm ET)
                 

              The part where you insist that the government is responsible for the helplessness of the people in New Orleans and fail to recognize the failures of the people themselves to take any responsibility for their own well-being.

              Part of being free is that noone owns your life but you. As such, your life is your responsibility.

              Report Abuse
              • Author by roundhouse (February 03, 2008 2:13 am ET)
                   
                What part of, 'the situation was that the entire Gulf Coast was about to be inundated by a catastrophe far beyond their material and financial ability to cope,' has anything to do with a lack pf personal responsibility? People get overwhelmed sometimes, it's a fact of life, buddy.

                People sometimes need a kick in the pants and sometimes they need a hand up. New Orleans needed help.

                The problem with conservatism is it's one size fits all, strict father mentality.

                Have a good'n. I await your next misrepresentation of my words.
                Report Abuse
      • Author by dave_chicago (February 02, 2008 4:08 pm ET)
           
        ---"...blamed the feds for not rushing to their rescue (which they ultimately did"---

        "**Ultimately**" rushing to someone's rescue isn't **rushing** to their rescue at all.
        Report Abuse
        • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 5:29 pm ET)
             
          Go back and read the part about FEMA NOT being a first-responder.
          Report Abuse
          • Author by mescal (February 02, 2008 8:48 pm ET)
               

            The Department of Homeland Security is designated by federal law as the first responder in cases of military attack, terrorism, and natural disasters. FEMA is further designated by the Department of Homeland Security as the first responder in nonmilitary  emergency situations. In the case of Katrina, Homeland Security had several days to prepare for this disaster, but failecd to do so.

            So, you're again wrong. The federal government... under the "leadership" of George W Bush... WAS responsible for responding to this disaster, but was now INCAPABLE OF DOING SO as a result of neo-conservative DECONSTRUCTION OF FEMA'S CAPABILITIES! FEMA was DELIBERATELY made impotent so as to necessitate the handing out of no-bid contracts to a few large corporations.. i.e. a massive cash grab.

            Sleep well.       

            Report Abuse
            • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 9:30 pm ET)
                 

              Try not to cry too hard when you read this.

              http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/earth/2315076.html?page=1

              Report Abuse
              • Author by roundhouse (February 03, 2008 8:36 pm ET)
                   
                Only had time to read a couple pages, but so far your link bolsters the arguments being made against your position.

                You imply Bush is blameless so when the author of the article writes, "NO ONE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SURPRISED." That would contradict Bush's assertion that, I don't think anyone could have anticipated the breach of the levees.

                Your claim that state and local officials dropped the ball is contradicted thusly, "These units (national guard and coast guard) had help from local, state and national responders, including five helicopters from the Navy ship Bataan and choppers from the Air Force and police. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries dispatched 250 agents in boats."

                I don't know 'bout anyone else but I'm not convinced.
                Report Abuse
          • Author by dave_chicago (February 03, 2008 1:01 pm ET)
               

            No, you go back and read my post, and respond to that instead of ignoring it. Understand?

            One doesn't "ultimately" rush to a rescue. You rush to a rescue immediately. Not "ultimately".

            Report Abuse
    • Author by Pixie79 (February 02, 2008 11:50 am ET)
         

      I guess going by this guy's logic, the victims of 9/11 are also at fault because they chose to live and work in an area which was a #1 mark of foreign terrorists. WTC was attacked in 93 afterall.  It's amazing how he can show such hatred and callousness towards his fellow americans. If this is how one views your own countrymen, then I guess it's no surprise that him and others like him are so anxious to bomb foreign countries into nothingness. Face it, the only time Boortz and co actually "care" about the victims is when they can prop them up to further their own hateful agendas.

       Oh yeah also - SW is a spoof.

      Report Abuse
    • Author by claypot (February 02, 2008 11:56 am ET)
         

      <blockquote>a city of parasites, a city of people who could not and had no desire to fend for themselves</blockquote>

      What kind of country are we living in when people who have the ability to help their fellow man choose to call them names and spit on them instead?

       

      Report Abuse
    • Author by tex (February 02, 2008 12:09 pm ET)
         

      The Rightwing mantra is "You're on your own."

      The CORRELARY is that we who already HAVE money, will be working hard to GAME THE GOVERNMENT to make sure wealthy people get ALL the advantages, and are saddled with NO social responsibilities. The Lobbiests for wealthy interests will do anything to affect law and regulation and elections to make sure it's the WEALTHY who have all the say-so in this nation, and the workers and those in poverty and those in need have NO SAY AT ALL. The middle class? They can be easily milked, drained, and diminished by an unregulated cadre of the greedy.

      The biggest LIE told by the Rightwingers and Republicans is that the government shouldn't HELP anyone. The government is heaping HELP on those who don't NEED help, except to make their next billion. People who need help to SURVIVE? Screw 'em.

      It's immoral, and dishonest. Voting for a Republican is like taking a rattlesnake for a pet. It WILL bite you, and then you will be asked, "What did you expect? It's a SNAKE!" 

      Report Abuse
      • Author by juliajayne (February 02, 2008 7:31 pm ET)
           
        Swiney needs to read "Free Lunch" by David Cay Johnston.  I wonder if he would be contemptuous of all those billionaires getting free taxpayer money.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by socal7425 (February 02, 2008 12:18 pm ET)
         

      I think it's actually good that idiots like Boortz are letting us hear what's in their hearts and minds.  They are obviously desperate as they find out that their normal venom just doesn't have the punch anymore and they are going to further extremes to try to galvanize the dark instincts of their listeners.  The result will be to cause more decent people to realize that voices like Boortz, O'Reilly, Limbaugh, Savage, etc. are really on the fringe of the lunatic fringe.

      Report Abuse
    • Author by thomp.steve9098 (February 02, 2008 12:22 pm ET)
         

      That wasn't the cries of the downtrodden; that's the cries of the useless, the worthless. New Orleans was a welfare city, a city of parasites, a city of people who could not and had no desire to fend for themselves. You have a hurricane descending on them and they sit on their fat asses and wait for somebody else to come rescue them.

      Just logged on here, but are there really people arguing that Boortz' comments were appropriate or taken out of context?

      Report Abuse
    • Author by hstybuf6553 (February 02, 2008 12:22 pm ET)
         
      whenever I am in church with my wife, when they have the silent devotion, i clasp my hands and say silently, dear lord, please give congress the light to pass laws that will make me money and help me enslave those less fortunate than i so i may trod on their backs and oppress them and so gather more riches to my bosom.  thy will be done, but especially for me.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by atheist (February 02, 2008 12:45 pm ET)
         

      I suspect that the Newport job fair story is an urban legend.  There was a similar one about a job fair for Katrina victims in Austin TX, thoroughly debunked.  See Snopes.

      http://www.snopes.com/katrina/politics/jobfair.asp

       

      Report Abuse
    • Author by princeofwheels (February 02, 2008 12:54 pm ET)
         

      Using the SwineLogic System, people who stayed in the 2nd. Twin Tower and waited for it to collapse were stupid...they stayed there. Swine, do you agree? And I believe that most weren't poor. They did have time to get out. Swine, what do you think?

      Solons Wine, why do you think you are NOT one of those that wallow in poverty? Previously you stated you make a good buck but there are many more looking down the pay scale at you and see you as poor. Is this the reason you need to have someone below you on the money scale? To make you feel good? Congrats if it makes you feel superior to others. But remember, your dollars mean nothing because you are still poor compared to the rest of us. And, to be honest, I hope that a tragedy strikes near to home so that you can see what it means to be helpless without it being your fault. Call me nasty, call me crude but don't call me when it occurs. Call FEMA.

      Swiney, we all know you are here to just stir things up with your inane posts but keep coming and visit. But I think you will be ignored in the near future due to your "intellectual poverty". For which, you cannot blamed anyone but yourself.

      Report Abuse
      • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 5:38 pm ET)
           

        Wow, can you even comprehend a point? You said:

        "And, to be honest, I hope that a tragedy strikes near to home so that you can see what it means to be helpless without it being your fault."

        My entire point on this whole thread is that those who CHOSE to stay in New Orleans became helpless because they CHOSE to stay in New Orleans. It's THEIR fault. EVERYONE, from GWB to Nagin, pleaded for and then ordered evacuation. Those pleas and orders went ignored by those who stayed. They are to blame.

        Report Abuse
        • Author by princeofwheels (February 02, 2008 6:59 pm ET)
             

          Not being able to comprehend a point...you are a pro at that. Do you really think EVERYONE could've left? And was it the Hurricane or the levee that caused the real problem? And exactly how many days prior to the levee bursting did the government give the people? You entire post from the beginning is filled with your inane ignorance but you do know how to rile up a crowd. I think you are a poor schmuck with nothing better to do. I think your undercover posting makes you feel better than if you really did have power over the poor. Yes, Solon Swine, you have a gift.

          P.S. You can talk all you want about getting out of the way of tragedies, but someday, DESPITE warnings, you may be powerless to do anything. But please keep your keyboard dry and stay in touch.

          Report Abuse
          • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 7:49 pm ET)
               

            "Do you really think EVERYONE could've left?"

            No. I've addressed this already. I really ALOT of people who gambled with their lives could have left. Some couldn't. Perhaps some school buses would have helped.

            "And was it the Hurricane or the levee that caused the real problem?"

            Well, neither, according to the liberal mind. It was George Bush that caused the problem. He knew all about it days before and did nothing.

            "And exactly how many days prior to the levee bursting did the government give the people?"

            Oh, that works fine for people who love to sit around on their hands and wait for the government to tell them what to do. But I would insist that the people knew about the levees when Hurricane Pam hit a year earlier, damaging 600,000 houses and displacing a million people. Read all about what the great city of New Orleans and the great state of Louisiana learned from Hurricane Pam, but failed to act on.

            http://a257.g.akamaitech.net/7/257/2422/15feb20061230/www.gpoaccess.gov/katrinareport/hurricanepam.pdf

            Also, read about the stellar local and state government performance during the Hurricane Ivan scare:

            http://www.usatoday.com/weather/hurricane/2004-09-14-new-orleans-storm_x.htm

             New Orleans and the state of Louisiana have a documented history of incompetence when it comes to hurricanes.

            Report Abuse
            • Author by princeofwheels (February 03, 2008 2:01 am ET)
                 

              Swiney, skirting the question...I haven't said it was Bushs' fault..now, slowly, was it the hurricane or the levee that caused the real problem...be careful because if you say the levee your entire rant is for naught.

              And please, why do you play the POOR  George card? That is soooo 2007.

              I know, "You liberals blame everything on Bush"...not everything Swiney. The problem is that you Swines blame nothing on the President and Commander-in-Chief...and neither does he. It is always someone elses fault. As you have tried to convince everyone. 

               

              Report Abuse
              • Author by dave_chicago (February 03, 2008 12:13 pm ET)
                   
                I don't know anybody who blames the Katrina failures solely on Bush and nobody else.
                Report Abuse
            • Author by princeofwheels (February 03, 2008 2:04 am ET)
                 
              P.S. School buses...who was going to drive them? Or were the bus drivers the smart ones who already left the city with their families? You are too funny
              Report Abuse
            • Author by slothrop (February 03, 2008 6:09 pm ET)
                 
              So, you really have no idea what you are talking about. Again, how does any of your nonsense change the fact that Boortz is a useless, worthless parasite?
              Report Abuse
      • Author by hstybuf6553 (February 02, 2008 7:31 pm ET)
           

        the ppl in the second tower were told to return to work.  no one had a inkling of what was happening.  n.o. had days to take action and the authorities sat on their fat asses.  the prez urged the fat gov to get the guard out, but she did not.  she didn't even run for reelection, and now they have a dark skinned repub gov running the show.

         i was in houston when it hit camille.  the only death i recall is one guy who went jogging the day after and a tree fell on him.  i slept through the whole thing, and whn i awoke i said to myself, another hoax.  then i heard transformers exploding and saw all the downed trees from my bedroom window. we got no federal aid, and a feckless cty admin took weeks to clean up the mess.

        Report Abuse
        • Author by atheist (February 02, 2008 8:10 pm ET)
             

          the prez urged the fat gov to get the guard out, but she did not.

          Where was FEMA ???  Michael Brown was apparently too busy getting his white shirts cleaned and pressed.  Bush's staff made that National Guard request to make it look like they were actually doing something.  Blanco asked for Bush's help and since she didn't relinquish control to him (to his puppeteers, I mean), he left her to deal with the mess on her own while he toured the country talking about matters that were more important to him.

          To refresh your memory of the goings on, including Bush's and Cheney's lack of interest in the plight of the new Orlean's residents, I suggest you peruse this timeline:

          http://thinkprogress.org/katrina-timeline

          Report Abuse
    • Author by hstybuf6553 (February 02, 2008 6:16 pm ET)
         

      a tornado may not be a hurricane, but it qualifies as a cyclone.

      Mississippi was hard hit too, but under Haley Barber (sp?) the Republican gov., they handled it pretty well.  no bellyaching, no gnashing of teeth, just getting down to business.

      for similar examples, look at galveston 1900 (a part of my wife's family was wiped out there), johnstown flood, and tourists suddenly stranded for days on devastated kauai in the wake of hurricane iniiki. 

      Report Abuse
      • Author by MoonbatYouBet (February 02, 2008 8:17 pm ET)
           

        Here's a quote from your heroic self-supporting hero Gov. Barbour about federal money:

        "The Katrina money to a very high percent has all been federal money and we have made it a policy of not spending state money when you can spend federal money"

        What's wrong with his bootstraps?  Why did he choose to govern a state that couldn't afford it's own disaster recovery?  Why is he bothering to help all those worthless people who refused to not live in an area that might have a natural disaster anyway?

        Report Abuse
    • Author by Clevenative (February 02, 2008 7:31 pm ET)
         

      HSTYBUF: You can’t compare Katrina to past hurricanes and rescue and cleanup efforts that accompanied any of them. There has never been any other catastrophe in any major city in the country that you can compare to what happened to New Orleans.

      The big point that Hstybuf6553 and Solonswine seem to leave out of all their arguments and comparisons is the fact that the hurricane itself was not the unexpected and unpredicted problem that lead to the human catastrophe. If it hadn’t been for the failing of the levy, this would have been just another hurricane. But the levy broke – and suddenly a city built below sea level, containing thousands of unevacuated residents, was filling with water mixed with sewage and contaminants. This was the emergency - and one that neither the city or FEMA was prepared for. The city immediately tried to respond the best they could, while FEMA sat on its hands.

      Normally, immediately after a hurricane passes, people are able to leave their homes and walk, or even drive, to friends or relatives who have generators and are prepared and happy to provide food and shelter. For those less fortunate, community shelters are provided in places like neighborhood schools or churches. ALL of these standard community “safety nets” were in place – so to blame the city officials is ludicrous. The humanitarian disaster arose because of two reasons: 1. The neighborhood shelters where either under water, or 2. Shelters were unreachable by victims whose homes were under water.

      The city was not prepared to deal with a flood of this magnitude – and this is where and why the federal government needed to show its colors. Instead, it failed miserably.

      We all know the story. Hell, the whole world knows the story! Thousands of victims had no access to basic food and water and many were left stranded in the attics or roofs of their homes for days on end. The federal government of the most powerful nation in the world did nothing while the rest of the nation watched in horror and the rest of the world mocked us for our inaptitude and lack of compassion for our own citizens.

      I hope there are at least a few voters out there who read this story at MMFA and will be reminded once again of the failures of The Republican Bush Administration and also take  to mind the attitude of the few conservative Republican posters who showed their true colors with their comments in this thread. This story, and  their remarks, are a perfect example of why any American who is concerned about how their President and  government leaders would react in a time of emergency crisis in your home town, should NOT VOTE REPUBLICAN this November – regardless the candidates of either party.

      Report Abuse
      • Author by hstybuf6553 (February 02, 2008 7:41 pm ET)
           

        in galveston in 1900 the rising waters driven by the hurricane covered the causeway and cut the city off from the mainland.  8000 perished.  the damage was extensive.  the city rebuilt itself. 

        the evacuees when they got to houston etc. did nothing for themselves.  just waited for others to do for them.  they didn't make beds, clean, etc.  they complained and many turned to crime.  houston couldn't wait for them to leave.

         do you recall the official who got on tv and talked about talking to his momma in a nursing home.  i'm comin' momma, i'm comin.  then the next day, i'm comin momma, i'm commin.  and a third day.  and then she drown. then he went on to blame the prez.  well, it was fake of course, but the first time i saw it, it cracked me up.  it was just like dick shawn in it's a mad mad mad mad world talking to ethel merman.

        Report Abuse
      • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 8:12 pm ET)
           
        Your dribble is laughable. Please refer to my response to Princeofwheels and the two links provided regarding EXACTLY what was foreseen and what was predicted. Your liberal mind can't unwrap itself from the "Blame Bush" "Blame FEMA" mantra that you have so eagerly accepted as gospel long enough to use even a modicum of logical thinking, so I expect my FACTS will do little to change your views. But I'm not here to change your views. I'm here to provide the truth.
        Report Abuse
    • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 8:46 pm ET)
         

      Ok, I'm through spreading truth for the night. For anyone who cares to put their hatred of the president and their political influences aside for about 10 minutes and actually learn something, here is about the best, least politically charged report on Katrina that can be found. Enjoy, and let's all learn something today.

      http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/earth/2315076.html?page=1

      Report Abuse
      • Author by dave_chicago (February 03, 2008 12:53 pm ET)
           

        "Enjoy, and let's all learn something today."

        Ok, one of the things I, and I know other long-time posters here on Media Matters have observed is that every so often, along comes a right-winger out of the blue-- a Savior who will Enlighten us all, and have all the stupid, ignorant "liberals" here "learn something".

        • My Arrival from on high.
        • My assertion of Power.
        • My Message of Enlightenment to the Ignorant Liberal Masses(compiled from listening to _insert talk show host's name here_.)
        • My Pithy Responses to their "typical liberal" predictable arguments.
        • Swatting them all down.
        • I'm banned (i.e., "the cowards censored me because I spoke The Truth" and they couldn't handle it).
        I'd say we're just about at the final phase now.
        Report Abuse
        • Author by dave_chicago (February 03, 2008 12:56 pm ET)
             
          Adding: the bold sentences were supposed to be bullet points. But they're not probably because I'm an unenlightened, stupid liberal.
          Report Abuse
    • Author by obalaji4512 (February 02, 2008 8:46 pm ET)
         
      Boortz is a racist. Of course he would say that. That's what racists say. He and Rush hate black people.
      Report Abuse
    • Author by hstybuf6553 (February 02, 2008 9:03 pm ET)
         
      I played golf today.  I hit a ball into a water hazard.  Damn gwb
      Report Abuse
      • Author by dmcc9995 (February 02, 2008 9:15 pm ET)
           
        Oh! HSTYBUF, how clever! What a sterling example of how the "conservative" sense of humor shines forth under adversity, as it will surely be called upon to do early this upcoming November. 
        Report Abuse
    • Author by dmcc9995 (February 02, 2008 9:07 pm ET)
         

      OK Swine, so it's Bedtime for Bonzo, eh? Well, good, sweet dreams then ~ although I really don't think what you've been spreading here tonight is "truth", actually.

       

      Report Abuse
      • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 9:55 pm ET)
           

        Don't forget your reading assignment. It might invoke nightmares to the liberals, though, because it has such horrors as:

        FEMA is NOT a first-responder.

        The citizens are to blame for not heeding evacuation orders.

        State and local government failed miserably in it's responsibilities.

        Lions and Tigers and Bears, OH MY!!

        Report Abuse
        • Author by MoonbatYouBet (February 02, 2008 10:24 pm ET)
             

          Strange, the link you provided only states the first of those 3 items.

          In fact regarding evacuation it says this:

          When Nagin issued his voluntary evacuation order, a contraflow plan that turned inbound interstate lanes into outbound lanes enabled 1.2 million people to leave New Orleans out of a metro population of 1.5 million. "The Corps estimated we would need 72 hours [to evacuate that many people]," says Brian Wolshon, an LSU civil engineer. "Instead, it took 38 hours."

          It must be a wingnut thing to lie about their own sources.

          Report Abuse
          • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 10:46 pm ET)
               

            Oh, boy, here we go:

            From page 7:

            Later investigations indicated that many who stayed did so by choice. "Most people had transportation," says Col. Joe Spraggins, director of emergency management in Harrison County, Ala. "Many didn't want to leave." Tragic exceptions: hospital patients and nursing home residents.

            ...did so by CHOICE. Their choice. Their fault. Most people had transportation. How do we blame this one on George Bush.

            Report Abuse
            • Author by MoonbatYouBet (February 02, 2008 11:02 pm ET)
                 

              Find somebody else to do the Bush blaming when it comes to Katrina, I'm not playing that game.  What you posted comes directly after what I did and I was aware of it.  Had the levees not broken those who chose to stay behind would have ended up in a better position to reclaim their homes than those who left.  Some of them had made that decision based on the results of previous evacuation orders.  In hindsight they made a dumb decision, but it's hard to say what one of us would have done in their shoes and with their past experience. 

              Now, how do you categorize evacuating so many so fast as absolute incompetnce and failure on the part of the locals?

              Bush is not to blame for Katrina and it's aftermath directly.  But he is to blame for two key failings during this time:  1)  As President of the country it is his duty to serve as a symbolic as well as actual leader in times of trouble.  Instead of doing that he attended fundraisers and made very little visible effort at leading this country during a tragic time.  2)  He appointed a completely unqualified person to head up FEMA.  Head of FEMA is not the kind of job one gives away as a form of cronyism, it's a very important position.  These are just more of the signs that this man is the most incompetent President of the US ever.

              Report Abuse
            • Author by dave_chicago (February 03, 2008 12:00 pm ET)
                 

              "How do we blame this one on George Bush." —swine 

              If Bush hadn't failed at being a real leader, he would have accepted responsiblity.

              Report Abuse
              • Author by finarfin (February 04, 2008 2:18 am ET)
                   

                "If Bush hadn't failed at being a real leader, he would have accepted responsiblity. "

                Bush had not accepted responsibility? for what! for conspiring with the weathergods to create such a calamity? I think that the hurricane was indeed not likely to be stopped even if Bush had solved all of your problems by "taking responsibility."

                i think you want your government and president to just be there and make everything okay, but this does not always happen in real life. I think it was indeed a taking out of the trash that had been bogged down in New Orleans for years. A lot of that trash was the reason why black folks have such a bad image.

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          • Author by solonswine (February 02, 2008 10:54 pm ET)
               

            From page 6:

            In 1965, the same year Hurricane Betsy swamped large sections of New Orleans (including the Lower Ninth Ward), the Army Corps of Engineers presented Congress with an audacious blueprint for protecting the city from a fast-moving Category 3 storm. The $85 million Barrier Plan proposed sealing off Lake Pontchartrain from the gulf with massive, retractable flood barriers. The goal: Stop storm surges 25 miles east of the levees that encircle New Orleans. After Betsy, the plan was expanded to include gates on two of the four drainage canals that slice into the city from Pontchartrain (two of which breached their floodwalls after Katrina). But, environmental groups objected to the impact that the Pontchartrain floodgates might have on wildlife and wetlands. The Sewer and Water Board of New Orleans vetoed gates on the canals. So the Corps instead built higher levees and floodwalls.

            Even in '65, after Betsy flooded the city, local government did nothing.

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            • Author by Clevenative (February 03, 2008 8:44 am ET)
                 

              Why do you keep pointing blame on things that are irrelevant to the response of FEMA under the leadership of The Bush Administration?  Regardless of the city’s geography or history of decisions made to protect it from flooding, the facts still remain. The Bush Administration and FEMA sat on their hands for THREE days while victims suffered. The “that’s what they deserve for ignoring evacuation orders” attitude is simply blaming the victim – and nothing else.

              Using your argument, if there were a major earthquake in California, victims who were killed who were living in structures that collapsed because the building did not meet “earthquake-proof” building codes should be ignored and deserve what they got. After all it is their fault for moving into a sub-par residence. Do you see how shallow your argument is?

              Here’s another hypothetical… There is a tornado warning issued for my area. I get online and watch the local radar and see the storm cell will miss my house, so I never bother to seek shelter. Minutes later there is an earthquake and my house starts trembling and falls in on me. Now it’s my fault for not seeking shelter from the tornado warning? A similar scenario happened in New Orleans, no?

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        • Author by Sams Computer (February 03, 2008 9:50 am ET)
             
          Lions and Tigers and Bears, OH MY!! - SOLONSWINE -

          LIONS & TIGERS & LIARS LIKE SWINE FACE! Oh! My! - Sam I Am -

          -
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    • Author by Sams Computer (February 03, 2008 8:37 am ET)
         
      FEMA had to cut through literally hundreds of miles of sheer destruction (Katrina cut a swath of destruction that extended well north of New Orleans, BTW). It's not like they could just drive on down I-55 right into New Orleans, could they? Simply getting there was a logistical nightmare. Power lines, flood waters, downed trees, etc. for hundreds of miles around New Orleans made for a delay.

      - SOLONSWINE / Saturday February 2, 2008 12:31:11 AM EST

      Point One: I was born in Galveston Texas. I grew up with so many Hurricanes in my lifetime! We always stayed home, tied everything down and boarded up windows. Only the People at the beach head to had to evacuate!

      Point Two: Hurricane destruction is mostly limited to Gulf Coast Shoreline Areas. When Swine Face Said, " Hundreds of miles of sheer destruction" That My Friends, is a Fox News Lie! For that he earns the new name Pig Faced Liar!

      Destruction for a big Hurricane was usually just around the immediate coastline to as much as 25 miles inland. Flooding and Tornadoes are possible during the storm. Then there is the storm surge on the coastline which is very dangerous.

      Point Three: To blame and attack those poor people is against Jesus Christ Himself! Swine I don't think you will ever make it to Heaven. When you arrive at the Pearly Gates they'll issue you a ticket straight to Hell.

      Pig Face if you're not already there, get yourself over to Fox News. You'll make the Big Bucks there with all your Hatred and all your lies.
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    • Author by Sams Computer (February 03, 2008 8:54 am ET)
         
      AND Point Four:

      We did not have that many problems driving around to help the people who needed help. If a tree was in the way, we just moved it out of the way. Lots of debris had to be cleared away, but that didn't stop us from helping our fellow Gulf Coast Citizens.

      FEMA and REPUBLICANS FAILED US ON MANY FRONTS!

      Vote Them Out On February 5th! SUPER TUESDAY!
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    • Author by magnolialover (February 03, 2008 9:23 am ET)
         
      And how exactly were those folks supposed to get out of New Orleans you saw on the news Neal? How? Load up their non-existent cars and drive on out of there? Maybe walk the 100 miles or so with all of their stuff to get out of the way? Stay at a hotel somewhere that they couldn't afford? You do realize that a large portion of folks living in New Orleans are yes, poor, the working poor. Why did they live in NO? Well, mostly because they could work low paying jobs (which were the only ones that they could get), and still afford food, rent, and all of the other things which provide for life and all. Neal, for you, and for me even, if a hurricane were bearing down on us, I could load up my car, my wife, my pets, and drive away from it without any issues and all. Folks who have no transportation? Not so much.

      Neal, you are a POS is all I can say. I've been listening to you talk about this since it happened, and guess what? You're still wrong, and still a POS. It's not unreasonable to expect the government to help you out when your ENTIRE CITY is detroyed, or almost the entire city. Don't you think this warrants a little government intervention? I think it does, but apparently, you do everything all by yourself, which is probably not true at all. Who keeps your plane safe? The FAA, government organization and all. Who allows you to broadcast everyday? The FCC, oh wait, another government organization. Do you drive on roads to get to work? You do? Another government entity at your beck and call. I hope, even though you're trash, that your house never catches fire, because I'm sure you'd turn around the government paid for firemen from saving your house, instead saving it yourself with your garden house, because if you did, then the government would be helping you. Same for if your house got broken into. Police? Nope, send them away, don't need them, they're from the government. Want your tax return this year? Better do it yourself, I'd hate to think you're using the IRS to process your tax forms and all because they are once again, a government organization. Let's see what else? You rail on about paying for your own private health care insurance? But do you really? Or are you like a lot of other folks, like myself, who pays a small amount, and the company I work for pays the rest? I'm thinking you don't pay for ALL of your health insurance on your own you pretentious windbag.

      Neal, intervention by the government makes it possible to live the lives that we do. None of us, except maybe the folks who live off the grid, on the side of a mountain somewhere, get a lot of stuff from the government, you just don't see it you pissant.
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    • Author by mercado (February 03, 2008 4:23 pm ET)
         

      BBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTZZZZZZZZZZ!

      The sound of gas leaving your arse!

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    • Author by Sams Computer (February 03, 2008 10:06 pm ET)
         
      It's the Giants over New England !!!!!
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    • Author by crjudge802 (February 04, 2008 9:30 am ET)
         

      Boortz, Savage, and Limbaugh -- and now, apparently, Fred Barnes and Morton Kondracke -- are mouthpieces for the Right Wing.  But the first three are also virulently and unabashedly rascist. Savage plays to the working stiff who thinks the black and brown people are sucking up his tax dollars.  Boortz and Limbaugh embrace the corporate elite who like to pretend to be above it all -- but the "elite"  listen to these gentleman -- as they drive home in cars that cost more than most of the underclass earn in two years -- and smile in agreement at the rascist commentary that passes as "insight".

       

      "Year by year/ the monkey's mask/ reveals the monkey." Basho 

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    • Author by dazedandconfused26 (February 04, 2008 4:38 pm ET)
         

      There must not have been enough GOP donors in the Big Easy....

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