NY Times reprinted without contradiction Bush's false claim that nobody "anticipated the breach of the levees"
In a September 2 article headlined "Government Saw Flood Risk but Not Levee Failure," The New York Times printed without challenge President Bush's false claim, originally made on ABC's Good Morning America, that "I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees" surrounding New Orleans as a result of Hurricane Katrina. In fact, dozens of news organizations had reported on the possibility of a breach well in advance of the hurricane, and even the Times' lead editorial in the same day's newspaper flatly stated that "[d]isaster planners were well aware that New Orleans could be flooded by the combined effects of a hurricane and broken levees."
From the September 2 Times report:
The response will be dissected for years. But on Thursday, disaster experts and frustrated officials said a crucial shortcoming may have been the failure to predict that the levees keeping Lake Pontchartrain out of the city would be breached, not just overflow.
[...]
In an interview Thursday on "Good Morning America," President Bush said, "I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees." He added, "Now we're having to deal with it, and will."
Though the Times kept it a secret from its readers, Bush simply wasn't telling the truth. Many people "anticipated the breach of the levees," as Media Matters for America has detailed. A September 2 Washington Post editorial similarly noted:
It is simply not true, as Mr. Bush said yesterday, that nobody "anticipated the breach of the levees." In fact, experts inside and outside of government have issued repeated warnings for years about the city's unique topography and vulnerability, and those warnings were loudly and prominently echoed by the media both nationally and in Louisiana.
Not only is it not true, as Bush claimed, that nobody "anticipated the breach of the levees," it seems that nearly everybody anticipated the breach. The problem wasn't lack of anticipation, it was lack of preparation.
A June 8, 2004, New Orleans Times-Picayune article noted: "For the first time in 37 years, federal budget cuts have all but stopped major work on the New Orleans area's east bank hurricane levees." The article quoted the manager of the Army Corps of Engineers' Lake Pontchartrain levee project saying that "people should know that this is a work in progress, and there's more important work yet to do before there is a complete system in place." A Corps senior project manager added, "When levees are below grade, as ours are in many spots right now, they're more vulnerable to waves pouring over them and degrading them." And Jefferson Parish emergency management chief Walter Maestri told the paper: "It appears that the money [for hurricane-protection efforts] has been moved in the president's budget to handle homeland security and the war in Iraq, and I suppose that's the price we pay. ... Nobody locally is happy that the levees can't be finished, and we are doing everything we can to make the case that this is a security issue for us."
Los Angeles Times columnist Tim Rutten noted on September 2:
Three years ago, New Orleans' leading local newspaper, the Times-Picayune, National Public Radio's signature nightly news program, "All Things Considered," and the New York Times each methodically and compellingly reported that the very existence of south Louisiana's leading city was at risk and hundreds of thousands of lives imperiled by exactly the sequence of events that occurred this week. All three news organizations also made clear that the danger was growing because of a series of public policy decisions and failure to allocate government funds to alleviate the danger.
[...]
Since 2002, when all these reports ran, the Times-Picayune has published no fewer than nine stories reporting that the combination of tax cuts, the war in Iraq and the demands of homeland security had led President Bush's administration to repeatedly reject urgent requests from the Army Corps of Engineers and Louisiana's congressional delegation that it allocate the money to save New Orleans.
Former Sen. John Breaux (D-LA) told the Associated Press that it was well-known that the levees could not withstand a major hurricane: "Those levees are OK under normal times but once every hundred years, that's not enough. ... We've all said for years that a category 4 or 5 hurricane hit just right on New Orleans, there was nothing there sufficient to prevent New Orleans from being 20 feet under water."
And Mike Parker, a former Republican congressman from Mississippi who headed the Army Corps of Engineers in the Bush administration until losing his job after criticizing the White House budget office, told the AP: "I'm not saying it wouldn't still be flooded, but I do feel that if it had been totally funded, there would be less flooding than you have."
On September 1, the Chicago Tribune reported details of some of those budget shortfalls:
For instance, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requested $27 million for this fiscal year to pay for hurricane-protection projects around Lake Pontchartrain. The Bush administration countered with $3.9 million, and Congress eventually provided $5.7 million, according to figures provided by the office of U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.).
Because of the shortfalls, which were caused in part by the rising costs of the war in Iraq, the corps delayed seven contracts that included enlarging the levees, according to corps documents.
A quick search of the Nexis news database reveals no shortage of news reports about possible levee breaches that could occur in the event of a major hurricane. Here's a small sampling:
- ABC's Nightline, 9/15/04: "If it sounds overly dramatic, it is not. This city is surrounded by water on three sides. Lake Pontchartrain to the north and the Mississippi below. A major hurricane hitting right here would breach the levees. Water would cascade in, submerging the city. And because of the levees, it would have no way of escaping."
- Associated Press, 5/16/04: "Officials have warned that if a major hurricane hits New Orleans, thousands of people could be killed and the city could be flooded for weeks as flood waters breach the levees ringing the city, which has the topography of a saucer that dips several feet below sea level in many places."
- The Advocate, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 9/19/03: "... the Hurricane Center has developed an 'extremely detailed' map of New Orleans because the city, which sits about 6-feet below sea level and is surrounded by levees, is a 'worst-case scenario' for a major storm to hit. Knowing how far and how fast the water in the inlets will rise, evacuations and cleanups can be better planned, [LSU Hurricane Center director Ivor] van Heerden said. In the case of south Louisiana, a breach of the levees would trap the flood water on the wrong side of the bank once the bayous and rivers receded, van Heerden said."
- Richmond Times-Dispatch, 8/6/02: "New Orleans, with more than 460,000 residents, lies entirely below sea level and depends on a system of levees to hold back the Gulf of Mexico. Some researchers say a Category 3 hurricane could breach the levees and kill thousands of people."
At least two other news organizations pointed out the contradiction between Bush's words and reality:
- Cox News Service, 9/1/05: "On ABC-TV Thursday, President Bush acknowledged the 'frustration' of New Orleans residents, but said, "I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees.' In fact, such a failure has been forecast for years."
- San Francisco Chronicle, 9/2/05: "'I fully understand people wanting things to have happened yesterday. I mean, I understand the anxiety of people on the ground. I can -- I just can't imagine what it's like to be waving a sign saying "come and get me now,'' ' Bush said. 'But I want people to know there's a lot of help coming. ... I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees,' he said. That point was fiercely contradicted on blogs and talk radio Thursday."
When Bush claims nobody "anticipated the breach of the levees," he isn't telling the truth; he's trying to avoid responsibility for underfunding Army Corps of Engineers' hurricane-protection projects. And the New York Times is helping Bush avoid responsibility by repeating his false comments without contradiction. Indeed, the false claim that nobody anticipated a levee beach occurs throughout the Times article (headlined "Government Saw Flood Risk but Not Levee Failure"), with nary a hint that it isn't true.
And yet, if Times readers turned to the editorial page of the same September 2 paper that contains that article, they would see a lead editorial that declared: "Disaster planners were well aware that New Orleans could be flooded by the combined effects of a hurricane and broken levees, yet somehow the government was unable to immediately rise to the occasion."
Times readers with long memories might also remember an August 11, 2002, Times article in which Times reporter Adam Cohen warned:
New Orleans ... may be America's most architecturally distinctive and culturally rich city. But it is also a disaster waiting to happen. New Orleans is the only major American city below sea level, and it is wedged between Lake Pontchartrain and the Mississippi. If a bad hurricane hit, experts say, the city could fill up like a cereal bowl, killing tens of thousands and laying waste to the city's architectural heritage. If the Big One hit, New Orleans could disappear.
[...]
There is considerable agreement about what the Big One would look like. A Category 4 or 5 hurricane would move up from the Gulf to Lake Pontchartrain, forcing lake water over levees and into the city. If the New Orleans "bowl" filled, the Red Cross says, there could be 100,000 deaths. An additional 400,000 could be stranded on roofs, surrounded by a witches' brew of contaminated water. Property loss estimates run as high as $150 billion, though much of the imperiled architecture -- like the St. Louis Cathedral -- is priceless.
So far, Washington has done little, and New Orleans's response has been less than satisfying. The city is focused on evacuating its 500,000 residents. But the roads leading out would flood quickly, stranding those who lingered. Then there is the thorny issue of the 100,000 residents without cars. "When I do presentations," said Terry Tullier, head of the New Orleans Office of Emergency Preparedness, "I start by saying that 'when the Big One comes, many of you will die -- let's get that out of the way.' "
Mr. Tullier has seen computer models of Canal Street under 20 feet of water and heard that the floodwaters could stay for weeks, that the National Guard might bring in thousands of body bags -- and that New Orleans might never recover. "In this business, we bring no good news," he said. "It's full of worst-case scenarios."
It's clear that there has long been wide recognition that a large hurricane could cause exactly the kind of devastation currently being seen in New Orleans, and that the levee system would not be sufficient to stop it. The Army Corps of Engineers knew it; the Times-Picayune knew it; countless news stories over the years have dealt with the possibility; Congress knew it; the former Republican congressman who lost his job as head of the Corps of Engineers for complaining about budget cuts knew it -- and The New York Times knew it.
the breaking of the levees has been discussed for years in the event of a big storm. it's nothing new. maybe it's new to bush because he just doesn't care about anything but being a frontman for corporate america. another "who knew they were going to hijack planes." and the times supports this. well, they were the chief cheerleaders for bush on wmd.
A major FEMA exercise in July 2004 gave the agency an opportunity to test responses and identify problems encountered during a fictitious "Hurricane Pam" in Louisiana. The results, nicely summarized at [link to thinkprogress.org] (incl. links to supporting articles), essentially predicted exactly what happened, including major events such as the breaching of levees and major flooding, and important details such as minimum 3 - 4 day delays in getting aid to victims, and even the dead bodies. Amazing that these lessons learned and problems identified were not translated into a workable action plan for the "real deal." This administration has got to go.
Our problem is that the Republicans are owned by bloodsuckers who see this kind of scenario and immediately think of it as an golden opportunity. Once the poor neighborhoods are bulldozed and their residents are displaced somewhere, the developers can come in and build expensive gated communities -- all the flavor of the French Quarter with none of the riff-raff.
These people thrive on chaos. They make billions while the soft-hearted liberals are making donations and wringing their hands. Remember Britt Hume's response to the London bombings?
You would think that since Bush had his flunky Thomlinson monitoring the PBS show NOW with Bill Moyers he (Bush) would have heard of the potential for a catastrophic levee breach in NO.
[link to www.pbs.org]
They fast-forward through the boring stuff.
While it is fair to look at the responsibility of local and state government in this disaster, the truth is that the mayor early-on saw that the scope of this far outweighed his resources and called for assistance...the feds were VERY slow to respond. He is beside himself with grief and anger...FEMA was designed to handle these kind of catastrophic events. After Hurricane Andrew, under Clinton this agency was reborn. James Lee Witt directed FEMA and made it into a top notch agency. But BushCo gutted it and appointed a political hack as its head. The results are being seen.
"The crisis response to a hurricane is the same as a response to a terrorist attack. Restoration or services, remediation, and humanitarian help are the same regardless of whether it is man made or nature made. The biggest problems in any response are always the same—chain of command (i.e., figuring out who is in charge) and communication.
It is inexcusable for the Bush Administration officials to claim they had no way of anticipating this disaster or planning for it. At least they’ve been consistent. We now know that the failure to plan for the aftermath in Iraq was but a precursor of things to come at home."
[Larry Johnson in the Booman Tribune]
Larry Johnson... that name sounds familiar. For some reason I associate it with the unvarnished truth.
We heard a lot from the Republican apologists and social darwinists yesterday that local and state governments ought to be able to handle emergencies on their own. For convenience let's call this the YOYOMF ideology (YOYOMF = You're On Your Own, Mo-Fo). What these people fail to consider is that under YOYOMF, disaster preparedness is much less efficient because you don't get to take advantage of the economies of scale.
Lets say a mayor looks at the possible disasters that could occur in his town. He identifies a potential hazard... say a railroad that transports hazardous chemicals from the local factory is prone to derailments. He decides that there is a 1 in 50 chance that a derailment will occur in the next year. If a derailment occurs, the town will have to be evacuated very quickly and the residents would need shelter (20,000 beds) and food (140,000 MREs). Under YOYOMF, the mayor would be responsible for obtaining all these using only the tax revenues from his town. Additionally, the MREs will go bad after 5 years and will have to be replenished.
Now lets say the mayor knows that another town 5 miles away has a similar hazard. That mayor also needs to have access to 20,000 beds and 140,000 MREs. The two mayors determine that the probability that they would need those resources at the exact same time would be very small. (1 chance in 2600 that either town would need the resources in any particuar week -- 1 chance in 6.76 million that they'd both need the resources in the same week.) For a very miniscule additional risk, the towns could go in together to build an emergency shelter and stockpile supplies at half the cost of the YOYOMF plan.
In the real world, you see this concept of sharing resources at work all the time. Here on the Gulf Coast, the individual power companies don't keep enough repair trucks on hand to quickly restore everyone's power after a hurricane. After a big hurricane, you see repair crews come in from all across the country and Canada. When an ice storm takes out the power lines up North, our trucks are available to help. No doubt the power companies are paying each other for the help, but the concept is the same. It's just cheaper and more efficient to have a large, shared pool of resources available for disaster relief.
Sagra - Isn't that the concept behind the "Ownership Society"?
You're on your own except we'll dictate your morals for you...
(shakes head sadly)
Remember folks, the story is about the NY Times. The continuing failure of the media to expose the criminal actions of this administration mean that, in part, newspapers like the Times are partly responsible for the widespread suffering and misery now taking place.
If I were a reporter or editorial writer at the Times, understanding how my lack of professional ethics has contributed to this horror, I would resign my position tomorrow.
Excellent point. NYTimes International online front page, today, just as a small example has France, Russia, Iran (which it should have!) but only a positive story on Iraq's pipeline. Nada on the crisis and chaos and hundreds of billions and loss of life, on either the general or the international web front page. And nothing on Rove, nothing on the forged yellow cake document (WHO forged it???), nothing on DSM...
Recall, the NYTimes came out in SUPPORT of the war in Iraq.
Since NO is over and done with, and rehashing what coulda, shoulda and woulda is fairly pointless.
No, it isn't pointless. That is exactly the attitude Washington hopes we will have. Not this time.
The federal government failed the people of NO big time. As each day passes their incompetence becomes more clear.
[link to news.yahoo.com]
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson offered Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco help from his state's National Guard on Sunday, the day before Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana. Blanco accepted, but paperwork needed to get the troops en route didn't come from Washington until late Thursday.
"Shoulda, coulda, woulda" are the precise questions we need to be asking and I am going to write my senators and request they do just that. The Bush administrations incompetence has been exposed and they shouldn't be let off the hook.
Any answers about SF or the Keys or NY though? Or will you be content to "write to your Senators" about that one too, after it happens? How exactly does that saves lives though? I mean assuming that is your goal.
Well gee, the first thing I would like to do is find the mistakes that made the response to THIS TRAGEDY such an utter and complete failure so we can make 100% sure we don't repeat them in the NEXT TRAGEDY that will befall this nation.
If you are content to turn a blind eye to the failures and incompetence of the federal government, be my guest, you have every right to remain in the dark if that is where you choose to be. I want the failures exposed because as they say, those that don't learn from history are bound to repeat it. Gee, that statement just about covers this administration in a nutshell. Imagine that.
I'm not content to turn a blind eye to ANY true failure. I do hesitate to take political advantage of a catastophe of nature. As smart as so many of you seem to be in terms of apparently having had the answers to these problems prior to this happening, it would seem to naturally follow that you are also able to multi task. Slam Bush and make political points at the expense of this disaster all you like, but help us save all those countless millions that could be lost in the next catastrophe by sharing ALL your marvelous ideas NOW, instead of AFTER the fact. You know your lack of response and ideas on avoiding the NEXT disaster is beginning to make me think you really DON'T HAVE ANY ANSWERS and are what my grandfather was describing to me lo those many years ago. Say it aint so?
"Slam Bush and make political points at the expense of this disaster all you like, but help us save all those countless millions that could be lost in the next catastrophe by sharing ALL your marvelous ideas NOW, instead of AFTER the fact."
That's still FEMA's job, and the lack of any response from readers here does not change anything. Your argument is still nonsense, repeating it has not helped your cause.
You never did answer the question about accountability. Is it possible to hold Bush accountable without it being "slamming" him or "scoring political points"? How would that be done now?
>>>I do hesitate to take political advantage of a catastophe of nature.
If you think this is merely a cataptrophe of nature, you haven't been paying attention. This is a catastrophe of political decisions as well as mother nature. What's worse, the catastrophe would likely not be as tragic had it not been for political decisions made along the way. As brabatino (I think) pointed out, this became political when the Bush administration decided to underfund the LA Army Corp of Engineers so that money could be spent nation building Iraq. This became political when Bush decided to remove FEMA from a cabinet level position and stick in with the Dept. of Homeland Security, underfund it and the appoint political hacks in leadership positions rather then competent individuals with experience in responding to natural disasters. The politics of this disaster have been brewing since 2000 so don't pretend this is "mother nature" alone.
>>>>>As smart as so many of you seem to be in terms of apparently having had the answers to these problems prior to this happening, it would seem to naturally follow that you are also able to multi task.
As it has been repeated to you ad naseum, the government should have had the answers before this disaster. They had *at least* 2 days to prepare a response BEFORE the hurricane made landfall and they failed. Many people anticipated this exact scenario but Bush, once again, ignores the obvious. That is a dangerous pattern.
>>>>>Slam Bush and make political points at the expense of this disaster all you like, but help us save all those countless millions that could be lost in the next catastrophe by sharing ALL your marvelous ideas NOW, instead of AFTER the fact.
OK. My first idea is to fire Chertoff and Brown immediately and replace them with competent, experienced people instead. Rather then these "nice, shiny, look what I did, vote for me" pork projects, fund projects that are truly in the interest of national security. How much money was spent for a heated bus stop in Alaska? Oh yeah 1.5 million [link to www.msnbc.msn.com] But they underfund the levees in NOLA? Smart move. That million dollar bus stop is VITAL to our national security interest, right?
>>>>You know your lack of response and ideas on avoiding the NEXT disaster is beginning to make me think you really DON'T HAVE ANY ANSWERS and are what my grandfather was describing to me lo those many years ago. Say it aint so?
I find it hilarious that republicans control all 3 branches of government yet demand answers from the minority party. As someone on MMFA pointed out, republicans keep digging bigger holes for themselves and then demand the democrats come up with a solution to these huge holes. As a democrat I say, "stop digging!" Kudos to the MMFAer who used that analogy. It isn't mine.
"As brabatino (I think) pointed out, this became political when the Bush administration decided to underfund the LA Army Corp of Engineers so that money could be spent nation building Iraq."
I mentioned the funding, but I don't believe I mentioned the Iraq angle to it. Of course, I think that makes the underfunding of the levees so much more lamentable.
How's this for a marvelous idea:
The next time we have a major city, below sea level, in an area where hurricanes are likely, and the levees and drainage systems aren't adequate to deal with a major hurricane, and everyone from the local newspaper to the New York Times to ABC News to the Army Corps of Engineers to the local elected officials to some professors at the local college, and everyone in between, talks about how a major hurricane will cause the city to fill up like a cereal bowl, and thousands of residents will be trapped inside to drown and starve and worse because they can't afford to get out of town ... the next time that's all clear, and the Army Corps of Engineers asks for a few hundred million dollars to deal with it before disaster strikes, LET'S GIVE IT TO THEM.
How's that?
(Or, to put it another way: plenty of good ideas were offered long before the fact. The Army Corps of Engineers, for example, said "give us more money to prepare for a major hurricane." The Bush Administration and Congress chose not to fund those projects. And now some suggest it is improper to bring this up "after the fact"? Bizarre. Truly bizarre.)
Do your Homework!
[link to www.hurricane.lsu.edu]
Since I am not a civil engineer, I cannot come up with those sorts of answers. And if you aren't one, then you probably can't either. Unfortuantly without proper funding any answers they could come up with are moot, which brings us back to THIS disaster. No funding, no manpower, etc. Maybe if we do look at how this happend, the proper funding and the right people will be put in charge for NEXT TIME. I can't understand how so many think that looking back at an event and finding out who was truely to blame is a bad think. This was not merely a natural occurance. The levees breaking was forseen by many, and could have been prevented by most accounts. If a stong wind came and blew your house down, you migth just be upset. If you found out the builders didn't use any nails to hold the house together, would you simply say, "well, let's just build another house using the same contractors." Somehow I doubt it. You would expect the builders to know better and to be held accountable for their incompatence.
"Since NO is over and done with, and rehashing what coulda, shoulda and woulda is fairly pointless. I would love to hear some of the more enlightened after the fact posters around here tell us instead what we should do when San Francisco gets hit with the next great earthquake."
Please! Are you seriously arguing that if we don't come up with emergency preparedness plans of our own, that we have no right to call attention to the tragically inept handling done by FEMA here? If Bush cut funding for the levee project, demoted FEMA and reduced it's preparedness capacity then you better be sure we are going to mention it. It's FEMA's job to come up with plans for NOLA or San Fran, not ours, and you can't possibly believe that anyone here has the inside knowledge of possibilities for transit, communications, shelter and relief organization to make an actual plan.
Meanwhile, we will continue to hold Bush and others responsible for what they have done wrong or what they have failed to do at all. Or do you believe that accountability is nothing more than "complaining"?
I'm not sure that there is ANY law on any books anywhere that prohibits you, or anyone else around here from tendering ALL these marvelous plans that you all seem to apparently have AFTER the tragedy, to make them known BEFORE the tragedy happens. Doesn't that seem to make sense to you? Sure its FEMA's job, but I am just astounded at ALL the wonderful ideas and plans that you all APPARENTLY had about New Orleans, just never articulated them to the proper authorities. All I am saying is that since there is apparently this treasure trove of intellectual might here that is only coming to the surface AFTER the tragedy, in our national interest and to save future lives, I think it is incumbant upon each of you to share these ideas NOW to prevent future catastrophies, even though you feel that it isn't your job apparently. Let's hear them. San Francisco and most of California sits on a major fault and catastophe could happen at ANY moment. Millions of people could be killed, yet these intellectual giants around here are spending needed strategic mental capital lamenting yesterday's events. It just seems like such a waste to me to fritter away such marvelous minds as are present here. Again, if indeed the point is to save American lives.
It isn't MY JOB or anyone else's who post of MMFA to relay our wonderful ideas to the proper authorities.
IT WAS FEMA'S JOB.
Since they were such a failure and since so many SUFFERED AND DIED because of that failure, it is my job NOW, as an american citizen to demand accountability from MY GOVERNMENT.
Does that make sense to you?
As if we didn't have enough trolls, we get another one.
"Sure its FEMA's job, but I am just astounded at ALL the wonderful ideas and plans that you all APPARENTLY had about New Orleans, just never articulated them to the proper authorities."
So who claimed to have better plans than FEMA? The whole issue is that it appears that when Bush changed FEMA's status, folding them into DHS, that greatly diminished their role in disaster preparedness. If they were running at full capacity in that regard, I'm sure they would have had much better plans than anyone here could come up with, based on their knowledge, training and experience. That is the issue, so stop pointing your finger at us and saying "let's see you do better!"
Your argument is undefendable garbage.
It is the responsibility of the federal government to plan and prepare for disasters of this magnitude, including drills, which, guess what, FEMA ran July 2004, a simulated hurricane drill asking "what if a category 4-5 hit New Orleans?"
NOW with Bill Moyers bandied this as a discussion topic back in September 2002.
Numerous newspaper articles (in 2003 and 2004) postulated the possibility of a devastating hurricane in NO.
And the biggie: EVERY forecaster in the USA predicted when the hurricane would hit and the federal government took no steps to evacuate the city at ANY COST.
How bad of a disaster is required BEFORE this administration is culpable for negligence? Would someone from the Right please give me a body count so, in the future, I won't bother you till the fatalities are sufficient.
And the biggie: EVERY forecaster in the USA predicted when the hurricane would hit and the federal government took no steps to evacuate the city at ANY COST.
I remember vividly, as the hurricane was hitting Florida, *every computer model* predicted the hurricane moving into the gulf. Every forecaster predicted it would strengthen based on the 90 degree water temperature. When I said the federal government had 2 days to prepare for this disaster, that was being kind.
"And the biggie: EVERY forecaster in the USA predicted when the hurricane would hit and the federal government took no steps to evacuate the city at ANY COST."...by Missy A.
Missy, I'm re-posting part of a post I wrote on another thread (instead of trying to basically re-write the same ideas all over again)
I'm running next door for about a 1/2 hour, but I would be interested in your opinion :-)
IF you reply...I'll read it when I return.
===============================
Does anyone know IF the Mayor of New Orleans when instructing the citizens of New Orleans to evacuate OFFERED a way out of town? From what I've read he had a fleet of school busses at his disposal, and perhaps could have acquired the services of Greyhound (or other privately owned Bus Companies) to HELP in the EVACUATION. WHY weren't various areas set aside throughout the city for people to gather to wait for busses to transport them out of town????
I do believe there is BLAME enough to spread around here...LOCAL, STATE, and FEDERAL.
Bush & the Federal government were SLOW to react...FEMA should have arrived the MOMENT the hurricane passed...as it is my understanding they are there for the AFTERMATH of any disaster. The State (Governor) could have called in the National Guard (depleted as they are) earlier than she did.
I think what I find MOST distressing about this, is the lack of coordination between GOVERNMENT AGENCIES. And the FACT that officials waited far too long before ALERTING citizens to LEAVE the city.
On the surface sheltering people at the Superdome seemed like a feasible (last minute) plan...but then again does anyone here know if food and water was even provided there? Cots to sleep on? Providing a "place" to simply "keep dry" to me was NOT adequate enough...
Sadly, this DISASTER only proves once again that the US has learned very little from 9/11. We are in no way shape or form ready to take care of our citizens in case of a massive Terrorist Attack.
So what the hell has this administration been doing the past FOUR YEARS? Oh yeah, they invaded Iraq...wow I feel so much SAFER.
When you figure the greater New Orleans population, you are looking at evacuating approximately 1.3 million people. It is my opinion that the mayor of NO doesn't have the resources or the manpower to complete a job of that magnitude. When you need to evacuate a city that size, it should be the responsibility of the federal government.
That is just my opinion.
He only had to help evacuate the people who could NOT drive! There are people who have cars, or can travel with others. If the evacuation process is too big for the local gov't to do, then why didn't they ask then? Like I said before, you cannot blame this situation soley on one man. Don't you think the peole their with a birdseye view would be better equipped to decide what is best for N.O.? The President cannot call upon the Troops for a domestic matter without the request from the state.
This is from The Dept. of Homeland Security website:
In the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other large-scale emergency, the Department of Homeland Security will assume primary responsibility on March 1st for ensuring that emergency response professionals are prepared for any situation. This will entail providing a coordinated, comprehensive federal response to any large-scale crisis and mounting a swift and effective recovery effort.
[link to www.dhs.gov]
Notice it doesn't say the state or local government will assume primary responsibility, it says DHS will.
Can you say failure? Sure you can.
"Notice it doesn't say the state or local government will assume primary responsibility, it says DHS will." =====================================
So, state and local government are not responsible for the city of their citizens? Good idea, sit around and wait for someone else to do it. Lovin' the logic! Can you say "learned dependency"? This is why I say it proves socialism is a disaster! It doesn't encourage self-relience, it encourages dependency on the government for everything.
Actually, what it proves is that Bush is obsolete.
"Yesterday, I signed a disaster declaration for the state of Louisiana, and this morning I signed a disaster declaration for the state of Mississippi. These declarations will allow federal agencies to coordinate all disaster relief efforts with state and local officials. We will do everything in our power to help the people in the communities affected by this storm." George Bush 2005-08-28
frijolasnegras offers a quote from bush as proof that he actually was on top of the situation. hey i'm the first to admit he talks a good game. too bad he never actually does anything constructive. but rhetoric seems to be enough for his pod people followers.
"When you figure the greater New Orleans population, you are looking at evacuating approximately 1.3 million people. It is my opinion that the mayor of NO doesn't have the resources or the manpower to complete a job of that magnitude. When you need to evacuate a city that size, it should be the responsibility of the federal government.
That is just my opinion."...by Missy A.
Missy, when the Mayor called for the city to evacuate quite a few were able to leave on their own...the buses could have been USED for those unable to find OTHER transportation. The fleet of buses SHOULD have been deployed, and the Mayor had the POWER to do so. It may NOT have solved the problem of EVACUATING everyone left behind, BUT would have HELPED in the effort.
I believe we should be POINTING FINGERS at EVERYONE. From the Bush administration on down. ALL are CULPABLE.
Perhaps by doing so, we can LEARN what NEEDS to be done and avert a FUTURE disaster.
Jeter,
When you evacuate a city, you don't evacuate those that can't drive, you evacuate all the citizens. How do you determine those who can't drive or those that don't have the money? You don't, you evacuate everyone and that is a monumental undertaking that would require the leadership of the federal government.
You are entitled to your opinion and at least you attempt to be smart about it, but to want to blame equally the governor and the mayor for not completing a job that there was no way humanly possible they could have completed is wrong in my book.
"When you evacuate a city, you don't evacuate those that can't drive, you evacuate all the citizens. How do you determine those who can't drive or those that don't have the money? You don't, you evacuate everyone and that is a monumental undertaking that would require the leadership of the federal government."...by Missy A.
You order an evacuation...you tell the citizens that THOSE who do NOT have their own TRANSPORTATION that buses at various LOCATIONS throughout the CITY will be AVAILABLE.
Again, it might NOT have gotten EVERYBODY who needed transportation OUT of the city...BUT it would have a ACCOMPLISHED a LOT more than doing NOTHING.
Number One: It is not the federal governments responsibilty to evacuate. First the local and state governments HAVE to ASK for help. Number Two: Guess what, the levee broke where it had just been rebuilt! not in an area needing future repairs! The primary responsibilty for the disaster of New Orleans lies with the Mayor and the Governor, not the President!
EVERY retired military analyst I've seen on the news said had the Governor deployed the National Guard Troops BEFORE the hurricane, it would not have been this bad.
Then turn off fox news shannon.
The governor requested help on August 28
[link to gov.louisiana.gov]
But the paper work didn't come from Washington until Thursday.
[link to news.yahoo.com]
The Governor's request was for FUNDS. I didn't see anything about having the Guard on standby or having any units in the city before in struck to provide immediate assistance. Humanitarian care would have been sooner if N.o. would have been made a safer environment for civilians. The point I'm trying to make is you cannot say this is Bush's fault! There are alot of people involved from the leaders of each government to their employees. Mr Nagin cannot do this one his own. Ms. Blanco couldn't do eveything, nor can President Bush. They all have advisors and they all have directors emergency management. There's alot of people involved.
How conveeeeenient.
It' called the "comments" section. That's what we do. We comment. New notwithstanding, I should think I wouldn't need to point out the obvious.
My grandfather used to tell me that that you can always spot a fraud in that he or she is always coming up with tremendous ideas and remedies after the fact, but is clueless when coming up with ideas and remedies for problems/disasters that have not happened yet
That could be a correct statement, but farking irrelevant here.
It really gets tiring educating the ignorant. Especially when the topics are so well documented in the national press. Below are some quotes from Sidney Blumenthal in Der Speigel. The article was posted on Salon and on Common Dreams. And there are lots more:
In 2001, FEMA warned that a hurricane striking New Orleans was one of the three most likely disasters in the U.S. (another one was a terrorist attack that BUSH filed to prevent) But the Bush administration cut New Orleans flood control funding by 44 percent to pay for the Iraq war. A year ago the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proposed to study how New Orleans could be protected from a catastrophic hurricane, but the Bush administration ordered that the research not be undertaken. After a flood killed six people in 1995, Congress created the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project, in which the Corps of Engineers strengthened and renovated levees and pumping stations. In early 2001, the Federal Emergency Management Agency issued a report stating that a hurricane striking New Orleans was one of the three most likely disasters in the U.S., including a terrorist attack on New York City. But by 2003 the federal funding for the flood control project essentially dried up as it was drained into the Iraq war. In 2004, the Bush administration cut funding requested by the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for holding back the waters of Lake Pontchartrain by more than 80 percent. Additional cuts at the beginning of this year (for a total reduction in funding of 44.2 percent since 2001) forced the New Orleans district of the Corps to impose a hiring freeze. The Senate had debated adding funds for fixing New Orleans' levees, but it was too late. The New Orleans Times-Picayune, which before the hurricane published a series on the federal funding problem, and whose presses are now underwater, reported online: "No one can say they didn't see it coming ... Now in the wake of one of the worst storms ever, serious questions are being asked about the lack of preparation."
The Bush administration's policy of turning over wetlands to developers almost certainly also contributed to the heightened level of the storm surge. In 1990, a federal task force began restoring lost wetlands surrounding New Orleans. Every two miles of wetland between the Crescent City and the Gulf reduces a surge by half a foot. Bush had promised "no net loss" of wetlands, a policy launched by his father's administration and bolstered by President Clinton. But he reversed his approach in 2003, unleashing the developers. The Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency then announced they could no longer protect wetlands unless they were somehow related to interstate commerce.
Here is a link to the article TEXASS [link to www.commondreams.org]
I am here to hold the BUSH administration responsible for neglect and incomptence that caused needless death, destuction and suffering. There is fraud here, but the fraud is BUSH flying in at the same time the negligently delayed convoys arrived.
After all, wasn't one of the pimp in chief's first priorities to bring accountability back to Washington. If he won't, the voters will.
I would love to see their public editor address this one.
Isn't this reminiscent of the infamous Condi lie, "Who could have imagined that people would fly planes into buildings?" said to the 9-11 commission?
Q: Who could've imagined that a hurricane, gaining strength right there in the Gulf, would hit New Orleans and flood the city, which is below sea level and has inadequate, antiquated levees?
A: Not the Bush Administration.
Yesterday's headline states: "White House Upset at 'Finger Pointing." Too much finger pointing? I think we need more finger pointing, not less. Let's put the blame where it belongs. George Bush loves to parade around as the "Commander in Chief." A few responsibilities go with that title.
His administration has been the most callous, indifferent and neglectful of public needs, of any in my lifetime. Stingy with our tax money when it is needed for the public sector or human needs. Slow as molasses when it comes to respond to catastrophic events that could be prevented or mitigates. Callous and indifferent to people's suffering both in our own country, in Iraq and around the globe. Oblivious to the consequences of federal policies that destroy our natural environment, cause life threatening global warming, toxic pollution and air that is not fit to breath. Death dealing in its frenzy to initiate perpetual wars which send our young people to illegal, immoral and suicidal military missions in pursuit of other people's oil. Arrogant in the face of world disapproval and criticism while we violate international laws and treaty commitments. Single minded in its naked acceptance of corporate privilege and greed at the expense of the common good. Indifferent to the disgrace of more than two million, mostly young people, condemned to our prisons.
And most of all, it's time to do some finger pointing about the endless LIES that emanate from the White House. No amount of obfuscation can justify these disastrous policies. The endless parade of federal officials giving us rosy predictions, in face of inaction, is truly astonishing.
This week, authorities evacuated 600,000 people as Typhoon Talim plowed into southern China. They shut down schools, highways and airports. Despite 30 foot waves there were no casualties. We had ample warning that the hurricane was approaching. Why were warnings of wetland destruction ignored and why were funds for levee repair reduced from $208 million to $10 million? Why was there no federal force to evacuate the people of New Orleans prior to the hurricane?
There's so much we need to do to improve our ability to handle future catastrophes successfully as a nation. We're only crippled further by partisan organizations like MMFA deliberately distorting the facts for devisive purposes.
"Bush is technically correct that a "breach" wasn't anticipated by the Corps, but that doesn't mean the flooding wasn't forseen. It was. But the Corps thought it would happen differently, from water washing over the levees, rather than cutting wide breaks in them."
"We can confirm that funding was cut. The project most closely associated with preventing flooding in New Orleans was the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Hurricane Protection Project, which was “designed to protect residents between Lake Pontchartrain and the Missisippi River levee from surges in Lake Pontchartrain,” according to a fact sheet from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. (The fact sheet is dated May 23, long before Katrina). The multi-decade project involved building new levees, enlarging existing levees, and updating other protections like floodwalls.
*******It was scheduled to be completed in 2015."******** -factcheck.org
How would increased funding have saved New Orleans? HELLO?!!!!!!
SO you are saying NONE of the improvements would have been done? And are you saying you are SURE that if some were done they would not have helped? Are these numbers based on the budget for these projects being cut to about 1/5 of what they needed or was it before (in which case push that finish date back to 2035, I guess)? And IF the adminsitration knew that the projects would take that long, why cut the budget instead of increasing it to speed up the prcess? How does this excuse the lack of federal involvment in the 2 days before and the first days after the hurricane hit? The mayor was begging for help, so why did it take so long for any response? How does this excuse the President from taking close to a week to assess the damages? As you can see, there are several areas that are in question regarding this catastophy and most, if not all, should have been addressed by this administration .I'm sorry, but I find it very disturbing that the same party that was so anxious to blame Clinton within a week after 9/11 has such a tough time with people pointing fingers at this administration now. I have heard people here say this is not the time to play the blame game, yet I wonder if any of you were so bothered at your own party leaders doing the same after 9/11.
This is just part of an article that I find very apropos to this discussion.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Last September, a Category 5 hurricane battered the small island of Cuba with 160-mile-per-hour winds. More than 1.5 million Cubans were evacuated to higher ground ahead of the storm. Although the hurricane destroyed 20,000 houses, no one died.
> What is Cuban President Fidel Castro's secret?
According to Dr. Nelson Valdes, a sociology professor at the University of New Mexico, and specialist in Latin America, "the whole civil defense is embedded in the community to begin with. People know ahead of time where they are to go."
"Cuba's leaders go on TV and take charge," said Valdes. Contrast this with George W. Bush's reaction to Hurricane Katrina. The day after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, Bush was playing golf. He waited three days to make a TV appearance and five days before visiting the disaster site. In a scathing editorial on Thursday, the New York Times said, "nothing about the president's demeanor yesterday - which seemed casual to the point of carelessness - suggested that he understood the depth of the current crisis."
"Merely sticking people in a stadium is unthinkable" in Cuba, Valdes said. "Shelters all have medical personnel, from the neighborhood. They have family doctors in Cuba, who evacuate together with the neighborhood, and already know, for example, who needs insulin."
They also evacuate animals and veterinarians, TV sets and refrigerators, "so that people aren't reluctant to leave because people might steal their stuff," Valdes observed.
[link to www.truthout.org]
I don't think anyone was advocating Castro to lead our nation, but you have to admit--CASTRO DID A BETTER JOB OF TAKING CARE OF HIS PEOPLE THAN BUSH DID. Castro has even offered us aid. I think the United States needs to take a long look in the mirror.
The DHS didn't define "swift". What is a realistic definition of "swift" for an effort of this scale? It seems like our society expects reality to play out like a Hollywood movie: crisis to recovery to happily ever after in 93 minutes!
Half a week for the feds to DELIVER the massive relief effort is realistic. The state should have procured IMMEDIATE food, water, medical and security with its own National Guard to establish authority and maintain order until the feds arrive to ratchet-up the overall mission.
Sending out a couple of fish and wildlife boats and then immediately pulling them after being shot at doesn't exactly establish authority.
In the future, more cooperative, creative solutions by other states are in order...like Wisconsin, for example.....
"(( Among those headed in were several hundred from Wisconsin, where the governor took the unusual step of declaring a disaster outside his state to activate his Guard.
"This was the first time a governor ever declared a natural disaster in another state and activated to that other state," said Gov. Jim Doyle, who issued his order Wednesday. "We were ready to be deployed within 24 hours of that order." ))"
65% of the Guard remaining would be enough to temporarily distribute food, water, medical and maintain security at the Superdome, Convention Center and highway overpass.
And per the federal government, immediately following a disaster the Department of Homeland Security is the primary agency involved in addressing the needs of the state and it's citizens.
Remember: Department of Homeland Security will assume primary responsibility on March 1st for ensuring that emergency response professionals are prepared for any situation
You can make excuse after excuse but the federal government srewed up on a massive proportion.
That's all you are offering, excuses.
i would like anyone to defend the statement that's right in front of our, um, noses. bush said nobody anticipated the levees would be breached. could there be a more untrue statement? how out to lunch is this guy? as for evacuating, there are people who will not evacuate because when you do, it has frequently happened that law enforcement will not let anyone back in to affected areas for days, even weeks.
what can't be denied is the fact that the levees were under control of the army corps of engineers, a federal agency. it can't be denied that bush made deep cuts in their budgets. it's a fact that the levees did not fail until after the hurricane had passed. if there had been a plan to bring in sand bags with trucks and helicopters, the relatively small initial breaches could have been contained before they grew too large. but this might have required some actual planning by our federal government. but we don't have planners in the bush administration. all we have are partisan hacks who get rewarded depending on their devotion to w. it says right in this story that the former head of the corps was fired because he complained about bush's budget cuts. harry truman: "the buck stops here." dubya: "who knew..?"
A Testament to the American Conscience
It is hard to fathom the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina given the 24-7 exposure now being brought into every American household by our CORPORATE-OWNED MASS MEDIA. An irony indeed, now that the fury of 150 MPH winds and Tsunami-like wave surges have subsided some 100+ hours ago. To MSM and evidently the Administration, any repercussions to the PEOPLE of New Orleans and its unique infrastructure, both culturally and to the NATION, WELL, We'll just take our time responding. After all, it was just another tropical cyclone with an attitude.
The fraudulent claims emanating out of Washington and espoused by the PREZ that the levees initially deployed during the Roosevelt years AND continuing with upgrades and various patches over a 60 year period were not expected to be compromised. Rubbish!!! It is common knowledge that these levees did not meet structural integrity standards to withstand a visit by Ms. Katrina. Somehow, according to administration officials who lurk the corridors of the Departments of Homeland Security and FEMA, Well, we really do not have to worry too much despite repeated calls by the State of Louisiana and the Army Corps of Engineers THAT this weakened state of the levees potentially could result in a catastrophe of biblical proportions.
However, We, the Citizens of the United States of America now have a 'human crisis' on our hands which is not about to go away too soon. This 'Human Tragedy' when revealed in its entirety WILL test US to our innermost moralty, principles and MAY be the trigger to hopefully rid ourselves of an Administration which is inept, corrupt to a fault AND only interested in filling the coffers of its masters, Big-Oil, the Military Industrial Complex et al to the detriment of the very people it is sworn to protect, to promote the general welfare for, AND increase the posterity of its citizenry NOT by handouts BUT by instituting government policies which allow for the unfettered spirit of our common goodness to shine through. This Adminstration is the exact antithesis of such a benevolence.
That common goodness is now being actualized by Americans of all political persuasions. Some $250M and climbing contributed by a legion of souls who have no doubt gone through a few boxes of tissues this week watching what has transpired to our fellow citizens in New Orleans.
The inaction of OUR government to respond adequately in due time borders on Criminal Negligence. Oh, How can you say that, shout the RIGHTIES!! Well, this past week China and Taiwan when confronted with a Pacific Monsoon of equivalent ferocity suffered some 3 deaths. China, evacuated some 750,000 of its citizens to inland regions prior to the storm making landfall.
Oh, but there's more. WE can all relax now since Halliburton has been awarded the contract to rebuild the Louisiana shorefront.
Halliburton has the contract? are you positive?
Read it and weep.
[link to www.chron.com]
This reminds me of what one of the panelists (Clift, I believe) said on the predictions segment of this week's McLaughlin Group: no more tax cuts this term.
But what it took to achieve that one victory...
I live in Wilmington, NC. We went thru 6 'canes in four years...the last being Floyd in 1999. Floyd came at us as a 5, but thank God calmed to a 3. Floyd was the worst of them, though, because of the flooding. Eastern NC was under water. Wilmington was an island.
Nevertheless, FEMA was there within hours after the storm passed...flying equipment and supplies in. And so were the Red Cross and the Southern Baptists (bless them, they provided good eats).
So having been thru a few 'canes and understanding the routine we in NC have developed, I was agast at the non response of FEMA and the National Guard. I am as angry as anyone who has seen those images and heard the excuses.
But living in "hurricane alley" I'm left wondering what I can expect from them when the next one hits here.
It's good to hear from someone who speaks from experience on how long it took for FEMA and others to respond. If you beleive the trolls on this sihgt, NO and the surrounding areas were lucky ot get help 2-3 days after the event. It is unbievable to me that people can think it would take that long to even get started on this. The fact is that almost 2 full days before the hurricane hit most experts had this track and intensity for the hurricane. That means the feds took a work week to get it together. I pray they are forced to move FEMA back out from Homeland Security and put some leaders back into it, for your sake and for the sake of anyone living along hurricane ally.
So many people were flooded out of their homes in Floyd. And even with the work of FEMA and the Red Cross and other organizations, three years after Floyd there were still friends of mine living in government provided mobile homes and the like. But six years later, they're all back on their feet. I can't even imagine how long it will take the Gulf Coast to recover.
To help in the long term, you can donate to Habitat for Humanity at habitat.org.
Getting back to the topic for a second. Bush said no one anticipated the breach of the levees. A demonstrably incorrect statement, patently absurd. Am I the only one that is tired of Bush constantly lying or at least being, totally, stupendously WRONG? Can the man get ANYTHING right? Isnt it time he at least fired the people who put words in his mouth since they cant seem to get ANY correct information? If Bush said it was Sunday I would check the calendar.
No, you aren't the only one sick of the constant lies that come from Bush and his administration.
On another thread I posted the remark about Condi not being able to anticipate planes being used as missles. Then you have Rummy not anticipating the Iraq insurgency. Now they want to claim they didn't anticipate the levee's breaking.
This is either coordinated incompetence or deriliction of duty.
Their failures have literally cost us the lives of hundreds of thousands and they want to blame the democrats.
F*ck em.
solon, if you are interested, Josh Marshall is keeping track of the lies.
Thank God.
[link to www.tpmcafe.com]
just read a good sept 3 column by maureen dowd and she makes a very good point. congress passed and bush signed a 286 billion dollar highway bill with thousands of pork barrel projects and yet bush has cut and cut, year after year, money going to an absolutely essential job of building up the levees.
nothing is for real in bushworld. there were 40 mentions of osama bin ladin in the presidential daily briefings from jan to sept 10 2001 [ 9-11 commission report page 72] and yet bush told bob woodward: "i didn't feel the sense of urgency". but it's more than possible he never read any of them. hey, bike riding comes first.
Aaron Broussard, President of Jefferson Parish on Meet the Press this morning:
[link to www.msnbc.msn.com]
MR. RUSSERT: Hold on. Hold on, sir. Shouldn't the mayor of New Orleans and the governor of New Orleans bear some responsibility? Couldn't they have been much more forceful, much more effective and much more organized in evacuating the area?
MR. BROUSSARD: Sir, they were told like me, every single day, "The cavalry's coming," on a federal level, "The cavalry's coming, the cavalry's coming, the cavalry's coming." I have just begun to hear the hoofs of the cavalry. The cavalry's still not here yet, but I've begun to hear the hoofs, and we're almost a week out.
Let me give you just three quick examples. We had Wal-Mart deliver three trucks of water, trailer trucks of water. FEMA turned them back. They said we didn't need them. This was a week ago. FEMA--we had 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel on a Coast Guard vessel docked in my parish. The Coast Guard said, "Come get the fuel right away." When we got there with our trucks, they got a word. "FEMA says don't give you the fuel." Yesterday--yesterday--FEMA comes in and cuts all of our emergency communication lines. They cut them without notice. Our sheriff, Harry Lee, goes back in, he reconnects the line. He posts armed guards on our line and says, "No one is getting near these lines." Sheriff Harry Lee said that if America--American government would have responded like Wal-Mart has responded, we wouldn't be in this crisis.
I saw that.
Crooks and Liars has the video.
[link to www.crooksandliars.com]
That poor man. Everyone should see this.
Russert is so sly. This one slipped and he couldn't cut it off. He got that plantation owner Barbour back on the screen as quick as he could, but the damage was done. Rove's probably going to dock his pay this week.
That doesn't include the over 1000 volunteers and 500 boats that were turned back by FEMA on Thursday from Lafayette, LA. They allowed 2-15ft john boats out of 500 to enter. They had a police escort from Lafayette, were allowed through every checkpoint until the city limits when a FEMA rep stopped them and turned them away.
Or the Wal-Mart trucks full of food and water that FEMA turned away.
To 'anticipate' means not just to expect, but to do something to prepare in advance. So when Bush says, "I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees" discursively, he's right (even if he didn't intend to be). That is, the Feds did nothing to *prevent* the levees from breaking, even though they *knew* about the potential danger. I.e., they did not anticipate.
So he didn't lie in this statement...but that doesn't change the fact that his inept administration did nothing to prepare for what was an *expected* outcome of a major hurricane. He failed to anticipate--he failed to prepare.
Let me get this straight: while local officials did absolutely nothing about the levees, George W. Bush was supposed to fixate on fixing them?
the levees are a federal responsibility. the army corps of engineers is responsible for them. bush cut the funding for them in spite of pleas from the louisiana delegation.
from a column by tom parker in the ventura county star: "in mid 2004 the local corps [a federal agency] manager begged a local agency for $2 million to shore up areas of the flood control levees [a federal responsibility] that the federal government would no longer fund. he got the money, but local officials had to raise property taxes to make up for it. additional cuts in their 2005 budget caused the new orleans office of the corps to halt any new projects in 2005 and to stop hiring". bush's cronies steal more than 2 million a day. there are billions unaccounted for in iraq.
Mefirst,
...and, as taxes are cut at the federal level, historically, federal aid to states is dramatically-dramatically reduced. Which has several effects: 1.) states have difficulty maintaining the infrastructure e.g. schools, municipality road works etceteras. 2.) federal govt. continue as usual (or in Bush's case...becoming the largest spending govt. in history).
Just to further add to your post, Michael Parker, assistant secretary of the Army for civil works was forced to resign BY BUSH in 2003, (I believe) for accusing the administration of shortchaning the LA. Corp of Engineers.
Just another example of someone getting fired FOR TELLING THE TRUTH.
Missy A.
WOW. I didn't know that. If I might ask , what source did you get that information from? I am wondering if there is documentation of that person saying that was the reason prior to the hurricane hitting land. Thank you and happy labor day, WorldasMaya
I got it from Talking points Memo who is referencing a Chicago Tribune story. I copied and pasted for you.
[link to www.talkingpointsmemo.com]
We mentioned earlier the quote from Mike Parker, former Republican congressman from Mississippi who briefly served as head of the Army Corps of Engineers from late Advertisement
2001 to early 2002 before being canned for criticizing administration budget cuts.
He's quoted in today's Chicago Tribune saying, "I'm not saying it wouldn't still be flooded, but I do feel that if it had been totally funded, there would be less flooding than you have."
Here's a piece from March 7, 2002 from the Clarion-Ledger on the circumstances of Parker's firing. Here are the first several grafs ...
The assistant secretary of the Army, Mississippi's former U.S. Rep. Mike Parker, was forced out Wednesday after he criticized the Bush administration's proposed spending cuts on Army Corps of Engineers' water projects, members of Congress said. "Apparently he was asked to resign," said U.S. Rep. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., a member of the House Appropriations Committee's energy and water development subcommittee that oversees the corps' budget.
Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, also said Parker was dismissed.
Parker's nomination to head the corps drew heavy criticism last year from environmental groups pushing to downsize the agency, calling its flood control projects too costly and destructive.
Parker earned the ire of administration officials when he questioned Bush's planned budget cuts for the corps, including two controversial Mississippi projects.
"I think he was fired for being too honest and not loyal enough to the president," said lobbyist Colin Bell, who represents communities with corps-funded projects.
Bell said Parker resigned about noon after being given about 30 minutes to choose between resigning or being fired.
Pretty much the Bush administration in a nutshell.
And also from the Washington Post,
[link to www.washingtonpost.com]
Michael Parker, who was forced by Bush to resign as assistant secretary of the Army for civil works after accusing the White House of shortchanging the Corps of Engineers, said the culprit is not the president but government-wide resistance to investing long-term in projects such as flood control.
Missy A.
Thanks.
the bush administration anticipates nothing. everything leaves them in a state of befuddlement. michael chertoff said he was "surprised" the levees failed after the hurricane had passed. there was apparently no thought given to actually sending helicopters out to check if there were small breaches that could have been plugged without too much effort. our problem is that we find ourselves with a 1920's style gop presidency. sit on the porch, go out golfing with the business potentates and slap each other on the back, while they hand you checks and you give them the keys to the treasury. we are now in a much more complex world where we cannot afford to elect unqualified people because "he's a good christian man". didn't like clinton fooling around? you had a choice of al gore, the same policy wonk attention to detail, without the zipper problems. instead we allowed a ex-drunk frat boy with business failure after failure to become president. tune in rush tomorrow though. he'll explain everything.
dr. max mayfield, head of the national hurricane center told the times-picayune yesterday that michael brown and michael chertoff were briefed before the storm hit that the levees could be topped by the hurricane. "it's not like this was a surprise". chertoff yesterday on meet the press said he was "surprised" the levees were breached.
if he keeps on defunding...the levee's gonna break. apologies to led zeppelin.