Kid T

People who hate the President of the United States love for any opportunity to point a finger at him and blame him for anything that happens. There are so many people in this country that are blinded by hatred for Bush that they will say and do anything to make him look bad and somehow people have found it convenient to blame him for the hurricane, blame him for supposedly poor relief efforts, and now even racism. Come on, America. There are equal numbers of those who are such "true believers" of the republican party that they refuse to believe that Bush (and Republicans in general) can do no wrong. They don't call it a NATURAL DISASTER for no reason. A terrible thing has happened and I never would expect any president or government to be able to go down to New Orleans and save everyone's lives and clean up the entire mess in a few days. As Americans, we have very unrealistic expectations of how things should happen when something goes wrong in America because we just aren't used to seeing things like this at home. It always happens "somewhere else". We trick ourselves into believing it is possible to turn absolute chaos into logic. No offense, but I think you aren't familiar with the situation. Yes, the hurricane was a natural disaster, but the relief efforts following the wake of Katrina was a human one. This was a massive failing at all levels (read: local and federal) of government. People were stranded at the Superdome and Convention Center and went for several days without food, water, or medicine (which is why the looting/scavenging occurred) after Katrina had passed by. It wasn't as if the government weren't aware of these people (though there is footage of Brown claiming such), especially when it was on CNN and other networks. Personally, I don't care about what the government does. I don't hold them responsible for much of anything. I think it is up to American citizens to act and help out in any way that we can because we are part of the same national community afterall. We have more power than any government in the world to help out. We shouldn't be pointing our fingers towards Washington while we sit on our asses and do nothing. And thankfully, a lot of people are helping. Then you have very low expectations from your government. Our taxes fund agencies such as FEMA, whose sole purpose is disaster relief/crisis management.

I will also interject that I don't believe Dubya hates any minority but is rather indifferent to the situation that afro americans live in, especially in the deep south. While Kanye's comments were offkey (btw, I hate rap so I don't support him in any way at all), I believe it was more the frustration of the government's lethargic movement towards getting help to the people in Nawlins', Mississippi, and Alabama. Not to mention the rest of Louisiana. Thats just my 2 cents. 937952[/snapback] I think this is pretty accurate, but I'd go further and say that Bush isn't just indifferent to the plight of minorities but to poor people and even middle-class America as well. I don't think he was ever truly exposed to different classes of people growing up and he certainly is very sheltered now. This federal govt failure brings to light another important issue. Should people rely on the feds at all in these situations, or should states focus on having these sort of services in a more autonomus way? This is just another failure added to the long list of bureaucractic blunders of the federal govt, regarldess of who the president is. 937971[/snapback] A poignant question and good area for debate. I don't think there should be a reliance on federal government for everything, but when it comes to a scenario such as this - where local government is clearly overwhelmed with the magnitude of devastation (witness 30% of police officers walking off the job, a few others committing suicide due to the hopelessness of the situation, etc.) it becomes dependent on federal relief, which is FEMA's sole purpose. Now, a different slant might be, at which point is FEMA involvement necessary. But I think the most important problem that was exposed here is how do we ensure that federal and local government work together to best marshall the vast resources of the federal government with the local knowledge to be most efficient at saving lives.

First off the Video is hilarious. I had heard the clip a million times on Lebatard's radio show but the video is even funnier. Of course Kanye West has the right to say whatever he wants. Contrary to what the leftists constantly tell us, we are still free to say whatever we want about the president and the government. If Bush were the Nazi they claim he is they would have all been put in concentration camps long ago. That's the problem with the left. It's all about hyperbole. Depending on what day it is Bush is either a dumbass or an evil genius. These two things are irreconcilable by the way. Nobody is more pissed about the perception that the Fed government was slow to react than the president and his advisors. I assure you they didn't want this to happen. Even if they didn't "care about black people" they care about the polls and the president's political capital. Remember he's got 3.5 years left to run the country. I don't think what Kanye West did took courage. What Oscar Elias Biscet, the opposition leader in Cuba does when he speaks out against Castro takes courage. He's in prison for disagreeing with his "president". It take no courage to make jackass out of yourself. I do it all the time in the privacy of my anonymous life, it's actually quite easy. I'm sure doing it on National TV isn't much harder. 937767[/snapback] Way to characterize offhand a whole group of people. :thumbup "Oh, the evil left, and how... Um, evil they are!" You're guilty of the same party-bias you're railing against. 937990[/snapback] Not only that, but anytime criticism is levied against this administration, the righties like to pull a response from the laundry list of: - Why do you hate America? - Don't you know it's treasonous to criticize the President during a time of war? - Why are you against the troops? Support the troops! - Why do you engage in this "blame America first/victim" mentality? - There's plenty of time to point the blame later, right now we need to focus our efforts on rescuing the people that need help and were abandoned by their local Democratic officials. - It's a sin! ....

My personal opinion is that this country was quite divided before Katrina hit. Pick what you will: political ideology, race, income disparity, geography, urban vs. rural, etc. I don't know who to blame (though politicians always seem like a safe bet) for creating such divides. I'm a marketer and in my profession, when you find niche markets, you highlight the differences to magnify your appeal. This is essentially what politicians/political parties do. The saddest thing is that the least divided I remember this country ever being was immediately after 9/11. Somehow, we've become even more divided as a country since the pre-9/11 days.

then what about a variety of other conservative pundits saying the same things? 935183[/snapback] They, like the aforementioned Scarborough, are now bleeding heart liberals. 935396[/snapback] And don't forget Bob Novak. :blink:

Stein is a very intelligent mind regardless of his political views. The question here is if Bush himself is to blame. The truth is some blame is his, but very little. FEMA is a govt organization like most others that will exist and function regardless who the president is. A failure by FEMA is not a failure by Bush, same as failures in immigration or the IRS are not failures by the president. Sure we can give some vicarious blame to the head of the executive, but that is secondary. Furthermore, stein in his biased article makes very good points. We need to recognize state's sovreignty for all issues good and bad. Furthermore, the arguments about poverty in the region can go either way. Critcize bush's economic policy or equally strong arguments critisizing the current welfare system and its effects on dependancy. Whose fault was it that Andrew was so devastating? Whose fault was it that the San francisco earthquake was so devastating. Human beings may make errors in attempts to alleviate problems, but nature is the culprit here. Not only that but aside from the superdome problems, many victims refused to leave and as a result have suffered. I remember during andrew how many people refused to even tie things down, saying that it was no big deal or that it was going to miss us. We cant blame govt for everything, as much as I would love to be able to do so. And just bc someone doesnt like bush doesnt mean hes responsible for every negative thing that happens in this country 935489[/snapback] Bush isn't solely responsible but he certainly should bear some of the blame. The country was bracing for a category 3/4/5 storm and Bush and most of his chief advisors were on vacation - where they remained until 2 days after Katrina hit N.O. A true leader would have stayed on top of the situation to work with members of the federal government (FEMA/DHS) and local government to coordinate resources and ensure that the victims received all the help needed. At the very least, by staying on vacation for a few days then flying to San Diego for a V-Day/Iraq support rally wasn't the most savvy PR move. As for the abysmal failures by FEMA, Bush also bears some additional responsibility. First, Bush appointed Brown (who is quite unqualified, especially given some of the recent revelations. Additionally, Bush's praise ("You're doing a heck of a job, Brownie") further demonstrated how out-of-touch he was. That having been said, local politicians deserve their fair share of the blame. They were woefully unprepared and didn't follow their evacuation plans (if indeed those plans were complete/viable). It was a massive failure at all levels of government and I feel for those affected. (Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming)

You can check out www.volunteermatch.com. Opportunities to volunteer can also be found at churches, shelters, and soup kitchens. Given the recent events, your time might also be appreciated at the local Red Cross office.

You think what he said was stupid, but the "tragedy is bush's fault" crew is not stupid? Take off the lenses for a second. The people who chose to ride out thje storm and not heed the warnings are responsible for what happened to them. It isnt bush's fault that people chose to stay behind. Punishing them for that is stupid though. 936199[/snapback] Just to throw this out for consideration (since Santorum was oblivious to it). There were some who were unable to evacuate - either because their health prevented them from travelling, or they didn't have the means to leave (or anywhere to go). Santorum is nothing more than an ultraconservative wingnut. I'm not sure if it was discussed here, he has blamed the church scandal on the "liberal culture" in Boston - of course he overlooked that it was a national problem. But hey, fingerpointing is fair game when it's done by the right I guess.

look here is the bottom line. people have said this would happen to NOLA someday. NOLA is on the gulf coast in a hurricane area. they had no plan for this to happen. you can also argue that the feds had no real plan neither. call it an unexpected turn all you want but this has been a known issue for decades, they have just always been lucky. the luck bank ran out. 932109[/snapback] Isn't it more troubling that the federal response was so abysmal? After all, this was essentially a demonstration of their preparedness in the event of a terrorist attack on Any City, USA.

It is the MAYORS job to call in the national guard and he DIDN'T before the storm hit. 931649[/snapback] Well, actually, the governor commands a given state's national guard contingent and is in charge of deploying the troops--in advance, if necessary. The governor is also the one who requests outside assistance, again if needed. But yes, local leaders (or whatever state/local command structure is in place) let the governor know if/when they need guard troops. When did that happen? I don't think any of us have answers yet. Regardless, it's pretty obvious that there was some massive incompetence at every level of government--federal, state, and local. 931668[/snapback] link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/katrina_national_guard By SHARON THEIMER, Associated Press Writer Sat Sep 3, 6:38 PM ET WASHINGTON - Another 10,000 National Guard troops are being sent to the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast, raising their number to about 40,000, but questions linger about the speed with which troops were deployed. ADVERTISEMENT Several states ready and willing to send National Guard troops to the rescue in New Orleans didn't get the go-ahead until days after the storm struck ? a delay nearly certain to be investigated by Congress. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson offered Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco help from his state's National Guard last 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. California troops just began arriving in Louisiana on Friday, three days after flood waters devastated New Orleans and chaos broke out. In fact, when New Orleans' levees gave way to deadly flooding on Tuesday, Louisiana's National Guard had received help from troops in only three other states: Ohio, which had nine people in Louisiana then; Oklahoma, 89; and Texas, 625, figures provided by the National Guard show.

Anyone (like President Bush) who believes that FEMA has done acceptable work is delusional. All you need to do is check this blog for a list of links to stories highlighting FEMA's incompetence (for example, turning away WAL-MART trucks with water and food, firefighters being turned away, NORTHCOM being ready but never being asked for help, etc.).

He does make some valid points. 931434[/snapback] Can you point out some specific points? I may agree with the fact that the feds didn't deal with the state and local government officials well. I also may agree with the fact that communications plans were bad. The Army Corps of Engineers snickering at an LSU simulation presentation was bad. As was the lack of levee funding, but all these things are not Bush specific. 931443[/snapback] Let's see: - There was the delay in approving National Guardsmen from New Mexico to New Orleans. Paperwork was submitted to Washington on Sunday but wasn't approved until Thursday. - FEMA and DHS heads had no clue (or denied knowing) that there were serious problems on the ground in New Orleans (in terms of lawlessness and people at the Convention Center without food and water). Instead, they claimed that there were adequate numbers of guardsmen to handle the crisis. - Bush praised his political appointee-head of FEMA for a job well done. - If helicopters were so readily available and standing by (as you assert), why wasn't any assistance sent for 4 days? Click on this link to see Jefferson Parrish President Broussard's appearance on Meet The Press. It's very moving and should give you an idea of what they faced.

It's hard to take this article seriously when so much of the truth has been mischaracterized. Start with the very first sentance "It has taken four long days for state and federal officials to figure out how to deal with the disaster in New Orleans". Federal officials weren't even on the scene during the first four days. Let's move on to the next disinenguous comments: For journalists, natural disasters also have a familiar pattern: the heroism of ordinary people pulling together to survive; the hard work and dedication of doctors, nurses, and rescue workers; the steps being taken to clean up and rebuild. Public officials did not expect that the first thing they would have to do is to send thousands of armed troops in armored vehicle, as if they are suppressing an enemy insurgency. And journalists--myself included--did not expect that the story would not be about rain, wind, and flooding, but about rape, murder, and looting. The first part did occur over the first couple of days. Citizens of New Orleans helped each other reach higher ground. Hospitals worked to move entire floors of patients to higher floors where they were safe from the flood waters. Rampant looting and anarchy didn't break out for several days, after it became clear that no one was coming to rescue them or provide food, water, or medical supplies.

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Now as far as the comments of white people owing african americans some sort of reparations. I am going to have to politley disagree. While slavery IS one of the biggest black eyes that this country has, I dont feel that whites owe african americans individually anything but an appology. I dont feel that I should have to give anything to any one african american . Maybe my great great great great grandfather owed someones great great great great grandfather some sort of monetary reparation. I just dont feel that reparations are necessary for the racism to end. Money doesnt erase hate. I do also feel though that if the black caucuses were to fight in the right arenas they could secure more funding for community development projects for inner-city youth. I, IMO, would view that as a reparation that would be acceptable. As far as cutting every african american a check for repayment, I say no! Individually african americans do not deserve reparations but as a community they do. 927592[/snapback] This conversation (if it can be had without it degenerating into a race war) should be split off into a separate thread. However, what your thoughts don't take into account is that many white families benefitted at the expense of black (and let's face it, every other minority) families in the past. Those monies were invested into things like stock, business, and real estate - then passed down from one generation to another via inheritance. Now, I'm not saying that all white families benefitted, but some did and those benefits have remained - it's partially why the majority of wealthy Americans are white while the majority of poor Americans are black. [/hijack] Bush signed the $10.5 Billion of federal aid into effect mere minutes after congress' emergency session to approve the spending. He has made the necessary money and resources available, what more do you want? An emergency session of congress the day after the disaster would have been nice. A more effective response from FEMA/DHS would have been nicer. He went out there to ground zero in New Orleans and gave a very motivating and inspirational speech similar to the one he gave when he visited ground zero on 9/11, it's just the media didn't make a big deal about it, so people like you who are easily influenced think the president has done nothing. Motivating and insipirational to whom? Certainly not to those who were stuck in New Orleans without food, water, or medicine for 5 days. In fact, there are media reports that no helicopters were allowed in the air while Bush was in LA, preventing more supplies being flown in. There are also reports that the "ground zero in New Orleans" was staged and torn down after his photo op. There is more at stake here than just what's going on in New Orleans and it's going to effect a lot of people around the country who have no connection to the gulf states, and i'm not taking about gas prices either. Interest rates were supposed to rise, now Greenspan says they're staying put for a while. This is going to have a horrible effect on the economy. This crisis in New Orleans has turned into a battle of the media. If you watch CNN, they'll praise the NO mayor and LA governor as heroes and say Bush is to blame... if you watch Fox News they'll say how the NO mayor and LA governor have done a horrible job and Bush is doing great things. I've not seen or heard of any politician receiving kudo's for their efforts. By all accounts this situation has been severely mishandled. The FEMA director was interviewed on MSNBC the other night and actually said one or two years ago FEMA did studies and basically predicted something like this was almost guaranteed to happen to New Orleans sometime in the near future, and not only that but FEMA even had dry runs on how to respond and they trained for it. FEMA has done an awful job in handling this, and frankly there's no excuse at all if they've actually been preparing for something like this like the FEMA director claims. As far as i'm concerned, the entire DHS is a complete joke, an absolute joke. If you can see past the liberal media bias, CNN has an interesting he-said/she-said here. Final comment: anyone making racist remarks then pretending to be another race to justify his comments is an asstard who should be banned.

It just seems odd that it took the NG so long to act. There are even rumors that some of Michigan's guard might be going down to help out. And yes, given an evacuation warning a few days in advance should have prompted better results. I think part of it was the fact that every other time NO got these kinds of warnings, they turned out to be false alarms. So people probably expected the same thing. 927483[/snapback] Yes, quite odd indeed. link WASHINGTON - Another 10,000 National Guard troops are being sent to the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast, raising their number to about 40,000, but questions linger about the speed with which troops were deployed. Several states ready and willing to send National Guard troops to the rescue in New Orleans didn't get the go-ahead until days after the storm struck ? a delay nearly certain to be investigated by Congress. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson offered Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco help from his state's National Guard last 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. California troops just began arriving in Louisiana on Friday, three days after flood waters devastated New Orleans and chaos broke out. In fact, when New Orleans' levees gave way to deadly flooding on Tuesday, Louisiana's National Guard had received help from troops in only three other states: Ohio, which had nine people in Louisiana then; Oklahoma, 89; and Texas, 625, figures provided by the National Guard show. Maj. Gen. Thomas Cutler, who leads the Michigan National Guard, said he anticipated a call for police units and started preparing them, but couldn't go until states in the hurricane zone asked them to come. "We could have had people on the road Tuesday," Cutler said. "We have to wait and respond to their need." The Michigan National Guard was asked for military police by Mississippi late Tuesday and by Louisiana officials late Wednesday. The state sent 182 MPs to Mississippi on Friday and had 242 headed to Louisiana on Saturday. Typically, the authority to use the National Guard in a state role lies with the governor, who tells his or her adjutant general to order individual Guard units to begin duty. Turnaround time varies depending on the number of troops involved, their location and their assigned missions. One factor that may have further complicated post-Katrina deployment arose when Louisiana discovered it needed Guardsmen to do more law enforcement duty because a large portion of the New Orleans police force was not functioning, according to Lt. Gen. Steven H. Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau at the Pentagon. Because the agreement that was already in existence for states to contribute Guard troops to Louisiana did not include a provision on their use in law enforcement, Blum said, Gov. Blanco had to get separate written agreements authorizing Guardsmen to do police-type duty. Still, Blum said, this took only minutes to execute....

I was rooting for Cura?ao, the Hawaiians were too fake Japanese for me; and as stupid as it sounds Im of dutch hertiage, and despite its portugese name we still posses it. The whole mullety blond hair thing wasnt going for me either I liked the heart and courage Cura?ao had. 920526[/snapback] Just curious, but WTF does this mean...because at face value, it seem pretty racist.

But what right does she have to make the statements she has made over the past couple of weeks? I can understand a mom, dad, sister, brother, etc..... being mad over the loss of a family member and might say some harsh things. But you don't go on national TV and make yourself look like a fool by making statements like she has made. 916140[/snapback] I respect that you hold differing opinions on the war - however, to ask what right she has to make these statements is downright ignorant. She has the right under the first amendment - a right that the military has fought to preserve (though not in Iraq). She has the right to express her opinions, if they differ from yours - why does it make her wrong and not you? In my opinion, disrespecting the memory of her son would be to mention why he wasn't a good person and deserved to die. She didn't do any of this. Instead, she chose to voice her frustrations over policies that she (and many others) don't understand. While your post demonstrates that you hold certain beliefs over why the war in Iraq was necessary, you need to realize that those who don't believe as you do hold valid opinions as well and should be equally respected.

EDIT: On another note, I don't like to offend individuals or groups of people in a blatantly offensive way (such as insults). I just think that some people or groups of people are offended by unoffensive things. 915810[/snapback] Just to gain some clarification on your position, do you believe that a synonym for Arab being "slimeball", "welfare bum", and "holy terror" is: (a) blatantly offensive, or (b) unoffensive?

Such as these protesters at Walter Reed, they claim to support the troops yet are out there protesting outside a hospital with hundreds of injured and maimed soldiers. That's anti-troop no matter how you try and spin it. 915706[/snapback] Except you fail to realize that they are protesting the war - not the troops. Perhaps a different way of looking at it is that they are protesting FOR the troops, especially those injured and maimed since the Bush Admin. has actually made attempts to cut their benefits. :whistle

Yes people get offended too easily but equating Arab with "slimeball" and "holy terror" crosses the line. There's a difference between being politically correct and just being correct. Sadly, too many have no clue there's a difference.

Isn't EPO just a hormone that improves the ammount of oxygen capacity of blood? And wouldnt Lance have had EPO in his system from his chemotherapy? 914698[/snapback] EPO is a hormone-like substance produced naturally by the body. It spurs the body to produce more red blood cells (whose purpose is to distribute oxygen throughout the body). Chemotherapy kills lots of cells, including red blood cells and EPO is frequently prescribed to help the body boost production to compensate. From what I recall, the urine tests precede Lance's diagnosis so it wouldn't be a result of his chemo treatment. Also, I'm pretty sure that there hasn't been any documented evidence that EPO provides any real or demonstrable advantage. That having been said, cheating is cheating.

Some background information: it actually costs more to execute a prisoner as opposed to life imprisonment due to the various levels of appeals. As for my opinion, the challenge is finding irrefutable proof. There have been too many cases (and one is enough) where an innocent man has been charged and imprisoned. That being said, if there is a criminal deserving of the death penalty, it's the child molesters since they have an extremely high recidivism rate.

What is occurring as Frank Rich points out is the "Swift Boating of Cindy Sheehan".

The Superstar mode rocks but the QB vision aspect sucks ass. The other noticeable difference is that interceptions happen far more frequently.