bLuE oRdEr wrote:
twist wrote:
Look, it's not a political thing, it's FEMA's deal. They're the ones who messed it up, not Bush, not Kennedy, not anyone else.
But it is a political thing. Bush says it's not political because he's the fuckup who's responsible. As long as he can get people to believe that he's not the fuckup who's responsible, by saying "let's not play politics," then the buck ends up somewhere else: FEMA, mother nature, uppity black folks, anywhere but on his desk.
Heres' why it's political:
(1) Global warming. Bush has spent his entire presidency pretending it doesn't exist. He's fought tooth and nail to prevent the U.S. from taking any steps to slow down and reverse global warming. If it doesn't exist, you don't have to take any steps to stop it.
Here's what we know about global warming that's relevant to New Orleans: The Southeast coast of the U.S. is the most vulnerable part of the U.S. to global warming impacts. We can expect bigger storms, more often. Anybody who's read the scientific reports knows this. Bush asks how he could have known beforehand? He's a lying sack of shite.
Hurricanes have been happening since weather began-- about 6000 years now, according to the Bush crowd. It would be totally unfair to blame Bush for a hurricane. We've been headed for a global warming disaster since before Bush was born, so it would be totally unfair to blame Bush for causing global warming as well. BUT, Bush has worked vigorously to prevent the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases from curbing its emissions. Clearly, he places the welfare of his oil and coal conies above the welfare of every living being on this planet. He's fiddled while the planet burns, so it is fair to blame him for the the devastation resulting from global warming.
(2) Flood control. Bush has cut flood control funding for New Orleans every single year since the Iraq vendetta. He asks how he could have known beforehand? FEMA-- the agency Bush wants to blame-- reported to him at the beginning of his presidency that the top 3 emergencies the U.S. faces are (1) a terrorist attack in New York City; (2) a hurricane in New orleans, and (3) an earthquake in San Francisco.
We've all seen how he sat around with his thumb up his ass while bin Laden sent terrorists to pilot school in Florida, and we've all seen how he sat around with his thumb up his ass while those same terrorists flew planes into the twin towers and the Pentagon.
Now we come to New Orleans, and he's cut flood control funding every year. $250 million in repairs were needed, but he sent that money to fund his family vendetta in Iraq instead. Meanwhile, he let his developer buddies build on the delta wetlands and barrier islands-- nature's flood control system. And Bush asks how he could have known?
San Francisco's next. Funny how the top 3 national emergency problems in the U.S.-- emergencies Bush has ignored-- are blue cities. And he says "Let's not play politics"?
(3) The disaster relief. Whether he likes it or not, Bush is the President, and thus responsible. If FEMA fucked up, it's still up to Bush to get the ball rolling. But he couldn't be bothered. No, he was busy vacationing at his ranch. Sure, he could interrupt his vacation to rush back to DC to intervene in the Terry Schiavo debacle, but interrupt his vacation to get the ball rolling on disaster relief for a few hundred thousand poor black people? The whole world saw what he did with that one. He kept right on vacationing.
When he finally did get off his candy ass and tour the area, he was dazed by what he saw. Why? He's the President-- why doesn't the President know what's going on in the worst disaster area the nation has ever witnessed? The rest of the world knew what was going on-- what's his excuse?
But what responsibility did the Governor of LA and the Mayor of NO have? Seems to me that if your city is ripe for a natural disaster of this magnitude, and people have been saying this for years, some sort of plan should have been ready.
The plan is: (1) Make the flood control repairs; Bush spent the money on his family vendetta instead, and sent the rest as tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans; (2) FEMA coordinates emergency relief; FEMA is under Homeland Security, which reports to the President, so ultimately, Bush is the fuckup in charge.
The Governor can declare a state of emergency, which allows the federal government to begin relief efforts. The Governor did her job. The Governor can send in the National Guard-- except they're on duty in Bush's family vendetta.
The mayor can declare martial law. He did that. The mayor can deply the police. He did that. The mayor can ask for federal assistance. He did that.
While the mayor and Governor were doing their jobs, Bush was on vacation at his ranch.
Sitting on the roof top bitching about the Federal government not bailing your entitled ass out is not a plan. If my house is on fire my children know how to get the fuck out.
Some people are so poor that they don't have a car. Some people are so poor that they don't have money to put gas in a car. Some people don't know anybody who has the money to put gas in a car. Some people are so poor they can't buy a bus ticket or a train ticket to get out of town. Some people are old and sick and in wheelchairs.
Maybe we should blame them.
Now not everyone is able to leave a large city on 3 days notice. BUT the city and State should have had some system of evacuation of the poor, elderly and infirm.
And where does FEMA-- the Federal Emergency Management Agency-- fit into all of this disaster planning?
Barney Army wrote:
It's a natural disater. Shit really does happen.
Shit happens, but Bush has known for years, and DID NOTHING. That's not a natural disaster-- it's a policy choice.
So, what was your boy billclinton doing for New Orleans for the eight years he was busy skull shagging Monica and having Ron Brown capped in the dome?
Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? Administrations - federal, state and local - have ignored the problem of New Orleans being vulnerable to a catastrophic hurricane for the last 40 years.
And, there is PLENTY of blame to go around regarding response or the lack thereof between Bush, Blanco, the mayor and the police chief.
