Eagle photographer Travis Heying was in New Orleans covering the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He says that the thing that stands out most in his mind is people crying for help and no one coming. He also remembers walking down Convention Center Boulevard the Saturday after the hurricane hit and seeing a man driving a U-Haul filled with water bottles. The guy was an ordinary citizen who got tired of watching the misery on TV. He was one of the only people Heying saw handing out water that day.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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44 Comments
Here’s a little known fact. While our President was doing photo-ops and helping no one but himself Gore was out quietly helping the evacuees.
“In his Sierra Club speech, the former senator from Tennessee didn’t mention an act of mercy that he was personally involved in – his help airlifting some 270 Katrina evacuees on two private charters from New Orleans to Tennessee on Sept. 3 and 4. He did that at the urging of a doctor who saved the life of his son years earlier.”
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/breaking_news/12604461.htm
This is a story that needs to be picked up by the media. How can anyone make excuses for what the Gretna Police did?
http://www.evworld.com/view.cfm?section=communique&newsid=9461&url=
According to S. Burkholder on today’s editorial page, we shouldn’t be looking to FEMA or to others for help anyways. We should be strong, silent, stoic types who can live off the land and support ourselves and our neighbors in any emergency. I think this person has been drinking too much bottled Evian (Evian is Naive spelled backwards by the way).
In a highly industrialized, specialized society, we give up our roles as jacks-of-all trades. We provide specific goods and services knowing (perhaps hoping is more apt) that others will be there to provide for our other needs. The days of the independent yeoman have been gone for 200 years.
Apparently, the picture of the independent American still lingers in the minds of some. For example, those who believe in dismantling government services for its people. Why not ask the farmers and ranchers of the Dust Bowl years about what the government was able to do for them? Why not ask the millions of retirees whose sole or major source of income now comes from social security? Why not ask those who fought to unionize to protect themselves from corporate predation? We’re all in this together and the quality of our society is rightly judged by the quality of our responses to those in need.
Brian,Well said.
From Eric Boehler at Salon.com: “It’s hard to decide which is more troubling: that it took the nationalpress corps five years to summon up enough courage to report, withoutapology, that what the Bush administration says and does are often twodifferent things, or that it took the sight of bodies floating facedowninthe streets of New Orleans to trigger a change in the press’s behavior.”
I guess nobody is blaming The Red Cross, Salvation Army, and the countless number of orginization and average citizens helping out the suriviors of Katrina.
But government is to blame? There is a big difference in why government was slow to respond and why the orginization were not. Goverment bureaucracy, also known as red tape, but the liberal employees who make up the bureaucracy is the problem. There were a lot of “it’s not my job!” mentallity from the liberal government workers.
Bush had to go so far as suspend the Federal Law governing workers, so that you can get relief workers and contractors in the area to clean up and get thing back in order.
Bush also put the military in charge, as to get things done, and by pass the liberals.
Well done!
Joe, do you have something factual to back that up? Blame it on the “liberal employees”? The conservatives are in charge. Where’s the leadership?
Okay, who’s responsibility was it to prepare?
Straight from the Department 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. The new Department will also prioritize the important issue of citizen preparedness. Educating America’s families on how best to prepare their homes for a disaster and tips for citizens on how to respond in a crisis will be given special attention at DHS.
I forgot the link with my post. I couldn’t immediately post it because there is so much negative bashing on the blog there was need to create a wait time between posts.
Here’s the link
http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/theme_home2.jsp
The KC Star has an excellent front page story on the Disaster, and who failed whom:http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/special_packages/hurricane_katrina/12613786.htmThis was a disaster that crossed party lines. The Democratic leadership in both New Orleans and Louisiana failed to a certain degree. The Republican leadership failed on a federal level. There was little, if any, leadership on all counts.The failure on the federal level is the most scary, though. It shows just how vunerable we are to serious acts of terrorism (picture a dirty bomb in a major city), or a major natural disaster.Those responsibly for the lack of leadership need to be held accountable, sure. But If this isn’t a wake up call for more disaster planning, and less snooping into library users, then we haven’t learned a thing.This is going to take a real bipartisen effort to make come to fruition. If they can’t do it, we need to get real serious about getting people in there that can.
Joe,
You been sippin’ on the Evian too, I see.
Also! I notice a story in athis blog that didn’t get any attention at all. This blog is full of liberal posters, yet not one of them has commented on this story, but there are bunches of posting on FEMA director and Bush. Just goes to show the priority of the liberals in this country. Just out of whack.
The story: ‘They simply ran out of time’
Not one liberal has said anything about this. Wonder why?Lets just say their priorities are screwed up! And they really don’t care about the American People. Just their agenda to control power.
You lefties suck!
Joe,
In theory this is how it works. When you get to play leader of the world, you get lots of perks when things go well, but the downside is you have to take responsibility when the bad stuff happens. JFK approved the Bay of Pigs fiasco even though it was basically an Eisenhower administration plan. It failed miserably and he stood up and took the blame. I’m sure you hate JFK (for obvious reasons) but give the man credit for having the cojones to stand up and take his punishment. “Bush” is kind of appropos for the kind of balls our president exhibits.
I don’t hate JFK, although he was one of our worst Presidents in Modern Presidential History.
I’m not saying that, because he was a Democrat. He was a Democrat, but no liberal. He was just not a good President. Reagan was one of the worst also. And Bush jr. not really any good too.
History will tell. Although every President has done some good, there powers are pretty limited, and I have no idea why people look at the Office of the President as a God or some kind of King. All they are doing is running a government. They are not saviours or angels making sure every wish you have comes true.
Joe, lefties don’t suck, you suck! You sound and post like a demented moron. You don’t know what you’re talking about, you just drivel. Notice how almost nobody responds to your stupid posts anymore? It’s because everybody has identified you for the un-educated moron you are. If we want to hear your crap, we can go direct to Fox and get it straight and not filtered through the mind of a mental midget. Now go back to your room and play with your crayons.
A village in Texas may be missing it’s idiot.
Wichita doesn’t have that problem….we have Joe.
Gee, Vlad, that was quite the informative piece. Thanks for your “contribution”.
Regarding JFK. The Bay of Pigs fiasco came down to a Ike or JFK plan to assist Cubans to overthrow Castro. It only became a fiasco when JFK failed to provide air support.
Unlike Our current leadership, JFK taked responsobity for the bay of pigs failure. BTW it wasn’t IKE’s plan but his VP Nixon who planned the operation.
JFK did take responsibility but failed to mention the failure was his fault. (Reneging on the air support) He chose to let the pigs die on the beach. A few excaped. One of them may have helped Ozwald. (just one of three likely culprits)
Well, well, well, what have we here?
MR. RUSSERT: How would you grade the president’s performance thus far, A through F?
MAYOR NAGIN: How would I rate it?
MR. RUSSERT: Yes.
MAYOR NAGIN: Oh, I don’t want to get into that, Tim. I mean, I will tell you this: I think the president, for some reason, probably did not understand the full magnitude of this catastrophe on the front end. I think he was probably getting advice from some of his key advisers or some low-level folk that had been on the ground that this was serious, but not as serious as it ended up being. My interactions with the president is, anytime I talked with him and gave him what the real deal was and gave him the truth, he acted and he made things happen.
MR. RUSSERT: How about the governor?
MAYOR NAGIN: Well, you know, I don’t know about that one. We fought and held that city together with only 200 state National Guard. That was it. We did not get a lot of other support for three or four days of pure hell on Earth. There were resources that were sitting in other parishes. I just don’t know. I mean, and then when a group did come down to review what was happening in New Orleans, it was a big media event. It was followed with cameras and with AP reporters, a little helicopter flyover, and then they had a press conference and it was gone. So I don’t have much else to say about that.
MR. RUSSERT: It sounds like you don’t think the governor has done a very good job.
MAYOR NAGIN: I think there was an incredible breakdown of coordination, of resources, and decisions were made to move resources and to not move resources that just don’t make sense to me. And then there was this incredible dance between the governor and the president about who had final authority, whether this was going to be federalized, who was going to be in charge at the end of the day, and I just don’t appreciate that kind of stuff when people were dying in my city.http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9240461/
http://www.evworld.com/view.cfm?section=communique&newsid=9461&url=
This was such a amazing tale I thought I would check to see if there really is a Lyn Lofland at U C Davis. This appear to be a real person. As to the tale being truthful I can not say. If it is truthful, yes the media should pick it up.
That was a good idea, R.D. I’ve seen this same story under other authors’ names and under different copyrights.
I suspect it was a group travelling together. The letter may have been a group effort.
I would be very surprised if it was faked. I’ve heard and read a lot of similar things from different sources.
I concur with other posters who suggest that Joe Williams be ignored. I suggest the same treatment for Bisoni.
I would like to clarify (read tell the truth about) one of mr william’s posts, “bush had to suspend federal law to get relief workers in there”.
The truth is that bush waived the Davis-Bacon act. This act stipulates that workers hired by contractors in a region must be paid the average wage in that region. So what bush did is to allow the contractors hired to re-build New Orleans (Halliburton among them) to pay workers without regard to area wage standards……..local state or federal. Thus these contractors can pay their workers as little as they like, while they rake in huge government aid! How very bush of him!
Where’s JR been, I thought it would have posted soemthing on this.
I hate BushOh yes I doAnd if you like himthen I hate you, too.
Got my hate pills.Gonna take two,so I’ll be readyto spit on you.
Hate and bileThey’re my refrain,It’s VietnamAll over again.
Fools and enablersAre friends of mine.Lefties, all,without a spine.
Gotta go nowAn’ get back to bitchin’It’s what I do bestWhen I ain’t out mitchin’.
Gotta hate, gotta hate!Yes I doGotta hate nowAnd I gotta tell you.
“Cause I hate Bush,I really do.And if you like him.then I hate you, too.
JR, I caught that one too, but didn’t comment on it. The guy (williams) just isn’t on a level where you can persue a subject like that. You ask him for documentation, and he just sails on in his own little world. He’s just a sound board for the usual republipule talking points. He’s one of the many conservatives that hears and believes the first lie, and never hears the retraction. Still believes we found WMD, Osama and Saddam was pals, etc.
We know what’s going on with the suspension of Davis-Bacon. Keep them poor folks poor. There’ll be a lot of money made on the clean up and recovery in New Orleans…just won’t be average folks getting much of it. It’s the Bush way. (The republican way)
JR Redux, you’re a tired POS. Just another of the Republican morons. You suk, your mother suks.
I’m Vladimir Leftoffand bitchin’s my game.Don’t like itwhen they calls our game.
I ain’t no genius,just madman raves.Gots a potty mouthand no brain waves.
Fools and enablersAre friends of mine.Lefties, all,without a spine.
Gotta go nowAn’ get back to bitchin’It’s what I do bestWhen I ain’t out mitchin’.
Gotta hate, gotta hate!Yes I doGotta hate nowAnd I gotta tell you.
“Cause I hate Bush,I really do.And if you like him.then I hate you, too.
Oh boy, I got my own pet troll! I’m going to name it “Puddy” (short for pussy)!
Here Puddy, Here Puddy!
Jimmy,
So, Nagin goes on the attack against Blanco? Surprise, surprise. Guess who was a Republican until 2 years ago, when he switched parties to run for mayor of New Orleans? Roy Nagin.
Wonder what President Rove promised him. Wonder what President Rove threatened him with. That makes Roy Nagin Rove’s bitch.
Predictions:
Nagin’s about face on the Federal lack of response isn’t going to play well with black voters in NO. Watch for his head to roll in the next New Orleans mayoral election.
The voters will return Blanco to the governor’s mansion. It’ll be a nice ‘f*** you’ to the Rove [lack of] Administration.
Vlad,
First me, then JR, now you. Our pet troll is wetting himself to keep up with all us bad, bad liberals!
Yeah, but you got to give me credit. For a newbie, he came to me right quick. Are you guys ok with the new name I gave him? Puddy? or would you prefer “Pookie”? Should we figure out a schedule to share him? As much time as he spends with his mouth open, I have “special” treat for him, LOL.
Vlad,
Indeed. You got Girly-troll’s number right quick. Kudos.
Personally, my reverence for the namesake ‘Puddy’ leads to think that associating something so glorious with our abject troll seems, well, disrespectful.
I’m thinking that ‘Puny’ conveys the various dimensions of our little troll parasite. Thoughts?
Since I’m the late comer, I’ll go with the suggestion, CF. Puny it is!
Puny! where are you?!?! Get your silly self out here and give me some more of your mangled prose! Hop to it, troll! I’m not in the habit of having to wait for pets!
Ain’t too hardto be a lefty dudeJust blame Bushand be real rude.
Got no ideas.Got nothin’ to say.But we like to prove itEvery day.
Got us a trollwho knows our game.Ruinin’ it for us.Ain’t that a shame.
We hate Bushas you can seeIt’s all we gotFer philosophy.
Whatever happens,no matter what,we’ll blame it allon Bush’s butt.
Whatever happensto races and classes,we see it allthrough Bush-hatin’ glasses.
Got no ideas.Got no solution,just a bunch o’ bitchin’from the loony institution.
We hate Bush.It’s all we do,and if you like himthen we hate you, too.
Vlad, I’ve had second thoughts.
Based on his defining characteristics (no balls and likes the sound of his own voice), I suggest we name our troll–
‘Castrati.’
Is that Latin for “Nutless Wonder”? Too complicated…he’s not smart enough to answer to that. How about Capon? Same thing, but more chicken.
Troll! Get over here! Your masters are not pleased! I want another rhyme, and this time, make it good! I don’t have time to mess with your half baked attempts! Get to work, troll! Entertain me!
We can’t say nuthin’but real rude stuff,’cuz all he doesis repeat our guff.
It jist ain’t fair!No, it jist ain’t fair.He’s got our numberan’ we hates the glare.
We’s gonna tryto name that dude;Somethin’ cruelan’ somethin’ rude.
It’s the main issueof the day.Gotta find a name,come what may.
‘Cause we hates Bushwe really do;and if you like himthen we hates you, too.
On the first day of Katrina, my FEMA said to me“Of dead bodies, don’t let us see.”
On the second day of Katrina, my FEMA sent to meNo first respondersAnd of dead bodies, don’t let us see.
On the third day of Katrina, my FEMA stopped from meWal-Mart supply trucksNo first respondersAnd of dead bodies, don’t let us see.
On the fourth day of Katrina, my FEMA stopped from meall Red Cross aidWalmart supply trucksNo first respondersAnd of dead bodies, don’t let us see.
On the fifth day of Katrina, my FEMA stopped from meFIVE HUN-DRED BOATSAll Red Cross aidWalmart supply trucksNo first respondersAnd of dead bodies, don’t let us see.
On the sixth day of Katrina, my FEMA stopped from meA big NAVY shipFIVE HUN-DRED BOATSAll Red Cross aidWalmart supply trucksNo first respondersAnd of dead bodies, don’t let us see.
On the seventh day of Katrina, my FEMA sent to meA dimwit named “Brownie.”A big NAVY shipFIVE HUN-DRED BOATSAll Red Cross aidWalmart supply trucksNo first respondersAnd of dead bodies, don’t let us see.
On the eighth day of Katrina, my FEMA stopped from meElectric generatorsA dimwit named “Brownie.”A big NAVY shipFIVE HUN-DRED BOATSAll Red Cross aidWalmart supply trucksNo first respondersAnd of dead bodies, don’t let us see.
On the ninth day of Katrina, my FEMA stopped from metrains for the needyElectric generatorsA dimwit named “Brownie.”A big NAVY shipFIVE HUN-DRED BOATSAll Red Cross aidWalmart supply trucksNo first respondersAnd of dead bodies, don’t let us see.
On the tenth day of Katrina, my FEMA stopped from meTroops from the guardsTrains for the needyElectric generatorsA dimwit named “Brownie.”A big NAVY shipFIVE HUN-DRED BOATSAll Red Cross aidWalmart supply trucksNo first respondersAnd of dead bodies, don’t let us see.
On the eleventh day of Katrina, my FEMA said to me“It’s all the locals’ fault.”Troops from the guardsTrains for the needyElectric generatorsA dimwit named “Brownie.”A big NAVY shipFIVE HUN-DRED BOATSAll Red Cross aidWalmart supply trucksNo first respondersAnd of dead bodies, don’t let us see.
On the twelfth day of Katrina, my FEMA said to me“Brownie’s off the job.”“It’s all the locals’ fault.”Troops from the guardsTrains for the needyElectric generatorsA dimwit named “Brownie.”A big NAVY ship
*****Puny’s not the only one with annoying poems . . .
Cat4 is Scribe, Gail, ID, Question and Ahmad. He’s also the name stealing troll, and the frickin’ idiot who keeps posting and re-posting his puerile poem.
From now on, all his many personas will be called “Puny” (thanks CF!) to refer to his small IQ and his inability to have normal sex.
Say hello to your mom when she comes down to the basement with the cheetos, will ya, Puny?
Now Puny, Look at Mr Galahad’s nice poem. See how it’s done? Why can’t you do something like that? Stupid troll! Bad troll! I ought to swat you with a newspaper! You better straighten up, Puny, or I’ll give you to JR, and I bet you won’t like that.
Now get out here, troll, and get me a poem!
Damn trolls, you just can’t get good ones anymore!
Signed:Vlad
Man you buggerssure got dissed.Now yer lookin’really pissed.
Annoyin’ youhas sure been fine.Too bad yer jist notworth my time.
‘Nuther blog’sgot real good stuff.They’s gentlemen,an’ don’t talk rough.
My rhymes ain’t good.It’s lousy verse;But even so, manYers is worse.
Youse can all stewin yer juices,readin’ verseon Christmas gooses.
If ya jist had somethin’new ta say,I’d stick aroundanother day.
But “I hate Bush.”is all ya say.Over and overevery day.
I’m convincedya love to hate,more than Ican contemplate.
Yer master hatersit’s clear to see,an’ master debaters,figuratively.
So write yer trashI might respondWhile you flail an’ thrashIn yer smug little pond.
Let’s hear it now!!
We hate BushWe really do’And if you like himthen we hate you, too.
Dear Puny, the castrated boy singer,
Since Bush’s poll numbers are in free-fall, that means YOU count as the ’smug little pond dweller’ posting here.
Why do you hate the American electorate, Puny? Is it because now that you’ve been castrated, your testicles will never descend, and you’ll never become a man?
From the WaPo,
“President Bush’s public standing has hit record lows amid broad support for an independent investigation of the federal response to Hurricane Katrina and calls for postponing congressional action on $70 billion in proposed tax cuts to help pay for storm recovery, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.
President Bush’s overall job approval rating now stands at 42 percent, the lowest of his presidency and down three points since Hurricane Katrina savaged the Gulf Coast two weeks ago. Fifty-seven percent disapprove of Bush’s performance, a double-digit increase since January.
Bush’s handling of Iraq and terrorism also have never been lower, according to the poll. Thirty-eight percent approve of the way Bush is handling the situation in Iraq and half the county now approve of the way Bush is handling the campaign against terrorism.
A clear majority–54 percent — now disapprove of the way Bush is handling the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Even some members of Bush’s own party appear to have lost faith in their leader: The president’s overall approval rating among Republicans has declined from 91 percent in January to 78 percent in the latest poll. Overall, barely half the country now characterize Bush as a “strong leader” — down 12 points since May of last year. And the percent who say he can be “trusted in a crisis” likewise has fallen from 60 percent to 49 percent now.”
Let’s hear some whining!
Excuse me, Puny troll. It sounds like you think you’re going to quit. I don’t think so! I haven’t given you permission. What’s the matter, troll? are you running out of rymes? Are you out of cutsey rhings to say? Perform, troll! Let’s hear another verse. I don’t think you have another one in you, at least nothing worthy of hearing. Prove me wrong, leach!A poem!Now!