Response to Hurricane Katrina

[soaplady]

Here is a very interesting bit of info about this topic that should be read by all.

 

http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/september2005/060905governmentsabotage.htm

[Pangloss]

(sigh) The above link is the start of the "Hurricane Katrina Conspiracy", which will no doubt kick into full swing over the next few weeks. One of the nuttier ones that I've read (which is included in the link from "soaplady" above) is that New Orleans city management or the federal government deliberately blew the levees up in order to save the French Quarter for tourism, or to kill poor/black people (depending on whom you happen to be blaming).

 

Oddly enough, nobody seems to be claiming that the dead people are really alive. I guess that one only worked for 9/11.

[alibabba]

I too am anxious to see what comes to light about the handling of this catastrophe. I suspect that it will be found that the system had some snags in it that need to be ironed out. It has recently been altered after the event of 9/11.

 

However, it is clear that the local and the State governments of N.O. and of Louisiana fell flat on their faces on this one.

 

They had primary responsibility for looking after the safety of the citizens who were going to be involved in this storm and, since they had several days warning, there is no reason that N.O. could not have been completely evacuated.

[soaplady]

It is easy to label alternative news sources "conpiracy" related sites. I think this article has quotes and factual information from mainstream news sources such as MSNBC and CNN that should be examined and discussed in the debate on what indeed is happening in N.O.

I will read/research any and all information on a topic of interest and filter out the uncredible sourced material to derive my own opinions and conclusions.

[john5746]

Has anyone thought what would have happened if everyone in the city had tried to evacuate by automobile? As the poster above states, the roads were choked already. Suppose there had been ten times the cars trying to get out? They may have been trapped on the road when the storm hit. Then we would be reading about thousands of people drowning in their cars.

 

Didn't most of the people get out by car? I don't think it would have been much more traffic adding buses. But, these things can be simulated and planned. It may not be possible to evacuate everyone, especially if they don't want to, but I think they could make a good effort.

 

If it is determined that people can't be evacuated, have plans to provide food and water for at least a week to the designated shelters. As much non-perishable stuff as possible.

 

Blame mother nature and get on with it.

 

That is probably the biggest frustration - no real villian to kill and get closure. Some blame Bush, the Governor, the mayor, FEMA or even God. In the end, it is just a random storm.

[Pangloss]

It is easy to label alternative news sources "conpiracy" related sites. I think this article has quotes and factual information from mainstream news sources such as MSNBC and CNN that should be examined and discussed in the debate on what indeed is happening in N.O.

I will read/research any and all information on a topic of interest and filter out the uncredible sourced material to derive my own opinions and conclusions.

 

It's also generally pretty easy to label "alternative news sources" accurately. They typically contain quite a bit of information which quickly informs the reader about exactly what their agenda is' date=' if they have one. That was certainly the case here. The reason why I labelled it as a "conspiracy" site was because the site calls for a specific [i']interpretation[/i] of the information they were posting from mainstream sources, along ideological, biased lines.

 

In other words, "considering the source" is always a good idea, and it's even more of a good idea with "alternative news sources".

 

But I applaud your intention to derive your own opinions and conclusions. Unlike the site you listed, this site (and this poster) would never have you do otherwise.

[Thomas Kirby]

Pangloss, I'm pretty sure that this time the evidence for both conspiracy and competency is going to overwhelm even your rhetoric, your spin, and your ability to label people as liberals.

 

A lot of the country already knew better than all this, considering that about ten percent of the population has experienced hurricanes repeatedly. A lot of people know that shouting orders at people does not give them cash for gasoline to get out of the county or a reliable car. What no one knew was that the government would twiddle its collective thumbs for so long. We didn't know that the government, even a Bush government, would even think to turn back humanitarian aid and supplies, literally barricading roads to prevent needed aid from coming in.

 

Your pants are around your ankles this time, Pangloss. All you can do is pull them up and fasten your belt with as much dignity as you can muster. That's not much, but it's all you've got.

[Pangloss]

Hehe! It's always so easy to tell when you've angered an ideologue. That post just made my whole day.

[Thomas Kirby]

There's the pot calling the kettle black.

[Pangloss]

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts."

 

-Bertrand Russell, philosopher, mathematician, author, Nobel laureate (1872-1970)

[coquina]

Just read this...

 

Embattled Brown Relieved of Katrina Duty

Sep 09 5:19 PM US/Eastern

 

 

By LARA JAKES JORDAN

Associated Press Writer

 

 

WASHINGTON

 

 

Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown, the principal target of harsh criticism of the Bush administration's response to Hurricane Katrina, was relieved of his onsite command Friday.

 

He will be replaced by Coast Guard Vice Adm. Thad W. Allen, who was overseeing New Orleans relief, recovery and rescue efforts, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff announced.

 

[Pangloss]

Yeah I caught that on CNN earlier. Sounds like a solid move. It's pretty clear that there were quite a few deficiencies in the federal response to Katrina, and also the role we want FEMA to play is changing. We should still want FEMA involved, because the displaced population is still transient (it can't go home), but FEMA wasn't designed for that mission (even before it was rolled into DHS). A military general is probably a very good choice (most modern generals spend most of their time overseeing C&C and logistical issues).

 

I think the picture of a failure at Federal, State and Local levels is becoming more clear with each passing day. I think it's unfortunate that it's become politicized, and the conspiracy theories are already getting ridiculous, but there does seem to be plenty of blame to pass around. I may have said this already, but I'd like to see a 9/11 Commission style investigation. Their report was fantastic and very objective. We need that same kind of analysis here. We CERTAINLY don't want Bush to lead it himself.

 

But I do hope they are careful to focus attention at the state and local levels, not just pointing the finger at the administration. I know a lot of our international visitors here aren't clear on why that's important, but this is a big country and it's not like Britain where your PM practically gets personally involved in every homicide investigation. Emergency management is done at the local level. FEMA is icing on the cake. That's how it's *always* been.

 

But that doesn't mean they get off the hook, either. They had a responsibility that they were charged with, and it's becoming more and more clear that they did not uphold that responsibility. Ultimately there is only one desk where that buck stops.