The Triumph of Conservativism
As the rabid conservatives try to shore up the image of the leader of their personality cult by trying to shift blame from the federal government to state and local in response to Katrina, take a peek at this quote, directly 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. 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."
Good job, folks.
Of course, the conservative mindset seems to generally infect particularly awful human beings, who are at current faulting those most adversely affected by Katrina themselves for still being there, or as has also been the case, for being there in the first place. Well, Dennis Hastert, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, et, al: The most recent census determined that at least 21% of the households in New Orleans did not have access to an automobile. That's why many are still there.
Those people are poor. The poor folks are black. Black folks vote for Democratic pols and Bush does not have an election coming up.
Bush was able to swoop down into Florida immediately and flood the state with $17 billion when Ivan came and knocked around all the rich white folks and keystone Cubans who make up a large chunk of the Republican stranglehold on Florida's statewide races.
Bush said: "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees," when of course that was exactly what had been anticipated by officials from Lousiana, Mississpi, Alabama, and the US Army Corps of Engineers. So, Bush lied. Nothing new there.
The purpose for that lie? To try and save his ass after he cut funding to agencies that were in place to strengthen New Orleans's levee systems. Funding cuts that rendered efforts damn near impossible. A June 2004 Times-Picayune article reflects upon the impact:
" 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, a complex network of concrete walls, metal gates and giant earthen berms that won't be finished for at least another decade.
"I guess people look around and think there's a complete system in place, that we're just out here trying to put icing on the cake," said Mervin Morehiser, who manages the "Lake Pontchartrain and vicinity" levee project for the Army Corps of Engineers. "And we aren't saying that the sky is falling, but 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." "
And, not only does Bush cut funding for critical services needed, he hires a completely untrained, and by now, obviously incompetent buddy to run FEMA. From the Chicago Tribune:
"For the decade prior to joining the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Director Michael Brown was commissioner of the International Arabian Horse Association, a Colorado-based group that organizes breeders and horse shows."
And from the Boston Herald:
"We do disciplinary actions, certification of judges. We hold classes to train people to become judges and stewards. And we keep records. This was his full-time job for 11 years." - Spokeswoman for the International Arabian Horse Association, Boston Herald Interview, September 3, 2005
But why leave such a nice job Mr. Brown?
"Brown was forced out of the position after a spate of lawsuits over alleged supervision failures."
Wow. So, not only does Bush sit on his ass for a few days, not only does Cheney stay on vacation, not only does Condi Rice shop for shoes that cost as much as I spend on food per year and watch "Spamalot" while people are dying in multitudes and a city is flooded into oblivion, but just recently Bush cut funding that could have lessened the impact of Katrina substantially, fired those who publicly disagreed with him, and then to top it all off, he puts a grossly incomptent cronie of his in charge of FEMA, the agency that should be first on the scene in the event of such a catastrophe.
And, well, Mike Brown's FEMA, the aid agency that refused aid while hundreds and maybe thousands of people were dying...well we all know about them, don't we?
In case you don't:
FEMA won't accept Amtrak's help in evacuations
FEMA turns away experienced firefighters
FEMA turns back Wal-Mart supply trucks
FEMA prevents Coast Guard from delivering diesel fuel
FEMA won't let Red Cross deliver food
FEMA bars morticians from entering New Orleans
FEMA blocks 500-boat citizen flotilla from delivering aid
FEMA fails to utilize Navy ship with 600-bed hospital on board
FEMA to Chicago: Send just one truck
FEMA turns away generators
FEMA: "First Responders Urged Not To Respond"
George W. Bush is responsible for each and every bungle made by his buddy's FEMA.
It can't get any worse right?
As is the case with this administration, the answer is no, wrong.
When Bush finally managed to get to Louisiana after his long and restful vacation, what did he do? Did he get out there with a bullhorn and at least give the impression that he was a leader, that he knew what the fuck was going on? Nope. He stood in an area crowded with National Guard troops at attention with a helicopter in the background. Never mind that those troops and that helicopter could have been out there [b]helping people[/b], Bush needed them as nice backdrops, had to get that photo op.
And, if that doesn't take the cake, from a press release issued by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA):
"But perhaps the greatest disappointment stands at the breached 17th Street levee. Touring this critical site yesterday with the President, I saw what I believed to be a real and significant effort to get a handle on a major cause of this catastrophe. Flying over this critical spot again this morning, less than 24 hours later, it became apparent that yesterday we witnessed a hastily prepared stage set for a Presidential photo opportunity; and the desperately needed resources we saw were this morning reduced to a single, lonely piece of equipment."
This seems to be the way Bush's entire tour went:
"Clearing work only for Bush?
In the parts of the disaster area where the US president visited, auxiliary troops [National Guard] cleared up properly beforehand - but only there. ZDF correspondent Claudia Rueggeberg quoted desperate inhabitants asking, "Why is Bush bringing loud bodyguards and his assistants here in his cars, instead of provisions?"
Along the President's route, troops had cleared debris before Bush arrived and would have hidden corpses. Then Bush left, "and with it", said Rueggeberg, "so did the troops". In Biloxi, the situation remains unchanged - everything is still lacking."
ZDF--In German
And another German news organization confirms it:
"On the last state of things here's Christine Adelhardt live from Biloxi
2 minutes ago the President drove past in his convoi. But what has happened in Biloxi all day long is truly unbelievable. Suddenly recovery units appeared, suddenly bulldozers were there, those hadn't been seen here all the days before, and this in an area, in which it really wouldn't be necessary to do a big clean up, because far and wide nobody lives here anymore, the people are more inland in the city. The President travels with a press baggage [big crew]. This press baggage got very beautiful pictures which are supposed to say, that the President was here and help is on the way, too. The extent of the natural disaster shocked me, but the extent of the staging is shocking me at least the same way. With that back to Hamburg."
Taggeschau video link--Also in German
So, while people are dying from starvation, dehydration, bullets, sharks, and plain ole drowning, Bush is setting up fake scenes of progress.
This in addition to the FEMA budget cuts by BushCo and the Republican-controlled congress (with a few complicit Dems.)
For years the conservatives have been telling us that limited, smaller government was the answer. That a large, visible government and the spending that came along with it was the problem.
Ronald Reagan once quipped: "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'"
The ongoing disaster in Louisiana and beyond have proven the conservative assumption and Reagan's joke categorically false.
So, should the piss-poor preparation and response to hurricane Katrina qualify as a triumph of conservativism?
All of you conservative Bush-bots, I defy you to defend your bankrupt and failed ideology. But, not only to me. Each and every conservative needs to scream about the dangers of government spending to those still in New Orleans and the families of those who have died.
"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."
Good job, folks.
Of course, the conservative mindset seems to generally infect particularly awful human beings, who are at current faulting those most adversely affected by Katrina themselves for still being there, or as has also been the case, for being there in the first place. Well, Dennis Hastert, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, et, al: The most recent census determined that at least 21% of the households in New Orleans did not have access to an automobile. That's why many are still there.
Those people are poor. The poor folks are black. Black folks vote for Democratic pols and Bush does not have an election coming up.
Bush was able to swoop down into Florida immediately and flood the state with $17 billion when Ivan came and knocked around all the rich white folks and keystone Cubans who make up a large chunk of the Republican stranglehold on Florida's statewide races.
Bush said: "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees," when of course that was exactly what had been anticipated by officials from Lousiana, Mississpi, Alabama, and the US Army Corps of Engineers. So, Bush lied. Nothing new there.
The purpose for that lie? To try and save his ass after he cut funding to agencies that were in place to strengthen New Orleans's levee systems. Funding cuts that rendered efforts damn near impossible. A June 2004 Times-Picayune article reflects upon the impact:
" 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, a complex network of concrete walls, metal gates and giant earthen berms that won't be finished for at least another decade.
"I guess people look around and think there's a complete system in place, that we're just out here trying to put icing on the cake," said Mervin Morehiser, who manages the "Lake Pontchartrain and vicinity" levee project for the Army Corps of Engineers. "And we aren't saying that the sky is falling, but 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." "
And, not only does Bush cut funding for critical services needed, he hires a completely untrained, and by now, obviously incompetent buddy to run FEMA. From the Chicago Tribune:
"For the decade prior to joining the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Director Michael Brown was commissioner of the International Arabian Horse Association, a Colorado-based group that organizes breeders and horse shows."
And from the Boston Herald:
"We do disciplinary actions, certification of judges. We hold classes to train people to become judges and stewards. And we keep records. This was his full-time job for 11 years." - Spokeswoman for the International Arabian Horse Association, Boston Herald Interview, September 3, 2005
But why leave such a nice job Mr. Brown?
"Brown was forced out of the position after a spate of lawsuits over alleged supervision failures."
Wow. So, not only does Bush sit on his ass for a few days, not only does Cheney stay on vacation, not only does Condi Rice shop for shoes that cost as much as I spend on food per year and watch "Spamalot" while people are dying in multitudes and a city is flooded into oblivion, but just recently Bush cut funding that could have lessened the impact of Katrina substantially, fired those who publicly disagreed with him, and then to top it all off, he puts a grossly incomptent cronie of his in charge of FEMA, the agency that should be first on the scene in the event of such a catastrophe.
And, well, Mike Brown's FEMA, the aid agency that refused aid while hundreds and maybe thousands of people were dying...well we all know about them, don't we?
In case you don't:
FEMA won't accept Amtrak's help in evacuations
FEMA turns away experienced firefighters
FEMA turns back Wal-Mart supply trucks
FEMA prevents Coast Guard from delivering diesel fuel
FEMA won't let Red Cross deliver food
FEMA bars morticians from entering New Orleans
FEMA blocks 500-boat citizen flotilla from delivering aid
FEMA fails to utilize Navy ship with 600-bed hospital on board
FEMA to Chicago: Send just one truck
FEMA turns away generators
FEMA: "First Responders Urged Not To Respond"
George W. Bush is responsible for each and every bungle made by his buddy's FEMA.
It can't get any worse right?
As is the case with this administration, the answer is no, wrong.
When Bush finally managed to get to Louisiana after his long and restful vacation, what did he do? Did he get out there with a bullhorn and at least give the impression that he was a leader, that he knew what the fuck was going on? Nope. He stood in an area crowded with National Guard troops at attention with a helicopter in the background. Never mind that those troops and that helicopter could have been out there [b]helping people[/b], Bush needed them as nice backdrops, had to get that photo op.
And, if that doesn't take the cake, from a press release issued by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA):
"But perhaps the greatest disappointment stands at the breached 17th Street levee. Touring this critical site yesterday with the President, I saw what I believed to be a real and significant effort to get a handle on a major cause of this catastrophe. Flying over this critical spot again this morning, less than 24 hours later, it became apparent that yesterday we witnessed a hastily prepared stage set for a Presidential photo opportunity; and the desperately needed resources we saw were this morning reduced to a single, lonely piece of equipment."
This seems to be the way Bush's entire tour went:
"Clearing work only for Bush?
In the parts of the disaster area where the US president visited, auxiliary troops [National Guard] cleared up properly beforehand - but only there. ZDF correspondent Claudia Rueggeberg quoted desperate inhabitants asking, "Why is Bush bringing loud bodyguards and his assistants here in his cars, instead of provisions?"
Along the President's route, troops had cleared debris before Bush arrived and would have hidden corpses. Then Bush left, "and with it", said Rueggeberg, "so did the troops". In Biloxi, the situation remains unchanged - everything is still lacking."
ZDF--In German
And another German news organization confirms it:
"On the last state of things here's Christine Adelhardt live from Biloxi
2 minutes ago the President drove past in his convoi. But what has happened in Biloxi all day long is truly unbelievable. Suddenly recovery units appeared, suddenly bulldozers were there, those hadn't been seen here all the days before, and this in an area, in which it really wouldn't be necessary to do a big clean up, because far and wide nobody lives here anymore, the people are more inland in the city. The President travels with a press baggage [big crew]. This press baggage got very beautiful pictures which are supposed to say, that the President was here and help is on the way, too. The extent of the natural disaster shocked me, but the extent of the staging is shocking me at least the same way. With that back to Hamburg."
Taggeschau video link--Also in German
So, while people are dying from starvation, dehydration, bullets, sharks, and plain ole drowning, Bush is setting up fake scenes of progress.
This in addition to the FEMA budget cuts by BushCo and the Republican-controlled congress (with a few complicit Dems.)
For years the conservatives have been telling us that limited, smaller government was the answer. That a large, visible government and the spending that came along with it was the problem.
Ronald Reagan once quipped: "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'"
The ongoing disaster in Louisiana and beyond have proven the conservative assumption and Reagan's joke categorically false.
So, should the piss-poor preparation and response to hurricane Katrina qualify as a triumph of conservativism?
All of you conservative Bush-bots, I defy you to defend your bankrupt and failed ideology. But, not only to me. Each and every conservative needs to scream about the dangers of government spending to those still in New Orleans and the families of those who have died.