Another tv adventure
trickykitty told me not to watch tv. I knew it. It comes as no surprise to anyone that it's pissing me off.
C-Span2
John Fund, some WSJ reporter insists on talking about the horror of NY papers are showing $6 a gallon. Show's host responds that Amsterdam (i think it was) has $7 per gallon. Fund's response that three of those dollars are taxes.
oooh! comments from President Chimp. He's in Biloxi, Mississippi.
He's talking about Hurricane Celia/Cecelia.
He took a "low chopper ride".
He is sending in more troops and going to NOLA later. Apparently this is a huge task, and being in a position of responsibility, it is his job to get a better result.
The tasks are enormous. *laughs* Waves hands.
But he does have some good news. The Colonial pipeline at more than 47%, which he is very happy with. Concedes that this will take days.
Reporter ask why it took so long for there to be a response, and why the richest country on earth does not have the ability to feed it's own people.
"I am satisfied with the response, but not the results."
Apparently NOLA got hit by two storms. The Hurricane and the flood.
Reporter asks about temporary housing.
Response: Temporary housing is FEMA's responsibility and the "government has the ability to provide low interest loans and wants to help business to get back to work".
Um. When did anyone ask about business resuming?
Now Live from the US House. Where the Texan speaker sounds disturbingly like Data from DS9.
D-Ohio Dennis Kucinich demands accountablilty. Slams Bush suggestion that no-one expected this. What about the 2001 FEMA report about the likelihood that this could happen to N.O.
What about the army corp engineers and the other experts who have warned about the weaknesses. Tens of millions cut from budget for relief for this area.
Bush said "the golf course looks like it has been hit with a weapon". It has. Indiffence is a weapon.
This guy is angry and it's all coming out. Fossil fuels, global warming, returning the troops, getting off the path of war and bringing about a just economic system.
It's all very dramatic. The Nevada Rep Jim Gibbons (R) has taken time originally meant for someone else. Claims that Nevada is ready to help. Medical team left Reno within 24 hours.
Robert Wexler D-Florida slams the administration.
Director of FEMA admitted that they did not know the extent of the damage yesterday. How is this possible? The director also claims security in N.O. was "Pretty darn good", and stopped short of blaming N.O. people for not leaving.
How can the President say "flooding was unexpected"? Florida suffered FEMA's "grievious mismanagement" and he called for the Director's resignation. But Bush did nothing at all. He was absent for previous problems in Florida, but close to election time, Bush was there with a bullet.
Brings up the Terry Shiavo congress response time versus the N.O. response time. This guy is fucking GOOD. And he's angry. Rightfully so.
Christopher Shays R-Connecticut.
Zoe Lofgren D-California
Need to pull our finger out and argue about it later, and do something NOW!
Phil English R-Pennsylvania
I think he's choking on his lunch.
Pledging support from Pennsylvanians for those affected. Mentions gas prices, and economics.
Stephanie Tubbs Jonee D-Ohio
"now is the time to come out of the darkness and into the light." This is a class issue. The poor, elderly and the rest. These are the taxpayers.
She got the form off the internet for relief. 25 pages to fill out. Who in this position is going to fill out this kind of bullshit (my word)
Carolyn Kilpatrick D-Michigan
500 housing spots in Detriot immediately. Housing, healthcare, food, water, clothing.
This is turning into a dick waving exercise. Time to turn over.
Zach Wamp R-Tennessee
Forming homeland security dept from 26 agencies, and bringing FEMA in an stopping it from being independant, obviously "not all the bugs have been ironed out". I cannot fucking believe he had the balls to say that.
We must increase our oil capacity. We should hold back money from OPEC countries until they give us a fair deal. He calls back
Adam Schiff D-California
does anyone think that the families suffering give a shit that people are sending out their hopes.
Sadness gives way to anger.
How could this happen in the USA. Natural disasters happen all over the world, but this has been compounded by
20% New Orleans population under the poverty line, a ridiculous assumption to assume that everyone could afford to get out.
How can news teams find these people for stories, but emergency agencies cannot.
He doesn't understand the Government's response. Yes, we can, and will ask these questions later, as people are asking now, and the government had better have better answers that they have now.
Mark Steven Kirk R-Illinois
Quotes Thomas Payne "Now is the time to try men's souls." The Federal govt is charged with protecting the people, not just from outside the
Encourage American citizens to open their hearts and their wallets. Many companies sending equipment.
He has been on active service working on Intel and it's been about Afghanistan etc etc, but they saw Katrina coming, and formed a Katrina relief task force.
Admiral Mullins sent ships on his own to the area, which meant that there was a quick response.
DoD has done a fine job in response, aiding FEMA and having supplies and materiels ready.
He was the only Republican who did not mention gas or economics.
Brian Baird D-Washington
Constitutents ask "Why were the preps crap? Why is it taking so long? Why are the oil companies who are already making massive profits, able to continue to capitalise on something like this?"
Why has there been a 50% cut in the budget of Hurricane flood prevention in the last five years.
Tax cuts for the few, meant that the Army Corps Engineers were underfunded.
Money in spent in Iraq could be better spent here. Affordability of gas.
Rob Simmons R-Connecticut
Federal State and Local govts must work together in a bipartisan fashion.
FEMA expenses $750 Million a day. On existing budget FEMA would be broke by Tuesday.
This "We're Americans, we'll pull together" stuff makes me want to cry. I know they will, but they shouldn't have to. If only they could get it right beforehand. Before the shit hits the fan. It seems like immaturity of some sort.
Jerrold Nadler D-New York
We talk about 9/11 every day but we seem to have learnt nothing. If this is the world's greatest powers best effort, or if it is not, it is a disgrace.
5 days after the hurricane, & 3 days after the levies broke, why is there still no effective distribution system for food, medicine, water.
Must learn a lesson. Must not save money by not spending it to protect ourselves. We are not inspecting more than 6% of shipping. We are not protecting our nuclear and chemical weapons stockpiles. We are not preventing the trade of ex soviet nuclear materiel, by purchasing these things ourselves, they risk falling into the wrong hands.
"I am tired of passing disaster relief bills, time to pass some preventative ones."
Dan Lungren R-California
Not a time of recrimination and finger pointing. The coast guard has performed outstanding services.
The break down of order in N.O. - the police standing by, allowing looting for the purposes of food and water, meant that the strongest survived. The criminal element would naturally take advantage of it. The importance of maintaining order cannot be underestimated.
Edward Markey D-Massachusetts
At this time, big Oil Companies are "tipping american consumers upside down and shaking thier money out of them." They are looting from the American people as there are looters running the streets.
OPEC will discuss further aid at their Sept 19th meeting. When Saddam was threatening the middle east, we jumped immediately to help them.
We need a response from OPEC with their fence sitting about
The President should revoke the royalty relief for all drilling on public lands. This money should be moved towards the low income families, for the coming winter.
Failure of energy bill passed five weeks ago. We gave tax breaks to the oil and gas industries.
Eliot Engle D-New York
Big Oil Companies - picking the pocket of Americans. This is price gouging. The price changes can not possibly reflect at the pump so quickly. Why is there an imediate rise when the barrel price rises? and yet it takes months for the price to fall. The President and congress have to bring the price down. The release of strategic reserves, whatever else and it has to happen today. We knew the Hurricane was going to happen, why did we not have food, water, and supplies, ready for this.
It is one thing to have devastation in a thrid world country, it is unconscionable that this could continue.
How dare the oil companies take advantage of the hundreds of thousands of people suffering to line their own pockets.
Dutch Ruppersberger D-Maryland
These people have lost everything and they are losing hope. This is not the time for excuses and blame, and not about politics. This country has the means to provide for these people, and we should do it without question.
Information exchange must be improved, and someone must take charge. This is a war against time, and we require a war centre, a leader and better communications.
These people are homeless and scared and desperate and some people ahve crossed the line, but law and order has to be restored.
G.K. Butterfield D-North Carolina
(this guy has such a delightful Southern accent!)
People need assitance and it should come fom anywhere we can, military, FEMA, etc. We must accelerate our efforts. Military bases have available housing, which must be used.
We must move these displaced families to loving caring communities. We must likewise protect those opening their doors, from liabilities and provide them also with assistance. Those who choose to stay with family and friends, should also be included for medical and financial aid, even if they are outside of FEMA housing.
James Oberstar D-Minnesota
Told how he has been personally affected.
Recovery may take years and may not even be possible.
This has to be put into a larger context.
Between 1980 and 2000 Congress has appropriated $35bn in disaster relief, to a total of 150.6bn in total of FEMA insured disaster assistance. In the last seven years congress has apprpriated 28.4bn of those dollars. Disasters are increasing in cost and intensity.
Brad Miller D-North Carolina
M.L.King said "we cannot walk alone. We help others in need in the hope that others will respond in kind."
This is not a failure of the last four days, it is a failure for the last four years, despite the repeated warnings. All of the Republicans have said "now is not the time for finger pointing." There is a time for accountability. This administration believes that accountability is ephemeral. Asking questions too early is "finger pointing" and asking too late is "something you should get over'. Tell me when is the time for the hard questions.
Diane Watson D-Califoria
N.O. a true american city, it is a blend of races and cultures. It is representative of this country. Americans died, went hungry, and were without shelter.
Our social contract says "Trust us, we will deliver in your time of need." We have failed them.
150,000 live below the poverty line, and 50,000 of them are at retirement age.
I am embarrassed that the UN has to extend us aid, but am heartened that other countries come to our aid.
Ted Strickland D-Ohio
The poorest, sickest, oldest, could not afford to leave and were left behind.
"many have died unnecessarily. They died for lacked for food, water, and medical supplies. We are the greatest nation on the face of the earth. Yet we failed to respond properly.
We need to look at us as a society - why is it the poor, the minorities, the aged, and the children who are to suffer?
It is time to be accountable.
I am encouraged by what i have seen, but i have been a sucker for American idealism before.
Hmm.
C-Span2
John Fund, some WSJ reporter insists on talking about the horror of NY papers are showing $6 a gallon. Show's host responds that Amsterdam (i think it was) has $7 per gallon. Fund's response that three of those dollars are taxes.
oooh! comments from President Chimp. He's in Biloxi, Mississippi.
He's talking about Hurricane Celia/Cecelia.
He took a "low chopper ride".
He is sending in more troops and going to NOLA later. Apparently this is a huge task, and being in a position of responsibility, it is his job to get a better result.
The tasks are enormous. *laughs* Waves hands.
But he does have some good news. The Colonial pipeline at more than 47%, which he is very happy with. Concedes that this will take days.
Reporter ask why it took so long for there to be a response, and why the richest country on earth does not have the ability to feed it's own people.
"I am satisfied with the response, but not the results."
Apparently NOLA got hit by two storms. The Hurricane and the flood.
Reporter asks about temporary housing.
Response: Temporary housing is FEMA's responsibility and the "government has the ability to provide low interest loans and wants to help business to get back to work".
Um. When did anyone ask about business resuming?
Now Live from the US House. Where the Texan speaker sounds disturbingly like Data from DS9.
D-Ohio Dennis Kucinich demands accountablilty. Slams Bush suggestion that no-one expected this. What about the 2001 FEMA report about the likelihood that this could happen to N.O.
What about the army corp engineers and the other experts who have warned about the weaknesses. Tens of millions cut from budget for relief for this area.
Bush said "the golf course looks like it has been hit with a weapon". It has. Indiffence is a weapon.
This guy is angry and it's all coming out. Fossil fuels, global warming, returning the troops, getting off the path of war and bringing about a just economic system.
It's all very dramatic. The Nevada Rep Jim Gibbons (R) has taken time originally meant for someone else. Claims that Nevada is ready to help. Medical team left Reno within 24 hours.
Robert Wexler D-Florida slams the administration.
Director of FEMA admitted that they did not know the extent of the damage yesterday. How is this possible? The director also claims security in N.O. was "Pretty darn good", and stopped short of blaming N.O. people for not leaving.
How can the President say "flooding was unexpected"? Florida suffered FEMA's "grievious mismanagement" and he called for the Director's resignation. But Bush did nothing at all. He was absent for previous problems in Florida, but close to election time, Bush was there with a bullet.
Brings up the Terry Shiavo congress response time versus the N.O. response time. This guy is fucking GOOD. And he's angry. Rightfully so.
Christopher Shays R-Connecticut.
Zoe Lofgren D-California
Need to pull our finger out and argue about it later, and do something NOW!
Phil English R-Pennsylvania
I think he's choking on his lunch.
Pledging support from Pennsylvanians for those affected. Mentions gas prices, and economics.
Stephanie Tubbs Jonee D-Ohio
"now is the time to come out of the darkness and into the light." This is a class issue. The poor, elderly and the rest. These are the taxpayers.
She got the form off the internet for relief. 25 pages to fill out. Who in this position is going to fill out this kind of bullshit (my word)
Carolyn Kilpatrick D-Michigan
500 housing spots in Detriot immediately. Housing, healthcare, food, water, clothing.
This is turning into a dick waving exercise. Time to turn over.
Zach Wamp R-Tennessee
Forming homeland security dept from 26 agencies, and bringing FEMA in an stopping it from being independant, obviously "not all the bugs have been ironed out". I cannot fucking believe he had the balls to say that.
We must increase our oil capacity. We should hold back money from OPEC countries until they give us a fair deal. He calls back
Adam Schiff D-California
does anyone think that the families suffering give a shit that people are sending out their hopes.
Sadness gives way to anger.
How could this happen in the USA. Natural disasters happen all over the world, but this has been compounded by
20% New Orleans population under the poverty line, a ridiculous assumption to assume that everyone could afford to get out.
How can news teams find these people for stories, but emergency agencies cannot.
He doesn't understand the Government's response. Yes, we can, and will ask these questions later, as people are asking now, and the government had better have better answers that they have now.
Mark Steven Kirk R-Illinois
Quotes Thomas Payne "Now is the time to try men's souls." The Federal govt is charged with protecting the people, not just from outside the
Encourage American citizens to open their hearts and their wallets. Many companies sending equipment.
He has been on active service working on Intel and it's been about Afghanistan etc etc, but they saw Katrina coming, and formed a Katrina relief task force.
Admiral Mullins sent ships on his own to the area, which meant that there was a quick response.
DoD has done a fine job in response, aiding FEMA and having supplies and materiels ready.
He was the only Republican who did not mention gas or economics.
Brian Baird D-Washington
Constitutents ask "Why were the preps crap? Why is it taking so long? Why are the oil companies who are already making massive profits, able to continue to capitalise on something like this?"
Why has there been a 50% cut in the budget of Hurricane flood prevention in the last five years.
Tax cuts for the few, meant that the Army Corps Engineers were underfunded.
Money in spent in Iraq could be better spent here. Affordability of gas.
Rob Simmons R-Connecticut
Federal State and Local govts must work together in a bipartisan fashion.
FEMA expenses $750 Million a day. On existing budget FEMA would be broke by Tuesday.
This "We're Americans, we'll pull together" stuff makes me want to cry. I know they will, but they shouldn't have to. If only they could get it right beforehand. Before the shit hits the fan. It seems like immaturity of some sort.
Jerrold Nadler D-New York
We talk about 9/11 every day but we seem to have learnt nothing. If this is the world's greatest powers best effort, or if it is not, it is a disgrace.
5 days after the hurricane, & 3 days after the levies broke, why is there still no effective distribution system for food, medicine, water.
Must learn a lesson. Must not save money by not spending it to protect ourselves. We are not inspecting more than 6% of shipping. We are not protecting our nuclear and chemical weapons stockpiles. We are not preventing the trade of ex soviet nuclear materiel, by purchasing these things ourselves, they risk falling into the wrong hands.
"I am tired of passing disaster relief bills, time to pass some preventative ones."
Dan Lungren R-California
Not a time of recrimination and finger pointing. The coast guard has performed outstanding services.
The break down of order in N.O. - the police standing by, allowing looting for the purposes of food and water, meant that the strongest survived. The criminal element would naturally take advantage of it. The importance of maintaining order cannot be underestimated.
Edward Markey D-Massachusetts
At this time, big Oil Companies are "tipping american consumers upside down and shaking thier money out of them." They are looting from the American people as there are looters running the streets.
OPEC will discuss further aid at their Sept 19th meeting. When Saddam was threatening the middle east, we jumped immediately to help them.
We need a response from OPEC with their fence sitting about
The President should revoke the royalty relief for all drilling on public lands. This money should be moved towards the low income families, for the coming winter.
Failure of energy bill passed five weeks ago. We gave tax breaks to the oil and gas industries.
Eliot Engle D-New York
Big Oil Companies - picking the pocket of Americans. This is price gouging. The price changes can not possibly reflect at the pump so quickly. Why is there an imediate rise when the barrel price rises? and yet it takes months for the price to fall. The President and congress have to bring the price down. The release of strategic reserves, whatever else and it has to happen today. We knew the Hurricane was going to happen, why did we not have food, water, and supplies, ready for this.
It is one thing to have devastation in a thrid world country, it is unconscionable that this could continue.
How dare the oil companies take advantage of the hundreds of thousands of people suffering to line their own pockets.
Dutch Ruppersberger D-Maryland
These people have lost everything and they are losing hope. This is not the time for excuses and blame, and not about politics. This country has the means to provide for these people, and we should do it without question.
Information exchange must be improved, and someone must take charge. This is a war against time, and we require a war centre, a leader and better communications.
These people are homeless and scared and desperate and some people ahve crossed the line, but law and order has to be restored.
G.K. Butterfield D-North Carolina
(this guy has such a delightful Southern accent!)
People need assitance and it should come fom anywhere we can, military, FEMA, etc. We must accelerate our efforts. Military bases have available housing, which must be used.
We must move these displaced families to loving caring communities. We must likewise protect those opening their doors, from liabilities and provide them also with assistance. Those who choose to stay with family and friends, should also be included for medical and financial aid, even if they are outside of FEMA housing.
James Oberstar D-Minnesota
Told how he has been personally affected.
Recovery may take years and may not even be possible.
This has to be put into a larger context.
Between 1980 and 2000 Congress has appropriated $35bn in disaster relief, to a total of 150.6bn in total of FEMA insured disaster assistance. In the last seven years congress has apprpriated 28.4bn of those dollars. Disasters are increasing in cost and intensity.
Brad Miller D-North Carolina
M.L.King said "we cannot walk alone. We help others in need in the hope that others will respond in kind."
This is not a failure of the last four days, it is a failure for the last four years, despite the repeated warnings. All of the Republicans have said "now is not the time for finger pointing." There is a time for accountability. This administration believes that accountability is ephemeral. Asking questions too early is "finger pointing" and asking too late is "something you should get over'. Tell me when is the time for the hard questions.
Diane Watson D-Califoria
N.O. a true american city, it is a blend of races and cultures. It is representative of this country. Americans died, went hungry, and were without shelter.
Our social contract says "Trust us, we will deliver in your time of need." We have failed them.
150,000 live below the poverty line, and 50,000 of them are at retirement age.
I am embarrassed that the UN has to extend us aid, but am heartened that other countries come to our aid.
Ted Strickland D-Ohio
The poorest, sickest, oldest, could not afford to leave and were left behind.
"many have died unnecessarily. They died for lacked for food, water, and medical supplies. We are the greatest nation on the face of the earth. Yet we failed to respond properly.
We need to look at us as a society - why is it the poor, the minorities, the aged, and the children who are to suffer?
It is time to be accountable.
I am encouraged by what i have seen, but i have been a sucker for American idealism before.
Hmm.