In many respects, Hurricane Katrina has awakened the mainstream media from a decades long slumber. I've been especially impressed with the reporting of Anderson Cooper of CNN. Over the past 2 weeks, he's pulled few punches. In fact, he's said numerous times that he keeps asking the same questions and government officials say quite a bit, yet provide few answers.
Another reporter that should get some due is Keith Olbermann of MSNBC. Check out PDXLeft's post of September 6, "Keith Olbermann Rocks" for some hard hitting commentary
PDXLeft also has another good post dated yesterday, "Newsweek: the real story of our Master of Disaster (in-Chief)". I read the article and, while it a fairly good one by mainstream media standards, it leaves out some very crucial bits of information.
In essence, it states that our Commander-in-Chief didn't realize how bad Hurricane Katrina was and no one on his staff had the courage to tell him. By itself, that certainly doesn't put the Bush administration in a good light. However, when you consider the information NewsWeek neglected to report, it looks ten times worse.
While CNN, MSNBC and even The New York Times have gone to great lengths to highlight the fact that it SHOULD have been common knowledge that this specific hurricane was apt to cause widespread damage and death, NewsWeek said nary a thing about it. Their article painted Bush & his merry men more as bunglers than wantonly indifferent leaders.
I don't know about you, but I see a world of difference between the two.
Another reporter that should get some due is Keith Olbermann of MSNBC. Check out PDXLeft's post of September 6, "Keith Olbermann Rocks" for some hard hitting commentary
PDXLeft also has another good post dated yesterday, "Newsweek: the real story of our Master of Disaster (in-Chief)". I read the article and, while it a fairly good one by mainstream media standards, it leaves out some very crucial bits of information.
In essence, it states that our Commander-in-Chief didn't realize how bad Hurricane Katrina was and no one on his staff had the courage to tell him. By itself, that certainly doesn't put the Bush administration in a good light. However, when you consider the information NewsWeek neglected to report, it looks ten times worse.
While CNN, MSNBC and even The New York Times have gone to great lengths to highlight the fact that it SHOULD have been common knowledge that this specific hurricane was apt to cause widespread damage and death, NewsWeek said nary a thing about it. Their article painted Bush & his merry men more as bunglers than wantonly indifferent leaders.
I don't know about you, but I see a world of difference between the two.
A few truths, for those who have ears and eyes and care to know the truth:
ReplyDelete1.) The hurricane that hit New Orleans and Mississippi and Alabama was an astonishing tragedy. The suffering and loss of life and peace of mind of the residents of those areas is acutely horrifying.
2.) George Bush did not cause the hurricane. Hurricanes have been happening for eons. George Bush did not create them or unleash this one.
3.) George Bush did not make this one worse than others. There have been far worse hurricanes than this before George Bush was born.
4.) There is no overwhelming evidence that global warming exists as a man-made phenomenon. There is no clear-cut evidence that global warming even exists. There is no clear evidence that if it does exist it makes hurricanes more powerful or makes them aim at cities with large numbers of poor people. If global warming is a real phenomenon, which it may well be, it started long before George Bush was inaugurated, and would not have been affected at all by the Kyoto treaty, considering that Kyoto does not cover the world's worst polluters -- China, India, and Brazil. In a word, George Bush had zero to do with causing this hurricane. To speculate otherwise is belief in sorcery.
5.) George Bush had nothing to do with the hurricane contingency plans for New Orleans. Those are drawn up by New Orleans and Louisiana. In any event, the plans were perfectly good: mandatory evacuation. It is in no way at all George Bush's fault that about 20 percent of New Orleans neglected to follow the plan. It is not his fault that many persons in New Orleans were too confused to realize how dangerous the hurricane would be. They were certainly warned. It's not George Bush's fault that there were sick people and old people and people without cars in New Orleans. His job description does not include making sure every adult in America has a car, is in good health, has good sense, and is mobile.
6.) George Bush did not cause gangsters to shoot at rescue helicopters taking people from rooftops, did not make gang bangers rape young girls in the Superdome, did not make looters steal hundreds of weapons, in short make New Orleans into a living hell.
7.) George Bush is the least racist President in mind and soul there has ever been and this is shown in his appointments over and over. To say otherwise is scandalously untrue.
8.) George Bush is rushing every bit of help he can to New Orleans and Mississippi and Alabama as soon as he can. He is not a magician. It takes time to organize huge convoys of food and now they are starting to arrive. That they get in at all considering the lawlessness of the city is a miracle of bravery and organization.
9.) There is not the slightest evidence at all that the war in Iraq has diminished the response of the government to the emergency. To say otherwise is pure slander.
10.) If the energy the news media puts into blaming Bush for an Act of God worsened by stupendous incompetence by the New Orleans city authorities and the malevolence of the criminals of the city were directed to helping the morale of the nation, we would all be a lot better off.
11.) New Orleans is a great city with many great people. It will recover and be greater than ever. Sticking pins into an effigy of George Bush that does not resemble him in the slightest will not speed the process by one day.
12.) The entire episode is a dramatic lesson in the breathtaking callousness of government officials at the ground level. Imagine if Hillary Clinton had gotten her way and they were in charge of your health care.
God bless all of those dear people who are suffering so much, and God bless those helping them, starting with George Bush.
I actually think anonymous 1 is Bob Dole impersonating George Bush.
ReplyDeleteTo Anon1,
ReplyDeleteI'll comment on several of your points.
George Bush did not cause the hurricane. Hurricanes have been happening for eons. George Bush did not create them or unleash this one.
I don't know of anyone who has blamed Mr. Bush for causing the hurricane.
George Bush did not make this one worse than others.
Again, I have not heard nor read anything that would dispute this statement.
There is no overwhelming evidence that global warming exists as a man-made phenomenon. There is no clear-cut evidence that global warming even exists...
You should read more. Most of the scientists in the world would disagree with your premise.
George Bush had nothing to do with the hurricane contingency plans for New Orleans...
On a superfiscial level, this is true. However, the Bush administration is guilty of underfunding various federal, state and local agencies that were charged with the responsibility for devloping plans AND safeguards. Therefore, in the final analysis, Bush DID play a big role in this area.
George Bush did not cause gangsters to shoot at rescue helicopters taking people from rooftops, did not make gang bangers rape young girls in the Superdome, did not make looters steal hundreds of weapons, in short make New Orleans into a living hell.
I don't know of anyone who has accused him of the things written above.
George Bush is the least racist President in mind and soul there has ever been and this is shown in his appointments over and over. To say otherwise is scandalously untrue.
I beg to differ. A handful of appointments doesn't negate his overall economic policies which often affect Black Americans even more so than White Americans.
George Bush is rushing every bit of help he can to New Orleans and Mississippi and Alabama as soon as he can.
Upon hearing about Katrina making landfall, did Mr. Bush head for the Gulf or even the White House? Nope. He headed for San Diego to take part in a special interest fundraiser. I certianly don't consider that action to illustrate someone rushing to help hurricane victims.
There is not the slightest evidence at all that the war in Iraq has diminished the response of the government to the emergency. To say otherwise is pure slander.
Billions of dollars have been diverted from domestic needs to Iraq. Thousands of national guard trrops that would normally be ready to help in times of natural disasters are thousands of miles away. I think that's really CLEAR evidence.
The entire episode is a dramatic lesson in the breathtaking callousness of government officials at the ground level. Imagine if Hillary Clinton had gotten her way and they were in charge of your health care.
What does Hillary Clinton have to do with Hurricane Katrina or its aftermath? Nada.
Read on for the real sad truth that this natural disaster has revealed about the entitlement mentality in this country :
ReplyDeleteVolunteer Doctor from Mississippi. Date: Tue, 13 Sep 2005 12:27:51 -0400
What the news does not show...
Thought I might inform the few friends I have, on my recent traumatic experience. I am going to tell it straight, blunt, raw, and I don't give a damn. Long read, I know but please do read!!!
I went to Houston to volunteer on Saturday at the George R. Brown convention center for two reasons.
A: I wanted to help people to get a warm fuzzy.
B: Curiosity.
I've been watching the news lately and have seen scenes that have made me want to vomit. And no it wasn't dead bodies, the city under water, or the sludge everywhere. It was PEOPLE'S BEHAVIOR. The people on T.V., (99% being Black) were DEMANDING help. They were not asking nicely but demanding as if society owed these people something. Well the honest truth is WE DON'T. Help should be asked for in a kind manner and then appreciated. This is not what the press (FOX in particular) was showing, what I was seeing was a group of people who are yelling, demanding, looting, killing, raping, and SHOOTING back at the demanded help!!!!! So I'm thinking this can't possibly be true can it???? So I decide to submit to the DEMAND for help out of SHOCK. I couldn't believe this to be true of the majority of the people who are the weakest of society. So I went to volunteer and help folks out and see the truth. So I will tell the following story and you decide:
I arrived at the Astrodome only to find out that there were too many volunteers but that volunteers were needed at the George R. Brown Convention Center. As I was walking up to the Convention Center I noticed a line of cars that wrapped around blocks filled with donations. These were ordinary Houstonians coming with truckloads and trunks full of water, diapers, clothes, blankets, food, all types of good stuff. And lots of it was NEW. I felt that warm fuzzy while helping unload these vehicles of these wonderful human beings. I then went inside the building and noticed approximately 100,000 sq. ft. of clothes, shoes, jackets, toys and all types of goodies all organized and ready for the people in need. I signed up, received a name badge and was on my merry way excited to be useful.
I toured the place to get familiar with my surroundings; the entire place is probably around 2 million sq. ft. I noticed rows as far as the eye can see of mattresses, not cots, BLOW UP MATTRESSES!!! All of which had nice pillows and plenty of blankets. 2 to 3 bottles of water lay on every bed. These full size to queen size beds by the way were comfortable, I laid in one to see for myself. I went to look at the medical area. I couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing!!! A makeshift hospital created in 24 hours!!! It was unbelievable, they even had a pharmacy. I also noticed that they created showers, which would also have hot water. I went upstairs to the third floor to find a HUGE cafeteria created in under 24 hours! Rows of tables, chairs and food everywhere - enough to feed an army! I'm not talking about crap food either. They had Jason's deli food, apples, oranges, coke, diet coke, lemonade, orange juice, cookies, all types of chips and sandwiches. All the beverages by the way were put on ice and chilled!!!! In a matter of about 24 hours or less an entire mini-city was erected by volunteers for the poor evacuees. This was not your rundown crap shelter, it was BUM HEAVEN.
So that was the layout: great food, comfy beds, clean showers, free medical help, by the way there was a library, and a theatre room that I forgot to mention. Great stuff right????
Well here is what happened on my journey -
I started by handing out COLD water bottles to evacuees as they got off the bus. Many would take them and only 20% or less said thank you. Lots of them would shake their heads and ask for sodas! So this went on for about 20-30 minutes until I was sick of being an unappreciated servant. I figured certainly these folks would appreciate some food!!! So I went upstairs to serve these beloved evacuees some GOOD food that I wish I could have at the moment!
***The following statements are graphic, truthful, and discuss IRRATIONAL behavior***
Evacuees come slowly to receive this mountain of food that is worth serving to a king! I tell them that we have 2 types of great deli sandwiches to choose from - ham and turkey. Many look at the food in disgust and DEMAND burgers, pizza, and even McDonalds!!!! Jason's deli is better than McDonalds!!!! Only 1 out of ten people who took something would say "thank you" the rest took items as if it was their God give right to be served without a shred of appreciation!!! They would ask for Beer and liquor. They complained that we didn't have good enough food. They refused food and laughed at us. They treated us volunteers as if we where SLAVES. No not all of them of course, but 70% did!!!!!! 20% were appreciative, 10% took the food without any comment and the other 70% had some disgusting comment to say. Some had the nerve to laugh at us. And when I snapped back at them for being mean, they would curse at me!!! Needless to say I was in utter shock. They would eat their food and leave their mess on the table. Some would pick up their stuff, but many would leave it for the volunteers to pick up. I left that real quick to go down and help set up some more beds. I saw many young ladies carrying mattresses and I helped for a while. Then I realized something. There were hundreds of able bodied young men who could help!! I asked a group of young evacuees in their teens and early twenties to help. I got cursed at for asking them to help!!! One said "We just lost our fucking homes and you want us to work!!" The next said "Ya Cracker, you got a home--we don't. I looked at them in disbelief. Here are women walking by, carrying THEIR BEDS and they can't lift a finger and help themselves!!
WHY SHOULD I HELP PEOPLE WHO DON'T WANT TO HELP THEMESELVES!!!!
I waved them off and turned away and was laughed at and more "white boy jokes" were made at me. I felt no need to waste my breath on a bunch of pitiful losers. I went to a nearby restroom where I noticed a man shaving. I used the restroom, washed my hands and saw this man throw his razor towards the trash can...he missed. he walked out leaving his disgusting razor on the floor for some other "cracker" to pick up. Even the little kids were demanding. I saw only ONE white family and only TWO Hispanic families. The rest where blacks. Sorry 20% to 30% decent blacks, and 70% LOSERS!!!!!
I would call them n*****s, but the actual definition of a n*****r is one who is ignorant; these people were not ignorant..they were ARROGANT ASSHOLES. The majority of whom are thugs and lifetime lazy ass welfare recipients. We are inviting the lowest of the low to Houston. And like idiots we are serving the people who will soon steal our cars, rape, murder, and destroy our city while stealing from our pockets on a daily basis through the welfare checks they take. We will fund our own destruction.
By "US" I don't mean a specific race, I mean the people who work hard, work smart, have values and morals. Only people who want to help themselves should be helped, the others should be allowed to destroy themselves. I do not want to work hard, give the government close to half the money I earn so they can in turn give it to a bunch of losers.
I don't believe in being poor for life. My family immigrated here, we came here poor, and now thank God, and due to HARD WORK we are doing fine. If immigrants, who come here, don't know the language can work and become successful... WHY CAN'T THE MAJORITY OF THE HOMEGROWN DO IT!!! If we continue to reward these losers then we will soon destroy our great country. I just witnessed selfish, arrogant, unappreciative behavior by the very people who need help the most. Now these same people who cursed me, refused my city's generosity, who refuse to help themselves are DEMANDING handouts on their own terms!!!!!!! They prance around as if they are owed something, and when they do receive a handout, they say it's not good enough! Well you know what?..these types of people can go to hell for all I care!
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Richard L. Johnston, M.D. University of Mississippi Medical Center
3805 Crane Blvd. Jackson, MS 39216
601-981-3896 (home)
601-573-0472 (cell)
601-984-0214 (pager)
As for global warming, if real it likely can be attributed to the liberal left and the hot air they constantly put forth through their unending whining about what's wrong with this country.
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