This article originally appears in The American Thinker
WELCOME RUSH LIMBAUGH LISTENERS!
Hope you set a spell, relax, and read a few items. May I suggest you browse my History post archive?
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For the left, the aftermath of Katrina has proven to be a godsend. In fact, I don’t think I’ve seen them this happy since Hugo Chavez hornswaggled Jimmy Carter into certifying his victory in a recall vote last year. There’s just something about communist thugs that brings a smile to the face of an American lefty and makes their hearts go pitter patter.
But even a victory by “The Laughing Goat” ( La Cabra que RÃe) couldn’t possibly gladden the hearts and warm the cockles of liberals like the prospect of celebrating…what? Well, there’s that drop in the President’s poll numbers. And then there’s…let’s see. Oh! Did I mention the drop in the President’s poll numbers?
Yes, these are heady days for our left wing friends. The fact that their celebrations are taking place as a direct result of the distress, suffering, anguish and death of tens of thousands of their fellow citizens seems to not be of much concern to our morally superior betters. In fact, it has emboldened them to advance every crack pot theory on race and class that has poisoned American politics for going on forty years. One could say the left is dancing on the graves of black people, celebrating the exploitation of a political opening brought about by the incompetence of relief efforts in the largely black neighborhoods of New Orleans except for one thing; most of those graves are empty at the moment because the future les habitants haven’t even been plucked from the floodwaters yet.
But why let a small detail like common decency spoil a good party? It’s Mardi Gras in September in the Big Easy and liberals are dancing the Cajun Reel with the thousands of grinning skeletons who very soon now will start filling up the temporary mortuaries set up to receive them. The fact that we will be denied the edifying spectactle of watching the gruesome task of retrieving these corpses has now led to charges of a “cover-up” – as if focusing a camera on the bloated, blackened remains of our fellow citizens should be made into some kind of reality TV show. Kind of a Survivor meets The Great Race high concept production. Why, the syndication possibilities are staggering.
Consider the hue and cry that went up in the hours and days following September 11, 2001 about how we shouldn’t be showing images of the tortured souls as they jumped to their deaths from those doomed towers.Or the unbearable, constant replaying of the horrific scenes of destruction as the towers fell. The rational at the time was that such appalling images would breed anger and hate. But the anger and hate that would be bred by showing the maggoty corpses left behind by a man-made disaster are perfectly alright – as long as that anger and hate is directed at George Bush. After all, from the left’s perspective, if you can’t use images of a rotting cadaver for the ultimate good of making George Bush look bad, why bother?
That’s all they have to live for, of course. That and the possibility that the American people will become so outraged at the President’s choice of Michael Brown to head up the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that they will rise up in their righteous anger and smite the Republicans a mortal blow at the polls next year. The elevation of horse show impressario Brown to the lofty perch of FEMA Director may have been an unconscionable and unfathomable act of stupidity on the part of the President. But so was having Ron Brown’s Commerce Department give technology transfer waivers to American companies so that the Chinese army could improve the accuracy of thier ICBMs (Clinton). Or selling arms for hostages (Reagan). Or putting price controls on crude oil (Carter). Or putting wage and price controls into place when inflation was at the “astronomical” rate of 4.7% (Nixon). Or supporting Cuban ex-pats in a doomed-from-the-start effort to take back their country from Castro (Kennedy).
All President’s make huge mistakes. Some lead to economic distress. Others actually cost lives. At this moment, despite the left’s charges that Bush is insensitive, I doubt whether the President is getting much restful sleep these past few nights. If there is anything at all that the American people have sensed about this man on a personal level, it is a sense of a simple, faith-based compassion for his fellow citizens. Does he recognize personal responsibility in his disasterous choice of Michael Brown as FEMA Director? Firing the incompetent fool would be a good indication one way or another.
But giving Master Brown the heave-ho won’t satisfy the baying hounds at the President’s doorstep. The ghosts of New Orleans may indeed haunt Mr. Bush’s Presidency from here on out if he doesn’t act soon to counter the impression that the Federal government isn’t on top of this relief effort. It isn’t enough to promise money and support for the half million displaced people whose lives have been shattered by the storm. This is a given in America. It’s doing what’s expected.
What the President needs to do is the unexpected. Americans will back a President after he makes a mistake only when he admits the error in public and asks for forgiveness. Reagan and Clinton both made monumental errors in their second terms and yet finished their times in office with the strong support and even affection of the American people because they recognized their mistakes, apologized for them, and moved on to bigger and better things.
Following Iran-Contra, Reagan negotiated the first real reductions in a class of nuclear weapons when he signed a treaty with the Soviets eliminating medium range missiles from Europe. And following Clinton’s apology for lying to the American people about “that woman,” and his subsequent impeachment, he seemed to gather new energies which allowed him to finish his term with approval ratings over 60%.
Clearly, this is a mea culpa moment for Bush. But whether his political enemies, who now have the upper hand, allow him the luxury of such a course of action is problematic. The left’s continued glee at having the President on the run will last only as long as the President stubbornly refuses to make things right with the American people.
Things went horribly wrong in New Orleans. And while the inexplicable gaffes of the disaster tag team of Blanc-o-Nagin will ultimately come to be seen as at least equally responsible for the tragedy, the American people want an acknowledgement of what they’ve seen with their own eyes and heard with their own ears; the people that the President dispatched to deal with the relief efforts failed miserably. They want the President to take ultimate responsibility for this and they want it done soon. Any delay will be seen as playing politics and that’s something the American people have no patience for right now.
Do the right thing, Mr. Bush. And do it now.
9:42 am
Correction: Liberals are not feeling “glee” and are not celebrating. No one is. None. Get that straight.
Your rhetoric is disgusting. Using this tragedy to take potshots at Liberals? Go volunteer somewhere. You’ll feel better.
Bernie Keating.
10:16 am
Very insightfull article. I believe the President will do the right thing and expose his own failures transparently in time. But I believe that this dance of death will be short lived with the democrats because the news story that is currently gaining steam that shows the local government (Democratic)turned the Red Cross relief effort away from the Superdome. This coupled with the fact that Mayor Nagin had endorsed Governor Blanco’s rival in the last election and believe that in-party politics also played a disgusting turn as this gave Kathleen Blanco personal pleasure to have Mayor Nagin at his political knees when she kept overriding Mayor Nagins “command decisions” in the press. She was able to assert her long suppressed need for retaliation and her ultimate power over him. This sadly, was to the detriment of the poor constituants of New Orleans.
10:28 am
Regardless of whether the President apologizes or not, do you really think that the Left’s glee will last only that long? If they hate him so much, I can only imagine their crazed baying when he admits he did something wrong, especially something that is wrong in their eyes.
10:56 am
As usual, this is a beautifully written piece which contains much I agree with. But I still am puzzled as to exactly what you think FEMA should have done better.
Even Nancy Pelosi pressed for an answer for this question could not come up with one, so you are not alone.
I think that the more jobs the federal government undertakes of this nature—no matter the intricacies of the federa; structure—the more people leap to place blame on whoever is President.
Looking at past FEMA responses to hurricanes (as Investor’s Business Daily has) this wasn’t bad, though the disaster was worse and the performance of the local officials so bad on every basic that the task seems to me to have been impossible.
Perhaps , whoever, is charged with this job, we must acknowledge the limits of human capability to deal with it have been reached or nearly so.
11:15 am
Damn! This post made Rush’s show! Congratulations!
11:58 am
The “sacrifice” of the head of FEMA at this point would not only be premature, but it would be a disasterous precedent. This is true on a number of fronts, not the least of which would be to pour blood in the feeding frenzy that is the Democrap party and the mainstream media. We do not want to set the precedent that these morons can control the situation if they fill the airwaves with absolutely asinine accusations, grandstand with the worst of the poverty pimps, and scrape off some of their hollywood whores to mouth opinions in front of the camara.
Remember one other thing … some of the key players in FEMA are political targets of the left, specifically for their roles in the Clinton scandals, among others. Funny how the mainstream media seems to be missing that little connection, eh?
What we need now is for Bush to thank the helpers … the governors of adjoining states, people who are welcoming evacuees into their homes, rescuers who are wading through filth to try to save people. EVERYBODY in the administration should be on message saying “THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU” to everybody who is helping … over and over and over again.
Next, the message must be to redirect the focus to solve the immediate problems we face TODAY. Shine the light on how this viscious rhetoric is doing NOTHING to help the situation.
Finally, the message about FEMA should be that we will analyze what this agency is capable of and bring it in line with what is needed. If they failed in their responsibilities, then deal with it … BUT NOT NOW! There is too much B.S. about what went wrong.
12:08 pm
You mean you actually think the Dem’s would look at an “I’m sorry” as anything but grounds for impeachment?
What the president should do is step out in front of a camera and lay out step by step the actions he took, and the obstruction placed in front of him by city,state and congressional red tape.
Maybe congress should apologize for confirming Mr. Brown nearly unanimously, for creating Homeland Security Office, folding FEMA into it and the dem’s should maybe throw in a “I’m sorry our 40yrs of welfare state and destruction of the black family have left so many black Americans in poverty.”. Don’t hold your breath for any of it…..
Just what we all need another 9/11 Commission….
12:09 pm
Clarice: I’ve not really got a dog in the blame game fight (‘cept to resent the Democrat knee-jerk attack of Bush, ignoring their own local and state leaders involved, and smearing of Republican efforts toward prompt congressional hearings) but Charles Krauthammer suggests some problems with FEMA as he criticized it’s leader Michael Brown as:
This was pretty embarrassing to say the least.
Rick: great job, my friend!
12:23 pm
It might not have been a bad idea to have someone monitoring the reporting..In fact, for lots of reasons it seems a worthwhile idea. But, of course FEMA’s job is to “coordinate” relief and that means someone on the other side has to be “coordinating”—that is, reporting such needs and working with you to decide how to provide it.
12:27 pm
Rick I heard of you the first time today when Rush read your article. I’ll be sure to check the nut house for future offerings. Although I hope the majority of clear thinking Americans don’t buy into the crap fomented by Kanye West, The “reverand” Jackson and Al “good god” Sharpton an apology by President Bush would go a long way in stifling some of the outcry. There were horrible mistakes at the local and state level but Bush is the “man” and he needs to step to the plate. Great article.
12:33 pm
You have written a fine article in some parts but the last two paragraphs are just wishful thinking on your part. It plays to the media mentality of were are constanly ‘Doomed” the sky is falling in. Without merit to the facts. The media generated instant polls certainly disprove your theory and wishes about the American people ready to rise up because the President has not aploogized to satisfy your wishful thinking.
The facts that the Gulf Coast was declared a disaster area TWO DAYS before the hurricane omniously go unmentioned by you and the general media. How interesting! The laws and beaucratic rules notwithstanding. Go ahead and wish the downfall and destruction of a fine President devoid of the FACTS but it will go against your best hopes.
Jack Mimms
Plano, Tx
12:40 pm
Two days ago we learned that the Red Cross was stopped from coming into NO by the LA homeland security people. Yesterday we learned that the Salvation Army was stopped too. Today we learn that the the City of Gretna Police Department prevented people from leaving the city by one of only ways out of NO. Even though Brown and Chertoff were clueless, the response of FEMA does not seem to have been the problem.
12:44 pm
Rick! I was so excited when I heard Rush reading you!
Great job!!
1:14 pm
word is that Brown is off the Katrina beat.
1:25 pm
This is my first visit.
I must say I have seldom seen so many straw men thrown up in a single article. But let me add one: he who calls on the president to act presidential is dancing on the bodies of the New Orleans dead. Why should change now? Don’t discourage his worshipers who can see only good in him! Stay the course!
1:32 pm
Schwing!
Today’s dose of NIF - News, Interesting & Funny … Another Friday, already in progress
1:57 pm
[...] t later; we’ve got other work to do now. UPDATE: Go read Rick Moran’s “Dancing on the Graves of Black PeopleR [...]
2:02 pm
[...] ind at ScrappleFace. HT: The Mudville Gazette UPDATE: Go read Rick Moran’s “Dancing on the Graves of Black PeopleR [...]
2:19 pm
Rick,
A good piece. Perhaps a bit over the top towards attributing malice aforethought to the Dems. However, the DSCC’s efforts to turn this into a campaign issue (briefly reported) is stark evidence to the contrary. I do think the President should acknolwedge his mistakes, including the fallibity of FEMA. Brown is a good lawyer, but a lousy manager, seems like his epitaph is already written.
Really enjoying your site.
2:35 pm
Great articlie Rick.
Only thing I’d change it a descriptor. “Baying Hounds” doesn’t work for “Whittle” sheep. I’ve started using “Ragin’ Rumimants” If you insist on using a canine species, “Howling Hyenas (Crocuta crocuta)” would be a better metaphor.
2:45 pm
Rush In The Rightwing Nuthouse
Fellow Wideawake blogger, and friend Rick Moran of Rightwing Nuthouse was mentioned on air today by Rush Limbaugh for this article. Go check it out and congratulations.
Dancing On The Graves of Black People.
3:49 pm
Congratulations on making Rush’s show!
4:45 pm
Rick,
Conservative ideology is killing America.
If you can’t connect those dots well I guess you and your compatriots have some more learning to do.
Good Luck.
4:50 pm
[...] d the pleasure of listening to Rush Limbaugh read Rick’s most recent article, “Dancing on the Graves of Black People, [...]
5:20 pm
Northern Observer:
that’s a pretty darn broad statement, with nothing obvious to back it up.
In fact, that’s something I’d say about liberal ideology. There’s plenty to back up MY statement up, simply by reading through Rick’s blog, for starters.
6:03 pm
Great idea! While we’re at it, we can have W apologize to Cindy Sheehan for tricking her son into dying in Iraq, and apologize to Algore for stealing the election of ‘00. And let’s not forget the poor and the infirm that were irrepairably harmed by the infamous Bushitler tax cuts.
We can televise it live on CNN. Jack Cafferty can host, just show that we Repubs are a big-hearted bunch. Then, we can all sit back and watch them poll numbers RISE like the water table jes’ south of Lake Pontchartrain.
Did I ever tell you that you remind me of Andrew Sullivan?
7:01 pm
Did I ever tell you you’re an hysteric?
7:29 pm
Generally agree with your article, but disagree on the necessity of a Presidential apology. Our President has nothing to apologize for. The state a local authorities have plenty to apologize for, but apologies, especiallty in this case, are simply political ploys, and are essentially meaningless. Weakness invites attack, the the hate-filled lefties would certainly ratchet up their attack machine if the President apologized for anything at all. The real solution to liberal lies is to state the truth.
7:36 pm
Mea culpa strategys arent going to redeem George Bush. Hes riding a dead horse and we are 3 and a half years away from the finish line. But congrats on making the rush show. From reading the comments however it looks like your real fans are lefties like me.
7:54 pm
See plenty of analysis at washingtonmonthly.com, davidsirota.com, slate, salon, etc. as well as many ordinary media outlets on details of the failings of FEMA now compared to earlier days. (Funny too that FEMA didn’t do so bad when it was needed in Florida in fall of 2004 – Florida Election Management Agency…) Look: if Michelle Malkin and the Son-of-God owned WaTi can slam Brownie, he must be doing something wrong. This whole thing that criticism is “political” but running defense isn’t is so laughable. Criticising response is 100% appropo, albeit could have waited a couple days. There is something truly pathetic in people not wanting to sack a genuine failure just out of spite against the critics – that isn’t putting the national interest first. And just look at the constant “hunting of the President” not that long ago…
BTW, dealing with flooding of the Mississippi on such a scale is a Federal responsibility, whatever various other governments could have done. For example, the now-famously underfunded levees are under the management of the Army Corps of Engineers, a point missed by the mindless localists around here. Indeed, the Mississippi delta is in effect a hydrological ward of the US Government.
8:20 pm
I’m a depressed lefty. I would never want to see Bush and our government fail at the cost of lives, including the mess in Iraq (Yes, some things are going right, but many more are going wrong because he listened to those that told him what he wanted to hear and he placed unqualified political hacks in key positions of responsibility in the CPA.) As far as FEMA, Brown is only one of many unqualified hacks in charge. This tragedy overwhelmed everyone. The locals were unprepared. Nagin has admitted to not doing enough. Ebbert saying on Monday, “Everybody who had a way or wanted to get out of the way of this storm was able to. For some that didn’t, it was their last night on this earth.” shows his ignorance of the difficulty some had who wanted to get out but couldn’t.
As far as Bush admitting a mistake as past presidents have, it’ll never happen. He’s mediocre. Mediocre people lack the character. People of history, like Reagan and Kennedy, are truly extraordinary.
On the eve of D-Day, Eisenhower had 2 press releases. If the invasion failed, one press release said he alone was to blame. If the invasion succeeded, the other press release gave credit to the troops. Does anyone here believe Bush has the character to do something like that?
9:25 pm
Great article. It is so refreshing to read the truth.
10:10 pm
Katrina, A Defining Hypocrisy
The story of Katrina is one of neglect. But that neglect isn’t one of “white” vs. “black”, it’s an example of failing to “be thy brother’s and sister’s” keeper, not just after the storm – when convenient, but before and during the storm as well.
11:11 pm
The President has nothing to apologize for or admit to. The collapse of the emergency reponse truly and soley rests with Nagin and Blanco. Nagin did not activate his city’s CEM plan properly and Blanco did not interceed as Govenor when it was clear that Nagin had failed in his duties. Blanco herself also did not activate the states CEM plan properly.
On FEMA’s website it boldly states that you cannot expect help for 2-5 days of the diaster. Thats why they always recommend at least three days worth of supplies stored for an emergency.
The MSNM did a bang up job of convincing people that the government response was slow. But in reality the response to this diasater was much faster than previous responses such as Hurricane Floyd in 1999. But Clinton was President then so the MSNM wasn’t going to sensationlize that.
If you crtitique FEMA’s response to this disaster you will see that they have been on top of it for the most part even before the hurricane hit land. See for yourself go to http://www.fema.gov and look at the FEMA news releases of the actions they were taking in regards to Katrina. It certainly doesn’t look to me like they were sitting on their hands.
Even if you think Mike Brown was a complete numbskull you have to give him credit for doing a good job of coordinating a response. I’m sure there were some glitches along the way but that is par for the course in disasters.
No Mr. President I would not admit to mistakes that you didn’t make. That is what the left is waiting for to seal their candidates election in ‘08
11:13 pm
I was getting a bit steamed at Strawman’s comments, until I realized it was just a subtle joke.
I mean, REALLY, who in their right mind thinks Bush didn’t legally win the 2000 election? Even the most lax recount standard employed by the New York Times and friends couldn’t spin it otherwise.
But Strawman’s joke does point up a problem and that is the unending bitter, partisan obstructionism that has come from the Dem party at a time of war and now national disaster.
Never before have I seen so many people in the Democrat Party willing to put the interests of their party over those of the nation. It’s a virulent form of partisanship that only divides and never unites.
Thanks for your article Rick. I linked over at Mike’s America. I hope you don’t get too many of my looney lefties coming over to bother you… Looks like you might be over quota in that regard already.
12:41 am
Absolutely disgusting drivel.
As a liberal, I take serious offense to the insinuation that I’m “joyous” about this. To the contrary—I’m furious as a human being at the needless death, and embarassed as an American by our countries response.
Before you make inane, unfounded assumptions based on nothing but vitriol, consider the psychological notion of PROJECTING.
The fact that you would assume that political opponents find joy when the failures of their opposition results in countless deaths says much more about YOU and Druggie Limbaugh than it does about any liberal.
1:13 am
I have to say that I am disgusted with both the Republican and Democratic parties during this crisis. I think that using a disaster like this to extend any kind of political aganda is the type of thinking that is draging our country down, and making our future look bleak. I don’t vote party lines, I vote for who I think will do the best job, and I have to say that no one has given me someone that I have felt good about voting for in a while.
Having said that I will tell you that I have no doubt that the person responsible is George Bush. How can I be so sure you ask? Because he is the President and the one that is ultimately responsible. Remember that plaque on Teddy Roosevelt’s desk that read “The Buck Stops Here.”? It is Bush’s job to make things work through what ever means he feels is necessary and damn the political consequences! The moment that it was obvious that Brown couldn’t handle the responsibilities handed to him, pull him and put someone who can do the job in his place (I know that some would call this changing horses mid stream, but when your horse has four broken legs it might be a good idea), he is the one who hired him (even if congress agreed he was OK) and he needs to be the one to fire him. If the local officials get in the way, work around them. You can always point to the results of your work to shut their whining up later. The mark of great leaders has always been what they were able to accomplish in the face of adversity, and that is where Bush is failing and he is the one responsible. I would love it if all of the politicians responsible would own up to their mistakes, because we as a people know everyone made them, but they are all afraid of the “Spinâ€. I think that the ones that apologize and actually mean it will get the respect that they deserve from the American People and will come out ahead of all others. Those in charge need to take responsibility that is why they are in charge. So who is in charge of the President? We are. Everyone of our elected officials have reacted poorly to this situation, so what does that say about us?
And a last word about our political parties. The American People know that they have become more about spin control then truth. That is why the past elections have been close, we don’t feel that either party is really being truthful to us, so we go with the “Lesser of two evils”. If either party can get past the whole idea that the people are children that can’t handle the truth, they will take the country by storm.
8:22 am
Strawman,
You mentioned “Perhaps GWB didn’t steal the 2000 election personally, but he sure as hell didn’t win it, and he sure as hell got some help from his brother. Any observer not blinded by ideology would see this.”
Who is blinded by ideology here? He DID win it and I still can’t figure out how you say he didn’t….oh, wait….you mean the popular vote”? Hmmm…. seems to me that Clinton didn’t get the popular vote in either of his two elections but anyway, gee,sorry, that’s not how we elect President’s in this country. We have the Electoral College. He DID win that.
As far as Katherine Harris is concerned, she did her job. She followed the rules given her, called the LAW. That is where Al Gore went wrong and how things ended up in the Supreme Court. Seems Mr. Gore didn’t like the results so he wanted to bypass the LAW and make up new rules in the middle of the ballot count. Now tell me, who cheated here….?
Would you have had her break the law to give Gore a break because she felt sorry for him? Wow, that would be….hmmm….election fraud I think. You aren’t condoning election fraud are you?
Thought you were…...
9:35 am
The worst part about this article is that not one example was given thus rendering the whole point as another baseless diversion. Put up or shut up.
I urge you all to actually read the Federal Response Plan which allows (hell mandates) the feds to proactively provide a response to disaster without waiting for the state. It was activated yet not followed. And the charges that State officials denied Red Cross entry don’t hold up when you know that it was state DHS officials who are under the direction of FEMA.
As for the “Dems are trying to captilize on this” line of bullcrap. Limbaugh alone has used Katrina to attack environmental laws, public housing, welfare, poor people and Democrats. Pat Robertson saying “And I think they know that, so, I mean, Judge Roberts can, maybe, you know, be thankful that a tragedy has brought him some good.” Please.
11:22 am
10 years ago, I would not have had the stomach to accept that Liberals are that narcissistic and pathological that they would feel excitement and glee in the midst of so much suffering. What has changed? Liberals have been tested several times and each time have come up short. Each time I have wanted to believe they have good hearts, but with regard to their solutions that they are just mistaken. Now I have come to realize, there is something very scary and dangerous about such a large segment of your population that will tolerate so much suffering on the backs of others in order to advance their political power. I am beginnining to comprehend how the Stalins of the world were able to sleep at night….They were sick. How many layers of the onion of this kind of sickness need to be peeled back before you find “Evil”.
2:24 pm
“Now I have come to realize, there is something very scary and dangerous about such a large segment of your population that will tolerate so much suffering on the backs of others in order to advance their political power”
are you talking about conservatives? Because as evidenced by Liberals vocal opposition to the war, opposition to Bush policies which favor a selected few, and opposition to the failure of government when they don’t act to save people…I would say we aren’t not tolerating it.
3:34 pm
Starwman says:
P.S…... Kathleen Harris’ office prepared the purge list. Check the facts with an open mind.
P.P.S. The president of Diebold promised to deliver Ohio’s electoral vote in 2004 to the President. I mentioned this to an Ohio election official and he called me a liar and looked like he was going to take a swing at me. However, it happens to be a fact.
P.P.P.S. Diebold’s Accuvote software allows you to modify vote tallies without requiring a password or recording the modifications, and fixes the fields so the vote tallies all reconcile. I know this because a registered Republican and Bush supporter (who nevertheless believes elections should be fair) showed me. My company makes educational software that has better security. Computer security isn’t a Left-Right issue.
Back it up with solid documentation then.
You want me to believe you? PROVE IT I don’t give a piss in the wind what someone told you. BACK IT UP!
It always amazes me that people criticize Diebold. Hell, we don’t need Diebold.Never did. Diebold only came into the limelight when the liberals started bitching about bad ballots. You invent a problem then bitch about the solution. You would bitch if you were hung with a new rope!
Listen, when I vote w/ a simple paper ballot, I get a receipt and if anyone tries to change my ballot, it is IMMEDIATLY evident.
Just because some people are to stupid to be able to fill out a simple paper ballot doesn’t mean we need to overhaul the system.
It means that the democrat wards need to educate their voters in how to vote. After all, no one else had a problem with the ballots…
I’ll take up no more of Rick’s allotment with crap that should have been setteled years ago. Get over it Strawman, you sound like my kids when they were 3 years old.
3:43 pm
You are a see-sayer, Rick. May I kiss your ring?
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.
7:09 pm
Forgive me Rick….
Strawman,
I consider myself to be open minded.
So far you have offered a link to a filing, a website, and a newspaper article.
I will be researching the above and will post what I find, regardless of outcome, at http://fatherswatch.blogspot.com in days to come, in an effort to respond without continually posting here.
7:45 pm
Most of the liberals I know are not happy, they are deeply upset. But it still true that they blame Bush more than any other for this disaster, and they definately see this as an opportunity to damage the president. When the truth comes out about who really fumbled the relief effort it will be buried by the media. Nothing ever changes. I am so very sick of politics…
10:37 pm
Strawman doesn’t mean to offend but then proceeds to do just that. Name calling. Bush Bashing. Please, don’t descend into the gutter of irrationality that seems to come from the loudest and most media favored liberals by using all the derogatory repetitive language fostered by the lunatic far leftists. Because in amongst your rantings of the “Howard Dean Method for Winning Friends and Influencing People”, there are a number of valid points.
There is a large number of liberals who have joined in a mouth foaming feeding frenzy over a way to say President Bush is bad. The real truth is that while the few wild wooly loud-mouthed leftists who are salivating and dancing on the dead, the largest share of blame for maximizing damage belongs right in Louisiana and New Orleans. The governor failed to act, and is still crying about her duties, instead of just doing it. The mayor and his memorial for useless busses simply acted too slowly, then ran off to the safety of Baton Rouge to find leadership from the governor…... my, my, my, that would qualify as an oxymoron, wouldn’t ir??? Louisiana governor and leadership don’t belong in the same paragraph.
And I guess I am most disappointed by the police department where roughly two-thirds of the force deserted the sinking city, and are now to be rewarded with all-expense paid vacations because they have been so put upon. Please get off the blame gam for now. President Bush is the least to blame of all our elected or appointed and confirmed officials, unless you count the governor of Wisconsin who had absolutely no power to make any decisions or move any people, yet has opened up facilities to hous several hundred people. Max Power is 100% correct. The vast majority of Americans are deeply upset and saddened by the entire Katrina tragedy. It would be huge if the vast majorities of Americans would just tell the rabid salivating political panderists to Shut Up and Do Something. I don’t want to hear your b.s. until the job is done.
5:27 pm
I found your website because Rush mentioned this right-on article on his show. I would like to congratulate you as well. You nailed them
8:17 pm
Clearly, Rick, I don’t agree that those on the left have spent these last 2 weeks breaking out into impromptu celebrations over the tragedy unfolding on the gulf coast. For an increasing many, it’s just another indication of how ineffective this President is, and has been, in trying to accomplish the agenda determined for him before he was even elected by those who authored the PNAC agenda.
Now, the celebration in the admimistration over the events of 9/11/2001, which opened the door for the by the PNAC playbook invasion of Iraq, THAT administrative happy dance would’ve been worth seeing…
10:32 pm
I could not tear my eyes off of the news sources during the entire Katrina disaster. I reacted with absolute horror as day after day passed with no help. The thing you are unable to grasp about the vast majority of American “lefties” is that we fervently wish that we could trust the Bush administration and that the things that Bush says were true. This is part of the idealism of the liberal, to dream of a more open and honest governmnent.
Nothing turns my stomache more than to watch people die as Homeland Security blocks the Red Cross from reaching dying people, or FEMA stops WalMart from delivering water.
That outrage turned to anger and I found myself spouting an unprecedented amount of criticism of FEMA and Homeland Security and Bush’s horrendous appointees everywhere and anywhere that anyone would listen to me. I was filled with rage, and this was not a pleasant feeling. I do not enjoy feeling rage at watching the unbelievably inept government response to Katrina.
I very much appreciate your site, and I especially appreciate the Katrina timeline of events. That must have taken a long time. Don’t let your conservative paranoia cause you to accuse idealistic liberals of being sadists.
6:39 am
Idealistic liberals and conservatives have to adjust their conclusions as more and more facts are coming to light. There was no federal failure. What we knew as we were watching the tv coverage is not the same thing we know now.
The post from Alex Wall illustrates how someone can come to conclusions based on initial ‘facts’ and then refuse to adjust when the ‘facts’ are clarified as more information comes out.
Alex cites DHS as the reason the Red Cross was barred from NOLA. It was the STATE DHS that did so. The water trucks were needed more urgently elsewhere and were redirected. Wal-Mart itself stated such.
There is a Fog of War which is equally applicable to a disaster. Especially when communications are disrupted. Initial reports have no context which only appears later.
Bush has nothing to aplogize for. Except maybe his head wasn’t tilted to the proper degree.
It’s time for a total reassessment. We know why the superdome sufferers suffered and we also know that the convention center was on nobody’s radar until Wednesday night when the media picked up on it. The convention center was not listed in any of the disaster plans that the locals work from.
So it is no surprise that Brown and Chertoff didn’t know of the problems there until Thursday. The local agencies didn’t know of it either.
We know that now, we did not know it then.
So what does one do when the basis for initial conclusions changes? Change the conclusions.
Anybody who doesn’t adjust their thinking as new information becomes available is only a hack. And deserves all the criticism thrown at them.
7:31 am
Look, I have to admire the creator of the timeline.
But look at the facts. There is no fault to assign!
Yes, it could have been done better. But the last time this happened (1927) the government didn’t intervene at all, and over a hundred levees went then, not just two.
Do you really believe that anyone in that hellhole wasn’t trying their damndest to do what they could?
Next time, we will do much better. But there is no blame here now, most everyone did their best under the circumstances (The NOLA cops who quit rather than face the storm excepted. Unless someone can demonstrate they deliberately screwed up, thats all they can be expected to do.
8:51 am
[...] K!THE SUPERDOME AND CONVENTION CENTER: WHAT WENT WRONG?9/11: FROM NEWS, TO HISTORY, TO MYTH [...]
10:07 pm
Thank You
I recently recieved an email from one of our supporters. They were concerned that I don’t show enough appreciation to my supporters by linking to them more often. They wondered if all I care about is traffic. That is not the case. Traffic is…
3:07 am
Submitted for Your Approval
First off… any spambots reading this should immediately go here, here, here, and here. Die spambots, die! And now… here are all the links submitted by members of the Watcher’s Council for this week’s vote. Council li…
5:23 pm
Holy Guacamoli hahaha you have nailed them … great writing ..
8:13 am
Leonard Cohen has a question for those who witnessed 9/11 that seems appropriate for the Katrina fiasco:
“Did you go crazy, or did you report on the day they wounded New York?”
1:17 am
The Council Has Spoken!
First off… any spambots reading this should immediately go here, here, here, and here. Die spambots, die! And now… the winning entries in the Watcher’s Council vote for this week are Memorial to Millions of Dead Jews …