When George Bush's daughters show up either at an Army induction facility or a volunteer agency in the Gulf Coast, then we'll see if he is able to comprehend what his policies have wrought. If some of his family members were floating face down in the levee's backwash, his wife would whisper, "George, do something!". He should have known by now that all citizens are his "family."

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Let none of us forget what some of us are coming to find out as the horrifying scenes of human degeneration appear before us on television; there is alot of oil production going on in that area of the world. Why is this important? Well, just think of the development possibilities for an Haliburton sized infrastructure operation. The administration has said that it will be years before things resemble normalcy. Oh yeah, sure? Are the troops going to be there for years or are they going home next year sometime after a new government is reconstituted in Louisiana. I just picture new oil station development in the Gulf on a scale that will beg the question, where's all that money coming from? By the way don't forget to donate some cash. Bush/Cheney superfriends gang has got to be beaming about these developments. Salavation is probably the more appropriate word. Oh well, empty those pockets folks, or someone'll come to your home and do it for ya.

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The left in the this country are trying to turn this horrific event into a Bush burning exercise but are just wasting paper, electronic bits of data and their time. The truth is that this area, however historic, would be hard to protect under any circumstances. Even if it were true that levee money was diverted, it would have taken ten years to complete any projects related to improving the levees. So that myth won't pass the smell test. The real problem is the failure of local authorities. They failed to intitiate proper evacuation techniques in the face of what was a probable disaster. The evacuation was not mandatory except for a few parishes. That was not a good plan, and the governor should have stepped in and ordered an mandatory evacuation. Even now the state government appears helpless, not knowing what to do. Many mistakes were made in this democratic bastion and their allies are doing everything they can to divert attention away from that fact.

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Thank God for Molly Ivins. One hundred years from now, she'll be remembered as one of the few (and I mean very few) voices of reason in these crazy times. George W. Bush has gutted FEMA in order to give an obscene tax cut for the richest two percent and to pursue a course of utter destruction and chaos on a fool's errand in Iraq. The time has come for George W. Bush and Dick Cheney and the entire wave of human shit that makes up the Bush administration to be forcably removed from power. Write to your local representitive and demand that articles of impeachement be issued immediately. We cannot wait until the democrats take back power in 2007.
On that happy note....
Tom Degan
Goshen, NY
tomdegan@frontiernet.net

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America is on Candid Camera. The world is watching this and, from what I am hearing from friends abroad, the world is shocked at what they see. Looting, shooting, chaos. They wonder why during the Tsunami they saw all those people helping each other and working together, but in the country that proposes to be the greatest they see an every man for himself mentality.
But that aside, the blame for this must fall on the shoulders of Bush, et al. He took the money for the rebuilding of the levees to use on his illegal war in Irag. He has taken the National Guard and their equipment and sent them to Irag leaving these people vulnerable to the misery they now face. Bush needs to be held accountable - not for the work of Mother Nature, but for the aftermath his policies have caused.

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The reason I ask is because wouldnt it be the responsiblity of the state to provide improvements to the levees? I guess this is just another example of how liberals attack infrastructure of a community, and then blame the consequences of their actions on conservatives.
My opinion.....End all foreign aid NOW! End all subsidies to illegal aliens NOW! Our own citizens needs trump the needs of illegal aliens and other countries. Oh yeah, and abolishing welfare could free up quite a bit of money too.

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I have no doubt that Dubya is a moron. No doubt he is greedy and uncaring.

But now I question - Is he a racist too? Why else wouldn't he have sent the army(or some form of) in right away - I've heard them say because all the the troops are in Iraq, but that's b.s.

All I've seen on CNN is about 90% of the people are black (& poor - and yes, they didn't heed the warning, but how could you get out w/o transport or money?) and they're desparate. It's not "looting" if you take water and food for your family, it's survival. But I realize there are hoodlums there too, taking cigs & guns & booze - the few always spoil it for the many. But most people there have good hearts and deserved help on tuesday.

When Dubya came on the news with Clinton & senior at his side (to add SOME credibility) the smugness in his eyes was so obvious - What an asshole. I "read" people for a living, and I know his heart just doesn't care.

At least one good thing may occur - some of the borderline R's and non-extremists will see what kind of person he really is (finally!!) and maybe you can force him out now...early...the world can't wait til 2008!

I question; If this Hurricane hit Corpus Christi and other parts of Texas with the same level of destruction, what would the Federal response have been?

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I want everyone to know the kind of "person" Mississippi's Repub. gov., Haley Barbour, is. Having cut medicaid/medicare and gutted our education system among other egregious things... Thurs. nite on Larry King he said:

he didn't want people blaming anyone...there's a lot of finger-pointing.

Then he had the audacity to say that he had gotten on t.v. and "begged" everyone to evacuate on Sunday.
(ugh, I think that's indirectly blaming those that are trapped there now)

This remark topped it all:
He said, "I'm tired, but I did have a shower and slept in a bed lastnite and that puts me ahead of thousands of people in MS. "
What kind of "leader" is that?
What does that say about him as a "Christian?"
That last remark is the most callous, pompous, arrogant, thing I've ever heard from a person "in charge" of a state -- much less a state w/ hungry, thirsty, dirty, tired, homeless people!

When I had lunch in my air conditioned home Tues., I couldn't help but see the faces of my missing friends. I felt guilty.

I had 3 friends in Ocean Springs, MS trying to get out. Angie emailed at 2 p.m. Sun. saying " it's not good at all. everyone is freaking out!!!! It's too late to leave--the roads are horrible...so all we can do is hang on...no good."

So did Barbour imagine the magnitude of his plea for people to EVACUATE on SUNDAY AFTERNOON!! Millions of people suddenly hitting the 3 MAIN ROADS OUT- I-10 & 90 E./W. New Orleans/Mobile or 49 N. to Hattiesburg.

What PLAN was in place to handle the possibility of a major hurricane hitting our HIGHLY DEVELOPED, ECONOMICALLY STRONG COAST that also includED PORTS AND SHIP BUILDING!! And now our 'illustrious' admin. in Wash. is going to dismantle Keesler A.F. Base in Biloxi?? What the HELL are they thinking?!
Wait...THEY are NOT THINKING AT ALL!
It's all about 911 911 911 and terrorists terrorists terrorists!
I'm sick of hearing that over & over--sick of it!
I hold this country's admins.-present & past in Wash. as well as MS ACCOUNTABLE TO OUR PEOPLE.

Compassionate Conservatives my ass!!

Haley Barbour and Georgie Porgie need to wake up!! Their vision of money/power has tainted any common sense they might have had and certainly disoriented their sense of reality!!

Gara
MS

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Not you guys. The neocon ubernationalists/wealthy elite.

Compare what is happening with these few tidbits.

In 2001 Hurricane Michelle, a level-4 storm, hit with sustained 125-mile-per-hour winds and widespread floods hit Cuba, more than 700,000 people were evacuated. Only five Cubans lost their lives in the storm. In September 2004, Cuba endured Ivan, the fifth-largest hurricane ever to hit the Caribbean, with sustained winds of 124 miles per hour. Cuba evacuated almost 2 million people--more than 15 percent of the total population. No one was killed.

Venezuelan President Chavez has announced that Venezuela will be offering poor people discounted gas through its Citgo chain. He has also offered to send more than $1 million in oil, food, and and equipment to the region. In addition, the Venezuelan government is offering two mobile hospital units, each capable of assisting 150 people, 120 specialists in rescue operations, 10 water purifying plants, 18 electricity generators of 850 KW each, 20 tons of bottled water, and 50 tons of canned food.
A senior U.S. State Department official said he was not aware of the Venezuelan offer, and then dismissed it as "counterproductive."
As reported by ANSWER/IAC.

Must be more commie liberal extremist propaganda.

Why is the wealthiest nation in the world so unprepared for a hurricane? Why are we so responding so poorly?

Why as a previous poster put it, were peoples of other nations pulling together during national disasters and we are experiencing this, now?

The Cuban and Venezuelan models are far from perfect. But with them being as poor as they are how are they able to take care of their poorest people so well when the wealthiest of nations not only sets itself up for a disaster like this but also responds so poorly.
Proof is in the results. And the results are very telling.

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The money for the levy was diverted to Homeland Security. What did they do with it? They certainly didn't spend any on planning. Half of my family lives in New Orleans and Gulfport and I am very angry about this lack of response. I have to agree with the earlier poster who said if this had happened in Corpus Christi, there would have been a greater response. The thing that opens my eyes the most is what if this was a terrorist attack with a dirty bomb? If they can't handle this with two or three days of notice (the storm didn't appear out of thin air), what would happen if a dirty bomb went off in Houston? Anarchy, chaos, death and destruction, that’s what would happen. It makes me feel warm inside that our taxes are being wasted so efficiently.

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The levees are under the jurisdiction of the U.S Army Corps of Engineers. They are a federal organization. On another thread a conservative blogger wrote that the SELA funding was "pork". My definition of "pork" is a $250 million Alaskan bridge to no where. Bush's cuts to wetland protection,SELA and the Lake Pontchartrain project have deepened the crisis and misery. That is undeniable.
Congress returned from recess on 1 day's notice to pass an unconstitutional law for 1 brain dead individual. Let Americans compare and contrast their behavior then to today's national emergency where 10s of 1000s are in immediate peril. When exactly did the Speaker Of The House and the Senate Majority Leader convene their respective chambers? If you support the current leadership expect more of the same governance.
The whole world is watching.

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Whether they are perfect or not, the government of these countries actually tries to help their people. By way of contrast, it seems the US govt. is focusing more on plans for their own personal gain (and that of their buddies) at all costs. Thanks for the point of comparison.

Red Jenny

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...that most of these hurting, dying people voted for the Scumbag that sits with his thumb up his ass in the big WHITE house!

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I think those poor folks left behind in New Orleans are getting a confirmation of what they already suspected; that the rich and powerful don't care much about whether the poor live or die.

Sure, now that the wind and rain are gone and the cameras are rolling, all the polititians are squawkin' for the idiot box, capitalizing on the moment. I don't doubt for a second that if they could get away with doing less, they would do less.

Here's a major humanitarian crisis and all I'm hearing is stories about looting and rape from authorities. The right wingers are up in arms about private property and there's old ladies laying around dead in wheelchairs. These people were left for dead, plain and simple.

You might as well leave New Orleans under the swamp as a testament to the rot of your so-called democracy.

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There's plenty of finger pointing to go around - the Army Corps of Engineers has been asking for levee money for decades. What's really the concern is what's going on right now. And what no one wants to say is that this is because these are the poor of America. Where were the evacuation buses on Thursday BEFORE Katrina? The government (local, state & federal) knew the path of this hurricane. And who was in the way? The poor, the sick, and the elderly population of the Gulf states. Those without and without a voice. And still here in 2005, I believe that race is playing a part as well. It's embarrassing that this country can't (or won't) protect its own people. I am devastated. What must the rest of the world think of us now?

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How is it, "CaptainMarvel", that you don't see that YOU also are attacking partisanly and slinging mud? "Our" people? Who exactly are you talking about when you say "our" people in one sentence than call Liberals a liability in the next? Last time I checked we were all American - from the most leftist liberal to the most fascist conservative. And being American I am entitled to follow whatever political line I choose, as are you. You sir, are entitled to your opinion, but not your own set of facts - not that you've provided any to support your opinions.

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Hey captain, I have another one for you. It used to get kicked around a lot in religious circles. It goes something like this: Do you know what Puritanism is? It is the fear that someone, somewhere is having fun. It your case it goes like this: It is the fear that someone, somewhere, whom is black and lazy, is getting your tax money.

This welfare line is one that was parlayed into fact right around the time Voodoo economics was given credence by rich folks convincing poor folks that the source of evil was the other poor folks around them, not the rich folks given tax breaks that were supposed to magically filter through the pockets of these good rich people into the hands of the poor via job creation and a whole myriad of voodoo that would magically lead to wealth for all if we just let the rich people off the hook for taxes and responsibility for their actions via deregulation.

The next time you are stuck over in the slow lane with the rest of us that can’t get out of town, take a look at those that can. Which one are you?

Then ask yourself a simple question. If you cannot stand to spend money on welfare recipients because it pisses you off that people rip it off, how can you stand to pay for ignoring it in the first place, after the flood.

Anyone that looks at these things can see that 71 million dollars spent a year ago could have prevented a levee breach, and could have supported a continued effort to fix a problem that must be dealt with as it lies. On the other hand consider what it will cost you now. Now consider what the human cost is and how it will affect you. Do you really want all those bad, lazy, welfare recipients living in your neighborhood?

If you are really so naïve as to believe that welfare money is going to break the bank, consider it in real Republican terms; How long before these folks realize that they have been “Bushwacked” as Molly would say. This is not really partisan; it is just a game played with people and money, and you my friend are a pawn, just like the rest of us.

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Where has all our money gone? Homeland Security Department? FEMA? Who are they but names of groups who take our money and write policies and give speeches and get little or nothing done. Our money and National Guard troops are in Iraq. We need them home to "keep our soil safe from terror." The response to the catastrophic events in the Gulf Coast and especially New Orleans is a dismal failure. This event shows us clearly that our federal government is incapable of keeping us safe or helping us out after emergency situations. It is time to clean house and the first to go should be FEMA Director Michael Brown for his total disregard for human life. THe Homeland Security Department and every agency under it should be investigated to get rid of incompetent people and direct the billions of dollars needed to true emergency preparedness programs. President Bush and his entire administration should be ashamed of the way our government acted prior to the hurricane hitting the Gulf Coast and the response to that disaster.

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Can we finally admit that Capitalism as an economic system is a miserable failure when it comes to the "give a sshit" quotient? That the government cares about property above life comes as no surprise to those of us who have been pushing socialism for years. I hate to say it, but it doesn't matter one jot who is in what office. Whether it is mr. incompetent (and by the way, he's only incompetent in protecting people -- he's plenty competent when it comes to making his constituents, the monied, more money), or whether it is tweedle dee, tweedle dumber, or tweedle dee dee, does not matter. So long as this nation sees capitalism as legitimate, the government will be in place ONLY to ensure that the rich remain rich.

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After watching the news again today I really feel compelled to call local corporations and beg them to give generously... I can only give so much personally, but maybe making a few well-placed calls can do even more to help? A friend with relatives in NO is trying a fundraising technique here in Seattle this weekend - gathering up women to 'flash' their breasts for a $10 donation for Katrina victims in NO fashion -seems crass, but 'desperate times'.... I know many women who would do this to help!

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did you see on MSNBC a picture of bush, clinton and the elder bush who will be putting on a benefit to raise money to help? this is nice but what do we pay frigging taxes for? why is the government not paying for all of this mess?

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from:
FOX NEWS HUME & FRIENDS TRANSCRIPT RE: HORROR IN LA. AND MISSISSIPPI
August 30, 2005
Fred Barnes to Katrina Victims: Drop Dead

"Fred Barnes, who supports throwing endless amounts of taxpayers' money down the rat hole called the Iraq War, says the federal government should stop providing disaster aid to places like New Orleans when they suffer hurricane damage.

Barnes, speaking on "Special Report with Brit Hume" on Monday (August 29), said people who move into such areas should assume the risk themselves rather than expect help from Congress. "
to read the transcript w/remarks:
www.congress.org/congressorg/
issues/alert/?alertid=7983156
&content_dir=ua_congressorg

I suppose because I live in an area that has chances for tornadoes in the spring and then again in November (usually the week of Thanksgiving) I should move my ass to somewhere else!!!??? What the hell is wrong w/people these days! That asshole has his own house in Florida! Shouldn't he move on outa there????

please note: I had to space the link on seperate lines because it was too long for this site to let me use.

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I have only gotten glimpses of the small cities and townships of the southeastern coast of Louisiana and have heard that there is not much left out there. How are the people in that area. I have not seen any close photos but have heard that it is very very bad.

Does anyone have any information?

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...if the 'big one' were to hit California right now, or another major hurricane hit some other part of the coast, or any other major natural disaster for that matter. This country would fall apart at the seams. You can't cut taxes for the rich, unilaterally execute policies that involve more than one party, subsidize big business, spend billions in foreign aid, gut domestic agencies tasked for preparedness, indefinitely ignore science and the experts of their warnings, take a gamble and occupy a country in hopes of big returns to the tune of billions per week, blame state and local authorities for shortfalls, ignore dilapidating infrastructure, and not expect it to bit you in the ass someday. When New Orleans is under control…it is time to start the impeachment process. I think enough people are starting to realize that a mistake was made in November of 2004.

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I think it is too, too late to point fingers at Bushivec and Chenekov and their oil crooks now. We "borderline normal" folk knew they and their cronies were idiots when the ring-wing nuts and dolts (errrr, I mean....bolts), the evangelicals, and the televangelistic lemmings voted them into office! Heck, we've known that for 4.5+ years now.
Well, you ring-wingnuts and dolts (errrr, I mean....bolts), the evangelicals, and televangelistic lemmings...you got what you asked for. Happy swimming to ya!!!
On a more serious note (and I WAS serious, above), my heart cries for the victims of this hurricane disaster. I have donated and am willing to house people who want to start their lives over up here.
Just e-mail me at dakotahgeo@hotmail,com but PLEASE...no christian bigots and/or evangelicals...they most assuredly...can save themselves!
Pastor Dak!

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Lets look at budgetary allocation. When the Army Corps of Engineers requested 104 million to fix the levy and flood response effort for New Orleans, the Bush adminsitrations had the funds axed to approximatley half of the requested amount. At the same time 200+ million was allocated to build a bridge in Alaska to an uninhabited island. We have to look at what these guys are doing to us and hold them accountable. Special interest is selling our welfare to their rich buddies. The Alaskan legislators hold positions as the chairman of DOT and senior position in the House Appropriations Committee thus the beneficial alllocation. Are we going to let the good old boys take away the future of our children?

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The "every man for himself" mentality is built into capitalism and is exacerbated by the social Darwinism this administration has been pushing for the last four years. Also, the lack of federal response to the disaster on the gulf coast is in part because the Bush administration believes that government should have no role in its people's affairs – except for making war and securing resources for itself. It's lucky that the Bush administration responded AT ALL. (I am also now convinced that George Bush has absolutely no capacity for empathy or even understanding of the suffering of others – one of the telltale signs of a sociopath.)

9/11 was not a true test of Mr. Bush's character, because it was an obvious attack with an obvious cause (at least from what they want us to believe), to which anyone above a grade-B moron would know how to respond. It gave Bush a chance to play Warrior – something he wasn't very good at in the real military – and a shell-shocked people followed. (The result? Our National Guard hunkered down with their command and materiel in Iraq, 10,000 miles from where they're needed now.)

The disaster in the gulf is a better test: no enemy for the "Shootout at the O.K. Corral," but rather a disaster that requires REAL decisiveness, REAL rapid response, and REAL rapid coordination of services to save lives. And so far, Mr. Bush and his administration of thugs and cretins has failed the test.

The new reality of the greatest nation on earth, the message that both the ideology of the last four years and the piss-poor response to Hurricane Katrina sends to us is: "you're on your own" – which begs the question: if a society (or government) does not exist for the security and benefit of all of its people, then just what in hell is it good for?

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If this event doesn't generate a hurricane of lawsuits, then this is no longer the U.S. of A. I bet the housing shortage will be exacerbated by all the lawyers moving to the area. If they can put our corrupt officials in Washington behind bars, then for once I'm all for the lawyers.

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Government's job is to look at the long-term. Unfortunately, business's job is today's bottom line. Those are not quite that sharply divided in reality, but it is a difference.

When business runs (buys?) the government, it can switch those priorities. That's the real Republican platform. Since Reagan that's what they've done, because they truly do believe that what is good for business is good for the US.

Since they peddle their business products with clever adverts and we, Americans, have been trained to respond as the merchandisers want, we also have bought the adverts for government as just another big business.

Well, let's see them privatize the clean-up. Why didn't the free market sell levies before the sea came crashing in? They don't trust government, even when no one else can do the job. Enough backbiting and Monday morning quarterbacking. We need good government not no government.

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please go to:
http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/

If you would like to see pictures and find info on my home state's losses The Sun Herald paper in Biloxi is an excellent source.
I don't know where in Biloxi their office is (since destruction there was so immense) but they have relentlessly kept this paper going online with postings going on all the time. They deserve a medal!!

Help to my state has been extremely slow in coming. The response to Mississippi has been pathetic! But then we seem to always be first in bad stuff and last for good stuff.

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I was watching PBS last night and saw one of the LA officials state that she had asked for 40k troops at a minimum to return order and services to New Orleans. That's about 1/4 or so the number of troops that we have in all of Iraq. New Orleans residents speak English and, presumably, are interested in working with the government to get things back to normal. So if New Orleans needs that many people to get things back on track, how is it that someone thought the number of troops in Iraq were enough to provide security?

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As seen at 10:30 p.m. Sept. 2, 2005, posted by an ex-pat in Salzburg, Austria

Our President’s Cosseted Sensibilities

I just wanted to let Americans at home know that, on an Austrian news special tonight covering the U.S. hurricane disaster area, the Austrian foreign correspondent reporting from Biloxi, MS stated that he witnessed a massive “window-dressing” (*) effort there for Pres. Bush’s convoy today {(*) the reporter’s word choice; he said he borrowed the term from the locals}.

He reported that along certain streets a huge clean-up was suddenly undertaken. American flags were hung out, even a woman carrying a baby suddenly appeared on the scene, aimlessly walking around (he said she later disappeared as quickly and inexplicably as she’d arrived).

The news crews asked what was going on, and they were told that President Bush was on his way through the area. The Austrian correspondent said the depth of cynicism represented by this spot-cleaning action is nothing short of appalling and I heartily agree. He pointed off camera, saying that not 500 meters away (but safely out of the president’s sight) a pile of human corpses is rotting in the hot sun. In short, Bush took stock of a disaster area that someone in charge decreed couldn’t be allowed to look like a disaster area, and this travesty was performed for George W. Bush and only for his sake.

As those interviewed complained (and footage showed), the presidential convoy consisted of range rovers sufficiently large enough to have carried at least some water or food for those in such dire need. But the convoy distributed nothing to the people along this prettified route; it zoomed through without stopping.

The reporter also stated categorically that he was seeing help and clean up efforts being undertaken only in the wealthier, coastal zones of Biloxi so far. Just a few meters inland, where the have-nots (used to) live… “nothing”. (At this point, the satellite connection to the correspondent was lost.) Can anyone confirm these reports?

Beth Jones, Salzburg and Iowa, USA

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(Continued from Salzburg)

If I had to give this catastrophe at least a somewhat optimistic spin, I’d speculate that high gasoline prices could have an indirect benefit, meaning Americans might now, finally, begin to conserve energy instead of indulging our usual, good-to-the-last-drop, “What, me walk 50 yards?!” consumption. A surge in interest and R&D regarding alternative energy technology could occur. (And why not? Experimental models of "plug-in" hybrids are already getting up to 250 mpg.)

However, I think a short-sighted, GOP-heavy Congress will (through the upcoming budget reconciliation bill) instead allow the oil industry to have its filthy way with irreplaceable wildernesses like the Arctic Refuge, as well as allow drilling offshore from tourist meccas in e.g. Florida. They’ll claim this will be “necessary” in order to offset the rigs temporarily offline in the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane Katrina is a godsend for those who support the drilling measure targeting the ANWR (furtively, illegitimately tucked into the budget by poli-pals of the oil industry to keep it from fairly losing (yet) another up/down vote before the full House/Senate.) I’m betting the reconciliation bill will be passed with nary a thought for the environmental consequences, despite the fact that the ANWR holds a mere pittance of petroleum which would not be available for seven to ten years, not to mention that the majority of Americans (incl. Alaskans) have consistently opposed this greed-based folly.

The matter will be pushed off the radar by the (absolutely appropriate) need to tack on billions of aid for the storm-ravaged areas and only (too late) will we hear that, oh yeah, sorry, we ‘have to’ destroy our last, best, true wilderness in search of more oil that wouldn’t be needed at all if we would merely require S.U.V.'s to meet the same fuel economy standards as ordinary cars (the savings: one million barrels a day, more than the Arctic Refuge could produce at peak volume -- again, about 10 years from now).

And meanwhile… as our poverty-stricken brethren die of thirst and lack of medicine in the southern swelter, some of our hyper-“christian” citizens have seen fit to declare that Katrina is God’s way of telling New Orleans that they shouldn’t have been hosting homosexuals and other partying sinners all these years. (Who is really in need of repentance here?)

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Bush and the religious right see the righteousness of God's decimation of New Orleans, the city of sin.

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I wonder how the world would respond is this disaster happened in Europe or England ? I would put money on it that regardless of who they were or what their economic status was, there would be planes, helicopters, food, etc being delivered immediately. They would be banding together to help each other out.
I live in Australia. We are known for raising funds within the community quickly for overseas disasters. We don't wait for our Government to contribute assistance, and criticise our Government when they don't respond quickly to provide aid.

The interesting thing I"ve noticed is that no-one here is raising money to assist your country. I realise that our Government has offered assistance which has been declined by your Government. So, our Government is providing a paltry $10 million to the Red Cross.

Perhaps others here feel the same way that I do. It's a mess that you've got there. And, it's time that the people of the richest country in the world, with the highest poverty level, infant mortality rate, deaths by perscribed drugs, gun related deaths, etc, of any developed country in the world, started to shift it's priorities and started to help it's comunities.

And, for those of you who want your Government to stop aid to other countries, I want you to know that you guys also contribute the least from any developed country in real aid. Most of that money which is called " aid " is used to keep dictators in place in order to support US Corporations.

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What an ambarassment!!! Bush should be recalled. He should resign. This mess was easily predicted. Policy breakdown, the United States has long stopped being a civilized society. George - your tax breaks for the rich and corporated world and your fraudalent war has a huge human cost. The United States of America has now been exposed to the rest of the world - the worse example of how to ran a civil country. United States the richiest country in the world but looks like a third world nation. Serve the rich and the hell with the rest.

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I am glad you made this point. I hope this disaster causes everyone who was not politically involved before to get involved now.
I also like how you talked about the environmental reasons for this disaster. If you think about it on a holistic, organic scale, cities need to be built in accordance with the landscape. Destroying the natural ecosystem will result in chaos. I know nothing about New Orleans, but I would venture a guess that it was not built in accordance with its natural surrounding, was not built on principles of 'green design'.
It is hard to talk about the future when the present is so tragic. But one would hope that when it comes to rebuilding the city, that environmental concerns will be taken into account on all levels.

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What do you suppose the people of the world are thinking now?

How about the ones in France that Bush et al. called cheese eating surrender monkeys? Do you think that they are predisposed to help or to laugh?

How about the tsunami victims who saw Bush begrudgingly offer them 9 cents per American? Empathy or Schadenfreude? (See http://www.juancole.com/2004/ 12/bush-and-tsunami-transcript-of.html (close the space between "2004/" and "12/bush" after cutting and pasting.

Imagine how much the Commander-in-Chimp has cost the disaster victims just in this way apart from his pissing away funds, manpower and other resources in distant deserts. This is a stunningly stupid man who has cost Americans much more than they are likely to ever know.

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I was watching the BBC 7pm news here in Australia. The BBC camera crew were were in Texas, showing the people who had been evacuated. Then. there was a voice broadcast with Sean Kelly who is in comand of the Northern Defence Team. He was describing how they had anticipated massive devastation, and there were helicopters & some ships following behind the storm.
When the interveiwer asked, " Why did it take you guys so long to act? Why did it take so long before you did anything ? " ...or words to that effect, Sean said,.....
" We can't just go ahead and act. We need to be prepared, and we were. But, we can only act when we have the go-ahead from the President "
WOW ** So what took him so long to give the Northern Defence the go-ahead ?
I think that you guys better ask him. I don't know if you have access to the BBC new, but there may be a transcript of the interview on www.BBCnews.com.

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Will the South continue to vote GOP after all this ignorant, self-righteous betrayal?

… and meanwhile the shareholders in Bush/Cheney’s Kill & Drill Inc. will continue to rake in the fat profits of their no-bid, Iraqi reconstruction contracts … Cheney's Halliburton… its subsidiary Kellogg, Brown and Root… Bush-friendly Bechtel… the Carlyle Group (one of the largest weapons manufacturers in the U.S., its investors include G.W. Bush's father, George H. W. Bush, and James Baker, G.W.’s Florida recount chairman & his right-hand man for the Middle East)

… and meanwhile these same warmongers will continue to incessantly remind us to fear “terrists” to keep us from noticing that the call to arms we most need to heed is the one to save our planet from our own short-sighted, wasteful greed.

I’ve been calling for the impeachment of BOTH Bush & Cheney since their dubious regime began. Then came the illegal invasion of Iraq, the Downing Street Minutes … will Katrina’s aftermath drive the American people and Congress to finally speak truth to the power(mad), including the lazy media?

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In 1964 when Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, he turned to an aide and said, "We [the Democrats] have just lost the south for a generation". He was right. Here's a prediction: As a result of this administration's mishandling of Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, for the first time in a generation the "solid south" will go Democratic in 2008.
Tom Degan
Goshen, NY

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Just out of curiousity, when we talk about the Cost of the war in/occupation of Iraq, usually rhetoric of circa 200 billion US dollars, has anyone thought about the interest we must pay on this $200 billion, (I figure about 35 percent), which actually puts us at around 350 billion dollars, not to mention figuring back into this number the cost of directing all of this money out of the US economy in the first place. My guess (and sorry but I failed Algebra like five times in high school) is that we are looking at more like 600 billion dollars. Can anyone help me out with this?

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What the hell happened w/FEMA and HOMELAND SECURITY and the ability to continue communications during and after a castastrophe?????

What were they thinking about?
What were they spending our money on???
Where are the satelite communications in all this mess?

The news and weather channel people got in and they are communicating to us... and FEMA/ Nat. Guard/ etc. are having problems communicating amongst themselves????

Last I heard (lastnite via a WEATHER CHANNEL person in Biloxi) Red Cross was there, but people who need them don't even know it--and if they did, how would they get there??!!
Walk for miles, I guess, since Red Cross seems to only be in one location there.

Talk about 'communication breakdown'!! Add lack of co-ordinated response and direct help w/food and water on the ground on MS gulf coast areas and you've got a real mess on top of devastation!

MS resident

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Participatory Democracy! What a novel idea! ... Or as Leonard Cohen put it ... "Democracy is coming to the USA"

(Excerpt from "Democracy" by L. Cohen.)
It's coming through a hole in the air,
from those nights in Tiananmen Square.
It's coming from the feel
that this ain't exactly real,
or it's real, but it ain't exactly there.
From the wars against disorder,
from the sirens night and day,
from the fires of the homeless,
from the ashes of the gay:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.
[…]
It's coming from the silence
on the dock of the bay,
from the brave, the bold, the battered
heart of Chevrolet:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

It's coming from the sorrow in the street,
the holy places where the races meet;
from the homicidal bitchin'
that goes down in every kitchen
to determine who will serve and who will eat.
From the wells of disappointment
where the women kneel to pray
for the grace of God in the desert here
and the desert far away:
Democracy is coming to the U.S.A.

Sail on, sail on
O mighty Ship of State!
To the Shores of Need
Past the Reefs of Greed
Through the Squalls of Hate
Sail on, sail on, sail on, sail on.

Snerd

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"I am absolutely disgusted," said Sajeewa Chinthaka, 36, watching a cricket match in Colombo, Sri Lanka, according to the Reuters news agency. "After the tsunami, our people, even the ones who lost everything, wanted to help the others who were suffering. Not a single tourist caught in the tsunami was mugged. Now with all this happening in the U.S., we can easily see where the civilized part of the world's population is."

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YOu are kidding about the Southern Vote being able to keep Bush out of Government next time,.....arn't you ?
Heck....seeing as most of the people who live there are poor & coloured, the Republicans will just pull another " hat trick " . The same as they did in Florida, and brother Jeb disqualified anyone who had any sort of an offence from voting. Naturally,....most of those who's vote was disqualified were coloured people.

So,....if they start voting Democrat in this area, with those shonky voting machines again,....even if 80% of the couloured people voted Democrat, the laws would suddenly be changed to disqualify them & their vote wouldn't be counted.

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Again Molly has been able to express the outrage and frustration that I feel in this Hurricane Katrina disaster. What I do not understand is why still too many want to support Bush and Company now that we all have to bear the brunt of another of their crises.

It is all to obvious that no one in the Bush administration is willing to shoulder any of the blame. Anyone who has been watching the live coverage on CNN, MSNBC, even FOX, for the past week knows what is happening. Then to hear the administration's spokesmen (especially Michael Brown of FEMA and the head of Homeland Security) claim that they did not appreciate, or even know, how chaotic it was in New Orleans and elsewhere?!?! Well from my point of view we need to finally tell Bush and company to pack it in. This nation simply can no longer tolerate another example of their ineptitude.

Finally, DO NOT blame the Mayor New Orleans. Since late Tuesday, he has been pleading with anyone who would listen to bring in aid ASAP. Some claim that neither he nor the Governor had ASKED for aid, what this means that they had apparently failed follow the proper beaurecratic procedure. Give me a break, these are one of the times that beaucracy must be abandoned. Take off the rose colored glasses...the rest of the world is watching!

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The truth was simple and apparent to all. If journalists were there with cameras beaming the suffering live across America, where were the officers and troops?

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Perhaps for the first time in years, the press were actually free to report what is going on in your country, and not embeded in with the military. If our reporters were able to go in with cameras and report to Australia what was going on, as well as locate & rescue 40 Australian tourists, then I ask you, what the f....... was your president doing by not ordering your reserve troops to go into the area.
Last night on 60 minutes police were interveiwed, saying that they wouldn't have stopped anyone looting, as the survivors were searching for food and water. Where were the air-drops of supplies ??. Our press said that it was worse than what they'd seen in Haiti. And, that's saying something. A pox on you Bush !!

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I forgot to add the site for the 60 minutes transcript. Go to www.ninemsn.com which will take you to the transcript. Also, go to www.tomdispatch.com which will tell you what where Bush went when he heard about this disaster. On this site, you will find the report that was compiled in 2004 of predicting this event.

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I am just wondering why, despite massive budget cuts, the Army Corps of Engineers has been able to continue rebuilding the beaches off northern New Jersey these last few years. Besides being an ecological disaster, this project costs millions of dollars, is undone to a large extent every time a major storm hits and involves beaches where access is restricted to the public (expensive beach clubs and private homes). Why are private beaches given higher priority than the survival of an entire city? Does anyone know of other similar projects being carried out by the Army Corps of Engineers?

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I am a liberal and a Canadian and I am secure that what we are seeing would not happen here...open your eyes and do some serious evaluation of your leadership before you have to fence yourselves in from the rest of the world who still has the help one another philosophy....my taxes may be high but I do not fear banckruptcy when I am ill, all children have equal access to university, our government is strong and we have a surplus budget and I can go on and on...America is great and its people are amazing but they are allowing themselves to be led by an evil group supported by groups clouded by self serving interests...your government justifies its existant by the demonization of others and the ignorance of few...there is a fictional book written in 1991 called the Illuminati and if there is any doubt about what is being perpetrated within the US upon decent Americans then read this book which is an amazing, although fictional, parallel to today's America...recently I spent 3 months in Britain and Europe and I met an incredible American lady...when she was departing by train she looked at me and asked almost timidly.."why does the world hate us so much, we do so much for everyone"...I could not answer her but I knew deep down that it is the government the world sees and this is where the hate comes from...a sad reality?...of course and it is a reality you all better recognize before it is too late.

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1. The problems of subsidence and watershed deterioration of the LA/MS coasts have for many, many, many years been largely ignored by the Feds. In addition to only planning for up to a Cat3 hurricane regarding flooding and levee damage. The lack of addressing these issues did not begin with the current administration, but obviously was not properly corrected by it either.
2. Hurricanes are a GAMBLE. They may or may not be severe and they may or may not come your way. It’s expensive, and time consuming, and life unsettling to evacuate every time one comes in. For that reason, local and state officials do not take Mandatory Evacuations lightly. When they do issue those orders, it’s time to go.
3. However, many folks, as evidenced by the significant number of non-evacuees in the Katrina situation, CHOOSE to stay and not go. Many of these are thrill seekers who stay because they want the experience; many are old-timers who’ve ridden out hurricanes in the past, and just think they’re bullet proof; some just don’t want to go to the inconvenience – they choose to take the gamble. Another small minority are truly lacking in the means, for one reason or another.
4. Even now, with e-coli in the water, many residents are REFUSING to leave.
5. I’ve witnessed so many people on TV - middle class, educated, affluent looking people - in the last week with the same similar story: ‘My 94 year-old father/mother who lives alone in NO is there without food and water and is starving. He/she has a heart condition and is a diabetic, etc, etc, etc.’ It’s heart breaking….. My question to these folks is “Why the Hell was your 94 year-old parent with all of these medical problems living alone anywhere? Where are YOU and what is YOUR responsibility in this situation? This is YOUR parent. When you saw a Cat5 hurricane heading for where ever your parent was living, what did YOU do to get them out of harm’s way? “
6. We have become a total Entitlement Mentality oriented society – not wanting to look after our own but expecting the government to do it. Other nations citizens – Cuba, Carribean Isle countries, Bangladesh, sunammi victims – very poor nations – all know how to help themselves when disaster hits while Americans sit on their butts and whine and cry out “Help me, governmental agencies”.

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Let's remember that the tax cuts--a couple trillion dollars--will result in massive cuts to social programs, infrastructure, education, and other basic needs. The wealthy class doesn't want to pay any longer, but it seems the hurricanes don't distingush between Trent Lott's house and a shack.

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It serves no purpose continuing to reiterate the fact that the world is watching The South at the moment. Nor is there any point in repeating how disgusted and demoralised people feel while watching and listening to multiple stories of 'hell on earth' in the Gulf states.
But what is worth mentioning is the way westerners feel when we have time to reflect on the happenings in southern North America.
Regardless of the treatment handed out to enemies of the west in the Arabian Peninsula, there was alwas the sneaking feeling that in the end, western interests were being looked after,and THAT couldn't happen here.
We knew that oil IS STILL a bloody improrant commodity, and America is the best agent to act for the West in that region.
But, it seems that a day in the life and death of New Orleans has changed so much.
Who now, in the West, can feel certain that our governments will be able to, or even want to, help us if we are hit by terrorists? New Orleans was given warnings that no terrorist group would, or will, EVER give. The federal government had prepared for years to off-set the disasterous ramifications of a mass-exodus.
And Yet?????
Where do the millions and billions go, invested in providing succour, safety, and providence for displaced populations after a catastrophic happening?
If America can't do it, then we in the West are F***ed!!!

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