(OT) United States of Shame

New York Times
September 3, 2005


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United States of Shame

By MAUREEN DOWD



Stuff happens.



And when you combine limited government with incompetent government, lethal
stuff happens.



America is once more plunged into a snake pit of anarchy, death, looting,
raping, marauding thugs, suffering innocents, a shattered infrastructure, a
gutted police force, insufficient troop levels and criminally negligent
government planning. But this time it's happening in America.



W. drove his budget-cutting Chevy to the levee, and it wasn't dry. Bye, bye,
American lives. "I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees,"
he told Diane Sawyer.



Shirt-sleeves rolled up, W. finally landed in Hell yesterday and chuckled
about his wild boozing days in "the great city" of N'Awlins. He was clearly
moved. "You know, I'm going to fly out of here in a minute," he said on the
runway at the New Orleans International Airport, "but I want you to know
that I'm not going to forget what I've seen." Out of the cameras' range, and
avoided by W., was a convoy of thousands of sick and dying people, some
sprawled on the floor or dumped on baggage carousels at a makeshift M*A*S*H
unit inside the terminal.



Why does this self-styled "can do" president always lapse into such lame
"who could have known?" excuses.



Who on earth could have known that Osama bin Laden wanted to attack us by
flying planes into buildings? Any official who bothered to read the trellis
of pre-9/11 intelligence briefs.



Who on earth could have known that an American invasion of Iraq would spawn
a brutal insurgency, terrorist recruiting boom and possible civil war? Any
official who bothered to read the C.I.A.'s prewar reports.



Who on earth could have known that New Orleans's sinking levees were at risk
from a strong hurricane? Anybody who bothered to read the endless warnings
over the years about the Big Easy's uneasy fishbowl.



In June 2004, Walter Maestri, emergency management chief for Jefferson
Parish, fretted to The Times-Picayune in New Orleans: "It appears that the
money has been moved in the president's budget to handle homeland security
and the war in Iraq, and I suppose that's the price we pay. Nobody locally
is happy that the levees can't be finished, and we are doing everything we
can to make the case that this is a security issue for us."



Not only was the money depleted by the Bush folly in Iraq; 30 percent of the
National Guard and about half its equipment are in Iraq.



Ron Fournier of The Associated Press reported that the Army Corps of
Engineers asked for $105 million for hurricane and flood programs in New
Orleans last year. The White House carved it to about $40 million. But
President Bush and Congress agreed to a $286.4 billion pork-filled highway
bill with 6,000 pet projects, including a $231 million bridge for a small,
uninhabited Alaskan island.



Just last year, Federal Emergency Management Agency officials practiced how
they would respond to a fake hurricane that caused floods and stranded New
Orleans residents. Imagine the feeble FEMA's response to Katrina if they had
not prepared.



Michael Brown, the blithering idiot in charge of FEMA - a job he trained for
by running something called the International Arabian Horse Association -
admitted he didn't know until Thursday that there were 15,000 desperate,
dehydrated, hungry, angry, dying victims of Katrina in the New Orleans
Convention Center.



Was he sacked instantly? No, our tone-deaf president hailed him in Mobile,
Ala., yesterday: "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."



It would be one thing if President Bush and his inner circle - Dick Cheney
was vacationing in Wyoming; Condi Rice was shoe shopping at Ferragamo's on
Fifth Avenue and attended "Spamalot" before bloggers chased her back to
Washington; and Andy Card was off in Maine - lacked empathy but could get
the job done. But it is a chilling lack of empathy combined with a stunning
lack of efficiency that could make this administration implode.



When the president and vice president rashly shook off our allies and our
respect for international law to pursue a war built on lies, when they
sanctioned torture, they shook the faith of the world in American ideals.



When they were deaf for so long to the horrific misery and cries for help of
the victims in New Orleans - most of them poor and black, like those stuck
at the back of the evacuation line yesterday while 700 guests and employees
of the Hyatt Hotel were bused out first - they shook the faith of all
Americans in American ideals.



And made us ashamed.



Who are we if we can't take care of our own?



E-mail:

Pat wrote:

Shirt-sleeves rolled up, W. finally landed in Hell yesterday and chuckled
about his wild boozing days in "the great city" of N'Awlins. He was clearly
moved. "You know, I'm going to fly out of here in a minute," he said on the
runway at the New Orleans International Airport, "but I want you to know
that I'm not going to forget what I've seen." Out of the cameras' range, and
avoided by W., was a convoy of thousands of sick and dying people, some
sprawled on the floor or dumped on baggage carousels at a makeshift M*A*S*H
unit inside the terminal.

Why does this self-styled "can do" president always lapse into such lame
"who could have known?" excuses.

"The chimpanzee wore a little blue blazer with brass buttons, and with
the seal of the President of the United States sewed to the breast
pocket....Everywhere he went, bands would play 'Hail to the Chief.'
The chimpanzee loved it. He would bounce up and down." - Kurt Vonnegut

Candace

Candace wrote:
Pat wrote:

Shirt-sleeves rolled up, W. finally landed in Hell yesterday and
chuckled about his wild boozing days in "the great city" of
N'Awlins. He was clearly moved. "You know, I'm going to fly out of
here in a minute," he said on the runway at the New Orleans
International Airport, "but I want you to know that I'm not going to
forget what I've seen." Out of the cameras' range, and avoided by
W., was a convoy of thousands of sick and dying people, some
sprawled on the floor or dumped on baggage carousels at a makeshift
M*A*S*H unit inside the terminal.

Why does this self-styled "can do" president always lapse into such
lame "who could have known?" excuses.

"The chimpanzee wore a little blue blazer with brass buttons, and with
the seal of the President of the United States sewed to the breast
pocket....Everywhere he went, bands would play 'Hail to the Chief.'
The chimpanzee loved it. He would bounce up and down." - Kurt Vonnegut

Candace

I'm sorry, but I *HAVE* to disagree. It is *NOT* the president's *NOR* the
fed gov't's fault that the Gulf Coast was *NOT* prepared for this type of
disaster. Why didn't the govenor(s) & mayor(s) have the busses lined up
*before*?!?!?! Why did the 'let' so many people stay behind?!?!?! I think
that since they were so ill-prepared, that makes *them* the culprit, *not*
FEMA, GWB, DHS, Nat'l Guard, etc. etc.

Besides, *now* is not the time to be laying blame, it is the time to *help*.
Who's fault it is can be sorted out later (my bet is on Katrina )

--
The ONE and ONLY
lefthanded-pathetic-paranoid-psychotic-sarcastic-wiseass-ditzy former-blonde
in Bloomington! (And proud of it, too)©
email me at nalee1964 (at) insightbb (dot) com
http://community.webshots.com/user/mgcmdjeep

"Magic Mood Jeep©" wrote in message
news:APZSe.328625$xm3.207454@attbi_s21...
Candace wrote:
Pat wrote:

Shirt-sleeves rolled up, W. finally landed in Hell yesterday and
chuckled about his wild boozing days in "the great city" of
N'Awlins. He was clearly moved. "You know, I'm going to fly out of
here in a minute," he said on the runway at the New Orleans
International Airport, "but I want you to know that I'm not going to
forget what I've seen." Out of the cameras' range, and avoided by
W., was a convoy of thousands of sick and dying people, some
sprawled on the floor or dumped on baggage carousels at a makeshift
M*A*S*H unit inside the terminal.

Why does this self-styled "can do" president always lapse into such
lame "who could have known?" excuses.

"The chimpanzee wore a little blue blazer with brass buttons, and with
the seal of the President of the United States sewed to the breast
pocket....Everywhere he went, bands would play 'Hail to the Chief.'
The chimpanzee loved it. He would bounce up and down." - Kurt Vonnegut

Candace

I'm sorry, but I *HAVE* to disagree. It is *NOT* the president's *NOR*
the
fed gov't's fault that the Gulf Coast was *NOT* prepared for this type of
disaster. Why didn't the govenor(s) & mayor(s) have the busses lined up
*before*?!?!?! Why did the 'let' so many people stay behind?!?!?! I
think
that since they were so ill-prepared, that makes *them* the culprit, *not*
FEMA, GWB, DHS, Nat'l Guard, etc. etc.

Besides, *now* is not the time to be laying blame, it is the time to
*help*.
Who's fault it is can be sorted out later (my bet is on Katrina )

--
The ONE and ONLY
lefthanded-pathetic-paranoid-psychotic-sarcastic-wiseass-ditzy
former-blonde
in Bloomington! (And proud of it, too)©
email me at nalee1964 (at) insightbb (dot) com
http://community.webshots.com/user/mgcmdjeep

It's not a question of who was to blame for the unpreparedness, but how we
are now responding - as in *NOT*...

http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?f=00...2e25723f,&t=m5

OR

http://tinyurl.com/cbu5x

Hugs,

CatNipped

And contrary to L's prediction, unfortunately, I still haven't heard from or
about my brother, his wife, their three daughters, their daughters' husbands
and their daughters' children. We saw pictures of their homes and the roofs
of their houses were barely visible. It's possible we were looking at their
watery graves! At this point they can no longer identify bodies of the
victims of the flood - they've been under water for too long. They can only
identify the bodies with DNA evidence - and all hairbrushes and toothbrushes
are still 25 feet under water.

Hugs,

CatNipped

"Magic Mood Jeep©" wrote in message
news:APZSe.328625$xm3.207454@attbi_s21...
Candace wrote:
Pat wrote:

Shirt-sleeves rolled up, W. finally landed in Hell yesterday and
chuckled about his wild boozing days in "the great city" of
N'Awlins. He was clearly moved. "You know, I'm going to fly out of
here in a minute," he said on the runway at the New Orleans
International Airport, "but I want you to know that I'm not going to
forget what I've seen." Out of the cameras' range, and avoided by
W., was a convoy of thousands of sick and dying people, some
sprawled on the floor or dumped on baggage carousels at a makeshift
M*A*S*H unit inside the terminal.

Why does this self-styled "can do" president always lapse into such
lame "who could have known?" excuses.

"The chimpanzee wore a little blue blazer with brass buttons, and with
the seal of the President of the United States sewed to the breast
pocket....Everywhere he went, bands would play 'Hail to the Chief.'
The chimpanzee loved it. He would bounce up and down." - Kurt Vonnegut

Candace

I'm sorry, but I *HAVE* to disagree. It is *NOT* the president's *NOR*
the
fed gov't's fault that the Gulf Coast was *NOT* prepared for this type of
disaster. Why didn't the govenor(s) & mayor(s) have the busses lined up
*before*?!?!?! Why did the 'let' so many people stay behind?!?!?! I
think
that since they were so ill-prepared, that makes *them* the culprit, *not*
FEMA, GWB, DHS, Nat'l Guard, etc. etc.

Besides, *now* is not the time to be laying blame, it is the time to
*help*.
Who's fault it is can be sorted out later (my bet is on Katrina )

--
The ONE and ONLY
lefthanded-pathetic-paranoid-psychotic-sarcastic-wiseass-ditzy
former-blonde
in Bloomington! (And proud of it, too)©
email me at nalee1964 (at) insightbb (dot) com
http://community.webshots.com/user/mgcmdjeep

CatNipped wrote:
"Magic Mood Jeep=A9" wrote in message
news:APZSe.328625$xm3.207454@attbi_s21...
Candace wrote:
Pat wrote:

Shirt-sleeves rolled up, W. finally landed in Hell yesterday and
chuckled about his wild boozing days in "the great city" of
N'Awlins. He was clearly moved. "You know, I'm going to fly out of
here in a minute," he said on the runway at the New Orleans
International Airport, "but I want you to know that I'm not going to
forget what I've seen." Out of the cameras' range, and avoided by
W., was a convoy of thousands of sick and dying people, some
sprawled on the floor or dumped on baggage carousels at a makeshift
M*A*S*H unit inside the terminal.

Why does this self-styled "can do" president always lapse into such
lame "who could have known?" excuses.

"The chimpanzee wore a little blue blazer with brass buttons, and with
the seal of the President of the United States sewed to the breast
pocket....Everywhere he went, bands would play 'Hail to the Chief.'
The chimpanzee loved it. He would bounce up and down." - Kurt Vonnegut

Candace

I'm sorry, but I *HAVE* to disagree. It is *NOT* the president's *NOR*
the
fed gov't's fault that the Gulf Coast was *NOT* prepared for this type =
of
disaster. Why didn't the govenor(s) & mayor(s) have the busses lined up
*before*?!?!?! Why did the 'let' so many people stay behind?!?!?! I
think
that since they were so ill-prepared, that makes *them* the culprit, *n=
ot*
FEMA, GWB, DHS, Nat'l Guard, etc. etc.

Besides, *now* is not the time to be laying blame, it is the time to
*help*.
Who's fault it is can be sorted out later (my bet is on Katrina )

--
The ONE and ONLY
lefthanded-pathetic-paranoid-psychotic-sarcastic-wiseass-ditzy
former-blonde
in Bloomington! (And proud of it, too)=A9
email me at nalee1964 (at) insightbb (dot) com
http://community.webshots.com/user/mgcmdjeep

It's not a question of who was to blame for the unpreparedness, but how we
are now responding - as in *NOT*...


I agree. Our president and the powers-that-be did not step up to the
plate quickly enough nor did they put enough power behind the punch.
They let those people down. They did the same thing with the Tsunami,
in the very beginning of the disaster, remember? This is even worse,
because it is a matter of taking care of our own.

Hugs,
=20
CatNipped

On Mon, 5 Sep 2005 11:47:32 -0500, "CatNipped"
yodeled:

And contrary to L's prediction, unfortunately, I still haven't heard from or
about my brother, his wife, their three daughters, their daughters' husbands
and their daughters' children. We saw pictures of their homes and the roofs
of their houses were barely visible. It's possible we were looking at their
watery graves! At this point they can no longer identify bodies of the
victims of the flood - they've been under water for too long. They can only
identify the bodies with DNA evidence - and all hairbrushes and toothbrushes
are still 25 feet under water.

Hugs,

CatNipped


My dear Lori, our hearts are aching for you.

(((((((Lori and family))))))))

Theresa
Stinky Pictures: http://community.webshots.com/album/125591586JWEFwh
My Blog: http://www.humanitas.blogspot.com

"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
And contrary to L's prediction, unfortunately, I still haven't heard from
or
about my brother, his wife, their three daughters, their daughters'
husbands
and their daughters' children. We saw pictures of their homes and the
roofs
of their houses were barely visible. It's possible we were looking at
their
watery graves! At this point they can no longer identify bodies of the
victims of the flood - they've been under water for too long. They can
only
identify the bodies with DNA evidence - and all hairbrushes and
toothbrushes
are still 25 feet under water.

Hugs,

Lori, I cannot even begin to understand how this is affecting you and your
family. I'm still bereft over my brothers death nearly a year ago.

Hug your kids and grandkids every day and tell them you love them.

Jo

On Mon, 5 Sep 2005 11:47:32 -0500, "CatNipped"
wrote:

And contrary to L's prediction, unfortunately, I still haven't heard from or
about my brother, his wife, their three daughters, their daughters' husbands
and their daughters' children. We saw pictures of their homes and the roofs
of their houses were barely visible. It's possible we were looking at their
watery graves! At this point they can no longer identify bodies of the
victims of the flood - they've been under water for too long. They can only
identify the bodies with DNA evidence - and all hairbrushes and toothbrushes
are still 25 feet under water.

Hugs,

CatNipped


I am so sorry to hear about this. I hope they are all in the
astrodome. My heart goes out to you.

Charlie

CatNipped wrote:

And contrary to L's prediction, unfortunately, I still haven't heard from or
about my brother, his wife, their three daughters, their daughters' husbands
and their daughters' children. We saw pictures of their homes and the roofs
of their houses were barely visible. It's possible we were looking at their
watery graves! At this point they can no longer identify bodies of the
victims of the flood - they've been under water for too long. They can only
identify the bodies with DNA evidence - and all hairbrushes and toothbrushes
are still 25 feet under water.

And aside from the photo-op, I question how "necessary" it
was for the president to "tour" the disaster area? IMO all
it did was divert even more law enforcement to protect his
entourage, when they were much needed elsewhere. He could
just as well make his "encouraging" speeches from his office
in Washington, where he might be perceived to be actually
DOING something! (Even though he seldom does.)