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Posted by Buffy on 02-09-2005 at 01:54:
Bush makes my teeth itch in sooooo many ways.....simplistic, gun-happy, oil-dealing bastard..... 
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Posted by Elvin Ruler on 02-09-2005 at 02:59:
Oh not all the trapped ones are the poor. Don't forget those tourists who are stuck there. You know. The ones who got mad because the buses were being commandeered to transport the injured out instead of taking them back. I know I'd hate to be in a situation like that, but still, I hope that I'd be understanding enough to know who should be moved out first.
Meh. I think part (but only part) of Bush's reasoning might have been the whole "We'll show 'em we can move on" spiel. Course, I also hear that the cake was in fact chocolate. Who could miss out on chocolate? /endsarcasm
Still, it's going to take a lot to recover. There are those who are there because they couldn't get out and those who are there because they wouldn't. I think part of the reason is that no one imagined it would be this bad.
Hindsight is 20/20, as they say.
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Posted by Askura on 02-09-2005 at 12:35:
I caight the tailoend of something on CNN saying that Bush had apparently stated that the Goverment considered what had happened as a 'nuisance'.
What's the betting that when he visits it'll only be to the wealthy part that's not too bad, and not to where the problems and real disaster are?
Although I feel he really shouldn't fly in. All the rescue, patrol and aid choppers will be grounded whilst he's there so he has clear airspace. Whom knows how many lives that'll cost?
H'mmm. Maybe there *is* a slight upside to the idiotic snipers... one could always get lucky...
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Oh, that box. You'll dream about that box: it'll never leave you. Big and little at the same time; brand-new and ancient - and the bluest blue, ever.
Posted by Elvin Ruler on 02-09-2005 at 13:04:
Oh, I promise you, the snipers will probably be taken care of and forgotten before he flies in. Course, a deadline would mean they have to take care of the snipers faster.
But as it is, they've moved in the National Guard and instilled Marshal law, which I think is a good idea. It's too chaotic there, and there's no room for dealing with rapists, murderers, snipers, etc.
And actually, the wealthy part's going to have a lot of damage. Ten-to-one that the premium spots in New Orleans were just like those in Texas: on the water. For example, someone here in Texas built a two million dollar home right next to a river. 1998, it was destroyed. Rebuilt. 2000. Destroyed again. No clue if it's been rebuilt or not.
I'm looking into information that the university is putting up. Apparently they're getting groups of students willing to go over fall break to New Orleans/other destroyed areas to help. I hope I can go.
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What if there is a spoon?
Posted by CricketBeautiful on 02-09-2005 at 15:23:
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Try "Millionaire is clueless".
Five years ago, a paper did a week-long series on the risks. Won awards. Did the officials take notice?
Yes, New Orleans is a big city, very few access roads. It's not an easy thing to evacuate, but given the amount of warning, 80% just seems too low.
And then there's Bush. "We're Americans. We're big. We don't need your help." Fortunately, CNN is making it quite clear that the rest of the world IS offering help, even if he's blocking it.
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Between stimulus and response there is a space.
In that space is our power to choose our response.
In our response lies our growth and our freedom.
- Viktor E. Frankl
Posted by Askura on 02-09-2005 at 16:30:
One of the best thibngs covering the situation I've found:
http://www.livejournal.com/users/interdictor/
Blog by a company inside NO covering what's actually happening.
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Oh, that box. You'll dream about that box: it'll never leave you. Big and little at the same time; brand-new and ancient - and the bluest blue, ever.
Posted by Cep on 02-09-2005 at 18:19:
I was just thinking but after 9/11 wasnt there some big government drive in the US to ensure that any type of homeland incedent.
Such as a major terrorist attack using chemical/biological/nuclear weapons or in this case a huge natural catastrophy there was some huge incedent plan that would go straight into action and prevent just the kind of scenes we are seeing?
Kind of like what we have in Britian (COBRA) which went into action during the London bombings?
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Posted by CricketBeautiful on 02-09-2005 at 18:49:
Just saw that the Society for Creative Anachronism is mobilizing.
A group of people who have nothing better to do in their free time than re-create the best parts of the middle ages, cook whole beasts over an open fire, make chain mail, dance round-dances and wear helmets made of propane tanks while bashing each other with bamboo sticks wrapped with duct tape are able to get moving and bring supplies and trained help faster than the folks who are paid to do it for a job.
http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/006704.html
I know a few members. From what they have to do before being allowed to run an event, I trust them to do things right.
__________________
Between stimulus and response there is a space.
In that space is our power to choose our response.
In our response lies our growth and our freedom.
- Viktor E. Frankl
Posted by Ashke on 03-09-2005 at 05:52:
Actually got kicked outta a chat because some teen F***ERS were making jokes about the situation in New Orleans and I lost my temper. What is it about disasters that brings out the 'Stupid' in people?
Posted by Ronin on 03-09-2005 at 07:16:
That blog is good Asakura, we are following it on Fortean Times
Posted by Buffy on 03-09-2005 at 13:10:
I spent yesterday evening watching Fox news with the O'rielly report. It seems the news teams have finally found a way to help by coordinating with the military, now that marital law has been imposed. They had live feed and were encouraging people to call in and tell the news folks where they needed help, and the military, watching, would immediately send support in.
While I watched, a guy who worked with the relief efforts called in and said he'd lost contact with a hospital by phone, but had gotten a text message from the hospital staff saying that the patients had been all evacuated earlier, but the staff needed rescuing now. They were holed up on an upper floor and barracaded against druggie looters who were shooting each other over the best drugs, and the staff was being forced to give each other IV's to stay hydrated.
As I watched, the military immediately dispatched and rescued the staff in several hospitals.
The Convention Center, and the overpass nearby were being reported on live as well, with Geraldo begging folks for help. The military was responding accordlingly, though busses were still an issue.
According to Fox, much of the blame was being assigned to the Goveror of La due to her lack of decisive leadership in calling in aide. There was talk of racial aspects to the problems, but they were dismissed and downplayed by O'rielly for lack of clear evedence as the official alligating racial bias was criticizing the news for racial bias, and not the governemental infrastructure.
The one thing that got me furious to the point that my husband made me turn off the TV, was that the freaking MAYOR of N.O. commanded that a group of tourists be evacuated from the Hyatt hotel...incidentally BYPASSING the people laying on the side of the interstate where they'd been forced to live for 5 days without aide. I'm like WTF?? Tourists...who are staying in a HOTEL, should be, literally, jumped to the head of the bus, while folks who are sleeping on asphalt with no food, water, medication, or shelter, are forced to watch the busses drive into New Oreans past them, and then later drive by and leave them??????
"So sorry you're dying, but we've got a fucking reputation to uphold by protecting our income."
What the hell?? Poor people don't fucking count, even in a disaster??
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!
I'm just......
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!!!!
__________________
"Spider sense....tingling."
Posted by Ronin on 03-09-2005 at 18:53:
Its not the tourists who are going to rob the locals though.
I have been reading our papers and its GB tourists who are a vunerable group at the moment.
Posted by Firebird on 04-09-2005 at 07:57:
I am still waiting to hear if Niiki, Miya and Lisya are ok.
When I hear will let you know.
There is also WTxC but dont have her email.
Hope they are all ok
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Like the Phoenix I rise from the fire. Beware all who try to tame me, you may get burned 
Posted by Buffy on 04-09-2005 at 18:41:
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The said tourists in the hotel were fine. The mayor and his crew was using that hotel for a base of operations so they had plenty of security.
I will add, it was later explained that they were removed first because the mayor wanted to make room for houseing the national guard and/or other assorted military/help groups and to turn that hotel into command central in all ways.
I'm still furious though....how dare they quantify the value of life in such a way.....Understand, I've BEEN a tourist to N.O. And in fact, had reservations to return in just a handful of weeks, so I'm hyperaware that that could have been me stuck in that hote, or in the Convention center, or worse. Knowing what I know, I would STILL be appalled that I might be bussed out ahead of folks in greater need. I wouldn't turn the ride DOWN mind you, but it still pisses me off.
And Firebird, do keep us updated about our guys. I'm betting they are fine, just without attiquate communication. On the upside, my husband says Bellsouth is as we speak moving in to try to reestablish ground lines for phones throughout the tristate region. That will be key to getting things on the move to continue the rescue and salvage process.
__________________
"Spider sense....tingling."
Posted by Buffy on 05-09-2005 at 02:10:
On a side note, here's a little something. I remembered reading this article a while back, but couldn't remember where I'd read it from until now:
National Geographic October 2004
__________________
"Spider sense....tingling."
Posted by Cep on 05-09-2005 at 17:28:
I thought the mayor of NO was quite funny actually, I saw him taking an interview were he was screaming and swearing about the Bush administration and how pissed off he was about his city being left to fend for themselves.
He is the black guy right?
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Posted by Buffy on 05-09-2005 at 18:50:
Yeah, the bald guy. There's a lot of fingerpointing going on. The media is currently slamming the military machine and the Govorner of Louisiana for not acting fast enough seperately or collectively. The Govorner is slamming the President and Federal Govt. The President is accepting some blame on behalf of his folks, but is slamming people for turning it political yadda yadda yadda....
__________________
"Spider sense....tingling."
Posted by Elvin Ruler on 06-09-2005 at 02:26:
And here I thought that "Natural Disaster" meant "No One Person's Fault." If only people would realize that if they put half the energy into working through this as they do pointing fingers, they might not have to point fingers at all.
Oh well.
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What if there is a spoon?
Posted by Tajiri on 06-09-2005 at 03:50:
You can be sure I'll be adding my two cents later on this week when I have a few minutes to write. My thoughts are with everyone down there what was affected by the hurricane.
I saw this report on the news the day after it happened and they played the actual clip to it as well. I love when people speak their mind.
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Rapper Kanye West blasts Bush on TV benefit show
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Rapper Kanye West surprised viewers of an NBC benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina victims on Friday by accusing President George W. Bush of racism.
"George Bush doesn't care about black people," West said from New York during the show aired live on the East Coast on NBC, MSNBC, CNBC and Pax, just before cameras cut away to comedian Chris Tucker.
West, who is black, suggested moments earlier that delays in providing relief to survivors of the hurricane that hit the U.S. Gulf Coast on Monday and flooded New Orleans were deliberate. He said America was set up "to help the poor, the black people, the less well-off as slow as possible."
The Grammy award-winning singer, who was paired with comedian Mike Myers, also said in what NBC described as unscripted remarks, "We already realized a lot of the people that could help are at war right now, fighting another way, and they've given them permission to go down and shoot us."
He was apparently referring to shoot-on-sight orders issued to National Guard troops to halt violence and looting in New Orleans.
West also criticized the media's portrayal of blacks, saying: "I hate the way they portray us in the media. If you see a black family, it says they're looting. See a white family, it says they're looking for food."
In a statement, NBC, a unit of General Electric Co.,said, "Kanye West departed from the scripted comments that were prepared for him, and his opinions in no way represent the views of the networks.
"It would be most unfortunate," the statement continued, "if the efforts of the artists who participated tonight and the generosity of millions of Americans who are helping those in need are overshadowed by one person's opinion."
The program, hosted by Matt Lauer of NBC News, urged viewers to donate to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. It included 18 presenters, and featured performances by New Orleans natives Harry Connick Jr. and Wynton Marsalis, as well as Louisiana native Tim McGraw and Faith Hill of Mississippi, which was also struck by Katrina.
Reuters/VNU
Posted by Ronin on 06-09-2005 at 08:05:
They always seem to bring up this race issue, dont they?
How are rich black people doing? probably as badly as rich white people.
Its like in this country, black people saying they dont get as much attention as, say, the asiatics...Look around you, who runs the businesses in ths country these days?
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