Press conference is angering me!!!!!!!

No Place in Politics for "common Sense"


Kenneth in NC


Gas hit $3.19 then all 5 locale stations had "no fuel" signs.

I think that discourse is good..I am more than a little tired of bush being blamed for hurricanes, ice ages, WWI,WWII, the french revolution etc. While I really feel for the folks there, I guess what bothers me is this idea I keep hearing from them that America is somehow not responding. Are we responsible to buy all those people new homes? New clothes? Cars? Jobs? Should we feed them for the rest of their lives? Thank goodness for the Red Cross and all the selfless people in America. How many of those people on the bridges had jobs to begin with? I'm starting to not like the way I sound. We owe it them; to ourselves; to help them any way we can. I just wonder how many others all around the country would love to get a free house, or good paying job, without having to do anything for it. The fact is, life as they knew it, is over. Done. No more.
As good or bad as it might have been for them living in New Orleans, it just got 100% worse. They are just beginning a struggle for survival, and some won't make it. Many will. Life isn't fair. But the alternative isn't pretty to think about.
We all make choices every single day. We have to live with the results of those choices. I really don't like the way I sound, writing this.

This aint gonna get me any freinds. But maybe people of this 'give it to me now "nation ought to talk to some people that went throught the depression. WW2 Korea. Talk to a Vietnam veteran who walked an crawled through the mud and whatever for this country. Read about the dust bowl . Its been three days. I'm not a fan of goverment by a long shot. But the problem with this country is that its people have no stomach for anything they might suffer or inconvenience them. I listened for three days to the mayor of New Orleans told people to get out. Sure some couldn''t but what if everyone that could have, would have. Think it could have helped. I know about war and poor and a few other things. I know about people gettin of there buts and doing things above and beyond what even they thought they could for themselves and others. I know of times when there was no goverment help. But the koolaid has flown down even to the people that think they are stand alone. Everybody looks to the goverment. Wel YOU are the goverment. And when a large amount of people are shooting at helicopters, steeling genereators from ambulances, throwing people out of hospitals. You know sure as hell that as soon as you shot one of them SOB's people woudl be up in arms with all kinds politally correct rants. what we need is for people and this country to get its spine back. I think the religious types have something called "God helps those that help themselves" Not a work about those that set around and wait on the goverment will be taken care of. I just heard of a lady in here 60's. Whe wasn't going to stay there so she walked 40 miles and got out.
Why is it that when one person loses his homefrom some sort of job loss,tradgedy or what ever. People say "too bad" or "they were stupid" or "hey its there responsibliity" But multiply that by how many thousand that were told to leave and all of a sudden its something different.
No way in hell that something this overwhelming is gonna even get started in short of time.

__________________
Thinking is hard. Feeling and believing a storyline is easy.

FREEEEEEEDDDDDDDOOOOOOMMM!!!

Prof Kingsfield. Rules!!





http://tnwoodwright.blogspot.com/

This is *not* directed at anyone, just my observations in the last day or two, my opinion...

You know, I'm Canadian and actually (surprise) quite to the left. I'm not a Bush fan at all. I'd rather him not be in office.

Having said that, I've seen a lot of Bush bashing about NO on all the sites I visit. People say the guard, army etc are not moving fast enough. Let's just remember it takes a little time to get people together and send them in. In a couple days things will really start looking better.

Of course more dead will be found and more people will blame the feds. They don't deserve the blame IMHO. Do some people really think they are slacking on this? Do those people realise it is the commanders on the ground, not Bush and the feds driving things?

There are enough troops. It just takes a day or two to get them moving. That's the way it goes in the forces. Hurry up and wait.

Anyone who says otherwise just has a political agenda. It's a bad time to play politics, on both sides.

As for the gas talk... the US (and Canadian) economies require gas and oil. The futures traders have driven things up so far it's sick. The feds have to talk about it. For people outside of NO ... you know, the other 299 million people in the US, the gas is the major concern, not dead people. Blame the people for thinking of themselves and not the feds for responding to those emotions. That is thier job.

In my humble opinion.... I really feel bad for the south. I wisth there was more I can do. I've already donated what I can.

lgslgs, you shared a great insight here: "I think the thing that is most frustratiing is that the hurricane seems like "old news" to a lot of folks now, and the emphasis has shifted to things that hit closer to home. I can understand the shift, but find it troubling when body counts are still rising."

You hit the nail on the head.

Body counts are rising and fast. Infants and babies have had no formula for 4 days. Mothers with young children, all of them thirsty for 4 long days in 95 degree heat. Doctors and nurses who courageously stayed behind to help the hospitalized who could not possibly leave prior to the storm hitting. Elderly forgotten people who are frail and no doubt had difficulty getting out in time. Rescue workers exhausted from trying to help with so few resources.

Anyone here ever gone without both food and water for 24 hours straight? How about 48? Or 72 hours? In hot 95 degree heat? Anyone?

How do you think it would feel?

These are the faces I see alongside a minority of looters. And since these dear children are hungry and dehydrating I, for one, will continue to focus my prayers and financial wherewithal on their needs, rather than my own bank account dwindling because of gas prices.

They are suffering and dying. I am not.

__________________
LilyRose

Everyone wants the Government to stay out of their lives as much as possible. Then a disaster hits, that they're unprepared for and they yell at the top of their lungs "Where's the government?!?!?! We need help!!!!! We've been asking for help!!!!"

This should teach us all to be prepared to help our own family & friends in a crisis. Not to rely on the government.

I'm not tired of hearing about the hurricane. I want to know what's going on. I have ADD to a pretty high degree, but even I am not bored with the hurricane news after after a few days.

I think we have to realize that some people could not get out. Would I have walked out the forty miles? I would have tried. Many people cannot physically trek more than a couple of miles. There are those who thought they could ride it out and found out they couldn't. Then there are the stranded homeless, the folk who lack hope and inspiration. These people are not mentally or emotionally equipped to save themselves, they need help. I'm not forgetting those who stayed behind to take advantage of the situation, the rapists, the looters, etc, but those are not generally the people needing or wanting rescue.

My sister and her family live in Houston and she writes that the city has opened it's heart to the refugees flooding in. If you want to make a donation of "things", contact a church organization. The Houston churches have adopted the situation and are giving aid.

Right on Heather!!!

This disaster pinpoints two of the major concerns I’ve had against this President.

1. I will not go into the whys or wherefores concerning the actual WAR ON TERROR in Iraq. However, the call up of our National Guard, an institution primarily composed of our first responders; fire and police, has been stressed to a point that the remaining forces within our communities cannot truly be effective. These first responders, whose primary job as depicted in the 9/11 attacks, cannot be responsive 10,000 miles away.

2. For the past 5½ years, this president has had the opportunity to include conservation as a tool in his arsenal combating OPEC. Unfortunately, the only word in his vocabulary has been Drill, Drill, and Drill. While I do not agree with the oil industry on many issues, the petroleum industry has consistently suggested that there are not enough refineries and those that are, or were in operation, are improperly located. However we look at the issue of nonreplenishable energy, until we as a nation accept the fact that it truly is nonreplenishable and there must be monetary incentives for new power sources, as well as conservation, included in our daily lives. Again, we as a nation have not accepted conservation as a part of our daily lives. The last president to suggest conservation on a national stage was Jimmie Carter and he was decimated in the election. We cannot live in a dream world and expect everything to end up okay

Also, there was an interesting article in our local newspaper today. It originated in the Tacoma News Tribune on August 31, 2005.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/opinio...-4679606c.html

But should our miliary & national guard just sit around waiting for a hurricane while the rest of the world goes to hell in a handbasket?!

I think we have a responsibility as a world superpower to help others (again, not going to go into the whys & wherefores of IRAQ)
But I think you get my point -

Do you think other countries should help us now?
or you think they should sit on their duff & watch?
I guess you think they should watch from afar & say, "Hey, we can't send help, we might need it ourselves some day"

This argument doesn't make sense to me

I am wondering why the levee and dikes were not reinforced? The officials have known that the dikes, levees were in need of repair for 10 years or longer.Granted they withstood camile in 1969. Now, the result of numerous years of neglect we are watching. There are no easy answers to this problems. I also wonder why have homeland security since money given to states have not improved emergency prepardness. City people so not have the mentality that homesteaders have.
tnborn

I think we are seeing the truth about whether we are a superpower or a paper tiger.

We have all this offensive capability,we have next to nothing for defense or safety in an emergency for OUR citizens.

Agree or not,thats what Im seeing right now.We need to straighten out our priorities,and strength at home better be part of it.

Homeland Security is a huge failure,we cant even get water to dying people in 5 days!

Why werent busses running in the NEXT DAY??? Im no genius but I bet I could have called out busses and fuel tanker trucks to the interstates immediately to meet the busses!Just ask the citizens on TV to get moving,then guide em in,Americans will respond if you just ASK.I know our Truckers and Bus drivers would be quick to respond.

ANY President worth his salt would fire that ineffectual Head of Homeland Security on the spot.Instead of patting him on the back like they were doing today.
And lying about the supposed aid being there,while the media reports people crying out for water and DYING.

PITIFULL.

BooBoo

It is a heck of a lot easier to sit back and armchair quarterback while watching everything unfold on TV.

If you've ever been part of an Emergency Services/Disaster Relief operation you know this is NOT an easy mission for the people involved. No operation is easy.

This disaster covers many communities, several states, 100 of miles - it is a huge undertaking. This is like having a tornado, hurricane, chemical disaster, flood, plague, chaos/riot, fire all rolled into one.

And, it doesn't help that people weren't physically forced to evacuate from their communities. But, as American citizens we don't like to be forced to do anything by our government. And now you've got thugs running around with guns!

You just can't send buses, trucks, volunteers rushing into an area or more people will get hurt. People working on their own and not as part of a coordinated effort are a danger to themselves and others.

There are multiple agencies, multiple states - there has to be a command center for operations, logistics, volunteer staging areas.

These people are trained to do their jobs. Support them, join them...get out there and do something. I've posted before...prepare your own family, join a volunteer organization involved in emergency services/search and rescue.

Armchair quarterback or not....

People are in dire need, yet Bush just sits on his hands, just like he did on 9/11.

Bush is the most powerful man in the world, with the world's resources at his beckon call, but won't take the initiative to call in 50 helicopters loaded with water, food and medicines. These are basic supplies available at once, with one phone call from the White House, which could aid those at the convention center and at the dome immediately.

I do not care if thugs are really shooting at helicopters or not....the vast majority of folks are just good people in a desperate situation. Send the choppers in regardless.

I do wonder if the relief efforts would be any different if those affected were white and middle class.

While I am at it, I am hurt to hear the hate that people have for those in need, just because they are black. They are humans, and God's children, just like you and me.

I choose not to judge them or the reasons that they stayed in the path of Katrina because I have never walked in their shoes.

I will continue to pray for those victims and the people who hate them.
clove

Yes Baron,been there,done that.In the short term Government was useless beyond demanding evacuating.ALL the immediate aid was from Private citizens acting on their own,and a local radio station getting the word out what was needed where.
Im for the citizens getting involved.They brought the food and clothing and tents,not the government.

Homeland Security has been a dismal failure,or people would have food and water airdropped if nothing else.COMPLETE FAILURE in the short term,its right there on the tube,people arent crying for water or dying of dehydration because its been dropped to them.

So having been there,yes I know how it does work and can work.Citizens with common sense trump beauracrats any day.

BooBoo

I would have to agree,I think if it was wealthy white folks in Palm Beach,things would be quite different.

As for sending in aircraft in harms way,we do just that elsewhere,dont we?

Just my politics,dont expect you to agree.

I find the HOMELAND SECURITY pitifull and without any planning in place at all for a disaster.No stockpiles of food,and no way to deliver it.
I expect better.
And thats hardly asking too much.

BooBoo

wow, i bet you wouldn't say that if it were YOUR loved one driving or riding in the helicopter!

Come on!

I certainly didn't say that I "hated" anyone & I certainly didn't say anything about the color of people's skin -
If other's said such things, I must have missed it -

If we are going to bash Bush, we should include the Mayor of N.O and the Louisiana Governor. The Mayor is in Philadelphia or somewhere else and has the nerve to sit back (w/ plenty of food and water) and gripe that things aren't getting taken care of. You didn't see Guiliani leave NY after 9/11. Some of that responsibility is surely his.

The governor has the authority to mobilize the national guard from their state. That can be mobilized faster than at a national level.
The Fed govt is the largest, but i would expect it to respond the slowest. The local leaders have failed in a big way and Bush and the Feds are getting the criticism, although I think it could have been handled quicker at that level too.

This last comment won't make me any friends, but I hope nobody is surprised that all those people can't take care of themselves. They are there because they couldn't / wouldn't get out of the city when warned. We have made some people so dependent on the govt, that they have no other options. We make people welfare dependent and they are prepared for nothing.

You could take everything I had, and I would still take care of my family w/o hurting others.

by the way everybody who's complaining about a slow response needs to know that the gov. can't bring nat.gaurd troops in until the gov. of louisana requests them it's their fault that they are slow in coming because she didn't ask for enough troops right away.also the fact that people in n.o. are acting so digustingly is appaling!they should be ashamed of themselves acting like spoiled brats there is no way that anybody needed to start looting right away.the people that started looting right away had plans even before katrina hit to loot it's disgraceful and i for one am ashamed to call them fellow americans!

In a disaster of this magnitude the rules change. I've worked in a presidentially declared emergency and "Jane Citizen" had an important role AFTER the area was stablized and it was safe for volunteers. This is far from a stable situation.

Once clean-up begins, and it is SAFE for you to come into the community, you arrive at a staging area, briefed and taken to the disaster area.

Right now - nobody belongs in the Gulf area except those trained to handle disasters and medical emergencies.

However, they are asking for volunteers at shelters located away from the area.

Your heart is in the right place...but you need to use your head first. When the time is right, they'll ask for help in the disaster area - then have at it.

As for bureaucrats, they are citizens and our neighbors.