German plane with Katrina aid turned back from U.S.

[Kellanved]

BERLIN - A German military plane carrying 15 tons of emergency rations to survivors of Hurricane Katrina was turned away by U.S. authorities, officials said Saturday.


The plane was turned back on Thursday because it didn't have the required authorization, a German government spokesman said.

The government spokesman, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, declined to comment on a report in the German news magazine Der Spiegel that that U.S. authorities refused the delivery by arguing that the NATO military rations could carry mad cow disease.


The spokesman said U.S. authorities had since given a green light for any further aid deliveries. He said it was unclear whether there would be more flights from Germany.

...
http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?tl=1&display=rednews/2005/09/10/build/world/65-katrinaaid.inc

Here is the Spiegel story: according to the Spiegel, the rations are certified BSE-free and are identical to the ones delivered to US troops in Afganistan.
http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/0,1518,374093,00.html

[tanyev]

1. Gott in Himmel.

Dummkopfs.

[Wheezy]

20. Schrecklisch.

Exactly what I was thinking.

[ananda]

2. And what about that Swedish plane..

.. with all the machinery to clean the water..

.. just sitting there in the airport..

.. waiting???


Sue

[Birthmark]

3. Damn, that Blanco!

Damn her to hellllllll! :sarcasm:

[napi21]

4. I sure hope the Dems are keeping a list of all these screwups!

Their campaign speeches are being written by ShrubCo every day! All they'll have to do is organize the list of insanity and read 'em off at each campaign stop!

[all.of.me]

15. excellent point.

[LostinVA]

19. I know, it's just shocking how she's screwed up aid

Well, when Nagin hasn't, that is. Thank Goddess for FEMA!

[peacebuzzard]

5. this is so mismanaged.

This Blanco from LA, are you sure she is not Republican?

[kevsand]

13. She hasn't turned away anything.

She's been begging for help from the feds since before the hurricane even hit. The feds are the ones screwing everything up. She actually had to hire James Lee Witt to try to fix all the mistakes the feds were making.

[peacebuzzard]

22. I understand perhaps her statements are taken out of context.

that is what one poster told me in regards to the looting. I was concerned they were giving that a priority rather than food and especially water. People would not loot if they had help.
Or if they did, so what. I know if i was dying of thirst I would probably help myself.

[wake.up.america]

6. The story also mentions the general hesitancy of Germans...

to contribute to the assistance of Americans. America is a not a third world country and can afford to take care ot its own. Wealth distribution should be more fairly measured.


I have to believe Bush's behavior to countries who did not whole heartedly support his take over of Iraq has something to do with it.

Bush does everything through a political prism, so coming up with mad cow diesease as as reason to refuse help is expected.


Alienating countries seems to be one of Bush's strengths. It is all going to come back and affect many poor Americans.

[sundancekid]

7. more of the remarkable "stuck on stupid" for the busheviks ...

... having just returned from Europe, this assinine stupidity clearly continues NOT TO PLAY WELL ANYWHERE in Europe ... the europeans are seething at this maladministration and continue to be dismayed at how or why the baffoon-in-chief could ever have been reelected -- we had LONG talks about rigged voting, and again they wonder how America could now have the face of a third world and third rate country in its priorities

[rodeodance]

8. another area where FEMA twiddled their thumbs!

[rodeodance]

9. and to think that Karen Hughes is going to try to make to make our

image look better to the world.!

[0007]

12. Karen Hughes couldn't plug for the three stooges and be

effective.

She'll slide down the drain faster than junior, and only because she isn't president.

[Jamastiene]

14. The Dominatrix herself, according to James Craville. He did

call her that once.

[Occulus]

17. This isn't stupidity.

It's deliberate.

FEMA was cutting rescue communications lines. I believe I read here, they got caught doing it and security had to be posted to prevent them from trying again.

All the denial of aid is deliberate. And I'm NOT wearing :tinfoilhat: because it's just damn obvious at this point.

[Jamastiene]

10. Yep. That sounds like the same sort of beaurocracy that killed

_________(fill in the blank because we'll never know the actual number) many people. That sounds like that bunch of nincompoops.

How can you tell when George Bush is not on vacation? You finally see something get done by the US Government, but regret asking them to do anything because they screw it up so bad.

[nookiemonster]

11. Goddamn. This really is some kind of macabre comedy, isn't it?

:mad:

eom

[bluedeminredstate]

16. Another middle finger

to "Old Europe" from the Bush administration.
I wonder if Poland has sent planes that got through? That way when the Democrats throw this back at the Chimp he can say, "Don't forget Poland!!"

:banghead:

[Julius Civitatus]

Countdown for freepers to pin this on mayor Nagin

Any time now...

:eyes:

[Julius Civitatus]

18. Countdown for freepers to pin this on mayor Nagin

Any time now...

:eyes:

[Just Me]

21. WTF is their problem?

:wtf: There are a bunch of nations wanting to help and they are giving them the finger. What the hell?