Freeper on another forum sent me this -- need some help

[driver8]

I want to bury this guy. He is harping on the "spin" the media is putting out that the local governments are the reason for the disasterous response. Here is his e-mail. I am one of "the liberal Mikes".

-----

The two liberal Mikes have been noticeably quiet since the truth has
started to come out about the malfeasance of the Mayor of New Orleans,
the Parish Presidents, and of course the Governor herself.

Seems as though the local officials did not even follow their own
hurricane plan.

Could that be the reason that things are so bad in Louisiana and not
so bad in Mississippi or Alabama?

Will be nice to see a little crow eaten by the Mikes on this
situation. Seems like, to use a phrase from this very board, the ass-
clowns are the local government officials and not the feds.

C'mon, 'fess up, you guys were wrong on this.

---------

Please help me bury this clown. He is a Bush lover and, like all the rest, the idiot son is never responsible for anything.

[ourbluenation]

1. ummm - the other two states didn't have 3 levee breaks

and flood a major metropolitan area.

[buff2]

2. Tell him to fuck off.

Tell him you don't like to debate Kool-Aid drinkers.

[Bluebear]

9. Really the only logical answer.

:toast:

[buff2]

15. I'll drink to that....LOL

:toast:

[Alamom]

24. Governor Riley from Alabama and Governor Barbour from

Mississipi are Republicans and know how to "work" with and for the pResident just like Jeb does...Governor Blanco didn't play the game.

[Pepperbelly]

3. LSU study noted that NO did not have the capacity to transport out the ...

quarter of a million who were without transportation. FEMA was supposed to step into the breach, along with the National Guard. Both were delayed by 36-48 hours because of BUSH'S incompetence.

[democracyindanger]

21. I really, really need

a link to that. Would help immensely with a current wingnut-slapping thing I've got going on.

[Pepperbelly]

22. ok

http://www.hurricane.lsu.edu/&EvacuationReview.pdf

[democracyindanger]

27. Awesome

You're a star!

[DODI]

4. Jefferson Parish Pres is a repuke!

Send him the Homeland Security Act.

http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/theme_home2.jsp

In the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other large-scale emergency, the Department of Homeland Security will assume primary responsibility on March 1st for ensuring that emergency response professionals are prepared for any situation...

[yankeedem]

5. Ask him to point out the cities

of 1 million population in Mississippi and Alabama that were hit by the hurricane. Also ask him to prove that things are so much better in MS and AL. It's an impression created, no doubt, by the fact that Barbour won't ever say anything bad about DimSon.

Also ask him why Bush sat on Gov. Blanco's request via the Stafford act for help for 5 days.

[kitkat65]

6. First two things that come to mind

Make that three

Governor Bianco did declare a state of emergency before Katrina hit

Northern Command was waiting for presidential go to send resources they had been pulling together before Katrina hit

Wash Post article saying that the spin is going to be to blame the local government

All of these have been discussed on the board here and if we're not on level three you can do a search.

[Spazito]

7. Ask him to provide proof of his claims otherwise tell him he is

full of it.

[demgurl]

8. The mayor of NO...

did not have control of any other area that was hit. The money for the levees was cut by the * admin. Yadda, yadda, yadda.....This guy will never understand he is wrong.

demgurl

[dave123williams]

10. The second Bush declared it a Federal Disaster, it became ...

...this administration's RESPONSIBILITY. I know that's a word that Republicans don't understand. It means 'taking personal account for one's duties, obligations, or burdens'. It does NOT mean 'blame your failures on everyone else in sight'.

It was a Federal Disaster before the storm even hit. The piss-poor response since then has been something for which Bush can be held DIRECTLY responsible.

But, he'll just blame it on the head of FEMA, or the Mayor of NOLA, or the Governor of the State of LA. Anybody but himself, or his buddies.

He's a fucking chump, and everybody knows it now.

[MaggieSwanson]

11. Read this from from Horse with no name, now on page 5

Here you go:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4650979&mesg_id=4650979



City Charter of New Orleans http://www.google.com/search?hs=zDj&hl=en&lr=&client=fi...

Emergency Guide for Citizens of New Orleans
http://www.google.com/search?hs=zDj&hl=en&lr=&client=fi...

According to their Emergency Preparedness plan, The City of New Orleans did what he was supposed to do.

During the Recommended Phase of Evacuation:
1. The City of New Orleans Emergency Operating Center (EOC) is staffed for 24-hour operation.
2. Local transportation will be mobilized to assist persons who lack transportation.
3. Bus routes and locations of staging areas for those needing transportation to shelters in or out of the Parish, will be announced via radio and television.
4. Relatives and neighbors should help family and friends who need transportation and other assistance.

Evacuation plan of Lousiana
http://www.google.com/search?hs=zDj&hl=en&lr=&client=fi...

From everything I can see, local and state government did their part according to the local and state plans.
If I am NOT mistaken...FEMA has to APPROVE all state and local disaster plans.
Isn't that correct?

[distantearlywarning]

12. Things are pretty bad in Mississsipi.

By all accounts.

That's where Anderson Cooper was when he made his famous speech about the rats eating the body of a dead woman down the street because nobody was there to cover her up or take her away. The quote about taking 30 bodies at a time out of the trees came from there too (can't remember who said that but it was on a major news program). And I've heard lots of stories from there on the internet suggesting that FEMA basically never came at all to Mississippi (NOLA was more in the "public eye" so actually got more help).

So I'm not sure that anyone could reasonably say that things were "not so bad in Mississippi" compared to NOLA, other than the fact that the water didn't hang around as long. Maybe this guy needs some pictures of dead bodies sent to him from Mississippi. Or maybe you could dig up some stories about how FEMA hosed up rescue efforts there. There are plenty out there on the net.

[shrike]

28. No shit

People without food and water for days, just like New Orleans. People in tiny towns -- guess their local governments were supposed to take care of 'em, eh?

Then there's the dysentery. Oh, things are just fine in Mississippi.

[radar]

13. UggaBugga blog has a timeline with links...

Katrina timeline:
Tuesday, September 06, 2005

http://uggabugga.blogspot.com/2005/09/katrina-timeline-bush-white-house-dhs.html

"Before Hurricane Katrina slammed into Louisana and Mississippi"
SeattleTimes DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff listened in on electronic briefings by the National Hurricane Center warning of a storm surge capable of overtopping levees in New Orleans
SeattleTimes FEMA Director Mike Brown listened in on electronic briefings given by the National Hurricane Center warning of a storm surge capable of overtopping levees in New Orleans
Fri 26 Aug
CNN 4 p.m.: The National Hurricane Center warns that Katrina is expected to reach dangerous Category 4 intensity before making landfall in Mississippi or Louisiana.
CNN hours later: Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco declare states of emergency.
Sat 27 Aug
CNN 5 a.m.: Katrina is upgraded to a Category 3, or major hurricane, with the Gulf Coast in its path.
White House "The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of Louisiana and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts in the parishes located in the path of Hurricane Katrina beginning on August 26, 2005, and continuing. The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures"

[Erika]

14. The Feds were responsible once levees/walls were even

suspected of leaking.

None of the other cities had this problem or this federal mandate.

[walldude]

16. Easy response

Ask them what would have happened if it was a terrorist attack. They can blame the evacuation on the locals but the response is the feds job. What if nobody had gotten out? The feds couldn't handle a city that was 80% evacuated. What if there had been no warning? Ask them how safe they feel.

These people are too detached from the situtation.

[Mr_Spock]

17. Ask him where he lives - flood his house and tell him no help is coming

sonofabitch would wake up in a hurry I bet...

[BlueStateGirl]

18. Ask him what the Mayor and Governor have to do with FEMA's

piss poor response.

The city survived the hurricane. 80% of the people were evacuated.

It was the levee breach, and lack of Fed response that result din these deaths.

Show him the governor's letter.

Things are going to shit in Miss. Even Trent Lott is getting pissed.

I don't mean to sound crass, but did Alabama suffer the same level of devastation Louisiana and Mississippi did ?

Seriously? Aside from the flooding in Mobile? I haven't heard about anything else.

[Alamom]

26. You're not being crass...Alabama had some major damage ,

on the coast and the city was flooded, but nothing compared to Mississippi and or NOLA.

AND Riley lied about FEMA and troups being in here (AL) right away.

From some local reports, I think Barbour kind of spead it on thick about the amount of help they were getting, too.

They will always say what is expected of of them.

[rocktivity]

19. Start shoveling, Driver!

Statement on Federal Emergency Assistance for Louisiana
The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of Louisiana and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts in the parishes located in the path of Hurricane Katrina beginning on August 26, 2005, and continuing...
Note the date--Friday August 26--THREE DAYS before Katrina made landfall. The second Bush made that declaration, Katrina became his primary responsibility via FEMA for the very simple reason that the mayor and governor don't have those kind of resources. If Bush believed that things could get so serious he made the declaration 72 hours in advance, he should have spent them evacuating the people who didn't have wheels.

Crews Plug Levee Break a Week After Storm
Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco has refused to sign over National Guard control to the federal government and has turned to a Clinton administration official, former Federal Emergency Management Agency chief James Lee Witt, to help run relief efforts. Blanco, a Democrat, was not informed of the timing of Bush's visit, nor was she immediately invited to meet him or travel with him. In fact, Blanco's office didn't know when Bush was coming until told by reporters.
Sounds like blackmail to me, especially with people dying. I don't believe the governors of Mississippi and Alabama were offered the same ultimatum, but then again, they don't have their biggest cities under water. Suggest that that cause of the delay was that Bush was more interested in castrating Democrats and seizing absolute power than saving lives. (CNN video clip)

In short, the Bush White House are simply resorting to their tiresome smear tactics. I think the documents linked here will come in handy, too.

:headbang:
rocknation

[HuskiesHowls]

20. Sorry

But the freeper types that I know, and occasionally have to talk to, know for ABSOLUTE certainty that THEY ARE RIGHT!!! Nothing, absolutely nothing will change their minds. Even an act of Congress won't change their minds...because if it doesn't agree with what they believe, then Congress obviously didn't know what it was doing, and all them libruls made changes.

Sometimes I get more response from the brick walls at work....at least they'll fall down after I bang my head into them long enough!!

[Ganja Ninja]

23. Does the mayor of NO have the authority and the means ..

to bus his entire city to another state? Does the mayor of NO have the means to feed, clothe and house his entire city after it's been evacuated? Does the mayor of NO command the National Guard throughout the region? Can the mayor of NO order the federal government to be prepared? Can the mayor of NO tell the president to get off his lazy ass because people are dying and vacation time's over?
Perhaps we should give the mayor of NO the authority to put a big shiny boot up Bush's ass.

[Guaranteed]

25. So it's Nagin's fault that the levies broke,

even though it was Bush who drastically cut their funding?

It was Nagin that sent all of our National Guard to Iraq?

It was Nagin that signed the emergency declaration on August 27th saying that the federal government was taking over coordination of all the emergency efforts?

It was Nagin that was on vacation for THREE DAYS before doing anything about this?


No...you know who Nagin was? Nagin was the guy who's been LIVING this shit for the past week and a half.

Bush is the newcoming, cake-eating, guitar-strumming, nose-picking dumbshit in D.C. who told a city that had been destroyed to save itself.

[Mutley]

29. Just send this link from the WH webpage itself.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050827-1.html

[Ioo]

30. Here

http://www.thinkprogress.org/katrina-timeline

Saturday, August 27

5AM — KATRINA UPGRADED TO CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE

GOV. BLANCO ASKS BUSH TO DECLARE FEDERAL STATE OF EMERGENCY IN LOUISIANA: “I have determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the State and affected local governments, and that supplementary Federal assistance is necessary to save lives, protect property, public health, and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a disaster.”

FEDERAL EMERGENCY DECLARED, DHS AND FEMA GIVEN FULL AUTHORITY TO RESPOND TO KATRINA: “Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency.”