Well, we're certainly NOT.

George W. Bush: 'I'm Comfortable With What I Did'

Sandy vs Katrina

Krugman states the obvious:

The point is that after Katrina the government seemed to have no idea what it was doing; this time it did. And that’s no accident: the federal government’s ability to respond effectively to disaster always collapses when antigovernment Republicans hold the White House, and always recovers when Democrats take it back. 

Consider, in particular, the history of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. 

Under President George H. W. Bush, FEMA became a dumping ground for unqualified political hacks. Faced with a major test in the form of Hurricane Andrew in 1992, the agency failed completely. 

Then Bill Clinton came in, put FEMA under professional management, and saw the agency’s reputation restored. Given this experience, you might have expected George W. Bush to preserve Mr. Clinton’s gains. But no: he appointed his campaign manager, Joe Allbaugh, to head the agency, and Mr. Allbaugh immediately signaled his intention both to devolve disaster relief to the state and local level and to downgrade the whole effort, declaring, “Expectations of when the federal government should be involved and the degree of involvement may have ballooned beyond what is an appropriate level.” After Mr. Allbaugh left for the private sector, he was replaced with Michael “heckuva job” Brown, and the rest is history. 

Like Mr. Clinton, President Obama restored FEMA’s professionalism, effectiveness, and reputation. But would Mitt Romney destroy the agency again? Yes, he would. As everyone now knows — despite the Romney campaign’s efforts to Etch A Sketch the issue away — during the primary Mr. Romney used language almost identical to Mr. Allbaugh’s, declaring that disaster relief should be turned back to the states and to the private sector. 

The best line on this, I have to admit, comes from Stephen Colbert: “Who better to respond to what’s going on inside its own borders than the state whose infrastructure has just been swept out to sea?” 

Look, Republicans love to quote Ronald Reagan’s old joke that the most dangerous words you can hear are “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” Of course they’ll do their best, whenever they’re in power, to destroy an agency whose job is to say exactly that. And yes, it’s hypocritical that the right-wing news media are now attacking Mr. Obama for, they say, not helping enough people.

Open season

The Homicides You Didn't Hear About in Hurricane Katrina
By Rebecca Solnit

What do you do when you notice that there seems to have been a killing spree? While the national and international media were working themselves and much of the public into a frenzy about imaginary hordes of murderers, rapists, snipers, marauders, and general rampagers among the stranded crowds of mostly poor, mostly black people in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina, a group of white men went on a shooting spree across the river.

Their criminal acts were no secret but they never became part of the official story. The media demonized the city's black population for crimes that turned out not to have happened, and the retractions were, as always, too little too late. At one point FEMA sent a refrigerated 18-wheeler to pick up what a colonel in the National Guard expected to be 200 bodies in New Orleans's Superdome, only to find six, including four who died naturally and a suicide. Meanwhile, the media never paid attention to the real rampage that took place openly across the river, even though there were corpses lying in unflooded streets and testimony everywhere you looked—or I looked, anyway.

The widely reported violent crimes in the Superdome turned out to be little more than hysterical rumor, but they painted African-Americans as out-of-control savages at a critical moment. The result was to shift institutional responses from disaster relief to law enforcement, a decision that resulted in further deaths among the thirsty, hot, stranded multitude. Governor Kathleen Blanco announced, "I have one message for these hoodlums: These troops know how to shoot and kill, and they are more than willing to do so if necessary, and I expect they will." So would the white vigilantes, and though their exact body count remains unknown, at least 11 black men were apparently shot, some fatally.

The parish of Orleans includes both the city of New Orleans on one side of the Mississippi and a community on the other side called Algiers that can be reached via a bridge called the Crescent City Connection. That bridge comes down in another town called Gretna, and the sheriff of Gretna and a lot of his henchmen turned many of the stranded in New Orleans back at gunpoint from that bridge, trapping them in the squalor of a destroyed city, another heinous crime that was largely overlooked. On the Gretna/Algiers side of the river, the levees held and nothing flooded. Next door to Gretna, Algiers is a mostly black community, but one corner of it down by the river, Algiers Point, is a white enclave, a neighborhood of pretty little, well-kept-up wooden houses—and of killers.

Read the rest and know the truth.

What the end of the world could look like

If we aren't prepared.

Three years ago

Just a question, Mrs. Bush

It's great you are taking on Myanmar and the horrible catastrophic cyclone that killed 20,000.... But why are you so silent about the wreckage from Katrina and repairing New Orleans?

God damned America?

Is this Pastor Jeremiah Wright still talking?

No.

Apparently Katrina was sent by God to New Orleans because some of its citizens were going to have a gay parade.

The God Damning America commenter? John McCain's endorser Reverend Hagee.



Update:

Gassing the poor and the helpless

No, not Saddam, George Bush:

Hope, Arkansas (AHN) - The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that there were high levels of formaldehyde in travel trailers and mobile homes that were used by victims of hurricane Katrina and Rita as emergency housing.

FEMA officials said that the residents of these trailers will be transferred as quickly as possible into hotels and apartments because exposing them to formaldehyde makes them sick. They said that transferring them will be beneficial for those who already have symptoms of respiratory illnesses such as the children, elderly persons or occupants.

Formaldehyde is a gas at room temperature. When exposed to this, it can cause burning eyes and/or nose, coughing and difficulty breathing. It is also shown to be carcinogenic - causing nasal and nasopharyngeal cancer and possibly leukemia also.

CDC director Dr. Julie Gerberding said that higher temperatures may cause formaldehyde levels to go up. She also added that the high levels were found in December and January and that the people should be relocated before summer.

Heckovajob, Georgie!

crossposted at SteveAudio.

Did it really take three years to ask this question?

How Much Responsibility Does Oil-Gas Industry Have in Gulf Coast's Katrina Disaster?

[snip]

The delta, formed by the accumulation of the Mississippi River's upstream mud over thousands of years, is a shadow of what it was 100 years ago. Since the 1930s, a fifth of the 10,000-square-mile delta has turned into open water, decreasing the delta's economic and ecologic value by as much as $15 billion a year, according to Louisiana State University studies.

The rate of land loss, among the highest in the world, has exposed New Orleans and hundreds of other communities to the danger of drowning. Katrina made that painfully clear.

[snip]

In Katrina's wake, the Army Corps of Engineers has gotten the brunt of the criticism for the disaster. Besides building suspect levees, the Corps' mission to control waterways with spillways, floodgates and other measures has played havoc with nature by restricting the Mississippi's sediment and fresh upriver water from replenishing the delta's wetlands.

There are other reasons for the disastrous wetlands loss: Human development, cypress logging, ill-advised farming on the coast, hurricanes, slipping-and-sliding geologic faults and even a South American semi-aquatic rodent called nutria imported to Louisiana in the 1930s.

But many scientists say the oil industry's 10,000 miles of canals - enough to stretch nearly halfway around the world - and the drilling they supported played a decisive role. Some scientists say drilling caused half of the land loss, or about 1,000 square miles.

"The whole thing was manifest destiny written large on a marshy landscape," said John Day, an LSU professor emeritus who specializes in delta ecologies.

The industry denies that and points to disagreement among scientists over who or what caused damage, and how much.

No one will ever accept responsibility. There are enough fingers to point, enough officials to quote, enough companies to blame. And nothing will be done because it costs money.

Oh, tell us how wonderful and mighty you are, FEMA

Because your manly muscles make us feel so safe....

Steve Bates of The Yellow Doggerel Democrat pops the bubble. FEMA employees disguise themselves as reporters to interview.... FEMA.

How odd. I wonder why they are so scared of answering questions....

One of many that need help

Help create a Miracle.

The Hurricane

Brought back to honor the fall of New Orleans. Watch the movie at Morse's The Republic of Sestakastan! Bring your friends and neighbors! You'll gasp in horror! You'll cry in shock! You'll laugh at the ending!!

In honor of New Orleans

LACHSA Katrina Benefit concert for NOCCA and The Red Cross by the students of Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. Wynton Marsalis on trumpet alumni of NOCCA, pictures from ap on the web.

Look what speaking the truth about Katrina's aftermath

Gets you. Representative Taylor of Mississippi speaks with passion and gets punished:



(Via A.M. in the Morning who was recommended by Bryan at Why Now?)

Think of the poor insurance companies!

As they struggle to survive the arrogant homeowner's demands for justice:

NEW ORLEANS - A federal appeals court ruled Thursday against Hurricane Katrina victims who argued their insurance policies should have covered flood damage caused by levee breaches that flooded 80 percent of New Orleans during the 2005 storm.

The case could affect thousands of rebuilding residents and business owners in Louisiana. An insurance expert had said a ruling against the industry could have cost insurers $1 billion.

"This event was excluded from coverage under the plaintiffs' insurance policies, and under Louisiana law, we are bound to enforce the unambiguous terms of their insurance contracts as written," Judge Carolyn King wrote for a three-judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

As a result, she said the panel found those who filed the suit "are not entitled to recover under their policies."

So tell me again. Just why is it we buy and pay yearly on insurance then?

Update: This comment (number 41) was taken from Crooks and Liars' post on the court verdict on Katrina's insurance companies:

concernedmom Says:

As a resident of south Louisiana, I am seeing the results of the insurance debacle first hand. Prior to Katrina, Louisiana was ranked near the top for citizens who took advantage of the national flood insurance program. Sadly, many who had both homeowners and flood insurance are still getting screwed by these companies. The homeowners policy won’t pay for water damage, even if the house didn’t flood but the roof was ripped off causing water to enter the house. The flood policies won’t pay because the house didn’t actually flood but was inundated by water after the roof was damaged. Those whose homes actually flooded and had flood insurance are finding that even though they held a policy that policy is not coming anywhere close to paying what it costs to clean up the damage from having several feet of vile and toxic water sitting in their homes for weeks. And their homeowners policy won’t pay for any of it. So, unless they are wealthy enough to pay out of pocket for repairs while fighting to get what they paid for, they are stuck. Two years later, there are still areas of the city that look like they did two years ago. And I am not only referring to the 9th Ward, but also Lakeview and the entire parish of St. Bernard. And make no mistake, the damage was not from the hurricane, but from the negligence of the COE, and they have admitted such.

So here we are 2 years later, the promises Bush made from Jackson Square still unmet, and now the water resources bill, currently under consideration in the House, is headed for a veto by Mr. Bush. This is a bill that would help with coastal restoration and hurricane protection. This morning’s Times-Picayune carried an article regarding this bill. It states that all of our state reps have vowed to vote against the veto should it come. Rep. Baker (R), suggested that the Senate wait till after the August recess to keep Bush from issuing a pocket veto, but the Senate will likely pass the bill before the recess. Any takers on a bet that the pocket veto is exactly what will happen? A large portion of the fuel needed to run America passes through or is refined in south Louisiana. It seems that this administration can find trillions of dollars to throw down a rathole in Iraq, but when it comes to protecting American citizens, infrastructure and keeping promises made, well, it’s just too expensive.

There goes FEMA's plan

Of gassing the poor to death:


(photo taken from article.)

The Federal Emergency Management Agency since early 2006 has suppressed warnings from its own field workers about health problems experienced by hurricane victims living in government-provided trailers with levels of a toxic chemical 75 times the recommended maximum for U.S. workers, congressional lawmakers said yesterday.

A trail of e-mails obtained by investigators shows that the agency's lawyers rejected a proposal for systematic testing of the levels of potentially cancer-causing formaldehyde gas in the trailers, out of concern that the agency would be legally liable for any hazards or health problems. As many as 120,000 families displaced by hurricanes Katrina and Rita lived in the suspect trailers, and hundreds have complained of ill effects.

[snip]

FEMA tested new trailers last September and October after rejecting more stringent standards suggested by the Environmental Protection Agency, Waxman said. In May, the agency reported finding formaldehyde in those trailers at 1.2 parts per million, but it said levels dropped to 0.3 parts per million after four days of ventilation.

FEMA said that met a standard used by the Department of Housing and Urban Development for its manufactured homes. But Paulison said yesterday that FEMA now recognizes that ventilating trailers is impractical during the Gulf Coast's summer heat and humidity. Lawmakers noted that FEMA issued the advice at the beginning of last summer.

Mary C. DeVany, an occupational health and safety engineer advising the Sierra Club, testified that the exposure limit of 0.3 parts per million is 400 times the normal limit for year-round exposure set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. DeVany called the move a "misapplication and skewing of scientific results . . . to minimize adverse health effects."

Who made money on this deal? Follow the money and you'll find one of Bush's fat cronies. Make him pay it back. All of it.

Update: Eli of Multi Medium has more on why FEMA decided not to test for formaldehyde in the trailers.

Indignant, immoral, huffy, corrupt, pompous, hypocritical, greedy, insincere....

Republicans have been and are all that. (Did I miss anything?) So why on earth should we do business with them?

Republicans are trying to call Democrats angry and asking why should they do business with us. Sure, I'll own up to being angry. Wouldn't you be angry after six plus years of this shit?

Mustang Bobby at Bark Bark Woof Woof:
So why, the Republicans innocently ask, are the Democrats so angry? Would you like a list?

- Iraq
- Katrina
- Valerie Plame
- Tom DeLay
- Terri Schiavo
- Randy "Duke" Cunningham
- the fired US attorneys
- Abu Ghraib
- Scooter Libby
- warrantless wiretapping
- the USA PATRIOT Act
- tax cuts for the rich
- the Federal Marriage amendment that would put gay-bashing into the Constitution
- stem-cells
- and on and on

(I'll add three, Mustang Bobby: Habeas Corpus, the Kyoto Accord, and the Geneva Convention).


It's like having your drunk brother-in-law moving into your house AFTER your sister has thrown him out. He parks his car on your lawn, maxes out your credit card, and starts a fight with your wife. He then proceeds to leer at your underage son, grope your daughter while preaching about morals and the dangers of homosexuality. He listens to your phone calls and reads your emails. He watches porn and snuff tapes. Finally, he burns the neighbor's house down, then threatens the neighbor beyond him. He then wonders why you are angry.

Doing what Bush's administration cannot do

Helping New Orleans:

New Orleans -- Tears streamed down Hannah Huchton's face as the Brentwood teen listened to Patrina Peters recount the time she spent trapped on the roof of a floating house during Hurricane Katrina, and how the deadly 2005 storm destroyed all her worldly possessions.

The tears were of sorrow for Peters' loss and of joy at putting the finishing touches on her new home in New Orleans' devastated Ninth Ward. Huchton and 33 other students from two Brentwood high schools helped build the homes and touched lives during a four-day trip that ends today.

"I really didn't think it was going to be this much of an emotional roller-coaster," said the 17-year-old Huchton, wiping away tears on Friday, as she stood in the freshly painted entrance to Peters' 1,000-square-foot, three-bedroom home.

"If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be able to come back," said Peters, 45, who has been without a permanent home since Katrina struck the Gulf Coast. "This shows we're not forgotten. There was a point in time when I felt like we were a forgotten city."

Bush's world:


(Stolen from Karen McL at Peripetia.)

Our own forgotten

The Katrina survivors. (Via whitishrabbit at Cannablog):

So what if the New Orleans Bush-connected company's storm pumps don't work?

I mean, why should we waste our efforts in trying to save something that hasn't been repaired? So buy crappy pumps from a Bush donor! You're doin' a heckofajob, Georgie!


Update: Tbogg says it better.