Even Paula Zahn Wakes Up

If airhead Paula Zahn gets righteous you know there is a very big problem. FEMA director Michael Brown admitted that he knew nothing about thousands of desperate people stranded at the New Orleans Convention Center without food or water for five days.

BROWN: And so, this -- this catastrophic disaster continues to grow. I will tell you this, though. Every person in that Convention Center, we just learned about that today. And so, I have directed that we have all available resources to get to that Convention Center to make certain that they have the food and water, the medical care that they need...

ZAHN: Sir, you aren't telling me...

BROWN: ... and that we take care of those bodies that are there. (CROSSTALK)

ZAHN: Sir, you aren't just telling me you just learned that the folks at the Convention Center didn't have food and water until today, are you? You had no idea they were completely cut off? (CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Paula, the federal government did not even know about the Convention Center people until today.

CNN has the transcript.

FEMA Head is Disgraced Horse Thief Lawyer

No doubt you have been wondering who the hell is Michael Brown and how in the world did he become director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

I don't know his connections to Bush, but it turns out that he is a lawyer forced to resign from the International Arabian Horse Association. The IAHA no longer exists in part of because of Brown's incompetence.

His separation agreement is here, and Daily Kos, who gave the original scoop has the background here.

The Media Wake Up

"For the last 4 days I've been seeing dead bodies in the streets here in Mississippi. To listen to politicians thanking each other and complimenting each other, uh, you know I got to tell you there are a lot of people here who are very upset and very angry and very frustrated and when they hear politicians thanking one another it kind of cuts them the wrong way right now. Cause literally there was a body on the streets of this town yesterday being eaten by rats because thsi woman had been laying in the streets for 48 hours. Do you get the anger that is out here?"

Anderson Cooper, CNN

CNN has become a big joke in recent years. The quality of reporting has significantly diminished and it has joined the rest of the corporate media in its subservience to Bush. But a funny thing happened after Katrina. Maybe they had it in them all along, maybe reporters are disgusted with themselves, and maybe seeing dead bodies and desperate refugees is truly the last straw.

Today Anderson Cooper and his colleague Jack Cafferty went off. Cooper was visibly shaken when Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu thanked, yes thanked, Bush for all the help he has given to the Gulf. Cooper interrrupted her useless remarks and reminded her that absolutely nothing has been done for victims.

Jack Cafferty described the hurricane aftermath this way.

". . . one of the most atrocious and embarrassing and far-reaching and calamitous things that has come along in this country in my lifetime. I’m 62, I remember the riots in Watts, I have never, ever, seen anything as badly bungled and poorly handled as this situation in New Orleans."

I won't hold my breath, but I think that the sight of American babies dying of dehydration because of political incompetence is too much for anyone to bear, even the corporate media.

More on Black Looters vs. White Finders-Keepers

The racial biases of the reporters in New Orleans has been on full - and shocking - display, since Tuesday.
Van Jones

White People "Find", Black People "Loot"

White people are presumed innocent, and black people are presumed guilty. In New Orleans white looters don't exist, even if they take items from empty stores and don't leave money behind. Associated Press editors are blatantly calling black looters looters and white looters lucky people who happen upon unattended items.

It shouldn't be surprising. This entire country was stolen, but we aren't supposed to say so. Read this piece in Salon.

"Heroes" Looted Ground Zero

"It was calculated," said Second Lt. Peter Fluker, Company C's second platoon leader. "It was done with crowbars and heavy equipment and some sharp, blunt objects that were used to smash open big doors and jewelry cases. They were rescue workers of some sort."

Human disasters always bring out looters. Some are desperate as is the case in New Orleans. Some are just greedy, like 9/11 law enforcement and firefighters. Let's not forget the missing rolex watches from an area of the WTC accessible only to "hero" cops and firefighters. Story is here, free registration required.

Katrina, aka Global Warming

"The hurricane that struck Louisiana yesterday was nicknamed Katrina by the National Weather Service. Its real name is global warming.

When the year began with a two-foot snowfall in Los Angeles, the cause was global warming.

When 124-mile-an-hour winds shut down nuclear plants in Scandinavia and cut power to hundreds of thousands of people in Ireland and the United Kingdom, the driver was global warming."
Ross Gelbspan

Poor Haley Barbour

"He derided the idea of regulating CO2 as 'eco-extremism' "
Huffington Post

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has been all over television the last two days. He is fighting back tears and wringing his hands over the hurricane devastation wrought upon his state.

The next time you watch the now suffering Governor, keep two things in mind. First, global warming is intensifying the of severity of hurricanes. Second, Haley Barbour made sure the Bush administration stayed on point with the fossil fuel industry and gave the back of its hand to any effort to increase use of alternative energy sources.

Barbour served as the Republican National Committee Chairman and then as a lobbyist. In that role he made certain that no one in Washington spent a millisecond thinking about the environmental impact of increased oil and gas production.

No one can say that the lack of U.S. participation in the Kyoto Treaty caused this particular hurricane. But we do know that warmer ocean currents are responsible for an intense tropical storm season that is only half over.

So Haley, stop crying and get with the program. Demand that the U.S. government do everything in its power to slow the pace of global warming.

Weatherman Goes Nuts

"Let me talk Carol!"

I knew CNN had worsened over the years, but weatherman temper tantrums are hard to take. I guess this guy wasn't ready for prime time or for Katrina either.

New Orleans Refugees Treated Like Criminals

Guardsmen made able-bodied people clasp their hands behind their backs while they patted them down, feeling the seams and hems of clothing, then ran metal detectors over them. The backpacks, suitcases and plastic grocery bags that held their belongings were searched.

MSNBC

Every man, woman, old lady and infant fleeing to the Superdome is being patted down and checked for weapons. That is why they have been on line for hours.

It is bad enough that Mayor Nagin acted like the Mayor in Jaws and withheld an evacuation order that ended up trapping thousands of tourists in the city, tourists that he wanted to appease.

Imagine being told you have a few hours to gather belongings, enough for up to five days, and make your way to a stadium with your kids, grandma and significant other.

I hope that the Mayor and the leadership of New Orleans are called to account for this outrage.

Good News from New Orleans

Fox reporter Shepard Smith to New Orleans resident: "Why are you still here, I'm just curious?"

Man on the Street: "It's none of your f_ _king business."

Now I'm happy. Fox News got cursed out. Video is here. Thanks to Crooks and Liars for the footage.

Too Little, Too Late in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast












Evacuation back log at the New Orleans Superdome
Mario Tama/Getty Images

I flunked meteorology in college, but I am fascinated by weather phenomenon nonetheless. I have been glued to the tube all weekend watching the progress of hurricane Katrina.

Apparently I am on the same wave length with Jim Cantore, a Weather Channel meteorologist. Cantore expressed concern that evacuation in Mississippi was moving so slowly.

On Friday I was alarmed when tropical storm Katrina became a hurricane. I was even more alarmed when Floridians, who should be experienced in these matters, were blase because it was just a Category 1 storm.

Newsflash. There are no minor hurricanes. Tropical storms kill people, itty bitty Category 1 hurricanes kill too. Katrina killed 7 in Florida.

To get to my point quickly, I think it is going to prove catastrophic that the city of New Orleans didn't issue an evacuation order until today. The storm track all weekend pointed to a Gulf Coast land fall. If the Mayor was squeamish about evacuating before today he should have warned his city yesterday that there might be an evacuation order issued today.
The announcement didn't take place until 11 a.m. central time today. This time lag is unconscionable. I hope it doesn't prove tragic as well.

As the photo above shows, there are thousands of New Orleans residents who were unable to leave town. Most of them are poor people lugging bedding, pampers and non-perishable food only to find a human traffic jam when they arrive at the Superdome to access shelter. I can only imagine taking my septugenarian parents, neither of whom walks very well, into a crowd of humanity where they have to stand for hours.

I live in New York and I knew that New Orleans lies beneath sea level. What have they been doing? How could they have been so unprepared?

Those who have cars are stuck in traffic jams along the coast. What happens when they run out of gas? There is already no gasoline to be had. At what point should motorists look for an elevated building if they can't find elevated ground?

I hope that they are doing a better job of answering these questions in Louisiana and Mississippi. After all the post 9/11 talk about disaster planning I expected better from public officials.

Iraq: A Test for War

America's addiction to war has just received another fix. The Bush administration and its cohorts don't care if this war is won or lost.
Deepak Chopra

Chopra has harsh words, but not just for the Bushmen. He has a broader criticism of the antiwar movement that he feels does not work hard enough to end militarism altogether.

Mfume Unafraid of Anti-War Stance

"It's time to get out."
Kweisi Mfume

At least one Democrat is ignoring the DLC's nonsensical advice. Former Congressman and NAACP President Kweisi Mfume is a candidate for retiring Maryland Senator Paul Sarbanes' seat. Mfume is calling for the U.S. to leave Iraq.

It is imperative for Democrats around the country to do what they know to be right ethically and right politically. Democrats will be toast in Congressional and national elections if they parrot the pro-war stance.

War Against Iran and War Against the American People

The United States mission in Iraq is doomed. But the outcome will be very dangerous to the world, its economy, and to American citizens, as well. That’s because the War Party in charge in Washington will not accept defeat, and will, instead, escalate, in an attempt to erase its initial failures. When they do, they will vastly accelerate the process of their own demise.
Black Commentator

Can Black Commentator and Pat Buchanan both be right? In a radio commentary last month Black Commentator exposed the Bushmen plot to attack Iran. Buchanan's magazine, American Conservative, also reports that Cheney is the point man in plotting a "tactical" nuclear strike on Iran should there be another 9/11 type attack. Do they know something the rest of us do not?

If that isn't scary enough, there are ominous hints that the Bushmen will declare martial law in the U.S., if there is another terror attack. Have you ever heard of CONPLAN?

But the new plans provide for what several senior officers acknowledged is the likelihood that the military will have to take charge in some situations, especially when dealing with mass-casualty attacks that could quickly overwhelm civilian resources.

How convenient. I guess we will all be enemy combatants.

"Blow Them All Away in the Name of the Lord"
Jerry Falwell (quicktime)

Before we beat up on Muslims we have to condemn these crazy Christian religious extremists. Thanks to Crooks and Liars for the video.

Why the Dems Will Keep Losing

"Credit the Democrats for not trying to pour more gasoline on the fire, even if they're not particularly unified in their message," said Michael McCurry, a former Clinton White House press secretary. "Democrats could jump all over them and try to pin Bush down on it, but I'm not sure it would do anything but make things worse. The smartest thing for Democrats to do is be supportive."
Mike McCurry (registration required)

Let's see if I understand correctly. Bush's poll numbers are worse than Nixon's were during Watergate, but the opposition should not oppose on the issue that has killed his approval ratings. Did I read correctly?

The Democrats are so pathetic that they don't even know how to by cynical. If they were cynical, something political parties usually know how to be without any prompting, they would just blame Bush. That's all. We voted yes because we believed the President. We weren't the ones who said Saddam had mobile WMD facilities. We didn't say anything about mushroom clouds. We went along with you, you figure it out.

That is it. That is all. Blame Republicans for the debacle and call for troops to leave. No harm. No foul. Piece of cake. In fact a cake walk, as the neocons would say.

Believe it or not there is good news here. We know that the people who run the Democratic party will find a way to lose in 2006 Congressional races and in the 2008 presidential race. That means we are liberated. We should do whatever the hell we want. The lesser of two evils argument can be a sound one, but only if both evils have a chance to win. If one evil is once again headed to Loserville, it can and should be abandoned.

Every cloud does have a silver lining.

Preacher Advocates Murder

"You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him [Hugo Chavez], I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it," Robertson said. "It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war ... and I don't think any oil shipments will stop."
Rev. Pat Robertson

I realized long ago that Pat Robertson was no Christian. I'm not surprised that he has publicly called for the killing of Venezulean President Hugo Chavez. Robertson also advocated that the U.S. State Department should be blown up, with a nuclear weapon no less. He is a very dangerous man, a fascist. He is one of many like minded creatures who were empowered by the theft of the presidency in 2000.

It is time for Christians to forthrightly denounce him and his ilk, instead of beating up on Muslims and making them take the heat for the actions of some of their coreligionists. It is time for Christians to denounce Christian terror.

George Loses It

In fact, George W. Bush’s mood swings have become so drastic that White House emails often contain “weather reports” to warn of the President’s demeanor. “Calm seas” means Bush is calm while “tornado alert” is a warning that he is pissed at the world.
Capital Hill Blue

Bush has his annual physical every August but he didn't last year. Was he afraid that we would find out he was taking anti-depressants? He didn't have to worry. As usual the corporate media covered for him.

Bomb Carrier Can Keep Flying Planes

U.S. Department of Homeland Security documents obtained by The Norman Transcript newspaper indicate federal agents who searched Dreyling's residence found gunpowder, carbon dioxide cartridges and wires as well as a computer with a video of detonation of a device similar to the one transported into the airport.
USA Today

A guy who tried to board a plane with a bomb is learning to be a pilot. His name is Charles Dreyling. He is the red blooded, white, all-American, Oklahoman who thought he could get through airport security while carrying a bomb.

Dreyling is now out of jail, thanks to his landlord, former Oklahoma City mayor Kirk Humphreys. Humphreys posted $10,000 bail for Dreyling. I guess he wants to make sure the rent gets paid. If anyone ought to remember that white Americans blow up buildings it ought to be an Oklahoman.

But wait, there is more. Dreyling has a commercial pilot license and can resume his studies at the University of Oklahoma. What is his major? Why it is aviation management of course.

The Transportation Security Agency is recommending that the FAA revoke Dreyling's license. Duh. While Brazilian electricians are being shot to death in cold blood by London cops, white people caught with bombs have licenses to fly planes.