Let the Blame Game Begin

Arianna Huffington tells us why the finger pointing must begin immediately. Anyone who advocates waiting, that means you Bill Clinton, is aiding and abetting the crime that was committed against the people of the Gulf Coast.

Already the ass covering has begun. Republicans want to investigate themselves and are already preparing for a white wash. They want FEMA and Homeland Security officials to be exempt from testifying before Congress. These investigators want to pass on questionning the suspects.

President Briefed on Katrina

Thanks to Talking Points Memo for this important piece of news. National Hurricane Center director Dr. Max Mayfield held a video conference call with the President on Sunday, August 28 and gave him the scoop on Katrina's severity and potential for destruction. Why did Mayfield call the President? "I just wanted to be able to go to sleep that night knowing that I did all I could do." I wonder if the President can sleep at night. If he is awake he is worrying about political fall out, not about the lives lost.

How FEMA was Destroyed

"Many are concerned that federal disaster assistance may have evolved into both an oversized entitlement program and a disincentive to effective state and local risk management. Expectations of when the government should be involved and the degree of involvement may have ballooned beyond what is an appropriate level."

Joe Allbaugh, former FEMA director, May 15, 2001

That explains everything. Republicans hate entitlement programs, like social security. They do love entitlements for rich people and corporations but the rest of us aren't entitled to jack. Or to put it more succinctly:

The Republican agenda is to turn the United States into a third-world shithole.

Mahablog

Where is Dick Cheney?

"Sometimes I don't think Cheney is awake enough to know what's going on. He's a sick man, you know. He's got heart disease but the disease is not restricted to that part of his body. He grunts a lot so you never really know what he's thinking."

Congressman Charles Rangel

Back in June, Dick Cheney secretly visited the cardiac unit of a hospital in Vail, Colorado. When the Huffington Post and others asked questions about this secret visit we were told that he was just stopping by to say hello to his favorite orthopedic surgeon. Yet he did so under an assumed name and had an EKG just for the hell of it.

Now that the White House is in full damage control mode over hurricane Katrina, one would think that old Dick would be seen somewhere on the Gulf Coast. On the contrary, Cheney has been the invisible man.

Where is Dick? Is he in the hospital? Is he on his death bed? Will the media ask when we are told that he is in surgery or that he has passed away?

If he dies who will succeed him? Hopefully not a horse show lawyer.

U.S. is a Failed State

As always, Black Commentator was ahead of the curve. Why is the head of FEMA a political crony instead of an emergency management expert? Why were the levees neglected? Why did the federal government ignore years of warnings about the need to provide an evacuation plan? Why are we in need of aid from the rest of the world?

All of these questions have the same answer. The U.S is now officially a "failed state."

" . . . the Pirates at the helm of the GOP relentlessly pursue their larger agenda: to destroy every structure of government that has usefulness to the public – especially, Black people – in order to clear the way for corporate governance."

"Of what use is a congressional or state Black political caucus, or Black mayors and city councils, if the state is so enfeebled that it cannot deliver the goods? "

"The Bush regime has summoned the failed state chicken home to roost, with a vengeance, as it attempts to strip away every social obligation of the state to the people. However, the legitimacy of American governments at all levels has long been eroding, as defined by their capacity to provide political goods to the citizenry."

We cannot allow this process to continue. The New Orleans disaster is the direct result of the policy of deliberate failure. This city must be rebuilt and all of its inhabitants must be given the right to return to the homes they inhabited before Katrina struck.

The rest of us can never forget that every effort to destroy social security, or keep us indebted to credit card companies, are steps on the road to state failure.

FEMA not the Patronage Gig

Well, well, well. In a previous post I mentioned that FEMA director Michael Brown couldn't keep his job lawyering for the International Arabian Horse Association. He was forced out. At the time I didn't know his connection with the Bushies. Well, I know now and I almost wish I didn't.

Brown is the former college room mate of Joe Albaugh, the previous FEMA director. Talking Points Memo has the details.

By the way, I'm not necessarily opposed to political patronage, but FEMA? Certain jobs should be patronage proof, FEMA should top that list.

Rev. Condi Rice

"The Lord is going to come on time — if we just wait."
Condoleezza Rice

Remind me never to set foot in Pilgrim Rest AME Zion church in Mobile, Alabama. The pastor of said church, Malone Smith, Jr., is a little weak on the teachings of Jesus. How else can anyone explain that he would allow a blood thirsty killer to speak from his pulpit.

Condi got herself some 'ligion and had the nerve to speak as if she knew anything about God. She is responsible for the deaths of many thousands.

She ought to quit her job, attend church 24-7 and repent of her sins, but until she does she should not go anywhere near a pulpit.

A Joke

A flood came and a man had to climb onto the roof of his house. As the waters rose a neighbor in a rowboat appeared, and told him to get in. "No," replied the man on the roof, "the Lord will save me." Then a firefighter appeared in a speedboat. "Climb in!" shouted the firefighter. "No," replied the man on the roof, "The Lord will save me." A helicopter appeared and the pilot shouted that he would lower a rope to the man on the roof. "No," replied the man on the roof, "the Lord will save me." Eventually the man drowned and went to heaven, where he asked God why He hadn't helped him. "I sent a neighbor, a firefighter, and helicopter," said God. "What more do you want?"

Harry Connick Got In, Why Couldn't FEMA?

"Despite the city’s multiple points of entry, our nation’s bureaucrats spent days after last week’s hurricane wringing their hands, lamenting the fact that they could neither rescue the city’s stranded victims nor bring them food, water and medical supplies.

Meanwhile there were journalists, including some who work for The Times-Picayune, going in and out of the city via the Crescent City Connection. On Thursday morning, that crew saw a caravan of 13 Wal-Mart tractor trailers headed into town to bring food, water and supplies to a dying city.

Television reporters were doing live reports from downtown New Orleans streets. Harry Connick Jr. brought in some aid Thursday, and his efforts were the focus of a "Today" show story Friday morning.

Yet, the people trained to protect our nation, the people whose job it is to quickly bring in aid were absent. Those who should have been deploying troops were singing a sad song about how our city was impossible to reach."

The New Orleans Times Picayune pulled no punches when they were finally able to print. They demanded that President Bush fire FEMA director Michael Brown and his entire staff, citing their "bald faced lies." Read the editorial here.

Dr. Phil Goes to the Astrodome

Don't the refugees have enough problems? Apparently not, because CNN sent Dr. Phil to the Astrodome. I hope he doesn't tell them to "get real."

A gentleman named Ernest Brooks anxiously sought information about his relatives. Phil began to channel Jesse Jackson and told him to "keep hope alive" and be patient for news.

Mr. Brooks quite rightly ignored the loud mouth quack and began to give contact phone numbers and the names of his missing relatives. Poor Mr. Brooks. His family is missing and he had to talk to Dr. Phil.

No human being should have to experience trauma on top of trauma.

Don't Give to the Red Cross

"This skewed giving to Red Cross would be fine if the Red Cross were paying for the cost of the 80,000 people they are expertly sheltering in 240 designated shelter sites; but FEMA and the 4 affected state governments (including Texas which will shelter up to 75,000 people) are reimbursing the Red Cross under pre-existing contracts for emergency shelter and other related services. The existence of these contracts is no secret to anyone but the donating public."
Huffington Post

You read correctly. The Red Cross does not need any of your hard earned cash to provide for hurricane victims. They already have money from government contracts.

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.