THIS ONE IS SCARY

Democrats Assail White House on Katrina Effort
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: September 7, 2005
Filed at 1:50 p.m. ET



At a news conference, Pelosi, D-Calif., said Bush's choice for head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency had ''absolutely no credentials.''
She related that she had urged Bush at the White House on Tuesday to fire Michael Brown.
''He said 'Why would I do that?''' Pelosi said.
'''I said because of all that went wrong, of all that didn't go right last week.' And he said 'What didn't go right?'''
''Oblivious, in denial, dangerous,'' she added.

OUT OF TOUCH, PART 2

Laura Bush called the hurricane "Corinna." Don't believe me? See the video at Crooks and Liars!

ANOTHER "BLAME THE LOCALS" MEME DEBUNKED

There is a story going around that state and local officials prevented the Red Cross from entering New Orleans despite the desperate situation. A commenter at Atrios, I believe, found a news report that said federal officials (DHS, FEMA) were responsible, not the locals.

I wrote to the reporter and she confirmed her story. Here's the text:

Dear Mr. J,

Due to e-mails such as yours I called the Red Cross again to make sure I had not misunderstood them in our conversations about Homeland Security and FEMA. (The F stands for Federal). They said my story was not in error.
After many calls to the federal Dept. of Homeland Security, both before I wrote the article and after it ran, their spokeswoman finally returned my call. She had no idea whether the federal dept. was a party to the decision to keep the Red Cross out. She said she would get back to me after she checked it out, and I am waiting to hear from her.
The Louisiana Department of Homeland Security and and Emergency Preparedness is currently impossible to reach because whatever phone lines are working down there are overwhelmed. If the story is in error I will be more than happy to write a correction, but the Red Cross stands by what it originally told me.

Sincerely,
Ann

Ann Rodgers

Religion reporter

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 34 Blvd. of the Allies Pittsburgh PA 15222
412-263-1416 1-800-234-6990 ext. 1416 arodgers@post-gazette.com Fax:
412-391-8452 www.post-gazette.com

UPDATE: Ms. Rodgers sent me a follow-up letter

Dear Steve,

Sorry I can't continue sending information because I'm beign bombarded with e-mail about this. I took longer to reply to you because you were so polite. I will tell you that I just got off the phone after a long conversation with Major George Hood, the national spokesman for the Salvation Army, who told me that the decision to keep aid agencies out of downtown New Orleans at the height of the flood was made jointly by FEMA (the federal agency) and the Louisianna Dept. of Homeland Security.

Ann

PAT ROBERTSON REPLIES

I just received this e-mail from CBN, weeks after the event. Here's the text:

Thank you for contacting CBN in response to remarks I made during a recent edition of The 700 Club. These unplanned comments followed a news report of the crisis in Venezuela. I have written a letter of profound apology to President Chavez assuring him of my prayers for him personally and for the people of Venezuela. Along the way, I hope that God in His grace might bring President Chavez to the saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Please join me in this prayer. I hope this apology will have the effect of providing peace and harmony where there has been much strife. More than anything else, I want you to know that CBN's core mission is the same today as it has been for 44 years - to bring the love of Jesus and the message of His
saving grace to the nations of the world. Every day, it is our privilege to tell His story to millions of men, women and children throughout America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Latin America, and yes, certainly Venezuela. God bless you for your support of CBN and I hope that it will continue. I remain ...

Sincerely yours,

Pat Robertson

I'd like to know exactly what "the crisis" was that moved Robertson to make his remarks and what are the religious beliefs of Hugo Chavez. If I get a reply to these questions, I'll post it here.

KATRINA INFORMATION

ThinkProgress has put together a great timeline and MediaMatters has a list of administration lies. You can find the Department of Homeland Security's National Response Plan here. The section that covers pro-active responses begins on page 43.

And finally,

MR. McCLELLAN: The President's most important responsibility is the safety and security of the American people. He talks about that often. That is his most important responsibility.
LINK

CINDY'S SONG

The Tucson Raging Grannies sang this at the vigil I attended for Cindy and Casey and the composer has given me permission to post it here.

CINDY'S SONG
(tune: Mr. Tambourine Man")

Hey, Mr. President, why won't you talk to me?,
I've been waitin' and I'm not planning to be leaving,
Hey, Mr. President, why won't you talk to me?,
I’ll be here in the morning still a-grievin’.

Though my son’s now gone from me and never can return,
his memory still burns,
thoughts of needless death turn and spin while I stand waiting.
Your callousness confuses me, I need to hear you say
that there was no other way,
and that this war’s about something more than simply hating.
(chorus)
Tell me why you believe our sons and daughters have to die...
you shake your head and sigh, but I’ve heard too many lies,
your government denies
that our troops die only for oil and power....
I’m tired of the excuses, there were no WMDs,
and spreadin’ democracy just doesn’t seem to me
to have much to do with nine-eleven and the Towers.
(chorus)
Though you now sing a different song we know this war was planned
long before you made your stand, but it’s gotten out of hand,
broken bodies in the sand, death by your command,
and you don’t seem to see the hatred that we’re breedin’.
Your so-called war on terror just doesn’t justify
the mothers here and there who cry, who watch their children die.
It’s past time to question why, your war cry we must defy....
the call for peace we all must now be heedin’.
(chorus)
You’ve opened up the gates of Hell and let the demons in,
greed and hate rise from within, it’s your lies that are a sin,
and this war we couldn't win even if we were righteous.
I’m tired of war and I'm tired of death,
I’ll stay ‘til my last breath,
I stand with America a-waitin’ peace, truth and justice.
(chorus)
(Connie Graves, August 2005)

PIGBOY ON NEW ORLEANS OFFICIALS

I just heard PigBoy claim that NO officials did not follow their own plans to evacuate. Unfortunately, he made the mistake of giving the link and as usual, PigBoy is lying for Bush.

The NO plan called for the 100,000 or so who do not have transportation to be put up in local shelters.


Don't believe me? Read it for yourself:


NEW ORLEANS HURRICANE PLAN
ANNEX I: HURRICANES
Approximately 100,000 Citizens of New Orleans do not have means of personal transportation. Shelter assessment is an ongoing project of the Office of Emergency Preparedness through the Shelter Coordinator.

The following schools have been inspected and approved as Hurricane Evacuation Shelters for the City of New Orleans:

Laurel Elementary School
Walter S. Cohen High School
Medard Nelson Elementary School
Sarah T. Reed High School
Southern University Multi Purpose Center
Southern University New Science Building
O. Perry Walker High School
Albert Wicker Elementary School

WEATHER REPORT, SUNDAY AUG. 28TH

Urgent Weather Message from NWS New Orleans
WWUS74 KLIX 281550 NPWLIX URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA1
011 AM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005

DEVASTATING DAMAGE EXPECTED HURRICANE KATRINAA MOST POWERFUL HURRICANE WITH UNPRECEDENTED STRENGTH...RIVALING THE INTENSITY OF HURRICANE CAMILLE OF 1969. MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS...PERHAPS LONGER. AT LEAST ONE HALF OF WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WILL HAVE ROOF AND WALL FAILURE. ALL GABLED ROOFS WILL FAIL...LEAVING THOSE HOMES SEVERELY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.THE MAJORITY OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS WILL BECOME NON FUNCTIONAL.PARTIAL TO COMPLETE WALL AND ROOF FAILURE IS EXPECTED. ALL WOOD FRAMED LOW RISING APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL BE DESTROYED. CONCRETE BLOCK LOW RISE APARTMENTS WILL SUSTAIN MAJOR DAMAGE...INCLUDING SOME WALL AND ROOF FAILURE. HIGH RISE OFFICE AND APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL SWAY DANGEROUSLY...A FEW TO THE POINT OF TOTAL COLLAPSE. ALL WINDOWS WILL BLOW OUT. AIRBORNE DEBRIS WILL BE WIDESPREAD...AND MAY INCLUDE HEAVY ITEMS SUCH AS HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND EVEN LIGHT VEHICLES. SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND LIGHT TRUCKS WILL BE MOVED. THE BLOWN DEBRIS WILL CREATE ADDITIONAL DESTRUCTION. PERSONS...PETS...AND LIVESTOCK EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL FACE CERTAIN DEATH IF STRUCK. POWER OUTAGES WILL LAST FOR WEEKS...AS MOST POWER POLES WILL BE DOWN AND TRANSFORMERS DESTROYED. WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS.THE VAST MAJORITY OF NATIVE TREES WILL BE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. ONLY THE HEARTIEST WILL REMAIN STANDING...BUT BE TOTALLY DEFOLIATED. FEW CROPS WILL REMAIN. LIVESTOCK LEFT EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL BE KILLED.AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR HURRICANE FORCE...OR FREQUENT GUSTS AT OR ABOVE HURRICANE FORCE...ARECERTAIN WITHIN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS.ONCE TROPICAL STORM AND HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ONSET...DO NOT VENTUREOUTSIDE!LAZ038-040-050-056>070-282100-ASSUMPTION-LIVINGSTON-LOWER JEFFERSON-LOWER LAFOURCHE-LOWER PLAQUEMINES-LOWER ST. BERNARD-LOWER TERREBONNE-ORLEANS-ST. CHARLES-ST. JAMES-ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST-ST. TAMMANY-TANGIPAHOA-UPPER JEFFERSON-UPPER LAFOURCHE-UPPER PLAQUEMINES-UPPER ST. BERNARD-UPPER TERREBONNE-1011 AM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005

LINKS FOR THIS MESSAGE:
http://www.firingsquad.com/news/newsarticle.asp?searchid=8544
http://kamala.cod.edu/offs/KLIX/0508281550.wwus74.html

3 QUESTIONS THAT NEED TO BE ANSWERED

Aaron Broussard, the President of Jefferson Parish, was on Meet the Press and gave very moving testimony about what happened. If you haven't seen it, I encourage you to go to Crooks & Liars and watch.

Mr. Broussard also mentioned 3 puzzling actions by FEMA officials and I think we all deserve to find out exactly why these actions were taken:

We had Wal-Mart deliver three trucks of water, trailer trucks of water. FEMA turned them back. They said we didn't need them. This was a week ago. FEMA--we had 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel on a Coast Guard vessel docked in my parish. The Coast Guard said, "Come get the fuel right away." When we got there with our trucks, they got a word. "FEMA says don't give you the fuel." Yesterday--yesterday--FEMA comes in and cuts all of our emergency communication lines. They cut them without notice. Our sheriff, Harry Lee, goes back in, he reconnects the line. He posts armed guards on our line and says, "No one is getting near these lines."

"I WANT MY SON BACK"

Brain injury means he'll 'never be the same'
By Carol Ann Alaimo
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
Published: 09.04.2005

EXCERPTS:


Erik Castillo is one of hundreds of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans treated for brain injuries inflicted by rockets, bullets or roadside bombs. In worst cases, like his, the healing process is one of the most harrowing journeys in human experience, experts say.

"It breaks my heart to see him suffering like this," said Maria Castillo, 39. The pain was so great that she started abusing alcohol and later took anti-depressants as the enormity of her son's situation sank in. "I would cry and yell at the doctor: 'The person in that bed is not my son! I want my son back, the one I had before this happened.'"

Maria Castillo said she would like to believe her son's sacrifice and her family's suffering was meaningful on a larger scale, that the Iraq War was a just cause that will make the world safer. But she does not think so.

She believes America went to war without adequate justification because the president wanted revenge on Saddam Hussein, who reportedly once tried to have the elder President Bush killed. "I'm so angry at our president, I can't even stand to look at him," she said.

EMERGENCY DECLARATIONS

I have been reading Bushevik claims that the governor of LA waited too long to declare a state of emergency. The WaPo reports that WH staffers said none had been declared by Saturday, Aug 28th. This is clearly FALSE and I learned that from commenters at Atrios.

LA declared a SOE on August 26th. Here's the declaration.

Presumably in response, the WH issued an emergency declaration on Aug. 27th.

Finally, LA sent a fax to the WH on Sunday, August 28, requesting immediate emergency disaster relief.