Haw.

Tuco, you ran away last week without telling us where Warren Christopher went after the bad, bad natural disaster. Was he getting his nails done or grooming his polo pony?

Either way, I hope somebody yanked his chain and told him to get back to work–as apparently someone did with Dr. Rice last week.

If you want to see a vivid illustration of this for yourself, head on over to the Q&O blog, where Oliver got Own3ed in response to this post. (qando.net/details.aspx?Entry=2508)

Offered the opportunity to condemn the hate groups welcomed into Camp Casey (Cindy Sheehan certainly didn’t), Oliver declined to do so every time. Very telling. Go and see for yourself.

I see a bunch of right winger whining about this entry. Must have really struck a nerve. They know it is true and they are only trying to distract.

Would this same equation have held for a white city? Would America have been willing to watch thousands of white people die slow, agonizing deaths and been comforted by the thought that, “Well, you can’t really expect FEMA to help them, don’t you know there’s looting going on? Didn’t they kind of bring it on themselves, yada yada?” Somehow I don’t think so. I think if it was white people dying on TV Bush would’ve been impeached two days ago. He would have been put in prison.

But am I incorrect in assuming you think Oliver is wrong to ask what role race had to play in this tragedy, else why would you call his post  disgusting? I have seen all over the blogs, and heard on the radio, the rightwingers trying to defend the Bush administration by changing the topic to looters. Do you not share this point of view?

The answer is yes to the first statement. No one should be dragging race into this, especially Oliver. He’s pulled the race card out may times; his attitude: something bad happening to bad people, find a guilty white person to blem it on.
At the time, he advocates personality. Apparntly, for Republican blacks in high places.

“Do you not share this point of view?” I’m not sure if there is any connection between looting and disaster management, except, of course, that there must be in the plan a plan to do something about it.
I don’t think that’s Bush’s problem, do you?

Mouse — what’s a PM?

And. since when disaster planning begin at the National Government level? they get called in by loval and state authorities..

You know that…

Okay. Mussolini was a fascist. He should know something about just what that movement stood for. He described it in terms that sound curiously similar to the philosophy of government currently being practiced out of our own White House these days. Does that help?

Do you even know what socialism is? Because the way you throw the word sound I’m beginning to wonder.

Doesn t anyone understand that things are being done well now because time was taken for planning and preparation?

Exactly. The inverse of your argument is that things were not being done well before now because time was not taken for planning and preparation while there was still time.

There should have been a disaster recovery plan. All cities have them (or should) in conjuction and in harmony with state and federal plans to ensure timely and effective response to emergencies and disasters at various levels as required.

For example, during the blackout of 2003, the emergency level was high enough that we (at the local level) had communcations lines and offices set up to share information and make decisions at the federal, provincial and municipal levels of government. This plan had been in place and tested annually for years prior to its utilization in a real emergency. The activation of the plan and the response began within minutes of the emergency level being established and announced.

Apparently, there was such a plan:

Four years after the September 11, 2001, attacks, the storm disaster marked the first time the federal government has invoked its post-September 11 response plan aimed at enhancing Washington’s ability to deal with national incidents.

Katrina’s arrival was predicted well in advance. Authorities at all levels had plenty of time to begin preparations and working the plan. Considering that this administration has been selling themselves as the only line of defense between U.S. citizens and the next national catastrophe, it is nothing short of appalling that their reaction was as slow and incompetent as it has been. The National Guard should not have been days away, it should have been hours away. Basic necessities like food and water and medical personnel should have been ready for dispersal prior to the hurricane’s arrival. They were not. Emergency centres and lines of communaction should have been in place and functional prior to the hurricane. They were not.

Even information coming out of FEMA was inaccurate or simply wrong. This nothing short of appalling and inexcusable.

Others on this thread have suggested that NO had turned down help from the Federal gov’t (this information is far from reliable BTW). If an emergency protocol had been in place and followed, the primary decision that would have been necessary was defining the level of emergency. All actions would have have followed the protocol for that level. In other words, because emergencies have a way of following an unpredictable path, emergency and disaster protocols are designed to facilitate the top-down decision-making process to allow for a speedy response with the necessary resources at every level.

BTW, I am a PM and have participated and led in emergency planning and response.

BTW, outer_space, check out SadieB’s posts above for some “friendly debate”.

SadieB, I’m still lost… What quote?

How did Benito Mussolini, another world class socialist (leftist) thug, get into this?

But am I incorrect in assuming you think Oliver is wrong to ask what role race had to play in this tragedy, else why would you call his post “disgusting?” I have seen all over the blogs, and heard on the radio, the rightwingers trying to defend the Bush administration by changing the topic to looters. Do you not share this point of view?

And please don’t tell me you think the Nazis were left-wing!?! Yes, I know their full name was National Socialists, but that is just plain ignorant. Maybe you’ve never heard this quote?

“Fascism should more properly be called corporatism, since it is the merger of state and corporate power.”

Now just who is it today who argues for complete, unfettered corporate control of the world, who gave us an energy policy written by oil companies, tried to privatize Social Security, and is now engaged in a war that profits no one outside of Halliburtin and again, the oil industry? Hint: it’s not the pinko hippy liberals.

I am not sure why conservatives see communism under every rock. Or, that any ‘liberal’ has to be pink, or red or whatever color you Goldwater campaigners want to paint them with. That is very Sixties of you.
Nor do I agree with the trite characterization that conservatives are all ‘nazis’.
(although you may agree some are)
But I do find it interesting that you mention the National Socialist Party in Germany of the 1930′s.

Like the Neocons of today this was a movement that was funded by the religious right. They had an ideology which promoted fear and distrust of neighbor or family. Hitlers rise to power during the depression was facilitated through the radios that he gave away to any who wished them.
In a time of economic hardship his message was the only thing heard.

And we know the rest of the story. So don’t get too hung up on the atrocities committed by past demi-gods. We have our own history to deal with. It doesn’t look like it’s gonna get prettier until it gets worse.

Apparently there were some black people, presumably young and male, who turned to criminal behaviour after days of no food and water. Therefore it is a good thing that Bush s FEMA caused the deaths of many many black people, even if some of them were not young or male? I mean maybe some of the old people were related to the criminals, is that it? Or the children who died of dehydration might have grown up to become criminals? Or maybe there were some who died, who were young and male, and though they didn t actually commit crimes, they might have thought about it?

Huh?

Owing to his years of experience in disaster management, detailed knowledge of FEMA, and on-the-scene awareness of the problems pre- and post-Katrina, Oliver Willis informs us that there’s no need to