Crooks and Liars: Amazingly, FOX News now concedes of the failure to help. Geraldo Rivera held up a baby, demanding all viewers to see the face of reality. Shep Smith shouts at Hannity!
General Honore: “By-and-large, these are families that are just waiting to get out of here. They are frustrated; I would be, too. I get frustrated at the cash register counter when the paper runs out.” I like this guy.
WWL: Convention Center still not secure; considerable unrest.
NOLA: Loss of real estate records dating back to early 1800’s, could be nightmare at providing insurance claims.
Paul Krugman weighs in: “At a fundamental level, I’d argue, our current leaders just aren’t serious about some of the essential functions of government. They like waging war, but they don’t like providing security, rescuing those in need or spending on preventive measures. And they never, ever ask for shared sacrifice.”
The Interdictor is still posting: “Homeland Sec comes driving by and yells water and hums a 20 ouncer at our feet without slowing down….Bunch of stressed out, trigger-ready police and military types driving by suspicious as all hell. It’s not safe just standing out on the street even if you look like you belong there.”
Accountability? Maybe: “Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican who heads the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, and Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut, the panel’s top Democrat, said they would begin an oversight investigation next week into what they called an ‘immense failure.'”
70 year-old Nellie Washington: “What took you so long? I’m extremely happy, but I cannot let it be at that. They did not take the lead to do this. They had to be pushed to do it.”
A correction: Apparently the army corp of engineers had suggested prior to Hurricane Katrina that the money required to reinforce levies and do a major “weather proofing” would ‘ve taken an amount of years well over the time Katrina woul’ve hit. In short, efforts, while laudible, would not have been sufficient. Let me also add that similar efforts of levy overhauls have reached as far back oas the ’60’s.
That still doesn’t excuse this Administratin’s failure to get relief to these people within 48 hours, thus lessening the deaths and anarchy which resulted from lack of timely action. Even now, the survivors are locked up taking in the stench of the dead, caged like animals.
By contrast, Florida hurricane aid happened faster with a relocation game plan. Of course, back in December, there were still questions about where certain Florida-related FEMA expenses disappeared to.
I’m just amazed by that Shepard Smith stuff. Who would have ever imagined a little honesty and well-placed outrage coming from him? The anger from normally-complacent broadcast journalists speaks to just how insanely rotten a job the federal government has done. Thanks, Ed, for the brief, incisive notes and wonderful resources… I’ve been glued to Nola.com. Maybe you’ve already mentioned LifeList? http://www.lifelist.us. This is a great way for all those financially challenged literary types who read your blog to help. All it requires is a web connection, a cell phone, and time.
A correction: Apparently the army corp of engineers had suggested prior to Hurricane Katrina that the money required to reinforce levies and do a major “weather proofing” would ‘ve taken an amount of years well over the time Katrina woul’ve hit. In short, efforts, while laudible, would not have been sufficient. Let me also add that similar efforts of levy overhauls have reached as far back oas the ’60’s.
That still doesn’t excuse this Administratin’s failure to get relief to these people within 48 hours, thus lessening the deaths and anarchy which resulted from lack of timely action. Even now, the survivors are locked up taking in the stench of the dead, caged like animals.
By contrast, Florida hurricane aid happened faster with a relocation game plan. Of course, back in December, there were still questions about where certain Florida-related FEMA expenses disappeared to.
I’m just amazed by that Shepard Smith stuff. Who would have ever imagined a little honesty and well-placed outrage coming from him? The anger from normally-complacent broadcast journalists speaks to just how insanely rotten a job the federal government has done. Thanks, Ed, for the brief, incisive notes and wonderful resources… I’ve been glued to Nola.com. Maybe you’ve already mentioned LifeList? http://www.lifelist.us. This is a great way for all those financially challenged literary types who read your blog to help. All it requires is a web connection, a cell phone, and time.