open Democracy News Analysis - WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH BUSH?!?!, - Comments

Joeanna Nee on "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH BUSH?!?!"

Joeanna Nee — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 00:54:59 +0100

Globalserver, Let me start by saying that the racial division has never been healed, especially down south. Where the heck do you live? I grew up in Mass. in and around Boston, if your white try taking a stroll through Roxbury at night and if your black try taking a stroll through Dorchester. The race issue was definitely present during the OJ trial. Besides that, in the darkest hours people sometimes need laughter. It reminds us that we are human, that all is not lost. When the father of my son and unborn son suddenly died, I was devastated. Crushed. If I didnt laugh, I would have curled up and died. What good would I have been for my child and unborn then? It is commonly called gallows humor. Ever hear of it? It is a common survival mechanism when the human heart is weighed to heavy with sorrow and helplessness. I donated what little I have, people up here in Maine are offering to host families in their own homes and offer what little they have. There is only so much pain one can carry before they need to regenerate the soul and the soul was meant to soar. Where there is sorrow may there also be light- so sayeth the Lord. Oh, in case you dont know where Maine is, East Coast USA.

Globalobserver on "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH BUSH?!?!"

Globalobserver — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 22:07:21 +0100

Joeanna Nee, et. al. As this latest Pew Research Center poll demonstrates, the perceptions of Katrina's aftermath is divided along the fault lines of race. Collectively, the federal authorities and the Bush Administration are viewed more negatively than the state/local authorities. While this may be unfair in the face of such of a calamity, more Americans seem to think the response by the Federal Authorities could've been better. http://people-press.org/reports/display.php3?ReportID=255 9/11 traumatized American society by inaugurating a new era of insecurity. The thought that Americans could be attacked on native soil (even with all that military might), has introduced a shiver in the american consciousness that will be hard to remove any time soon. (With or without success in Iraq.) If not attended to quickly, Katrina's legacy will be the reopening of the racial wound that will not heal. In addition, Americans will now question the dependability, ability, and will of its own government to help them quickly in a time of desparate need. Concurrently, the world looks on in astonishment as the greatest single power the world has yet known resembles more of a third world nation in its immediate reaction to the disaster rather than the self proclaimed global military hegemon ready to take on all comers opposed to freedom and democracy. There is nothing to gloat or smile about in this sad spectacle. There is hope in the goodwill of the American people to help its own survivors.

Matt Murrell on "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH BUSH?!?!"

Matt Murrell — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 13:07:53 +0100

There was an opinion piece in the Guardian Weekly today that seems to have caught the situation fairly well: Team Bush's bad day in Wyoming Peter Preston Monday September 5, 2005 It wasn't just all the president's men who failed in Katrina's wake The grisliest quote of the week, the one to cut out and keep, came when reporters asked Lea Anne McBride what her boss was doing as New Orleans sank, stank and suppurated. "He's working from Wyoming today," said Vice-President Dick Cheney's official spokesman brightly. At which point - against all odds - you began to feel slightly sorry for George Bush. No one with any semblance of rationality can pretend that Bush carries personal blame for the debacle of New Orleans. He didn't personally go through the fine print of recent budgets and strike out the item marked "Levees, strengthening of". He didn't personally choose the federal emergency mastermind for such crises (a former selector of horse-show judges). As a notoriously light reader, he clearly never clapped eyes on commodious newspaper and official warnings of hurricane wrath to come. The president was on holiday, as usual, when Katrina roared in from the Gulf of Mexico last Monday. Perhaps he took the first TV reports - that New Orleans had missed the worst - as gospel, and went for a jog. Perhaps his staff didn't want to wake him. The mythology of "commander-in-chief" and the reality were starkly separated again. It's foolish to dump everything (including the historic woes and racial divisions of a city born to sing the blues) on poor George alone. Click here to read full article...

brolly3 on "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH BUSH?!?!"

brolly3 — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 11:58:16 +0100

Ttrryosborn, ["In fairness, a storm of this magnitude which affected an area the size of Great Britain would challenge the best laid relief plans of anybody including those on OD who think they have all the answers".] The statement above is true to a point. That point is that the plans were far from the best. They were just plain bad and the buck must stop with the Bush administration. After all what do you need a president and Federal Government for, if the main responsibilities for protecting life and limb are not taken on by them.

brolly3 on "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH BUSH?!?!"

brolly3 — Mon, 05 Sep 2005 22:08:23 +0100

A very small man in a very big job.

Ttrryosborn on "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH BUSH?!?!"

Ttrryosborn — Mon, 05 Sep 2005 08:07:59 +0100

brolly, Black and White? It is you and others who refuse to concede that Bush may be right and others wrong. You overlook a great many truths and facts to achieve that. You rely heavily on half-truths, exaggerations and misrepresentations. I merely point the flaws in your arguements. It's not hard. The latest attempt to pin the disaster in New Orleans on Bush is a classic example. City and state officials are principally responsible for messing up the evacuation (if an 80% evacuation in 48 hours can be considered messing up). Delays by the governor to ask for and accept federal assistance would be difficult to blame on the Administration. As of today a fully-equipped mobile hospital unit developed by the Office of Homeland Security capable of caring for 113 patients has been sitting along the roadside 70 miles north of New Orleans. It has been sitting idle since before Katrina struck. Louisiana officials have refused to let them deploy to the disaster site. I'm anxious to see how you can blame Bush for that. I would be equally surprised if there is a single issue that you would concede in his favor.

brolly3 on "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH BUSH?!?!"

brolly3 — Mon, 05 Sep 2005 01:44:00 +0100

Matt Murrell, Ttrryosborn will never concede that Bush and his administration got anything wrong. It's as simple as that. He will try to 'pull rank' on anyone who isn't American and supposedly acquaint them with all the reasons, Constitutional, State,local and logistic that nothing could be done better than it was. He is the supreme apologist for Bush. He will wriggle every which way according to what you adduce to support any criticism of Bush. Black will become white and visa versa, to order. Inconsistency is no problem for him. I would be surprised if there is any single issue that Ttrry would concede that Bush got badly wrong. This is what loses him credibility when a few concessions would help to restore some confidence in his judgement.

Ttrryosborn on "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH BUSH?!?!"

Ttrryosborn — Sun, 04 Sep 2005 22:22:55 +0100

Matt, Refer to my post about the difference between state and federal authorities. A state of emergency is not a request for federal aid.

Matt Murrell on "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH BUSH?!?!"

Matt Murrell — Sun, 04 Sep 2005 21:57:05 +0100

Ttrryosborn, According to the press releases coming out, she did request help. It just didn't arrive in time. You're basing a lot on one story in the Washington Post. The Bush official claimed that Blanco hadn't issued a state of emergency, when the article itself notes that she issued one before the hurricane had even hit.

brolly3 on "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH BUSH?!?!"

brolly3 — Sun, 04 Sep 2005 21:53:11 +0100

"What the hell is wrong with Bush". Is there any need to ask this question when the obvious answer is - EVERYTHING. There isn't one single issue on which he hasn't screwed up and that includes the economy, given the dramatically increasing cost of oil and the repercussions that will now be felt as a result of the underfunding of protective measures in New Orleans and elsewhere and the consequent fall in refinery capacity. Ttrryosborn's vain attempts to 'shore up' the gaps in Bush's record are laughable. Message was edited by: brolly3

Ttrryosborn on "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH BUSH?!?!"

Ttrryosborn — Sun, 04 Sep 2005 21:50:00 +0100

Matt, Perhaps you don't understand the difference between state and federal authority. Governors can invoke "state" emergencies. It has happened in California many times. It used primarily in cases of fire, or small catastrophe. In a large catastrophe (for example a large earthquake) the governor would immediately ask for federal assistance. It's always a judgement call. Until that call goes out, the federal government has to sit on the sidelines. To think that a small state like Louisiana could handle Katrina and the breaking of the levees alone is a major miscalculation. Others suffered while the governor delayed.

Matt Murrell on "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH BUSH?!?!"

Matt Murrell — Sun, 04 Sep 2005 21:23:12 +0100

From the Times-Picayune: The state Attorney General's office on Tuesday sought to clarify reports in some media that "martial law' has been declared in parts of storm-ravaged southeast Louisiana, saying no such term exists in Louisiana law. But even though no martial law exists, Gov. Kathleen Blanco's declaration of a state of emergency gives authorities widespread latitude to suspend civil liberties as they try to restore order and bring victims to safety. Under the Louisiana Homeland Security and Emergency Assistance and Disaster Act of 1993, the governor and, in some cases, chief parish officials, have the right to commandeer or utilize any private property if necessary to cope with the emergency. Authorities may also suspend any statute related to the conduct of official business, or any rule issued by a state agency, if complying would "prevent, hinder or delay necessary action'' to mitigate the emergency. It also gives authority the right to compel evacuations, suspend alcohol and weapons sales and make provisions for the availability and use of temporary emergency housing. The law gives mayors similar authority, except they do not have the right to commandeer private property or make provisions for emergency housing, according to a background brief prepared by the state Attorney General's office. Click here for full article... The same paper also has a copy of a letter from Blanco to Bush requesting help, dated August 27th. Message was edited by: Matt Murrell

Matt Murrell on "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH BUSH?!?!"

Matt Murrell — Sun, 04 Sep 2005 21:21:14 +0100

Ttrryosborn, Apparently (stress on the "apparently" for now) the governor of Louisiana couldn't declare Martial law, as no such term exists is Louisiana state law. The nearest they have is the "state of emergency", which was declared. Makes sense, given that troops are in the city right now.

Ttrryosborn on "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH BUSH?!?!"

Ttrryosborn — Sun, 04 Sep 2005 21:13:25 +0100

Matt, Mobilizing troops is very good. However sending them in still requires a governor's declaration of martial law and a request for those troops. Louisiana's governor stalled. People left behind? We already went over that. Many refused to go, or did not think it would be so bad. It's an academic question if no one provided a way out. Nobody in city government activated the bus system to carry them. The photo of New Orlean's bus fleet sitting neatly parked in the bus yard under water makes you wonder what city officials (who blame others after the fact) were thinking. Getting the buses rolling would not have been a federal decision.

Matt Murrell on "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH BUSH?!?!"

Matt Murrell — Sun, 04 Sep 2005 21:02:15 +0100

According to the article you referred to, the Governor declared a state of emergency on August 26th. Wouldn't that have been enough for Bush (or whoever) to put the military at their assistance? Apparently the Pentagon has criticised the Bush administration and FEMA for creating too much red tape. Troops in the region were mobilised before the hurricane even hit, under Joint Task Force Katrina. The National Weather Service were predicting massive damage to city as early as August 28th. Why were so many people just left behind?

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH BUSH?!?!,

Joeanna Nee — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 13:18:19 +0100

It took Nixon just 72 hours to help the same area in 1969 when Camille hit, yet it takes friggin Bush a week to get from his friggin ranch in Crawford Texas? What the hell is that crap? OOOOHHHHH RIGHT! We are way too busy in Iraq to help our own damn people. (Oh, and yes I am yelling, sorry.) I just got in an arguement with my best friend because it's now being called a black issue. One more lovely thing to start dividing us. Oh and ttrry before you say one word ... "whatever." What a friggin example WE are! We cant even help our own damn people, but we sure as hell can raise our gas prices! People are loosing it down there and finallyBush does something. I cant wait to here the excuses. My Catholic Grams would say "thats God paying you back" anytime something bad happened ... she's passed now, but I just bet she would be sayin that to Bush! Read the rest of this post...