1498 Bush: What didn't go right?

Nancy Pelosi, that was a question for you! He gave it back to you and you were unable to answer and said, "Bush is oblivious, in denial." Well, what are you? Certainly not speechless, because you just keep rambling on and on and on. The blame list on your side gets longer and longer and you keep rambling on. There were 6,000 Louisiana National Guard available for the Governor to call up, but all your team can say is they are in Iraq!

1497 Corps says lack of funds not the problem

On September 1, the Chicago Tribune reported that "The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Thursday that a lack of funding for hurricane-protection projects around New Orleans did not contribute to the disastrous flooding that followed Hurricane Katrina.

In a telephone interview with reporters, corps officials said that although portions of the flood-protection levees remain incomplete, the levees near Lake Pontchartrain that gave way--inundating much of the city--were completed and in good condition before the hurricane.

However, they noted that the levees were designed for a Category 3 hurricane and couldn't handle the ferocious winds and raging waters from Hurricane Katrina, which was a Category 4 storm when it hit the coastline. The decision to build levees for a Category 3 hurricane was made decades ago based on a cost-benefit analysis." Tribune story here.
So it wasn't Bush Administration's fault that this levee, the one that was in good condition and up to the inadequate standard, failed. It was a "natural disaster?"

1496 What the Left will resist

Tooth and nail, they'll resist, like a cat 4 hurricane they'll resist easing up on environmental laws so that the three states can recover more quickly; relocating under-employed African Americans to areas of greater opportunity; cutting gasoline taxes; easing up on work "prevailing wage" rules so that companies can hire anyone who wants to work without threat of union interference; cutting through government red tape so that faith based and community organizations can provide assistance without threat of law suits. Katrina has shown that layers and layers of government bureaucracy with conflicting regulations cause problems, but the Left will want to solve this with even more government. The huge aid package will just encourage more government graft and dishonesty.

Dig through some of those levee rebuilding problems in New Orleans and you'll find law suits stopping repairs--in order to save the wetlands you can't encourage what was already a crazy system--rerouting the Mississippi River.

Two years ago when we were traveling through Arizona with a tour guide we asked him why the diseased trees in the forested areas which were clearly a fire hazard weren't removed. "Can't," he said. "Environmentalists are afraid it will encourage more people to live around here if it were made safer." Hmmmm. Sounds a bit like the reasoning that kept the Red Cross out of the Superdome, doesn't it?

Racism fanning the Hurricane

Kanye West was sort of the marker--he's an entertainer who strips his fans' wallets with songs about crack cocaine and gangster glorification. (Before his Bush bashing TV appearance, I'd never heard of him, but then that's not my kind of "music.") But everyone could see it. The TV crews were aiming their cameras at two large facilities and almost all the faces were black. Convenience and safety--for the TV crews, that is. They couldn't get their camera crews into the areas of rural and coastline white communities, where probably the number of afflicted, those who refused to leave or couldn't leave, far outnumbered the blacks who were following the instructions of the Mayor and headed for the safety of two large buildings.

The initial group who went to those safe areas were carrying food, water and clothing in their suitcases; the first night was sort of a party atmosphere. When the water rose after the levees were breached, the U.S. military (Coast Guard) was there, picking people up off rooftops on Tuesday morning, long before Connick and Oprah arrived with their TV crews. More people headed to the now crowded facilities. Both the regular military and the LA Guard stood prepared on stand-by away from the storm area waiting for the Governor to act.

The state of Louisiana, not wanting to create more crowding, prevented the Red Cross from going in with food and water for those waiting for buses, and the Gangster element (probably inspired by West's music and others) started taking pot shots at volunteer rescuers and the police.

And the cameras kept rolling. A sea of black faces, mostly women and children. The cameramen still couldn't get to the rural and coastal areas so the only footage we saw (and still 10 days later) was large crowds of African Americans, now getting panicky as services were denied to them by their own local governments, the people who had told them to go there.

I don't think the TV crews conspired with Jesse Jackson, Kanye West and Nancy Pelosi to fan the winds of racism, but they have contributed to a horrible mess, simply by doing the best they could with the areas they could get to. They showed the terrible devastation to the homes and lives of the people who had obeyed the orders to evacuate their homes.

As we are seeing now in the house-to-house search, those who remained in their homes had food, water, and guns to protect themselves from the gangster element. If they were rich and really prepared, they also had generators and private security guards. I have gained new respect for the hold-outs, rich and poor, black and white. At first they looked demented as they were presented to us. However, they seemed to know from past exerience with hurricanes, particularly Hurricane Ivan of last year, that their local government, rap artists, and Jesse couldn't protect them from the storm or from the criminals. Katrina has proven them right. I salute them.

Now that's a story they need to be showing.

1494 On my short list

I'm sure you've got lots of places to send support, but here's a Lutheran church I'm watching, Gloria Dei Lutheran in Houston http://www.gdlc.org/. They've been housing and feeding survivors and rolling with the punches and changes that are thrown their way. Although I've already donated to the Southern Baptists (their web site actually has the Good News) because they're at the forefront of the volunteers, Gloria Dei is on my short list for the second round.

"Our ministry to Katrina survivors changes every day to meet new challenges. Our special thanks to the many volunteers who are meeting with the over 300 people who arrive on our campus every day looking for some kind of help. Various programs have helped many of these folks find housing, now they’re working on jobs, schools, food, furniture, and trying to get accurate information." Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Houston

I noticed this site at Sherry's Semicolon, a wonderful blog about books.

1493 The Networks cooperate to raise funds

And will they edit out the anti-Bush remarks? If not, then it isn't a fund raiser (most of us know how to donate money without Hollywood telling us), it is a Get-Bush-Fest. If they don't control these mouthpieces, it will hurt the Red Cross and Salvation Army who are collecting the money. Or maybe not. Like I say, people of good will have already contributed. People of ill will are sniping at Bush, and maybe haven't had time to open their wallets.

"As previously announced, musical performers scheduled to appear on "Shelter From The Storm: A Concert For The Gulf Coast" include Sheryl Crow, the Dixie Chicks, Alicia Keys, Randy Newman, Paul Simon, Rod Stewart and Neil Young. Celebrity participants include Jennifer Aniston, Cameron Diaz, Ellen DeGeneres, Jack Nicholson, Chris Rock, Ray Romano and Sela Ward." CBS announcement

BET is also raising money but is calling it SOS--Saving OurSelves. Nice touch.

1492 Get in line behind Jesse

Here's some more people who ought to keep their mouths shut in times of tragedy. The end-times Christians. How many disasters come and go and we hear the same thing? I remember when the tornado wiped out Xenia, Ohio some years ago. Israel is back in the land + tornado in Ohio = Tribulation. Boy, they came out of the wood work. Do these folks never read history? Do they know anything about disasters in other countries? Talk about narcissism. Please people, go read Matthew 25:31-46 about when the Son of Man comes and start clothing the naked and giving the thirsty something to drink.

1491 The power stuggle: stronger than wind or water?

Barbara J. Stock looks at what the other states did that were in the path of Katrina.

"While the governors of both Mississippi and Alabama put in a formal request for federal assistance before Katrina even made landfall, the governor of Louisiana refused to relinquish any of her power for the good of the people. Now she and her party point the finger of blame at the White House.

Liberal blogs and websites are pointing to the Department of Homeland Security's website which states that it can take control in any disaster, natural or otherwise, but this is not true. The Department of Homeland Security can only work with the state and local officials in organizing relief efforts such as food, water, and shelter. There is no military arm of the Department of Homeland Security or the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the military is what was needed and everyone knew that.

Instead of asking why the Democratic leaders of Louisiana failed the people, these sites post disgusting pictures of floating bodies with the message: "George Bush did nothing." The truth is the Democratic governor wouldn't allow Bush to do anything. That floating body belongs to Governor Blanco. She is the one who "did nothing." "
Read article here.

What is most despicable is all the Democrats using this death and destruction to build their flailing, failing party. Investigate, investigate, they yell, and then when the story begins to unfold we find a multitude of errors at all levels. But these people think Bush is so smart and so powerful, he should have prevented it. He was on vacation (as was Congress), you know.

1490 What Media Bias, pt. 3

Sandy Berger has received a $50,000 fine and probation for stealing and destroying documents from the National Archives right before the 9/11 Commission and then lying about it. A much more serious crime in my opinion than Martha's, but I digress, and besides, she is a woman and in business and the rules are different.

The AP story uses the following verbs in this story about the former Clinton official:

"taking classified documents"

"sneaking classified documents" . . ."in his suit"

"destroying [classified documents]"

"unauthorized removal and retention"

"improperly took classified documents."

1489 What's your address?

my daughter said in a phone call this week. Our 45th wedding anniversary is coming up and she wanted to address the card. Her palm pilot was down (broken? dead?). I've thought about this question numerous times this week watching family members at various evacuation centers trying to reconnect. This disaster has proven once again it is your family, neighbors, friends and church that come through in the initial stages; after you are all swamped and powerless, the cavalry might ride into town.

Once a year I send out a one sheet address list to my family members--my brother, my sister, their children and our children. When I started this about 10 years ago I included a line with the names of the younger children (my sibs' grandchildren), however, as cell phones, fax numbers, and work numbers were added I had to drop that to save space. I don't know what people do with this list after I send out the revisions, but I suspect it might go in the safe deposit box at the bank because I seem to get phone calls as though I am Ms. Information Please.

However, the only phone numbers I know by heart, which I could recall in an emergency if I lost my purse or didn't have access to my computer, would be that of my parents, and they died in 2000 and 2002. Oh yes, and I remember the phone number we had in the 1950s--59-L. We bought a new cell phone this week and neither of us knew our own cell phone number when the clerk asked. I have even worse control over the phone numbers and addresses of my husband's family, the people who put "blended family" into our modern vocabulary. He has them penciled in somewhere on a little card, and I don't know where that is, and this summer when we needed to call someone from the lake house, the card was in Columbus.

Perhaps for emergency preparedness, I need to memorize some phone numbers?

1488 Pets and Volunteers

Many people in the path of Hurricane Katrina didn't want to leave their pets, and now the TV reporters are focusing more on that theme. I've also heard people asking why some of the evacuees can't be used at the evacuation centers to help, "give these people something to do." Being a problem solver, I've been thinking about this, and haven't come up with any new ideas, but I will toss these out. Let's put this at the personal level. Let's say you are 35 years old with three children in your care who are totally dependent on you.

Are you willing to put your family in danger during a rescue for someone else's dog or cat or python or rabbit, because that's what will be sharing the rescue personnel resources and the helicopter or boat or van or bus if you need immediate help. These pets will be as terrified as their owners, and do you want your child's face torn off? Pet owners are often woefully negligent in training and keeping vaccinations up to date even in good times.

In the evacuation center, after you've had a hot shower and been handed clean clothes, do you want to be served food by someone who has recently been exposed to or lived for a few days in an extremely unhealthy toxic stew? Do you have any idea how difficult it is to supervise volunteers even in good times? Are you aware that these days most volunteers who work with children are required to have background checks and/or be fingerprinted? If you were the head of an agency with a crew of supervised, trained and background-checked volunteers, and your insurance was only good for that, would you accept an untrained group, "just to give them something to do"?

1487 Counter terrorism concerns and natural disasters

A working paper #104 published in 2000 by the Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center Institute of Behavioral Science (University of Colorado) "Emergency Management in the 21st Century: Coping with Bill Gates, Osama bin-Laden, and Hurricane Mitch" expressed concern that Counter Terrorism preoccupation with Osama Bin Laden was hurting the federal government's ability to respond to natural disasters.

"Does current preoccupation with C-T significantly harm natural and industrial disaster preparedness and response capacity? It remains to be seen if the two main federal response plans (the Federal Response Plan and the National Contingency Plan) can carry the new load of responsibilities inherent in a major C-T response. My own observation is that staff at FEMA and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have been pulled off work dealing with natural and industrial hazards/disasters in order to meet C-T planning needs. I presume the same is true at state and local levels too. In this regard, an important question is: Is the current emphasis on C-T changing the EM landscape temporarily or for good?"

That paper has been updated in August 2004 to #108 and is retitled: "Emergency Management in the 21st Century: Dealing with Al Qaeda, Tom Ridge, and Julie Gerberding." It describes all the new agencies and plans put in place after 9/11. It suggests our government's superior ability to put together workshops and maintain leadership with even more education and studies.

So the shift to counter terrorism and away from natural disaster preparedness started before the Bush Administration? Does Congress know?

1486 Why the Roberts' Nomination Matters

"Make no mistake -- America's legal and political culture is deeply divided between those who see the courts as engines for protecting and extending a social revolution and those who understand the courts to be the interpreters of the Constitution's text and the protectors of the law's majesty. Between these two legal worldviews lies a chasm of ideology, politics, social debates, and visions for the future. This nomination really matters." Dr. Mohler's Blog

1485 Visiting doctors set up MASH unit in New Orleans

A group of doctors attending a conference on HIV in New Orleans got permission to set up a MASH unit to treat the 1300 hotel guests. Dr. Max Brito of the University of Illinois at Chicago is interviewed at www.medscape.com. Apparently, with permission of the N.O. police they "borrowed" needed items from a local pharmacy.

1484 Racism's dirty little secret

New Orleans has two black colleges--Xavier and Dillard. The students who attend Xavier are wealthier and lighter skinned; the students who attend Dillard are lower income and darker. Racism among whites knows no boundaries like light or dark. A white racist will dislike or discriminate against an African American who "passes." If they don't like Indians or Latinos, 1/4 or 1/8 heritage and a European appearance will not open the door. But racism among blacks based on skin color? Yes. It has existed as long as people of African heritage have lived in North and South America and the Caribbean. About 30 years ago we belonged to a racially mixed couples group--4 black couples and 5 white couples. We occasionally met at a Columbus black private club which before the 1960s and the Civil Rights movement had had a skin color rule for membership--members needed to be light, no darker than a brown paper sack.

One would think from watching the television coverage of the Superdome and Convention Center fiascos last week that the only poor people in New Orleans were very dark skinned. Where were the lighter skinned African Americans? Apparently they evacuated to safer cities. If it was white racism that caused this bifurcation, the skin color would have made no difference--only the ethnicity would have mattered in the housing discrimination or the job opportunities or the education failures of the past that funnelled people into those buildings.

Why do I even raise such a touchy issue that no one will ever talk about? Well, I noticed that when the Xavier University students, faculty, staff and families were finally rescued from their flooded campus with eleven buses and heroic efforts by many (they tried to get help from the city but were unsuccessful) Jesse Jackson's organization was one of the groups that helped them evacuate. He was late to the party, later than FEMA. I'm not sure how the Dillard students got out. I've heard that one family of a Dillard student hired a limo to drive their daughter, themselves and some friends to Chicago because they could not get a plane out. Many colleges and universities are taking both groups of students in.

Does anyone know if Jesse Jackson was an equal opportunity rescuer? Just direct me to the story and I'll add the link.

Update: Commenter sent me here for information about Dillard students.

1483 What media bias, pt. 2

The "Jury still out" claimed USAToday (Sept. 7) sub-headline "on whether global warming had impact." That was the headline. Here's what the article said. "Everyone is clear global warming did not cause Katrina and that it is not causing more hurricanes." So where is this "jury" I wondered.

So I continued reading. Apparently, there is an economics professor at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Conn. who they tracked down for this story (probably has a website) who has suspicions. Elizabeth Weise wrote a story that denies the headline. Don't know who wrote the headline.

However, here's an interesting tid-bit from the article. The lull in hurricanes in the last 30 year cycle coincided with the advent of air conditioning allowing people to live in formerly uninhabitable areas which are hit harder by hurricanes.

1482 Finding or Looting

How many times have you heard that complaint about racist photos linked to Bush hates black people? The complaint was about AP photos of looting (photos of blacks) and finding (photos of whites). You can go here for the details. The photographers had actually seen the people loot and/or find.

I'm looking for Jesse Jackson to complain about photos of white volunteers helping black victims. There will be whining about using the word "volunteer" and "victim." The volunteer word is also a term that can apply to the military, so use of this word might imply support for Bush in Iraq. The word victim, like the word refugee, might put negative images of tricked or duped or oppressed, and that's his long suit.

1481 Michael Brown at FEMA

One of the myths going around liberal blogs and newspapers is that Michael Brown had no previous experience before becoming head of FEMA. Now, that wouldn't actually surprise me, since as I've noted, the Librarian of Congress has never in the history of the office been a "real Librarian." This irritates Librarians, but as you can see from the name, The American Library Association represents "libraries" and not librarians. But I digress. So I looked him up. Here's his resume:

"Under Secretary Brown has led Homeland Security’s response to more than 164 presidentially declared disasters and emergencies, including the 2003 Columbia Shuttle disaster and the California wildfires in 2003. In 2004, Mr. Brown led FEMA’s thousands of dedicated disaster workers during the most active hurricane season in over 100 years, as FEMA delivered aid more quickly and more efficiently than ever before.

Previously, Mr. Brown served as FEMA's Deputy Director and the agency's General Counsel. Shortly after the September 11th terrorist attacks, Mr. Brown served on the President's Consequence Management Principal's Committee, which acted as the White House's policy coordination group for the federal domestic response to the attacks. Later, the President asked him to head the Consequence Management Working Group to identify and resolve key issues regarding the federal response plan. In August 2002, President Bush appointed him to the Transition Planning Office for the new Department of Homeland Security, serving as the transition leader for the EP&R Division.

Prior to joining FEMA, Mr. Brown practiced law in Colorado and Oklahoma, where he served as a bar examiner on ethics and professional responsibility for the Oklahoma Supreme Court and as a hearing examiner for the Colorado Supreme Court. He had been appointed as a special prosecutor in police disciplinary matters. While attending law school he was appointed by the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee of the Oklahoma Legislature as the Finance Committee Staff Director, where he oversaw state fiscal issues. His background in state and local government also includes serving as an assistant city manager with emergency services oversight and as a city councilman.

Mr. Brown was also an adjunct professor of law for the Oklahoma City University.

A native of Oklahoma, Mr. Brown holds a bachelor's degree in Public Administration/Political Science from Central State University, Oklahoma. He received his J.D. from Oklahoma City University’s School of Law."

So for four or five years he's been working with FEMA and that doesn't count? I'm not saying here he's done a good job--there's not enough evidence yet that anyone other than the local and state authorities failed miserably. I'm just sort of wondering what would qualify as "experience."

FEMA was highly praised I recall in 2004 for its response to a very hectic hurricane season. Same guy was in charge as near as I can tell.

1480 What media bias?

The USAToday Sept. 9 had a detailed article about who responds when in a disaster like Katrina. First response falls to local government familiar with local conditions. According to this report, Nagin gave city residents a non-mandatory evacuation order on August 27, and told those without transportation to go to the Superdome and the Convention Center. There was no transportation planning for 134,000 people, according to USAToday.

Second response was to be from the state. The state agencies help the locals with logistics and manpower. In the paper's timeline, Gov. Blanco "wrote" Bush to ask for help on August 28. I'm not sure what that means. It didn't say she declared an emergency which I heard on Air America this morning (which of course blames evil Republicans for all of this). USAToday said 65% of the Louisiana Guard were available to the Governor, but editorialized it was "depleted by deployment" in the war and anemic recruiting (a state responsibility?). They used the word "delay" for her 24 hour "I'll get back to you" response to the President that Nagin reported yesterday on CNN.

Finally, the third level of responsibility is the Federal government, specifically FEMA. And FEMA has state agencies which it funds. Twice in this section of the article it was noted that President Bush was on vacation. A state of emergency was declared August 27, it said, and FEMA was moving in response teams and stockpiling supplies by August 28. But, of course, Bush was on vacation. On August 30, the President was giving a speech about the end of WWII, it said, and made some "remarks" about the disaster, and ended his vacation on Sept. 1. So August 30 was a vacation day even though he was giving a speech in California, and August 27 and 28 were vacation days even though he was working with Louisiana's governor and the FEMA staff.

Then on the editorial pages, USAToday continues to batter FEMA because that's the only direct way to get to Bush. Says Bush replaced competent leaders with political pals. Hello? Don't all Presidents replace the former administration's people? And he didn't have disaster experience? There has never been a Librarian appointed the Librarian of Congress, so this doesn't surprise me that someone who managed a large private association would be appointed to a large government agency. It's the civil service people who do the grunt work, not the political appointees. And of course, the war has drained resources, and FEMA was swallowed up by Homeland Security (an agency that Bush and the Republicans resisted). What will solve all this? Why a speedy investigation, of course.

Anyone know why Congress wasn't criticized for being on vacation? Even Hollywood beat the Black Caucus to the scene. As near as I could tell, only Bobby Jindal was on hand to help from the Louisiana group, who showed up way late.

Today's Wall Street Journal has an article about how the rich sat out the storm. Some stayed and had their food and water helicoptered in. One guy who stayed was Mayor Nagin's head of the Rapid Transport Agency. When the water rose, he had a private Israeli security company airlift him out, and he's waiting in Colorado for the meeting he'll have with Nagin's staff somewhere in Texas, I guess. He's fortunate he didn't need to use New Orleans RTA (which got $22 million in 2003 from the Federal gov't for trolley service) to get out of town, isn't it?

1479 What if Hurricane Ivan had hit New Orleans?

That scenario was examined in 2004 here.

Here's what was predicted:

Pushed a 17-foot storm surge into Lake Pontchartrain;

Caused the levees between the lake and the city to overtop and fill the city “bowl” with water from lake levee to river levee, in some places as deep as 20 feet;

Flooded the north shore suburbs of Lake Pontchartrain with waters pushing as much as seven miles inland; and

Inundated inhabited areas south of the Mississippi River.

Up to 80 percent of the structures in these flooded areas would have been severely damaged from wind and water. The potential for such extensive flooding and the resulting damage is the result of a levee system that is unable to keep up with the increasing flood threats from a rapidly eroding coastline and thus unable to protect the ever-subsiding landscape."

Many people chose not to evacuate during Hurrican Ivan. Here's why:

"The fact that 600,000 residents evacuated means an equal number did not. Recent evacuation surveys show that two thirds of nonevacuees with the means to evacuate chose not to leave because they felt safe in their homes. Other nonevacuees with means relied on a cultural tradition of not leaving or were discouraged by negative experiences with past evacuations."

What was learned after Hurricane Ivan about the able bodied non-evacuees?

"Residents who did not have personal transportation were unable to evacuate even if they wanted to. Approximately 120,000 residents (51,000 housing units x 2.4 persons/unit) do not have cars. A proposal made after the evacuation for Hurricane Georges to use public transit buses to assist in their evacuation out of the city was not implemented for Ivan. If Ivan had struck New Orleans directly it is estimated that 40-60,000 residents of the area would have perished."