1504 Someone else asleep at the switch?

Neuro-Conservative tweaks the nose of the New York Times (do papers have a nose, or just a nose for news?)

"[Everyone knew except] New York Times readers the day before Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast. Because the Times did not run a single article on Katrina on Sunday the 28th! Readers of the paper of record only learned of the storm's potential with their Monday morning coffee, as Katrina was making landfall.

Remember (as NY Times editors won't)-- George Bush was already actively preparing the federal response, and urging the governor and heel-dragging mayor to order an evacuation on Saturday the 27th, as detailed in the New Orleans Times-Picayune" Neuro-Conservative

1503 What if it had been a sea of white faces?

No "what if" to it. It actually was and is a story about NAAAs (Not African American Americans). The media just couldn't get 20,000 NAAAs all in one place at one time. They still can't get to many of the ravaged areas in rural and small town Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and even parts of Florida.

So they did the best they could and didn't mean to conspire with Jesse and Kanye and Bobby Kennedy to make this look like a race issue. They kept their crews where they were relatively safe and where they could be flown in and out. But that wasn't where the NAAAs were, you see. So all the viewing world saw was black people waiting on their city and state planners to get them out. That plan really worked pretty well when you think of it. Eighty percent of the city evacuated and another 20,000+ went to a shelter. The chaos started after a levee was breached, and it was a levee that was up to the current standard for a category three hurricane, and it flooded first a working class and integrated neighborhood. What we saw on our TV screens was people coming out of their homes who had refused to go to shelters or to evacuate or who couldn't because of disabilities or age. Since the population is nearly 70% African American, that's what the cameras showed. There are still hold-outs in New Orleans who won't leave. But a lot of those are NAAAs so they won't really get much attention; you'll only see the military or police talking to them through the window.

Because the media couldn't find any NAAAs in large groups, it is saying really stupid things like "The department of Homeland Security facing its first major catastrophe since it was created. . ." (today's Columbus Dispatch), completely discounting all the hurricanes in Florida last year, which must be forgotten because 1) the capable, prepared Governor of Florida is a Bush, and 2) most of the displaced, injured and dead in Florida were NAAAs. Therefore, the 2004 hurricane season was not a catastrophe--it didn't even count on Michael Brown's resume as "practice."

Will the media ever stop editorializing on the thoughts, attitudes, understanding and emotions of the various goverment officials from Bush to the levee supervisors to the police and just report? Will they every stop saying the President (the Congress was on "break") was on vacation? NAAA.

1502 Happy Anniversary

September 11, 1960

1501 Does he get his money back?

Pay attention, this is confusing. In January 2005 a judge granted the surrogate mother of triplets custody of three babies she had contracted for $20,000 to carry for 63 year old James Flynn and his 60 year old fiance. The babies were born to surrogate Danielle Bimber and sperm donor Flynn in 2003. Apparently he and his lady friend didn't show much interest in the kids, so Bimber sued for custody. However, biologically they were not hers--the Indiana agency which arranged this travesty used the eggs of Jennifer Rice of Texas, who first also sued for parental rights, but dropped out. However, now an Ohio Appeals Court has awarded the children to Ms. Rice, the egg donor, who didn't carry them in a pregnancy nor has she raised them as a quasi foster/adoptive mom. This case involves courts in Indiana, Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Aren't we so pleased that we have the wisdom of the courts [sarcasm alert] to settle battles over children who when they are fertilized embryos can be bargained for, frozen for future use or disposal, sold, or snuffed out with "Plan B." When they finally manage to see the light of day they become pawns in a giant game of negligent semi-parental clowns, greedy attorneys, and judges who think they are Solomon.

In January the best interest of the children was this (in Pennsylvania).

But in September, it was all different in Ohio.

Then there's the Indiana blunder and the lawyer who didn't file the right papers.

1500 Defending Nagin

Today I've been wondering if the body count stays low, will Nagin be credited with making the right decision about sending people to the Superdome and not out of the city on buses. Blogger Cobb is defending Mayor Nagin and makes some valid points. Read it here.

1499 Hi-jacks and Hi-jinx

A California cowboy asks Democrats to please take back their party:

"I know there are millions of center left Democrats who think that President Bush is doing a terrible job. That's fine, but they don't think he is Hitler, or that he wants only poor black people to die in a natural disaster. They think that although John Roberts wouldn't be their first choice, he is a good man and is an extremely qualified justice. They don't like the war in Iraq but they understand that we are there now, and we can't cut and run. We must win this war on the enemies turf. These people used to be the backbone and voice of the Democratic Party, no longer." Read Roughstock Journal here for who's taken it over.

Howard Dean is acting more unhinged and bizarre than usual. Gary Gross' comments are in blue in this exchange between Dean and Blitzer at Boxer Watch.

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.