Originally posted by jaden101
it does have some pretty good stuff in it...its just a pity that it misses out a lot of information as well...such as the fact that mayor of new orleans ordering forceful evacuations of people which has resulted in old people being battered by police (strange how its a big issue when its an anti war protester being zapped)or how the mayor of new orleans also failed to sign over the command of the national guard to the presidency
or the fact that it was bush who called the louisiana state govener to ask for the evacuation on sunday 28th of august despite the fact that he has no legal powers to do so
or the fact that louisiana state authorities pretty much ignored this
Jaden, you're a tool. The governor and the mayor were going to call for the evacuation of new orleans regardless of whether the president called them. He called the governor just before she and the mayor walked into the press conference. And I don't have any earthly idea of what you mean when you say state authorities ignored this. Ignored what?
This was the 28th, as you say, and you are aware that for the next couple of days after this "concerned" call the president made, Bush was out fooling around, playing guitar, partying with Mccain, and joking around at town hall meetings. But he was NOT in louisiana taking charge of the situation, nor was FEMA.
or the fact that it was bush who called the louisiana state govener to ask for the evacuation on sunday 28th of august despite the fact that he has no legal powers to do so
yes he called, no his call had nothing to do with the evacuation call. He called Governor Blanco at 9:00 am. They called for the evacuation at 9:30 am; they had already planned to call for the evacuation before Bush called. Dont' believe me?
here's a story outlining why this lie is still believed
On a positive note, it was good to see my city of Raleigh and surrounding communities opening up places for evacuees. Some of the kids even have to start school up here, which is difficult for them, but they're doing the best they can to accommodate them. One school even made a "buddy system," which pairs a local kid with one of the evacuees (I'm talking about 1st graders here) so they don't feel as uncomfortable as I'm sure they already do.
I only go to a local college at the moment, I haven't been following local news lately either....but I'll look into it, I'm curious.
I drove past my old high school this morning (where my brother currently goes) and on the sign out front where normally the announce things like upcoming sports games and meetings and such it said that so far they've raised over $3000 for hurricane victims.
Originally posted by Lana
That's pretty damn cool of the schools, to do that.
No, it really isn't. Because the money and resources to provide such charity has to come from somewhere. Now, giving money to the effected is a wonderful thing. But it is the descision of the person giving the money. These kinds of "acts of charity" are funded by the paying students and their families, WITHOUT their desire to do so, or lack there of, being taken into consideration.
That's part of what I don't understand about this relief effort! So many of these people are being given ten times what they had BEFORE this damn hurricane hit. Brand new apartments, rent -free?! For a vast majortity of those effected, this hurricane was the best damn thing that could have happened to them. It's ridiculous.
This administration, and the party and people they represent have taken a budget that was in the black and looted it and wasted it on personal gain! This administration will have bankrupt the treasury by the time their finished.
A social security check can be mailed to any address....
For a vast majortity of those effected, this hurricane was the best damn thing that could have happened to them. It's ridiculous.
And on to breaking news...Michael Brown Relieved of Katrina Duties
Originally posted by Capt_Fantastic
No, it really isn't. Because the money and resources to provide such charity has to come from somewhere. Now, giving money to the effected is a wonderful thing. But it is the descision of the person giving the money. These kinds of "acts of charity" are funded by the paying students and their families, WITHOUT their desire to do so, or lack there of, being taken into consideration.That's part of what I don't understand about this relief effort! So many of these people are being given ten times what they had BEFORE this damn hurricane hit. Brand new apartments, rent -free?! For a vast majortity of those effected, this hurricane was the best damn thing that could have happened to them. It's ridiculous.
This administration, and the party and people they represent have taken a budget that was in the black and looted it and wasted it on personal gain! This administration will have bankrupt the treasury by the time their finished.
A social security check can be mailed to any address....
Considering that most students have a significant amount of their tuition paid for through grants, scholarships, and loans....
And considering the sizes of these schools, like ElectricBugaloo said, it's not going to effect the school very much.
Article I found...FEMA leaders lack disaster experience.
News story I like
Dohnn Moret Williams isn’t going back to New Orleans. There’s nothing for him there now, he says. His former home is underwater, and he assumes all his possessions are ruined or stolen. His elderly father lived nearby, and while Moret Williams is hoping for the best, he’s assuming the worst. “We think he’s dead,” he says. His voice is tired and dreadfully blank.
With all that’s happened to him in the past week—the loss of home, friends, and probably family; the frightening journey out of the city and into the chaotic environs of the Houston Astrodome, his temporary new home—it might seem strange that today Moret Williams was crying out of relief and happiness. “I spent most of the morning crying when I knew I could come get him,” he says, gazing down at the dog at his feet.
He’s just reclaimed Sebastian, a large black cocker spaniel with red markings above his brown eyes, from his temporary shelter at the Houston SPCA. “Sebastian Moret,” Moret Williams specifies, emphasizing the dog’s second name, the one that defines the animal as part of his family. “I got no children. This here’s my baby.”
Black Bag Operation
Moret Williams and Sebastian left New Orleans together. Sebastian floated on an air mattress at his owner’s side as Moret Williams waded through polluted, neck-deep floodwater, pulling the mattress along with him. Man and beast managed to reach an elevated portion of Interstate 10, but the helicopters that were taking evacuees to buses weren’t allowing pets on board.
“There was no way I was leaving without him,” Moret Williams says, and so he did what so many have had to do in the past week: He improvised. He put Sebastian in a large black trash bag and begged him not to make noise.
Amazingly, the dog obeyed, though he did squirm at one point—a point that could have ruined the whole plan. “He bumped against the pilot,” Moret Williams says, a small smile creeping onto his face. “The pilot just goes, ‘I didn’t see nothing.’ ”
The pet owner’s black bag operation was secret enough to get the pair a one-way ticket to Houston on a bus that also didn’t accept animals. Sebastian made the whole trip with his nose sticking out the top of the bag. And when they arrived at the Astrodome on Friday, the staff of the Houston SPCA were waiting, ready to offer shelter to Sebastian while Moret Williams became one more evacuee looking to scratch out a new life. Today, he has plans to stay with his sister—and thanks to the SPCA, he has his baby back.
Lola's Story
Moret Williams is not alone in the extraordinary measures he took to keep his beloved pet safe. The Houston SPCA is full of pets of evacuees, and Jim Boller, director of shelter and field services for the organization, estimates that only half a dozen out of hundreds actually came "legally," meaning properly leashed or in crates. While a few of the bus drivers relented on the “no pets” rule—the adult great Dane being held at the shelter “probably drove the bus,” HSPCA volunteer Steve Rundell jokes—the majority of the animals who’ve arrived with the victims were stowaways, brought out of the city by hook or by crook by owners unwilling to leave them behind. The two ferrets arrived in the oversized pockets of a young girl. A parakeet was concealed in a makeup case. Chihuahuas and kittens came in women’s purses.
Then there was Lola. Earlier this week, Boller was helping with pet intake at the Astrodome in the middle of the night when the lovebird arrived. The young woman who brought the bird obviously hadn’t slept for days, and she mentioned having come from the Superdome. All she and her little boy had with them was a small plastic bag of personal items, and Lola—although the bird was not immediately apparent to Boller’s eyes. The woman told him, “I’ve got something for you,” and then pressed her breasts together slightly and rolled her shoulders in a way that might have seemed suggestive in another context. Lola the lovebird popped up out of her cleavage, having spent most of the bus trip tucked inside her owner’s bra.
All They Have Left
In spite of the dire straits many of the evacuees face, the SPCA has already helped 30 animals at the shelter reunite with their families. The reunited pets aren’t just dogs and cats and parakeets: One of the reclaimed animals was a chicken who’d been raised “from a peep” by the man who came to take her home. “This chicken obviously knew the guy,” Boller says. He notes that many of the folks coming off the buses at the Astrodome were reluctant to let the SPCA take the animals in. “These animals are all that some of these people have left,” Boller says.
For a week now, the papers have been filled with stories of human suffering. In the face of such an enormous crisis, it’s easy to understand why many people choose to focus on the human side of this tragedy. Thousands of people are suddenly homeless and unemployed. Thousands have lost loved ones. Whole towns have been wiped off the map, and rebuilding will take years in the areas where it’s even possible. The needs for shelter and support are growing by the day, and the death toll in Louisiana and Mississippi is likely to rise by hundreds.
But Dohnn Moret Williams and his dog Sebastian, Lola the bosom-smuggled lovebird, and the hundreds of other animals carried out of New Orleans are a reminder of how much people love their pets, the extraordinary measures they will take to protect them, and what a great comfort animals can provide in the face of trauma. Animals are victims of this disaster as well, and disaster relief personnel heading into Louisiana and Mississippi to rescue the animals left behind are not just helping animals. They’re helping people, many of whom suddenly have nothing, to go on with their lives with a friend at their side.
Originally posted by Lana
Considering that most students have a significant amount of their tuition paid for through grants, scholarships, and loans....And considering the sizes of these schools, like ElectricBugaloo said, it's not going to effect the school very much.
Article I found...FEMA leaders lack disaster experience.
I'm not addressing the school situation alone...I'm addressing it all. And it really doesn't matter where the students are getting the money, the schools get paid, some how.
Originally posted by ElectricBugaloo
OK, Barbara Bush. I think that a university of 30,000 can absorb 100 students. So they'll have to sell another ad at the football stadium.And on to breaking news...Michael Brown Relieved of Katrina Duties
You can just blow it out your ass. Because it's the truth. And comparing me to Barbra Bush illustrates that you know nothing about me.
For a vast majortity of those effected, this hurricane was the best damn thing that could have happened to them.
"And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this - this is working very well for them."
yeah,how would i have ever made the mistake of calling you barbara bush? what you're saying is wrong. you want the people of new orleans to pay for their own rebuilding? something that will cost dozens if not hundreds of billions of dollars? you're calling the relief efforts 'personal gain'? No, we have a responsibility to help our fellow citizens in their time of need.
Originally posted by BackFire
People try to place blame about anything these days, and it's even worse that some people are trying to use this tragedy as a means to push their political agenda....it's just shameful.
I couldn't agree more. Is friggin sickening to hear both sides yelling and blaming each other. Ah well, that's life.
Jaden, you're a tool.
you want to resort to petty insults...fine...i just got a blow job from your fat whore of a mother....now i'm off to the doctors to get checked out
a rather pointless addition to the thread isn't it?...yes...so why bother with the insults
yes he called, no his call had nothing to do with the evacuation call. He called Governor Blanco at 9:00 am. They called for the evacuation at 9:30 am; they had already planned to call for the evacuation before Bush called. Dont' believe me?
got my info from the bbc...posted it because the link ealier conviently misses out any positives of the authorities reaction...not very balanced is it?
as for what bush was doing after that...that would be at the same time as the entire media was saying that new orleans had a narrow escape and that things weren't that bad etc etc... not to mention that its now become apparent that the recently sacked head of the FEMA task force didn't even know about the situation in the dome until the thursday
From the BBC story:
The Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco said at the same news conference that President Bush had called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation.
Yes, but, as the original story where the fact that Bush called came from said, it was SHORTLY BEFORE the press conference - the press conference called to order an evacuation. Bush had nothing to do with the decision to perform the first-ever evacuation of a major metropolitan area in the United States.
If you get nothing else out of this post, remember this: the press conference was made before the president ever called. the decision to evacuate was made before the president ever called. Just beacuse some news stories omitted this key fact (that was in the original story). As the original story said:
The governor also said that <b>President Bush had telephoned shortly before the 9:30 a.m. press conference began</b>. She said Bush said he was "very concerned about the storm's impact" and urged Blanco and Nagin to order the evacuation.