Mike Brown Former FEMA Chief Still on FEMA Payroll as Paid Witness for the Defense

Mike Brown, the former head of FEMA is back on FEMA payroll as a “consultant” (i.e. paid witness for the defense) for the duration of the sham investigation (i.e. whitewash) being conducted by Republicans in Congress (and only two, count them two Democrats amidst a sea of GOP). Yesterday Brown began his under-oath testimony claiming that New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin didn’t order the mandatory evacuation of that city. This is an obvious lie. Nagin ordered the first ever mandatory evacuation of New Orleans the Sunday before Hurricane Katrina hit the city as can be read here and numerous other sources. He reissued that order again later as well. Have the Republican Leadership in Congress made any move to sanction or warn or even point out that Mike Brown lied under oath to Congress and the American people?

NO! OF COURSE NOT! The GOP Leadership is counting on Brown and others lying under oath to cover the ineptitude of the Bush Administration in dealing with disasters on their watch. The GOP has made a career out of lying to the American people going all the way back to Watergate, through Iran-Contra, September 11, the Iraq War, the outing of an undercover CIA operative for political payback to their incomprehensible fubar in dealing with Katrina. The Republican Party has become one hundred times worse than the Mafia ever was in strong-arming groups such as Indian Reservations for campaign contributions in exchange for political influence and taking bribes from lobbyists. The GOP leadership should spend the rest of their lives in prison for racketeering and extortion and a host of other crimes they’ve committed while in control of the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches of the Federal Government.

They are unresponsive to the will of the people deeming themselves immune to the responsibilities of a Democratic Republic. More than 4 of every 5 Americans (81%) want an independent investigation of the Federal Government’s response to Katrina. Less than 1 in 5 Americans (18%) trust the Republican led Congress to investigate the Republican led Bush Administration. Naturally the Republicans in Congress are ignoring the wishes of 81% of their constituents and following the wishes of 18% of them. Is that Democracy? There were tens of thousands of reports across the country of voting irregularities in the 2004 general election almost all of them favoring Republican candidates and most involving the new touch screen voting terminals that lack a paper audit trail to guard against vote tampering. The Republicans in Congress blocked any investigation of these, and prevented Democrats in Congress from holding hearings to explore the issue by withholding meeting rooms from them. So we may have had an invalid election, but the GOP doesn’t think that is worth investigating. Instead they hold special Congressional sessions for Terrie Schiavo (the majority of Americans did not want Congress involving themselves in that issue—but they did anyway), but not to find out whether we are still a Democracy! And they claim they are going to export “Democracy” to the rest of the world? Give me a HUGE BREAK! They don’t know what DEMOCRACY is! They don’t care about Democracy or that it is being lost here in the former land of the free and the home of the brave. I want my country back from these thieves and liars.

Bush Admin Always 8 Months Late and $300 Billion Short

Eight months before the devastation of hurricanes Katrina and Rita, an internal Homeland Security Department review warned that the nation was woefully unprepared for a disaster. Homeland Security officials said the problems identified in the Jan. 3 report were in the process of being addressed when the hurricanes hit...eight months later. This reminds me of another similar instance: eight months before 9/11. In January of 2001 the Rudman-Hart Commission instituted by President Clinton had just completed its study of the possiblity of a large-scale terroris attack on the US. By the time they completed the study a new president was in the White House. The committee briefed President Bush and Vice President Cheney in January of 2001 warning that terrorists would fly planes into skyscrapers in the US. It was not a question of if; it was only a question of when. The warned Bush and Cheney that the situation was dire. Bush assigned Cheney the duty of setting up a team to look into how to prevent this and report to Bush weekly. Eight months later Cheney had yet to set up the team or report anything to Bush when September 11 occurred. Four years later in Janary of this year the Department of Homeland Security warned that we were unprepared to respond to a disaster and eight months later they had yet to fix the problem. Also eight months before Katrina the Association of Floodplain Managers warned House Speaker Dennis Hastert (Speaker of the House) that the Bush Administration was "raiding" funds for dealing with natural disasters and that FEMA, since Bush's Homeland Security reorganization, was slower to respond and headed for failure in dealing with natural disasters. The failed response to Katrina was the result of that. Why are we the taxpaying citizens of the US paying obscene amounts of our hard-earned dollars to the Bush Administration when they sit on their asses instead of doing their jobs?

These lazy-assed bastards are only good at smearing anyone who criticizes them whether the person be Republcian or Democrat (anyone who blows the whistle on the Bush Adminisration gets slimed) and pointing the finger at others when they screw up. They are very good at that. Too bad they aren’t any damn good at what we actually pay them to do. Their jobs!

Remember the citizens of the US are the President’s boss. He reports to us. Not the other way around. Why did we re-hire this employee again?

Hundreds of Tons of British Food Shipped to US for Starving Hurricane Katrina Survivors are Being Burned -- Red Tape Stopped it from Reaching Evacuees

Hundreds of tons of British food aid shipped to America for starving Hurricane Katrina survivors are being burned. YES, BURNED. HUNDREDS OF TONS OF FOOD DONATED FOR KATRINA VICTIMS. The Bush Administration stopped it from reaching hungry evacuees because of red tape. Read the article here. The Bush Administration just can’t stop screwing this up. According to the article food aid from other countries are not going to the Katrina survivors either. They will also be destroyed rather than delivered to the evacuees.

House Speaker Hastert was Warned in January FEMA was "Raiding" Funds for Dealing with Natural Disasters and Was Headed for Disaster Itself!

As a resident of Illinois I am embarrassed to point out the misdeeds of Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (who is also a resident of Illinois), but I feel I must in this instance. Madison, WI, based Association of Floodplain Managers warned House Speaker Dennis Hastert back in January that the Bush Administration was "raiding" funds for dealing with natural disasters and that FEMA, since Bush's Homeland Security reorganization, was slower to respond and headed for failure in dealing with natural disasters.

This was in January of 2005 and Hastert ignored the news that the Bush Administration’s FEMA was stealing from US taxpayers and leaving America unprepared for disasters such as Hurricane Katrina. Hastert apparently did not follow up on this warning, but if he had the Katrina failures by the Federal Government could have been avoided and possibly 200 to 300 billion of our tax dollars might not now have to be spent to fix those failures.

Hastert said after the disaster that New Orleans should not be rebuilt, but the president has pledged the most tax dollars ever for disaster recovery in the aftermath of the failure predicted and warned about back in January. Hastert failed to move Congress to address this issue then and so we are paying much more to fix it now.

We’ll see if the Lapdog US Mainstream Media reports this or ignores it as they have so many other stories critical of the Bush Administration! Read the letter that was sent to Hastert back in January here. Contact the networks and insist that they report this to their viewers.

CONTACT:

ABC World News TonightPhone: 212-456-4040 Contact World News Tonight

CBS Evening News Phone: 212-975-3691 email: evening@cbsnews.com

NBC Nightly NewsPhone: 212-664-4971 email: nightly@nbc.com

PBS NewsHour with Jim Lehrer Phone: 703-739-5000 email: newshour@pbs.org

As always, please remember that your comments have more impact if you maintain a polite tone.

Bush Admin Ordered Oil Pipeline Power Restored Ahead of Hospitals and Water Systems – Number of Victims who Died Because of this Not Known

Exempt from this article.

Shortly after Hurricane Katrina roared through South Mississippi knocking out electricity and communication systems, the White House ordered power restored to a pipeline that sends fuel to the Northeast.

That order - to restart two power substations in Collins that serve Colonial Pipeline Co. - delayed efforts by at least 24 hours to restore power to two rural hospitals and a number of water systems in the Pine Belt.

At the time, gasoline was in short supply across the country because of Katrina. Prices increased dramatically and lines formed at pumps across the South.

"I considered it a presidential directive to get those pipelines operating," said Jim Compton, general manager of the South Mississippi Electric Power Association - which distributes power that rural electric cooperatives sell to consumers and businesses.

"I reluctantly agreed to pull half our transmission line crews off other projects and made getting the transmission lines to the Collins substations a priority," Compton said. "Our people were told to work until it was done.

Dan Jordan, manager of Southern Pines Electric Power Association, said Vice President Dick Cheney's office called and left voice mails twice shortly after the storm struck, saying the Collins substations needed power restored immediately.

The article explains how the White House’s request from Dick Cheney's office to divert power to the Oil Pipeline caused hospitals to be without power for 24 hours. Facilities attempting to provide drinkable water to victims of Hurricane Katrina were also deprived of power for 24 hours by this decision. It is unknown how many people died because of this.

A fellow blogger had this to say, "When I worked in the healthcare industry, the standard of delivery was considered to be what you would do if it was your mother in the hospital. You would move heaven and earth to get your job done because everyone in a hospital is somone's loved one. But not the Bush Bastards! They love OIL! And it's oil that they protect first - to hell with the people. The first thing they covered in Iraq were the oil wells and now were finding out during Katrina they protected the flow of oil first. And with no delay!" The American People deserve to know where the Bush Administration's priorities lie. It's not with the American People! We mean NOTHING to them!

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff or Rumsfeld Delayed Response to Katrina for Days – Louisiana State Governor Responded Correctly

As reported on the Internet but frequently underreported on Corporate News Outlets in the US, Governor Blanco of Louisiana declared Louisiana a State of Emergency on the Friday before Hurricane Katrina struck her state. She requested at that time that President Bush declare Louisiana a National State of Emergency which he did the following day, Saturday before Katrina hit. She also asked the President for every resource he could send especially troops. Bush responded by declaring Louisiana a National State of Emergency on Saturday before the Hurricane and and gave the Departement of Homeland Security and FEMA full authority to respond to Katrina. A memo just released shows that Dept. of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff didn’t designate Katrina an “Incident of National Significance” until Tuesday, August 30, after the storm struck land and the levees had broken. Once he did make that designation the National Response Plan (NRP) kicked in making him in charge of handling the disaster. But instead of following the NRP either Chertoff (or Defense Secretary Rumsfeld) delayed sending in active-duty troops in adequate numbers along the Gulf Coast until Saturday, September 3, after the Hurricane hit. More than a week after a State of Emergency was declared! Some affected communities still have not received assistance from the Federal Government! White House and Homeland Security officials won’t explain why Chertoff waited some 36 hours to declare Katrina an incident of national significance and why he didn't immediately begin to direct the federal response from the moment on Aug. 27 when the National Hurricane Center predicted that Katrina would strike the Gulf Coast with catastrophic force in 48 hours let alone why troops were further delayed until a week after the state was declared a National State of Emergency. Nor would they explain why Bush felt the need to appoint a separate hurricane task force to oversee the response. The goal of the National Response Plan is to provide a streamlined framework for swiftly delivering federal assistance when a disaster - caused by terrorists or Mother Nature - is too big for local officials to handle. Russ Knocke, a spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security, didn't dispute that the National Response Plan put Chertoff in charge in federal response to the catastrophe. Why didn’t the Bush Administration follow the plan they put together for just this purpose?

The Chertoff memo indicates that the response to Katrina wasn't left to disaster professionals, but was run out of the White House, said George Haddow, a former deputy chief of staff at FEMA and the co-author of an emergency management textbook.

"It shows that the president is running the disaster, the White House is running it as opposed to Brown or Chertoff," Haddow said. Brown "is a convenient fall guy. He's not the problem really. The problem is a system that was marginalized."

A former FEMA director under President Reagan expressed shock by the inaction that Chertoff's memo suggested. It showed that Chertoff "does not have a full appreciation for what the country is faced with - nor does anyone who waits that long," said Gen. Julius Becton Jr., who was FEMA director from 1985-1989.

"Anytime you have a delay in taking action, there's a potential for losing lives," Becton told Knight Ridder. "I have no idea how many lives we're talking about. ... I don't understand why, except that they were inefficient."

Chertoff's Aug. 30 memo came on the heels of a memo from Brown, written several hours after Katrina made landfall, showing that the FEMA director was waiting for Chertoff's permission to get help from others within the massive department. In that memo, Brown requested Chertoff's assistance to make available DHS employees willing to deploy. It asked for 1,000 homeland security workers but gave them two days to get there and concluded thanking Chertoff "for your consideration in helping us meet our responsibilities in this near catastrophic event."

Read more here.

The Bush Administration and its operatives continue to blame the Governor of Louisiana on Corporate US News Outlets, but a nonpartisan congressional research report found Louisiana’s Governor took the necessary steps responding to Katrina. The Federal Government, however, failed us repeatedly and continues to blame others for their failure!

Joe

Clueless Pres Doesn't Know FEMA Chief Quit

When Michael Brown announced his “resignation” from FEMA he said, “As I told the President, it is important that I leave now.” President Bush was asked about Brown resigning shortly after that. Bush seemed surprised and confused and said, he hadn’t talked to either Brown or Chertoff and said, “Maybe you know something I don’t know.” An understatement if ever there was one. Today they announced Brown’s replacement, David Paulison, who turns out to be the FEMA official who two and half years ago told the American people to use duct tape (a gas permeable substance) to protect our homes against chemical and biological attack. Back then he also said that in the first 48 to 72 hours of an emergency, many Americans would likely have to look after themselves. Isn’t that what Brown did?

More at http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8514671/#050912a

Right-Wing Myths About Hurricane Katrina, DEBUNKED!!!

This courtessy of thinkprogress.org

There are a lot of right-wing myths about Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. ThinkProgress has created this guide to help you set the record straight.

CLAIM — STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS WERE MOSTLY RESPONSIBLE FOR FAILURES: “White House Shifts Blame to State and Local Officials” [Washington Post, 9/4/05]

FACT – BUSH PUT FEMA IN CHARGE OF EFFORT BEFORE KATRINA STRUCK: “Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency.” [White House, 8/27/05]

FACT — FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ABLE TO ACT WITHOUT PERMISSION FROM STATES: The Wall Street Journal: “Mr. Chertoff activated the National Response Plan last Tuesday by declaring the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina an ‘Incident of National Significance.’ The plan, which was rolled out to much fanfare in January, essentially enables Washington to move federal assets to the disaster without waiting for requests from state officials.” [Wall Street Journal, 9/13/05]

CLAIM — NO ONE COULD HAVE PREDICTED BREACHED LEVEES: On ABC’s Good Morning America, Bush said, “I don’t think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees.” [Good Morning America, 9/1/05]

FACT — LEVEE BREACH PREDICTED REPEATEDLY: Responding to Bush’s comments on Meet the Press, Dr. Ivor Van Heerden of the LSU Hurricane Center “I didn’t buy that because, you know, we had discussed on numerous occasions that a worst-case scenario would be if we had one of these major hurricanes and then we lost the levee systems.” A White House advisor sat in on the “Hurricane Pam Exercise,” a computer simulation of the possible effects of a Category 3 hurricane on New Orleans. The exercise found that “…a storm like Hurricane Pam would: cause flooding that would leave 300,000 people trapped in New Orleans, many of whom would not have private transportation for evacuation.” [Meet the Press, 9/4/05]

CLAIM — GOV. BLANCO DELAYED STATE OF EMERGENCY DECLARATION: In a Sept. 4 Washington Post article, which was corrected hours later, an anonymous Bush administration source claimed Governor Blanco had not yet declared a state of emergency in Louisiana. The Post reported, “As of Saturday, Blanco still had not declared a state of emergency, the senior Bush official said.” [Washington Post, 9/4/05]

FACT — GOV. KATHLEEN BLANCO DECLARED A STATE OF EMERGENCY IN LOUISIANA ON AUGUST 26: Three days prior to when Katrina made landfall. [Office of the Governor, 9/11/05]

CLAIM — GOVERNORS WANTED FEMA TO BE WEAK: Brit Hume: “FEMA, first of all, is not a first responder. FEMA is basically a tiny little agency that has been kept weak. And you know why it’s been kept weak? The governors want it that way.” [Fox News Sunday, 9/11/05]

FACT — STATE OFFICIAL COMPLAINED ABOUT WEAKENING OF FEMA UNDER BUSH: “State and local disaster-relief officials have been complaining about the lack of federal involvement in emergency response for some time. Trina Sheets, the executive director of the National Emergency Management Association, which represents local emergency personnel, told Salon that “since the Department of Homeland Security was established there has been a steady degradation of the capabilities.” [Salon, 9/7/05]

CLAIM — RESIDENTS WHO REMAINED IN NEW ORLEANS ARE TO BLAME FOR NOT EVACUATING: Sen. Rick Santorum said, “I mean, you have people who don’t heed those warnings and then put people at risk as a result of not heeding those warnings. There may be a need to look at tougher penalties on those who decide to ride it out and understand that there are consequences to not leaving.” [Associated Press, 9/2/05]

FACT — MOST RESIDENTS WHO REMAINED COULDN’T AFFORD TO LEAVE: New York Times: “The victims, they note, were largely black and poor, those who toiled in the background of the tourist havens, living in tumbledown neighborhoods that were long known to be vulnerable to disaster if the levees failed. Without so much as a car or bus fare to escape ahead of time, they found themselves left behind by a failure to plan for their rescue should the dreaded day ever arrive.” [New York Times, 9/2/05]

CLAIM — BUSH “STRUCK THE RIGHT BALANCE” BETWEEN HIRING POLITICAL CRONIES AND EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONALS: Vice President Cheney said Bush had “struck the right balance between political appointees and career professionals to oversee the relief efforts.” [AP, 9/8/05]

FACT — MOST TOP FEMA OFFICIALS WERE POLITICAL HACKS: “Five of eight top Federal Emergency Management Agency officials came to their posts with virtually no experience in handling disasters.” [Washington Post, 9/9/05]

CLAIM — MAYOR NAGIN LEFT 2,000 SCHOOL BUSES BEHIND IN THE FLOOD: Sean Hannity said, “You would have thought that the 2,000 buses, school buses, that sat in the yards would have been used to help those people that were incapable of getting out on their own, but none of that had happened locally.” [Hannity and Colmes, 9/6/05]

FACT — NEW ORLEANS HAD LESS THAN 300 WORKING SCHOOL BUSES: “The [Orleans Parish school] district owns 324 buses but 70 are broken down.” [New Orleans Times-Picayune, 9/5/05]

CLAIM: LOCAL OFFICIALS DESERVE BLAME FOR LACK OF EVACUATION BUSES : Rick Santorum claimed, “Many didn’t have cars … And that really was a failure on the part of local officials in not making transportation available to get people out.” [Times Leader, 9/6/05]

FACT: LOUISIANA NATIONAL GUARD REQUESTED 700 BUSES FROM FEMA FOR EVACUATIONS, FEMA ONLY SENT 100: The Boston Globe reported, “On Sunday, the day before the storm, the Louisiana National Guard asked FEMA for 700 buses to evacuate people. It received only 100.” [Boston Globe, 9/11/05]

CLAIM — MILITARY NOT STRETCHED THIN BY IRAQ: President Bush said, “We’ve got plenty of troops to do both. Let me just — let me just talk about that again. I’ve answered this question before, and you can speak to General Honore if you care to. He’s the military man on the ground. It is preposterous to claim that the engagement in Iraq meant there wasn’t enough troops here, just pure and simple.” [White House, 9/12/05]

FACT — MILITARY LEADERS SAY IRAQ HAMPERED THEIR EFFORTS AFTER KATRINA: National Guard Chief Lt. Gen. Steven Blum said, “Had that (Mississippi and Louisiana) brigade been at home and not in Iraq, their expertise and capabilities could have been brought to bear.” The Washington Post reported “In Louisiana and Mississippi, civilian and military leaders said the response to the hurricane was delayed by the absence of the Mississippi National Guard’s 155th Infantry Brigade and Louisiana’s 256th Infantry Brigade, each with thousands of troops in Iraq.” [AP, 9/10/05, Washington Post, 9/10/05]

CLAIM: NEWSPAPERS REPORTED NEW ORLEANS HAD BEEN SPARED SIGNIFICANT HURRICANE DAMAGE: Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff said, “I remember on Tuesday morning picking up newspapers and I saw headlines, ‘New Orleans Dodged The Bullet.’” [Meet the Press, 9/4/05]

FACT: HEADLINES ACROSS THE COUNTRY ANNOUNCED “CATASTROPHIC” DAMAGE TO NEW ORLEANS: The Tuesday, August 30th edition of the Times-Picayune led with a banner headline reading, “CATASTROPHIC: Storm Surge Swamps 9th Ward, St. Bernard; Lakeview Levee Breach Threatens to Inundate City.” Dozens of other major newspapers led with headlines describing Katrina’s horrifying aftermath. [Times-Picayune, 8/30/05; Newseum via Wonkette]

See also my Katrina Timeline as well as the Katrina Timeline at Talking Points Memo for more on what the Federal Government failed to do and are now blaming the state and local goverments in order to pass the buck. Something the Bush Administration does very well. Too bad they don't do their job as well as they do PR and buck passing!

Joe

FEMA's Blocking Of Relief Efforts - An Amazing List

Courtessy of Rense.com

FEMA won't accept Amtrak's help in evacuations
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/84aa35cc-1da8-11da-b40b-00000e..

FEMA turns away experienced firefighters
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/5/105538/7048

FEMA turns back Wal-Mart supply trucks
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/05/national/nationalspec..

FEMA prevents Coast Guard from delivering diesel fuel
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/05/national/nationalspec..

FEMA won't let Red Cross deliver food
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05246/565143.stm

FEMA bars morticians from entering New Orleans
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15147862&BRD=...

FEMA blocks 500-boat citizen flotilla from delivering aid
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/3/171718/0826

FEMA fails to utilize Navy ship with 600-bed hospital on board
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0509..

FEMA to Chicago: Send just one truck
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-050902dale..

FEMA turns away generators
http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/WWLBLOG.ac3fcea.html

FEMA: "First Responders Urged Not To Respond"
http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18470

Airline Pilot Slated to Fly Hijacked 9/11 Plane Says Bush Admin Failed US and Allowed Terror Threat to Grow for Profit

Kurt Wolz, a pilot for American Airlines who was scheduled to fly Flight 11 that crashed into the World Trade Center, has choice words for the Bush Administration in this column on the fourth anniversary of the September 11 tragedy. As we now collect the bodies from another national tragedy caused by Bush Admin ineptitude and ignoring advance warnings, his words should give us all pause. Bodies also mount in Iraq where a war based on lies about WMD and links to 9/11, neither of which proved to be true, provide a constant reminder of the danger these lies pose to our nation. The Iraq War is another national tragedy, and other people’s children are paying for it not Bush’s. Perhaps Bush who is so fond of taking vacations instead of doing his job as President should be given a permanent vacation courtesy of an impeachment. We’d all be better off without his bumbling our nation into disaster after disaster.

May God bless the families of the September 11 victims, the Hurricane Katrina victims and those who lost their lives in Iraq. I hope they will find comfort in these trying times. Our entire nation needs to find such comfort. When this dangerous man is out of the White House we may finally find the comfort we all seek. God bless America. With this man and his inept cohorts in office we can use all the blessings we can get!

Joe

President Bush has Announced that HE is Going to Lead an Investigation into What Went Wrong Responding to Hurricane Katrina...

...That’s Just Like OJ Simpson Saying He is Looking for the Real Killer!

When Bush was asked by Democratic Leader Pelosi about what did not go right in the response to hurricane Katrina he responded, “What didn’t go right?” He told FEMA director Brown, “Brownie, you're doing a heckuva job.” Bush himself failed to fulfill his duties as specified under the National Response Plan (NRP) to act coordinating the efforts of the rest of his administration in responding to the disaster. He and most of his officials (including the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of FEMA) failed and failed miserably.

Now he and his administration are going to investigate who screwed up. They’ve already started blaming State and Local authorities as well as the victims themselves. I just heard Newt Gingrich on This Week blaming all three (yes, the victims, too), and admitting that the Federal Government may have had a slight responsibility. The Federal Government was in charge from before hurricane struck Louisiana as you will read here. They didn't do their job, and now they and their lackeys are blaming others while they say "Let's not play the blame game."

Joe

President signs executive order allowing Haliburton and other contractors to pay below minimum wage in disaster areas

Well, that was quick. President Bush signed an executive order allowing Haliburton, VP Cheney’s old firm, which has already contracted to do some of the rebuilding, and other contractors to pay workers less than the minimum wage. Companies with ties to the Bush White House and the former head of FEMA (a close friend of Bush connected with Bush’s Funeralgate scandal in Texas) are clinching some of the administration's first disaster relief and reconstruction contracts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Surprise surprise. I’m sure Haliburton and the other "friends of Bush" private contractors aren’t going to lower their fees for the rebuilding. But the victims of hurricane Katrina already in dire financial straights are going to have to settle for less than the prevailing wage to have jobs putting food back on their tables. Once they can afford tables again. These people will be victimized twice. Or else they will move away to get better paying jobs elsewhere leaving only those with poorer skills to take such low paying jobs. What kind of workmanship is going to be done in this rebuilding if they are only getting people willing to work for less than they would get elsewhere? Are the levees to be upgraded only by workers willing to work for less than a decent wage? Possibly. Does that mean that a later hurricane may create a similar disaster because Bush was in such a hurry to give more obscene profits to Cheney’s old company? Very likely. Can we insist that Bush and Cheney live near those levees so that when they do burst again they will be the first ones affected? Sadly, no.

THIS JUST IN...

Katrina TimeLine for Your Conservative Friends

FEMA has ordered Press not to show America pictures of the dead victims of Katrina. Just as the Federal Government prevented Press from showing coffins of our brave dead fighting men and women who lost their lives in Iraq. Now the feds have sent down 25,000 body bags to New Orleans. That's all they had on hand. A mortuary worker helping down there was told by FEMA to prepare for 40,000 dead. The Red Cross has a list of 117,000 people still missing. How would the American public react to 40,000 to 117,000 bodies shown on TV and the news that the Bush Administration's incompetence caused all of those Americans to die needlessly. Not well. That’s why they aren’t allowed to show them.

Here are the Bush Right Wing Lies and the Truth that they don't want you to know--That Bush and his People Lied and Thousands of Americans Died Neelessly! The Press better not let them off the hook this time as they have so many times before!

Timeline Coutessy of HockeyTown4Ever starting the Friday before the Hurricane hit New Orleans.

Note: NRP stands for the National Response Plan, the plan the Federal Government is supposed to follow in times of disasters. The NRP requires the President, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Homeland Security, and the Director of FEMA to perform specific responsibilities. Those members of the Bush Administration and others in the Bush Administration ignored their responsibilities under the NRP with regard to Katrina as you will read below. So they are blaming the State and Local governments for their failure!

Hurricane Katrina Timeline

Friday, August 26

Rightwing now says: Governor never declared emergency but
GOV. KATHLEEN BLANCO DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY IN LOUISIANA: [Office of the Governor: Link]

Rightwing currently says: Governor never requested troops - they just had to wait but
GULF COAST STATES REQUEST TROOP ASSISTANCE FROM PENTAGON:
At a 9/1 press conference, Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, commander, Joint Task Force Katrina, said that the Gulf States began the process of requesting additional forces on Friday, 8/26. [DOD: Link ] This link is from the US Department of Defense.

Saturday, August 27

5AM — KATRINA UPGRADED TO CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE [CNN: Link ]

Rightwing still refuses to acknowledge that Louisiana Governor envoked NRP but....
GOV. BLANCO ASKS BUSH TO DECLARE FEDERAL STATE OF EMERGENCY IN LOUISIANA
“I have determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the State and affected local governments, and that supplementary Federal assistance is necessary to save lives, protect property, public health, and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a disaster.” [Office of the Governor Link ]

Rightwing now refuses to acknowledge that Feds were incharge from the beginning but
FEDERAL EMERGENCY DECLARED, DHS AND FEMA GIVEN FULL AUTHORITY TO RESPOND TO KATRINA
“Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency.” [White House Link ]

Sunday, August 28

2AM – KATRINA UPGRADED TO CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE [CNN Link ]

7AM – KATRINA UPGRADED TO CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE [CNN Link ]

Bush now says: No one could have forseen levee failure but
MORNING — LOUISIANA NEWSPAPER SIGNALS LEVEES MAY GIVE:“Forecasters Fear Levees Won’t Hold Katrina”:
“Forecasters feared Sunday afternoon that storm driven waters will lap over the New Orleans levees when monster Hurricane Katrina pushes past the Crescent City tomorrow.” [Lafayette Daily Advertiser Link ]

Bush currently says mayor didn't follow his plan (which requires evacuation order be given 12 hours before hurricane landfall) but
9:30 AM — MAYOR NAGIN ISSUES FIRST EVER MANDATORY EVACUATION OF NEW ORLEANS:
“We’re facing the storm most of us have feared,” said Nagin. “This is going to be an unprecedented event.” [Times-Picayune Link ]

Chertoff and Myers are saying: The papers never gave us warning but
4PM – NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ISSUES SPECIAL HURRICANE WARNING
In the event of a category 4 or 5 hit, “Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks, perhaps longer. … At least one-half of well-constructed homes will have roof and wall failure. All gabled roofs will fail, leaving those homes severely damaged or destroyed. … Power outages will last for weeks. … Water shortages will make human suffering incredible by modern standards.” [National Weather Service Link ]

Bush still says: No one could have forseen levee failure but
AFTERNOON — BUSH, BROWN, CHERTOFF WARNED OF LEVEE FAILURE BY NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER DIRECTOR
Dr. Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center: “‘We were briefing them way before landfall. … It’s not like this was a surprise. We had in the advisories that the levee could be topped.’” [Times-Picayune; St. Petersburg Times Link 1 Link 2 ]

LATE PM – REPORTS OF WATER TOPPLING OVER LEVEE:
“Waves crashed atop the exercise path on the Lake Pontchartrain levee in Kenner early Monday as Katrina churned closer.” [Times-Picayune Link ]

APPROXIMATELY 30,000 EVACUEES GATHER AT SUPERDOME WITH ROUGHLY 36 HOURS WORTH OF FOOD [Times-Picayune Link ]

Monday, August 29

7AM – KATRINA MAKES LANDFALL AS A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE [CNN Link ]

Bush continues to say: No one could have forseen levee failure but
8AM – MAYOR NAGIN REPORTS THAT WATER IS FLOWING OVER LEVEE:
“I’ve gotten reports this morning that there is already water coming over some of the levee systems. In the lower ninth ward, we’ve had one of our pumping stations to stop operating, so we will have significant flooding, it is just a matter of how much.” [NBC’s “Today Show”]

MORNING — BUSH CALLS SECRETARY CHERTOFF TO DISCUSS IMMIGRATION Chertoff has time to chat about immigration issues?
“I spoke to Mike Chertoff today — he’s the head of the Department of Homeland Security. I knew people would want me to discuss this issue [immigration], so we got us an airplane on — a telephone on Air Force One, so I called him. I said, are you working with the governor [of Arizona to talk about Mexicans crossing the border]? He said, you bet we are.” [White House Link ]

Now that a Federal Emergency has been called Bush is the fiduciary responsible for Katrina, so naturally, he goes to a birthday party!
MORNING – BUSH SHARES BIRTHDAY CAKE PHOTO-OP WITH SEN. JOHN MCCAIN [White House Link ]

Bush is now the fiduciary responsible for Katrina, so naturally, he delivers political stump speaches!
11AM — BUSH VISITS ARIZONA RESORT TO PROMOTE MEDICARE DRUG BENEFIT
“This new bill I signed says, if you’re a senior and you like the way things are today, you’re in good shape, don’t change. But, by the way, there’s a lot of different options for you. And we’re here to talk about what that means to our seniors.” [White House Link ]

Chertoff won't find this out until tomorrow. Bush still says: No one could have forseen this
LATE MORNING – LEVEE BREACHED
“A large section of the vital 17th Street Canal levee, where it connects to the brand new ‘hurricane proof’ Old Hammond Highway bridge, gave way late Monday morning in Bucktown after Katrina’s fiercest winds were well north.” [Times-Picayune Link ]

Three days after FEMA was put in charge, it's director starts to round up volunteers, but tells them to take a couple of days to get down there.
11:30AM — MICHAEL BROWN FINALLY REQUESTS THAT DHS DISPATCH 1,000 EMPLOYEES TO REGION, GIVES THEM TWO DAYS TO ARRIVE
“Brown’s memo to Chertoff described Katrina as ‘this near catastrophic event’ but otherwise lacked any urgent language. The memo politely ended, ‘Thank you for your consideration in helping us to meet our responsibilities.’” One of the reasons Brown gives his boss to send FEMA personnel is to "convey a positive image" about the government's response. [AP Link ]

Bush is now the fiduciary responsible for Katrina, so naturally, he gives more political stump speaches! (And then takes in a round of golf!)
MEDICARE DRUG BENEFIT
“We’ve got some folks up here who are concerned about their Social Security or Medicare. Joan Geist is with us. … I could tell — she was looking at me when I first walked in the room to meet her, she was wondering whether or not old George W. is going to take away her Social Security check.” [White House Link ]

Under the NRP, the Secretary of Defense is specifically responsible for troops, vessels and equipment for Katrina response, so naturally, he goes to a ballgame!
9PM — RUMSFELD ATTENDS SAN DIEGO PADRES BASEBALL GAME
Rumsfeld “joined Padres President John Moores in the owner’s box…at Petco Park.” [Editor & Publisher Link ]

Tuesday, August 30

Bush is now the fiduciary responsible for Katrina, so naturally, he gives political stumps speaches!
9AM – BUSH SPEAKS ON IRAQ AT NAVAL BASE CORONADO [White House Link ]

This is the fourth day Chertoff has been in control -- and the levee failed the previous day?
MIDDAY – CHERTOFF FINALLY BECOMES AWARE THAT LEVEE HAS FAILED
“It was on Tuesday that the levee–may have been overnight Monday to Tuesday–that the levee started to break. And it was midday Tuesday that I became aware of the fact that there was no possibility of plugging the gap and that essentially the lake was going to start to drain into the city.” [Meet the Press, 9/4/05 Link ]

PENTAGON CLAIMS THERE ARE ENOUGH NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS IN REGION
“Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita said the states have adequate National Guard units to handle the hurricane needs.” [WWL-TV Link ]

MASS LOOTING REPORTED, SECURITY SHORTAGE CITED
“The looting is out of control. The French Quarter has been attacked,” Councilwoman Jackie Clarkson said. “We’re using exhausted, scarce police to control looting when they should be used for search and rescue while we still have people on rooftops.”
[AP Link ]

Valuable Naval asset is ready to help, but Rumsfeld is too busy getting Dave Winfield's autograph to do his job
U.S.S. BATAAN SITS OFF SHORE, VIRTUALLY UNUSED
“The USS Bataan, a 844-foot ship designed to dispatch Marines in amphibious assaults, has helicopters, doctors, hospital beds, food and water. It also can make its own water, up to 100,000 gallons a day. And it just happened to be in the Gulf of Mexico when Katrina came roaring ashore. The Bataan rode out the storm and then followed it toward shore, awaiting relief orders. Helicopter pilots flying from its deck were some of the first to begin plucking stranded New Orleans residents. But now the Bataan’s hospital facilities, including six operating rooms and beds for 600 patients, are empty.” [Chicago Tribune Link ]

Bush is now the fiduciary responsible for Katrina, so naturally, he plays guitar!
3PM – PRESIDENT BUSH PLAYS GUITAR WITH COUNTRY SINGER MARK WILLIS [AP Link ]

Bush is now the fiduciary responsible for Katrina, so naturally, he stays on vacation another night (unlike that important thingy with Terri Schiavo)
BUSH RETURNS TO CRAWFORD FOR FINAL NIGHT OF VACATION [AP Link ]

Wednesday, August 31

TENS OF THOUSANDS TRAPPED IN SUPERDOME; CONDITIONS DETERIORATE
“A 2-year-old girl slept in a pool of urine. Crack vials littered a restroom. Blood stained the walls next to vending machines smashed by teenagers. ‘We pee on the floor.
We are like animals,’ said Taffany Smith, 25, as she cradled her 3-week-old son, Terry. … By Wednesday, it had degenerated into horror. … At least two people, including a child, have been raped. At least three people have died, including one man who jumped 50 feet to his death, saying he had nothing left to live for. There is no sanitation. The stench is overwhelming.”" [Los Angeles Times, 9/1/05 Link ]

Bush is now the fiduciary responsible for Katrina, so naturally, he shows up for work, five days later!
PRESIDENT BUSH FINALLY ORGANIZES TASK FORCE TO COORDINATE FEDERAL RESPONSE:
Bush says on Tuesday he will “fly to Washington to begin work…with a task force that will coordinate the work of 14 federal agencies involved in the relief effort.” [New York Times, 8/31/05 Link ]

JEFFERSON PARISH EMERGENCY DIRECTOR SAYS FOOD AND WATER SUPPLY GONE
“Director Walter Maestri: FEMA and national agencies not delivering the help nearly as fast as it is needed.” [WWL-TV Link ]

80,000 BELIEVED STRANDED IN NEW ORLEANS
Former Mayor Sidney Barthelemy “estimated 80,000 were trapped in the flooded city and urged President Bush to send more troops.” [Reuters Link ]

3,000 STRANDED AT CONVENTION CENTER WITHOUT FOOD OR WATER
“With 3,000 or more evacuees stranded at the convention center — and with no apparent contingency plan or authority to deal with them — collecting a body was no one’s priority. Some had been at the convention center since Tuesday morning but had received no food, water or instructions.” [Times-Picayune Link ]

5PM — BUSH GIVES FIRST MAJOR ADDRESS ON KATRINA
“Nothing about the president’s demeanor… — which seemed casual to the point of carelessness — suggested that he understood the depth of the current crisis.” [New York Times Link ]

Under the NRP, the Secretary of State coordinates all foreign aid and volunteers, so naturally Condi goes to a Broadway show!
8:00PM – CONDOLEEZZA RICE TAKES IN A BROADWAY SHOW
“On Wednesday night, Secretary Rice was booed by some audience members at ‘Spamalot!, the Monty Python musical at the Shubert, when the lights went up after the performance.” [New York Post, 9/2/05 Link ]

Mike "Clueless Joe" Brown (aka "The Horse lawyer") says: Go-olly! What a big mess!
9PM — FEMA DIRECTOR BROWN CLAIMS SURPRISE OVER SIZE OF STORM
“I must say, this storm is much much bigger than anyone expected.” [CNN]

Thursday, September 1

Today is the day Bush starts saying that no one expected the levees would breach...
8AM — BUSH CLAIMS NO ONE EXPECTED LEVEES TO BREAK
“I don’t think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees.” [Washington Post Link ]

Under the NRP, the Secretary of State coordinates all foreign aid and volunteers, so naturally Condi goes to a tennis match!
CONDOLEEZZA RICE VISITS U.S. OPEN
“Rice, [in New York] on three days’ vacation to shop and see the U.S. Open, hitting some balls with retired champ Monica Seles at the Indoor Tennis Club at Grand Central.” [New York Post Link ]

ONE FULL WEEK AFTER THE NRP PUT BUSH IN CHARGE, THERE IS STILL NO COMMAND AND CONTROL ESTABLISHED
Terry Ebbert, New Orleans Homeland Security Director: “This is a national emergency. This is a national disgrace. FEMA has been here three days, yet there is no command and control. We can send massive amounts of aid to tsunami victims, but we can’t bail out the city of New Orleans.” [Fox News Link ]

2PM — MAYOR NAGIN ISSUES “DESPERATE SOS” TO FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
“This is a desperate SOS. Right now we are out of resources at the convention centre and don’t anticipate enough buses. We need buses. Currently the convention centre is unsanitary and unsafe and we’re running out of supplies.” [Guardian, 9/2/05 Link ]

"The Horse lawyer" says: There's a problem? Where?
2PM — MICHAEL BROWN CLAIMS NOT TO HAVE HEARD OF REPORTS OF VIOLENCE
“I’ve had no reports of unrest, if the connotation of the word unrest means that people are beginning to riot, or you know, they’re banging on walls and screaming and hollering or burning tires or whatever. I’ve had no reports of that.” [CNN Link ]

NEW ORLEANS “DESCEND[S] INTO ANARCHY
“Storm victims were raped and beaten, fights and fires broke out, corpses lay out in the open, and rescue helicopters and law enforcement officers were shot at as flooded-out New Orleans descended into anarchy Thursday. ‘This is a desperate SOS,’ the mayor said.” [AP Link ]

Under the NRP, the Secretary of State coordinates all foreign aid and volunteers, so naturally Condi goes shopping for $1,000 shoes!
CONDOLEEZZA RICE GOES SHOE SHOPPING
“Just moments ago at the Ferragamo on 5th Avenue, Condoleeza Rice was seen spending several thousands of dollars on some nice, new shoes (we’ve confirmed this, so her new heels will surely get coverage from the WaPo’s Robin Givhan). A fellow shopper, unable to fathom the absurdity of Rice’s timing, went up to the Secretary and reportedly shouted, ‘How dare you shop for shoes while thousands are dying and homeless!’” Rice has the other shopper physically removed from the store. [Gawker Link ]

"The Horse lawyer" says: You mean there's people in that HUGE evacuation point that isn't under water?
MICHAEL BROWN FINALLY LEARNS OF EVACUEES IN CONVENTION CENTER (FROM CNN's PAULA ZAHN)
“We learned about that (Thursday), so I have directed that we have all available resources to get that convention center to make sure that they have the food and water and medical care that they need.” [CNN Link ] This had been on the news for days and he didn't know until now.

Friday, September 2

Because Press Secretary McClellan begs people not to politicize this, Karl Rove starts on cue to politicize this!
ROVE-LED CAMPAIGN TO BLAME LOCAL OFFICIALS BEGINS
“Under the command of President Bush’s two senior political advisers, the White House rolled out a plan…to contain the political damage from the administration’s response to Hurricane Katrina.” President Bush’s comments from the Rose Garden Friday morning formed “the start of this campaign.” [New York Times, 9/5/05 Link ]

Bush praises the fine effort of Clueless Joe, the Horse lawyer -- the medal of freedom is next.
9:35AM — BUSH PRAISES MICHAEL BROWN
“Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job.” [White House, 9/2/05 Link ]

Bush is now the fiduciary responsible for Katrina, so naturally, does political photo ops flanked by hardware taken away from relief efforts!
10 AM — PRESIDENT BUSH STAGES PHOTO-OP “BRIEFING
Coast Guard helicopters and crew diverted from relief efforts to act as backdrop for President Bush’s photo-op.

Bush is now the fiduciary responsible for Katrina, so naturally, does political photo ops and prevents aid and rescue flights!
BUSH VISIT GROUNDS FOOD AID
“Three tons of food ready for delivery by air to refugees in St. Bernard Parish and on Algiers Point sat on the Crescent City Connection bridge Friday afternoon as air traffic was halted because of President Bush’s visit to New Orleans, officials said.” [Times-Picayune Link ]

Bush is now the fiduciary responsible for Katrina, so naturally, does political photo ops by faking repair work for the cameras!
"POTEMKIN LEVEE" REPAIR WORK FAKED FOR PRESIDENT’S VISIT
“Touring this critical site yesterday with the President, I saw what I believed to be a real and significant effort to get a handle on a major cause of this catastrophe. Flying over this critical spot again this morning, less than 24 hours later, it became apparent that yesterday we witnessed a hastily prepared stage set for a Presidential photo opportunity; and the desperately needed resources we saw were this morning reduced to a single, lonely piece of equipment.” [Sen. Mary Landrieu Link ]

Bush is now the fiduciary responsible for Katrina, so naturally, does political photo ops flanked by firefighters taken away from relief efforts!
BUSH USES 50 FIREFIGHTERS AS PROPS IN DISASTER AREA PHOTO-OP
A group of 1,000 firefighters convened in Atlanta to volunteer with the Katrina relief efforts. Of those, “a team of 50 Monday morning quickly was ushered onto a flight headed for Louisiana. The crew’s first assignment: to stand beside President Bush as he tours devastated areas.” [Salt Lake Tribune Link Reuters Link ]

Of course Bush is happy, happy! Things are going "swimmingly"
3PM — BUSH “SATISFIED WITH THE RESPONSE
“I am satisfied with the response. I am not satisfied with all the results.” [AP Link ]

Saturday, September 3

Because Press Secretary McClellan begs people not to politicize this, Karl Rove starts on cue to politicize this by lying to the press under double-super- secret background!
"SENIOR BUSH ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL" (ROVE) LIES TO WASHINGTON POST, CLAIMS GOV. BLANCO NEVER DECLARED STATE OF EMERGENCY
The Post reported in their Sunday edition “As of Saturday, Blanco still had not declared a state of emergency, the senior Bush official said.” They were forced to issue a correction hours later. [Washington Post, 9/4/05 Link ]

Bush is now the fiduciary responsible for Katrina -- and he begged people not to politicize this, so naturally he starts blaming others!
9AM — DESPITE THE NRP PLACING THE ADMINISTRATION IN CHARGE EIGHT DAYS EARLIER -- BUSH BLAMES STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS:
[T]he magnitude of responding to a crisis over a disaster area that is larger than the size of Great Britain has created tremendous problems that have strained state and local capabilities. The result is that many of our citizens simply are not getting the help they need.” [White House, 9/3/05 Link]

There are more sources than these, but the ones here prove that Bush and his evil minions are lying in order to point blame at others for their carelessness, ineptitude and unwillingness to do their jobs of protecting the public that caused thousands to die. They are murderers! They have been lying as long as they have been in office, and the Corporate-Owned Media has been too afraid or too lazy or too connected to report those lies in full. Now that Bush's lies have caused thousands of Americans to die maybe the lapdog press will gain a backbone and tell the American people what is in the White House lapping up their tax dollers and lying to them with abandon!

Joe

Kanye West Wrong Bush Does Care About Black People

President Bush isn’t the only member of the administration enjoying vacation at this time. Yesterday while millions were suffering along the Gulf Coast being raped in the Superdome, their homes washed away, starving in the streets, dying of thirst, with no available medical attention, exit routes blocked so there is no way out, possibly thousands of bodies floating around or under debris, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice took in a Broadway show, worked on her backhand with tennis star Monica Seles, and went shopping at the finest stores on 5th Avenue in New York. At the Ferragamo on 5th Avenue, Condoleeza Rice was seen spending several thousands of dollars on some nice, new shoes. A fellow shopper, unable to fathom the absurdity of Rice’s timing, went up to the Secretary and reportedly asked, “How dare you shop for shoes while thousands are dying and homeless!” Never one to have her fashion choices questioned, Rice had security PHYSICALLY REMOVE the woman.

Kanye West recently said on live TV that President Bush doesn’t care much for black people. That’s just not true. He doesn’t care much for poor black people or poor white people for that matter. Those wealthy enough to pay several thousands of dollars for a pair of shoes he is quite fond of.