From Reuters: Aaron Broussard, Jefferson Parish president, told the CBS "Early Show" on Tuesday there were people still at risk in his community.
"Bureaucracy has murdered people in the greater New Orleans area and bureaucracy needs to stand trial before Congress today," he said." "So I'm asking Congress please investigate this now.
"Take whatever idiot they have at the top, give me a better idiot. Give me a caring idiot. Give me a sensitive idiot. Just don't give me the same idiot."
Eloquence. You know it when you hear it.
Don't know about you, but I am amazed by what I am seeing:
... the apparent resilience of those who lost everything 'but have each other.'
... the polite thankfulness of those given some shelter and food.
... the eagerness of volunteers to help.
... the acceptance by those so devastated.
... the furor (or lack of it) over what Kanye West said about Bush on the telethon.
... some residents refusing to leave, even today.
... the 'we'll show them' attitude that says those who stay will NOT receive any water.
... good reportage by so many on the scene. Good in detail, description, and what seems to be honest empathy.
... the self-serving crap from some of the officials who ought to be fired on the spot.
... the restraint on the part of most of the media I've seen who should be calling for the firings. They should howl until a wave of exposition and revulsion drives the pretenders out of office. I hope this will happen.
See the New Orleans Times-Picayune call for the firing of FEMA Feeble Michael Brown:
The Chicago Tribune reported that a huge assault ship, the USS Bataan, had been deployed in the Gulf of Mexico when the hurricane struck. Despite the fact it had six operating rooms and 600 hospital beds, and was willing to help, Fema did not use it all week.
Explains it all. Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard on meet the press.
See and hear him say this: "We had Wal-Mart deliver three trucks of water, trailer trucks of water. FEMA turned them back. They said we didn't need them. This was a week ago. FEMA--we had 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel on a Coast Guard vessel docked in my parish. The Coast Guard said, "Come get the fuel right away." When we got there with our trucks, they got a word. "FEMA says don't give you the fuel." Yesterday--yesterday--FEMA comes in and cuts all of our emergency communication lines. They cut them without notice. Our sheriff, Harry Lee, goes back in, he reconnects the line. He posts armed guards on our line and says, "No one is getting near these lines.""
3 comments:
Yawl worry about Kanye's comments? Think about what the former First Lady and mother of Mr. George W. Bush had to say. In her words we learn that Dubya got it honestly.
It is said, an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. WOW, WOW, WOW, So what, comes the attitude. They are a bunch of underprivs anyway. That’s what I got from the former first lady’s comments in which she stated with a chuckle, “And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them.” Them, to me, equals THOSE PEOPLE.
Let’s look back.
Mr. Bush turned his back on the NAACP. He constantly snubbed them throughout his administration. The so-called desirable Americans (Including Alan Keyes - an image of blackness) had no problem courting the support of Bob Jones University,a school whose founder’s lips, sang in concert the drooling bigotry of many so-called Christian conservatives.
Look back America. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, an organization which has made America stronger wasn’t worthy to have our president’s ear. Why? Can he hide behind the fact that he talked to other blacks that are mere yes men? Should we snub Kanye West for his comments and ignor Barbara Bush?
We are still divided and the divide is growing precipitously worse. Donnell Harris predicted this in his book One Last Call. In this book Mr. Harris challenged American to reign in isms that continue to divide us. If you don’t think we are divided take a look at the CNN clip from this morning. As the former Chief Justice was carried to lay in state, one lone black face was seen. It was that of Justice Thomas.
Clarence Thomas gives the other America comfort to believe that everything is alright. IT IS NOT! The Supreme Court belongs to us all. We should not be seeking a consevative or a liberal court. We should be seeking a fair and just court. The Supreme Court of the United States of America is part of what once was our system of checks and balances. Now it is slated to become a system to support the ideologies of the other (or so-called respected)America. The poor, the helpless, and all those marginalized by the overprivileged deserve the best and no less than what America has to offer of its good.
We only hear from the same old talking heads. They are mainly white. Those who speak from the other side of the street are only represented by Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, members of the Congressional Black Carcase and yahoo liberals whose morals are suspect(codeword Hollywood). What is going on now, as our nation’s history is transcribed, is a direct indictment of the truest heart of America. We see the outpouring of sympathy and support in the aftermath of a crisis. This is how we handle national shock.
Transparently however, we see our Mr. Bush as he is. He is the pilot at the helm of our nation’s ship. Where is his co-pilot Dick Cheney? By the way where is Mr. Robertson? You know a friend from Mr. Bush’s America. Has he awakened from his trance in which he called for the assassination of Venezuela’s President? The other America, as headed by Mr. Bush, saw the looters the criminal element. He failed to see the opportunist who looted at the gas pumps. If there were no crisis the criminals would have been there anyway. The focus placed on those who did what criminals do was greater than the focus on those needing rescue.
Is this what we want the world community to know about us? We are dedicating Hundreds of BILLIONS of dollars to an unjust war in Iraq. Yet, we are finding great despair in aiding our own. A fly over is insufficient. Walking on the ground with the acceptable people (including acceptable blacks) is not enough. We must address the issues of race and class that continue to haunt our nation.
With the fervor of a real American hero, who said “Mr. Gorbachav, tear down this wall”, I say MR, BUSH TEAR DOWN THIS WALL. Many of the victims of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast may not look like the picture we feed the world about the AMERICAN DREAM however, they are none the less just as we all should be. We are a mere patch of fabric in the quilt that labels us all AMERICAN. Please find “One Last Call”. The time to heal is now. When we answer this call, we can truly earn the title and be a real shining city on a hill.
Bless the supporters and the supported in this time of national crisis. And most of all, God Bless America.
Now THAT's what you call your good old fashioned RANT. I grant you your points.
See what the Times-Picayune published about Mike Brown.
See Arianna Huffington's Memo to the Media at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/memo-to-the-media-stop-e_b_6889.html
I tell ya, I am becoming politicized. I hope millions are just like me. I hope the press FEEDS on the bad bad people 'in charge' non-stop, till they run, eviscerated, into the chilly night air of the country club where the hounds of righteousness finish them off on the 18th green!
What intrigued me about Kanye was that they censored him on the West Coast feed. To prevent what exactly? To prevent a man from expressing his opinion? Maybe the venue wasn't his to use for that, but he said it and half the country heard it, so...?
It just seemed so odd to me that here we are calling on the goodness of people in this great country to help those who need it and by the way, CENSOR THAT MAN for speaking out. Did the free speech levee burst too?
As long as I am ramping up, has Jesse Jackson become a remora on the back of ANY public event, sucking his media face time out of someone's suffering, all in the name of offering comfort?
Consider me suspicious.
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