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Jon Miller
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quote:
Originally posted by Gatekeeper
I'm in the camp that right-wingers and left-wingers have said and/or done stupid things WRT the disaster in New Orleans.
For the righties, Bush claims the crown so far with enough examples cited in this thread alone. For the lefties, I didn't even fathom a "racial" element to the people left in New Orleans. All I saw were folks in need of help. Not black. Not white. Just folks. But, hey, leave it up to the lefties to inject racism into the equation.
The blame game can wait (heck, Congress is already planning hearings, so we'll be indunated with finger-pointing within weeks, if not days) for the time being. Folks need to volunteer to help out down there if they can, or send financial help, if they can. Those two things will make a greater difference than any hot air ever floated by righties *or* lefties.
Gatekeeper |
I Agree
JM
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Geronimo
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st cloud USA
Jan 1970
time: 05:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Theben
I forgot to mention Geronimo is also easily fooled. |
LOL,
by which you mean that I have been seen to occasionally change my mind in the face of verifiable facts contrary to my original pov?
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Whoha
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The TOC is supposed to be classified guys...
Dec 2001
time: 23:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Sava
maybe 200 or so buses there...
you have to fuel all of them get drivers, have routes planned, coordinate pick up locations, destinations, and do it nonstop for over 24 hours...
somehow, I just don't see it happening, even if you had a month to plan it and rehearse it... |
the route is pretty obvious, those busses are next to a highway that leads straight to the super dome, and the other way heads out of the city. Check out the satellite photos. By the way, those busses are fueled, one was "stolen" and a couple of people used it to get out.
as to the # of busses, someone counted 205, and there are a couple outside of the shot as well.
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Q Cubed
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t3h y3ll0w p3ril
Apr 1999
time: 23:32
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You know what? The other problem with this whole mess is taht we haven't really seen any heroes being reported to the same extent as in after 11 Sept.
In the wake of 11 Sept, we had lots of reporting on how noble and how glorious those firemen and police officers were, but for Katrina, nothing.
Well, almost nothing. I admire this kid for what he's done.
quote:
Taking refuge in the Astrodome
Thursday, September 01, 2005 Updated: 11:32 AM
HOUSTON -- NEWSCHANNEL 5 crews were in Houston as some desperate refugees arrived in a stolen bus.
HOUSTON -- Thousands of refugees of Hurricane Katrina were transported to the Astrodome in Houston this week. In an extreme act of looting, one group actually stole a bus to escape ravaged areas in Louisiana.
About 100 people packed into the stolen bus. They were the first to enter the Houston Astrodome, but they weren't exactly welcomed.
The big yellow school bus wasn't expected or approved to pass through the stadium's gates. Randy Nathan, who was on the bus, said they were desperate to get out of town.
"If it werent for him right there," he said, "we'd still be in New Orleans underwater. He got the bus for us."
Eighteen-year-old Jabbor Gibson jumped aboard the bus as it sat abandoned on a street in New Orleans and took control.
"I just took the bus and drove all the way here...seven hours straight,' Gibson admitted. "I hadn't ever drove a bus."
The teen packed it full of complete strangers and drove to Houston. He beat thousands of evacuees slated to arrive there.
"I t's better than being in New Orleans," said fellow passenger Albert McClaud, "we want to be somewhere where we're safe."
During a long and impatient delay, children popped their heads out of bus windows and mothers clutched their babies.
One 8-day-old infant spent the first days of his life surrounded by chaos. He's one of the many who are homeless and hungry.
Authorities eventually allowed the renegade passengers inside the dome. But the 18-year-old who ensured their safety could find himself in a world of trouble for stealing the school bus.
"I dont care if I get blamed for it ," Gibson said, "as long as I saved my people."
Sixty legally chartered buses were expected to arrive in Houston throughout the night. Thousands of people will be calling the Astrodome "home," at least for now. |
I can't say I always agree that the ends justify the means, but this kid has guts, and did what he thought was right.
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MOBIUS
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Prifysgol Caerdydd
Dec 1999
time: 15:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Sava
maybe 200 or so buses there...
you have to fuel all of them get drivers, have routes planned, coordinate pick up locations, destinations, and do it nonstop for over 24 hours...
somehow, I just don't see it happening, even if you had a month to plan it and rehearse it... |
That is plain BS - or I ****ing damned well hope it is!
A city knowingly under the threat of catastrophic inundation had better damned well ****ing have a disaster plan worked out to the nth degree.
Personally I find it inconceivable that didn't have some kind of intricately planned evacuation drill involving the public buses of NO(at least to save the ****ing buses!)! How many public buses do you think the city owns in the form of school buses and public transport buses? Hundreds? thousands?
You would be surprised just how many buses are owned by your average city. Without knowing specifics, I am even tempted to suggest that NO's buses alone could have evacuated all those that could not leave independently in one, two - three at the most, journeys!
And that is not including extra buses from all over the state helping out if needed...
If that planning was in place, everyone would know exactly what to do and where to go the moment word went out!
I put it to you that the poor and infirm were simply forgotten about, or worse - left to their own devices!
And that is chilling indictment of NO's disaster preparedness plans!
However, FEMA should have acted in an overwatch capacity and made certain NO's disaster preparedness actually worked without forgetting anyone...
Sorry, but the more I find out about this whole debacle - the more outraged I am by it!
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MOBIUS
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Prifysgol Caerdydd
Dec 1999
time: 15:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Whoha
the route is pretty obvious, those busses are next to a highway that leads straight to the super dome, and the other way heads out of the city. Check out the satellite photos. By the way, those busses are fueled, one was "stolen" and a couple of people used it to get out.
as to the # of busses, someone counted 205, and there are a couple outside of the shot as well. |
And that is probably one of a number of bus 'stations'!
But supposing it is the only one in the whole city...
Say they seat 50 people (our standard coaches take about that many). 50 into 100,000 makes 2,000 bus journeys. Divide that by the buses in that photo and we can call that 10 journeys for each bus. Say evacuate them all the 76 miles to Baton Rouge, give them a very generous 8hr turnaround and let the drivers sleep a whole 8 hours and it would still only take those buses 5 days to evac 100,000 people - imagine thousands of buses!!?
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OzzyKP
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Rockville, MD
Oct 1999
time: 00:32
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Finally the Supreme Court stepped in to set things right:
quote:
In a swift yet powerful condemnation of the government-run hurricane relief effort, the Supreme Court ruled today to give eminent domain rights to CNN and Fox News over Katrina-devastated regions. As part of the ruling, the two media giants will have exclusive rights to control not only all aspects of the rescue, recovery, and rebuilding of large swaths of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, but the future day-to-day administration of the aforementioned territory. For all intents and purposes, all aspects of the American government will be kicked out of some 90,000 square miles of devastated land and left to the two media giants.
The media moguls explained that they got the idea to sue for control of the disaster area after seeing footage after footage of victims asking how the hell the journalists can travel in and around New Orleans, but the National Guard couldn't.
Writing for the 9-0 unanimous ruling, Justice Ginsberg explained that government on all levels has absolutely failed in all aspects to provide even the most basic functions of security, transportation, and sanitation, and needed to be taught a lesson. Referring to the recent Kelo eminent domain ruling, the Justice explained, "We believe that more tax revenue can be collected and better administration maintained by ceding all of the land to Ted Turner and Rupert Murdoch."
Ginsberg went on: "After all, the hurricane and flood victims were more likely to see TV crews and journalists running around, sharing supplies with the people, than local law enforcement and emergency personnel. Ted's and Rupert's people were on the scene before, during, after the hurricane, are still on the ground, and are showing no reluctance to leave. The same cannot be said for the National Guard, police, sheriffs, firefighters, politicians, EMTs, and FEMA workers. Frankly, the reporters deserve a chance to govern, because it's clear who wants to help the common man more."
The more conservative wing of the court, led by Justice Thomas, was equally elated: "Centuries of history show us that the private sector is more efficient than government at, well, running anything and everything. While personally not a fan of eminent domain, taking full control of the land and people away from state and federal officials will, using a cost-benefit analysis, benefit the locals much more and much faster than a bureaucratic leviathan named Uncle Sam. This is a rare example of the government being targeted and penalized for its incompetence."
Messrs Turner and Murdoch, shown hugging and high-fiving each other after walking out of the Supreme Court building, said that their first order of business was to ask their billionaire colleague Donald Trump to go to the three afflicted southern states and Washington DC, and give the boot to Governors Blanco, Barbour, Riley, New Orleans Mayor Nagin, and President Bush using his legendary "You're fired!" line.
The two media moguls, giving a press conference in front of their own employees' cameras on the Supreme Court steps, praised the work of their field reporters. Their statement, read by the two men simultaneously, said: "Our field men and women have a long, proud history of responding to disasters in the world's toughest hot spots. If we can do a professional job at filming and reporting events, just wait till you see our boys giving out aid to needy refugees. No amount of water, wind, or bullets can scare away our response teams! First we must feed the hungry and take care of the hospitalized while quashing the rioters. Our teams have been to places as ugly as Lebanon, Somalia and Iraq, so how bad can Bourbon Street or the Superdome really be? We got the manpower, the trucks, the choppers and the satellites, and we're gonna use it to benefit all the needy. Except the government people. They can help themselves."
The two men are also planning to consult billionaire Bill Gates to join their team's reconstruction efforts, possibly pumping tens of billions of dollars immediately into the hurricane-ravaged areas. Mr. Turner bragged: "Heh, Congress has promised a measly $10 billion. Bill can get us five times that merely by opening his wallet upside down." Mr. Murdoch spoke of his dream for a giant free-trade zone in their new fiefdom, a center for high-tech commerce and banking that would make banking meccas like Switzerland and the Bahamas blush. The Fox News owner also promised to quote, "drill like hell" in the Gulf of Mexico till gas prices were back to below $1/gallon: "Who needs OPEC oil when you got Rupert oil!?" Mr. Turner spoke of a levy and dike system that would more than rival Holland: "Hey God, try and stop us then!"
When asked about a bipartisan ticket for the 2008 presidential race, Mr. Turner smiled, winked, but declined to comment. Mr. Murdoch raised both hands in the air and flash two "V for victory" signs.
The Dow, Nasdaq, and S&P 500 all posted huge gains in heavy trading. The New York Times planned to appeal the ruling, arguing that they too deserve a piece of the reconsutrction pie but were ignored because of their lack of a 24-hour TV channel. Halliburton is planning to accept the ruling, so long as Halliburton has exclusive eminent domain rights to Iraq. The Bush Administration could not be found for comment. |
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Gatekeeper
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United States of America
Feb 2000
time: 23:32
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quote:
Originally posted by mrmitchell
Yeah. Everyone I've talked to who says Bush has FUBARd is a drooling left-winger. 
You centrists are trotting out worse name calling than a lot of the righties...what an imaginary high horse to be on..."I'm a centrist! I'm not just a glorified indecisive flip-flopper! I'm an educated rational person that thinks things through even though I'm going to just cut the problem in half, say it's a compromise, and call it a day!" |
You want to know why centrists can't do anything? It's because we're STUPID enough to believe that, hey, good ideas (and bad ideas) come equally from all political spectrums. That means we like to weld some of the right with some of the left with a bit of the center and come up with something that WORKS.
But, no, the folks on the right and the left want it THEIR WAY OR THE HIGHWAY. Well, folks, **** like that might work in a monochromatic society that embraces one or the other, but the last time I checked, America was a diverse nation that could hardly be described as a cookie-cutter bunch of people.
Compromise a bad thing? Whatever! Problem is, righties and lefties want the whole damn cake, just like the spoiled brats they are. Frankly, kids, it's about time the parents stepped in, separated the two of you and sent you to your bedrooms with no supper. You're tearing the house (aka nation) apart, and — surprise, surprise — that mentality has already resulted in pointed fingers WRT New Orleans.
Good God. At the rate it's going, I expect France to get caught up in the blame game. After all, whose bright idea was it to put New Orleans in that sort of terrain? (Lord, don't let it get that silly, please!)
Gatekeeper
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The Mad Monk
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of Ice Cream
Mar 2000
time: 23:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Gatekeeper
You want to know why centrists can't do anything? It's because we're STUPID enough to believe that, hey, good ideas (and bad ideas) come equally from all political spectrums. That means we like to weld some of the right with some of the left with a bit of the center and come up with something that WORKS.
But, no, the folks on the right and the left want it THEIR WAY OR THE HIGHWAY. Well, folks, **** like that might work in a monochromatic society that embraces one or the other, but the last time I checked, America was a diverse nation that could hardly be described as a cookie-cutter bunch of people.
Compromise a bad thing? Whatever! Problem is, righties and lefties want the whole damn cake, just like the spoiled brats they are. Frankly, kids, it's about time the parents stepped in, separated the two of you and sent you to your bedrooms with no supper. You're tearing the house (aka nation) apart, and — surprise, surprise — that mentality has already resulted in pointed fingers WRT New Orleans.
Good God. At the rate it's going, I expect France to get caught up in the blame game. After all, whose bright idea was it to put New Orleans in that sort of terrain? (Lord, don't let it get that silly, please!)
Gatekeeper |
I take it you didn't see GhengisFarb's thread...
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