New Orleans: BushCo's Fault

Obviously, I don't mean that the hurricane or the flooding is the Bush maladmin's doing (although their dogmatic, idealogical resistance to the fact that greenhouse emissions cause global warming -- which, in turn, causes these monster storms -- certainly doesn't help). Had BushCo not hamstrung FEMA by pushing it under the umbrella of Homeland Security and then siphoning off its funding to Iraq, and were the 40% of ground troops in Iraq that are National Guardsmen and women been here instead of off fighting an insane and illegal war, the aftermath of Katrina would've been severely lessened.

And, as usual, BushCo is completely unwilling to take responsibility for its devastating ineptitude:

Federal officials do not dispute the magnitude of the suffering. Yet they say it is horrific natural conditions, not human blunders, that have hampered their efforts and that they are doing a Herculean job, under the circumstances, of saving lives.

And...

In a country that spent nearly $1 billion airlifting supplies to tsunami victims in southern Asia and tens of billions of dollars ferrying military supplies to Baghdad to wage war, many wondered why the United States could not also supply water, food and medical supplies to the tens of thousands of its own needy residents.

And...

Federal officials suggested that the television pictures do not show the entire story and said rescue crews successfully rescued and evacuated thousands from the most dangerous areas.

Yeah...just like the television pictures haven't shown all the Iraqis showering praise and laying roses at the feet of the U.S. soldiers who've -- um, "liberated" them (from their homes, from their livlihoods, from their families, and from their lives).

And the icing on the cake, from the pinnacle of failure himself:

"I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees," he said.

Except that someone did.

In 2001, a FEMA report ranked hurricane damage to New Orleans as one of the three most likely catastrophes facing the country (the other two were a terrorist attack on New York City and an earthquake in San Francisco). [Look out San Franciscans...you know how good Bush is with his trifectas!]

The New Orleans Times-Picayune published a five-part series in 2002 that began with the words: "It's only a matter of time before south Louisiana takes a direct hit from a major hurricane. Billions have been spent to protect us, but we grow more vulnerable every day. ..." The stories quoted flood experts warning specifically of the potential damage from rising water levels and broken levees.

Despite the warnings, money was cut from flood control as the federal government's focus shifted to terrorism. The Bush administration routinely provided less than half the money the Army Corps of Engineers requested for New Orleans flood prevention.

Oops! Caught with his pants down yet again. And, in typical BushCo form, the blunder resulted in massive death and suffering.

"I mean, I understand the anxiety of people on the ground. I can..."

I believe the appropriate word here is: BULLSHIT!! Bush understands the plight of those in New Orleans about as well as he does the plight of innocent Iraqis. I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that Bush's proposal for saving New Orleans is to bomb it.

"We totally understand what it's like to be sitting on top of a roof or to be sitting in a shelter where it's hot; where you're worried about when you're going to be picked up; where you're thirsty; where you're hungry; where you're afraid for yourself, you're afraid for members of your family," Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told reporters at a Washington news conference. "We have to nevertheless proceed with our priorities in terms of how we deal with this unprecedented disaster."

In other words, "Piss off. We're busy taking over the world. We'll get to you when we're done spilling blood and pumping oil".

Source: San Francisco Chronicle, "Anarchy, anger, desperation: Sharp criticism of Bush administration reaction and failure to prevent disaster" by Marc Sandalow