43rd President of the United States lands in NOLA to help evac efforts

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by dissention

I'm still waiting to see if Bush had any good luck rub off on him after rubbing the noggins of the little negroes yesterday.

Bastard. The video of him directing those girls to a Salvation Army shelter is unbelievable.

You heard about Aaron Brown completely demystifying that photo-op didn't you? Those girls were brought in, not even locals.

[dissention]

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

You heard about Aaron Brown completely demystifying that photo-op didn't you? Those girls were brought in, not even locals.

You're kidding!

I haven't been reading or watching much news today, but I'm going through one of the feeds right now and I'll have to look for it. Christ. I shouldn't be surprised, though.

[GypsySorcerer]

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

You heard about Aaron Brown completely demystifying that photo-op didn't you? Those girls were brought in, not even locals.

And I thought it was impossible for him to sink any lower.

[Dreammms]

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

You heard about Aaron Brown completely demystifying that photo-op didn't you? Those girls were brought in, not even locals.

actually that really isn't shocking...

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by GypsySorcerer

And I thought it was impossible for him to sink any lower.

Transcript:

BROWN: Let me ask your mom a question here.

Before you met with the president today -- and our viewers are seeing that now -- before that, were you a little angry with the government and how the government had responded?

BRONWYNNE BASSIER, SURVIVOR: Now, let me just correct you. This is my sister.

BROWN: I'm sorry.

B. BASSIER: And I'm -- that's OK.

But, no, I wasn't angry at the situation, because I knew eventually they will eventually help us in some sort of way. And, like my sister said, he did reassure us that things were going to happen. And I can see that they are happening, because I am in Gautier. And every day, there's people giving us water and giving us ice and telling us that everything is going to be OK.

(CROSSTALK)

B. BASSIER: Like today, Pascagoula and Ocean Springs got electricity. And they said it's just a matter of hours before Gautier gets electricity, too.

BROWN: But -- so, the situation for you in Biloxi isn't comparable, is it, to the situation for the people in New Orleans.

Have you been able to follow that part of the story at all? Are you aware of what it's been like there?

B. BASSIER: Well, today, the actually -- the only reason why I came to Biloxi was because I need to get some clothes for my son and clothes for myself, because I don't have any clothes. And, you know, I just needed to see if I can salvage something down there.

But, walking around, people don't have no water. They still don't have no lights in electr -- in Biloxi. So, it's just complete darkness, you know? No one has anything.

(CROSSTALK)

BROWN: Well, hopefully, the -- to both of you, hopefully, and everyone else, that the president's visit today will help speed up the recovery.

Thanks for your time tonight. Thank you.

It should be noted that Gautier is 20 miles from Biloxi. So when these two women were talking about salvaging, did they really mean looting? How did they get from Gautier to Biloxi?

[dissention]

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

BRONWYNNE BASSIER

Oy, now we know Stevie will write a song about this.

I'm really not surprised at this, though it does continue to shock me that these politicians can be so manipulative and sleazy during these tragedies.

[dissention]

Anyone checked out Landrieu's website lately?

http://landrieu.senate.gov/~landrieu...005903E12.html

"Yesterday, I was hoping President Bush would come away from his tour of the regional devastation triggered by Hurricane Katrina with a new understanding for the magnitude of the suffering and for the abject failures of the current Federal Emergency Management Agency. 24 hours later, the President has yet to answer my call for a cabinet-level official to lead our efforts. Meanwhile, FEMA, now a shell of what it once was, continues to be overwhelmed by the task at hand.

"I understand that the U.S. Forest Service had water-tanker aircraft available to help douse the fires raging on our riverfront, but FEMA has yet to accept the aid. When Amtrak offered trains to evacuate significant numbers of victims -- far more efficiently than buses -- FEMA again dragged its feet. Offers of medicine, communications equipment and other desperately needed items continue to flow in, only to be ignored by the agency.

"But perhaps the greatest disappointment stands at the breached 17th Street levee. 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. The good and decent people of southeast Louisiana and the Gulf Coast -- black and white, rich and poor, young and old -- deserve far better from their national government.

"Mr. President, I'm imploring you once again to get a cabinet-level official stood up as soon as possible to get this entire operation moving forward regionwide with all the resources -- military and otherwise -- necessary to relieve the unmitigated suffering and economic damage that is unfolding."

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by dissention

Oy, now we know Stevie will write a song about this.

I'm really not surprised at this, though it does continue to shock me that these politicians can be so manipulative and sleazy during these tragedies.

I know. I caught the Bronwynne thing immediately. Here's more from a report shown on ZDF in Germany
http://www.warandpiece.com/blogdirs/002485.html

If he could go to Baghdad, why didn't Bush go to the New Orleans Superdome or the Convention Center? It was bizarre for all of the country and much of the world to be watching those scenes for days on our TVs and news reports, and for Bush's photo ops to be in areas that were far less critical. I know there are security considerations but his visit seemed extraordinarily hollow even by this administration's standard of ultra-stage managed events.

Dutch viewer Frank Tiggelaar writes:

There was a striking dicrepancy between the CNN International report on the Bush visit to the New Orleans disaster zone, yesterday, and reports of the same event by German TV.

ZDF News reported that the president's visit was a completely staged event. Their crew witnessed how the open air food distribution point Bush visited in front of the cameras was torn down immediately after the president and the herd of 'news people' had left and that others which were allegedly being set up were abandoned at the same time.

The people in the area were once again left to fend for themselves, said ZDF.

There is also a newspaper article about it but it's in German. I don't know how reliable a source ZDF is.

[Livia]

Did anyone just see Celine Dion on Larry King?

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by dissention

Anyone checked out Landrieu's website lately?

http://landrieu.senate.gov/~landrieu...005903E12.html

["But perhaps the greatest disappointment stands at the breached 17th Street levee. 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. The good and decent people of southeast Louisiana and the Gulf Coast -- black and white, rich and poor, young and old -- deserve far better from their national government.

It corroborates what Mayor Nagin said in that radio interview a few days ago.
We are talking about the same guy who screens all of his town hall meetings and rallies, though. Why should this be any different?

[gldstwmn]

Originally Posted by Livia

Did anyone just see Celine Dion on Larry King?

No, darn it. I'm too busy back here typing. I should go out there and watch for a bit. What is she saying/singing?

[GypsySorcerer]

Originally Posted by Livia

Did anyone just see Celine Dion on Larry King?

Yes, I did. I am not of a fan of hers, usually, but everything she said was spot on. You could see she was genuinely upset.

[dissention]

Originally Posted by Livia

Did anyone just see Celine Dion on Larry King?

Yes! Wow, what a rant. She was kicking some major ass. She was even making that wet rag Larry King GRUNT.

[dissention]

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

No, darn it. I'm too busy back here typing. I should go out there and watch for a bit. What is she saying/singing?

She said we can send helicopters over there to kill people but we can't pluck people off of rooftops. She also said that these people are so poor and without stuff that "so what" if they're stealing jeans and televisions.

[GypsySorcerer]

Originally Posted by gldstwmn

No, darn it. I'm too busy back here typing. I should go out there and watch for a bit. What is she saying/singing?

She broke down and blasted the government for not doing more to help the victims. She sang "The Prayer" a capella.