Category Archives: Big Government

U.S. Media: A Conveyor Belt for Government Lies

Posted on October 1, 2005 by bfialindathieman

U.S. Media: A Conveyor Belt for Government Lies by Amy Goodman and David Goodman, Seattle Times Our media have become an echo chamber for those in power George Bush must have been delighted to learn from a [March/April 2005] Washington … Continue reading →

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Rising Gasoline Prices Aren’t Wholly Caused by Hurricane Katrina

Posted on September 23, 2005 by bfiacarolinevernon

Rising Gasoline Prices Aren’t Wholly Caused by Hurricane Katrina by Public Citizen http://www.citizen.org What is it going to take before the American people start demanding accountability? Why should the people be the only ones to sacrifice in tough times? While … Continue reading →

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Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Speaks to Sierra Club on Non-Environmental Issues

Posted on September 18, 2005 by Trish Nelson

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Speaks to Sierra Club on Non-Environmental Issues DailyKos Contributed by Ellen Ballas by muddy paw Robert Kennedy, Jr., in a speech before the Sierra Club, as reported in a diary on DailyKos – “And I say … Continue reading →

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Consumers Want COOL for Food

Posted on September 17, 2005 by bfiacarolinevernon

Consumers Want Country of Origin Labeling for Food by Public Citizen http://www.citizen.org Speaking from my own perspective, with the increasing incidents and concerns over mad cow disease, humans dying from Streptococcus suis (a pig disease), and the pandemic of bird … Continue reading →

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Jon Stewart Lets Bush Have It

Posted on September 11, 2005 by bfialindathieman

Jon Stewart Lets Bush Have It Yeah, Jon Stewart thinks judging Arabian horses is excellent preparation for running the Federal Emergency Management Agency.  What?  Me, I wonder just how many emergencies Arabian horses can have? See the four-and-a-half minute clip … Continue reading →

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Katrina Timeline and Why FEMA Failed

Posted on September 9, 2005 by bfiacarolinevernon

 Katrina Timeline and Why FEMA Failed

by Caroline Vernon

Timeline excerpts from thinkprogress.org
Why FEMA Failed from Salon.com

I just heard on Air America that FEMA Director Michael Brown has been removed from his position overseeing recovery efforts post-Katrina. Although Brown has finally been demoted, the spin machine has embarked on promulgating their latest sound-bytes also known as the “blame game”. Check out the following audio file at www.salon.com and pay particular attention to what O-Reilly has to say. To further demonstrate this rare brand of compassionate conservatism, according to the progressreport.org and the Wallstreet Journal, Rep. Richard Baker (R-LA) of Baton Rouge was overhead telling lobbyists: “We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn’t do it, but God did.” These guys have no shame whatsoever!

It is important that the Bush administration not get away with shifting their responsibility to local officials. Here is the timeline of what actually happened. One case in point is the fact that Bush himself was previously warned of levee failure by the National Hurricane Center on August 28th, yet he stated, “no one could have anticipated that the levees would collapse.” Liar, liar, pants on fire! Yeah, he’s in the hot seat all right.

Timeline:

Friday, Aug. 26: Gov. Kathleen Blanco declares a state of emergency in Louisiana and requests troop assistance.

Saturday, Aug. 27: Gov. Blanco asks for federal state of emergency. A federal emergency is declared by Bush giving federal officials the authority to get involved.

Sunday, Aug. 28: Mayor Ray Nagin orders mandatory evacuation of New Orleans. Bush warned of Levee failure by National Hurricane Center. National Weather Service predicts area will be uninhabitable after Hurricane arrives. First reports of water toppling over the levee appear in local paper.

Monday, Aug. 29: Levee breaches and New Orleans begins to fill with water, Bush travels to Arizona and California to discuss Medicare. FEMA chief finally responds to federal emergency, dispatching employees but giving them two days to arrive on site.

Tuesday, Aug. 30: Mass looting reported, security shortage cited in New Orleans. Pentagon says that local authorities have adequate National Guard units to handle hurricane needs despite governor's earlier request. Bush returns to Crawford for final day of vacation. TV coverage is around-the-clock Hurricane news.

Wednesday, Aug. 31: Tens of thousands trapped in New Orleans including at Convention Center and Superdome in  medieval conditions. Bush finally returns to Washington to establish a task force to coordinate federal response. Local authorities run out of food and water supplies.

Thursday, Sept. 1: New Orleans descends into anarchy. New Orleans Mayor issues a  Desperate SOS  to federal government. Bush claims nobody predicted the breach of the levees despite multiple warnings and his earlier briefing.

Friday, Sept. 2: Karl Rove begins Bush administration campaign to blame state and local officials — despite their repeated requests for help.  Bush stages a photo-op — diverting Coast Guard helicopters and crew to act as backdrop for cameras. Levee repair work orchestrated for Bush's visit and White House press corps.

Saturday, Sept. 3: Bush blames state and local officials. Senior administration official (possibly Rove) caught in a lie claiming Gov. Blanco had not declared a state of emergency or asked for help.

Monday, Sept. 5: New Orleans officials begin to collect their dead.

(Adapted from: Katrina Timeline, http://thinkprogress.org/katrina-timeline/)

Those are the facts. State and local officials BEGGED for help as people in their city suffered. The Bush administration didn't get the job done and when their failure became an embarrassment they attacked those asking for help.

The New York Times recently reported that Karl Rove and White House communications director Dan Bartlett rolled out a plan… to contain the political damage from the administration's response to Hurricane Katrina.  The core of the strategy is to shift the blame away from the White House and toward officials of New Orleans and Louisiana.  
Continue reading →

Posted in Big Government, Environment, GOP, Main Page, Media Bias, National News, Progressive Community | 2 Comments

Red Cross Blocked by FEMA from Entering New Orleans

Posted on September 8, 2005 by bfialindathieman

Red Cross Blocked by FEMA from Entering New Orleans According to this article by Max Blumenthal in The Nation, the U.S. government has passed around a list of relief organizations for news outlets to promote.  Only two of these organizations … Continue reading →

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“Ideology And Real Life”

Posted on September 6, 2005 by bfiachadthompson

“Ideology And Real Life” The aftermath of Katrina continues, as it should with all of the images we've been exposed to over the past week.  Kevin Drum wrote an excellent post about the rather fundamental disconnect we suffer when looking … Continue reading →

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The Looting of America – A National Tragedy

Posted on September 3, 2005 by bfialindathieman

The Looting of America – A National Tragedy by Randall Rolph, Nashua, Iowa In the aftermath of the catastrophic hurricane that has inflicted great harm on the people of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, the nation is seeing and realizing the … Continue reading →

Posted in Big Government, Bush Tax, GOP, Guest Posts, Main Page, National News | 1 Comment

The Big Story: How Bush’s War Caused New Orleans Destruction

Posted on September 2, 2005 by bfialindathieman

The Big Story: How Bush's War Caused New Orleans Destruction The most shocking news item to come out of a week of horror is this: 1)  The old and decrepit levee system that protected New Orleans was sorely in need … Continue reading →

Posted in Big Government, Corporate Greed, GOP, Main Page, National News | 3 Comments