for an emergency session to pass legislation. ’bout fucking time.
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I gave my rep. and two Senators and earful.
The Norm Dicks — he’s my Congressman — guy asked me what I wanted Norm Dicks to do … I paused …
AIR DROP FOOD TO THEM NOW! GET planes up in the air NOW!
THE MSNBC PHOTOJOURNALIST JUST SAW TWO BABIES DIE IN FRONT OF HIM!
THEIR ONLY LEADER AT THE SUPERDOME IS HARRY CONNICK Jr. — said the MSNBC PHOTOJOURNALIST.
There are NO POLICE OR NAT’L GUARD at the SUPERDOME!
People are LOOTING BECAUSE THEY”RE DESPERATE!
TELL HIM TO GET PLANES IN THE AIR TODAY AND DROP FOOD AND WATER TO THOSE PEOPLE.
TELL HIM TO GET TO D.C. and PASS SPECIAL LEGISLATION.
TELL HIM to TAKE OVER because BUSH Can’t DO IT.
(The guy was exhausted by the time I was done. But somber. He said he’d tell Norm Dicks. )
(Almost everything I reported was from that MSNBC photojournalist at the Superdome … he could not film most of what he saw — and MSNBC says it can’t show most of what he DID film — and he said he had to leave because he couldn’t take it anymore. There is one older man, who kind of took charge, and led hyim around. He said the STENCH is unbelievable .. there are DEAD BODIES everywhere inside the dome … the bathrooms are unbelievable … And yes, he SAW TWO BABIES DIE in front of him … ec., etc.)
Right on Susan!!! That is how I felt when I unloaded on Boxer’s staff. maybe, just maybe we did some good. It’s about fucking time. This ASSWIPE is so done! How can anyone in their right mind support him? HOW?
leaders are headed in first. If I’m not mistaken one of those would be Boxer. I think Lee did this! It’s America and I can believe anything I want.
I DO love you Tracy! Of course it was me. lol I asked her if they were getting swamped and she did say yes. I also informed her that she would be getting a lot more calls and her response? “I’m sure.”
told me all available blackhawks are airborne and providing assistance to those on the gulf coast that are without food, water or shelter.
I was so disappointed about what you reported from your phone call to Boxer’s offfice… but I have a feeling that Boxer (for whom I named my favorite raccoon — he/she is Senator Boxer) would be FURIOUS with that staff member.
I am just glad they’re getting back .. they need to go fast and furiously … and tell Bush to go to hell!
They can DARE TO TELL HIM now.
P.S. I unloaded on Bush too:
(I was far more polite than I’d like to be but this government is so fucking crazy that who knows how’d they’d react to a more angry e-mail.)
I called Durbin’s and Obama’s offices about half an hour ago–was put on hold both places–Obama’s for a looong time. When the staffer did pick up, she sounded so harried–teary even. I said they need to get back to work and show some leadership NOW because the president’s not doing anything–had I said any more, I would have lost it.
So I think they’re getting quite a few calls, at least. Wish I were more optimistic about what they can do at this point.
Again, where in the goddamn fucken hell are democats?…I got an email right away from Edwards than Kerry to donate to Red Cross, etc but…
Good for you, Susan! My god.
C&L will get that video up as soon as he can .. he captured it.
His five servers, as I said below, are overwhelmed and he has to time the uploads.
To Legislate this catastrpohe into submission.
Might I suggest a constitutional process for New Orleans.
Get them some purple ink thumb tonight. Let them for a provisional government. And, well, then… all will be well.
Chertoff just came on… he totally understands what it would be like sitting on top of a roof and starving… yeah right. Get a fucking clue.
I heard that too, Joe. He understands … give me a fucking break.
Blah, blah, blah, blah … blah, blah … just fucking do it!
I gerw up with two parents who knew how to GET IN ACTION when it was needed. I’m the same way. This drives me crazy.
While they fiddle, the South is being destroyed.
Some initial remarks about priorities. Saving lives. Getting sustenance to them.
Now laying out the justification for how response has been very efficient so far. We pre-positioned assets. Yada, yada, yada. Truckloads of ice. What the fuck is with the ice.
They continue to poor in supplies. Ice. Millions of blah, blah, blah…
Well, I guess all is well.
Honestly in all fairness, the ice is very important especially for medical purposes. Some people will be dehydrated and only handle ice chips, for heat exhaustion and to keep some medical supplies refrigerator. If they have ice they can start bringing real food in not those military rations.
Being from Michigan, I have lost my fondness and appreciation for the importance of ice in sustaining life. 🙂
WHERE THE FUCK IS IT?!?!
Where?
Hahahaha.
Assets…
Did anyone notice how Bush clung to that word during his speech yesterday? It was borderline weird. “ASSSSSets,” he kept saying. Yeah, he really spoke from the heart all right.
Yes, my presssciousss, asssets to the masssessss. Homelessss they isssss. Gollum.
We need Bood to photoshop Bush as Gollum.
A moment to explain the unusual challenges of this disaster. This was really two disasters. Hurricane and Flood. The flood has impeded us. A double challenge. (An articulate explanation of the “It’s Hard” defense).
I have heard talking heads of government saying — “We have a plan. Our plan is in operation. Our plan is working.”
And, then on the other hand, there are the pictures on TV and reports about the utter fucking chaos and lack of basic care for those at official recovery sites.
I can only say, “Spin. Reality. Reality. Spin. Why don’t you guys get to know each other while I fix us up a couple of Cosmopolitans.”
FUCK THEM — just FUC K them!!
I just got bounced around from the Lt. Gov’s office (who told me to call the Red Cross and FEMA) to the Gov’s office who said the same thing — and I said but what are YOU doing?? Why are people dying of thrist on the TV? Why is it so damn hard to drop water and food to these people?!? She said, well, they are being shot at for one thing — I said that is utter nonsense — you’re trying to tell me that a copter can’t fly high enough to avoid someone on the ground with a handgun, and still drop water?!?!? These people are DYING!!
They then transfered me to Sophie at the TexAS DHS WHO SAID WE ARE WORKING WITH RED CROSS AND FEMA (oops cap lock) and I said but what the hell are YOU doing??
She kept saying, I understand you are upset, I need you to calm down, I said no, those people need WATER, and me being calm or not is the LEAST of your worries. Why have we been paying DHS billions of dollars for the last threee years?!? She said we are doing many things, we are working with blah blah balh — I siad I have been looking at dead bodies of people and babies who have died from thirst, can you name ONE ACTION that you have taken? belive me if you have ANY evidence that you are DOING ANYTHING, I surely would LOVE to hear it, I really would — there was a 30 second silence on the other end of the phone.
Then I asked her, Sophie, are you actually outside of administrative work there? Do you make decsions or have any input or are you simply the one on the phone who takes calls? She told me she was the executive assistant to the director — tyhe answer there, no. I told her look, I’m not mad at you, but this is simply inexcusable — I have not problem with you personally, but I have a great big problem with people pulling in salaries of 70-100 a year and seeing this absolute lack of response.
She gave me the number of some Judge in Houston through witch the Red Cross is working in Houston — I haven’t calmed down enough yet to call.
By the way, all three offices said they are getting swamped with calls. Good.
The rage from these events will not subside any faster than the flood waters — and I guarantee you that BushCo will do everything in its power to keep the rage burning.
You raging blogging activists. You are so much more effective than me. I am sitting here in shock, typing random thoughts, helping no one.
I can’t take it.
just posted a diary over at Dkos asking for the “flood of Katrina diaries to be dammed up”. I am so livid right now. I just went ballistic over there. What, what what is more imoortant than thie biggest disater in history in the US? Who Karl Rove is fucking this week? ARRRRRRRRRRGH!!!! Sorry just had to rant where it is safe. I used to like Meteor Blades too.Said I was going back to Booman where there are no diary police.
Oh dear.
Booman and I have posted some diaries on other topics — and so have many of you – but people are concentrating, as they should, on this!
Nothing’s going to be done about the other issues anyway right now. Hell, they can’t even take care of THIS issue.
I think Meteor Blades was just commenting on the quality of the diaries. It does no good to have informational diaries bumped down by ones that just say “Oh fuck!”
I went over to look…DH had been there…I uprated you, just because I can.
I agree with Susan…like anything else is going to happen right now, we’re watching the country disintegrate…
Thank you very much but I really don’t care about the f’ing 0 ratings. I was called selfish and told it was all about me. What a bunch of morans. I will NEVER go back there. NEVER!!!
Ouch.
It’s so painful to see someone hoist on their own petard.
Please, note in the future that the first button available under the “Comment” box is titled “Run Spellcheck…”. I recommend it. It really helps one avoid looking like a moran.
Which is important when you’re dissing someone who has a fairly high level of credibility with many, many people.
and now add the spelling police. Did you ever imagine in your wildest dreams spelling would become more important than people dying on rooftimes in the United States of America. I am the first to admit I make several typos in a fit of emotion. Hexk I even apologised three times for my over the top remarks, which was ignored and even taken out of context. I have even exchanged private emails with Booman to apologise for bringing it up here. Who are you to presume to know me? Please just leave me alone. I was rude and out of line over there AND admitted it or did you even bnother to read all of my remarks. Just because someone has been highly respected in the past does not always make one right.
Loved your comment; I needed the laugh.
At first I thought to myself: “Isn’t it amazing that I haven’t even thought of Karl Rove for the last five days or so?”
Then my second thought was: “Of course not; that worm is meaningless in the face of this disaster.”
But then I had a third thought: “I wonder what mischief the bastard is up to while we’re not looking!”
Katrina matters to the cold-blooded political strategists at dKos about as much as women’s rights does: only insofar as it can be put to use politically. Opportunism and compassion-deficits are, unfortunately, not a strictly Repub phenomenon: they come into being whenever political power ceases to be the means and becomes an end in itself.
I can only imagine — though I can extrapolate from past experience — how infuriating it will be when they come up with a name for people who care about the plight of New Orleans to the exclusion of Karl Rove, the way they have for every other issue they consider to be of marginal importance.
The only thing more embarrassing than a circular firing squad is to come upon a circle jerk in progress.
Yes, there are some deficits at DKos. But the suggestion that the only–or even most of the–interest in the catastrophe on the Gulf Coast is cold political opportunism is… well… identical with the inane drooling one can find over at Redstate.
I’ve been away for a couple weeks, and came home to the whole thing. There’s a force 5 rage blowing at DKos, but there’s a huge surge of concern and compassion, too.
Please stop it. This does no good at all, and Booman’s asked more than once for people not to create a DKos-hate abcess over here.
Please stop it.
No. I will call it how I see it. I didn’t leave dKos just so I could take more crap from self-appointed unity censors. If you object to my argument, offer a counter argument. If I’m really off-base, then that will come out in the process of discourse.
If you’re just going to wander around telling people whose viewpoints you believe are incorrect or merely uncomfortable to shut up, you’re in the wrong country.
This does no good at all, and Booman’s asked more than once for people not to create a DKos-hate abcess over here.
dKos only came up because it was the topic of the thread. I don’t hate dKos; I do have a distaste opportunistic, unprincipled power-seekers as I noted whether they are Republican politicians or sort-of liberal bloggers.
I think if you examine the posts at dKos, and for that matter, a lot of them on this site as well, there’s a great deal of talk about how the destruction of New Orleans is or ought to be used as a propaganda tool against George Bush. Whether or not that is warranted is beside the point; this is not the time for it, and the emphasis on political advantage at this point is beyond slimy.
And it being a hinderance from using Federal forces. What a bunch of shit. It took them like three seconds to eliminate environmental regulations to allow polluting buddies to move pertoleum faster. But, posse comatatis is hindering federal response. Please.
I used to write memos for lawmakes — right wing lawmakers — who even in stable times of peace, would often be searching for legal opinions that would allow them to get their hands around using military forces despite posse comatatis.
Fucking ridiculous.
because really I am plenty upset and doubtful, I did find a ray of hope over on daily.kos in the form of media editorials from around the country starting to say the unsayable. Not enough, and yet . . . it is more than just that wimpy NYT piece and it may be a trend . . .
WTF is there to legislate? Why should it take an act of congress to provide aid to our most desperate citizens?
When will this nightmare end?
office, aide there said 1/2 million volunteers on the ground in greater gulf states area. Blackhawks airborne and giving relief, has anyone seen or heard that today.
Aide also said more than million volunteers due there in next two days.
hmmmmmmmmmmmm wingnutter at its highest, wonder if Bushco will give this aide a medal of freedom, for pushing the presnits talking points.
Oh come on now Ghostdancer, you know full and well they all take How To Lie101 at their little wingnut camps!
Too little, too late. This is what 5 1/2 years of Republican rule gets us. No amount of legislation can save people now. Legislation is about doing things for the future.
Oh fuck ..
Bush Sr. and Clinton are joining together to “raise awareness.”
Give me a fucking break.
Just fly over the cities and drop food and water.
We’ve been fucking aware of this thing since Saturday or earlier! Is there anyone who hasn’t been glued to the TV since Sunday night?
So much for wishing a Democrat would do something, eh? Thanks, Bill.
How much more aware can we be? Unless you are a hermit in Alaska, how the hell can we not know that people are dying because they lack food and water and shelter??!!?? I don’t need Clinton ahd GHWB to make me more aware, thank you very much. At this rate, I wish I were a hermit in Alaska.
Congress returning tonight? Oh yay.
Hopefully this will make it easier to line up the Iraq war-voting senators and cane them.
Bush. His mid-afternoon press conference. He is a sputtering fucking idiot. I am sorry for not chipping in to pull together in our time of crisis. But, he is a sputtering fucking idiot.
Let me re-emphasize my priorities with this comment. President Bush is a sputtering fucking idiot.
While people might not realize this fact yet, I am certain that he is, in fact, a sputtering fucking idiot.
Spent a lot of time talking about the oil and gas implications of this problem. Spent precious little time talking about getting fucking people drinking water.
I hereby, officially secede from the Union. I will be tendering my personal letter of seccession to the reconvened Congress.
to return to the world of internet news BostonJoe.
From msnbc:
Here’s what terrifies me… the idea of a fire breaking out in that Superdome.
I want to clarify that THERE HAS BEEN NO FIRE, NOR ANY RUMOR OF FIRE. I’m just imagining terrible things that haven’t even happened.
of what Bush Sr. DIDN’T do after Andrew, forcing the Dade Cty. Dir. of Emergency Operations — a straight talking, fearless woman — to ask the question heard ’round the world:
“Where’s the cavalry?”
Yes, Dubya, where is it?
Cavalry require horses. And you know how Shrub is about horses….
On 9/11, two office buildings were destroyed. We had a convenient enemy to hate in the form of Osama bin Laden, and the Republicans, working in their native element, launched two wars, inventing new enemies as they went along, sparing no expense to vent their hatred.
This weekend, an entire American city was destroyed. Unfortunately, there is no enemy to hate, so the Republicans sit around with their thumbs up their asses. The body count may well end up being as high or higher than 9/11 — especially if this government inaction continues — but there is no enemy to hate. A normal human being would be moved by their love and compassion for the stricken, but we’re not talking about normal human beings, we’re talking about Republicans.
That, in my opinion, is the lesson America needs to draw from this event. We have a ruling party that can only be motivated by hatred and greed, that has no love or compassion in its heart. This has long been obvious in many other ways — phony Republican “patriotism” that has nothing to do with love of one’s country but a whole lot to do with hatred of foreigners — but until now, the bulk of the victims of Republican inhumanity have been far away.
Remember the Asian tsunami and the piddling sum Bush offered before he was shamed into upping the ante by the opprobrium of the entire world? No human heart there. And we’d better work up an assload of our own homegrown opprobrium for President Shithead, because after his shameful performance during the tsunami, the rest of the world isn’t going to be whipping up any great compassion for us.
Right now, our first priority needs to be helping the citizens of New Orleans and the gulf coast any way we can. In the long run, however, it is imperative that we make sure no one forgets how modern Republicanism is all hate and no love, how George Bush and his cohorts have no human heart.
We are hearing about New Orleans for the same reason that some nations get famine relief and others do not. New Orleans is getting the TV coverage.
The hints are that the entire Gulf Coast from west of New Orleans across though Alabama and into Florida has been partially or totally wiped out. The real question is how far inland the destruction goes.
This is a lot more than just New Orleans. It is a large part of the entire South East US Gulf Coast. New Orleans was the levees breaking. The rest will be storm surge and wind destruction. The phones and power are out, so we simply haven’t heard much, and what we have heard is entirely from the larger towns like Mobile and Biloxi.
Brace yourself. It is going to get a lot worse as the survivors and news start to trickle out.
The disturbing thing is that we have the surveillance assets necessary to make a fairly complete survey of the damage from the air and from space. Moreover, commercial surveillance assets, which should be accessible to news agencies and state governments and which include satellites, are also capable of performing the task. We shouldn’t have to wait for refugees to provide anecdotal reports.
The lack of preparation and organization is simply staggering.
AP article very powerful
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/hurricane_katrina
Bush’s Petroleum Fraud & Profiteering Scheme.
Its first message concerns three points that will protect consumers in the Katrina Zone, protect tax-payers in general, as well, and perhaps give Congress a heads-up to be on guard against a huge Petroleum-Gate type scandal.
Thank you.
Great news. The Republicans who screwed up the response in the first place are going to go back into session and pass emergency legislation. What kind, I wonder? Have they agreed on some form of more destructive bill they can pass to kill Social Security?
We can hope they have the same good fortune (for the voters) as the Republican Texas Legislature just had after two (that’s 2) back-to-back special sessions to deal with school financing based primarily on property taxes on homeowners which the court has declared unconstitutional.
The idiots started with a no-new-taxes pledge, promised no state income tax (as every Texas politician has to do at birth), passed a law restricting eminent domain, and failed to accomplish any thing useful.
The only difference between Republicans and useless shits is that useless shits at least have some value in carrying away waste material and ultimately degrade. Republicans apparently reproduce and breed to increase the levels of stupidity, greed and anti-social attitudes.
Mind you, I was a moderate Democrat for many years. No more. I have drifted from disgust with Republicans to something much closer to pure hatred.
I’m calling the White House to tell them how fucking disgusted I am.
They can haul my red, white and blue ass away if they want to.
Fuck them! Failures. Murderers. Profiteers!
I just saw the photo of State Police with guns on a tank type vehicle. Armed and pointed at DYING, NEEDY people.
If this doesn’t piss off people… then fuck them, too.
Comments: 202-456-1111
Oh and Jack CAfferty on CNN just totally went off and hollered about the same things we are. Thank Gawd! Call him and tell him thanks if you want.
Presumably to shove through legislation to eliminate the estate tax.
What better time?