Click on the title for the complete AP article.Howard Dean is at it again. It's become a game to predict just what stupid thing he will say next. Here are some of his newest unfounded accusations:"We must ... come to terms with the ugly truth that skin color, age and economics played a deadly role in who survived and who did not," Dean said.
I have to ask. Was he born this ignorant or did he have to work on it? Just when it seems he couldn't possibly say anything dumber, he beats his old record, just like clockwork. Whenever there is something happening he can't resist jumping in to say something that just makes him look like he never should have graduated junior high, much less medical school. In November 2008, the day after Election Day, what do you want to bet that the Dems will all be shaking their heads in disbelief, once again? What do you want to bet that on that very same day, the MSM will once again be struggling for words as to how their beloved leftist party got shut out, once again? And they will, if they keep letting this guy speak.
You know the left is really irritating the hell out of me these days, especially our Hollywood elitists. I mean, who actually died and made them experts, anyway? They are using Katrina to take political potshots at President Bush, lumping all of the blame into his lap; as if we must all assign blame right here and now, while there are rescue and relief operations still going on. And each time I hear a sound bite from one of them, I wonder how they ever came to the delusional realization that they actually know what they are talking about.
The simple truth is, the facts are not all known at this time. It will be a long time before we can actually sit down and evaluate, what happened and what did not happen. And believe you me, we should. But right now our focus must be on spending time, energy, and resources on higher priority objectives. Taking shots at a vulnerable time is just one more piece of evidence that they care very little for the well being of the nation, as a whole.
As I said, it is too early to draw any definitive conclusions. But if I were forced to, I would say it isn't looking good for those that initially turned the focus toward the federal government, as a means of deflecting responsibility from their own shortcomings and deficiencies. Even the MSM has tried to deflect the blame toward the Feds. On Monday, Drudge reported that the Times-Picayune ran a story back in July, telling the people of NOLA, they would be on their own if something of this magnitude were to ever occur:
....the TIMES-PICAYUNE published a story on July 24, 2005 stating: City, state and federal emergency officials are preparing to give a historically blunt message: "In the event of a major hurricane, you're on your own."
Staff writer Bruce Nolan reported some 7 weeks before Katrina: "In scripted appearances being recorded now, officials such as Mayor Ray Nagin, local Red Cross Executive Director Kay Wilkins and City Council President Oliver Thomas drive home the word that the city does not have the resources to move out of harm's way an estimated 134,000 people without transportation."
"In the video, made by the anti-poverty agency Total Community Action, they urge those people to make arrangements now by finding their own ways to leave the city in the event of an evacuation.
"You're responsible for your safety, and you should be responsible for the person next to you," Wilkins said in an interview. "If you have some room to get that person out of town, the Red Cross will have a space for that person outside the area. We can help you."
This was talked about and talked about, hashed and re-hashed, many many times over, prior to Katrina. But as soon as the realities of all of the predictions have come to pass, blame was immediately assigned. They did it for no other reason than to tear down the morale of a grieving nation, even further than it already is. How utterly pathetic, are they?Now they have their sights set on have the head of the FEMA director on a silver platter. They can't get to the President, so they will settle for anyone in his administration. How pathetic is that?But the real clincher is last night on my way home from work, I heard that someone (not sure who, as I came in on the story late) was criticizing officials for moving helicopters and other vehicles that could be used in emergency rescue services out of the path of the storm. And they did it, because they did not care about the people in New Orleans, because most of them are black. Once again, how pathetic is that?Common sense should dictate that to preserve things that will be needed to save lives after the fact, they need to be moved, to where they cannot and will not be damaged. Maybe the Hollywood elite should stick to what they know (which appears to be very little) like what their motivation is, in the damned scenes they are scheduled to shoot tomorrow; instead of trying to impress their friends, with what they do not know and likely never will.
Click on the title for the complete AP article.NEW ORLEANS - In the absence of information and outside assistance, groups of rich and poor banded together in the French Quarter, forming "tribes" and dividing up the labor. As some went down to the river to do the wash, others remained behind to protect property. In a bar, a bartender put near perfect stitches into the torn ear of a robbery victim.
While mold and contagion grew in the muck that engulfed most of the city, something else sprouted in this most decadent of American neighborhoods — humanity.
This was survival after a natural disaster. Despite what the blame-placing leftists say, it could not have been prevented.Now take a moment and think how things would be if they hit NY with a nuke or a dirty bomb. You think there a lot of people displaced now? Wait until that happens. There will be people behaving the same way in NY as there was in NO, for better and for worse. There will be those that rise up and meet the challenge and there will be those that will act just like the thugs and creeps that terrorized New Orleans, the past few days.But the biggest distinction I would make about this disaster and a nuke in NY is, the nuke in NY can be prevented. As the old adage goes (with a slight alteration), an ounce of prevention is worth a ton of cure.
Click on the title for the complete AFP article. NEW ORLEANS, United States (AFP) - A top New Orleans police officer said that National Guard troops sat around playing cards while people died in the stricken city after Hurricane Katrina.
I wonder, why?The National Guard commander, Lieutenant General Steven Blum, said the reservist force was slow to move troops into New Orleans because it did not anticipate the collapse of the city's police force.
Two-thirds of the NOPD deserted. Thugs were taking potshots at rescuers. And before anyone says the guard should have come in with guns ablazing and forcibly restored order, what do you think the ACLU and the rest of the leftist society said about that? So, maybe the police commander should get the beam out of his own eye before he tries to get the speck out of his brother's eye.
Click on the title for the complete AP article.WASHINGTON - Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist died Saturday evening of cancer, ending a remarkable 33-year tenure on the Supreme Court and creating a rare second vacancy on the nation's highest court.
Now we will get double the obstruction, double the rhetoric, and double the threats. Expect Senate Democrats to start the war of words before the man is even buried.
I would like to take a moment to wish everyone a Happy Proletariat Day Weekend. Maybe someday, we will have a Capitalist Risk-Takers And Creator Of Jobs Day.Seriously, have a great weekend. And above all, be safe.
Click on the title for the complete IHT Op-Ed piece, by Michael Vatikiotis. He is a visiting research fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore.
Amid global fears about the spread of Islamic militancy, the last thing anyone wants to hear about is creeping fundamentalism in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim nation. But these fears have become more palpable in recent weeks.
Indonesia's highest Muslim body has issued religious edicts banning mixed marriages, religious pluralism and interfaith prayers. A series of attacks has forced the closure of Christian churches. And in the province of Aceh, where the government has reached an agreement with the pro-independence movement to end a long-running insurgency, a woman was publicly flogged and more than a dozen men have been caned in the past three months for breaching newly introduced Shariah, or Islamic law.
Wahhabism made its debut in Indonesia in the early 1800s. Other than a few brief and ineffective flashes, it remained largely benign until the 1980s and 1990s; when the rise of technology permitted the freer and more efficient flow of Wahhabi propaganda first through print, and later the internet.So I would like to welcome Mr. Vatikiotis to the community of believers that have already figured this out a long time ago.The problem with mixing Islam and politics is that a dogmatic view tends to prevail because of Muslims' fears of being branded apostates. Indonesia is not becoming an Islamic state anytime soon, but its political leaders are prone to exploiting Islam for short-term ends that could have lasting consequences.
Since the fall of Suharto, one of the more prominent Islamic rebel groups, Laskar Jihad, has been directly influenced by Wahhabism and is now calling for an end to elections, on religious grounds. So Mr. Vitakiotis is getting some of it, but he still has a way to go. This movement stands a very good chance of exploding within Indonesia, in the next few years. This not only threatens that country, but Asia as a whole.China? Are you watching? You are not immuned. Now is the time to get on the bandwagon and help stop the spread of jihadism. Don't let your need for oil cloud your thinking.
Click on the title for the complete piece by one of the few sensible writers at the Huffington Post, Danielle Crittenden. What will the left NOT blame on a Republican president?Here is the condensed wisdom of the liberal media on why the Bush administration is ultimately responsible for the disaster of Hurricane Katrina:
What follows is a pretty good list of idiotic accusations by the usual batch of clowns on the left. The leftists have proven themselves time and time again that they do not possess to the capabilities of holding intelligent debates. They contribute little and they achieve little. They do not stand for anything, yet they stand against anything, as long as it is the opposite position of President Bush.Accusing Bush for all of the ills of the world is a strategy that lacks effectiveness and credibility, especially when the accusations are out of Galaxy X, and have no evidence to support their weak and faulty claims. The funny thing is, these ills all existed before Bush was President, they existed before he was ever born. But somehow, someway, he just has to be the culpable one. I guess they slept during history class.Anyway, give this a read. It's not too long and she has links to support her claim. Most of you will not be the least bit surprised at the insanity, the rest will try to justify it.
My adoptive father (the man who raised me and not the one I just visited last month) lived the last 17 years of his life in and around the New Orleans area. Being of distant French descent, the charm, the beauty, and the hard working, hard playing lifestyle attracted him there. He could have lived anywhere, but that is where he chose to live.
Although he has been gone for several years now, I still think back to visiting him and the city. I remember the architecture, the decor, the food, and how the place was so rich in history. It was full of life.(Click on the title for the New Orleans I remember)
But today, my heart is heavy and my sensibilities are still a bit numb at the level of devastation. I have spent the last two days watching in awe of the magnitude of damage suffered there, as well as everywhere this storm hit. Words have not been sufficient to describe the toll this disaster has taken, and will continue to take for months, maybe even years to come.
But the thing that has not surprised me is the attitudes and behaviors of some people in the aftermath of it all. You see, with all of its beauty, charm, and personality, New Orleans (like all big cities) has good people that work hard and produce; people that make the whole community a better place. And then, you have the cesspool element. The low-life criminal element (that every city has) has been operating in and around New Orleans for years.
Even before this catastrophe, New Orleans had more homicides per capita than many larger cities, many times its size, for many years. (They compete with cities like Gary Indiana and D.C. for the title.) One year, several years ago, I remember one weekend there were 13 murders, with one of them a priest. I also remember a incident several years ago, when a corrupt policeman shot his partner as part of a robbery scheme that ultimately failed. There are too many stories to recount, too many to list here; and most people that live in urban areas are familiar with there own twisted anti-social population's crimes. No place has a monopoly on sick behavior.Many good people were forced to stay behind because of illness and hardship. They are the ones my heart is heavy for. They probably would have left, if they could have. But, for them, the opportunity just wasn't there, so they had little choice. They are suffering and are probably going to be the highest casualty rate soon, because it is these people that the cowardly thugs are preying on.Most of these punks that are creating this anarchy and turning this once beautiful place into Baghdad, at the mouth of the Mighty Mississippi, purposely stayed back for this purpose, and this purpose alone. They probably had every opportunity to leave, but stayed by choice for the specific objectives of looting and causing mayhem. And now that they realize the gravity of the situation, they are fighting over whatever food and other necessities remain, while the weak perish. I personally wish they would just kill each other off, so the earth can be cleansed and purged of some of these vermin. But I know it won't be soon enough to save the vast majority of those that are not of this element. So, I am sad. Sad for the good people that are dying, suffering, and struggling just to survive; I am especially sad for those that have relatives that still cannot be found. Their suffering is of a different nature, the fear of the unknown. I can only imagine how I would have felt had my dad still been living and not knowing, how or where he was. Those of us that watch and have a great sense powerlessness, are saddened. But not like those that are living (and dying) it. Here are some other posted thoughts on this tragedy:Social Sense: America's Vulnerability
In the Middle of America: Some Prospective, Courtesy of Katrina
Gindy.blogspot.com: New Orleans: They Need Your Help
Outside the Blogway: Katrina's Wrath
