I'm Just A Little Bit Sick of It All!

Below is a copy of an email I received from my friend Jackie.  I forwarded it to a few friends and family.  David happened to forward it to his boss.  Underneath the email highlighted in the “green" color is his response.

 

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Why The Katrina Coverage Made Me Switch To Fox News!
By Lee Ellis
Sep 3, 2005

Watching both Fox and NBC after President Bush had been inspecting the Gulf Coast and New Orleans, I was shocked at how the nets, and even some newspapers, were trying to blame the Bush Administration for the slowness in which help was reaching the damaged cities. Obviously, Brian Williams and his news team do not know the law, nor do they know the past history of New Orleans--a city built in a bathtub of a swamp. 

This is a city where the dead, for centuries, have had to be buried in above-ground structures because the water is so close to the surface of this sinking city. 

If coffins are put in the ground, they will rise to the surface as the underground water pushes them up.  I have been to these cemeteries personally to witness this.

For decades, New Orleans has been told that the city is sinking, and that the old levees have to be rebuilt and modernized in order to keep the city from being flooded.  Local officials never finished the work, nor have pleas to Congress for additional federal help been heeded.  Congress has simply never seen fit to fully complete this effort, whether controlled by Democrats or Republicans.

"Why did it take five days for Bush to help?" is the mantra constantly voiced by all the "Talking Heads" on TV. 

Here are the reasons:

(1)  It is against the law for any President to order troops into a city or across state lines without a request and permission from the Governor of that state.  John Armor, a First Amendment lawyer and one of my favorite writers, told me, "Federal law prevents the President from sending in the National Guard until the Governor gives the order.  It is little known, but the Commanding General of the National Guard in every state reports to the Governor, not the President, until the Governor says otherwise.  U.S. military units (regular Army, not the Guard) cannot be used because of the Posse Comitatus law, until the Guard has been authorized."
According to some news sources, the Governor of Louisiana, who knew the levees were weak, who knew that the city had been slowly sinking, and who knew that a major # 5 hurricane was approaching her city, did not call Washington for help.  (Not until 3 days after the levees broke did the Governor allow the Federal Government to come into the state!)

(2)  The Mayor of New Orleans did call forevacuation over a loud-speaker, but did nothing to be sure that the police went door-to-door, followed by transportation, to pick up all those who did not have cars or any ability to leave.  There was no other leadership practiced by the mayor there, as had been in New York City during 9/11 by Mayor Giuliani.

(3)  The hurricane veered east and saved New Orleans, Brian Williams announced a week ago, and all breathed a sigh of relief...until the levees broke a day or two later allowing the surrounding waters to pour into the city.   (It is not the responsibility of the Federal Government to maintain state structures, be it a levee or a highway)

(4)  It was this predicted levee failure which had been ignored for so long that doomed the local people to be held hostage in their attics or on rooftops, not the storm.  It was also the failure of the local bureaucrats and local elected leaders to maintain law and order, and to have pre-arranged for complete evacuations of the city. It was only after a request went out to the President that troops could be sent in. 

Can you imagine the anti-Bush media screaming that Bush had invaded Louisiana as he had done in Iraq if he had gone in before being asked?  I can just imagine The New York Times headlining, "A Repeat of Shock and Awe by Bush!"

Bill O'Reilly, on Fox News, was the only commentator I heard who explained this.  All the other network commentators seemed too willing to allow the implication inferred by the viewers, that this was all the fault of the Bush Administration.  I guess the Far Left also works in mysterious ways!

Now you know why my channel is glued to Fox News, and why I no longer listen to NBC or its aide-de-camp, MSNBC!

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1  Any time the President of the United States declares a National disaster, it took our genius of a president five days to realize that is what he had on his hands, he or she( hopefully Hillary in  2008) can send troops or do pretty much what they want without anyones consent to thearea concerned.

2 The Bush administration had been warned many times that the levy's were not safe and would not protect the mostly non republican votersinthe 9th ward!

3 There have been over 30 warnings of dire consequences if the city was not evacuated with a coming hurricane in the last three years--when do you believe them?

4 Of course the Ill equipped and ill prepared Mayor Fu_ _ _d up  soooo, does that mean the Army core of Engineers, the US military and other relief agencies just wait until people are dying and destitute to act.

Fox news is the ultra right wing racist propaganda machine for the Bush administration which is why I would watch the cartoon network before tuning in to it.  But really I prefer Real Time Bill Maher or The Daily Show with John Stewart for truthful yet funny news.

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I don’t care what race, sex, color, creed, religion, sexual or political persuasion you are, Hurricane Katrina was not a right-winged Republican conspiracy to wipe out the poor black Democrat voter.  The hurricane was an act of God, not man.  The response to it, however, was man’s fault.  Not the Republicans, not the Federal Government, but all those (that would include the Governor and the Mayor) who did not heed the warnings issued prior to the landfall.  I am sick and tired of the left-winged media, and those too stupid to understand, that all the problems of America, including the New Orleans disaster, is not the fault of the Bush Administration.

 

Republican Jen had to this to say on the issue as well:

Who's Racist?

I understand that some black entertainers and activists are trying to paint President Bush as a racist because of the emergency response to Hurricane Katrina.  It sounds to me more like they are embaressed by what the cameras have caught some black people doing.  They're human beings acting like human beings.  Race doesn't matter, it just "looks bad".

If they're going to go ahead and blame politicians for "slow" response time, then they need to remember who's in charge of New Orleans and Louisiana in general.  Democrats.  Sorry, but it's the truth.  Governor Kathleen Blanco looked down right scared in her interviews this week.  Emergency responders are city, state and then federal responsibilities.  Loads of food and water on National Guard military vehicles do not appear over night. 

Speaking of which, why didn't the city or New Orleans or the State of Louisiana have stockpiles of water in the case a hurricane hit?  While I lived on the coast, I kept an emergency hurricane kit handy.  Why didn't Louisiana have the same capacity?  Where are the Louisiana stockpiles and why must they depend on federal monies?  Sounds like they should have elected Jindahl governor.

Anyway, back to my original point.  Nobody is being racist in responding to this hurricane.  The truth is not racist.  It's just very sad.

Those who expect the Federal Government to be their mother, will always be unhappy.  That is why this country was founded.  Governments don’t make good mothers and we needed a sense of self-determination and responsibility for our own actions and decisions.   I am sick and tired of everyone expecting a freaking handout and saying the government owes me.  The government doesn’t owe you anything, so get up off your butt, accept responsibility for yourself and your actions, and quit blaming the government for your sorry position in life.  You got yourself there, now get yourself out!   This applies to local governments who are waiting for the Federal government to bail them out and take responsibility for their local inadequate infrastructure.