Have Bush's Prayers Been Answered?
Not to lessen nor make light of the loss of life and tragedy that occurred in the Gulf Coast, or the subsequent death of Chief Justice Rehnquist, but a question surfaced in my mind yesterday regarding the state of our nation and what this means for the Bush administration.
As many know, there are a number of questions regarding what the federal government, specifically FEMA did not react more speedily to the disaster that occurred in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi over the past several days. Unanswered are what, if anything, the federal and state government could have done to prevent such a disaster from reaching the magnitude that it did, resulting in loss of so many lives, (perhaps 10,000 are estimated), and destruction of property to such a magnitude that many individuals are left homeless and without proper jobs.
Turning a negative into a positive, at least for himself, has been a factor that this administration has been able to capitalize on in epic proportion. As you can see, the stories about Abu Grahb, the Downing Street Memo and Carl Rove have mircleously disappeared, taking a back seat to other issues that surface daily in this administration. It has been said, on Michael Moore's website, that Haliburton has acquired the contract to clean up the Navy bases as a consequence of the devastation of Katrina. Meanwhile, Bush now has two seats to fill on the U.S. Supreme Court, which will surely change the balance of power and laws of this country in a dramatic way over the next twenty-five years.
Here is the question of the day: Do you think that in light of what has happened over the pass few weeks, with the hurricane, and the aftermath, now in search and rescue mode, and the vacancies of the US Supreme Court that Bush's prayers have been answered? Is the fact that the costs of oil will go up even higher now, and the large corporations will likely gain strength and power, as a result of rebuilding efforts that will take place, along with the vacancies in the U.S. Supereme Court a complete win/with for Bush and his administration?
frightening, is it not!
Thank you for your minds.
As many know, there are a number of questions regarding what the federal government, specifically FEMA did not react more speedily to the disaster that occurred in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi over the past several days. Unanswered are what, if anything, the federal and state government could have done to prevent such a disaster from reaching the magnitude that it did, resulting in loss of so many lives, (perhaps 10,000 are estimated), and destruction of property to such a magnitude that many individuals are left homeless and without proper jobs.
Turning a negative into a positive, at least for himself, has been a factor that this administration has been able to capitalize on in epic proportion. As you can see, the stories about Abu Grahb, the Downing Street Memo and Carl Rove have mircleously disappeared, taking a back seat to other issues that surface daily in this administration. It has been said, on Michael Moore's website, that Haliburton has acquired the contract to clean up the Navy bases as a consequence of the devastation of Katrina. Meanwhile, Bush now has two seats to fill on the U.S. Supreme Court, which will surely change the balance of power and laws of this country in a dramatic way over the next twenty-five years.
Here is the question of the day: Do you think that in light of what has happened over the pass few weeks, with the hurricane, and the aftermath, now in search and rescue mode, and the vacancies of the US Supreme Court that Bush's prayers have been answered? Is the fact that the costs of oil will go up even higher now, and the large corporations will likely gain strength and power, as a result of rebuilding efforts that will take place, along with the vacancies in the U.S. Supereme Court a complete win/with for Bush and his administration?
frightening, is it not!
Thank you for your minds.
17 Comments:
I am constantly amazed at the way Bush and Co. have continued to convince people that the emperor's wearing his fabulous new clothes, when in fact, the emperor is buck nekkid. On Friday, I was watching the Lehrer News Hour on PBS, and my nemesis, David "Bobo" Brooks was on. I've always thought that Bush could be standing in front of Brooks with a baby impaled on the end of a bayonette, dancing a jig, and Brooks would make excuses for it. But on Friday, I saw a little crack, and it seemed like the scales had shifted, even if momentarily, from Brooks' eyes. Maybe that's happening with others who were convinced that Bush was such a "good man," and not a callous spoiled rich brat, who, in the immortal words of Ann Richards, "was born on third base but thinks he hit a home run."
I hope that finally poverty is going to be back in the nation's consciousness, because for those who do not live in urban areas, I think they just had no idea.
They do now.
The question is will they bury their heads in the sand again.
conservatives scored a huge win
chief justice timed his death perfectly
Barbara, you're a lawyer. Should we start defining State's rights and obligations vs Federalism? Should we start discussing the fact that LA has a Governor and a Mayor that should have taken care of the Levee problem over ten years ago after Hurricane Andrew hit? Should I bring up the fact that I have a meteorological presentation which states that the people and the politicians of New Orleans admitted that with the current levee system, if a hurricane of Andrew's strength were to hit head on in New Orleans that the city was likely to dissappear? They knew that this was a potential and likely problem since the pumping system was constructed over 30 years ago. You want to talk about blame and responsibility, let talk about the political mess that New Orleans put itself in because the politicians of that state did NOT want to make it THEIR problem. "Let the next guy handle it. I'll be known as the governor who didn't raise taxes in order to fix the levees. C'mon, what are the odds that it'll actually happen, especially during my term(s)?" I know that we can't put the blame where it really belongs. I mean, the Mayor of New Orleans is black, so we can't blame him. And, the Governor of Miss. is a woman, so we can't blame her. Give me a break! And, we're not allowed to blame G-d for this since G-d doesn't exist in the media mainstream or the left anymore. It's gotta be Bush's fault. I mean, he should have been able to stop this hurricane somehow. He's got all those rich friends in Haliburton and Enron. They couldn't have come up with something to stop it?!? Oh wait, I know! It's b/c of his rich friends that it happened. I mean, this has to be a direct result of Global Warming, right?!? This couldn't have anything to do with the natural cycle of storms and their cyclical intensities. Don't trust me on that. I only studied meteorology since I was like 7 or 8.
Barbara, let's take a look at another factor. The unpreparedness of USA to respond to something like this is part of the continuous naivete of the American public. Israel's Army and public has a certain mentality. Prepare for the worst. The Army continuously practices any nightmarish scenario that it can come up with and then practices it and prepares for it until it's perfected. Why isn't that happening in the States? New Orleans and Miss. had almost a weak's warning. What if this had been a terrorist attack, obviously, with no warning? Why isn't the American people crying out for the country to be more prepared. It's because y'all don't believe that it can still happen to you. Y'all are still living in a dream world. Where was all this blame after Andrew in '92?!?
You think this has anything to do with oil?!? Oh right! The hurricane is magically and conveniently directly connected to the war in Iraq. Not enough National Guardsmen were there? Well, New Orleans convinced them that only 10,000 were necessary and that the levees were held. Not enough Army Corps of Engineers? If you look on their website, they clearly state that they are constructed of many outside private contractors. Yes, the Army should have been more prepared for this scenario. But, finally, 30,000 managed to show up, and they have more than enough military equipment to get the job done. Wow!! But, I thought all that personnell and equipment was in Iraq!!! Must be magic!!
Let's get to that poverty issue. Yes, it is true that there were many people who honestly couldn't leave the city. More than 80% of the city evacuated before the hurricane. The rest are comprised of various categories. 1) The old and feeble who could not leave. The preperation for taking care of them was in no way sufficient. That is the state's fault. 2) There were homeless and destitute people who had nowhere else to go. 3) Stupidity. Many people did not leave b/c they honestly believed that they could ride out the storm and many even admitted it. It happens in many hurricane. See every one in Florida and the Carolinas. You can't blame anybody but the people for that. There were many people shown who, still as of now, refuse to leave their homes b/c they naively believe that the waters will recede, and everything will be OK. Interestingly enough, parked in front of their house and in their driveways are their CARS!!
Let's look some more at the State's preparedness and the fact that, eventhough the majority, only 80% left. When the mayor and respective governor(s)declared a state of emergency and gave a MANDATORY evacuation order to leave 3 days before the hurricane hit, how was there anybody still left in the city? Barbara, you're the lawyer. Let me ask you a question. Why was there no legal ramification behind the word, MANDATORY?!? This is the lack of preparedness that I'm talking about. What the state should have done should have been similar to the hitnatkut philosophy. NOBODY LEFT BEHIND!!! The mayor and governor knew full well that there was a good chance the levees would not hold. They should have had a full evacuation plan in place. First of all, police and/or National Guardsmen did and should have gone door to door telling people that there is a mandatory evacuation in place. If the resident(s) say that they want to ride it out in their house or that they have no place to go, by law, they should have been told that they have 30 mins-1 hour to pack all necessary belongings. After which, they would be taken out of their homes, put on coordinated buses, planes, or trains and taken out of the city to a designated shelter out of harm's way. Why have a mandatory evacuation if it means sh*t if you don't comply?!? I'm not talking about being arrested, g-d forbid, but being taken care of. This is the city's and states' faults. No-one else's. It's not like this scenario was a complete shock and surprise to anybody. There should have also been practiced scenarios in place in the case of annarchy. Rival gangs fighting?!? It just took way too long for the state to get their act together. FEMA brought in 500 trucks of food, water, ice, and other supplies. Each truck was capable of servicing 2,000 people. What happened? Gunmen and looters stormed the trucks! The lack of preparedness is just mind-bongling. This must be something that is learned for the future.
The fact that you say that the deaths of hundreds and maybe thousands of people answers Bush's "prayers" is, I'm sorry to say, disgusting and repulsive. This is a human tragedy. There is and will be plenty of blame to go around. But, who cares about oil right now?!? People are dying!! Let's talk about the countless acts of heroism that's going on over there; by the Army, by volunteers, by the many nations (including Israel) lending support in any way they can, by the survivors, by the various shelters, especially in Houston and San Antonio, etc. My g-d! This is sooo rediculous, I don't know whether to laugh or cry! Oh, by the way, don't forget to blame Israel b/c, as we all know, Israel is the "real" reason that the war in Iraq is being fought.
-OC
oleh,
I can see this is a very emotional issue for you.
My post does not point specific fingers, rather it asks questions about the meaning and timing of loss, and what it means to Mr. Bush, who took 6 days to go to the hurricane zone. Still, I have not heard one word mentioned from our own VP Cheney, who, I am told, was vacationing in Wymoing until Friday.
Your questions deal with responsibility and blame, mine deal with opportunity, and frankly, what is going to happen in our courts, as a result of these two vacancies, scares me very much.
this is the stuff that proves there is no god...
What do you mean by that commment, Bochica? I know that such tragedy, like the Holocaust, and these horrible disasters, often puts a person's faith in question, sometimes making it weaker, and other times, stronger.
On a personal note,no matter what happens, my faith in God is not shaken. They may be tested, but they remain. Otherwise, there is little room for hope. This is just my personal opinion.
40,000 corspes are expected, and that's not counting the ones that washed out of the above-ground cemetaries.
I think $hrub's prayers will be answered when slavery is re-instated, but I'm sure he won't shake a stick at the ability to appoint a SCJ and the Chief Justice.
Actually, I just read that 5 abortion clinics were destroyed in Lousiana alone.
I think God would have saved these poor people...
My thoughts on god? I could buy the "greater power" theory, we could be a simple molecule in a giant entity...
But to me the belief that god knows all, sees all is just a bit to hard for me to take. Understanding that the universe is bigger than our minds can even imagine leads me to this thought: Am I that arrogant to believe a the god of all this creation has a personal interest in what I'm doing? I don't have that big an ego to believe such a thing...
There may be something greater out there, but he isn't thinking of me...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
I don't buy the argument that Bush makes decisions based upon color. You can make a case for wealth, but not color.
He has proven that he doesn't place much stock in what people think, but he still managed to bring two Black Sec of States and a Latino AG.
Racists don't do that, I just don't buy it.
As for the terrorists, frankly I think that AQ has some smart leaders. I never think of them as being stupid and I wouldn't be surprised if they looked into things like the levees, I would expect it.
That being said their best hope is a war of attrition and our a civil war within the US and I don't see either one of those happening.
Hey Barb, a couple of things. First of all, I was making one big response to all the posts you had about this disaster. Second of all, I AM talking about opportunity; not just playing the blame game. Let's look at the facts on the ground. The fact that you talk about how it took Bush 6 days to get onto the ground in New Orleans is like playing the Michael Moore game of how long it took President Bush to leave the Kindergarten classroom after he was told that America was under attack almost 4 years ago today. That's just nitpicking and trying to pull stuff out of nowhere. But, while we're doing it, Bush was on the ground there, FOUR days after katrina struck; not 6. As with Moore, if you can't get that simple fact correct, how can I trust you with other things? What about the fact that New Orleans' own Mayor did not make an appearance in the city until TODAY?!? Where has he been this whole time?!? Again, everybody's so quick to blame the fed gov's response, nobody's really looked, with the exception of Fox, at the fact that the city wasted 10-30 YEARS of opportunities to fix a monumental problem that they knew was inevitable to happen. Blame for slow response is one thing, but to not say that the politicians of LA did not waste opportunities would be completely irresponsible. Let's remember this. Katrina did not directly cause the flooding. It was only after Katrina already left, did the levees broke. That disaster COUlD HAVE been prevented. New Orleans should never have been in this mess to begin with. And, that falls directly on the shoulders of New Orleans and its lackluster politicians.
Ok, let's look at big bad Haliburton. The fact that the people of our gret capitalistic society looks on corporations with such disgust is really rather funny. So, let's look at Haliburton. First of all, they're not an oil company at all. Let's get that out of the way. So, they cannot be classified as Bush's rich "oil" buddies. They are a construction, engineering and services company that deals primarily with oil and gas companies. Since its inception in 1919, they have always been one of the leading government contractors. So, to say that this is a big Bush/Chenney conspiracy is also just plain rediculous. B/c of their work in the oil riggings in the Gulf Coast, over 3,000 of their employees have been effected by the disaster, with many of them losing everything they had. Is that called having their prayers answered? Oh yeah, and let's talk about the big Michael Moore "revelation" that they received the contract to rebuild Naval bases in the area. Wrong again, Moore. Honestly, Barb, you should really double check any "facts" that come out of this "man's" mouth. First of all, Haliburton has ALREADY HAD a contract with the U.S. Naval Facilities Command (CONCAP) before the hurricane ever struck (before even Hurricane Andrew struck in 1992. This contract has existed for over a DECADE!!). As part of this already EXISTING contract, not only is Haliburton responsible for electrical restoration to the Naval facilities but also for roof repair and debris clearing. Not only that but part of this contract includes them being a private contractor for the Army Corps of Engineers. Remember I mentioned that the Corps contracts many outside private and independent contractors? Well, they've been one of them, again since before Hurricane Andrew. For New Orleans, they will be hiring and brining in more engineers to assess and repair the damages to the levee system, pumps, and entire stability of the city's infrastructure. The immediate needs services that they give to support the military forces was an extra part of a contract that signed in JULY 2004!! Does that sound immediate to you, Mr. Moore? Their contract to provide life support facilities was awarded to them in 2000 when good old President Clinton was in power. Should we go after him too? Need I go on? I think this myth of "big bad companies" like Haliburton getting rich off other people's mysery must be debunked once and for all. They're not getting rich off of Katrina. This contract was already in existence years before Katrina ever struck. So, let's stop with that nonsense right now.
With the Supreme Court Justices... You're sooo worried now b/c President Bush will have two Justices on the bench. Let's look at the facts there too. President Bush's predecessor, President Clinton also appointed 2 Justices to the bench: Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen G. Breyer.
Breyer is openly known as a activist judge. He has admitted that he wants and is in the process of changing constitutional law in order to bring it more in line with foreign laws. Breyer has questioned whether the constitution is even relevant today. I don't know about you, but when a Supreme Court Justice, a man sworn to protect and uphold the constitution, questions the relevance of the very thing they are supposed to protect scares the hell out of me. The fact that he used foreign precedents to decide cases such as overturning the Texas anti-sodomy law is just plain frightening. In my opinion, that's really taking sides in the culture "wars". Talking about basically making the world one big government is taking Big Brother to the extreme and that the constitution should adapt to public opinion is just horrifying. Let's look at Ginsburg too. During her confirmation hearings, she refused to answer questions on her opinion of past Supreme Court decisions and present public concerns, e.g. Roe Vs. Wade, the Death Penalty, adoption rights for gay couples, etc. Can you even imagine any Republican candidate getting away with that now, ie Roberts?!? Let's look at a small sample of her opinions. Ginsburg said that the death penalty for rape was unconstitutional b/c rape laws were intended to avenge a man's property right: "If [a woman] was raped before marriage, she was damaged goods. It was a theft of something that belonged first to the father, and then to the husband..." And, you're fightened by Bush's nominees?!? Were you not scared to death after the great Janet Reno had little 6 year old Elian Gonzalez taken back to Cuba by Machine-gun pointing INS agents?!? I really don't understand your reasoning.
-OC
Barb I would like to delete my post because a friend said I came in your house and disrespected you --- and was off subject. I have no intenions of disrespecting someone I have come to respect. However, I am clicking on and off your comment section, but the delete button is not showing up --- please, if you don't mind delete my post.
All right, it showed up when I posted and I deleted it.
Oleah, with all due respect, Bush is OUR President, unlike Michael Moore, who is a citizen with an opinion. Bush's failure to go tour the region sooner meant that he took longer to act, making executive orders and decisions about funding, sending troops and providing resources to those in need. This is something that only our President can do here in America.
Jack, I agree that we indeed are engaging in a civl war here in America. This has been my position for about the last 4 years, ever since I saw how much Republicans and Democrats have been divided in politics.
Barb, that is unequivically wrong. His failure to tour the region the day after it happened does not and, in fact, did not impeded on his ability to make decisions and act. In fact, the day after it happened, he ordered more than 15,000 more troops into the region. FEMA came in, even though their performance sucked, they were there. How he go there before there was some semblance of order and comprehension of the facts on the ground. It was an incredible security risk if he would have landed right away. Of course, for all of our liberal friends, they would have loved the President to have been shot at by some gun toting maniacs. They would have just claimed it was his own fault since he didn't renew the Gun laws. Oh yeah, today ABC finally uncovered the fact that the state of LA had an evacuation plan in place, but that the mayor and governor failed to implement it. They actually did not ask for more financial aid b/c the mayor believed that the evacuation order and all its encompassing components would automatically be initiated. (Somehow, magically, w/out their authorization!) The people that were taken to the Superdome were NEVER supposed to go there. That is why there was not sufficient supplies, food, and shelter for them. The preventative measures is something only the state and city representatives can accomplish.
And, what does Moore being a private citizen have to do with anything? You're the one that quoted him, not me. I was correcting your and his gross misrepresentation of the facts. You said it took him 6 days to get there, when it actually took him 4. I corrected that misinformation. You quoted Moore's incorrect fact that Haliburton, "Bush's rich 'oil' buddy", just got the contract to repair the Naval bases in Miss and LA. That is just completely untrue. Now, it just seems that you're backtracking, not admitting that you got the facts wrong, and trying to change the subject. I was just calling you on that. I love you, Barb, I really do. But, let's stick to the facts and all be willing to admit when we made factual errors.
-OC
Hey Barbara (smiling)do you really want me to comment on this post?? (smiling) Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and I respect that very much.
Take care friend.....
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