Month: September 2005

Before leaving for Mobile, Alabama to begin his tour of the Gulf States, the president had this to say.

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT UPON DEPARTURE
The South Lawn

9:02 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Secretary Chertoff and I just finished a meeting with Secretary Rumsfeld, General Myers, other members of my Cabinet, as well as General Honore, Admiral Keating, who is in charge of NORTHCOM — General Honore who is our active duty general on the ground in Louisiana, as well — and Mike Brown, who is the head of FEMA.

There’s a lot of aid surging toward those who have been affected: millions of gallons of water, millions of tons of food. We’re making progress about pulling people out of the Superdome. There’s an issue right now at the convention center of New Orleans that General Honore briefed us on. We’re trying to get food and medicine to the convention center. He’s working with the governor, and the adjutant general, and the mayor, to deploy 600 of the newly arrived MPs to secure the site, so that the food and medicine and water can get in there.

A lot of people are working hard to help those who have been affected, and I want to thank the people for their efforts. The results are not acceptable. I’m headed down there right now. I’m looking forward to talking to the people on the ground. I want to assure the people of the affected areas and this country that we’ll deploy the assets necessary to get the situation under control, to get the help to the people who have been affected, and that we’re beginning long-term planning to help those who have been displaced, as well as long-term planning to help rebuild the communities that have been affected.

I’m looking forward to my trip down there, and looking forward to thanking those on the ground, and looking forward to assure people that we’ll get on top of this situation and we’re going to help people that need help.

Thank you.

Even though it’s a bit late, these are the right words.

Michele Catalano has a first hand account from a friend who is in Houston helping refugees at the Astrodome.

Yes, they’re a few days late, but at least they’ve arrived.

National Guardsmen Pour Into Louisiana

Thousands of National Guardsmen with food, water and weapons streamed into Louisiana on Friday to bring relief to New Orleans’ suffering multitudes and put down the looting and violence. “The cavalry is and will continue to arrive,” said one general. The assurances came amid blistering criticism from the mayor and others who said the federal government had bungled the relief effort and let people die in the streets for lack of food, water or medicine.

In Washington, President Bush admitted “the results are not acceptable” and pledged to bolster the relief efforts with a personal trip to the Gulf Coast on Friday.

In the coming weeks there will be plenty of opportunities to debate the lack of early response, the ‘deer in the headlights’ reaction of local and national leadership, and the breakdown of the command structure. For now though, let’s live in the moment, and be grateful that the refugees who are left in New Orleans will finally be getting the aid they need, and will leaving the city soon. 

Watching Fox News right now (7:40 AM PDT) – buses, fire trucks, transport vehicles, 18 wheelers with food and water, medicine on the way to the New Orleans Convention Center. Great news.

National Guardsmen flowing in. Their goal is to take control of the Convention Center area. Hopefully they’ll beat down the thugs that have been causing a lot of the trouble we’ve been hearing about.

Help is (finally) on the way.

WWL-BLOG – Col. Henry Whitehorn, chief of the Louisiana State Police, said he heard of numerous instances of New Orleans police officers – many of whom from flooded areas – turning in their badges.

“They indicated that they had lost everything and didn’t feel that it was worth them going back to take fire from looters and losing their lives,” Whitehorn said.

The interdictor interviews “Bigfoot”, a bar manager and DJ on Bourbon Street who is stranded with 10,000 others at the New Orleans Convention Center.

Hour after hour they watch buses pass by filled with people from other areas. The people are so desperate that they’re doing anything they can think of to impress the authorities enough to bring some buses. These things include standing in single file lines with the elderly in front, women and children next; sweeping up the area and cleaning the windows and anything else that would show the people are not barbarians.

The buses never stop.

Related: Delusional, Dysfunctional, Divisive, and Defiant

“You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.” (Matthew 5:38-39) ESV 2001.

As looters break into and vandalize area Walmart stores in New Orleans, the company announced tonight that it is donating $15 million dollars to jump start a nationwide funding effort.

Following President Bush’s announcement today that former Presidents Bush and Clinton will lead a nationwide fundraising effort to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina, Wal-Mart President and CEO Lee Scott contacted President Clinton and the White House and committed $15 million from Wal-Mart to jump-start the effort. As part of this commitment, Wal-Mart will establish mini-Wal-Mart stores in areas impacted by the hurricane.  Items such as clothing, diapers, baby wipes, food, formula, toothbrushes, bedding and water will be given out free of charge to those with a demonstrated need. Wal-Mart previously donated $2 million in cash to aid emergency relief efforts and has been collecting contributions at its 3,800 stores and CLUBS, and through its web sites. Through its Associate Disaster Relief Fund, the company will also give displaced associates immediate funds for shelter, food, clothing and other necessities.

A class act.

While many people demonize Wal-Mart, they have shown over and over again that they are America’s department store. I hope that this gift inspires other American corporations to donate relief funds.

An MSNBC photojournalist shot video this afternoon at the New Orleans Convention Center. The agony these people are expressing will rip your heart out. It’s terrible. 

I’ve been to that convention center a couple of times on business, and I can’t believe this is the same place.

Something has to be done.

When the cops are criminals, you can flush the rule of law down the toilet.

I wrote about it, someone corroborated it, and now the video proves it.

h/t Crooks & Liars

I can’t imagine the chain of events which took place in order for this to happen.

Mississippi Man Kills Sister Over Bag Of Ice

Police in Hattiesburg, Miss., said a man fatally shot his sister in the head over a bag of ice. Authorities say 35-year-old Antonio Page shot his sister with a handgun on a street corner Tuesday night. Police Chief David Wynn said the woman’s name was not available. Wynn said tempers are short, but he can’t understand why a member of someone’s family could take that step.

Desperation? Selfishness?

Impossible to explain.