Amazing And Sad Discussion On New Orleans On Today's Meet The Press

[JABBS]

TIM RUSSERT: Let me talk about responsibility around the country, particularly in New Orleans and Mississippi. This is the Washington Post and it's breathtaking.

"This city of grapples with its new realities: More than 100,000 homes and businesses remain uninhabitable. More than three out of four residents live elsewhere. More than five million tons of storm debris is still on the ground. The power company is bankrupt. Workers are in short supply. Its first and so far only public school reopened. The police force is in disarray. Scientists are recording alarming mold levels. Suburban suicide rates are spiking. Local doctors are operating out of tents."

The New York Times today, "Death of an American city. We are about to lose New Orleans," which led me to this editorial by Jim Amoss, the editor of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. In his headline, "Do Not Forsake Us." And let me just share with the American people:

"President Bush flew into New Orleans shortly after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city. His staff had to fire up giant generators to bathe St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square in floodlights, as a backdrop for his promise that he would `do what it takes' to rebuild New Orleans. 'There is no way to imagine America without New Orleans,' he said, `and this great city will rise again.' Then the lights went out, and the president left. Vast swaths of the city have been in darkness ever since. President Bush was still smarting from the embarrassing federal response to Katrina when he stood in the heart of our city and made his promise to rebuild. It would be a greater embarrassment to an entire nation if that promise went unfulfilled."

Well, Mike Allen, the president, the Congress, what must be done to save New Orleans?

MIKE ALLEN, WASHINGTON POST: Tim, I'm going to tell you something that's going to amaze you because it amazed me when I looked it up yesterday and I lost a bet on this. The last time the president was in the hurricane region was October 11th, two months ago. The president stood in New Orleans and said it was going to be one of the largest reconstruction efforts in the history of the world. You go to the White House home page, there's Barney-Cam, there's Social Security, there's renewing Iraq. Where's renewing New Orleans? A presidential adviser told me that that issue has fallen so far off the radar screen, you can't even find it.

***

This item first appeared at Journalists Against Bush's B.S.

[ShockediSay]

1. Bush's showcase rebuilding

of a US city can't get off the ground because no lobbyists can make anywhere near the rip off there is in Iraq for them and their contractors.

[_ed_]

2. I was amazed at

the frankness of their discussion. A rare moment of credibility for Russert.

The reporters all but said, "What the fuck is going on!!!"

[PATRICK]

4. Don't they know?

Bush's unwillingness and inability ever ever to help anyone other than his cronies is as sure as the setting sun or the dark side of the moon that never sees the light of day. Any journalist who naively "wonders" what is going is blind beyond belief over on that dark side.

Bush is letting it happen again. They are dying over there and thereabouts so they won't importune the rich man's bottomless looting budget. Bush is a rich man's criminal. Capone might have spread out some dough for the peons but not the son and grandson of a rich war profiteer.

Promises. What a bunch of morons. Do they ever check the record?

[intheflow]

3. Nomiated!

Wouldn't you know the first Sunday in forever that I chose church over Sunday morning news shows they actually talked about the shit that drove me to church in the first place? How ironic.

[JPZenger]

5. Report on Levees Won't be done until 2007

NPR reported that the Army Corps of Engineers' report on whether to strengthen the New Orleans levees won't be done until late 2007. This isn't actually any work - its just the report to recommend whether to do any work.

[gratuitous]

6. MIke Allen put the hat on George Bush's noggin?

Now that's astonishing. And Russert actually obliquely said that Bush's response was "embarrassing." Well, not Bush's personal response, mind you, the federal response. Which has nothing whatsoever to do with Bush, as we all know.

[jbnow]

7. They went on to say

He gave the big speech and big promises when the public was so unhappy with how he handled Katrina.
Now that it's out of the spotlight he pretends its not there anymore, as though to bring it up would remind people of how bad he'd done. No one began to defend him. Seemed to be it has to get back in the spotlight to make him move, remind him of his promises. They said it was the "shortest war on poverty in history"

[AuntPatsy]

8. I have been hearing from those supporters of the radicalright

that the dems too are not doing anything, that if they cared so much, why arent they down there protesting the white house ignoring nos with those in nos...

[mcscajun]

9. Bush did what he always does...makes a speech full of pretty phrases

and empty promises...then the flurry of distraction takes over.

Anyone heard or seen anything about the AIDS Money he promised Africa in the 2003 SOTU speech?

No fulfillment. Ever.

[hvn_nbr_2]

10. To the radical right, government has only four purposes:

1. Serve the rich.
2. Make war.
3. Screw the poor.
4. Inflict pain and death.

So, where does rebuilding New Orleans fit their general plan for humanity? Looks to me like NOT rebuilding New Orleans fits their desires perfectly. If they could only find some insurgents there to make war on, they'd have their super-trifecta.

[KamaAina]

11. The issue has fallen off the radar screen?!

One of his rich buddies needs to get him a new one for Chris -- um, I mean, the holidays.

Maybe it'll get back on the radar screen at the rally Wednesday in D.C. Maybe.

Gads, what a bunch of creeps. :grr: :banghead:

[RazzleDazzle]

12. And here's the real link

since JABBS can't be bothered to provide it for the rest of us:

http://jabbs.blogspot.com/2005/12/new-orleans-remains-uninhabitable.html

[JABBS]

13. like it's so hard

to go to the website and page down to story #2?

I don't think you need to be sarcastic.

[stickdog]

14. The Battle of New Orleans.

Another massacre without any reparations.