Bush the villain of (Spike Lee's) Katrina film

[Human Torch]

http://www.smh.com.au/news/film/bush-the-villain-of-katrina-film/2006/08/20/1156012407712.html

Bush the villain of Katrina film

Bob Dart
August 21, 2006

The documentary will be shown in two-hour slots on the American cable network HBO tonight and tomorrow. It will air the entire four hours on August 29, the first anniversary of the disaster. Lee said his work was aimed at the forgetfulness of a nation. "People are still in dire straits," he said. "We want to put the focus back here." Lee has chronicled America's racial divisions since his 1989 film Do the Right Thing. But it's more people in poverty than people of colour whose suffering is depicted in When the Levees Broke. Corpses with all shades of skin are shown in the fetid floodwaters.

The Government is the villain in Lee's lens, and the audience of about 8000 booed when President George Bush and Michael Brown, the former director of FEMA, were on screen. Chuckles and jeers erupted at three rapidly repeated shots of Bush saying "Brownie, you did a heck of a job." While the film shows the raw power of the storm, it blames much of the tragedy on the failure of man-made levees and a negligent government response. "What happened here was a criminal act, " Lee said.

A review in New Orleans' Times-Picayune criticised the film for focusing on the African-American experience and giving short shrift to white folks. Lee said any reviewer who didn't see white faces must have slept through the film. Indeed, from a weeping disc jockey to an angry homeowner who said "Go f--- yourself, Mr Cheney" when waylaid by a vice-presidential photo op, white people in the film drew applause from the mostly black viewers.

[aquart]

1. I will never forget.

No terrorist ever destroyed an entire city. That took Katrina and George.

[calimary]

2. I will never forget, either. Bet he sure had fun with that nice birthday

cake and the cool guitar he was given while New Orleans drowned. And I'm sure contradicta loved "Spamalot" while New Orleans drowned. And I'm sure it was nice to have so many of our National Guard troops and Army Reservists mired over in Iraq instead of helping with the national security emergency HERE AT HOME.

You're so correct, aquart. No terrorist ever destroyed an entire city. That took Katrina and george. Especially the george who sat there being briefed ahead of time and then strolled off to his nice deluxe leisure time and put everybody else on "Ignore," and THEN had the nerve to go on a TV interview and claim that "nobody could have anticipated the breach of the levees." Lied about THAT, TOO, didn't you, george?

We need NOT to forget this stuff. And we need to do what we can to make sure nobody else forgets this, either. ESPECIALLY when bush and the other bad guys are going to be milking the hell out of the fifth anniversary of September 11th. America needs to be reminded about MORE than just that anniversary.

[izzie]

3. Takes 'class' to let a city die like that. One has to wonder

what could Bush be thinking. A man who cares for nothing but him self.

[Skittles]

4. it was when I knew bush was worse than even I thought he would be

and I had put up with the incompentent bastard as governor for a long time before they installed his sorry ass into the White House

[aquart]

9. See, in NYC we already knew.

Because he was exactly the same on 9/11. Missing in action. But our city was not destroyed and our food and water were available. We saved ourselves (with the help of citizens from every part of the nation who simply showed up to help and I start crying just typing it. God bless them all.)... George and his government did nothing except lie about the quality of our poisoned air. They TALKED about giving us money, but we had to pry it out of them.

Had the situation been worse, George would have left all of us to die, just as he did New Orleans. As it was, he didn't bother to protect us even when he knew a terror strike was coming, that they intended to use airplanes as weapons, and it would be that summer. He let us die, and it is no fault of his that it was only three thousand and not fifty thousand. Only three thousand because George couldn't be bothered to make sure a terrorist couldn't get into a cockpit.

[Skittles]

12. you got that right

I had not thought of it that way although I certainly knew the bastard was missing in action for days before he decided to do a photo op in the rubble - the gall, what a piece of SCUM he is

[ima_sinnic]

5. the whole world saw US citizens begging & screaming for help for days

... I will never forget that horror, the nightmare that went on for days while NObody came to their aid. The chaos that THEY--the unelected greedy pig fascist scum--created, TURNING AWAY help and assistance that came from around the world, refusing even to let the Red Cross set up in New Orleans itself, saboteurs from FEMA were WITNESSED cutting phone lines, MERCENARIES with ski masks sent in to an American city (for target practice, I guess), no reporters allowed--and then the slap in the face of the cocky little shithead in his series of photo-ops still doing NOTHING but trying to get some mileage out of the situation FOR HIMSELF.

why didn't Americans revolt then and there? what in hell is everybody pussy-footing around for? where are the torches and pitchforks? why do we put up with it? the criminals couldn't be ANY MORE OBVIOUS yet they are unobstructed in their continuous lawlessness, plunder, and murder.

[aquart]

7. We ceased to be a superpower at that moment.

Perception is all. We failed to protect our own. A third world nation where 98% of the people live in mud huts could not have done worse. We failed in our primary mission and Bush didn't even notice.

But the rest of the world did.

[AtomicKitten]

6. BushCo will rot in hell for their criminal negligence.

eom

[Kurovski]

8. K&R.n/t

[Disturbed]

11. If most Americans didn't wake up at that time that

Busholini is only a Sock Puppet then there is scant hope for America. It was painfully obvious that this faux Pres. is merely the front man in a Fascist Regime that is Hell bound to destroy the American Middle Class and bury the Working Poor and the Poor. The Katrina Disaster was and still is a prime indicator that this Fascist Regime could not care any less about the American people.

[Totally Committed]

10. So??? He WAS the freaking villain....

He should rot in hell for the pain and suffering those people went through and still go through today. I will NEVER FORGET that as long as I live.



Never.



Ever. EVER!

TC

[Fluffdaddy]

13. Watching