Category — Hurricane Katrina

We need to notify FEMA that bigger trailers are necessary. Sensitivity toward the professional homeless is part of the cult of victimhood.

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Japanese electronics maker Sharp Corp will begin selling a 108-inch LCD television later this year, executives told the Consumer Electronics Show on Sunday.

Executives also said at a news conference that Sharp had developed a prototype 65-inch liquid crystal display TV that was just over 1 inch thick and weighed 23 percent less than previous models.

The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is the industry’s largest U.S. trade show.

This is catering to a hoped for voter base

Obama Warns of Black ‘Quiet Riot’

HAMPTON, Va. (AP) - Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama said Tuesday that the Bush administration has done nothing to defuse a “quiet riot” among blacks that threatens to erupt just as riots in Los Angeles did 15 years ago.

The first-term Illinois senator said that with black people from New Orleans and the Gulf Coast still displaced 20 months after Hurricane Katrina, frustration and resentments are building explosively as they did before the 1992 riots.

“This administration was colorblind in its incompetence,” Obama said at a conference of black clergy, “but the poverty and the hopelessness was there long before the hurricane.

“All the hurricane did was to pull the curtain back for all the world to see,” he said. [snip]

What the hurricane exposed was corruption of the human spirit as manifested. The highly vaunted socialist programs of everything for everyone failed in all respects.

New Orleans is and has been a bastion of Democrat socialist manipulation. Exposed are all the mal, mis, and nonfeasance of the liberal local government as the cancer it is.

What was the political ideology in congress that voted for this destruction for forty years?

The subornment, the sleaze and the duplicity of the liberal powers running the city, Barack craves to deny. Obama must lay blame on the socialist fount from which he springs. Where else can the finger point?

John Podhoretz has an interesting article today. His theory is all of President Bush’s problems can be traced to the faltering Iraq War. I don’t buy the tight causal linkage he makes though. For example, he claims that criticism over the handling of Hurricane Katrina was unjustified and conservatives would have supported the president if they weren’t so disillusioned with Iraq.

However, this break-up has been brewing for a long time. Far from fomenting Bush’s problems, the Iraq War only papered over conservative displeasure with our Commander-in-Chief. Conservatives supported the president and re-elected him in 2004 because they felt it was their patriotic duty to support a wartime president, not because they agreed with his politics.  Even though I grant Iraq failures gave voice to conservative displeasure, it was always bubbling below the surface.

A lot of Bush supporters are citing the Harriet Miers revolt as a sign that the right-wingers are completely unreasonable when it comes to the president’s policies. Mr. Podhoretz says Miers would be sitting on the Court if it weren’t for the president’s failures in Iraq. I’ll certainly grant that a successful war would have given the president the political muscle to push the nomination through, but should she be sitting on that court? Miers no longer works for the White House because they needed better lawyering, so remind me again how she was qualified to sit on the nation’s highest court? Conservatives were 1000% correct to block that nomination.

Mr. Podhoretz ends with an undeniable truth though:

If you begin a war, you have to win the war. Nothing else matters. Nothing else.

According to a few articles I’ve read, President Bush is well read on Abraham Lincoln’s leadership during the Civil War. He sees parallels behind Lincoln’s freeing of the slaves and his freeing of the Iraqi people. But unlike President Bush, Lincoln thoroughly understood Mr. Podhoretz’s statement. Throughout most of the war Lincoln searched for a general who’d aggressively prosecute the war and lead the North to victory. This president ran the war to please the Op-Ed page of the NY Times and was more than happy to let the George B. McLellans run his war. The American people have the stomach for war, but they demand victory.

Hurricane Katrina victims are looking to cash in on the disaster:

Turns out it was more than mere talk. After a massive deadline filing rush recently that is still being sorted through, the United States is facing legal claims from more than 250,000 people here demanding compensation because, they allege, the Corps negligently designed the waterworks that permeate the city.

How about returning the $125 billion that has already been allocated to Katrina relief? And that figure doesn’t include all the charitable contributions and work performed by outside agencies.

Why does everyone want to cash in when something bad happens to them? It’s especially egregious here when people have already been extremely generous. These people should be ashamed of themselves.

Something is seriously wrong when Representative William Jefferson coasts to another election victory. Even ignoring the bribery charges against him, he diverted National Guard resources during Hurricane Katrina to make a personal visit to his house. Rescuing his constituents was secondary to removing files from his house while he was under investigation by the FBI. Is it possible for him to demonstrate less concern for the voters of his district?

Regardless of race or party affiliation, all voters should want a guy like this out of office. I can only scratch my head wondering exactly what would have gotten him the boot from office considering all the baggage he has now.

the MSM says: no agenda, read the head!

NEW ORLEANS — The Associated Press has found a gaping disparity between white and black Hurricane Katrina victims over insurance payouts.

A review of 3,000 complaints filed to state regulators over homeowner insurance payouts shows whites are much more successful in the process and much more aggressive.

Whites were found three times more likely to appeal their settlements than lower-income blacks, who didn’t know or doubted the government would help.

But once appeals were filed and pursued, whites and minorities both received an average of about $40,000 more than they’d first been offered.

A woman living in the devastated Lower Ninth Ward said she got fed up with numerous calls to her insurer and accepted the $34,000 for damages that totaled more than $120,000. She said she didn’t know she could appeal and doubted it would be worthwhile.

At first blush, this story appears to be about how racist insurance companies are. That is what the first graph says. The second and fourth graph explains what is really happening.
One sees just how destructive the liberal government is to independent action. How many years have the minorities been told you can’t do it on your own; you need us. Witness the results! And the Libs are proud of it, they reinforce this mentality at every turn.

The Anchoress has an interesting piece on the Republican base’s disappointment with President Bush. The premise is we should not be surprised by what we received from the Bush presidency and she chastises us for not supporting him:

You “base” have received a great good. You’ve forgotten it. Continue to do so at your - at all our - great peril.

In some respects I agree. We backed President Bush for two reasons: he seemed like the best candidate for a general election and we did not like John McCain. Over the last 5 ½ years, we have been vindicated on both accounts as President Bush won 2 elections and John McCain continues to distance himself from the conservatives in the party.

But is no disappointment justified? I am surprised by some conservatives’ inability to say nary a bad word about the President’s policies. Are we really advancing the notion that the President has done nothing worthy of a raised eyebrow during the course of his presidency? Was a vote for the President the green light for unquestioning support of any and all of his policies?

Quite frankly, I find it disturbing that so many Republicans seem incapable of analyzing the President’s policies on their merits or assigning responsibility to him when he fails. If the President said during the 2000 Presidential debates that he supported amnesty, does that materially affect the merits of the policy one iota? And let me make it clear that it is the policies and not the President that are the topic of discussion here.

The question has never been about “liking” the President or buying the full basket of policies he may or may not have advanced. The question has always been about whether these policies are good for the country. Is the massive expansion of government spending and social services good for the country? Is the massive influx of immigrants sustainable? Is this new immigration policy really going to stop the massive inflow of illegal immigrants? Was the President’s response to the hurricane Katrina crisis appropriate?

Supporting the President does not mean blind support and it does not mean giving the President a Hallelujah every time he says Amen. For example, the President and supporters of the bill coming out of the Senate claim it is not amnesty. Am I expected to support the President when he says something that is demonstrably not true? The President has a duty to honestly make the case for his policies and give us the reasons why they are worthy of our support.

That made me wonder a little - has President Bush lost his bearings, or have we? Is it President Bush who has broken faith with “his base” or have they?

How can anyone claim conservatives have not supported or abandoned this President? We went to the mat for him on Iraq and even when the WMDs were not found, conservatives argued vehemently against charges of intelligence doctoring and intentional deception by the President. When he signed McCain-Feingold, we gritted our teeth even though we knew the President was breaking a key campaign promise to protect our freedom of speech. In the Katrina disaster, we argued that “topping” and “breaching” meant two different things although the President’s command of the English language begs the question of whether he actually made that distinction or not. We gave him a pass on his massive expansion of government and nobody questioned decisions to leak intelligence to discredit critics of his policies (remember FBI File Gate). How many times was the President expecting to come to the well?

But, in our zeal to find any resting place for responsibility other than the Oval Office, now we want to blame conservatives. However, none of us control the legislative agenda. We did not ignore border security after 9/11 because it would kill our chances of getting a guest worker program. We did not remain silent when the House version of the bill was passed, and we did not visit President Fox while the Senate careened wildly out of control on the first version of this bill.

The President has every right to expect my intelligent and informed support when his policies make sense, but no right to ask for my blind devotion. What we need is a few more facts about why this bill is good for the country and less discussion about “mean” conservatives who refuse to support the President.

Some of you may recall Louisiana Democrat William Jefferson from his misuse of National Guard resources at the height of the Katrina disaster:

Amid the chaos and confusion that engulfed New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina struck, a congressman used National Guard troops to check on his property and rescue his personal belongings — even while New Orleans residents were trying to get rescued from rooftops, ABC News has learned.

Of course his removal of items had nothing to do with the ongoing investigation into bribery charges against him:

The documents revealed that many of Mr. Jefferson’s contacts with people involved in the bribery scheme were secretly taped, including a meeting last July at which the lawmaker received a briefcase containing $100,000 in $100 bills.

The F.B.I. said that $90,000 of that money was found in a raid on Mr. Jefferson’s Washington home last August, divided into $10,000 increments and placed in “various frozen food containers and wrapped in aluminum foil.”

I don’t see the problem. Doesn’t everyone hide $90,000 in frozen food packages in their freezer? I bet most people would put that kind money in the bank or at least they would if they had a plausible explanation for how it was earned.

The F.B.I. agent said that the bills had been photocopied before the hand-off, and that their numbers matched the $90,000 found in Mr. Jefferson’s freezer in Washington last summer.

Ouch! The FBI appears to have this one nailed down pretty tightly with recordings, video of him taking the bribe, and a match on the money from his apartment. Two words for Congressman Jefferson come to mind—plea bargain. I guess corruption does span the two parties after all.

The right to die movement has certainly made strong inroads in the medical community. Its roots are so deep now that it seems to be the first option even when the patient never requested it. Take this example in New Orleans:

Three days after Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans, staff members at the city’s Memorial Medical Center had repeated discussions about euthanizing patients they thought might not survive the ordeal, according to a doctor and nurse manager who were in the hospital at the time.

Or this example right here in Massachusetts:

Although Haleigh’s doctors said she had a damaged brain stem and would remain in a vegetative state, other neurologists and ethicists have said it can take a year to determine whether such a young patient can recover from serious brain injuries.

But eight days after Haleigh was hospitalized, DSS sought permission from a Juvenile Court judge to remove her life support.

“It was a quick move because the doctors believed that intrusive care was both inhumane and useless,” Spence said.

Haleigh is now in rehabilitation after DSS forced another examination which confirmed her condition was improving. It only took 8 days for the doctors and DSS to decide a little girl’s life should end. Can anyone tell me this is sufficient time to make such a monumental decision?

When did our focus shift from healing the sick to taking any measures to insure there is no suffering? Life is a precious gift; we need to start treating it that way again.

If you can keep your most recent meal down, read this excruciatingly long puff piece on Democratic chances in the 2006 elections. Why are the liberals in the mainstream press giddy about Democratic chances in 2006?

But 2006 feels different. What with Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, the Abramoff scandal and an unconvincing economy, President Bush’s approval ratings are down in the mid-30’s. Even Republican strategists and legislators concede the parallels to 1994 and worry that their party now feels as entrenched and unaccountable as the Democrats did then.

Notice any similarities here? Public perception on these issues is clouded by the media’s refusal to give fair and accurate analysis. Contrary to reporting in the NY Times, Iraq is not in the middle of a full scale civil war. Shouldn’t the press badger Harry Reid and other Democrats to release photos of themselves and Mr. Abramoff? The way they carry on about this “exclusively” Republican scandal, one might think Republicans received campaign contributions from the Red Chinese. Bet your last dollar the difference between a breach and topping would be meticulously explained for a Democratic administration, and who, besides the media, isn’t convinced by this economy with strong GDP and job growth?

I’m so relieved media bias is just a figment of conservatives’ imagination.

How’s this for Chutzpah:

Now that the Bridge to Nowhere has collapsed (although not completely), are you ready for a new pork project to attack?

Consider this — the Army Corps of Engineers is, in large part, to blame for the levees breaking down in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. Now, thanks to Republican Senator Thad Cochran, part of the funds being used to help pay for Katrina relief — approx. $13 million — will be used to build a museum celebrating the Army Corps of Engineers!

Let’s repeat that.

Part of the money being used to fix the levees will be used to celebrate the government’s inability to build levees that don’t break.

Only the federal government has the bureaucracy and arrogance to spend so much money on such an asinine project.

Time for another roundup of links I have come across over the last couple of days:

• Terrorism Unveiled is the place to go for coverage of the terrorist bombings in Jordan. She thinks this may turn Arab opinion against the terrorists:
  

  “Most likely, there will be a major public outcry against this, and I mean larger Arab public. Afterall, if it can happen in the peaceful Amman, it can happen anywhere. Jordanians will rally, and King Abdullah will take even more strides against these terrorists. Jordanians will be less supportive of what they once thought of as “resistance” in Iraq. Now the resistance has turned the gun on them, so to speak.

  This happened to the Islamic Jihad and Gamaat Islamiya in Egypt, and it will happen to Zarqawi’s group as well. You cannot attack the public from whom you are trying to get support—from whom you need support.”

• On a related but somewhat lighter note, mASS BACKWARDS wonders who may have been responsible for the attacks:
  

  “No doubt, this was the work of some disgruntled Baptists, or perhaps a gang of down-on-their-luck Episcopalians, or maybe some royally pissed off Lutherans, or a radical Amish fringe group, or…”

• Happy 230th Birthday to the United States Marine Corps! Dean’s World looks at how blogs on the left and right are treating the military today. I can’t imagine why anyone would question the left’s patriotism.
• While we are on the subject of the Marines, Froggy Ruminations and One Hand Clapping both have negative reviews of the new war movie “Jarhead”. I was looking forward to seeing this movie after seeing the preview. Unfortunately it looks like the preview wasn’t representative of the actual movie.
• Unclaimed Territory takes a trip down memory lane to remind us of all the snide remarks the French were saying about us immediately following Hurricane Katrina. All of them now appear to describe their own situation much more accurately.
• Speaking of the French, the Ex-Donkey Blog has found something for us all (at least the male readers that is) to be envious of the French for.
• Ace of Spades posts a defense of political gerrymandering.
• John Miller at NRO looks at the 2006 Senate races.
• Norman Podhoretz has an excellent examination of who is really lying about Iraq.
• Stephen Hayes lists 10 documents that the Intelligence community should declassify for the American people to read.

I’m always quick to criticize the stupid things we here from the entertainment industry so I thought I would point out that a little common sense has come from an unlikely source in the rap community.

50 Cent Disagrees With Kanye West

Rap feuds aren’t usually about differing opinions on President Bush. However, that appears to be the case between 50 Cent and Kanye West.

50 says he disagrees with West’s infamous statement that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people,” proclaimed during a September telethon for Hurricane Katrina victims.

“I think people responded to it the best way they can,” 50 told ContactMusic.com. “What Kanye West was saying, I don’t know where that came from.”

Instead, 50 said, “The New Orleans disaster was meant to happen. It was an act of God.”

It wouldn’t be the first time 50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, made comments that weren’t flattering of West. In a September interview with MTV, 50 — while otherwise complimentary of the popular “Gold Digger” rapper — said: “I feel like Kanye West is successful because of me.”

“After 50 Cent, (hip-hop fans) was looking for something non-confrontational, and they went after first thing that came along. That was Kanye West, and his record took off.”

West’s second album, “Late Registration,” has remained near the top of the charts since debuting Aug. 30.

50 stars in the upcoming film “Get Rich or Die Tryin,” a biopic of the rapper that is set to open Nov. 9.

If the media wants to know why help was slow to arrive in New Orleans, they should start by looking in the mirror:

Five weeks after Hurricane Katrina laid waste to New Orleans, some local, state and federal officials have come to believe that exaggerations of mayhem by officials and rumors repeated uncritically in the news media helped slow the response to the disaster and tarnish the image of many of its victims.

Claims of widespread looting, gunfire directed at helicopters and rescuers, homicides, and rapes, including those of “babies” at the Louisiana Superdome, frequently turned out to be overblown, if not completely untrue, officials now say.

The sensational accounts delayed rescue and evacuation efforts already hampered by poor planning and a lack of coordination among local, state and federal agencies. People rushing to the Gulf Coast to fly rescue helicopters or to distribute food, water and other aid steeled themselves for battle. In communities near and far, the seeds were planted that the victims of Katrina should be kept away, or at least handled with extreme caution.

Today’s roundup includes articles and blog posts that I have come across since Friday:

• The American Thinker warns against “misunderestimating” Harriet Miers in an interesting post that looks at how President Bush’s MBA background may have influenced his decision.
• Florida Governor Jeb Bush explains in the Washington Post why emergency response to natural disasters, such as hurricanes, should remain a local responsibility. He should know, considering that he is “governor of a state that has been hit by seven hurricanes and two tropical storms in the past 13 months”. We can only hope that his brother and Congress will take his advice and not overreact to Louisiana’s botched response to Hurricane Katrina.
• Ed Koch says it is time for America to speak up against Cindy Sheehan. He also lists some of her most outrageous quotes to show why she doesn’t deserve any special treatment from Americans who would otherwise give a grieving mother some leeway. On a related note, Charles Krauthammer says “the antiwar movement is singularly disserved by its leadership”.
• Blackfive posts a touching photo of an Iraqi medic consoling an American Soldier after losing many Iraqi soldiers to an IED. I doubt you will be seeing the story or any others like it on any network newscasts.
• Big Pharaoh, an Egyptian blogger, has a message for Arab/Islamic media, government, and religious leaders.