GOP Convention Day 1 Apparently Cancelled

[frerottenextelway]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5976307.html

ST. PAUL, MINN. — The Republican National Convention's entire Monday night program, including an address by President Bush, apparently will be canceled as national attention focuses on Hurricane Gustav, House Minority Leader John Boehner said today.

"It is doubtful that there will be any kind of program tomorrow night" when the four-day convention was scheduled to commence, he told reporters. "The convention is going to be handled on a day-to-day basis."

[Spider]

They have no choice , but i want to see how the republicans respond this go around

[spdirty]

It appears that Jindall and Nagin have their shlt together, so hopefully they do. More important work needs to be done than 4 nights of speeches.

[ghwk]

Originally Posted by spdirty

It appears that Jindall and Nagin have their shlt together, so hopefully they do. More important work needs to be done than 4 nights of speeches.

Agreed, my pet goat will have to wait.

[tnedator]

Originally Posted by Spider

They have no choice , but i want to see how the republicans respond this go around

Well, since it's the states responsibility to prepare for and deal with natural disasters, hopefully the current republican governor won't screw the pooch like the Dem Blanco did.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Originally Posted by ghwk

Agreed, my pet goat will have to wait.

McCain orders convention curtailed for Gustav

By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent 14 minutes ago

ST. PAUL, Minn. - John McCain tore up the script for his Republican National Convention on Sunday, ordering the cancellation of all but essential opening-day activities as Hurricane Gustav churned toward New Orleans.

"This is a time when we have to do away with our party politics and we have to act as Americans," he said as fellow Republicans converged on their convention city to nominate him for the White House.

President Bush and Vice President Cheney scrapped plans to address the convention on Monday, and McCain's campaign chartered a jet to fly delegates back to their hurricane-threatened states along the Gulf Coast. Campaign manager Rick Davis said the first-night program was being cut from seven hours to two and one half.

The hasty reordering of an event months in the making underscored not only the risk posed by Gustav, but also an intense desire by McCain and Republicans to avoid the political damage that Bush suffered from his widely criticized response to Hurricane Katrina three years ago.

The formal business of the convention includes nominating McCain for president and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate on Wednesday. McCain's acceptance speech, set for prime time on Thursday evening, is among the most critical events of the campaign for his chances of winning the White House.

McCain said he was looking forward to attending the convention but did not say when he would arrive. He spoke via satellite from St. Louis after he and Palin received a briefing on hurricane preparations in Jackson, Miss.

Campaign manager Davis told reporters inside the convention hall that the opening program on Monday would be "business only and will refrain from political rhetoric."

To help those in need, he said, "We are working with the delegations, financial people, finance committees, many other concerned individuals to do what we can to raise money for various charities that operate in the Gulf Coast region."

As for the convention schedule, he added that further adjustments would be made on a day-to-day basis.

McCain said of his briefing in Mississippi: "I'm happy to report to you that the coordination and the work that's being done at all levels appears to be excellent." He cited remaining challenges in communications and search and rescue operations, but emphasized that the response seemed to be going more smoothly than the one three years ago.

"I have every expectation that we will not see the mistakes of Katrina repeated," he said.

The Bush administration's handling of that storm contributed to a plunge in the president's approval ratings that helped the Democrats win control of Congress in 2006.

The uncertainty contrasted with a state of readiness inside the Xcel Center, a hockey arena transformed into a made-for-televison red-carpeted convention hall. Thousands of red, white and blue balloons nestled in netting high above the floor — to be released during final-night festivities if the Republicans decide to go ahead with them.

Outside, police took nine people into custody for crossing a security barrier in an anti-war march. The nine, including two women in their 70s, were charged with trespassing, according to Doug Holtz, a St. Paul police commander.

Emphasizing their concern about the hurricane, McCain and his newly named running mate traveled to Mississippi for a tour of the state's emergency management center.

"I pledge that tomorrow night, and if necessary throughout our convention, we will act as Americans, not as Republicans," McCain told reporters moments later.

The events temporarily overshadowed a more traditionally political pre-convention debate over McCain's decision to name Palin to his ticket. She was mayor of small-town Wasilla, Alaska, for six years before she became governor in DecemDber 2006.

Responding to a question after his hurricane-related remarks, McCain made a ringing defense of Palin, who Democrats argue has less experience than their presidential candidate, Barack Obama.

"I thin Sen. Obama, if they want to do down that route, in all candor, she has far, far more experience than Sen. Obama does," McCain said.

He cited Palin's stint as governor of a "state that produces 20 percent of America's energy" as well as her previous membership in the PTA and her time spent on the city council and in the mayor's office in Wasilla,a town of fewer than 7,000 people outside Anchorage.

By contrast, he said Obama "was a community organizer when she was in elected office. He was in the state Senate and voted 130 times present. He never took on his party on anything. She took on a party and the old bulls and the old boy network and she succeeded."

Palin has frequently clashed with fellow Republicans in her state, and won office after denying an incumbent GOP governor renomination to a new term in office.

But Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut said McCain's selection was merely designed to appease the hard-right conservatives in the Republican Party. "His knees buckled" when it came time to picking a running mate, Dodd said of McCain in an appearance on CNN.

McCain conferred by phone with Govs. Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Bob Riley of Alabama and Charlie Crist of Florida during the day.

Crist, with a prominent speaking role at the convention, said he was staying in his home state to tend to hurricane business, and the others were staying home as well.

Democrats, too, decided to tone down their convention-week efforts.

Party spokesman Brad Woodhouse said the Democrats had canceled a "More of the Same" rally that had been slated for Monday.

Obama said he was ready to encourage his supporters to assist any victims of the hurricane.

"I think we can activate an e-mail list of a couple of million people who want to give back," he said.

Roger Villere Jr., Louisiana Republican Party chairman, said the chartered jet would fly delegates back to their home states and also fly back to Minnesota with family members who want to evacuate the Gulf Coast area.

"We got a large plane because we needed it. We'll take any delegate that would like to go back," Villere said.

"The McCain campaign has assured me this is the first priority," he said referring to the hurricane.

With millions of Gulf Coast residents fleeing the approaching storm, Chadwick Melder, a delegate from Baton Rouge, said he was taking advantage of an offer from the campaign to fly his family out of harm's way.

"I'm trying to get my family out of there and stay here for the week," said Melder, although he added, "I have responsibilities here as well."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080831/...convention_rdp

[Spider]

Originally Posted by tnedator

Well, since it's the states responsibility to prepare for and deal with natural disasters, hopefully the current republican governor won't screw the pooch like the Dem Blanco did.

where was this states attitude on Schivo case ?
but anyhoo , it was the states responsibility to get people to safety , but fed dropped the ball on getting help in

[tnedator]

Originally Posted by Spider

where was this states attitude on Schivo case ?
but anyhoo , it was the states responsibility to get people to safety , but fed dropped the ball on getting help in

I guess you forgot the part where Blanco couldn't make up her mind whether or not she needed help. Kept hesitating and froze like a deer in the headlights.

However, I agree that Fema screwed the pooch and didn't get supplies in fast enough, but it still was the states job to go in and rescue people, it was Fema's job to help them with supplies and coordination.

[Spider]

Originally Posted by tnedator

I guess you forgot the part where Blanco couldn't make up her mind whether or not she needed help. Kept hesitating and froze like a deer in the headlights.

However, I agree that Fema screwed the pooch and didn't get supplies in fast enough, but it still was the states job to go in and rescue people, it was Fema's job to help them with supplies and coordination.

........ well you forgot the part where Bush cut the funding to the levies .........

[TheDave]

regardless, from a PR perspective they didn't have a choice.

[tnedator]

Originally Posted by Spider

........ well you forgot the part where Bush cut the funding to the levies .........

Gimme a break. They have been talking about reinforcing those levies for decades and keep instead using federal funds for other purposes in LA. You and I BOTH know that even if Bush had bullied congress into passing a "reinforce the NOLA levies" bill and forced LA to use the money to rebuild the levies, then it still wouldn't have helped NOLA, because of how long it takes to complete a project of that magnitude.

I have no problem with finding fault where it lies, but make **** up just doesn't fly.

[cutthemdown]

Originally Posted by TheDave

regardless, from a PR perspective they didn't have a choice.

what cracks me up is how Bush gets blamed for not spending money to fix the levies. Hell Clinton had a surplus but you didn't see him say let's spend it on the NO levies. Things like this don't become an issue until something like Katrina happens.

I'm more interested in seeing if the govt does a better job this time rather then pointing fingers like most people like to do. All you can do is learn from events that happen and try to plan better.

IMO just having the pumps above ground and a good evacuation of low areas will be enough to not repeat Katrina.

[Spider]

Originally Posted by tnedator

Gimme a break. They have been talking about reinforcing those levies for decades and keep instead using federal funds for other purposes in LA. You and I BOTH know that even if Bush had bullied congress into passing a "reinforce the NOLA levies" bill and forced LA to use the money to rebuild the levies, then it still wouldn't have helped NOLA, because of how long it takes to complete a project of that magnitude.

I have no problem with finding fault where it lies, but make **** up just doesn't fly.

Make **** up ? you goof read and weep ....... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...090102261.html
I suggest reading up on issues before commenting on making **** up

[Spider]

all of the Bush suckers need to read that

[tnedator]

Originally Posted by Spider

Make **** up ? you goof read and weep ....... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...090102261.html
I suggest reading up on issues before commenting on making **** up

Thanks for providing the link which backs up EXACTLY what I said:

Even with full funding in recent years, none of the flood-control projects would have been completed in time to prevent the swamping of the city, as Democrats yesterday acknowledged.

The Corps of Engineers, which worked closely with White House officials on its response, went to the defense of the administration, denying that additional money would have made a difference this week because the defenses of New Orleans were designed to withstand a Category 3 storm, not a Category 4 hurricane such as Katrina. "It was not a funding issue," said Carol Sanders, the chief spokeswoman for the corps. "It's an issue of the design capabilities of these projects."

As I said, for decades people have been talking about the fact that if a major hurricane hit NOLA, it would be screwed. They have been talking about the fact the levy system was inadequate for decades, since the '60s or '70s, and started focusing in ernest on working to improve them starting in the late '90s. It was a long term project, and even the 'Democrats' agreed that the levee failures were not a result of cuts in funding to the corp of engineers.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Originally Posted by tnedator

I guess you forgot the part where Blanco couldn't make up her mind whether or not she needed help. Kept hesitating and froze like a deer in the headlights.

There you go slinging the right-wing disinfo again.

Blanco’s letter requesting Emergency aid under the Stafford Act, August 27th

http://www.bayoubuzz.com/articles.aspx?aid=4843

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/c...9-322/ch11.pdf

http://www.newshounds.us/2005/09/06/...s_the_poor.php

The Aug. 26 request is the more important request date and is also confirmed by Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré in this DOD Special Briefing. The letter is a more specific request as to what exactly is needed:

http://www.dod.gov/transcripts/2005/...0901-3843.html

President Bush legally puts the ball in Chertoff and Howard’s court, August 27th

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/relea...20050827-1.htm

In the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other large-scale emergency, the Department of Homeland Security will assume primary responsibility on March 1st for ensuring that emergency response professionals are prepared for any situation. This will entail providing a coordinated, comprehensive federal response to any large-scale crisis and mounting a swift and effective recovery effort. The new Department will also prioritize the important issue of citizen preparedness. Educating America's families on how best to prepare their homes for a disaster and tips for citizens on how to respond in a crisis will be given special attention at DHS.

http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/theme_home2.jsp

[Spider]

Originally Posted by tnedator

Thanks for providing the link which backs up EXACTLY what I said:





As I said, for decades people have been talking about the fact that if a major hurricane hit NOLA, it would be screwed. They have been talking about the fact the levy system was inadequate for decades, since the '60s or '70s, and started focusing in ernest on working to improve them starting in the late '90s. It was a long term project, and even the 'Democrats' agreed that the levee failures were not a result of cuts in funding to the corp of engineers.

Did you read the entire thing Page 2 ? No the swamping wouldnt have been prevented , but it wouldnt have been as bad either , relief efforts etc ..... well you probably didnt read page 2 so here ....

Originally Posted by page 2 , bush suckers wont like this

Michael Parker, who was forced by Bush to resign as assistant secretary of the Army for civil works after accusing the White House of shortchanging the Corps of Engineers, said the culprit is not the president but government-wide resistance to investing long-term in projects such as flood control.

"You have watched during a period of 72 hours a modern city of New Orleans [become] a Third World country, and it is all because of the disintegration of infrastructure," Parker said. "Everybody is to blame -- it transcends administrations. It transcends party."


Michael Parker was forced by Bush to resign as assistant secretary of the Army for civil works.
Michael Parker was forced by Bush to resign as assistant secretary of the Army for civil works.
Hurricane Katrina's Aftermath in the Gulf Coast

Most Blogged About Articles
On washingtonpost.com | On the web

Parker, a former Republican congressman from Mississippi, said the biggest institutional obstacle to protecting levees and bridges and waterways is the Office of Management and Budget, which has sought to rein in the Corps of Engineers' budget under Bush and predecessors. Critics say the corps sometimes works with lawmakers to secure congressional spending authority on wasteful programs.

Local and federal officials have long warned that funding shortages in the New Orleans area would have consequences. They sounded the alarm as recently as last summer when they complained that federal budget cuts had stopped major work on New Orleans east bank hurricane levees for the first time in 37 years. Al Naomi, the senior project manager for the Army Corps of Engineers, reported at the time that he was getting only half as much money as he needed and that much of the funding was being used to pay contractors for past work.

"When levees are below grade, as ours are in many spots right now, they're more vulnerable to waves pouring over them and degrading them," Naomi told the Times-Picayune of New Orleans. Walter Maestri, the emergency management chief in Jefferson Parish (county), at the time linked the funding shortfall to the cost of the Iraq war. "It appears that the money has been moved in the president's budget to handle homeland security and the war in Iraq, and I suppose that's the price we pay," he told the newspaper. Maestri added, "For us, this levee is part and parcel of homeland security because it helps protect us 365 days a year."

One project that has drawn attention in recent days is the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project, commonly called SELA, which began a decade ago to improve flood protection in a network of improved drainage canals and pump stations in Orleans and Jefferson parishes.

The project, which is supposed to cost $744 million overall, has been shortchanged recently, according to advocates. The corps said it needed $62.5 million next fiscal year; Bush proposed $10.5 million.

This provoked howls of protest from the Louisiana congressional delegation. "All of us said, 'Look, build it or you're going to have all of Jefferson Parish under water,' " recalled former senator John Breaux, a Democrat who is a Bush ally. "And they didn't, and now all of Jefferson Parish is under water."

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

TIMELINE


Friday, 26 August 2005, Governor of Louisiana declares state of emergency
Saturday morning, 27 August 2005, Governor of Louisiana asks President Bush to declare a state of emergency and requests Federal Assistance “to save lives and property”. Note, the letter was published on 27 August 2005 on Lexis Nexis but was dated 28 August 2005. Bush received the letter on Saturday and responded on the same day by declaring a State of Emergency. Note, per the NRP, William Lokey was designated as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in Louisiana.
Sunday, 28 August 2005, Mayor of New Orleans orders Mandatory Evacuation.
(Note: In Governor Blanco’s request on the 27th, there is a specific request for help with evacuation and a specific request for help to “save lives and protect property”. )


Monday, 29 August 2005, FEMA Director Brown requests DHS Secretary Chertoff’s help in getting 1000 DHS employees ready to deploy to the disaster within 48 hours.


Under the National Response Plane (see p. 93, Figure 11), once the President declares a State of Emergency the Department of Homeland Security is supposed to implement the Plan. Initially, DHS is supposed to deploy an Emergency Response Team to the State to provide expertise in assessing needs and determining appropriate courses of action. Moreover, on p. 52 of the NRP the President may act proactively under the Stafford Act.


Folks, these are not OPINIONS, these are cold, objective facts. However, MSNBC and other members of the Main Stream Media, are confused about what is a fact and what is opinion.


http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2005/09...ts-on-katrina/

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

The flooding in New Orleans was foretold over and over and over again

'Drowning New Orleans'
October, 2001
http://sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa006&articleID=000...

'Keeping Its Head Above Water'
New Orleans Faces Doomsday Scenario
December 1, 2001
http://www.hurricane.lsu.edu/_in_the_news/houston.htm

'Washing Away'
2002
http://www.nola.com/hurricane/?/washingaway/part1.html

'City in a Bowl'
September 20, 2002
http://www.pbs.org/now/printable/transcript_neworleans_...

'Disaster in the Making'
September 22, 2004
http://www.indyweek.com/durham/2004-09-22/cover.html

'A Way Out' ( Despite advances, the subject of evacuation has been a widely overlooked issue within the transportation field.)
April, 2004
http://hurricane.lsu.edu/_in_the_news/tmemag0404.htm

'A Disaster Waiting to Happen'
September 28, 2004
http://www.bestofneworleans.com/dispatch/2004-09-28/cov...

'Gone With the Water'
October, 2004
http://www3.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature5 /

What if Hurricane Ivan Had Not Missed New Orleans?
Novermber, 2004
http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/o/nov04/nov04c.html

[tnedator]

Originally Posted by L.A. BRONCOS FAN

There you go slinging the right-wing disinfo again.



The Aug. 26 request is the more important request date and is also confirmed by Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré in this DOD Special Briefing. The letter is a more specific request as to what exactly is needed:

http://www.dod.gov/transcripts/2005/...0901-3843.html

So, how would the response have been better after the mayor and governor screwed the pooch? It's amazing that even though the mayor and governor did nothing wrong, it was all a failure of national response, that they are actually doing more than just sitting on their hands in their below sea level city and saying, "ahhh shucks, it will all be ok"

It takes time to mount a large scale rescue operation when a city like NOLA is dessimated and there is a complete failure by state and local government, not to mention other states were effected, roads impassible, etc.

As I said, FEMA didn't do a very good job of getting supplies in as soon as possible, but the Governor and Mayor completely failed in their roles. Do you deny this fact?

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

The Bush administration crippled FEMA

Ex-officials say weakened FEMA botched response

By Frank James and Andrew Martin
Washington Bureau
Published September 3, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Government disaster officials had an action plan if a major hurricane hit New Orleans. They simply didn't execute it when Hurricane Katrina struck.

Thirteen months before Katrina hit New Orleans, local, state and federal officials held a simulated hurricane drill that Ronald Castleman, then the regional director for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, called "a very good exercise."

More than a million residents were "evacuated" in the table-top scenario as 120 m.p.h. winds and 20 inches of rain caused widespread flooding that supposedly trapped 300,000 people in the city.

"It was very much an eye-opener," said Castleman, a Republican appointee of President Bush who left FEMA in December for the private sector. "A number of things were identified that we had to deal with, not all of them were solved."



James Lee Witt to the Rescue - Again.

I‘ve talked to emergency managers across this country, and firefighters across this country, and they told me … “You know what,” they said, “what done to FEMA is like driving heart in emergency management in this country.”

cannot expect a federal agency, like FEMA, to be able to fulfill its role and its responsibility to the American people you take away the resources and … a lot of the funding. have to work every day, every month, every week, to be able to make sure you partner with state and local emergency management, firefighters, to be able to respond together.

And if you don‘t plan, prepare, and exercise together, then you - it‘s difficult to respond together.

The mitigation prevention program in FEMA was a strong program. When we reorganized FEMA, we put in a division for mitigation prevention, working with state and local government, to minimize risk. It is almost null and void now…


FEMA contracted Innovative Emergency Management to 'lead the development of a catastrophic hurricane disaster plan for Southeast Louisiana and the City of New Orleans'.

In July, 2004, they held the 'Louisiana Catastrophic Hurricane Planning Workshop' it went like this;

Driven by a predetermined scenario, entitled Hurricane Pam, the participants developed 15 functional plans over the course of the week, including: pre-landfall activities; unwatering of levee enclosed areas; hazardous materials; billeting of response personnel; distribution of power, water, and ice; transport from water to shelter; volunteer and donations management; external affairs; access control and re-entry; debris; schools; search and rescue; sheltering; temporary housing; and temporary medical care.

The scenario involved a slow-moving Category 3 storm making landfall near Grand Isle in the early morning. In the scenario, the storm, sustaining winds of 120 mph at landfall, spawned tornados, destroyed over 75% of the structures in its path, and left the majority of New Orleans under 15–20 feet of water. The workshop was sponsored by FEMA and LOHSEP, with a weather scenario designed by the National Weather Service and damage and consequences developed by IEM, Inc. of Baton Rouge. IEM, Inc. also facilitated the workshop sessions.

From November 29–December 3, over 90 participants met in New Orleans to continue planning for three topics: sheltering, temporary housing, and temporary medical care. These three topics were chosen by the workshop’s Unified Command as areas that needed continued group planning.

The outcome of these workshops is a series of functional plans that may be implemented immediately. Along with these plans, resource shortfalls were identified early, saving valuable time in the event an actual response is warranted. It is because of the dedication of every workshop participant that Louisiana is much better prepared for a catastrophic hurricane.

More here.

A clear case of 'privatization' as failure has rarely been seen.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Originally Posted by tnedator

So, how would the response have been better after the mayor and governor screwed the pooch? It's amazing that even though the mayor and governor did nothing wrong, it was all a failure of national response, that they are actually doing more than just sitting on their hands in their below sea level city and saying, "ahhh shucks, it will all be ok"

It takes time to mount a large scale rescue operation when a city like NOLA is dessimated and there is a complete failure by state and local government, not to mention other states were effected, roads impassible, etc.

As I said, FEMA didn't do a very good job of getting supplies in as soon as possible, but the Governor and Mayor completely failed in their roles. Do you deny this fact?

What part of "primary responsibility" don't you get?

President Bush legally puts the ball in Chertoff and Howard’s court, August 27th

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/relea...20050827-1.htm

In the event of a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other large-scale emergency, the Department of Homeland Security will assume primary responsibility on March 1st for ensuring that emergency response professionals are prepared for any situation. This will entail providing a coordinated, comprehensive federal response to any large-scale crisis and mounting a swift and effective recovery effort. The new Department will also prioritize the important issue of citizen preparedness. Educating America's families on how best to prepare their homes for a disaster and tips for citizens on how to respond in a crisis will be given special attention at DHS.

http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/theme_home2.jsp

[tnedator]

Originally Posted by L.A. BRONCOS FAN

The flooding in New Orleans was foretold over and over and over again

'Drowning New Orleans'
October, 2001
http://sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa006&articleID=000...

'Keeping Its Head Above Water'
New Orleans Faces Doomsday Scenario
December 1, 2001
http://www.hurricane.lsu.edu/_in_the_news/houston.htm

'Washing Away'
2002
http://www.nola.com/hurricane/?/washingaway/part1.html

'City in a Bowl'
September 20, 2002
http://www.pbs.org/now/printable/transcript_neworleans_...

'Disaster in the Making'
September 22, 2004
http://www.indyweek.com/durham/2004-09-22/cover.html

'A Way Out' ( Despite advances, the subject of evacuation has been a widely overlooked issue within the transportation field.)
April, 2004
http://hurricane.lsu.edu/_in_the_news/tmemag0404.htm

'A Disaster Waiting to Happen'
September 28, 2004
http://www.bestofneworleans.com/dispatch/2004-09-28/cov...

'Gone With the Water'
October, 2004
http://www3.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature5 /

What if Hurricane Ivan Had Not Missed New Orleans?
Novermber, 2004
http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/o/nov04/nov04c.html

I'm well aware it was foretold over and over. I stated that already. They have been talking about the danger for a LONG time, long before Bush took office.

If you want to blame this on Bush, power to you. Don't let the truth get in the way of your rhetoric.

The levies should have been addressed decades ago. Was cutting the corps budget the right thing to do? In hindsight, I would say no. However, read your own articles, the problem in NOLA has been a problem for a long time, and there was no scenario under the Bush administration where that disaster (levies) could have been avoided.

[W*GS]

Originally Posted by L.A. BRONCOS FAN

[...]Government disaster officials had an action plan if a major hurricane hit New Orleans. They simply didn't execute it when Hurricane Katrina struck.[...]
A clear case of 'privatization' as failure has rarely been seen.

How does privatization get blamed for a government failure?

Oh yeah, only in LABF's mind. Gotta remember that in his world, government is all good and light and pure, private industry and capitalism are evil and dark and wrong.

[tnedator]

Originally Posted by W*GS

How does privatization get blamed for a government failure?

Oh yeah, only in LABF's mind. Gotta remember that in his world, government is all good and light and pure, private industry and capitalism are evil and dark and wrong.

And on top of that, nobody privatized Governor Blanco's national guard, which she didn't properly utilize, nor the national guard of neighboring states that was available to her.

Yes, LABF will try and pull the "they were all in Iraq" argument, but that simply isn't the case. Both LA and surrounding states had plenty of NG, but Blanco froze and she and the Mayor didn't put any evacuation or contingency plans in place other than saying, "if the **** hits the fan, got to the Super Dome"