Ok, so if you don't want to work for it, here are the links. [1] [2] [3] [4]

--Jason

Commentary on the media bias in the clip can be found at NewsBusters.

Posted by JasonColeman at 2:30 AM | Comments (1)

September 14, 2005

Nuff Said. . .

I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic for which it stands:
one Nation under God, indivisible,
With Liberty and Justice for all.

And to think?.?.? I'm an atheist and I don't see any problem with it. I guess I'm just not one of those revisionist, self and nation hating atheists.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 11:46 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Blanco, in her own words. . . .

People are still trying to latch onto a myth that "Bush should have sent troops in earlier." When you press these people on it, they come up with lots of touchy feely reasons why he should have overridden Blanco and rolled into Louisiana. However, they can't seem to come up with a LEGAL AUTHORITY for Bush to send Federal troops into the state. President Bush DID NOT HAVE THE LEGAL AUTHORITY TO SEND FEDERAL TROOPS INTO LOUISIANA WITHOUT THE EXPRESS CONSENT OF THE GOVERNOR. The only way that Bush could have sent troops in over the Governor's head was through an act of Congress (which was on vacation) or by invoking the Insurrection Act. I'm doubtful that the Insurrection Act would have gone over well with anyone, and Congress was out of Washington, so that left Bush in the position of waiting for Blanco to stop crying, blaming and whining and ask for troops.

So I thought I'd help out a bit. For those that are saying "Blanco did ask for troops!!!" I give you this. A video that shows Blanco herself admitting that she DID NOT ask for troops.

The video is a bit long, almost 5 minutes. If you're impatient, then skip ahead to about a minute in and you'll hear Blanco admit that she knows she didnt' ask for troops and that she needed to do that. KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS VIDEO WAS TAKEN ON WEDNESDAY. Shortly after the interview, she called the White House and asked for troops.

I may try to shorten the video down if it starts killing my bandwidth, so feel free to save the video by right clicking and spread it around.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 10:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 11, 2005

The hits just keep on coming. . .

Now it's being reported that in addition to the City of New Orleans:

NOT EVACUATING CITIZENS ON AVAILABLE CITY BUSES
and the State of Louisiana:
STONE-WALLING THE FEDERAL RELIEF EFFORTS AT EVERY TURN

it appears that the city officials in New Orleans (these are the locals people, not the Feds and not the President) refused an Amtrak offer of assistance with getting people out of the city.

In fact, while the last regularly scheduled train out of town had left a few hours earlier, Amtrak had decided to run a "dead-head" train that evening to move equipment out of the city. It was headed for high ground in Macomb, Miss., and it had room for several hundred passengers. "We offered the city the opportunity to take evacuees out of harm's way," said Amtrak spokesman Cliff Black. "The city declined."

So the ghost train left New Orleans at 8:30 p.m., with no passengers on board.

I really don't have any civil words to express the anger that builds greater and greater every day as I see the corruption, politicing and COMPLETE AND TOTAL INCOMPETANCE that is the City of New Orleans and the State of Louisiana.

It really, really sucks to be embarrassed by your birthplace and hometown.

Nagin and Blanco must go, IMMEDIATELY.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 9:59 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

September 9, 2005

Blanco's Insurrection - It's time to act!

For days now, Major Garrett of Fox News has been reporting that it was the STATE OF LOUISIANA that refused to allow food and water from the Red Cross THAT WAS READY TO BE DELIVERED IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE HURRICANES PASSAGE to the throngs who congregated there to await evactuation.

HUME: Standing by, ready. Why didn’t FEMA send the Red Cross into New Orleans when we had all of those people there on that bridge overpass and elsewhere?

GARRETT: At the Superdome (search), at the convention center...

HUME: Lack of water, right. Why not?

GARRETT: First of all, no jurisdiction. FEMA works with the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, and other organizations, but it has no direct control to order them to go one place or the other.

Secondarily, the Red Cross was ready. I just got off the phone with one of their officials. They had a vanguard, Brit, of trucks with water, food, hygiene equipment, all sorts of things ready to go, where? To the Superdome and the convention center.

Why weren’t they there? The Louisiana Department of Homeland Security told them they could not go.

HUME: Now, this is the Louisiana — this isn’t the Louisiana branch of the federal Homeland Security? This is...

GARRETT: The state’s own agency devoted to the state’s homeland security. They told them, "You cannot go there."

Why? The Red Cross tells me that state agency in Louisiana said, "Look, we do not want to create a magnet for more to come to the Superdome or the convention center. We want to get them out."

So at the same time local officials were screaming, "Where is the food? Where is the water?" The Red Cross was standing by ready. The Louisiana Department of Homeland Security said, "You can’t go."

Now I know that Moonbats out there will holla "How can you trust Faux News, they're on the Bushco payroll!!!"

How bout I just link to the RED CROSS THEMSELVES:

The state Homeland Security Department had requested--and continues to request--that the American Red Cross not come back into New Orleans following the hurricane. Our presence would keep people from evacuating and encourage others to come into the city. [Emphasis, mine]

The irony here is just tragic. But wait, it gets better. Beyond Blanco's refusal to allow the Red Cross to provide food and water, we have the evacuation issue.

SO. . .The State of Louisiana (read Governor Blanco) wanted people to leave the city. The mayor and governor jointly ordered an evacuation after being urged to by President Bush, so the wanted to get people out and had the buses to get people out, and didn't want the Red Cross to deliver food and water to those at the Dome and Convention center because they wanted to get the people out.

Do you get it yet, the City and State say they wanted to get people out. YET!!!! The buses that were supposed to GET THE PEOPLE OUT were left standing, unused. Now lets add some insult to injury, more than 24 hours after the storm passes, the 17th street levee breaks, but Nagin and Blanco STILL DON'T USE THE BUSES and eventually they are flooded. Now we've got a HUGE mess on our hands and people are trapped.

So now it's up to the FEDS to get the people out, and the Governor REFUSES to allow the FEDS to take over and GET THE PEOPLE OUT. So people suffer and the entire evacuation effort falls into chaos.

FINALLY, Blanco gives permission and the FEDS roll in and pull people out of the dome and the convention center.

But wait, it gets better.

Now we have a toxic soup in most of New Orleans due to the flooding. The water is so toxic that in some areas, simply getting the water on your skin can lead to death, in others, exposure will cause chemical burns to exposed skin.

The mayor has now ordered a FORCED evacuation citing public health concerns (that's good epidemiology folks, anyone who stays stands a good chance of becomeing a vector for some of the worlds most deadliest diseases), BUT GOVERNOR BLANCO REFUSES TO AUTHORIZE THE EVACUATION!!!! (At the time of this writing she has yet to authorize it.)

Gov. Kathleen Blanco said she was the only person who could call for such action as the National Guard reports to her. Blanco said she did not want to "put more grief on people" by ordering them to leave, noting that some may have everything they need.

***I'm sorry Governor, but NO ONE, short of those with specific training to work in biologically and chemically hazardous environments has "everything they need" to ensure their safety in the toxic soup that is New Orleans, and NO ONE with said training would choose to remain LIVING in said toxic soup.***

Let's recap a moment, the Governor wanted people out, but REFUSED FOR DAYS to allow the feds to get people out, while also refusing them food and water. All the while Gov. Blanco was screaming that she needed help to get the people out, she was preventing the federal government from getting them out. Now, when the situation is FAR MORE DIRE, and Gov. Blanco is refusing to allow the National Guard under HER CONTROL to take people out of the city by force if need be.

Keep in mind that staying in New Orleans presents a VERY REAL HEALTH RISK, not only to those who stay, but anyone that they may come in contact with in the future.

I'm starting to agree with the moonbats now. Not on who's to blame, but rather that George Bush needs to push Gov. Blanco aside and disregard the authority of the state.

I'm not advocating that Bush violate "posse comitatus", not at all. I will always support the authority of the State government until such time as that authority works directly against the Constitution or threatens the life of U.S. citizens. What I am now advocating, in light of Governor Blanco's blatant disregard for the safety and security of the citizens of New Orleans, is that Bush invoke the powers of the Insurrection Act to invalidate Gov. Blanco's authority in the State of Louisiana.

It's quite obvious that Blanco is working DIRECTLY AGAINST THE INTERESTS AND NEEDS OF HER CITIZENS. It's evident that Blanco is incompetant, negligent, directly responsible for the death of Louisiana citizens and directly endangering the lives of citizens still remaining in New Orleans.

U.S. CODE, TITLE 10, SUBTITLE A, PART I, CHAPTER 15, § 333:

The President, by using the militia or the armed forces, or both, or by any other means, shall take such measures as he considers necessary to suppress, in a State, any insurrection, domestic violence, unlawful combination, or conspiracy, if it—

(1) so hinders the execution of the laws of that State, and of the United States within the State, that any part or class of its people is deprived of a right, privilege, immunity, or protection named in the Constitution and secured by law, and the constituted authorities of that State are unable, fail, or refuse to protect that right, privilege, or immunity, or to give that protection; or

(2) opposes or obstructs the execution of the laws of the United States or impedes the course of justice under those laws.

In any situation covered by clause (1), the State shall be considered to have denied the equal protection of the laws secured by the Constitution.

I'm not a lawyer, but I knew about the Insurrection Act and googled the text. Until now, I don't think there has been sufficient evidence to invoke it's provisions. However, it's now clear to me that Governor Blanco is violating and has violated both of the code's cited provisions. Those who remain are certainly being denied the protection of the Federal Government with regard to the toxic soup that surrounds them, AND Gov. Blanco certainly appears to be obstructing the evacuation of citizens from the disaster zone.

While I would NEVER support a violation of "posse comitatus", things are getting further and further out of hand due to Governor Blanco's actions. It's time she be taken out of the equasion by using the powers contained in the Insurrection Act.

People need to realize that those attempting to remain in New Orleans pose a significant epidemiological risk not only to themselves, but to anyone who comes in contact with infected persons. Through her stonewalling, obstruction and incompetance, Blanco is putting hundreds, if not thousands of lives at risk.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 2:12 AM | Comments (10) | TrackBack

September 8, 2005

Name Names. . .

Who the hell are the 11 Congressional members who voted agaist the $41B for continuing Hurrican Katrina relief? As soon as the list comes out, those 11 have some SERIOUS explaining to do.

--Jason

PS If you have the list, please let me know.

Posted by JasonColeman at 2:55 PM

Hey TEDDY!!!!

"What the American people have seen is this incredible disparity in which those people who had cars and money got out and those people who were impoverished died."--Ted Kennedy on Hurricane Katrina

Mary Jo Kopechne was unavailable for comment.

HEY TEDDY! What do you say about those who had buses and could have gotten people out, but didn't???

Somehow I don't think we'll get an answer from Kennedy or Mary Jo any time soon.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 2:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Irony

I've had a number of conversations, on the net, phone and in person with people who REALLY HATE BUSH and honestly believe that Bush should have rolled in with the national guard BEFORE and IMMEDIATELY after the storm. These conversations have been quite interesting because in their blind hatred, they are actually being counter-productive to their own stated goals.

Here's a particularly interesting conversation I had yesterday.

Them: Bush should have been there immediately after the storm, he should have dropped paratroopers in, sent in aid convoys and troops as soon as the storm passed New Orleans.

Me: As soon as it passed New Orleans? Where should these troops have come from?

Them: They could have come from Mississippi, Bushco has plenty of military bases in Mississippi.

Me: Mississippi? Do you realize that after the storm ravaged New Orleans, it went straight into Mississippi. (I let the fact that the brunt of the storm's force was directed at Mississippi.)

Them: Well, that doesn't matter, he should have helped those people. The storm wasn't that bad in Mississippi.

Me: So you're saying that Bush should have rolled into New Orleans right after OVER THE OBJECTIONS and WITHOUT THE APPROVAL of the State of Louisiana.

Them: Yes, there were people dying, stranded by the floods, Bush didn't want to go because they were black.

Me: Wait a minute. Lets get through this first. You think Bush should have gone in over the head of the Governor of Louisiana.

Them: Yes, well. . . he didn't do that.

Me: Who? Who didn't do that?

Them: The Governor, the Governor wanted help.

Me: Yes, the Governor said on TV she wanted help, but when the Federal Government asked for permission to come in and help, she stone-walled them.

Them: That's not true.

(This is why I carry my laptop with me almost everywhere I go, and it's also why I generally save favorites so they are available when I'm offline. Within a few minutes I'd booted up and showed my friend the words from Louisiana Governor Blanco where she and her staff admit that they refused entry of the Federal Government directly after the storm. We continued.)

Them: Well that doesn't matter, Bush still should have gone in anyway.

Me: You realize of course, that that would be against the law.

Them: So what, Bush was killing black people, the Army should have been there anyway.

Me: Regardless of the State's objection.

Them: Yes, he's the President and he killed black people because he doesn't care about niggers.

That was the end of the conversation. The "nigger" comment effectively ended it. I was floored, I could hardly believe my ears. Here was a person for for some time I'd suspected had lost a bit of touch with reality, but this exchange confirmed something for me that I've long suspected.

The radical left and leftist Democrats know not what they do.

All over the internet, and in person to person conversations, there are people on the left who HATE BUSH WITH A PASSION, but ironically, without realizing it, they want to give Bush more power.

That's right. All these people who are saying that Bush "should have gone in sooner" fail to realize that the Constitution of the United States, as well as Federal and State law, prohibit the Federal Government from sending troops or National Guard units into a state without the approval or request from the Governor of said state.

The left likes to ignore this fact, saying that Bush should have went in anyway, or blanketly denying the facts and words from Blanco herself. When pressed into a corner, these leftists are perfectly comfortable with the idea of the Federal Government riding roughshod over the States and doing exactly what they please.

I warn you Moonbats out there. By popping off like this you're opening yourself up to something that you don't even realize. You actually ADVOCATING that the Federal Government be allowed to step into States and push local authorities aside whenever they feel like it. If you keep screaming about this you're going to get served.

It wouldn't surprise me at all if after the investigation is complete, and it is shown in bright clear relief that the Federal Government OBEYED THE LAW with regard to entering Louisiana, that some mis-guided politician starts a movement to allow the Government to bypass the states when it feels the need to do so.

Yep, that's right, without realizing it, the Democrats are posturing to give the man they love to hate, even more power, and eliminate significant checks on the power of the Federal Government. I've pointed this out to a couple of my smarter left leaning friends that are piping in with the same argument and after I explain what it is in reality that they are advocating, I notice something.

First, they get puzzled as they backtrack in their minds what they've said. Second, the puzzlement turns to concern as they contemplate the possibilities. Finally true horror overcomes their expression as they realize that, in fact, they did just advocate more power for the Federal Government, and by tranferrence, Bush.

I've had this discussion three times in person, two simply shut down as they realized the hole they had dug for themselves. The third came out swinging.

Them: Well, that didn't stop Democrat's when it came to segregation.

Me: Are you referring to the Insurrection Act powers.

Them: Yes, they went in then over the objections of the State.

Me: Yes, they most certainly did. So are you saying that Bush should have used the Insurrection Act to go into Louisiana?

Them: Yes.

Me: So you feel that Governor Blanco denying Federal Authorities request to enter the state with troops an act of Insurrection?

Them: No, um, no, that's not what I'm saying, I'm saying they just should have gone anyway.

Me: Regardless of the law.

Them: Yes, the law can be changed after.

So there you have it folks. The end of the line when it comes to Moonbattery, break the law when it suits you, trash the Constitution when it suits you and disregard the responsibility and authority of the states and local governments when you feel like it.

The moonbats WOULD HAVE LOVED it if Bush had ordered the National Guard in over the head of the Governor of the State of Louisiana. I suspect that within hours of the move by the Feds that some hotshot lawyer would have asked for an injunction, and one of our "most honorable" (term used loosely) Senators would have called for Bush's impeachment under posse comitatus. The left loves to present Catch-22's to the President. The positively won't rest in trashing the administration until they find their blue dress. They have tried inventing their blue dress with Rathergate, that didn't work. Then they tried again with the "infamous" Downing Street memo (no matter that it wasn't a Bush Administration memo, or even a document produced by anyone even American), so now they are trying a new tactic.

Blame Bush if he doesn't do what we want, and if he does do what we want, we'll be able to impeach him.

Keep it up moonbats, a majority of Americans have gotten your number, and are rejecting your insanity in election after elections. Keep calling us stupid, keep calling us fascists, keep saying how we're all sheep bent on destroying the "republic".

I got news for you moonbats, it's the REPUBLIC, that the Federal Government respected by obeying the wishes of the Governor and not entering the state until she gave permission.

Keep on barking moonbats, and we'll keep on winning elections.

--Jason

PS - I especially love it when my Moonbat friends try to play the race/sex/class card, because it gives me the opportunity to point out:

Who gave African-Americans the franchise - Republicans
Who gave Women the franchise - Republicans
Who gave 18 year olds the franchise - Republicans
Who was the first black Governor - A Republican, in Louisiana
Who were the segregationist Governors - Democrats
Who has the only Senator who was also an official in the KKK - Democrats

This usually starts them spitting and huffing, screaming "Things were different then!" Yes, THEN, the Democrats were the majority party and Republicans had to show them the error of their ways.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 11:30 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 7, 2005

Blog Maintenance

Heya folks, I've gotten a couple of emails saying comments are broken. IF you get a 404 error or notice some other glitch in the site, please drop me a line at jason-at-jasoncoleman-dot-com and give me a heads up. If it's a comment, please include the text you were trying to send as a comment. I'm not sure if it's a bad MT-blacklist string or something else. If you hit a snag, please let me know, so I can track it down. I'll add your comment manually if need be.

--Jason

UPDATE: Problem appears to be solved. Apparently I blocked coments from the email address pharmacyonline@yahoo.com last week and accidently blocked the yahoo.com domain. Sorry for the inconvenience. It should be fixed now, but if you run into a problem let me know.

Posted by JasonColeman at 11:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 6, 2005

Mixed Feelings. . .

Dan Riehl relays a report from Mister Snitch that Mayor Nagin of New Orleans may be resigning.

I have mixed feelings about it.

On one hand, emotionally, I want to see Nagin go, his performance in dealing with Katrina has been deplorable. I hold Mayor Nagin personally responsible for the deaths of countless citizens of New Orleans. His refusal to follow the established evacuation plan for the city meant that thousands of New Orleans citizens were left behind in the city when Nagin had the ability to get them out prior to the storm hitting. I can't help but wonder what part of "Mandatory" did Mayor Nagin not understand.

On the other hand, a vacuum will exist in New Orleans if Nagin resigns. There is NO EFFECTIVE MECHANISM in the New Orleans City Charter to replace him. The charter calls for a special election within 60 days, this will prove to be completely impossible as the citizenry of New Orleans is displaced and the infrastructure necessary to conduct a special election is destroyed.

A power vacuum in New Orleans would be catastrophic for a city already reeling from a disaster. While I'd love to see Nagin go for his inability to follow the evacuation plan, for him to cut and run at this juncture would only serve to throw the city into more chaos.

There is a provision for the Mayor to appoint an "acting Mayor" in his absense, but I'm not sure that resignation meets the legal definition of "absense". New Orleans doesn't need some hotshot lawyer trying to make a name for himself taking this provision to court and further hamstringing what's left of the New Orleans civil authority.

My advice to Mayor Nagin, although it's quite certain he'll never read this, is to stick it out, suck it up, ADMIT YOUR MISTAKES, and stop blaming others for your failure. Prostrate yourself before the city and accept it's absolution.

Regardless of his failings, Nagin can still redeem himself by getting the rest of the citizenry out of the toxic soup that the city has become. Nagin needs to be pleading with the people personally and over the airwaves to leave the city for their own safety. Nagin still has the opportunity to save lives at risk, and become a leader New Orleans can find some pride in.

I want to see Nagin called to the carpet for his failings, either by admitting them himself, or having them exposed by the media or subsequent investigation. It's important that we all learn from each other's mistakes, so that when the next mayor of a major city is faced with impending disaster, he or she may think twice about going "off book" and disregarding their role in Emergency Preparedness Plans.

However, I want to make sure that New Orleans doesn't further fall into chaos, I don't think New Orleans would be well served by a second abandonment by Nagin.

Stay the course Mayor Nagin, finish the evacuation you started, and work with the rest of the nation to rebuild a slimmer, cleaner, stronger and more vibrant New New Orleans. Learn from your mistakes and take care of those who trusted you with the keys to their city, don't add insult to injury by abandoning your post a second time in the face of hardship, and allow New New Orleans to rise from the ashes of the old.

I do not forgive you for your failings, but I will, IF you accept your mistakes and learn from them.

It's doubtful that you'll be re-elected, but you said in your campaign that you wanted to build a stronger city during your tenure, here's your chance to redeem yourself and do just that, from the soggy ground up.

--Jason

PS, BTW, I beat Dan in the Blogger Babe of the Week competition.

Posted by JasonColeman at 11:35 PM | Comments (3) | TrackBack

September 5, 2005

Thoughts on Katrina, a beginning. . . .

It's been very hard to put together something about the disaster in New Orleans. N.O. is my hometown, the place of my birth and where I came to realize who I was and what the world around me was like.

This hurricane was devastating to N.O. The city has been killed, it's quite possible that it can be resurrected, but not into the same form. I physically hurt for my friends and family that are suffering so much right now in the wake of this, this blow to my family is hard to wrap my mind around, but with time, we'll recover, like the city, and we'll all be stronger for it.

ANGER wells in me however, and it's hard to deconstruct it into something positive. I dwell on it constantly and resist the urge to lash out, instead I've been focusing on understanding the failure and breakdown of the systems and communities in the wake of the Hurricane and the second disaster of the breached levees after the storm passed.

There are many out there ready to blame President Bush. There are some that blame him for global warming, asserting that Bushco and the oil companies in the past five years have somehow cranked the pseudo-science of global warming into high gear, that his policies have somehow created more frequent and dangerous hurricanes. They don't want to acknowledge that the United States is actually a NET ABSORBER of greenhouse gasses, or that hurricane ferocity and frequency is actually on a downswing right now.

Others try to blame Bush by saying he's racist, wants black people to die and somehow delayed efforts to get the poor out of New Orleans. It doesn't matter to these people that it was actually President Bush that prompted the evacuation[1] after local officials refused to do so, and of course they've never been comfortable with admitting that the Bush Administration is more racially diverse than any administration previous.

Still others try to blame Bush by saying that he failed to act quick enough getting federal troops into the city. I'm sorry, and you know what, I wish that Bush had dropped regular Army troops in day one, but there are certain things that have to be recognized in this situation.

First and foremost was the law forbiding posse comitatus:

Section 1385 of title 18 (commonly known as the Posse Comitatus Act) prohibits the use of the Armed Forces as a Posse comitatus to execute the laws except in cases and under circumstances expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress.

Bush did not have the legal authority to drop federal troops or National Guard from other states into Louisiana without the request or approval of the Governor of the State of Louisiana. Governor Blanco didn't give approval until well into the third day after the levee broke. Does the left think that Bush should have played fast and loose with the law, or even downright violated it by sending in other states National Guard or Federal troops.

YOU BET YOUR SWEET ASS THEY DO, because that would have been just the excuse they need to actually catch Bush doing something wrong. You can bet dollars to doughnuts that shortly after federal troops hit the ground in N.O. over the objections of the Governor, that Senator John Kerry or most probably Ted Kennedy would be calling for impeachment (the Dems aren't going to rest until they can get a Republican President impeached, regardless of the facts, so they can feel avenged for having their guy impeached).

Blaming Bush for anything related to the disaster that Katrina has become is ludicrous at this point. The President is NOT a micro-manager, and no one with any intelligence wants him to be. FEMA director Brown may have made some mistakes, and he'll probably pay for them and others that aren't his, DHS Chertof will take some heat too, and when all is played out, there may be some other administration officials that take heat rightly so and unjustly, but "blame" does not belong on the head of Bush.

But I will tell you where it belongs:

Clarence Nagin Jr., Mayor of New Orleans, if anyone deserves blame it's this worthless excuse for an elected official in a time of crisis. Mayor Nagin had to be essentially TOLD by the President of the United States that his city was in immediate danger and needed to be evacuated. Mayor Nagin, finally, called for the evacuation with less than 24 hours before the storm's landfall south of New Orleans.

Delaying the evacuation isn't all of it though. Mayor Nagin also miserably failed to implement the Hurricane Evacuation Plan for the city of New Orleans. He failed to evacuate those people that collected at city shelters via the buses he had at his disposal (ironically, within 24 hours of the levee breach, Nagin was in front of TV cameras blaming Bush for not sending buses, when he ordered the evacuation when he had over 1000 buses, that he never even tried to budge).

Click image for more info on these buses.

More buses Nagin had the authority and responsibility to use here:

When Nagin failed to follow the evacuation plan for New Orleans, he threw a HUGE monkey-wrench into the activities and responsibility of the Lousiana National Guard, who now had to shift gears to manage the masses converging on the Superdome. His failure disrupted the State of Louisiana Disaster Management officials and plans, which in turn set the State of Louisiana against the city and federal government. Nagin's failure left a gap between the First Responders on the ground in New Orleans and the Federal efforts. When Nagin abandoned all the plans in place, he sent the city into chaos, the National Guard had to play catch-up, the Fire and EMS officials had no plan left to follow, the Police became incoherent and simply disintegrated.

Nagins failure travelled throughout the city, state and all the all the way to Washington D.C. His failure caused a communications breakdown and total absence of civil authority, leaving the city in the dark to the outside world and the outside world clueless about the real situation inside the city.

Nagins failure is as inexcusable as it is tragic, but no doubt, he'll be defended by the left, as will Blanco. The fact that Nagin had the means and opportunity to save thousands of lives will be ignored, the facts that Blanco broke down and became totally incompetent, and at times counter-productive will be glossed over. The Robert Kennedy Jr.'s of the world will blame the republicans and global warning regardless, and the Michael Moore's will claim that we don't have enough troops to deal with this because they are all over in Iraq, despite the fact that less that 13% of the US military might is deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan combined.

The Left in general will blame Bush, they will develop conspiracy theory after conspiracy, about how this was all a plot to kill off the poor, or that it was some secret weather manipulation plot, or that it's all just another way to get Haliburton more contracts, or that somehow this is all a plot against the black man. It's ridiculous really, but easy to see when you have Oprah wanting overflights along with the NAACP, or when Sean Penn shows up with a boat that almost sinks (through his own incompetance for not putting the drain plug in) and a motor that won't start, that Katrina in the eyes of the left is not a tragedy, they view it as an opportunity.

Go ahead Lefties, blame Bush, harp over and over how it's all Bushitler's fault that he created the hurricane, then broke the levees, then plotted to get rid of a few thousand poor people. Keep ranting your pink heads off, keep being chicken little and looking for your equivalent of the blue dress, we don't buy your "false but accurate" thinking anymore.

Over here to the right of center, we'll keep on winning elections and managing the nation.

Back on topic, Clarence Nagin Jr. killed New Orleans, just as sure as he were the hurricane itself, he should never be forgiven for leaving the citizenry of New Orleans literally out in the rain when he had the ability and the assets in place to save them, and subsequently, save the city itself.

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 10:34 PM | Comments (5)

It's long past time to choose. . .

And I choose to be a Sheepdog.

Read the whole thing, come back later if you have to, but read the whole thing.

Then please take note of this:

In the absence of information and outside assistance, groups of rich and poor banded together in the French Quarter, forming "tribes" and dividing up the labor.

As some went down to the river to do the wash, others remained behind to protect property. In a bar, a bartender put near-perfect stitches into the torn ear of a robbery victim.

While mold and contagion grew in the muck that engulfed most of the city, something else sprouted in this most decadent of American neighborhoods - humanity.

"Some people became animals," Vasilioas Tryphonas said Sunday morning as he sipped a hot beer in Johnny White's Sports Bar on Bourbon Street. "We became more civilized."

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 2:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 4, 2005

Read This. . .

READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS, READ THIS.
Thank you,

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at 9:06 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack