What is God Trying to Tell Us?
If you believe in God, that is.
James Dobson encouraged his mouthbreathing followers to pray for a storm to hit Denver as Obama spoke to the nation Thursday night. Didn't happen. Instead, a storm is set to hit New Orleans right at the moment Dubya takes the stage at the Republican National Convention.
There are more than a few people on the right who believe that Falwell, Robertson, et. al. are correct in that disasters like Katrina and 9/11, hell, even AIDS, are sent from God as punishment for homosexuality, abortion, and the popularity of Simon Cowell. Surely they must believe that a monstrous hurricane plunging toward the same place the administration ignored almost three years ago is divine retribution for something right? It only makes sense if you believe one ridiculous idea to believe this, too.
Right. God hates Republicans.
At any rate, I'm hoping that the good people of New Orleans will be spared this time. I mean, Dubya didn't send the Louisiana National Guard to Iraq this time. And he's not scheduled to eat cake with John McCain at the moment thousands of poor people are drowning. This time. He's also got someone in charge of FEMA who might actually do a decent job. This time.
But the infrastructure of New Orleans still isn't prepared for the force of Gustav so people are evacuating. This is what happens when regressive tax policies are put in force. Save your money people! And watch our cities fall under the weight of catastrophic storms, faulty levees and crumbling bridges.
It doesn't matter if the Republicans cancel their convention or not. They'll be partying while our country, and cities, fall - either in St. Paul or somewhere else.
They have been for the past eight years after all.
(Don't wait for Dubya. Do something to help the people of New Orleans by clicking here.)
posted by kate @ 8:14 AM
15 comments
15 Comments:
John F. Kennedy, in his 1960 nomination acceptance speech, said, "There has also been a change – a slippage – in our intellectual and moral strength. Seven lean years of drought and famine have withered a field of ideas. Blight has descended on our regulatory agencies – and a dry rot, beginning in Washington, is seeping into every corner of America – in the payola mentality, the expense account way of life, the confusion between what is legal and what is right. Too many Americans have lost their way, their will, and their sense of historic purpose."
I shall hope the people along the Gulf Coast survive this storm, Republicans as well as Democrats. But I can't help wondering if they were to vote right now, that the southern states might vote for a Democratic administration to help them in their time of need. They know how Republicans react...
W helps no one but himself. This storm looks to be a really bad one. Thanks for the link to help the people!
But I can't help wondering if they were to vote right now, that the southern states might vote for a Democratic administration to help them in their time of need. They know how Republicans react...
No need to wonder, capemh. LA elected republican Bobby Jindal for governor after Katrina and MS reelected republican Haley Barbour. Disaster preparedness is generally a state and local matter (rightly so).
This is what happens when regressive tax policies are put in force.
No, this is what happens after 50+ years of federal government mismanagemnent of the US Corps of Engineers who are responsible for the levee system in New Orleans. And you want more of it! I don't get that attitude. If only we had the right bureaucrats and more money, our problems would be solved. Yeah, right.
And the idea that we have a regressive income tax system is laughable.
Thought provoking stuff, Kate. Can you imagine the fundies trying to explain to God that God must have misunderstood them?
You know, I live in the state of Florida and I still cannot figure out how the Federal government was expected to swoop into Louisiana to prevent the Katrina disaster when it counted, during PREPARATION. The course of events I have witnessed throughout several hurricane seasons (including '04) in Florida has been: local authorities monitor the storm and then coordinate evacuation efforts while the Federal gov't allocates aid at the directive of local leadership. 24-48 hours before Hurricane Charley hit, at least one of Florida's major counties was fully evacuated. I just don't recall that kind of effort in LA and for that reason, I place the brunt of the blame squarely on the shoulders of mayor Nagen and former LA governor Katherine Blanco.
I don't give the Gov or the Mayor and their respective governments a pass in their performance or handling of the crisis. But both blog owner and john in il are fabricating and misdirecting here.
The Feds are responsible to take part in the preparedness, and given that they should be the best, guide the locals on the development of their disaster preparedness. Especially since 9-11. But the problem was that Bush had loaded up these agencies with party hacks who knew little or nothing and, with what they knew, they saved their best efforts for the states with Republican majorities (so, of course, Haley Barbour did ok). But given that the best plans for theoretical disasters have flaws exposed when disaster strikes, the Feds should be able to respond in a reasonable way to help. This didn't happen.
By the way, which Florida county was "fully evacuated"? You don't name it so it seems a bit dishonest. Even so, not much of Florida is below sea level and with the population concentration of the New Orleans area and with the Governor the brother of the President, so the comparison is also dishonest.
Jindal was elected by getting just 6% more of the vote than he did in 2003, a race where he was backed by Ray Nagin. I might add that there were 5% fewer voters in 2007 than in 2003. Any guess who wasn't there? And Nagin was reelected.
Even by your admission, the Federal Army Corps was at fault, so the Feds had a responsibility that it failed to manage, and the Fed was controlled by the Republicans, Presidency, House and Senate.
I never claimed that the Bush administration was solely responsible for the disaster, but, boy, were they responsible for the screwed up way they handled it.
The county that was fully evacuated was Pinellas County - see article attached. This hurricane was more than one year prior to Katrina.
After having lived through several direct hits and near misses, I can tell you that living in a city that is below sea level should have created an even higher sense of urgency on the part of local officials in New Orleans.
If you feel that my comparison is dishonest than please explain the coordination of efforts that took place outside of the connection you refer to between the President and his brother. A full evacuation is a massive effort. I can you this because I sat on a bay area bridge for 4 hours as Pinellas county filtered onto the Interstate I was traveling on.
My final point to your counter below is that the local officials in the New Orleans area were the ones who knew and/or should have known the condition of their levees. The New Orleans committee that was in charge with the levee reconstruction was plagued with corruption. The levees were the disaster in New Orleans.
To further explain, if I have a problem with my city's infrastructure (like storm sewer water drainage), I contact my local government. It is the local government's responsibility to properly use Federal funds allocated at a local level. I don't expect someone in Washington to know the ins and outs of the storm sewer pipes in my town.
Here is the article:
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/08/12/Weather/More_than_380_000_in_.shtml
I appreciate your correction and respect that - many sites I have been on are just plain rude and in lacking fact. Thank you for the invigorating blogging!
Enjoy the rest of the day.
Blog Owner, 'supportyourcandidate08.blogspot.com'
The Feds are responsible to take part in the preparedness,
No, they're not. If I'm wrong, prove it. Show me where the feds are in any way responsible for local disater preparedness.
and given that they should be the best,
HA! Not a given at all. When is it ever a given that the federal government is the best at anything?
guide the locals on the development of their disaster preparedness.
See paragraphs one and two.
"No, they're not. If I'm wrong, prove it. Show me where the feds are in any way responsible for local disater preparedness."
"The primary mission of the Federal Emergency Management Agency is to reduce the loss of life and property and protect the Nation from all hazards, including natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters, by leading and supporting the Nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation."--Mission statement of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
I suppose you could split hairs and say that it doesn't explicitly say local before it says preparedness. However, you could also look at the 2009 FEMA budget request fact sheet, under the section "Build a Nimble and Effective Emergency Response System and Culture of Preparedness", specifically bullet point two which reads:
Total funding of $2.2 billion will support FEMA’s state and local assistance programs, which prepares state and local governments to prevent or respond to threats or incidents of terrorism and other catastrophic events. This funding will support existing Homeland Security grants, Port and Rail Security grants and Emergency Management Performance grants, and also proposes a new discretionary grant program targeted towards high priority security initiatives including REALID implementation.
So, again, you can argue semantics and say, "Well, it's never explicitly stated that FEMA or any federal agency is directly responsible for local disaster preparedness," but given FEMA's own budget and mission, it's a pretty weak sauce argument. The best argument one could make is that the Federal government is not wholly responsible for local disaster preparedness programs.
So the feds have extended their reach since the last natural disaster. Surprise, surprise. Does that make it a federal responsibility?
According to them it does.
Should it be? That's debatable, but functionally irrelevant.
If they're going to claim to give leadership in these roles and provide these services, even if they're only just throwing money at issues, then why should we evaluate them on anything other than their own claims, particularly something as nebulous as what they "should" be doing?
You're right in that this all comes down to a matter of intent. Clearly, they intend to accomplish these goals that they have set forth and received funding for. Otherwise a huge governmental organ is committing bare-faced fraud. The assumption of these goals makes them their responsibility. Perhaps their responsibilities will change in the future as they reevaluate their goals, but by the token of their own budget in the past and at this time, yes, it is their responsibility to achieve their stated goals.
Further proof of their goals can be found in their 2005 funding fact sheet, under the heading "Support for State and Local Government and First Responders" as well as the section entitled "Strengthening the National Incident Management System (NIMS)". This passage is particularly relevant: The NIMS provides a national framework for Federal, State, Territorial, Tribal, and local jurisdictions to work together more effectively to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from all domestic incidents.
Federal involvement in local preparedness programs was evident prior to Katrina in FEMA's goals. That involvement has only grown since. So again, because of their own stated goals, they have assumed the responsibility and must be judged accordingly.
There was quite a bit of debate today, I can see.
I can tell your arguments are based on lack of experience in a hurricane prone state.
Until you have lived it, you are merely a spectator commentating on the sidelines.
You seem to be unable to draw defensible comparisons and contrasts between local preparedness for Hurricane Charley and Hurricane Katrina. Let's also throw in Hurricane Andrew, when democratic Governor Lawton Chiles was in office in the state of Florida.
FACT: No public buses were available to residents prior to Katrina bearing down on New Orleans.
FACT: The primary place of refuge for New Orleans residents during Katrina was the Super Dome - IN THE PATH OF THE HURRICANE.
FACT: The levees failed in a city under sea level.
FACT: In this modern age, no other US city has experienced the tragic loss of life associated with a Hurricane other than New Orleans.
FACT: As a result of local issues (police, utilities, the failed levees), residents of the city of New Orleans experienced death, loss in flooded homes, lost potable water, and severely increased crime rate and stewed in the filthy soup that was the result of flooding.
You are speaking in SWEEPING generalities. Your interpretation is not based on fact and clearly not based on experience.
Please provide some facts that are debatable as I am ready to debate you until my fingers fall off (and outside of my full-time job responsibilities, of course!! ;-) !).
Oh, and one final thought that directly correlates to your point on the pass of Federal funds to local levels...
"OOOooo, take the money and run!" You know that song by the Steve Miller band??
That's EXACTLY what I'm talking about related to LA. The funds were there just like for Florida during the Chiles AND Bush W. administration.
Tell me, where did the money go and why should LA expect Washington to step in and prepare their state for a hurricane when that did not happen for Florida???
Oh, let's not forget about MI during Katrina.
Poor Federal fund management at the local level, my friends. Plain and simple.
Frankly, blog owner, I have no idea who you're actually addressing or, really, what your point is. However, I do find this quote amusing:
"I can tell your arguments are based on lack of experience in a hurricane prone state.
Until you have lived it, you are merely a spectator commentating on the sidelines."
And yet...
"Please provide some facts that are debatable as I am ready to debate you until my fingers fall off (and outside of my full-time job responsibilities, of course!! ;-) !)."
So, parsing this, you claim to want to debate...but it's pointless for anyone who lacks (in your own estimation, it should be noted, which appears to be based utterly on assumption and guesswork rather than the capitialized FACTS you seem so eager to throw about)a posteriori experience to actually say anything because clearly their points are inferior to yours by virtue of your location and utterly independent of any sort of additional experience or reasoning. Goodness, what impressive rhetorical kung-fu. You've neatly done away with the need for discussion completely by making your views superior via fiat. Plato must be spinning in his grave for not having a chance to take a crack at your epistemology.
It certainly serves as quite the frame for this comment, "many sites I have been on are just plain rude and in lacking fact."
To misquote Rand misquoting Aristotle, "Check your common denominator."
In any event, you have a point in that I have no dog in this race. If people wish to live in disaster prone areas, I see no reason why they should point fingers at the federal government for not rescuing them from their own stupidity. JiL, however, asked for proof that federal agencies have a responsibility for local disaster preparedness assistance. I showed that, at least in FEMA's case, such responsibility is at the very least implied and arguably definitively stated in their own literature.
And I'm not about to let JiL get away with anything so sloppy.
You know what, you are right. My ranting was silly as were your big words that really didn't say anything.
Peace.
I wish you much success and happiness in life.
Best regards -
Blog Owner
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