Finding the Devil in New Orleans

Originally Posted by plthijinx

within the last 7 days i've logged over 40 hours flight time over Abbeville, La and Sabine Pass. get this: saturday a chopper had to make an emergency landing because it was shot at and hit bad enough to have to force a landing. it was shot down. either friday or saturday a life flight helicopter took 5 hits but did not go down. then on sunday another chopper was hit and went down as well. wtf? this small group of neanderthals is screwing up the rescue efforts for the rest of the people! dumb asses. i hope they get what's coming to them.

Fucking unbelievable! Reports like that make me rethink my stance on the death penalty. Keep up the good work, plth, and stay SAFE!

[Elspode]

States that are providing housing for Katrina survivors are declaring a state of emergency to open their bureaucracies and make the accodomation of these people more smooth.

I think they're trying to make sure they don't screw the pooch like the Feds did.

[plthijinx]

thanks marichiko. safety is paramount in my flying.

they're opening up two cruise ships to help with the housing relief but some don't want to go. i'm sorry....come again? from the houston chronicle.

[BigV]

busterb, I am so glad you're alive and well. Your posts about your postion on the map and the track of the storm and the well, hell, you saw what happened. We did too, but we could only worry. Thanks for checking in. Welcome back.

[OnyxCougar]

Aug 31, 2005
11:21 a.m.
NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) — The U.S. Navy announces three amphibious ships and a rescue and salvage ship based in Hampton Roads are getting underway Aug. 31 and heading for the Gulf of Mexico to support relief operations along the U.S. Gulf Coast following widespread destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina.

The multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) and the amphibious transport dock USS Shreveport (LPD 12), both based at Naval Station Norfolk; the dock landing ship USS Tortuga (LSD 46) and the rescue and salvage ship USS Grapple (ARS 53), both based at Naval Amphibious Base (NAB) Little Creek, Va., will join the Norfolk-based multipurpose amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5), which is already off the Gulf Coast.

From http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/...in810774.shtml

Sept 1, 2005
6:00 a.m.
The Boston Globe reported Thursday that as recently as this summer Congress denied Louisiana help to protect its eroding coastline from flooding and major storms such as Katrina. State lawmakers were reportedly worried that a huge hurricane could do permanent damage to its coast, and proposed an addition to the federal energy bill that would have given the Cajun state a share of oil-drilling money — up to $1 billion per year.

But Louisiana's congressional delegation was turned down by a "Congress bent on budget-cutting and reluctant to pay for expensive preventative measures," the Globe reports.

From http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/...in812561.shtml

[barefoot serpent]

Gov. Sebelius also declared Kansas a disaster area...
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2005/se...w_orleans_sos/

Sebelius also declared Kansas in a state of disaster in anticipation of requests to provide housing for people displaced by the storm. Sebelius said the proclamation was needed to facilitate assistance and to get reimbursed for the effort from the federal government.

[OnyxCougar]

This from a diff website http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/9/4/105148/3626:

Fri Sep 02 14:36:29 2005 "Red Cross Issues FAQ On Why They Are Not In New Orleans"

Link is http://www.redcross.org/faq/0,1096,0_682_4524,00.html I've also archived it locally. The link already disappeared from the Red Cross website, but so far the actual page is still there.

The date is from the HTML code making up the web page. Right-click and Open With Notepad to see it, it's the first line.

I particularly like that part about "...encourage others to come into the city."

This is yet another detail of how much this response stinks. All these things, cut phone lines, the security cordon refusing access to emergency rescuers and providers, it all smells.

edit: From the "You gotta be shittin me...." Department:

Link (Houston Chronicle): http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory...siness/3335685

Sept. 1, 2005, 8:30PM

AROUND THE REGION


CONSTRUCTION
Halliburton hired for storm cleanup
The Navy has hired Houston-based Halliburton Co. to restore electric power, repair roofs and remove debris at three naval facilities in Mississippi damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

Halliburton subsidiary KBR will also perform damage assessments at other naval installations in New Orleans as soon as it is safe to do so.

KBR was assigned the work under a "construction capabilities" contract awarded in 2004 after a competitive bidding process. The company is not involved in the Army Corps of Engineers' effort to repair New Orleans' levees.

From the first link:

Sister travels all over the state of Mississippi and knows all the little towns and people in them, working for a government agency. I finally got through last night and we spoke for hours.

I said- surely they won't rebuild the casinos.

She said- Oh no- this is the urban renewal they have all been wanting. They will rebuild, bigger and better. All those crummy little old businesses- the tire shacks and fast food places- those are gone. But 200-300 feet in from the most beautiful coast in the Gulf has been cleared. The casinos won't be rebuilt on barges this time. They were forced to build them out on the water so they would be "temporary" but that level of temporary is not needed in this economic climate. The Baptists will lose this fight, since they already have degrees at many universities to teach hotel and casino management in the name of economic development.

Only the Beau Rivage (http://www.beaurivage.com/) which was build on shore is still in good shape. She suspects the no zoning, hands under the table level of construction typical of MS did in much built on the coast. Beau Rivage evidently brought in their own inspectors and was having none of that. She did say they are in a noisy flight path to the local air force airfield though.

Her prediction- golf courses will spring up along the coast and the casinos will be slightly more inland. The poorer locals will not be allowed to rebuild because "building permits" will not be issued. Their land will be purchased cut rate, and if you didn't care to sell, it will be condemned for "economic development" as per the Supreme Court.

Tin foil hat? I don't think so. It isn't a plot, just, in the immortal words of Laura Bush, the first wife, "That's just the way it is."

[OnyxCougar]

Broussard.

Heartbreaking.

http://www.wonkette.com/images/WRC_0...5_10.58.46.wmv

[OnyxCougar]

CNN: the difference between what "officials" think is happening and what is actually happening AND BEING PLAYED ON THE NEWS:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/02/kat...nse/index.html

[OnyxCougar]

How many years and how many lives before we finally get to it:

Bush: U.S. Must Protect Iraq From Terror By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer
Tue Aug 30, 9:28 PM ET

CORONADO, Calif. - President Bush on Tuesday answered growing anti-war protests with a fresh reason for American troops to continue fighting in Iraq: protection of the country's vast oil fields that he said would otherwise fall under the control of terrorist extremists.

Bush, standing against a backdrop of the imposing USS Ronald Reagan, the newest aircraft carrier in the Navy's fleet, said terrorists will be denied their goal.

"We will defeat the terrorists," Bush said. "We will build a free Iraq that will fight terrorists instead of giving them aid and sanctuary."

A one-time oilman, Bush has rejected charges that the war in Iraq is a struggle to control the nation's vast oil wealth. While Bush has avoided making links between the war and Iraq's oil reserves, the soaring cost of gasoline has focused attention on global petroleum sources.

Bush said the Iraqi oil industry, already suffering from sabotage and lost revenues, must not fall under the control of Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida forces in Iraq led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

"If Zarqawi and bin Laden gain control of Iraq, they would create a new training ground for future terrorist attacks," Bush said. "They'd seize oil fields to fund their ambitions. They could recruit more terrorists by claiming a historic victory over the United States and our coalition."

Appearing at the Naval Air Station North Island to commemorate the anniversary of the Allies' World War II victory over Japan, Bush compared his resolve now to President Franklin D. Roosevelt's in the 1940s and said America's mission in Iraq is to turn it into a democratic ally just as the U.S. did with Japan after its 1945 surrender.

But Democrats said Bush's leadership falls far short of Roosevelt's.

There is more at http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050831/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush

[OnyxCougar]

Tee, an opinion certainly in line with yours:

Watch the Carlyle Group and their Chinese partners (4.00 / 2)

Hutchison-Whampoa.

It's not Halliburton/KBR I'm worried about, it's the Carlyle Group and Hutchison-Whampoa. This company has a subsidiary, Panama Ports Company (PPC). PPC operates the ports of Cristobal and Balboa located at each end of the Panama Canal.

The Carlyle Group's dealings in China should be known by everyone, along with another RW group connected to the Bushies, Newbridge Strategies.

These are the folks you need to watch out for when it comes time to rebuild New Orleans.

I've never heard of this group before you posted about it. Can you dumb it down far enough for my non-political/non-business brain to understand?

[busterb]

Thanks for all the kind words folks. I'm using a friends puter that has Opera? As an OS, never used that before & has more buttons on mouse than I have shit in my yard.
All that PMed me, Sorry, but I don;t feel right about taking the time to reply to each of you. Thanks again.
Damn no Halliburtion trucks here yet?? Someone is going to make a killing on this. They are bring ice from WI.,Conn. and god knows where.
I heard on radio today that FEMA was on the job here. You just need a phone to get help. HELLO! I have no power or phone.

I can use the compute at library to check my yahoo mail. So I'll let Bruce have the address. Contact him if you feel like dropping me a line. BB

[Undertoad]

Lt. Commander Sean Kelly of the Bataan checks in at Kevin Drum:

USNORTHCOM was prepositioned for response to the hurricane, but as per the National Response Plan, we support the lead federal agency in disaster relief — in this case, FEMA. The simple description of the process is the state requests federal assistance from FEMA which in turn may request assistance from the military upon approval by the president or Secretary of Defense. Having worked the hurricanes from last year as well as Dennis this year, we knew that FEMA would make requests of the military — primarily in the areas of transportation, communications, logistics, and medicine. Thus we began staging such assets and waited for the storm to hit.

The biggest hurdles to responding to the storm were the storm itself — couldn't begin really helping until it passed — and damage assessment — figuring out which roads were passable, where communications and power were out, etc. Military helos began damage assessment and SAR on Tuesday. Thus we had permission to operate as soon as it was possible. We even brought in night SAR helos to continue the mission on Tuesday night.

The President and Secretary of Defense did authorize us to act right away and are not to blame on this end. Yes, we have to wait for authorization, but it was given in a timely manner.

[Happy Monkey]

Anyone who missed the Daily Show should catch one of the repeats.

[Kitsune]

The BBC has a <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4216508.stm">really good rundown of the failures before and after Katrina</a>. It actually isn't dripping with politics, either. Amazing.