NEW ORLEAN'S CATASTROPHE: BUSHES FAILURE! NOT A WRATH OF GOD
NEW ORLEAN’S CATASTROPHE: BUSH’S FAILURE! NOT A WRATH OF GOD
FARHAT QUAM MAQUAMI
Don't let the result of 4 years of neglect turns to an economic and political bonanza for Bush & Co.! Republican pundits, public relation firms and embedded corporate media publicists are already changing the debate about dereliction of duty of Bush administration and its years of neglect in providing the necessary fund for the repair of the levees into a photo opportunity session for the administration officials to present themselves as crusaders for health and welfare of citizens of New Orleans.
After initial delay and inaction which caused many poor and black citizens to drawn or suffocate, on September 1,2005 Bush took to the airways and declared “I don’t think anyone anticipated that breach of the levees,” which was an untruthful statement. The catastrophic flooding of New Orleans had been forecasted by storm experts, engineers, Louisiana journalists, city, state officials, and even some federal agencies. All sorts of people had been predicting disaster for years, pointing to the danger of rising water levels and the need to strengthen the levees. All cries for help were ignored by his administration.
Bush administration has come now with a 60 billion dollars proposal to re-build the city. Given their history of no-bid contractors in Iraq and seeing next to nothing accomplishment in rebuilding the infrastructure of that country Democrats must move fast to make sure the money goes to the victims of disaster rather than the corporate elite in charge of clean-ups. Most important of all watch now that whosoever Republicans want to promote to be the next president of the US would be named as the man in change of rebuilding the city. Mayor Julliani might come out from the eye of Katrina, and shine as the American Idol for presidency for 2008.
Don’t let this Conservative made Catastrophe become a republican Bonanza like 911. America must wake up and stop “ pointing finger” at Middle Eastern Muslims who did not attack the US in 911, never planned to attack US and never did harm the US thereafter. America should start “ pointing finger” to the Neo-Cons who neglected America for the past 4 years. They are the enemy within. The enemy who let our cities without security and show callous disregard for American life. They had the US chasing Saddam for WMD while under their watch the beautiful New Orleans became a Toxic Waste Lake with billions of gallons hazardous water worse than WMD.
Bush’s agenda was to cut government services to the bone and make people rely on the private sector for services that government is supposed to provide. It was Bush who sliced $71 million from the budget of the New Orleans Corps of Engineers, a 44 percent reduction. That is why plans to fortify New Orleans levees and upgrade the system of pumping out water, which was a necessity, was shelved. Army Corps of Engineer personnel had started work to build new levees several years ago but many of them were taken off the repair projects and sent to Iraq. In addition, the president cut $30 million in flood control appropriations, while wasting more than 85 billion dollars a year chasing Saddam for fictional WMD. Under their watch the beautiful New Orleans has transformed into a Toxic Waste Lake with billions of gallons hazardous water worse than WMD threatening the entire environment.
Americans must question what really happened and how a city become a WMD lake. The Hurricane actually hit Mississippi with full force and Neo Orleans was touched on return. Why then this Catastrophic damage and great human tragedy? Why American citizens should have been left with no security after 4 years of constant expenditure of billions of dollars on Homeland Security. Were the Neo-Cons in the administration, Fox news and other corporate media deceiving Americans for the past four years and wasting our resources on their hobbies outside here playing hide and seek with Bin Ladin and looking for nonexistent WMD in Iraq.
While for the past 4 years Bush Administration spent over 2 billion dollars a week on its make believe War on Terror chasing mythical theorists who were supposed to have attacked the Fortress America, it failed to spend a mere half million dollars to repair the Levee system of New Orleans to protect the life .property and wellbeing of its own citizens. It had the national resources wasted on dropping a man made Hurricane of bombs on the middle East while ignoring health, welfare and security of its citizens.
Let make sure that Levees of New Orleans that came down because of disrepair would bring down the Neo-Con Callous ideology that betrayed the poor and Blacks in America. All patriots in America should question why the Bush administration neglected the State of Emergency declared by Governor of Louisiana and did not give the necessary help to repair the two levees that collapsed. If this was not a breach of betrayal homeland security what is ? The Army Core of Engineer just closed the Levee on September 6 two days after they got the go ahead order; why the order was not issued a year ago when they virtually begged the Bush administration to give them the budget for repair.
My heart bleeds for the victims of Louisiana. Yet, the Bush administration knew that this day could come at any time, and it knew the things that needed to be done to protect the citizens of New Orleans. But the administration tried to gamble Billions of dollars of this nation resources in Iraq and cutting taxes for the rich and sacrificed over 10000 life of poor and black Americans and change the most beautiful historical city into WMD wasteland..
Now that Bush has lost that gamble and has compromised national security in the tradition of all democracies he must bear the full responsibility for his failure not the FEMA, or Homeland Security Department . There need to be a real Congressional Investigation and Democrats should resist any sham White Wash that followed 911.
New Orleans had long known it was highly vulnerable to flooding and a direct hit from a hurricane. In fact, the federal government has been working with state and local officials in the region since the late 1960s on major hurricane and flood relief efforts. When flooding from a massive rainstorm in May 1995 killed six people, Congress authorized the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project, or SELA.
Over the next 10 years, the Army Corps of Engineers, tasked with carrying out SELA, spent $430 million on shoring up levees and building pumping stations, with $50 million in local aid. But at least $250 million in crucial projects remained, even as hurricane activity in the Atlantic Basin increased dramatically and the levees surrounding New Orleans continued to sink. Despite the begging of SELA , the Army Corps, city and local government budgets were cut and Bush refused to help. In early 2004, as the cost of the conflict in Iraq soared, President Bush proposed spending less than 20 percent of what the Corps said was needed for Lake Pontchartrain.
On Feb. 16, 2004, article of New Orleans City Business:
The $750 million Lake Pontchartrain and Vicinity Hurricane Protection project is another major Corps project, which remains about 20% incomplete due to lack of funds, said Al Naomi, project manager. That project consists of building up levees and protection for pumping stations on the east bank of the Mississippi River in Orleans, St. Bernard, St. Charles and Jefferson parishes.
On invasion of Iraq Bush and his Neo-con handlers told Americans that they needed to fight in Iraq to save lives here at home, and yet -- after moving billions of domestic dollars to the Persian Gulf -- there are more than 10,000 bodies floating through the streets of New Orleans. What does George W. Bush have to say now that his administration did not secure the Homeland? In democracies honorable people accept responsibility and resign. Nixon had the honor to accept responsibility and resign for a simple break- in that did not hurt no Americans. Clinton was impeached for a personal misbehavior. which did not harm this nation. Even in Banana Republics head of State would resign or run out of the country for a neglect in bringing about a minute disaster. We should not allow this American tragedy be used by Republicans to promote their next presidential candidate Julliani and the Republican Party uses this as a campaign strategy,promotion, a public relation bonanza and an economic windfall profit for their corporate partners and contributors.
FARHAT QUAM MAQUAMI
Don't let the result of 4 years of neglect turns to an economic and political bonanza for Bush & Co.! Republican pundits, public relation firms and embedded corporate media publicists are already changing the debate about dereliction of duty of Bush administration and its years of neglect in providing the necessary fund for the repair of the levees into a photo opportunity session for the administration officials to present themselves as crusaders for health and welfare of citizens of New Orleans.
After initial delay and inaction which caused many poor and black citizens to drawn or suffocate, on September 1,2005 Bush took to the airways and declared “I don’t think anyone anticipated that breach of the levees,” which was an untruthful statement. The catastrophic flooding of New Orleans had been forecasted by storm experts, engineers, Louisiana journalists, city, state officials, and even some federal agencies. All sorts of people had been predicting disaster for years, pointing to the danger of rising water levels and the need to strengthen the levees. All cries for help were ignored by his administration.
Bush administration has come now with a 60 billion dollars proposal to re-build the city. Given their history of no-bid contractors in Iraq and seeing next to nothing accomplishment in rebuilding the infrastructure of that country Democrats must move fast to make sure the money goes to the victims of disaster rather than the corporate elite in charge of clean-ups. Most important of all watch now that whosoever Republicans want to promote to be the next president of the US would be named as the man in change of rebuilding the city. Mayor Julliani might come out from the eye of Katrina, and shine as the American Idol for presidency for 2008.
Don’t let this Conservative made Catastrophe become a republican Bonanza like 911. America must wake up and stop “ pointing finger” at Middle Eastern Muslims who did not attack the US in 911, never planned to attack US and never did harm the US thereafter. America should start “ pointing finger” to the Neo-Cons who neglected America for the past 4 years. They are the enemy within. The enemy who let our cities without security and show callous disregard for American life. They had the US chasing Saddam for WMD while under their watch the beautiful New Orleans became a Toxic Waste Lake with billions of gallons hazardous water worse than WMD.
Bush’s agenda was to cut government services to the bone and make people rely on the private sector for services that government is supposed to provide. It was Bush who sliced $71 million from the budget of the New Orleans Corps of Engineers, a 44 percent reduction. That is why plans to fortify New Orleans levees and upgrade the system of pumping out water, which was a necessity, was shelved. Army Corps of Engineer personnel had started work to build new levees several years ago but many of them were taken off the repair projects and sent to Iraq. In addition, the president cut $30 million in flood control appropriations, while wasting more than 85 billion dollars a year chasing Saddam for fictional WMD. Under their watch the beautiful New Orleans has transformed into a Toxic Waste Lake with billions of gallons hazardous water worse than WMD threatening the entire environment.
Americans must question what really happened and how a city become a WMD lake. The Hurricane actually hit Mississippi with full force and Neo Orleans was touched on return. Why then this Catastrophic damage and great human tragedy? Why American citizens should have been left with no security after 4 years of constant expenditure of billions of dollars on Homeland Security. Were the Neo-Cons in the administration, Fox news and other corporate media deceiving Americans for the past four years and wasting our resources on their hobbies outside here playing hide and seek with Bin Ladin and looking for nonexistent WMD in Iraq.
While for the past 4 years Bush Administration spent over 2 billion dollars a week on its make believe War on Terror chasing mythical theorists who were supposed to have attacked the Fortress America, it failed to spend a mere half million dollars to repair the Levee system of New Orleans to protect the life .property and wellbeing of its own citizens. It had the national resources wasted on dropping a man made Hurricane of bombs on the middle East while ignoring health, welfare and security of its citizens.
Let make sure that Levees of New Orleans that came down because of disrepair would bring down the Neo-Con Callous ideology that betrayed the poor and Blacks in America. All patriots in America should question why the Bush administration neglected the State of Emergency declared by Governor of Louisiana and did not give the necessary help to repair the two levees that collapsed. If this was not a breach of betrayal homeland security what is ? The Army Core of Engineer just closed the Levee on September 6 two days after they got the go ahead order; why the order was not issued a year ago when they virtually begged the Bush administration to give them the budget for repair.
My heart bleeds for the victims of Louisiana. Yet, the Bush administration knew that this day could come at any time, and it knew the things that needed to be done to protect the citizens of New Orleans. But the administration tried to gamble Billions of dollars of this nation resources in Iraq and cutting taxes for the rich and sacrificed over 10000 life of poor and black Americans and change the most beautiful historical city into WMD wasteland..
Now that Bush has lost that gamble and has compromised national security in the tradition of all democracies he must bear the full responsibility for his failure not the FEMA, or Homeland Security Department . There need to be a real Congressional Investigation and Democrats should resist any sham White Wash that followed 911.
New Orleans had long known it was highly vulnerable to flooding and a direct hit from a hurricane. In fact, the federal government has been working with state and local officials in the region since the late 1960s on major hurricane and flood relief efforts. When flooding from a massive rainstorm in May 1995 killed six people, Congress authorized the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project, or SELA.
Over the next 10 years, the Army Corps of Engineers, tasked with carrying out SELA, spent $430 million on shoring up levees and building pumping stations, with $50 million in local aid. But at least $250 million in crucial projects remained, even as hurricane activity in the Atlantic Basin increased dramatically and the levees surrounding New Orleans continued to sink. Despite the begging of SELA , the Army Corps, city and local government budgets were cut and Bush refused to help. In early 2004, as the cost of the conflict in Iraq soared, President Bush proposed spending less than 20 percent of what the Corps said was needed for Lake Pontchartrain.
On Feb. 16, 2004, article of New Orleans City Business:
The $750 million Lake Pontchartrain and Vicinity Hurricane Protection project is another major Corps project, which remains about 20% incomplete due to lack of funds, said Al Naomi, project manager. That project consists of building up levees and protection for pumping stations on the east bank of the Mississippi River in Orleans, St. Bernard, St. Charles and Jefferson parishes.
On invasion of Iraq Bush and his Neo-con handlers told Americans that they needed to fight in Iraq to save lives here at home, and yet -- after moving billions of domestic dollars to the Persian Gulf -- there are more than 10,000 bodies floating through the streets of New Orleans. What does George W. Bush have to say now that his administration did not secure the Homeland? In democracies honorable people accept responsibility and resign. Nixon had the honor to accept responsibility and resign for a simple break- in that did not hurt no Americans. Clinton was impeached for a personal misbehavior. which did not harm this nation. Even in Banana Republics head of State would resign or run out of the country for a neglect in bringing about a minute disaster. We should not allow this American tragedy be used by Republicans to promote their next presidential candidate Julliani and the Republican Party uses this as a campaign strategy,promotion, a public relation bonanza and an economic windfall profit for their corporate partners and contributors.
posted by Insurgentmind at 2:01 AM
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