This just floored me, I couldn’t believe it was true until I read it on the New Orleans Times Picayune website.
HERE
is the money paragraph: scroll down to “Landrieu blasts FEMA”
“Touring this critical site yesterday with the President, I saw what I believed to be a real and significant effort to get a handle on a major cause of this catastrophe. Flying over this critical spot again this morning, less than 24 hours later, it became apparent that yesterday we witnessed a hastily prepared stage set for a presidential photo opportunity; and the desperately needed resources we saw were this morning reduced to a single, lonely piece of equipment. The good and decent people of southeast Louisiana and the Gulf Coast – black and white, rich and poor, young and old – deserve far better from their national government,” Landrieu said.
Will this get lost in all the Rehnquist coverage? America needs to get wind of this.
I guess she won’t be thanking the president from here on out. She better become a major thorn in his side. You have to keep an eye on the snake bush. Him and Rove are working overtime now. These guys aren’t about substance. Their all about photo ops and bullshit.
Good find Wilfred.
FEMA has blocked the US Forest Service from using its airborne fire fighting equipment to fight the fires.
There is even more at the NOLA site. Evidently delivery of food was halted during his visit! Check this out:
Three tons of food ready for delivery by air to refugees in St. Bernard Parish and on Algiers Point sat on the Crescent City Connection bridge Friday afternoon as air traffic was halted because of President Bush’s visit to New Orleans, officials said.
The provisions, secured by U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-Napoleonville, and state Agriculture Commissioner Bob Odom, baked in the afternoon sun as Bush surveyed damage across southeast Louisiana five days after Katrina made landfall as a Category 4 storm, said Melancon’s chief of staff, Casey O’Shea.
“We had arrangements to airlift food by helicopter to these folks, and now the food is sitting in trucks because they won’t let helicopters fly,” O’Shea said Friday afternoon.
The food was expected to be in the hands of storm survivors after the president left the devastated region Friday night, he said.
All of these horrors must remain front and center. The American people must know the truth – immediately – this time.
I was wondering why they weren’t doing water bombing. What’s FEMA’s excuse?
Bush’s hair might’ve gotten wet, ruining a week of photo op preparation.
My cynical, angry, mind is starting to think that they want everything to burn. As long as they save the French Quarter who cares, right?
should have this on the front page and as the lead story! When is someone going to do something? I am not talking about us. I mean where is Kerry? Silent. WHere is Hillary, silent. Where is Reid, silent? Where is Obama, silent. Where is Boxer, silent! I haven’t heard one GD word from any of our so called leaders. Thousands of people died. People died while he was being briefed? This is fucking unbelievable.
Given that Landrieu has been the female DINO equivalent of Lieberman, this is quite remarkable.
And CNN, wonder of wonders, is committing real journalism.
European journalists are reporting the fakery for what it is. From European Tribune:
Was that a naked emperor that just went by?
this should have made news here instantly after the story broke, yet it didn’t. The journalists are already back on the rez, you see the outrage dying down daily.
The corporations must be threatening to pull advertising as they don’t like Bush looking too bad, it’s not good for business.
From Washington Monthly:
There was a striking dicrepancy between the CNN International report on the Bush visit to the New Orleans disaster zone, yesterday, and reports of the same event by German TV.
ZDF News reported that the president’s visit was a completely staged event. Their crew witnessed how the open air food distribution point Bush visited in front of the cameras was torn down immediately after the president and the herd of ‘news people’ had left and that others which were allegedly being set up were abandoned at the same time.
The people in the area were once again left to fend for themselves, said ZDF.
Looks like ignorant bystander beat me to it!
Bush descends upon the Gulf Coast again for more Photo Ops. Think he’ll bring some goodies with him?