NationStates Jolt Archive

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/

An agency that has taken so much criticism in the past goes and does this. Did they not think people would find out? Somebody needs to be fired here. Should the new FEMA head go or should they take out the garbage in the FEMA ranks.

Heartless as this may be, I found FEMA's faked press conference rather funny. Since when did they think they were going to get away with it? (I've dealt with FEMA before, so I know just what I'm getting into there.)
FEMA doesn't serve the people. End of story. FEMA is here to provide feel-good care. The kind that doesn't ever accomplish anything.

There's someone who had to participate in the whole thing who kept saying, "Seriously, guys. i don't think this is such a good idea." And they told him not to worry about. I bet that guy is insufferable right now

it's a planned distraction from helping out the rich when
the poor were purposely drowned.




So let me not forget to report the war’s body count:

New Orleans flood deaths: 1,577.
California celebrity fire deaths: 5.




Mr. Bush never mentioned – and the media would never give away his secret – that 15 hours before the levees broke, the White House and FEMA knew the flood barriers were cracking, yet failed to inform the Governor and state police. Nor did Mr. Bush mention that his Department of Homeland Security’s FEMA trolls took away evacuation planning from the state and gave it to a crew of crony contractors who, for a million bucks, came up with a plan that came down to, “If a hurricane comes, get in your car and drive like hell.”



http://www.gregpalast.com/burn-baby-burnthe-california-celebrity-fires/



Not comparable, the ‘Boo and the N.O.? You can say that again. But as a kid who grew up in the (DELETED) end of Los Angeles, I can tell you that disaster apartheid applies on the local scale as well. Look at the tarry filth of Compton and Long Beach shores versus the panicked reaction when a bit of garbage or oil sheen hits Malibu sands. (I remember, standing on the crude-covered shore of an Alaska Native village in March, 1991, the day Exxon announced it would end the clean-up from the Exxon Valdez spill. That same day, the papers showed the careful scouring that week of every pebble on Malibu beaches hit by dinky spill incident.)

Please don’t get the idea I’m slap-happy about the California inferno. My parents live in San Diego - and one of my favorite Air America hosts had to evacuate from her Del Mar hot tub, poor dear. (I’ve heard, however, that billionaires well done taste just like chicken.)



((((((((
What I’m saying is: Besides the flames, there’s a class war raging in America. Or, should I say, Class Massacre. Because only one side is taking all the bullets. Malibu, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica are “incorporated communities” – islands of privilege politically fenced off from the riff-raff sea of Los Angeles. These self-incorporated Bantustans of the wealthy have their own fire departments and schools. The money islands are relieved of having to pay for the schools and hospitals of the city where their gardeners live. (I can’t tell which is the worst disaster that can befall an Angelino – a fire, an earthquake or the LA public school system.)





Population of San Diego fire evacuation zone: 500,000
Population of the New Orleans flood evacuation zone: 500,000

White folk as a % of evacuees, San Diego: 66%
Black folk as % of evacuees, New Orleans: 67%Malibu Dancers

Size counts, too. Size of your wallet, that is:

Evacuees in San Diego, in poverty: 9%
Evacuees in New Orleans, in poverty: 27%

Now, it’s easy to say it’s just George Bush who’s the class clown of the class war. But it’s an old story. When a flood took out the tony homes at Westhampton Dunes, the Clinton Administration picked up the full tab for rebuilding these summer hideaways of investment bankers. While today, death-by-poison stalks the environment of Black townships of Louisiana (the FEMA ‘guests’ are parked in a zone called Cancer Ally), Al Gore can’t be found. But when speaking of rising sea levels that can take out the homes of his buddies in ‘Boo or the Hamptons, Gore goes ga-ga.

The one thing I’ll say in favor of that vile little Louisiana Republican cheering the drowning of public housing residents, at least he's honest about how the system works. He’s not afraid to remind us of the gods’-honest truth: disaster response is class war by other means.







In 2005, while the bodies were still being fished out of flooded homes in New Orleans, Republican Congressman Richard Baker praised The Lord for his mercy. “We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn’t do it, but God did,” he said about the removal of the poor from the project near the French Quarter much coveted by speculators.

But as this week’s flames spread, no Republican Congressman cried, “Burn baby burn!” to praise the Lord for cleaning up them ‘Boo, the sin-and-surf playground of Hollywood luvvies.

In New Orleans, God’s covenant with real estate developers has been very profitable. Over 70,000 families
remain, two years after the waters receded, in mobile home concentration centers far away from the N.O. re-building boom. Let’s see how long it takes to get Tom Hanks back on his beach towel.

Wow tapeworm you put some time in those posts. One thing I will agree however is that there is a class war that has nothing to do with race. Most people focus on race as the issue but it is actually a problem with what class one is in. Then again class warfare has been going on around the world since money was invented.

I don't like FEMA, anyway, since I just finished Deus Ex.

Damn you, Walton Simmons!

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/

An agency that has taken so much criticism in the past goes and does this. Did they not think people would find out? Somebody needs to be fired here. Should the new FEMA head go or should they take out the garbage in the FEMA ranks.

These are the people we are supposed to count on when there's a massive emergency.

If I lived in Southern California, I would be investing heavily in canned food and shotguns. :D

These are the people we are supposed to count on when there's a massive emergency.

If I lived in Southern California, I would be investing heavily in canned food and shotguns. :D

Well, I don't know who was in overall charge of the wildfire operations, but they did a pretty good job on the whole.

FEMA is full of fools.

Heartless as this may be, I found FEMA's faked press conference rather funny. Since when did they think they were going to get away with it? (I've dealt with FEMA before, so I know just what I'm getting into there.)
FEMA doesn't serve the people. End of story. FEMA is here to provide feel-good care. The kind that doesn't ever accomplish anything.

FEMA used to serve the people. The problem is that as soon as the executive branch of government was put in the control of people who don't think that the government is supposed to help people it stopped helping people. Bush 'demoted' FEMA from its independent status to merely a branch of "Homeland Security." He now treats it as an opportunity for money laundering.

I know that conservatives like to trot out the Reagan line, but they never seem to realize that the prospect of government helping people is only scary if you're powerful enough to profit from hurting them.

Conservatives can't run government. Not because they're particularly stupid or evil, but because they don't believe in it. You wouldn't go to a scientologist psychiatrist. You wouldn't go to an Amish car mechanic. Only an idiot would vote for a conservative politician.

Nicely written TWS - anyone else can watch or listen (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_Ny9_CrUVY) to this while reading for extra effect...

Wow tapeworm you put some time in those posts. One thing I will agree however is that there is a class war that has nothing to do with race. Most people focus on race as the issue but it is actually a problem with what class one is in. Then again class warfare has been going on around the world since money was invented.


not really,
i just cut&paste the juiciest parts from the best us journalist to live
in britain, greg palast
http://www.gregpalast.com/burn-baby-burnthe-california-celebrity-fires/
sorry for the confusion.


i agree,
class is the most important issue.
but this is not to say race should be ignored
when someone who has to deal with discrimination daily brings it up.

and of course
my first line in my first post in this thread is sarcasm.
(unless they really did do that....)

(I remember, standing on the crude-covered shore of an Alaska Native village in March, 1991, the day Exxon announced it would end the clean-up from the Exxon Valdez spill.

You were up here for that, eh?
Perhaps you've heard the latest:
http://www.adn.com/money/story/9410142p-9322769c.html
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/5241109.html

Gotta love those motherfuckers.

FEMA is full of fools.

Dr. Kurtzweil: And why do you think you're here talking to me today? These people don't make mistakes!
*goes off to the alley to leak again*

not really,
i just cut&paste the juiciest parts from the best us journalist to live
in britain, greg palast
http://www.gregpalast.com/burn-baby-burnthe-california-celebrity-fires/
sorry for the confusion.


i agree,
class is the most important issue.
but this is not to say race should be ignored
when someone who has to deal with discrimination daily brings it up.

and of course
my first line in my first post in this thread is sarcasm.
(unless they really did do that....)



Next time you pass someone else view off as your own, try finding a guy that knows how to source his damned work! He comes off like he is pulling most of that out of his ass. And why did he ignore most of the areas fighting the fires? Cherry picking clearly. To make this a case of racism and class warfare is not only ignorant and unfounded, but disgusting and tacky.

And he seems ignorant on what incorporated area is, I live in an Unincorporated area of riverside county, the city has tried to incorporate the area but the people have fought it and have shown no interest in being under the cities control. Mainly because they would have to give up their horses and pay 10k to get put into the sewer system...Assholes.


It 5:30 so I won't pick him apart piece by piece but next time pick someone who knows how to source his work with credible infomation instead of pulling shit out of his ass. Race has nothing to do with this.


FYI, I am half black and am rather proud of the better response to this. Unlike people like you who would rather play politics and mislead the people.

Now, it’s easy to say it’s just George Bush who’s the class clown of the class war. But it’s an old story. When a flood took out the tony homes at Westhampton Dunes, the Clinton Administration picked up the full tab for rebuilding these summer hideaways of investment bankers. While today, death-by-poison stalks the environment of Black townships of Louisiana (the FEMA ‘guests’ are parked in a zone called Cancer Ally), Al Gore can’t be found. But when speaking of rising sea levels that can take out the homes of his buddies in ‘Boo or the Hamptons, Gore goes ga-ga.


Err, to be fair - Gore talks more about the potential high-volume disaster areas when he discusses rising sea levels. Places like Bombay, Beijing, etc - which are rather far from the Hamptons.

As to his lack of statements on Cancer Ally, it again is rather far from his current focus. Indeed, I would state that it has nothing to do with his pet issue.

Now, you can debate to death Gores means/methods/accuracy etc regarding his global crusade all you want, but to also throw in complaints that he isn't wading in on other issues seems grossly unjustified.

Actually it seems like a cheap shot.

Err, to be fair - Gore talks more about the potential high-volume disaster areas when he discusses rising sea levels. Places like Bombay, Beijing, etc - which are rather far from the Hamptons.

As to his lack of statements on Cancer Ally, it again is rather far from his current focus. Indeed, I would state that it has nothing to do with his pet issue.

Now, you can debate to death Gores means/methods/accuracy etc regarding his global crusade all you want, but to also throw in complaints that he isn't wading in on other issues seems grossly unjustified.

Actually it seems like a cheap shot.

Tape Worm loves the bogeyman. The creation of the perception of the "other". Without it, his argument doesn't work particularly well.

Also, Palast is an awful source. He relies on innuendo, incomplete evidence, and poor sourcing for the successful conveying of his message. He alleges corruption (especially electoral) at every turn, whenever a more rightward candidate wins an election, even when the evidence would show otherwise. His style, reliance on the creation of the image of an "Old tyme" reporter by his manner of speech and his dress, on top of that, he goes for that lame fedora gag. Use an actual source, not Greg Palast.

FEMA is full of fools.

Of course it is. GWB staffed it with his friends and his friends friends.