NationStates Jolt Archive

Oh how did I miss this little bundle of joy? Laura speaking about the devastation:

Death and Destruction

In a rare White House press conference, first lady Laura Bush urged Myanmar's military-ruled government to accept aid from the U.S., and chastised the regime for not informing its people of the impending disaster. "The response to the cyclone is the most recent failure of the regime to meet its people's basic needs," Bush said Monday.

Katrina anyone? I love how things come full circle.

http://news.aol.com/?feature=20080506134909990001

sorry for using aol, it's where I found it.

Eh, the US's failure doesn't excuse the Burma Junta's. Less so, since they had our bad example to view and make up for.

You are comparing this to Katrina. Everyone was warned about Katrina. The ones that were able to got the hell out (which was most everyone). It was local and state government to blame for not getting the poor and disabled out before hand. Not the federal government.

You are comparing this to Katrina. Everyone was warned about Katrina. The ones that were able to got the hell out (which was most everyone). It was local and state government to blame for not getting the poor and disabled out before hand. Not the federal government.

Same impressions that I was under.

You are comparing this to Katrina. Everyone was warned about Katrina. The ones that were able to got the hell out (which was most everyone). It was local and state government to blame for not getting the poor and disabled out before hand. Not the federal government.

True, but when FEMA stepped in and federalized the situation, they bollixed it up real good.

True, but when FEMA stepped in and federalized the situation, they bollixed it up real good.

Not defending the government but truly what major disaster on a wide scale was handled correctly anywhere in the world? I think anytime you get multiple government agencies involved you have problems.

There's a significant difference between Katrina, and what's happening in Burma right now. Katrina was a clusterfuck, a city was destroyed and some two-thousand odd people died.


What's happened in Burma is a cluster of mega-mondo-super-damnstraighttohell-clusterfucks, with perhaps 100,000 dead.

Same impressions that I was under.

You are comparing this to Katrina. Everyone was warned about Katrina. The ones that were able to got the hell out (which was most everyone). It was local and state government to blame for not getting the poor and disabled out before hand. Not the federal government.

This.

Bush isn't running the best presidency in history, but let's not blame EVERYTHING on him, ok.

new Orleans is a much more populated area and yet had 1/20 the causalities.

Not to mention there was a bozo mayor too stupid to understand he needs to ask for help from higher authorities, A bozo governor who was unable to check with the mayor, or declare a disaster area in a timely fashion, and a bozo president who doesn't know when he is dealing with two tiers of dumb ass goverment below him and should have jumped the gun.

Oh how did I miss this little bundle of joy? Laura speaking about the devastation:

US: Myanmar junta failed to warn people on cyclone

2 days ago

WASHINGTON (AFP) — US First Lady Laura Bush accused Myanmar's military rulers of failing to warn their citizens in time about a killer cyclone and pressed the junta to accept US aid in the disaster's wake.

"Although they were aware of the threat, Burma's state-run media failed to issue a timely warning to citizens in the storm's path," Bush said Monday in an unusual appearance at the White House briefing room podium.

"It's troubling that many of the Burmese people learned of this impending disaster only when foreign outlets, such as Radio Free Asia and Voice of America, sounded the alarm," she said. Washington calls the country Burma.

Laura Bush, who has taken a leading role in shaping US policy towards Myanmar, said Washington "stands prepared" to increase its assistance well beyond an initial emergency 250,000-dollar outlay by the US embassy in Yangon.

She declined to give a precise dollar figure, saying the junta first had to allow a US disaster assistance response team into Myanmar to assess the scope of the devastation from Tropical Cyclone Nargis's weekend rampage.

"I can't speak to how large that would be. But I feel assured that it would be substantial, if we can give it," she said, promising help to provide water, sanitation, food and shelter.

Bush made clear any assistance would go through the United Nations or international nongovernmental organizations -- and not directly to a regime under US sanctions for failing to embrace democratic reforms.

"I hope that the military will realize they have to accept aid from everybody they can possibly accept it from. And maybe that will be the something good that can come out of this terrible destruction," she said.

More than 15,000 people died after the powerful cyclone swept across Myanmar, including 10,000 in a single town, the military government announced in its latest update of the death toll.

The US State Department Monday issued a travel warning for US citizens in Myanmar, telling them to strongly consider leaving the country, and advising all other Americans to "defer non-essential travel" there.

Laura Bush declared that "the response to the cyclone is just the most recent example of the junta's failure to meet its people's basic needs."

She also warned the regime against holding a planned constitutional referendum Saturday and said that her husband, US President George W. Bush, on Tuesday would sign a law giving imprisoned democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi the Congressional Gold Medal -- the highest civilian honor US lawmakers can bestow.

"That's important," said the first lady, who called the award a way to "let the people of Burma know that the United States is standing with them."

She denounced the referendum, saying the regime "orchestrated this vote to give false legitimacy to their continued rule" and that "it would be very, very odd, I think, if they went ahead."

Laura Bush cited violence against the opposition and noted that Aung San Suu Kyi -- under house arrest for more than 12 of the past 18 years, following her party's sweeping victory in 1990 elections that the junta ignored -- would be barred from holding office under the draft constitution.

"If it proceeds under current conditions, the constitutional referendum they have planned should not be seen as a step toward freedom, but rather as a confirmation of the unacceptable status quo," said the first lady.

"We appeal to China, India, and Burma's fellow ASEAN members to use their influence to encourage a democratic transition," she said, referring to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

At the same time, Laura Bush acknowledged Washington had "only anecdotal" evidence that its sanctions -- which the US president further tightened last week -- were having an effect on Myanmar's leaders.

Asked whether she worried that US aid might not reach Myanmar's people, Laura Bush replied: "I'm worried that they won't even accept US aid."

The source of such concerns was unclear. The head of a UN office that coordinates humanitarian aid said the junta had shown their willingness to accept such aid.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5iWphuVAXdBMQA0oBQJ6dlH8vnBPw

Katrina anyone? I love how things come full circle.

Indeed.

http://news.aol.com/?feature=20080506134909990001

sorry for using aol, it's where I found it.

I almost didn't find it on your link - ya might have mentioned it was 8 clicks in... ;)

I did find the top story there, "Nearly 100 Arrested in College Drug Bust", humorous, considering the Coke Head in Chief who screwed up during Katrina.

You are comparing this to Katrina. Everyone was warned about Katrina. The ones that were able to got the hell out (which was most everyone). It was local and state government to blame for not getting the poor and disabled out before hand. Not the federal government.

Let's see...

Who was it who who shunted the money for the Corps of Engineers levee projects to Iraq? (http://www.pensitoreview.com/2005/08/31/bush-diverted-levee-building-funds-to-iraq/)

Who was it who had the Mississippi and Louisiana National Gaurd in Iraq? (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/iraq-war-delayed-katrina-relief-effort-inquiry-finds-509339.html)

That should get us started....

True, but when FEMA stepped in and federalized the situation, they bollixed it up real good.

It was bolloxed up ahead of time. And who appointed his incompetent crony, who himself admits he deserves much of the blaim (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2006/01/18/national/w175851S49.DTL) for screwing up the response, as head of FEMA?

Not defending the government but truly what major disaster on a wide scale was handled correctly anywhere in the world? I think anytime you get multiple government agencies involved you have problems.

Indeed so. However a tunnel vision focus on Iraq and incompetent leadership (at multiple levels) doesn't help.

There's a significant difference between Katrina, and what's happening in Burma right now. Katrina was a clusterfuck, a city was destroyed and some two-thousand odd people died.


What's happened in Burma is a cluster of mega-mondo-super-damnstraighttohell-clusterfucks, with perhaps 100,000 dead.

Again, indeed so. However, criticising others for mistakes you balso made, albet on a smaller scale, is hypocritical, no?

Bush isn't running the best presidency in history, but let's not blame EVERYTHING on him, ok.

So who appointed Brown head of FEMA and sent the NG units and levee money to Iraq?

You are comparing this to Katrina. Everyone was warned about Katrina. The ones that were able to got the hell out (which was most everyone). It was local and state government to blame for not getting the poor and disabled out before hand. Not the federal government.

Something few people will ever say. It's easy to blame the incompetents in the federal government when it was really the job of the state and local officials. The only thing I blame the federal government for is not acting sooner. They gave too much trust to the local and state officials when they should have been prepared for them to completely FUBAR it.

Something few people will ever say. It's easy to blame the incompetents in the federal government when it was really the job of the state and local officials.

Since when is the Army Corps of Engineers, responsible for the levees, state and local?

Since when is the Iraq war, where the levee money and NG troops were sent, state and local?

The only thing I blame the federal government for is not acting sooner. They gave too much trust to the local and state officials when they should have been prepared for them to completely FUBAR it.

The Federal Government deserves its share of the blaim for creating the mess, in addition to the mess of a response.

Again, indeed so. However, criticising others for mistakes you balso made, albet on a smaller scale, is hypocritical, no?

It may or may not be hypocritical, what matters is that in this instance the criticism from the Bush administration is legitimate. To say otherwise would be a tu quoque fallacy of sorts.

More than that, the failures of the Bush administration, the state of Louisiana and the city of New Orleans are of a totally different nature from the failures of the Junta in Burma. Whereas these actors made an attempt, albeit flawed and misguided, to do something about it, the Burmese Generals didn't even let their people know that a storm was on its way.

Something few people will ever say. It's easy to blame the incompetents in the federal government when it was really the job of the state and local officials. The only thing I blame the federal government for is not acting sooner. They gave too much trust to the local and state officials when they should have been prepared for them to completely FUBAR it.

the reason the federal goverment screwed up was they stood down. it was 8 hours after the hurricane until the levee broke, and 24 hours before things became insanely flooded in New Orleans. as a veteran I can tell you what likely happened was that soldiers were on alert from the time the hurricane made landfall in Florida until just after the hurricane passed New Orleans. then the commanders thinking well better give my boys some time off before they get shipped back to Iraq sent them home.

Pretty hard to call people back because the first thing I would do is get drunk.

Bush isn't running the best presidency in historyNext up, the Oscar.

Since when is the Iraq war, where the levee money and NG troops were sent, state and local?

In truth, the federal government has been funneling cash away from the levee's for years, perhaps even decades. It's a systemic flaw, born out of the sort of arrogance one might expect from successive administrations and congresses who think that they can throw money around wheresoever they please, without regard to the consequences.



The Federal Government deserves its share of the blaim for creating the mess, in addition to the mess of a response.

Which is why I've always referred to Katrina as a clusterfuck. So much went wrong on so many levels, that if the parties involved had half a clue, they'd cut out the finger pointing and reevaluate themselves seriously.