Posted on 09/19/2005 4:57:12 AM PDT by Chairman_December_19th_Society
We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail!
Good morning!!
Do not let the victims of the attacks on New York and Washington, nor the brave members of our Nation's military who have given their lives to protect our freedom, die in vain!!
New Orleans, Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Liberals, and Conservatives
Earlier, this space took time to analyze the roles of the various elements in the disaster preparation requirements for New Orleans. That information may be found at the following link:
What might be worthwhile to look into as well is the reactions of the significant political creatures involved in the affair. Indeed, the various activities by folks involved paint an interesting case study of how liberals react to a tragedy, versus how conservatives address the same matter.
Let's start with Mississippi and Alabama. We don't hear much about them in the news, and this space has, unfortunately, also been focused more on the events in New Orleans than of those in, say, Biloxi and Gulfport. But there may be a very good reason for that.
The governors of Mississippi and Alabama are conservative Republicans.
On the other hand, the news is full of information and material dealing with Louisiana and New Orleans. It is likely there's a very good reason for that, too.
The governor of Louisiana and the mayor of New Orleans are both liberal Democrats.
We are, thus, provided an opportunity to analyze the differences of conservatives and liberals to, roughly, the same calamity.
The differences are striking.
There's very little news about Alabama, and though damage occurred to the port of Mobile, the state was the least damaged of the three. It is safe to assume, however, the governor, Bob Riley, has simply gone down to business on repairing the damage, doing the needed paperwork with the Federal Government, getting the job done, and not whining or complaining about his lot, whether other folks were helping him enough, and so on. In other words, roll up your sleeves and get to work.
Then there's Mississippi, and its governor, Haley Barbour, also a Republican. Significantly more damage occurred in that state than compared to Alabama--indeed the city of Bay St. Louis has pretty much been wiped off the map, as have many towns along the Gulf coast. Biloxi and Gulfport are in ruins. But you don't see the governor of the state whining about the Federal response, even after being goaded by liberal media wonks. In fact, Haley Barbour mentioned, in response to one question about whether he thought the Federal response was adequate, he noted that he had a state to rebuild.
The common thread of these two is simple, take care of business any way you can and ask only for the help you need, but in all cases be the leader.
Then there is, of course, the third state, and its major city--Louisiana, and the port of New Orleans.
Both the governor and the mayor have been critical of the Federal response, and maybe there were things that could have been done better (that's another show), but the response of the Louisiana governor is interesting.
After the storm had passed through, it is noted in a piece that can be found in Lexus-Nexus, the governor firmly believed the Federal government had some omniscient power that would allow it the capability of determining exactly how much aid would be needed and where.
The governor clung to this belief for three days, and wondered where the aid was. And after the aid was sent, the response was "where have you been?" In other words, even after realizing she would have to spell out what she needed--as "point person" for disaster relief in Louisiana--she still clung to that belief that the Feds "should have known" she needed 40,000 National Guard troops, untold amounts of food, water, and so on, and not the notion that she would "place an order" for what she determined was required.
Of course, she was not served well as her main point of information was the mayor of New Orleans. His view was: where the heck was the state? Why didn't Baton Rouge send him the stuff he needed? And, of course, where were the Feds? (Not realizing, one could suppose, that the Feds were being hamstrung by the bureaucrats serving the Louisiana governor in the capital.)
Indeed, and it is safe to assume the media gravitated to this as they love a controversy, the American body politic was served a heaping helping of whining, complaining, and bitterness for weeks on end--and it still hasn't stopped today.
So, there you have it. Two major elected officials who are Republicans setting about taking the lead in reparing their shattered domains. These two people recognize and appreciate the role of the Federal goverment in large-scale disaster relief, but view that entity as only a tool for them to use to put things back to right.
The other two elected officials are busy looking for someone else to solve their problems. The someone else is "big" or "bigger" government. Neither of these individuals viewed themselves as the leader of disaster relief in their areas, but rather simply someone who should yell and scream enough for someone else to solve the problem. The Federal Government to the governor of Louisiana and the mayor of New Orleans wasn't a tool for them to use to repair the damage from the late hurricane, the Federal Government was the totality of the solution. All they needed to do, then, was to sit back, watch it happen, and take credit for getting it there.
In short, conservatives worked to get the job done, while liberals worked to get someone else to get the job done.
But where does that leave the people?
For that, we leave the moral of this tale.
If you want to be safe in a disaster, be prepared beforehand to pick up the pieces afterwards by yourself.
For AMERICA - The Right Way, I remain yours in the Cause, the Chairman.
Oops, I forgot to put your name on here so, posted you to me instead. You get the picture of what I said to myself.
Been there..done that...today, in fact. Ouch! :-)
I am glad I am not the only one.
Being a little crazy is what keeps me from going insane. (Taken from Waylon Jennings)
Changing taglines.
That WAS NOT directed at you...I'm just sick out scared freepers whining about everything.
LOL...I want one. I think my black cat could carry that weapon..easily.
Oh my, I hope it stays clear of us all !
My kitty is so mean, he doesn't need any weapon. His arched back-bugged out eyes and fluggy tails says it all.
How's your day going?
Oh worse than the typical Monday.
Drug out my garbage today, bumped my mirror and knocked it off my Blazer door. It was hanging by a wire. Had to take it right in and have it fixed. Took less than half an hour and cost an arm and a leg. I am just sick about it. But the Blazer is 8 years old and things are gonna break on it from time to time.
How is your day?
Off to get gas. BBL.
We are at our wit's end here. For some reason the goldfish in our pond are coming to the surface...not gasping...and then they die. It must be a parasite that attack their gills, but to know for sure I would have to scrape the gills and place under a microscope. I think we have lost about 15-20 goldfish and yet....(knock on wood) it ..whatever IT is..doesn't seem to bother the Koi. We increased the oxygen in the pond with more pumps and bubblers...still 3-4 die each night. I'm sick about it.
Some of these goldfish we bought when they were feeder fish....25/ 5 bucks and maybe less that an inch in size. Some that we lost are almost 10-12 inches. They are our babies. :-(
We started salting the pond per recommendations on several ponding forums and a very nice pond man about 50 miles from here. If the salting doesn't work we have to go to some kind of chemical (PP) that would be much like chemo in a human and MUST be dispensed..perfectly. *sigh*
Cripes if I'm in agony over this....I hate to think.....
Ditto that, lysie.
Are you feeling better?
To all my dear friends in Rita's possible path....my prayers. Stay safe.
Ditto that, lysie. I can hardly believe we're watching ANOTHER hurricane.
Thanks
Are you loving your new home?
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