Hurricane Katrina: A Republican Conspiracy?

FrontPage Magazine ^ | 1 SEPTEMBER 2005 | Michael Reagan

[rdb3]

Hurricane Katrina: A Republican Conspiracy?
By Michael Reagan
FrontPageMagazine.com | September 1, 2005

By now you’ve probably heard about the lunatic comments of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Cindy Sheehan of the environmental movement, who blamed Hurricane Katrina on President Bush and Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour for not buying into the global warming hype, and not signing up for the thoroughly discredited Kyoto Treaty.

RFK Jr. is not alone in his delusions. In Europe the president is being castigated for not falling in line with all those Old World socialists eager to use the alleged warming of the world climate to create a new world order organized along the lines laid down by Karl Marx.

Their cynicism and political opportunism has drawn the scorn of the widely-acclaimed British social anthropologist Benny Peiser, a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society whose research focuses on the effects of environmental change and catastrophic events on contemporary thought and societal evolution.

Here’s what he just wrote about the attacks on President Bush by the global warming fanatics:

Notwithstanding continuing rescue and support efforts, the calamity has triggered a rather opportunistic and cynical reaction by opponents of the current U.S. Administration. In an eerie development that echoes the political exploitation of the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster last December, environmental campaigners, Green journalists and European officials are blaming (once again) the U.S. and its people for the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina. Instead of supporting the rescue efforts, demagogues are using the human tragedy in a futile attempt to score points. At a time of utter desolation and misfortune, propagandists in high office and parts of the media are abandoning America and its victims for purely political goals.

What he said next should endear him to every American:

Europeans in particular, who have been rescued and liberated from themselves by the U.S. no less than three times in the course of the 20th century, should feel ashamed for kicking a friend and ally when he is down. Let me re-assure our American friends and colleagues that this pitiless mind-set of environmental activists is not representative for the vast majority of Europeans who are following the heartbreaking events with great concern and empathy.

Nobody could have said it better. I hope Germany’s environmental minister Jürgen Trittin was listening. He blames George Bush for hurricane Katrina despite the fact that that statistics don't show a particularly increase in the frequency of hurricanes in the U.S. in the last decades.

According to Herr Trittin, President Bush has neglected environmental protection and shut his eyes “to the economic and human damage that natural catastrophes like Katrina inflict on his country and the world's economy.”

He and his Econut pals should listen to Professor Kerry Emanuel of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who told Britain’s The Independent: “I don't think you can put this down to global warming.”

Dr. William Gray, a Colorado State University meteorologist, considered one of the fathers of modern tropical cyclone science, says worldwide weather records were too inadequate for a thorough examination of trends. “The people who have a bias in favor of the argument that humans are making the globe warmer will push any data that suggests humans are making hurricanes worse, but it just isn't so. These are natural cycles,” he told the New York Times.

In a 2001 paper in Science, by Stanley Goldenberg of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), it was explained that the Atlantic goes through decades-long stretches where it creates extra hurricanes while there are equally long lulls where the number of hurricanes is low.

Over recent decades we have been in a lull period. According to Professor John Molinari, of Albany’s State University of New York: “We were way below normal levels for hurricanes in the 1970s, '80s, and '90s.” Now he says it appears that Goldenberg and his colleagues were right, and that the east coast of the United States is in a period of increased hurricane activity that could last 20 years or more.

And George Bush has nothing to do with that. It’s all Mother Nature’s fault.

[cyborg]

Morning friend. I'm just passing through.

[airborne]

And George Bush has nothing to do with that.

OF course not. It was Karl Rove! 8^)

[ozdragon]

I like GW and think he is by far many times better than Kerry, but he is failing to be a leader.
He has allowed himself to look like he is hiding from Cindy and now he flys over the hurricane damage in AF 1, A leader must appear to be leading and you do that by being on the scene. He should have been doing a helicopter fly-over with Governor Blanco and Governor Barbour. He should have lander at the Superdome and hugged some of the suvivors and promised aid from the Feds.
I know this is all for TV but that is whjat a real leader must do to instill confidence.
I can only think of the superb performance by Guliani after 911 and even GW's own performance at ground zero.

[beyond the sea]

Boy are you going to get flamed ....... although I feel you are mostly correct.

[rhombus]

He has allowed himself to look...

I feel your pain. Now get back to work.

[kb2614]

And George Bush has nothing to do with that.

OF course not. It was Karl Rove! 8^)

No no no, it was the JOOOOOOOSSSSSSS!!!

[John W]

You would think good conservatives would know the difference between style and substance.

[Ranald S. MacKenzie]

Cindy who?

[rdb3]

No no no, it was the JOOOOOOOSSSSSSS!!!

Jews... </Limbaugh>

[libertylover]

Upon returning to Washington, Congress should immediately repeal the just-passed transportation bill and reexamine our priorities in light of the devastating damage done to the region by Hurricane Katrina.

[rdb3]

Cause I'm A-I!

A-I!

R-B!

R-B!

O-R!

O-R!

N-E!

N-E!

When I can run again, I'll gladly sing that cadence.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Michael Reagan has been on a tear lately. Writing has definetly improved.

[Alberta's Child]

With all due respect, you are delusional. You have no idea how chaotic the situation in New Orleans is right now. Having the President land in that city (as if he could) and show up a the Superdome to hug a few black folks would be the equivalent of having him show up at Ground Zero to "feel our pain" ten minutes after the Twin Towers fell to the ground on 9/11.

I can only think of the superb performance by Guliani after 911 and even GW's own performance at ground zero.

Giuliani's "superb performance" after 9/11 began long after the danger was over. He damn near lost his life that day by showing up at the fire/police command center before the buildings fell, and wasn't looking like much of a leader when he and his entourage had to flee away from Lower Manhattan on foot like everyone else.

The chaos and disorder in New Orleans has only just begun.

[airborne]

And you ain't running if you don't have a 60 pound pack on your back!

[Jedi Jake]

Where's Bono?

[Toadman]

I respect your opinion oz but I disagree. I believe in substance. GW has that. I don't agree with everything he has done (or hasn't ala illegal immagration), but overall I think he has done a great job as President, especially considering the crisis he's had to deal with.

The MSM loves him so much (/sarcasm) that he's in a position where he's damned if does and/or damn if he doesn't.

[GBA]

I agree with you about the president's need for somewhat better PR about Katrina, but not about She-ham. The she-ham had her moment with the president and at the time, she sounded grateful. If I were him, I would meet with Casey's actual family instead. If what I've read here is true, the She-ham wasn't as involved in Casey's life as she makes out.