Katrina Live Thread, Part XIII

Bush's statements will be on whitehouse.gov within an hour, if not already.

3,241 posted on 09/02/2005 6:43:55 AM PDT by AFPhys ((.Praying for President Bush, our troops, their families, and all my American neighbors..))

As the process of busing refugees from the Louisiana Superdome to Houston's Reliant Astrodome haltingly continued, as many as 20,000 other evacuees housed at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center restlessly waited with little prospect of going anywhere soon.

With temperatures rising into the 90s, they spilled out onto Convention Center Boulevard, where they chanted, prayed and angrily denounced authorities for failing to care for the estimated 50,000 to 100,000 victims of Hurricane Katrina still in the city.

"Oh, Lord. Oh, Lord. Oh, God, help us!" Angela Perkins, 34, cried as she fell to her knees on the hot, garbage-strewn thoroughfare. "I want to leave. They treat us like animals."

At least seven bodies, including that of an old man lying in a chaise longue on the boulevard's grassy median and a blanket-covered woman in a wheelchair, were scattered outside the convention center, located at the Mississippi River near the foot of Canal Street.

Another corpse, that of an infant, was inside the building.

3,242 posted on 09/02/2005 6:44:14 AM PDT by BlackRain

I agree 100%!!! Woman here, too. I've been known to scream at the TV if the show has a lame, screaming bimbo who can't help herself on it. This unfortunately is reality and we have a lame screaming bimbo as the Gov. of LA.

So you love Lifetime TV too, huh? ;-)

3,243 posted on 09/02/2005 6:44:39 AM PDT by cwiz24 (I worked very hard on this tagline.)

I'm aghast at the number of people on this forum

What exactly is unconstitutional?

3,244 posted on 09/02/2005 6:44:56 AM PDT by don-o (Don't be a Freeploader. Do the right thing and become a Monthly Donor!)

It wasn't personal - just the last post on the thread at the time.

3,245 posted on 09/02/2005 6:45:13 AM PDT by headsonpikes (The Liberal Party of Canada are not b*stards - b*stards have mothers!)

To: Knitting A Conundrum

In addition, N.O. is sinking a bit more each year as the delta slowly dries out and compresses underneath it.

3,246 posted on 09/02/2005 6:45:17 AM PDT by AFPhys ((.Praying for President Bush, our troops, their families, and all my American neighbors..))

4.9% unemployment. They'll even try to piss on that strong number. The WH needs to put Scott McLellan on leave and bring back Ari or someone who can smack down the press when the deluge of MSM acrimony fully hits. I'd prefer Bush slap some down,but he's just too damn nice toward his enemies.

3,247 posted on 09/02/2005 6:45:34 AM PDT by Shqipo (If NO was still French they would have already surrendered!)

I'm aghast at the number of people on this forum (FR) that insist on demanding that the Fairy Godmother Federal Government wave the ol' magic wand and make everything all better.

Welcome aboard. I appreciate your comments but must respond.

I haven't called for anything like you describe. I would just like the feds to get water to thousands of men, women and children -- Americans -- laying in the streets of New Orleans. Certainly, after four days, our government could pull that off without waving a "magic wand," right? Or, am I simply expecting too much? Or, do they all deserve this or something?

3,248 posted on 09/02/2005 6:45:37 AM PDT by Types_with_Fist (I'm on FReep so often that when I read an article at another site I scroll down for the comments.)

Prediction #1: within the next 2 weeks Chertoff will be out as will Michael Brown.

If Bush got rid of people who were in over their heads, he would have gotten rid of Scott McClellan a few years ago. He doesn't like to fire people, so I doubt anyone will lose their jobs.

I don't know where Chertoff and Brown were for the first few days, and I don't know anything about how good Chertoff is. I did see the press briefing and Q&A session by Michael Brown yesterday, and I thought he did a very good job.

3,249 posted on 09/02/2005 6:45:57 AM PDT by rocklobster11

There's something almost funny about hearing a big law enforcement/military guy in charge say the word "portapotty".

3,250 posted on 09/02/2005 6:46:26 AM PDT by duffthor (Is it fishing time yet?)

Here are before and after pictures of the Atlantic House restaurant, on Folly Beach, SC. It was built on stilts too.

3,251 posted on 09/02/2005 6:46:28 AM PDT by Doohickey (If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice...I will choose freewill.)

Sister! With Knitting Needles!

3,252 posted on 09/02/2005 6:46:45 AM PDT by Knitting A Conundrum (Act Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly With God Micah 6:8)

To: Warren_Piece

I'm sick of EVERYONE at FR acting like this was ever manageable, by anyone. Everyone will do the best that we can from here on out. When this is all over, we'll look at this and learn from it. I'm not saying this was a judgement from God, but every now and then mankind gets too full of itself until something happens to show us just how insignficant we are in the face of God, or Nature, whatever.
This is bigger than us. It is quite telling that people are saying they can't understand this is happening in the US. Maybe now we will get it. We are not so wealthy and powerful that we are immune from disaster.
I'm sorry, this is bigger than us.

All true. Any politician or public official who says otherwise either doesn't get it yet...or gets it and is trying to position themselves politically on the issue. That's what's disgusting.

3,253 posted on 09/02/2005 6:46:50 AM PDT by DouglasKC

To: WoodstockCat

The Convention Center wasn't a refuge center..it was broken into and the word spread "go to the Convention Center"..

Wrong.

http://www.livejournal.com/users/interdictor/

The Real News The following is the result of an interview I just conducted via cell phone with a New Orleans citizen stranded at the Convention Center. I don't know what you're hearing in the mainstream media or in the press conferences from the city and state officials, but here is the truth:

"Bigfoot" is a bar manager and DJ on Bourbon Street, and is a local personality and icon in the city. He is a lifelong resident of the city, born and raised. He rode out the storm itself in the Iberville Projects because he knew he would be above any flood waters. Here is his story as told to me moments ago. I took notes while he talked and then I asked some questions:

Three days ago, police and national guard troops told citizens to head toward the Crescent City Connection Bridge to await transportation out of the area. The citizens trekked over to the Convention Center and waited for the buses which they were told would take them to Houston or Alabama or somewhere else, out of this area.

It's been 3 days, and the buses have yet to appear.

Although obviously he has no exact count, he estimates more than 10,000 people are packed into and around and outside the convention center still waiting for the buses. They had no food, no water, and no medicine for the last three days, until today, when the National Guard drove over the bridge above them, and tossed out supplies over the side crashing down to the ground below. Much of the supplies were destroyed from the drop. Many people tried to catch the supplies to protect them before they hit the ground. Some offered to walk all the way around up the bridge and bring the supplies down, but any attempt to approach the police or national guard resulted in weapons being aimed at them.

There are many infants and elderly people among them, as well as many people who were injured jumping out of windows to escape flood water and the like -- all of them in dire straights.

Any attempt to flag down police results in being told to get away at gunpoint. Hour after hour they watch buses pass by filled with people from other areas. Tensions are very high, and there has been at least one murder and several fights. 8 or 9 dead people have been stored in a freezer in the area, and 2 of these dead people are kids.

The people are so desperate that they're doing anything they can think of to impress the authorities enough to bring some buses. These things include standing in single file lines with the eldery in front, women and children next; sweeping up the area and cleaning the windows and anything else that would show the people are not barbarians.

The buses never stop.

Before the supplies were pitched off the bridge today, people had to break into buildings in the area to try to find food and water for their families. There was not enough. This spurred many families to break into cars to try to escape the city. There was no police response to the auto thefts until the mob reached the rich area -- Saulet Condos -- once they tried to get cars from there... well then the whole swat teams began showing up with rifles pointed. Snipers got on the roof and told people to get back.

He reports that the conditions are horrendous. Heat, mosquitoes and utter misery. The smell, he says, is "horrific."

He says it's the slowest mandatory evacuation ever, and he wants to know why they were told to go to the Convention Center area in the first place; furthermore, he reports that many of them with cell phones have contacts willing to come rescue them, but people are not being allowed through to pick them up.

I have "Bigfoot"'s phone number and will gladly give it to any city or state official who would like to tell him how everything is under control.

Addendum: Bigfoot just called to report that "they" (the authorities) are cleaning up the dead bodies at the Convention Center right now.

3,254 posted on 09/02/2005 6:46:56 AM PDT by ContemptofCourt

To: rocklobster11

I like Chertoff, as I've mentioned before. He has a very unique character of gravitas and optimism that I find reassuring.

3,255 posted on 09/02/2005 6:47:00 AM PDT by cwiz24 (I worked very hard on this tagline.)

To: WoodstockCat

FEMA works according to order and plans, put this here, go here. The majority of people left in New Orleans have never understood order and plans.

Thank you for having the courage to say what I have been thinking for the last 5 days.

3,256 posted on 09/02/2005 6:47:01 AM PDT by Tarheel ( Murphy's law #21--Internet flame wars are started by two cats who did not like their supper.)

To: advance_copy

I'm not sure advance_copy. I'm in a cubicle and am only able to copy, paste, and comment this morning.

3,257 posted on 09/02/2005 6:47:20 AM PDT by Quilla

To: Types_with_Fist

Did you just see FOX NEWS?! There are hundreds of school buses under-water in New Orleans.

Why weren't these moved to higher ground or used for the evacuation?

What utter incompetence!

3,258 posted on 09/02/2005 6:48:01 AM PDT by Erik Latranyi (9-11 is your Peace Dividend)

Folly was a good name for that beach...

3,259 posted on 09/02/2005 6:48:15 AM PDT by Knitting A Conundrum (Act Justly, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly With God Micah 6:8)

To: Knitting A Conundrum

Sorry, Ma'am. Didn't even look.

3,260 posted on 09/02/2005 6:49:44 AM PDT by cll

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