Posted on 09/02/2005 7:22:43 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
BATON ROUGE, United States (AFP) - Civil Rights leader Jesse Jackson fired off a fierce attack on President George W. Bush over Hurricane Katrina and claimed black people were being locked out of top relief roles.
Jackson raised the sensitive issue of race, simmering below the surface in New Orleans, even before the hurricane tragedy, pointing out that many of those trapped in the city by the storm were poor and black.
"There is a historical indifference to the pain of poor people, and black people ... we seem to adjust more easily to black pain."
Jackson spoke after leading a bus convoy into New Orleans to rescue 450 students trapped at Xavier University, and said he had been shocked by scenes of pain among refugees trying to flee the city.
"We reach out today for our president to lead from the ground, not the air," Jackson said, as Bush toured hurricane hit areas by foot and by helicopter after admitting government relief efforts so far were "not acceptable."
Jackson said 120,000 people in New Orleans make less than 8,000 dollars a year. "They are poor people, black people for the most part without private transportation, many of them are old and sick."
And he also criticized the role given to former presidents George Bush senior and Bill Clinton as coordinators for a fund raising effort following the Katrina tragedy, similar to their role as tsunami fund raisers.
"Why are there no African Americans in that circle?" Jackson asked.
"How can blacks be left out of the leadership and trapped into the suffering?"
Jackson also found time to throw political barbs Bush's way, claiming the president's policies had given the top five percent of Americans a tax cut and a "five billion dollar a month war in Iraq" while federal officials had neglected flood control systems in New Orleans.
"When the 9/11 tragedy struck us, the president was there in two days, on the ground embracing police and firemen. When the tsunami struck, he immediately mobilized world opinion.
"The UN relief effort for the tsunami was superior to the US effort for New Orleans and Louisiana. For American citizens, we deserve better."
Bush earlier on Friday rejected claims that expenditure or use of troops in Iraq had been partly to blame for what critics say was a sluggish, initial response by the US government to the Hurricane Katrina crisis.
"We've got plenty of resources to do both," Bush said, and also predicted that "the great city of New Orleans will rise again."
"I'm going to fly out of here in a minute, but I want you to know that I'm not going to forget what I've seen. I understand the devastation requires more than one day's attention," Bush said at New Orleans airport.
"It's going to require the attention of this country for a long period of time. This is one of the worst natural disasters we have faced, with national consequences. And therefore, there will be a national response," he said.
Here people are suffering and all Jackson is concerned about is how many blacks Bush appoints to help lead the effort to aid in the crisis? I don't get it.
I needed a new tagline, thanks.
I thought Clinton was supposed to be the first black president?
Or to Venezuela.
Jesse.. YOUR MAKING ME A RACIST!
jesse the joke forgot about the first black president who also has offices in harlem.
Jackson needs a Venezuelan citizenship.
St Peter is going to have a big belly-laughing session one of these days - tomorrow wouldn't be too soon....
According to Jesse Jackson's logic, God is racist too.
After all, He allowed a hurricane to strike New Orleans, a city which is two-thirds black.
Go spit in some white mans food, Jesse. You know how to do it.
I'm wetting my panti-lations!
Rice has spoken on Katrina. The others, can't help you with.
In the universe of Jesse Jacka$$, they're not the "right" kind of African-Americans....
LOL
Yesterday, Jesse was saying he personally didn't believe that racism was behind the response. I guess he got the word that he would go farther if he said there was.
but it was misplaced (blue dress)
Well since the mayor of NO was black...I'd say he WAS IN THE LEADERSHIP LOOP JESSE!
What a race whore.
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