FOXNEWS: Mayor Nagin intervened to help tourists escape New Orleans before people in Superdome

Fox News - O'Reilly | September 2, 2005 | nwrep

[nwrep]

Shepard Smith eyewitness report on O'Reilly: Mayor Ray Nagin intervened today to help tourists (many foreigners) staying at the upscale W hotel downtown escape New Orleans ahead of many of the people in the Superdomw. Tourists were shipped in buses to the Superdome and other connecting buses took them to safety.

Black Mayor Ray Nagin favors "W" tourists. Imagine that headline after all the racist garbage thrown at the President.

[GraniteStateConservative]

I've only heard Col. Hunt (On O'Reilly) say that the Gov. of La. NEVER 'pulled the trigger' to request Fed. assistance. Correct me if I'm wrong, doesn't the Gov. of any State have to request help in order receive Fed. help? From what I understand, NG troops from one State cannot enter another State without being requested by said state's Gov. Correct? If what I've heard from Col. Hunt is correct, how can the MSM continue to critize the President and his response time. This is really bothering me and if anyone can set me straight I'd appreciate it.

Simple. The buck stops with him when it comes to cataclysmic disasters. All people are focusing on is what happened after the Katrina hit and wonder why Bush didn't do everything he could do-- legal or illegal-- to make everything better. It's like the edgy movie hero who plays by his own rules. That's how Americans view things like this. They want Bush to play the part of the hero. They don't care about paperwork or laws.

An analogy is like a parent and a child. No matter what the child does, the parent is ultimately responsible. Bush is the parent.

[Mike Darancette]

I know for a fact that white Republicans were spirited out of NOLA, before the storm hit on private luxury jets chartered by Karl Rove.

[NewJerseyJoe]

>> There are no more constituents. He's a mayor of nothing

Reminds me of the dialogue from Jaws:
(Mayor Vaughn): Aug-- August...
(Chief Brody): What? What? What are you talking about? Larry, the summer is over! You're the mayor of shark city! These people think you want the beaches open!

[not2worry]

If I read the official "State of Louisiana City of New Orleans Promulgation of Emergency Orders", Patrons of hotels, which I assume to mean guests, were not required to evacuate. Go figure.

http://www.cityofno.com

[finnman69]

I think they could have been. I saw aerial photos taken today and they showed the huge military transporter trucks from the convoy parked on the roof today. They are the same size as buses.

[papertyger]

Getting the tourists out first was a very smart thing to do. Once they are out of the area, they cease to be a problem that needs solving. They have homes to go back to. While it might be offensive to the American sense of egalitarianism, it makes damn good sense from the logistics standpoint.

[geopyg]

Get into tall hotels for "vertical evacuation". You'll be safe there. (Well, for 99% of the hurricanes probably). Sad part is, the "officials" knew this was the 1% storm.

[claudiustg]

---And they wonder why Bush/Homeland Security wasn't prepared for fixing the problems after such a devastating event. This is bad for Bush. Trust me. If I'm wrong, you can call me on it. But I'm quite sure I'm right.---

No. There will be a commission appointed to document what happened here and when the cold hard facts are laid out there will be another 5-10% of the voting public that won't trust the Dims to pick up their garbage. Don't cede one inch of ground to these chattering empty headed libs. Not one inch.

[Jedidah]

What election?

[Pirate21]

ErnBatavia: Smith??? He's been a disgrace to any "journalism professional"...He's injected himself into the story.

konaice: I'm tired of hearing about the Reverend Shep. That petulant little twerp thinks where ever he is is the most important spot on earth.

MysticCrusader: Shepherd Smith is over the top and needs to take a rest...This is the first time I have ever been embarrassed watching Fox News.

Agree that Shepard Smith has been anything but a "consummate professional". Self-righteous is more like it. Placing unrealistic expectations on the tireless rescuers. Making a bad situation worst. Greta Van Susteren is the first I have heard to show the better side of people in this effort. That is what is going to help.

[Common Tator]

The city of New Orleans has one major industry. Tourism.

Any business that does not take care of customers before it takes care of its workers, will soon be out of business.

What I want to know is why Shep Smith did not use the Fox trucks and cars to take the sickest of those dying people he was so upset about to the hospital. Shep said they were dying and no one would help them.. Those doing nothing about the sick and dying woman includes Shepard of course.

Shep like the Mayor believes that he has to take care of the people who pay the salaries rather than sick and dying people.

Shep thinks being on the air is more important than human life. If he didn't shep would have used the fox truck to save lives. The mayor thinks taking care of paying guests is more important than saving lives.... Do you see anthing similar in their moral values?

Click here for the 'tator take on the blame game.

[proudCArepublican]

but let's blame bush for all our faults it is easier as sharpton was yapping it up on MSNBC about bush being in a sense uncaring the very mayor of New Orleans forgot his own people

[justa-hairyape]

There is one even more horrible possibility. Diseases have broke out. It may be quarantined to contain the spread.

[BonnieJ]

Was Geraldo as upset as he seemed or was he acting? It seemed real, he's very emotional often in his reporting. O'Reilly promised him buses, they didn't come.

[plain talk]

More liberal nonsense. The tourists were unaware of the risks and very few could get out. Just because one did means little. All of the locals knew the risk and chose to stay. No one can possibly argue that all of these 50,000 people we're seeing at the Superdome and Convention Center are so helpless they couldn't catch a ride and get out. Doesn't matter. The locals chose that place as their home. The tourists didn't.

[geopyg]

"It may be quarantined to contain the spread."

Interesting point. I'm not sure how many of these water-borne diesease are transmittable human-human but could be. Not sure how much of a medical check they are/can do with all the people already evaced from the superdome though. Also may not want the thugs to mix in to get to points beyond.

I think perhaps its just that they don't have anything prepared on the other side of the bridge for the mass of people. The folks already were told/found their way to the convetnion center and no help there - might turn out the same way. (Although electricity and food and water would be in greater supply than at the convetntion center).

The guard hopefully will be taking care of these poor folks this evening or tomorrow.

[OldFriend]

Finally saw a black woman being interviewed from Houston.

She said they were abandoned in New Orleans. Only noticed when their vote is wanted.

The awakening is nigh!

[wardaddy]

i fear you are right

[justa-hairyape]

Speculation here, but maybe this was why the Major said everyone had to get out by the end of today. That was when his 'Phone Book Disaster Plan' told him that disease outbreaks would require quarantine at that point in time. Actually believe it or not, that is better news then having them worry about the Mississippi levee's breaking. Unless of course both could still happen.