Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Get Off His Back
American Spectator ^ | 9/4/2005 | Ben Stein

Posted on 09/04/2005 2:36:33 PM PDT by visagoth

A few truths, for those who have ears and eyes and care to know the truth:

1.) The hurricane that hit New Orleans and Mississippi and Alabama was an astonishing tragedy. The suffering and loss of life and peace of mind of the residents of those areas is acutely horrifying.

2.) George Bush did not cause the hurricane. Hurricanes have been happening for eons. George Bush did not create them or unleash this one.

3.) George Bush did not make this one worse than others. There have been far worse hurricanes than this before George Bush was born.

4.) There is no overwhelming evidence that global warming exists as a man-made phenomenon. There is no clear-cut evidence that global warming even exists. There is no clear evidence that if it does exist it makes hurricanes more powerful or makes them aim at cities with large numbers of poor people. If global warming is a real phenomenon, which it may well be, it started long before George Bush was inaugurated, and would not have been affected at all by the Kyoto treaty, considering that Kyoto does not cover the world's worst polluters -- China, India, and Brazil. In a word, George Bush had zero to do with causing this hurricane. To speculate otherwise is belief in sorcery.

5.) George Bush had nothing to do with the hurricane contingency plans for New Orleans. Those are drawn up by New Orleans and Louisiana. In any event, the plans were perfectly good: mandatory evacuation. It is in no way at all George Bush's fault that about 20 percent of New Orleans neglected to follow the plan. It is not his fault that many persons in New Orleans were too confused to realize how dangerous the hurricane would be. They were certainly warned. It's not George Bush's fault that there were sick people and old people and people without cars in New Orleans. His job description does not include making sure every adult in America has a car, is in good health, has good sense, and is mobile.

6.) George Bush did not cause gangsters to shoot at rescue helicopters taking people from rooftops, did not make gang bangers rape young girls in the Superdome, did not make looters steal hundreds of weapons, in short make New Orleans into a living hell.

7.) George Bush is the least racist President in mind and soul there has ever been and this is shown in his appointments over and over. To say otherwise is scandalously untrue.

8.) George Bush is rushing every bit of help he can to New Orleans and Mississippi and Alabama as soon as he can. He is not a magician. It takes time to organize huge convoys of food and now they are starting to arrive. That they get in at all considering the lawlessness of the city is a miracle of bravery and organization.

9.) There is not the slightest evidence at all that the war in Iraq has diminished the response of the government to the emergency. To say otherwise is pure slander.

10.) If the energy the news media puts into blaming Bush for an Act of God worsened by stupendous incompetence by the New Orleans city authorities and the malevolence of the criminals of the city were directed to helping the morale of the nation, we would all be a lot better off.

11.) New Orleans is a great city with many great people. It will recover and be greater than ever. Sticking pins into an effigy of George Bush that does not resemble him in the slightest will not speed the process by one day.

12.) The entire episode is a dramatic lesson in the breathtaking callousness of government officials at the ground level. Imagine if Hillary Clinton had gotten her way and they were in charge of your health care.

God bless all of those dear people who are suffering so much, and God bless those helping them, starting with George Bush.

****
UPDATE: Sunday, Sept. 4, 2005, 2:13 p.m.:

More Mysteries of Katrina:

Why is it that the snipers who shot at emergency rescuers trying to save people in hospitals and shelters are never mentioned except in passing, and Mr. Bush, who is turning over heaven and earth to rescue the victims of the storm, is endlessly vilified?

What church does Rev. Al Sharpton belong to that believes in passing blame and singling out people by race for opprobrium and hate?

What special abilities does the media have for deciding how much blame goes to the federal government as opposed to the city government of New Orleans for the aftereffects of Katrina?

If able-bodied people refuse to obey a mandatory evacuation order for a city, have they not assumed the risk that ill effects will happen to them?

When the city government simply ignores its own sick and hospitalized and elderly people in its evacuation order, is Mr. Bush to blame for that?

Is there any problem in the world that is not Mr. Bush's fault, or have we reverted to a belief in a sort of witchcraft where we credit a mortal man with the ability to create terrifying storms and every other kind of ill wind?

Where did the idea come from that salvation comes from hatred and criticism and mockery instead of love and co-operation?


Ben Stein is a writer, actor, economist, and lawyer living in Beverly Hills and Malibu. He also writes "Ben Stein's Diary" in every issue of The American Spectator. Please click here to subscribe.


TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Louisiana
KEYWORDS: back; benstein; bush; katrina; nola; stein
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-89 last
To: Les_Miserables

FEMA was prepared for the hurricane, what they were not prepared for was the incompetence of the state and local authorities.


81 posted on 09/05/2005 3:31:21 PM PDT by dfwgator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 80 | View Replies]

To: Allegra

I agree with every one of your rational facts. The primary responsibility was with the state/local governments and they failed. My only point is they failed so abjectly that it was obvious at least to not just this casual observer Tuesday and something should have been done faster (like Tuesday PM) than it was at the federal level to correct that. It's as simple and as complicated as that. No one is clean here but to assert that Bush acted with all the speed he should have mustered in not something I can agree with and I have the right to say so without being called ignorant or stupid or silly. I happen to have been a conservative Republican that has worked/hoped/prayed for a chance to change the direction of this country for a long time. No Liberal whining here. I lived many years on the Gulf Coast and some (more than a few) of them in New Orleans next to a levee so I do know a little about the matter of Hurricanes and how they should be prepared for. Anyway, this debate will not go away no matter how bad the BushBots want it to.


82 posted on 09/05/2005 3:42:44 PM PDT by Les_Miserables
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 79 | View Replies]

To: dfwgator

No one can be prepared for the level of incompetence exibited by the Mayor of NW or the Governor of LA. That is certain. It's a matter of being able to react to emergencies regardless of the source. I just believe the distribution plan for food could have been accelerated and different modes employed. That is a sub issue tho. Security in the city was the major foul up and that I would have absolutely hammered in 24 hours. Even FEMA claims that was a major reason (one of two) why they responded slowly. They other was ...rising water....duh...not a mention of state responsibilities failing and yet that is the core problem here.


83 posted on 09/05/2005 3:48:01 PM PDT by Les_Miserables
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 81 | View Replies]

To: Les_Miserables

NW=NO


84 posted on 09/05/2005 3:56:41 PM PDT by Les_Miserables
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 83 | View Replies]

To: Les_Miserables
No one is clean here but to assert that Bush acted with all the speed he should have mustered in not something I can agree with and I have the right to say so without being called ignorant or stupid or silly.

I think even President Bush himself, would agree with you. But he's not dwelling on that now.

85 posted on 09/05/2005 4:15:16 PM PDT by dfwgator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 82 | View Replies]

To: visagoth; lightingguy

Good stuff.

Ben Stein ping!


86 posted on 09/05/2005 4:18:47 PM PDT by agrace (Where were you when I founded the earth? Tell me if you know so much. Job 38:4)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Les_Miserables

I started to give you a line by line reasonable refutaton of you misguided thoughts but you don't deserve it.

You really need to do some research into emergency and crisis management before you open your yap again.


87 posted on 09/05/2005 6:06:24 PM PDT by Eagle Eye (Liberalism is an ill fated luxury that we cannot afford at this time; it does not work in a crisis.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 80 | View Replies]

To: Eagle Eye

Wow, more insults. Never would have guessed. What a smart guy...Where did you learn that yap word? Walmart? See ya..


88 posted on 09/05/2005 9:31:25 PM PDT by Les_Miserables
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 87 | View Replies]

To: dfwgator

Nope he isn't and my bet is he won't. At least he is on the right track now. But that never was the issue of this thread that predisposes he did everything right. The facts don't support that. Pointing that out is not "dwelling" on anything ..except maybe the truth... You guys have it your way. Maybe we can find something to agree on later as long as we can have an open discussion.


89 posted on 09/05/2005 9:47:38 PM PDT by Les_Miserables
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 85 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-89 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson