Ben DeSoto/Houston Chronicle Jesse Jackson, center, U.S. Rep. Al Green left, and U.S. Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee hold a press conference before touring the Astrodome.
Posted on 09/05/2005 2:04:37 PM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Ben DeSoto/Houston Chronicle Jesse Jackson, center, U.S. Rep. Al Green left, and U.S. Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee hold a press conference before touring the Astrodome.
Joining two of Houston's most prominent black legislators in slamming the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina, the Rev. Jesse Jackson said today that evacuees shouldn't be shipped to distant states and shouldn't be referred to as "refugees."
Jackson said he appreciated the willingness of states as far away as Utah and Minnesota to take in evacuees but suggested such plans take them too far from their families and the homes that must be rebuilt.
"It's a long ways from home," he said. "It's a long way from where they have lived, where they were acculturated."
If evacuees are living thousands of miles away, he said, they can't be in on the jobs and economic opportunities that will arise as their communities are rebuilt. He proposed using military bases in Louisiana, such as the mothballed England Air Force Base in Alexandria. Evacuees could live in dorms and tent cities.
Jackson said evacuees from the Gulf Coast are not refugees, a word he believes suggests subhumans or criminals.
"It is racist to call American citizens refugees,'' he said.
After touring the Reliant Astrodome today, Jackson blamed the federal government for many of the problems evacuees now face. The government should have assisted New Orleans with evacuation efforts before the storm struck and has been far to slow in its wake to rescue those left in the city and provide aid, he said.
"As the waters subside, the death toll could be astronomical, of frightening dimensions, because we've been so slow to act," Jackson said
U.S. Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee, D-Houston and U.S. Rep. Al Green, D-Houston, also said the Federal Emergency Management Agency left New Orleans unprotected.
"This was a test case, and we failed," Jackson Lee said.
Jackson also lambasted the Louisiana office of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, saying it should have let the Red Cross into New Orleans immediately after the hurricane passed one week ago.
Homeland security officials told the Red Cross not to enter the city because they were trying to get residents out, not encourage them to stay, because most of the city was still under water, and because armed gangs of looters were in the streets.
Marsha Evans, president of the American Red Cross, said today the agency was ready to go in. Its volunteers understood the danger and were willing to do their jobs, she said.
"The decision not to let them in was not sound," Jackson said. "The danger was exaggerated."
The federal government has been taking criticism from all quarters in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
The New Orleans Times-Picayune, in an open letter, called upon Bush to fire every official at FEMA.
"We're angry, Mr. President,'' the newspaper said in an open letter.
If criticism of the federal government has been sharp, Jackson and other political leaders were happy to praise the efforts of Houston and the state of Texas, where one quarter of a million of Louisiana's refugees have landed.
"I'm so proud of Houston," Jackson Lee said. "This city has done a wonderful job."
I understand that and picked a low number to prove the point.
She will have to petition the DNC for more "voter fraud" funding.
I didn't say it was right... I definitely understand your point about those that are doing the killing in the Middle East.
Yeah; can't be having them wandering too far off the democRAT plantation now, can we?
"It is racist to call American citizens refugees,'' he said."
Jesse Jackass....it is YOU who are the racist. It is YOU who act as if only the black victims matter. The white ones had it coming, eh Jesse?
Hey Jesse. Here's a message for you!
.
Just heard on the local radio hear we in upper eastt Tennessee are taking in 500 from the disaster. Have not yet heard details - the story I caught was someone asking for us to make up shoeboxes of toys, books, etc for the children.
This nonsense about not being "acculturated" makes me want to vomit. The folks who are fortunate to land here are going to find a very warm welcome. We will give them what they need to get on their feet. We will find jobs for them.
Any who decide they want to start new lives here will be will be encouraged to do so and helpd to that end. Getting off Jesse's plantation is a good first step.
He sounds in full panic mode.
Yes they have, however never in a political atmosphere as we have to contemplate today.
Oh, for pete's sake!!! Did you ever hear of WWII??? The Warsaw Ghetto...St. Petersburg...Dresden...
"I'll save New Orleans like I saved Davis"
Vote fraud is Jackson's specialty but he needs the numbers for cover. A shift in population will push LA into GOP territory.
"It is racist to call American citizens refugees,'' he said.
Judging by the rapes, murders, looting, and criminal behavior that have been going on, calling them refugees isn't racist, but accurate.
"The left doesn't want a melting pot America. They want a balkanized nation of special interests groups they can play off of one another with envy and bigotry."
Bears repeating. Very astute.
My mom says Baton Rouge is overwhelmed. The population has doubled. The school system can't take in all of the new kids. All the grocery stores have lines to the back of the store and are constantly running out of stuff. Gas lines are long in Baton Rouge. There simply is not enough resources for one or two cities or states to absorb half a million refugees. Many of these people cannot return for up to six months or more. They will likely want to find homes and jobs where they are relocated to. Baton Rouge, Houston, San Antonio, and Dallas simply cannot absorb this crush of humanity. How about they move in with you, Jesse?
To do otherwise would be politically inexpedient.
Any human who doesn't see the transparency of JJ's agenda needs some serious special ed.
Gag alert was in order.
Let's see if his up and coming rhetoric shows this to be a concern of his.
He's a Reverend NOT a politician. /sarc
That's because you need to familiarize yourself with the appropriate term - enculturation.
Jackson is such a moron he not only used the incorrect word, but brought attention to the reverse use of the word.
"It's a long ways from home," he said. "It's a long way from where they have lived, where they were acculturated."
As a side note – I wonder how much money Jessie has contributed to the relief effort.
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.