Closer Scrutiny Reveals the Lies Surrounding Katrina Evacuation and Recovery - CORRECTED

Enter Stage Right ^ | September 5, 2005 | LPR

[WriterInTX]

Dear Fellow Freepers:

Although my "born on" date indicates a new arrival to FR, I have actually been on the board since 1998. Two new computers, two changes in service providers, and a recent trojan horse forced me to change my login. You may know me as "TheWriterInTx," or "TheWriterTX" or simply, "TheWriter."

Health issues and a complicated pregnancy prompted to stop writing for almost the entire last year, but the mud slinging around Hurricane Katrina brought me to my breaking point. During the wee hours of Sunday morning, I hammered out the original of this piece and did something I almost never do...sent it right away without looking it over. After many years of writing solid articles for many internet magazines, most editors don't give my stuff a second look before posting.

Egg, major egg.

Many thanks to Cbolt and others for pointing out a serious error in the original article. I don't mind the egg on my face, saying I was wrong, and correcting it. Unlike the MSM, I actually do want the facts out there. The corrected version should also hit Enter Stage Right shortly.

Thanks, FReepers, for keeping me on my toes.

[sydbas]

Welcome back and hope all is well. This is off your post a bit but I just saw Jeb Bush being interviewed by Brent Musberger during the football game and he said something very telling:

He said Florida was very prepared for the next hurricane and so they were able to send resources to New Orleans to help out.

It's obvious that Louisana was not prepared to help themselves, let alone help anyone else.

[Congressman Billybob]

Nice work. Ain't Freepers grand? My last three pieces on Newsbusters.org are based mostly on information and sources that were available to anyone who wants it -- and has 70 hours a week to devote to reading on the Internet, LOL.

Congressman Billybob

Latest column: "Tide of Lies Swamps NY Times: Employees Riot and Steal Office Supplies"

[freekitty]

It's unbelievable how people can equate President Bush with the forces of nature. It is just plain absurb.

[ckilmer]

The Southern Louisiana Evacuation Plan specifically stated that people without private transportation were to be transported on public buses.

There were not just "200 buses". There were 200 buses in just one photo and Freepers studying the post-Katrina satellite images have counted over 400 buses altogether at other city parking.

At 70 people per bus that is 28,000 people per round trip that could have been taken out of the storm surge area in the 48 hours prior the Katrina striking.

After the storm hit, what makes you think that buses sent from outside of New Orleans could drive through the flooded mess any better than the 145 New Orleans city buses that were parked 1.2 miles away from the Superdome?

Was Scotty supposed to beam the outside buses to the Superdome and them beam them back out so that they would not have to drive through impassable roads?

The time to evacuate those 200,000 low-income people on public buses OUT OF THE STORM SURGE ZONE was BEFORE the Category 4 storm struck.

That was what the Southern Louisiana Evacuation Plan for New Orleans specifically called for.

The Democrat Governor and the Democrat Mayor did NOTHING to carry out that portion of the plan. They left 200,000 low-income resident abandoned and they now blame the Federal Government for not having Scotty beam down a massive logistics effort after a human disaster of their own making.

[Congressman Billybob]

Post Script: I write weekly for ChronWatch.com in San Francisco. But before I send my text to the editor there, I post the articles as "Special to FreeRepublic." With maybe "a thousand eyes" looking at things here, maybe six serious errors of mine in the last year were warned off by Freepers before published officially.

Freepers are good people, funny people, and smart people. (I don't know about cute and sexy. That's hard to tell on the Net. LOL.)

John / Billybob

[WriterInTX]

Thanks, and yes, Freepers are the best.

Once my baby is successfully brought into this world, my health should improve and I can start focusing on writing seriously again. Until now, only cases of extreme vexation bring out the beast in me, as was this case.

[TheCornerOffice]

I don't mind the egg on my face, saying I was wrong, and correcting it.

Kudos for the fast correction and public display of humility (which many writers would never risk doing). It's a much stronger article now. Thanks for putting it all together so well.

[Khurkris]

Welcome back TxWriter. Thanks for the timeline & info. Take care.

[Ann Archy]

Not only did the lousy Democrat Mayorand Democrat Gvernor NOT carry out their duties to help their citizens, but they then BLAMED the President!!! NEVER....EVER trust a Liberal Democrat with your life.

[little jeremiah]

BTTT.

[prognostigaator]

du bump

[beckysueb]

The Democrat Governor and the Democrat Mayor did NOTHING to carry out that portion of the plan. They left 200,000 low-income resident abandoned and they now blame the Federal Government for not having Scotty beam down a massive logistics effort after a human disaster of their own making.

Not to mention, what kind of idiot doesn't evacuate hospitals and nursing homes! That was just plain stupid!

[jsmnz]

Can you imagine what the situation would be if Katrina had made a direct strike on NOLA, including the levee breaches? Considering the current estimated projected death toll of 10,000, can you imagine the deaths if Katrina had done to NOLA what she did to MS ?

[ckilmer]

Here is the original post of the plan

[Interesting Times]

Re-ping.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Bump for a good article.

[Lorianne]

Funny and smart = sexy and cute

:)

[claudiustg]

I am bookmarking this post! Thanks!

[chaosagent]

bookmark