Posted on 09/11/2005 2:54:36 AM PDT by InvisibleChurch
Sunday, Sept. 11, 2005 12:39 a.m. EDT Ray Nagin: Flooded School Buses Not My Fault
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said Friday that it wasn't his fault city school buses weren't mobilized to facilitate the Hurricane Katrina evacuation he ordered.
Appearing on NBC's "Dateline," Nagin was asked by host Stone Phillips: "What was mobilized? I mean were national guard troops in position. Were helicopters standing by? Were buses ready to take people away?"
"No. None of that," the Big Easy mayor replied. "Why is that?" an incredulous Phillips asked.
Nagin replied: "I dont know. That is question for somebody else."
The Louisiana Democrat didn't explain just who the "somebody else" was, saying only:
"All I can do is [say] that I was dealing with it as a mayor -- how do I prepare my city for an incredibly powerful storm? So immediately we tried to get as many people out as possible."
The "Dateline" exchange was only the second time Mayor Nagin had been asked about the failure to use his city's school buses, hundreds of which sat 1.2 miles from the Superdome.
Two days after the levees broke, Nagin told a New Orleans radio station that he wanted Greyhound Bus Lines to send their entire fleet rather than launch an evacuation in public school buses.
"One of the briefings we had they were talking about getting, you know, public school bus drivers to come down here and bus people out of here," Nagin said.
"I'm like - you've got to be kidding me. This is a natural disaster. Get every doggone Greyhound bus line in the country and get their asses moving to New Orleans."
That sounds more real than anything else floated so far as an explanation of his colossal failure.
I've wondered this myself.... Are there any FReeper attorneys that might comment on the potential succcess of a class action wrongful death suit? What are the laws related to such? Are there any precedents of elected officials being held perosnally liable for negligence?
"That sounds more real than anything else floated so far as an explanation of his colossal failure."
Well said, Maeve!
Bottom line, it IS Blanco's fault. She is the chief executive of that state and she is a miserable failure.
The press is too busy trying to find something Bush did wrong to even bother with this story. The real story here. For if the press actually started asking the right questions and grilling the right people....Bush and the Feds are pretty much exonerated.
Most of the coverage I've seen shows people slogging through the flood waters carrying everything from bread to big screen TVs, you mean to tell me that some of them couldn't walk a couple miles out of town?
Nope, this is on you Nagin, you didn't do your job, and the people of NOLA are worse off for it.
Idiots are elected by idiots, where is the "voter responsibility" in this?
If people are not responsible for their vote, then why vote?
Were school and public buses part of the evacuation plan?
If not, why not?
If so, what was the manning plan to have drivers available and what was the marshaling plan to get them loaded.
Good questions, all. Where I live, most school bus drivers are part-time employees, often moms whose own kids are among the passengers. Rolling out 200 school buses would mean ordering, or at least asking, 200 CDL drivers not to evacuate with their families.
That would require the drivers knowing in advance that they might get that call, and residents knowing in advance where the buses will be to pick them up. The kind of information that would have to be disseminated at the beginning of hurricane season, and for it to work, the order would have to be given on Friday night/Saturday morning at the very least, not Sat. night/Sun. morning.
Yeah. Like a prosecutor.
Nagin could've asked Blanco to provide Guardsmen to drive the buses.
I've heard that mentioned but I haven't seen a link. Do you happen to have one? I'd love to send it to my 'favorite' Bush-basher.
He should have used the buses ! What are they being used for? It is obvious they are NOT being used to take people to school to educate them.
This excuse, while an abomination, will fly.
It's like George Orwell's "1984", but it's the media, instead of the government which controls the message.
The message is "get Bush"
Does anyone know Nagin's political affiliation...???
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