Less is right, but as to Politics, not the FB.
 

Shape Shifter. I failed to follow my own rule.

More Dim wit
 

Really? Senator Lott apparently disagrees. And even after Bush said he'd rebuild the man's house.

• Sen. Trent Lott berated both the Federal Emergency Management Agency and his own state's emergency management, MEMA, for being mired in red tape at a time of urgent need given the devastation left by Hurricane Katrina.
  
  Lott said he has been trying to get FEMA to send 20,000 trailers "sitting in Atlanta" to the Mississippi coast, and he urged President Bush during a meeting Monday to intervene. He said FEMA has refused to ship the trailers until contracts are secured.
  
  "FEMA and MEMA need to be saying, 'Yes' to Mississippi's needs, not, 'No.," the former majority leader said in a written statement.
  
  "Mississippians are homeless, hungry and hurting."
  
  Similar stories of governmental red tape have been reported elsewhere, including a case of 100 surgeons and paramedics hindered from caring for hurricane victims in rural Mississippi. (Full story)
  
  "This is an emergency situation without peer, like nothing our generation has ever encountered," Lott said. "If suffering people along the Gulf Coast, from Mobile to New Orleans, are going to recover as soon as possible, we'll need an unprecedented public and private effort that can't be hampered by a process geared toward much lesser disasters."

Street Fighting Man
 

Looks like some college students managed to do it in a Hyundai.

• A trio of Duke University sophomores say they drove to New Orleans late last week, posed as journalists to slip inside the hurricane-soaked city twice, and evacuated seven people who weren't receiving help from authorities.
  
  The group, led by South Carolina native Sonny Byrd, say they also managed to drive all the way to the New Orleans Convention Center, where they encountered scenes early Saturday evening that they say were disgraceful.
  
  "We found it absolutely incredible that the authorities had no way to get there for four or five days, that they didn't go in and help these people, and we made it in a two-wheel-drive Hyundai," said Hans Buder.

More Dim wit
 

If you have a debate with someone, but they keep changing their story it is hard to debate. He first tells me that he is upset about the media coverage of Sean Penn because the space should be devoted to the "human tragedy" and cites to an article that shows that tragedy (as if we all don't know how tragic it is). I show how hypocritical and absurd that is and then he changes his tune to, well its not the waste of ink and electrons, I just don't like the fact that they are making fun of Sean Penn when he is trying to help.

Once I point out the absurdity of that position, then he will change his excuse again.

Sean Penn is an idiot. Sending him in is like sending in the Keystone Cops. He will probably only make the situation worse. He goes to see the Butcher of Bahgdad just before the war. Now this same idiot tries to go New Orleans and uses a boat that doesn't float. It is funny and shows what an idiot he is. It is a valid news story because it is humorous and he is a celebrity.

But Ty gets upset about the newstory. Instead of just laughing and saying, and agreeing Sean Penn is an idiot he gets defensive. Why, because Penn is a liberal.

More Dim wit
 

You have yet to offer a single cite to evidence supporting your non-dumbassery. Ty is observing the Marquis of Lawtalkers Rules. He raised raised an allegation - you are a dumbass. Until you refute that assertion with solid evidence, you are assumed a dumbass. You risk a default judgment of dumbassery with these frivolous motions to dismiss. The Court does not recognize Mr. Penn’s dumbassery as either precedential or relevant.

Street Fighting Man
 

Yeah, because the people would be just as likely to bum rush a Hyundai as an Army convoy.

Street Fighting Man
 

Que? You're saying that Army convoys couldn't make it to NO because of the risk of getting the bum's rush from looters?

More Dim wit
 

Guilty until proven innocent? Does he have to provide any evidence to support his allegation? I don't understand the charges levelled against me. What exactly is a dumbass?

Street Fighting Man
 

I know which one I would be more likely to try to carjack. And which one I'd prefer to be riding with into New Orleans.

Street Fighting Man
 

No, I'm saying that you can't drive an army convoy into the convention center, where 10k hungry, thirsty, homeless people were "housed" without attracting attention. The bus loading and food distribution hardly appeared to be carried out with North Korean orderliness.

Street Fighting Man
 

Mmmmmmm'ok. I suspect we're complaining about different things, then, but that's nothing new for this board.

Katrina
 

Caveat: I have no idea who has donated what except for the few people who have sent me information directly.

$1060. That's what's been raised. And $200 of that was from me.

WTF is wrong with you people? You bitch about the mayor, the governor, the president, Sean Penn, Oprah, but what have you done?

(Obviously, this does not apply to those who have donated in non-monetary ways or who have otherwise provided assistance to organizations or individuals in need - but you know who you are.)

More Dim wit
 

As the preeminent board expert on nuts, I'd just like to say Spanky is Nuts. And, as Spanky has repeatedly demonstrated, once an authority has spoken, well, you can just write it down. See, e.g., Spanky for Dummies, p. 69.

I leave to the rest of you whether this is relevant or not to the question of Spanky's dumbassery.

The Mayor of New Orleans is incompetant. There is just no question. You just need to compare his response to this crisis with Rudy Giuliani. After the planes hit the towers Giuliani took charge. He didn't start blaming the federal government for not preventing this, he didn't start saying he wasn't given enough help, he just went in and did the job.

Pataki and Bush were required to do stuff, but Giulian took control and got it done.

Bush did not ask to federalize all the resources in New York City because the job was getting done. Bush asked to federalize all the resources in NO because the job was not getting done. If the job had been getting done, then Bush would have been out of line in trying to change the pitcher.

You may be able to blame Bush later not making sure the levees were solid (just like the federal government could be blamed for the failure of intelligence in 9-11) but the post disaster response was clearly in the hands of the mayor. The man on cite. And he screwed it up.

Any defense of the Mayor is pure partisan B.S. He was faced with a crisis and he did not act.

Street Fighting Man
 

Perhaps. I took the hyundai escapade to be proof that vehicle traffic to downtown N.O. was not impossible, and that therefore there was no excuse for not sending lots of vehicle traffic, specifically food and water trucks, or buses, to downtown N.O.

The advice that my mom gave me when I was younger--always be sure to have enough for everyone when you share--applies with particular force here.

More Dim wit
 

I need you to be the judge in the case with the wacko pro se guy. Thanks!

Katrina
 

Donating to charities is, for many, a private function.

OK, Nutso. Usually I don't get involved in this stuff, and just mutter "nuts" under my breath at all appropriate places. But query me a few things.

What resources were at the control of the mayor? How were those resources affected by the disaster?

What resources are at the control of the Governor or of Bush? How were each set of resources affected by the disaster?

Now, what was needed to do the job?

Sorry your boy didn't get his engraved invitation.

BTW, Have you coughed up your nut yet?

Street Fighting Man
 

Your rejoinder to which is that army convoys couldn't have done similar things because they'd be mobbed by looters? I don't really see the logic. The argument as I understand it is not that they would've had to mow down pedestrians in order to reach the convention center and other places, it was some combination of bureaucratic fuckups, but for which the Natl Guard convoy clearly would've arrived on, say, Tuesday. Right?

So if you couldn't fit 8 million bottles of water in your trunk, stay the fuck away? Damn, that's cold.

Tomorrow's newspapers today
 

Exactly. Another difference is Guiliani had no more profit motive. The more Nagin kicks and screams, the more he is the martyr and the less people will examine his fuckups. Then when the real money to rebuild starts coming in, Nagin and his cronies will get .10 on the dollar........ .20.... higher?

Street Fighting Man
 

Given the "order" with which the buses were loaded, I could understand the desire to have a plan other than "nab a press pass and find some backroads in"

Tomorrow's newspapers today
 

There's plenty of blame to go around.

It's nice that Halliburton already has a contract.

Katrina
 

Let me be among the first to congratulate you on your new avatar. That juxtaposition of your face, a hurricane evocative of Katrina, and your devil-may-care posting style? Oh, you rascal!

More Dim wit
 

I have asked all of the libs here who defend Nagin and Blanco to explain why 250 plus buses were never put into use to evacuate the populace 48 hours before Katrina. No answer. By your equation the libs are all dumbasses. As we suspected.

Tomorrow's newspapers today
 

Cheney planned the levee break to increase his profits?

Street Fighting Man
 

I've not read about the logistics of getting people on the buses, but infer from your comment that it was a fucking mess, and would not be surprised.

1) As the Hurricane approached he should have mobilized his resources and should have been prepared for the flooding.

2) Once the flooding did occur he still had manpower (all city employees). He also needed to immediately ask for the national guard and federal assistance. That should have happened immediately after the levee ruptured. It is my understanding this did not happen.

3) His attention 24/7 should be on fixing the problem. If he is interviewed on TV it should be just telling people what to do and what needs to be done. He should not be talking about blame, or doing a debriefing while lives are still at risk. He also should not be defending himself. He just needs to act. As far as I can tell he is not doing that.

Street Fighting Man
 

Are they saying that they didn't get transport in sooner than Friday because of worries about this? Or is this your post hoc on the situation? I suspect the latter. And things would have been far more orderly had they started getting people out Tues/Weds.

Street Fighting Man
 

You think an army convoy would have been turned away for not having a press pass?

There were roads in. The army is supposed to be good at maintaining order.

Although waiting until enough people die so that you can carry enough to share with everybody is another valid approach, I'm sure.

Tomorrow's newspapers today
 

And it starts with Nagin and Blanco as the first responders. Why can't the liberals admit this?



I'd take Halliburton's input (at a cost) over anything Admiral Penn is going to do. That's the difference between Republicans and dEmos. Republicans offer organizational leadership, the dems are bunch of screaming mee mees.

Also, fwiw, btw, as someone who was once the king of socks, the mark of a good schtick sock is staying focused. You were fine as a ncs stalker sock, your input here is slightly less useful than SHP, and that is saying something.

Street Fighting Man
 

Too bad Bush let 250 plus buses drown......oh wait, that was Nagin.

Tomorrow's newspapers today
 

dissent. The sock set me up to ask if this was all to make Cheney money. Haven't been able to use that for 2 years. good times!

Street Fighting Man
 

No, I'm declining to engage in the extrapolation from one Hyundai to relief for thousands that Gatti's Duke student anecdote presumably invited.

Tomorrow's newspapers today
 

I think you've seen many people here agree with you that Nagin and Blanco have responsibilities as first responders, and that they possibly and probably fucked up.

What you fail to acknowledge is that the inquiry doesn't END there.

Oh, nuts. Nuts, nuts, nuts, NUTS!

This is total BUREAUCRATIC SQUIRRELSHIT. Bush & Co. need an engraved invitation to send help? RODENTSHIT.

Like I said, there is enough blame to go around, but may more blame fall on anyone who uses this rationale.

Have you coughed up your Nut?

spank, how about the buses? In the 48 hours prior to the strike how many people could the buses have ferried out? At 66 people per bus, which I believe was the capacity of the buses in question it is 16,500 people per run. Even with only 3 runs in that 48 hour run up 50,000 people could have been evacauted.

The plan in place after Hugo called for the buses to be employed. Why didn't Nagin use them? Why?!?!?!? WHY?!??!?!!?

Street Fighting Man
 

If they had started using the buses on Satruday and Sunday prior to Katrina they could have gottne many of the most affected out. Why didn't Nagin use them? Can you answer for your liberal friend or will you keep taking potshots at the Feds who had no ability to implement the state and city's pre-Katrina preparedness plan?

Street Fighting Man
 

City's are supposed to be good at operating municipal buses.

Street Fighting Man
 

A little advice on socking, my man. When you repeat yourself endlessly, people stop listening.

Street Fighting Man
 

I have yet to blame anyone for this disaster besides mother nature, but I've read that the logistics behind organizing such a thing would take more than two days, FWIW.*

I can't imagine how long it would take to forcibly bus tens of thousands of hysterical people, who would probably want to bring everything and the kitchen sink with them, out of a city.

*I may have read it the WSJ, but cannot currently confirm.