Making Baby Jesus Cry

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by nononono I think you mentioned how you do not live in Polarized World and so it's possible there were screwups all around. I agree. But I'd say that putting aside lack of preparedness beforehand (perhaps Nagin's area), it was and is reasonable to expect the governor of the state to do something other than cry and punt. ATthe very least she should have made sure that her people worked with and for the feds or whoever could come in and do the job her folks could not. It wasn't the time to be afraid of decisions or to be worried about appearances. And what was she doing going on tv complaining about not getting help if she wasn't able to accept it?

Are you suggesting that the only thing Blanco has done is "cry and punt"? News to me, but I'd be happy to read about it. And who said she wasn't about to accept help?

[Did you just call me Coltrane?]

Originally posted by Penske_Account
Efficient allocation of resources. If there were two jobs, attending to the sick/wounded and coordinating evacuees to assist family members in finding one and other, would you assign the volunteer doctors to the latter task and volunteer-lawyers to the former?

If there were enough people assisting in the evacuation/aide of those in trouble, then I agree. In this case, resources weren't allocated efficiently. They have/had plenty of money, but not enough manpower. If Penn couldn't find anyone in need of assistance, then he obviously could be more efficient doing something else. If he's actually helping people that would not have been helped but for him (and not hindering any of the attempted aide by other volunteers), then his actions aren't inefficient.

Is he an attention whore? Absolutely. Do you think the people he has helped care?

[Penske_Account]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
Is it written somewhere that the federal government should be taking over all state and local resources in such circumstances? It'll be news to all the principled conservative on this board. Shame on her, but the White House wasn't playing politics and worrying over turf battles at the same time? Right. It's not like this was her proposal.

Can you honestly not see how your rank partisanship makes your rhetoric delusional? Ty, your inability to acknowledge the failure of your comrades here is dimishing your credibility faster than water rushing through the levee.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by Penske_Account
Are you kidding. The city and state had massive plans to address the contingency and followed none of them. The plans included using the buses to evacuate people? Where were the buses? Why didn't Nagin use them? Why? WHY?!!?!!??

Penske, you cute troll, everyone -- everyone -- knew that many, many people would be unable or unwilling to evacuate, and that only some of this would have to do with lack of money. There are always people who chose to ride out storms, and when they survive they usually get portrayed as heros.

[Penske_Account]

Originally posted by Did you just call me Coltrane?
If there were enough people assisting in the evacuation/aide of those in trouble, then I agree. In this case, resources weren't allocated efficiently. They have/had plenty of money, but not enough manpower. If Penn couldn't find anyone in need of assistance, then he obviously could be more efficient doing something else. If he's actually helping people that would not have been helped but for him (and not hindering any of the attempted aide by other volunteers), then his actions aren't inefficient.

Is he an attention whore? Absolutely. Do you think the people he has helped care?

Who did he help? The plastic bailout cup industry? There are plenty of volunteer organizations on the ground channelling assistance (although perhaps not all working efficinetly in concert). Penn choose to be a rogue and attempt to go out on his own, except he is so fucking stupid he forgot to put the drain plug in his boat. No offence to the mentally disabled, but functional retards are not the people you want leading rescue missions in disaster areas.

[Penske_Account]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
Are you suggesting that the only thing Blanco has done is "cry and punt"? News to me, but I'd be happy to read about it. And who said she wasn't about to accept help?

Essentially that is what Nagin is saying.

[Penske_Account]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
Penske, you cute troll, everyone -- everyone -- knew that many, many people would be unable or unwilling to evacuate, and that only some of this would have to do with lack of money. There are always people who chose to ride out storms, and when they survive they usually get portrayed as heros.

You are not answering the question. After Hugo the plans the city and state drew up and/or amended, included evacuating the city in advance and using municipal transportation and school buses to do the job. Over 250 buses never got off the lots-I have posted pics here. It was not people refusing to leave, it was people not having an opportunity to have a choice despite days of advance notice of the need to evacuate.

At the risk of losing any credibility you have left here, answer the question:

WHY DIDN'T NAGIN USE THE BUSES?!?!?!? WHY??????

[Did you just call me Coltrane?]

Originally posted by Penske_Account
Who did he help? The plastic bailout cup industry? There are plenty of volunteer organizations on the ground channelling assistance (although perhaps not all working efficinetly in concert). Penn choose to be a rogue and attempt to go out on his own, except he is so fucking stupid he forgot to put the drain plug in his boat. No offence to the mentally disabled, but functional retards are not the people you want leading rescue missions in disaster areas.

According to this article (and photo), he has helped several people:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/goss...p-293308c.html

And then he gave them cash.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by Penske_Account
She impeded the necessary coordination.

You mean, by refusing to turn the state government over to the federal government? Or was there something else?

[nononono]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
Are you suggesting that the only thing Blanco has done is "cry and punt"? News to me, but I'd be happy to read about it. And who said she wasn't about to accept help?

The first time I saw her on tv after Katrina, she had tears in her eyes. "The magnitude of the situation is untenable," she said in an interview. "It's just heartbreaking." The next day on Good Morning America, she said, "This whole situation is totally overwhelming."

Blanco's whole demeanor has been, in my opinion, reactive and weak, where she should be aggressive and proactive. She sounded like a lecturing schoolmarm on the topic of looting: "What angers me the most is that disasters like this often bring out the worst in people. I will not tolerate this kind of behavior."

I don't criticize her for being human - the very thought of Deamonte Love, that six-year-old boy talking care of 6 other kids from 5 months to a couple years old, brings tears to my eyes, and I won't even look for a picture of those children (though they've been reunited with parents, if anyone has followed that). But it should not get in the way of doing whatever it would have taken to get the job done when it was needed. That was her responsibility.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by Penske_Account
Can you honestly not see how your rank partisanship makes your rhetoric delusional? Ty, your inability to acknowledge the failure of your comrades here is dimishing your credibility faster than water rushing through the levee.

You are one of us, Penske. Admit it, and you will be able to enjoy the wine instead of using it to dampen the pain of reality.

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by Penske_Account
You are not answering the question. After Hugo the plans the city and state drew up and/or amended, included evacuating the city in advance and using municipal transportation and school buses to do the job. Over 250 buses never got off the lots-I have posted pics here. It was not people refusing to leave, it was people not having an opportunity to have a choice despite days of advance notice of the need to evacuate.

At the risk of losing any credibility you have left here, answer the question:

WHY DIDN'T NAGIN USE THE BUSES?!?!?!? WHY??????

Maybe because he screwed up? I don't know. But even if he had, there'd have been many thousands of people there.

Why do you think that trashing Nagin and Blanco somehow redeems FEMA and the federal government? Why?????

[Penske_Account]

Originally posted by Did you just call me Coltrane?
According to this article (and photo), he has helped several people:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/goss...p-293308c.html

And then he gave them cash.

[channeling Ty] Perhaps there are one or two people whom Sean Penn and his entourage of photographers and assistants actually helped, and I suspect that you are right in that assessment. But we don't really know how effective or efficent he was, do we, since all that story told us is that he rescued a couple of people and gave them some cash ($1 each???).

I applaud you for reading quality journalistic sources like the NY DailyNews so carefully and sharing the choice bits with us here.[/channeling Ty]

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Originally posted by nononono
The first time I saw her on tv after Katrina, she had tears in her eyes. "The magnitude of the situation is untenable," she said in an interview. "It's just heartbreaking." The next day on Good Morning America, she said, "This whole situation is totally overwhelming."

Blanco's whole demeanor has been, in my opinion, reactive and weak, where she should be aggressive and proactive. She sounded like a lecturing schoolmarm on the topic of looting: "What angers me the most is that disasters like this often bring out the worst in people. I will not tolerate this kind of behavior."

I don't criticize her for being human - the very thought of Deamonte Love, that six-year-old boy talking care of 6 other kids from 5 months to a couple years old, brings tears to my eyes, and I won't even look for a picture of those children (though they've been reunited with parents, if anyone has followed that). But it should not get in the way of doing whatever it would have taken to get the job done when it was needed. That was her responsibility.

Do you actually know that her demeanor got in the way of something, or are you just inferring that? What is that she hasn't done?

[Penske_Account]

Originally posted by Tyrone Slothrop
You mean, by refusing to turn the state government over to the federal government? Or was there something else?

She obviously refused to cooperate with Nagin as well. Full lack of coordination. One wonders what part Nagin's endorsement of her opponent in her last contentious election had in this little turf battle.