(no subject)

[emmagrant01]

After half an hour of alternately crying and shouting at the TV:

Me: I can't believe this is happening in my country. What's wrong with the government??? God, I hate Bush!

MDH: I don't hate Bush. He can't help that he's an idiot. I hate the fuckers who voted for him.

They just reported that Fidel Castro offered to send medical supplies and doctors to help. Refugees are on their way to my city. I just hope I can help, somehow.

ETA: Anybody else watching this thing on NBC? Amazing how quickly they cut away when that man said, "George Bush doesn't care about black people." I thought Mike Myers was going to choke...

Comments

[charlotteschaos.livejournal.com]

I missed that part, was reading. I'd have loved to have seen that, though.

[sciencegeek.livejournal.com]

Oh, Emma, *hugs* I can't watch hurricane coverage for long. I end up getting angry. I feel so badly for those people. I wish there was more I could do.

[1-bad-idea.livejournal.com]

I hope that the people who voted for Bush see the error of their ways. The way he has handled the situation is appalling.

The man expressing his opinion (the obvious truth) about the President should not be censored!

The whole thing just breaks my heart.

[jade-woulf.livejournal.com]

I was watching CBS and Dan Rather was talking to some news guy on the scene in NO (can't remember his name but he subs for Bob Schieffer on occasion). Well, he bluntly said "The people feel forgotten..and with good reason." I was shocked the media was being so honest. I'm paraphrasing of course, but there was no mistaking him saying, "You don't have the same feeling of hope survivors of the tsunami felt." He did add that there are people trying to do some good, but the just of it was "This is NOT enough. We could/should do better." I think I'm going to write CBS a nice email thanking them for telling the truth and showing how ill prepared we were thanks to Bush's cuts to funding to improve the levee system.

Then they showed footage of a police officer pulling a SHOTGUN on a supposed looter (who was probably looting to FEED HIS FAMILY). The guy was UNARMED. I know there have been shots fired, but please most of these people are "stealing" because they have no food, water, diapers, etc etc and NO CLUE when it'll get to them. (And if you think they could have evacuated with little or no money and no place to go to you are sadly mistaken.)

Also they showed where these people had taken shelter on a highway overpass. One woman immediately dragged the reporter and cameraman over to the side of the bridge showing where a guy had jumped to his death TWO days before. The first thing everyone asked the news crews was "Where's the food and water?" That guy had jumped because he felt that no one was going to come to him and he'd rather die than starve/thirst to death.

I feel like I'm in a third world country. You know, mid-term elections are in a little over one year. I think it's high time we sent a message to the President. "You and your pals are FINISHED!"

Eh, forgive me, I'm a little pissed after watching all that...

[cat-mom.livejournal.com]

I try to concentrate on the people who are actually trying to help and DO something, because thinking about Bush just pisses me off. Houston has pulled together very nicely in this crisis, without any help from that asshat.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

A lovely moment of honesty, it was.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

We've already given money. Tomorrow we'll probably give more. When people show up here, I'll go volunteer, I think.

It's just indescribably horrible.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

I just want to scream at him: "Lead! Come on, you're the president! You should have fucking DONE something about this two days ago!!" In a crisis, I want my president to come on the TV and look like he is doing everything in his power to help. I don't want to see him looking dazed as other government officials explain the situation to him.

Ack.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

Yes to all of that. Absolutely.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

Yes, that's a good point.

It would be easier if goeverment officials would stop claiming that everything is going WELL.

[charlotteschaos.livejournal.com]

But hasn't that worked for a whole war?

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

Again, good point. Of course, I haven't bought that for a moment. Maybe now more people will start to say, "Hey, wait a minute..."

[libel.livejournal.com]

When Kayne West said that I spewed coke. The look on Mike's face was beyond priceless.

Canada had a crew of trained people prepared to come in tohelpwith the search effort and homeland security turned them away. I am clueless has to what the fuck our government is thinking, or not thinking as the case may be.

[apostropher.livejournal.com]

I just saw what you were talking about (with "George Bush doesn't care about black people"! Oh my god, that was such an obvious cut, too.

This is all so, so upsetting. The only upside I can see to it (and it takes a remarkable effort to see ANY bright side in this) is that maybe this will be the event to open people's eyes, so many people's eyes, to the fact that OUR PRESIDENT IS INCOMPETENT.

[slayra.livejournal.com]

Not many people are buying the whole "all is going well" crap. :p Even here journalists are saying that the american government is doing a dreadful job at resolving the crisis. The problem is that because they're not handling it properly, people are suffering unnecessarily. Bush can't convince people to save his life (or so I think, but it doesn't seem to be true). I believe he is pissing the entire world off. :|

[wyomingnot.livejournal.com]

I got to talk to a friend who evacuated from Slidell. She's safe with family in Picayune, but even there there is devastation. No electricity. People homeless... she said the feds just started arriving. The first folks on site with ice and water were private charity groups from somewhere else.

She said the *local* government folks are out there, sleeves rolled up, *helping*.

I dont' know. I'll stop talking now.

The whole thing makes me sick

[dragonfly-lily.livejournal.com]

I watched the Kayne West thing, too. I am SO GLAD he said that, although I wish he would have spoke better. I was worried that no one would take him seriously because he looked so scared and unrehearsed. But THANK GOD he said that on National TV. Bush is an idiot and so are the people who thought he could save our country.

I live in Chicago and on WLS radio yesterday the afternoon DJ was quite upset that people were blaming the lack of government involvement on race, wealth or way of life because it was going to lead to more deaths. In his opinion (and Kanye's apparently), Bush doesn’t like black people and the more attention that went to the fact that the area was primarily poor and black, the more Bush would pull away aid because he wouldn’t get any support from the other wealthy republicans. He also mentioned that many of the "wealthy" people would be less likely to assist with money if they thought that this had become more about race and less about human decency.

I read today that the reason the Red Cross and Salvation Army couldn’t get in to help anyone was because of HOMELAND SECURITY. Oh, that's working out well, isn’t it? I am SO GLAD that I am saved from the old lady bringing sewing needles on the plane and that starving, dying people are saved from the BAD, DANGEROUS, CRIMINAL people of the Red Cross. WTF!!!

Well, to all the people who voted for Bush because he promised less government involvement with people's basic rights, I hope you are happy. He couldn’t get farther away from people's basic rights than he is now.

[nmalfoy.livejournal.com]

I do not understand Dumbass's refusal to let other countries come in and help. We should be welcoming them with open arms and thankful for their help. Things are NOT fine, and we DO need help. Had Dumbass realized that on Tuesday instead of posing with a fucking guitar, lots of lives could have been saved.

[sciencegeek.livejournal.com]

I feel so...I dunno, helpless. I've donated as much as I feel I can without screwing over my budget but...you kinda wish you could do more, you know?

World Tragedy

[lucy-scarpetta.livejournal.com]

News in Australia is steering clear of the 'Bush Bash'. The first I heard of the governments incompitence was on this LJ.

I just wanted to share some of the stories that Australia is getting;

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,16477388%255E1702,00.html

http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/32321/story.htm

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200509/s1451906.htm

These are 3 that have really opened my eyes to the horrific scenes playing out in N.O. There are pleny more which I haven't read; I feel too helpless when I read about the destruction and desperation of New Orleans and it's residents.

I'm not a religeous person (never been to church) but my prayers are with the survivors and I'll be donating money to the relief groups here.

Peace,

VirginSuicide

[lady-suzuran.livejournal.com]

I hadn't seen the NBC thing, I'll have to now, I think. Thank God the Black Caucus spoke up about the fact that it's the poor and black that are being ignored.

It's interesting also to compare what happened during last year's hurricane season and to Katrina. Florida was hit with several hurricanes last year, and as I recall, Shrub declared Florida a disaster area BEFORE the hurricane hit, so that FEMA would be on the ground as soon as the storm abated. Why didn't he do this for New Orleans? Katrina was a Category 5 before it landed and Ivan (?) was what, a 3? I'm cynical, and figure that it's just family ass kissing, which is actually more infuriating than the incompetence that's going on now.

The Cabinet isn't exactly shining here either, isn't Cheney on vacation in Wyoming? He's still not back in Washington, is he? And Condaleeza Rice, isn't she in New York or something? You'd think that with such a devastating national disaster that the entire cabinet would rush to Washington to present a united front. You'd think.

As for Fidel? Rock on, cool dictator, rock on.

[cenas-plots.livejournal.com]

It's disgusting to me to see my own government. MY OWN STATE GOVERNMENT not be able to do anything when so many of us Louisiana residents are helping in every way that we can. In my own city we're already housing over 1000 refugees from New Orleans and the surrounding parishes that were devastated. If we can do something like this so quickly after this disaster, why can't the goverment? They truly are a disgrace.

I do have to say that I'm grateful it didn't hit us as bad as it could have, because I don't know what I'd do in a situation as so many of the Orleanians. They've had so much patience so far, but it is waning so very much at this moment. If they don't get there now, I don't know what might happen.

I'm going to do my part and help volunteer at the main shelter here, where at least I can feel like I'm helping. It's all I can do. <3

Katrina

[jugue76.livejournal.com]

I grew up in Puerto Rico, saw many hurricanes come and go. We even lost our house in one, but even in the worst of them, we didn't look anywhere as bad as New Orleans. What kills me is not only how long it has taken to get help, but also reading about everything that the administration has done to lead to or make a bad situation even worst. My dad and I constantly argued last year, I'm a raving liberal, he voted for Bush, but in the last months I have managed to get him to see the error of his ways. Today he asked if we really had to wait 3 more years to get rid of the idiot, or if there was anyway of impeaching him. We know first hand how it feels to loose everything you have in just a matter of hours, but to watch the administration drag their feet, will people keep dying because they don't have food, water or their medicines,it truly sickens me.

[gmth.livejournal.com]

I can't even get my mind around what's going on. The worst part is, I'm so disappointed in my own mother. I was watching the local news and the news crawl along the bottom said the mayor of the nearest big city was going to be accepting refugees, and I turned to my mom and said, "You know, we have an extra room..."

Her response: "NO."

You have to understand, my mom was a public official for a long time, and has always, ALWAYS been a big liberal. She knows what the government's limits are, and was just bitching to me about how badly things were being handled. Her response shocked the hell out of me. I just wanted to help, you know?

[calypso98.livejournal.com]

I saw all that, and watched the special afterward. I've always disliked Bush, now I just flat out despise, am disgusted by, and hate the man. He makes me ashamed to be Texas. Living in College Station doesn't help--swear to God, it's the last bastion of Bush approval. Guh.

I know Reed Arena (our basketball stadium) is taking in about 350 evacuees, and there are already 2000 here and about 90,000 in Houston (my hometown). The Corps of Cadets spent today setting up cots and internet connectivity in Reed for the people that will be staying there. Tomorrow I'm heading to the Red Cross office in Bryan to see what I can do. I bet there's a similar place where you live that will welcome your help with open arms. If not, College Station'd welcome you. ;)