Posted on 09/11/2005 8:23:58 PM PDT by InvisibleChurch
Sunday, Sept. 11, 2005 10:27 p.m. EDT Mary Landrieu: School Bus Failure Bush's Fault
It was the Bush administration's fault that hundreds of city school buses weren't dispatched to evacuate the hurricane-battered residents of New Orleans two weeks ago before floods swamped the city, Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu said Sunday.
Asked on "Fox News Sunday" why New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin failed to follow the city's evacuation plan and press the buses into service, Landrieu blamed Bush administration cuts in mass transit funding.
"Mayor Nagin and most mayors in this country have a hard time getting their people to work on a sunny day, let alone getting them out of the city in front of a hurricane," she said. "And it's because this administration and administrations before them do not understand the difficulties that mayors . . . face." Landrieu then added: "In other words, this administration did not believe in mass transit. They won't even get people to work on a sunny day, let alone getting them out."
Saying she was unwilling to criticize Louisiana officials, the Louisiana Democrat insisted that Mayor Nagin's evacuation efforts had been a smashing success.
"Because the mayor evacuated the city, we had the best evacuation . . . of any evacuation I've seen. I'm 50 years old; I've never seen one any better," Landrieu told FNS.
That prompted FNS host Chris Wallace to remind: "But there were a hundred thousand people left in the city."
Landrieu once again blamed the White House, saying:
"They did [have] a hundred thousand people left in the city because this federal government won't support cities to evacuate people, whether it's from earthquakes, tornadoes, or hurricanes. And that's the truth."
"Let's review the concept of Time, ok? They are NOW underwater, Senator - but look...see? This is Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The buses were NOT underwater those days, not even on Monday. THAT's when the buses were supposed to be used for evacuation. Are you with me?"
EXACTLY ..Thats my point and the thing that's starting to drive me mad..We here on FR have the facts , the maps , the pictures.Is there not ONE reporter in the entire USA , not ONE damn TV station willing to get out there and call these people on their sh*t!!! NO ONE ? this is getting like the Twlight Zone..Is every single news reporter AFRAID to slam these liars? I've yet to see ANYONE play hard ball with the Dems , not on ANY issue at all. Even Bush just rolls over and dies lately.
100's of buses.
couldn't get people to drive even on a sunny day - Got to listen to this.... It is a HOOT
"I can't remember when I have heard a more patronizing comment...what black women can't drive?"
They created an evacuation plan that involved school buses, because of all the "helpless, poor black people" (stereotype #1) in New Orleans. But, school buses apparently were deemed demeaning or something by Mayor Nagin after the fact, because they lacked air conditioning and did not have bathrooms. In attempting to further explain away this critical lapse (and effectively digging the hole deeper), Mayor Nagin commits another lapse, in claiming that most of the bus drivers were women, too afraid to drive them (stereotype #2), who had fled the city. Senator Landrieu then compounds the slur, by implying that these drivers are very unreliable under the best of conditions (stereotype #3), effectively slamming both blacks and women, and black women in particular.
It would be very interesting to keep adding to this and improving upon it, as all involved seem incapable of avoiding stereotypes in their assessments of just why this key element of their own evacuation plan was ignored.
message 13 has link to video...
Your Got to watch this........
landrieu is a ditz
Can you be a bit more more specific?
They're trial ballooning their talking points seeing which will fly when the real investigating starts.
Absolutely! I saw 2 different stories from different days here on FR. The stories make that clear simply be the descripiton of the facts, which conflicted with the authorities' reaciton. I never got a complete story, but apparently the LA authorities think they shpould have done things properly. That's whatever way the experts in charge were doing things.
At one point (actually many times), Chris asked her why Mayor Nagin didn't use the school buses. She looked at him like he was crazy and said "Those buses are under water." Chris helpfully pointed out how long the buses were dry and could/should have been used.
Does the Senator roll steel balls in her palm when she's in front of a camera? I haven't noticed...
I'm coming to the conclusion the Senator, Governor, Mayor and Chief of Police are all Andyites from DU in disguise...
Russert reminds Nagin "if you read the city of New Orleans' comprehensive emergency plan ... it says very clearly, "Conduct of an actual evacuation will be the responsibility of the mayor of New Orleans. It was your responsibility. Where was the planning? Where was the preparation? Where was the execution?
MAYOR NAGIN: The planning was always in getting people to higher ground, getting them to safety. That's what we meant by evacuation. Get them out of their homes, which--most people are under sea level. Get them to a higher ground and then depending upon our state and federal officials to move them out of harm's way after the storm has hit.
He said he was unable to use available school buses to evacuate people because many drivers had fled the city.
Boy , talk about NOT answering a question .
I think it's time for Free Republic to take the next step in the battle against the MSM. Although Free Republic and other sites have been immensely successful in countering the agitprop of the mainstream media, by making available information that the MSM lies about or ignores - it is still not successful in countering the IMAGES that the MSM is able to manipulate and pound into the public's heads on a day-to-day basis. The MSM easily sidesteps the facts that are primarily only printed words on the internet, then lies through its teeth with brazenly manipulated images, out-of-context quotes and blatant falsehoods from liberal politicians on softball MSM interviews. The facts are still getting trumped in the "seeing it and hearing it" category.
The technology is readily available for the next quantum step in Blog news - and that is video reporting and actual news show delivery. There are undoubtedly thousands of Freepers with digital video capability, who can go out to the same events that the media hacks go to - who can take and deliver the images that the MSM won't. Just as a small example, imagine the impact if a Freeper took images of NOLA cops on a looting spree, the Red Cross being forced to turn back by Louisiana troopers, or Mayor Nagin lounging about while New Orleans flooded/with a split screen of aerial pans of the flooded buses. Or just video of any number of these moonbats at their public events, spouting the insane and incendiary comments they make.
On the other side of the coin, Free Republic can deliver the positive news that the MSM won't. It can show and talk about competent management of crises anywhere outside the control of corrupt Louisiana Democrats, and deliver interviews with key leaders, who are asked fair questions. It makes a HUGE difference for the public to SEE and HEAR the things we can generally only write about. The broadcast MSM is solidly and shamefully dedicated to a 24/7 smear campaign against Republicans, with the debatable exception of FoxNews, and how do most people get their news? They watch it...
So...what if Free Republic were to set up a broadband news section? A full-up broadband news show wouldn't be easy, cheap or simple, but it could be started that way. A sidebar area could be created that would allow posters to put up video reports with reporter narration, or straight-up commentary, with extensive moderator control, of course...or maybe not. Eventually, this would grow of its own accord, as Freepers would review these video reports, then pass them to other people outside the Freeper network.
I humbly predict it would take off on its own after that. This section, which would start as a somewhat uncontrolled playground, would eventually coalesce into a more tightly organized news broadcasting service, with organized shows, guest commentators and near-live reports.
It would be interesting to get Freeper input on this concept, negative and positive. Both are useful - because the naysayers identify all the obstacles that must be overcome, and the enthusiasts identify ways it could get done.
Whatever respect I had for Mary Landreau went out the window with that interview.
"The planning was always in getting people to higher ground, getting them to safety. That's what we meant by evacuation"
Mayor Nagin attempts to redefine the meaning of "evacuation," and even then, fails to accomplish his own definition.
As far as drivers, Mayor Nagin's own description of most of them being women, fearful of driving the buses, prior to the latest spin of "they all ran away," and his previous insistence upon Greyhounds, apparently because they had air conditioning and bathrooms... well, people suffered and died because of this. He is culpable, no matter how many odd, stereotypical slurs of their own drivers Nagin and Landrieu spout forth.
Her statements are too dumb to be believed. I am starting to think that the Dems left people in the city deliberately just to get face time in the media.
I LOVE your idea. We make a big noise here and at times have made some difference out there(dan Rather for one ) , but it's not enough . Keep in mind the MSM has the ability to reach millions , they have the $$$ and the technology and support to do ANYTHING they want.The internet is wonderful but the bulk of America STILL gets all it knows from MSM and network news ( by far ) It's a start though . Please keep me informed of other ideas you may have. I'm seriously afraid that if someone dosen't counter the blatent avalanche of propaganda , the nonstop lies of the MSM , that it will be too late sooner than we all think .
Nice work guy ..........
Never mind that federal funds for mass transit have nothing to do with school bus operations.
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