Response from New Orleanian on The Accurate Tragedy of Katrina

9/26/2005 | Justice089

[Enterprise]

Generally:

The money to fix or upgrade the levees had been provided.
The Mayor had the authority to order a mass evacuation.
The transportation was available to implement and facilitate a mass evacuation.
The Governor could have acted sooner.
So my question is: Is Senator Landrieu justified in wanting to punch President Bush?

[VRWCTexan]

Agreed - I and my family were part of the 2.7 million mass exodus, and as you indicated, we had no more advance warning than those in New Orleans to get out.

Likewise, while not perfect, our local and state officials did manage to bus (and/or fly out) the poor, the weak and the sick ahead of the storm - including many thousands of those that had only recently arrived from New Orleans.

Also, although not a "judge" or a "lawyer" - like most Texans we had the good sense to carry with us our important papers, birth certificates, passports, insurance papers, deeds, and a supply of water/food for the hours spent on the road.

Finally I really have to wonder just how many of the "criminal element" from N.O. have been able to "loose" all their ID in the storm, and are thus allowed to start afresh with new gov't issued ID's using false names, etc

[Enterprise]

That is tragic if true. And remember, there were uniformed NOPD officers looting - and it was on National TV. I guess they could make a new comedy "Our Gang" series. It would be based on the NOPD.

[Ima Lurker]

In Florida we helped our neighbors after the storm. We needed each other to get by...Needless to say I made a ton of friends I can count on in a pinch. Somehow I don't see that in NO.....

You are not seeing that because that is not what the media wants you to see, but that most certainly IS happening in places where people are being allowed to return home.

For some reason the media, Fox included, is playing this as an event that has affected only the very poor or the "filthy" rich. In fact, the great majority of homes flooded are homes of the middle and upper middle class, hard working families, both black and white. This doesn't make for good TV though, so you won't see them helping each other thru this ordeal.

[hiredhand]

I forgot to mention that the whole reason the cops went through these gyrations with new hires and juvenile records is because they couldn't get enough locals hired for LEO jobs who weren't gang members.

This same guy was an out of state student down there at some college in the 1980s. He said that the counselors briefed the out of state students to watch out, especially if they had a vehicle with out of state tags because the cops would arrest them on false charges, or plant evidence on them because most of the students from out of state were well to do and the cops knew they could get money from the kids' parents. It was basically extortion from the way he told it.

I'm really sorry for all the grief that has happened down there on account of Katrina. But in retrospect, it seems to me that the "cesspool" got a good cleaning, but a few "good frogs" were still at the edges when it happened.

I still say that they leave everything to the fishies and the birds except for seaport and petroleum resources.

[Sergio]

They were not all criminals and THEY ARE NOT REFUGEES!!

From the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

Refugee

Function: noun

Etymology: French réfugié, past participle of (se) réfugier to take refuge, from Latin refugium : one that flees; especially : a person who flees to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution

So how is it that those who fled NO because of the dangers associated with a hurricane, are not refugees?

Best Regards

Sergio

[Beth528]

Mayor Nagin himself: "I need reinforcements," he pleaded. "I need troops, man. I need 500 buses, man. ... I've done it all man, and I'll tell you man, I keep hearing that it's coming. This is coming, that is coming. And my answer to that today is BS, where is the beef? Because there is no beef in this city. " Nagin said, "Get every Greyhound bus in the country and get them moving." Evacuation of Galveston during Hurricane Rita!They didn't need any Grayhound buses.. bottom photo..

[marty60]

Sorry,LA WAS GIVEN 60 BILLION DOLLARS, 1)30 BILLION TO BUY OUT FLOOD PRONE HOUSING. SO THAT PEOPLE COULD MOVE TO SAFER GROUND. 2) THE REST WAS TO BE SPENT TO STRENGTHEN AND REPAIR THE LEVEE SYSTEM.

Maybe you haven't heard about the indictments of Levee board members that can't account for where all the taxpayer money went.

Before you ask eveyone to be patient etc, you better start calling your own crooks to account.

[6ppc]

When someone looses everything
I am a judge

Apparently one who doesn't know proper english!

[swmobuffalo]

Appears you two have no grasp of the facts. The facts have been amply abundant on a number of threads here. Too bad you don't seem able to find them, just like Nagin couldn't find the buses.

[PAR35]

By Saturday night, we were told by the weather service that Hurricane Katrina would most likely hit Monday morning.

Not exactly true, troll.

"Currently, the forecast models are converging upon New Orleans."

Posted on 08/27/2005 12:25:04 AM CDT by NautiNurse

Yes, that is just after midnight on Friday night. Here's the thread. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1471729/posts

[NonLinear]

Finally! Made it before the thread got pulled!

[Buzwardo]

Obviously a quarter trillion dollars is due to your fine state because of all the indignities you've suffered. I've little doubt it will be used as wisely as all the submerged school buses were.

[PAR35]

nor can be construed in any way to be "hard working".

You don't consider armed robbery, drug dealing and car jacking to be hard work?

Some folks in the criminal justice system in New Orleans are so hard working that they have two jobs. Of course, one involves protecting drug dealers.

[NonLinear]

... THEY ARE NOT REFUGEES!!

Ummm, yes they are.

ref·u·gee
Pronunciation Key (rfy-j)
n.

One who flees in search of refuge, as in times of war, political oppression, or religious persecution.

[French réfugié, from past participle of réfugier, to take refuge, from Old French, from refuge, refuge. See refuge.]

Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Main Entry: ref·u·gee
Pronunciation: "re-fyu-'jE
Function: noun
: an individual seeking refuge or asylum; especially : an individual who has left his or her native country and is unwilling or unable to return to it because of persecution or fear of persecution (as because of race, religion, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion)

Source: Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.

refugee

n : an exile who flees for safety

[PeskyOne]

They were not all criminals and THEY ARE NOT REFUGEES!!

until you have experienced it, don't judge us, PRAY FOR US!

Millions of people have been praying for the residents of the Gulf Coast because of Katrina and Rita. You've had our prayers and our help, and now you ask us to accept a lie, repeat it, and not hold Louisiana Officials accountable for their actions. I don't know what kind of judge you are, but I certainly hope you aren't a trial judge where you can dispense sentences! You stated: We did not have five (5) days notice of the hurricane hitting New Orleans. Katrina hit Florida and by Friday went back into the Gulf of Mexico. Where do you think the Gulf of Mexico is? If you didn't know, you should have known there was a possibility that Louisiana could be hit by a massive hurricane. The rest of the United States who watched the weather reports knew it! The Governor and Mayor did not order a mandatory evacuation because they were inept!! Don't blame us for recognizing what we saw taking place. The MSM tried for days to excuse the ineptness of the Democrat leadership, but finally, they could not cover up what pictures revealed so clearly.

Some of your comments suggest you are part of the Democrat Machine in N.O. For example, you make excuses for looters! I can excuse those who took food and water for survival, but I don't excuse those who STOLE televisions, AIR JORDANS etc. You were adamant that those who fled were not REFUGEES, and that proved to me that you are more interested in "political correctness" than you are in TRUTH. You even deny the rapes and criminal activity that has been reported and verified...while admitting you haven't been back to your home since Aug. 28th. I fear N.O. will remain a corrupt city as long as people such as yourself refuse to acknowledge the truth.

I love Louisiana and the people, but am I proud that my home state is recognized as being corrupt? NO. Am I proud that tourists can't go to New Orleans and be safe? NO. Am I proud that we are recognized as one of biggest welfare states in the nation? NO Am I going to lie and say that those situations don't exist because I'm from Louisiana? NO. We better face up to the problems and solve them with integrity and intelligence!

[ekwd]

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/prb/al122005.prblty.015.shtml?

The above is a link to the NOAA advisory at 11 EDT on Friday
26 Aug. Notice that Katrina's center was still in the Gulf north of Cuba at that time and that the probability of Katrina's center coming within 65nm of NO was 17% the same as that for Pensacola/Mobile and only 2% higher than Panama City.

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/prb/al122005.prblty.015.shtml?

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/archive/2005/prb/al122005.prblty.015.shtml?

The above shows that Katrina did not become a hurricane again until Thursday afternoon 25 Aug and that it did not become a CAT 3 until Saturday morning.

Grant the judge that LA did not have five days warning Katrina, particularly since the same allegation was used against "Brownie" as a way to get Bush.

In fact once LA evacuations began they were able to get as much as 97% of the parishes south of NO and 380,000 of NO's 480,000 population out in time. It was that they did not get 100,000 people out of NO out that caused the problem. They had time to use those now-infamous buses but didn't. Also, some of the people who had do be rescued were in houses with cars parked in their garages-something that really frosts me.

NO deserves compassion, but not uncritical reaction to their behavior before the storm.

[johnb838]

For years Louisiana Congressmen have been asking the federal government for money to help build stronger levees, but year after year, the funding has never been appropriated in sufficient quantities.

So what's the multiplier that is sufficient for everyone to get their beak wet, plus leaving enough left over to actually do the work? The levees were a third world joke. I can agree with some of what you said, but you ruined it all with this one line.

[JeffersonRepublic.com]

"I am a judge and my husband is an attorney"

Enough said! You can't be trusted.

[Ima Lurker]

Appears you two have no grasp of the facts.

HAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!! You're sitting in Missouri telling the people living through this that THEY have no grasp of the facts?? You are kidding, right?