Posted on 09/12/2005 6:00:49 AM PDT by Quilla
Fact: Katrina was a devastating storm. It left terrible damage to innocent people's lives and to property throughout the Gulf South.
Fact: There have been other storms as damaging and some far more damaging. What, then, is different about this storm? Here are a few tentative thoughts.
First, the incompetence of the local and state authorities in Louisiana and especially New Orleans was breathtaking. To issue a mandatory evacuation order without providing means of transport is almost criminally irresponsible. To take citizens to shelters where they would be beaten, robbed and raped and to provide no police protection for them was astoundingly incompetent. To allow armed gangs to shoot at rescuers was almost beyond belief.
Second, the response of the federal government is described as slow, and it was slow at first. But can anyone name a natural disaster in which more federal troops, supplies, and money have been dispatched as quickly as they have been done in this disaster? Bush's response has not been unusually bad, but amazingly powerful and swift. In other hurricanes, survivors have been left for weeks on their own. In Katrina's case, the whole affected area has been covered with money and aid and troops to restore order on a scale and with speed never seen before.
Third, the networks and newspapers have been quick to cry racism because so many of the victims were black. This is total nonsense. New Orleans is a mostly black city. Obviously, most of the victims of the storm would be black. No one has been able to point to a single instance in which black victims were mistreated because of their race by whites. In fact, just the opposite has happened. The whole story is of rescues and salvation by people of all races aimed at people of all races. In a gesture never seen before, the whole heart of the nation has taken in poor, bereft black families and sheltered them absolutely without regards to race. This is a mirror of the basic goodness of Americans and the disappearance of racism as an acceptable action basis of American life. It is also a measure of the total absence of racism in the heart of George W. Bush. The media may play this as a story of race versus race, but that is pure incendiary fantasy, and dangerous nonsense.
What is the real story of Katrina is (I suggest) not so much that nature wrought fury on land, water, people, property, and animals, not at all anything about racism, not much about federal government incompetence. The real story is that the mainstream media rioted.
They used the storm and its attendant sorrows to continue their endless attack on George W. Bush. Wildly inflated stories about the number of dead and missing, totally made up old wives' tales of racism, breathless accounts of Bush neglect that are utterly devoid of truth and of historical context -- this is what the mainstream media gave us. The use of floating corpses, of horror stories of plagues, the sad faces of refugees, the long-faced phony accusations of intentional neglect and racism -- anything is grist for the media's endless attempts to undermine the electorate's choice last November. It is sad, but true that the media will use even the most heart breaking truths -- and then add total inventions -- to try to weaken and then evict from office a man who has done nothing wrong, but has instead turned himself inside out to help the real victims.
In the meantime, George Bush does not lash out, does not attack those who falsely accuse him of the most horrible acts and neglect. Instead, he doggedly goes on helping the least among us. I don't know how he does it, but we are very lucky he does. As for truth, it eventually may be salvaged from the flooded neighborhoods of The Crescent City, but not as long as there is a lie to use to hurt an honest man trying to do the best he can, and hundreds of thousands of brave, tireless men and women who do more than point fingers and tell tales. The Katrina story is a disgrace to the people who are "reporting" it while pouring gasoline on a fire. They and their crusade against George Bush are the real stories, and they are dismal ones.
Thanks for posting!
Four or five days late:
Had Blanco issued that on Aug 27 or 28, Nagin's incompetence in not using his city's school busses might have been overridden at the state level.
Ben forgot the part about Blank-o NOT letting the RED CROSS and the SALVATION ARMY PROVDE FOOD AND WATER!!!!! The blacks are convinced that the Dems are there to help them, when in fact, the Dems keep them on a leash on the planatation porch. SICKENING!!!
The faith of the American public in the media will be another casualty of this storm. After their disgraceful performance in reporting Katrina, why should any person believe their "reporting" about any issue? I placed the term "reporting" within quotation marks, because by and large there has been precious little reporting of facts. Instead, we have been treated to a nontop diet of agitprop. What little respect I had for the media after their one-sided reporting from Iraq has been washed away by Katrina.
Mr Stein, once again. Nail meet hammer.
I don't know how he does it either.
Clearly Stein, who has voiced criticism of Bush in the past, has had his fill of the non-stop attacks.
That includes people from supposedly his own side, like the crew at NRO and Krauthammer.
I've had it myself and don't even intend to watch the Roberts hearings as it wouldn't surprise me to see the dems, aided and abetted by kowtowing republicans, twist the topic to the hurricane and if Roberts is some kind of closet racist.
God bless Ben Stein for writing this.
As much as I admire Charles Krauthammer's opinion on most subjects, I was surprised he included President Bush is his list of folks to blame. Considering that the facts seem to point out that the Federal response to New Orleans was 'faster' than after Hugo and Andrew, his criticisms were as premature as they were maddening.
Thanks for the post of the E.O. It provides a good paper trail of what actually happened. It also shows she was planning to evacuate after the hurricane, not before.
Awesome commentary.
Thanks for posting it here.
Ben is right on the money.
It is also scheduled to print - in full - on the back cover of the "Southeastern Hamster Collector" (circulation = 113 - October Issue) and the "Northwest Fans of Duckpin Bowling" (circulation = 89 - October Issue).
Until this appears in the MSM and is read on the air in the MSM and printed in all the op-ed pages of the "major" US news rags....it will fall on deaf ears and be read - if at all, by "blind" eyes.
It's nice to see it here....but the man is preaching to the choir. We here on FR don't need to be told this, do we?
However, I wonder if the article appears on "MoveOn.Org"??
This is a vurtue? Making the people who voted for him to be looked upon as morons and bigots? Sorry but this "I'm above it all" and "turn the other cheek" crap really pisses me off.
State Troopers and local law enforcement shot over the heads of blks trying to exit N.O.'s. There were attack dogs also used to stop these folks. SHAME ON THEM.
"Outta the park!"
Absolutely! Well said!
Can't be said often or loud enough. They are followers of Josef Goebells.
Home Run, indeed!
September 2nd????
Remember the movie 'Major League'? I'm reminded of Bob Euker (sp?)announcing the wild pitch..."Juuuuuuust a bit outside". Fits this circumstance perfectly.
Honestly, Edith Bunker had more sense than this governor.
I'm also curious about section 8, Executive order KBB 2005-31, that was rescinded..wonder what it said.
When my 10 year old comes home to tell me that the kids are picking on her, I always tell her to remember President George W. Bush. I remind her that the scum of the earth is picking on him and he can hold his head up high and not be afraid of the next day. She can do the same. For the life of me though, I don't know how he does it but being a beliver, I truly think this is how he gets through. It's been one disaster after another and he continues on, head held high.
Yes, a great article, but how does one have it announced so that it is read by the "mass unwashed?"
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