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In the hectic, confused hours after Hurricane Katrina lashed the Gulf Coast, Louisiana's governor hesitantly but mistakenly assured the Bush administration that New Orleans' protective levees were intact, according to new video obtained by The Associated Press showing briefings that day with federal officials. "We keep getting reports in some places that maybe water is coming over the levees," Gov. Kathleen Blanco said shortly after noon on Aug. 29, according to the video. "We heard a report unconfirmed, I think, we have not breached the levee. I think we have not breached the levee at this time."

There is a shot where Blanco is being set up several days ago for a TV interview, and her press secretary is helping her adjust her mic. They’re having a personal conversation, but the cameraman catches it!! In it, she kinda jokes to her press secretary something like “yeah, well I guess I really need to ask for troops,” and a couple more things she says. A bit later in hte segment she gets into a semi-argument with Miles O’Brien, and he’s pointedly asking her exactly WHEN she asked the President for troops.She gets frustrated and says she didn’t even...

Controversial film-maker Michael Moore is planning to make a hard-hitting documentary based on US President George W. Bush's handling of the Hurricane Katrina rescue operation. Moore grabbed international acclaim with his scathing 2004 film Fahrenheit 9/11, which studied Bush's handling of the September 11th terrorist attacks. The Oscar winner is now "seriously considering" documenting the catastrophe in America's Gulf Coast region. He tells the New York Daily News, "There is much to be said and done about the man-made annihilation of New Orleans, caused not by a hurricane but by the very specific decisions made by the Bush administration in...

I found this audio clip of Mayor Neglect and I think might help the Freeper Investigation, since Freepers seem to be the only ones who have a clue right now. If Nagin told the press he didn't need the Feds, wouldn't he tell the Feds the same? It's no silver bullet, but I think this peice of evidence might help.

TORONTO SUN September 10, 2005 Celine hits a low note By MICHAEL COREN The first question must be why Celine Dion was on Larry King Live at all. Presumably, Larry's team of producers did not sit around all day discussing who would be the most astute commentator on the New Orleans disaster, settling not on a state governor or a Nobel laureate engineer but on a singer from Quebec. Perhaps the initiative came from Celine's people. Which raises the question of why on earth the lady who gave us show tunes from the sinking of the Titanic really thought that...

‘We cannot allow it to be said by history that the difference between those who lived and those who died in the great storm and flood of 2005 was nothing more than poverty, age or skin color.” - Representative Elijah Cummings It’s painfully difficult for me to wrap my mind around images of Americans lying dead by the score, their corpses being eaten by rats and dogs. As a brave new America trudges forward into the 21 st Century armed with a new set of national priorities, there’s something acutely unnatural about this disaster. First of all, it didn’t have...

School Buses Claim: Photograph shows school buses caught in a flooded New Orleans parking lot. Status: True.

Part of New Orleans's southern charm comes from its green canopy of live oak trees. Many of those trees have been standing in water for more than a week, depriving their roots of oxygen. (this is lead-in. Audio .wav file of the report at NPR site)

With all that has happened in the state, it’s understandable that the Louisiana chapter of the Sierra Club may not have updated its website. But when its members get around to it, they may want to change the wording of one item in particular. The site brags that the group is “working to keep the Atchafalaya Basin,” which adjoins the Mississippi River not far from New Orleans, “wet and wild.” These words may seem especially inappropriate after the breaking of the levee that caused the tragic events in New Orleans last week. But “wet and wild” has a larger significance...

The Red Cross has confirmed to Fox News Channel's Major Garrett that they had requested permission to take food and medical supplies to the Louisiana Superdome in the hours immediately after Hurricane Katrina's landfall. That request was denied by none other than Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco.Garrett appeared on Hugh Hewitt's syndicated radio program this evening to discuss the shocking revelation.MG: Well, the Red Cross, Hugh, had pre-positioned a literal vanguard of trucks with water, food, blankets and hygiene items. They're not really big into medical response items, but those are the three biggies that we saw people at the New...

I bet some of you have occasionally tried to describe the level of insanity of the DUmmies to your skeptical friends. Perhaps they can't believe that anybody could be as nutty as you describe. If so, then perhaps you should refer them to this DUmmie THREAD titled, "I KNOW That There Is No God! Here's Why." As you will see, the level of DUmmie HATRED of George Bush has gone even beyond psychopathic levels. In fact the author of this particular thread, DUmmie DistressedAmerican, needs to not only consult with a shrink, but needs to be paid a little...

Today, a different kind of line was crossed. The Times has messed with Texas. You don’t tug on Superman’s cape, you don’t spit in the wind, and most of all you don’t mess with Texas if you have even a shred of common sense. KTRK-TV, the ABC affiliate in Houston has caught (hat tip: Austin Bay) the New York Times Company slurring Houston’s rescue efforts in a sneaky yet stupid maneuver. How do like this for the first sentence in a story about Houston’s sheltering efforts on behalf of the evacuees, by Houston-based NYT reporter Simon Romero?: “No one would...

Before residents had ever heard the words "Hurricane Katrina," the New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE ran a story warning residents: If you stay behind during a big storm, you'll be on your own! Editors at TIMES-PICAYUNE on Monday called for every official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency to be fired. In an open letter to President Bush, the paper said: "Our people deserved rescuing. Many who could have been were not. That's to the government's shame." But the TIMES-PICAYUNE published a story on July 24, 2005 stating: City, state and federal emergency officials are preparing to give a historically blunt message:...

HURRICANE Katrina was a horrific natural disaster. To America's Angry Left it was yet another occasion to score political points against President George W. Bush. In the same spirit of opportunism that animated looters who stole television sets, Bush's political foes frantically sought to blame the devastation on him. A measure of the anti-Bush Left's derangement is that it blames him for bad weather. "Complacency will no longer suffice, especially if experts are right in warning that global warming may increase the intensity of future hurricanes," The New York Times editorialised on Thursday. "But since this administration won't acknowledge that...

To stop the divisive blame game and unfair portrayals of President Bush, Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco has issued the following statement: I refused the gracious offer of help from President Bush on August 27th. My actions have created a delay in getting federal troops and assistance to the State of Louisiana. I have corrected my error by accepting all federal help and hiring a competent coordinator to facilitate that help. I now implore all those who profess to care about the residents affected by Hurricane Katrina to stay focused on taking care of their needs.

Tensions color Bush, Blanco meeting Gov. Kathleen Blanco canceled a scheduled trip Monday to visit Louisiana evacuees in Houston shelters to stay in Baton Rouge to meet with President Bush. Blanco Communications Director Bob Mann said the governor did not learn about the Bush visit until early Monday morning. “We had no idea the president was coming,” Mann said. Tension between the Blanco and Bush administrations has surfaced in recent days as state and federal officials try to coordinate recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The Blanco administration clearly wanted to express their irritation with the communication about...

NEW ORLEANS (FinalCall.com) - The New Orleans community has become a war-like zone in recent months, due to the senseless gun violence and the escalating tensions between the community and law enforcement. Police officials and community leaders have been dialoguing to come up with answers to this violence tearing the fibers of the neighborhoods. Chief of Police, Eddie Compass, seemed to have found that solution in Captain Dennis Muhammad, CEO of ENOTA (Educating Neighborhoods to Obey Those in Authority). On June 10, Chief Compass, while being interviewed on a local morning news show, announced that Capt. Dennis would provide sensitivity...

WASHINGTON (AP) - At every turn, political leaders failed Katrina's victims. They didn't strengthen the levees. They ceded the streets to marauding looters. They left dead bodies to rot or bloat. Thousands suffered or died for lack of water, food and hope. Who's at fault? There's plenty of blame to go around - the White House, Congress, federal agencies, local governments, police and even residents of the Gulf Coast who refused orders to evacuate. But all the finger-pointing misses the point: Politicians and the people they lead too often ignore danger signs until a crisis hits ...

Gov. Kathleen Blanco, standing beside the mayor at a news conference, said President Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation for the low-lying city, which is prone to flooding.

  Hmmm... Seems to me that thousands of people owe their lives to the competence and compassion of President Bush. Why Was New Orleans Evacuated?Power Line, MN - 2 hours ago... Gov. Kathleen Blanco, standing beside the mayor at a news conference, said President Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation for the low ...   Looters Take To Streets; Martial Law DeclaredNew Orleans Channel.com, LA - Aug 30, 2005... Gov. Blanco said President George W. Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation for the low-lying city, which is prone to flooding. ...   New Orleans Mayor Issues Evacuation...