Can Anyone Think of a Rational Explanation for This?
Seriously, this is completely baffling (all emphasis mine):
With offers from the four corners of the globe pouring in, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has decided “no offer that can help alleviate the suffering of the people in the afflicted area will be refused,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Thursday.
However, in Moscow, a Russian official said the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency had rejected a Russian offer to dispatch rescue teams and other aid.
On Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin sent condolences to Bush and said Russia was prepared to help if asked.
Boats, aircraft, tents, blankets, generators, cash assistance and medical teams have been offered to the U.S. government in Washington or in embassies overseas.
Offers have been received from Russia, Japan, Canada, France, Honduras, Germany, Venezuela, Jamaica, Australia, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Greece, Hungary, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, China, South Korea, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, NATO and the Organization of American States, the spokesman said.
Still, Bush told ABC-TV: “I’m not expecting much from foreign nations because we hadn’t asked for it. I do expect a lot of sympathy and perhaps some will send cash dollars. But this country’s going to rise up and take care of it.”
“You know,” he said, “we would love help, but we’re going to take care of our own business as well, and there’s no doubt in my mind we’ll succeed. And there’s no doubt in my mind, as I sit here talking to you, that New Orleans is going to rise up again as a great city.”
What the hell is he talking about? Has he seen how fucked up New Orleans is? Here’s a sample of stories floating around:
4:15 P.M. – (AP): Police say storm victims are being raped and beaten inside the New Orleans Convention Center.
3:06 P.M.– (AP): Fights and fires broke out, corpses lay out in the open, and rescue helicopters and law enforcement officers were shot at as flooded-out New Orleans descended into anarchy Thursday. “This is a desperate SOS,” the mayor said.
2:37 P.M.– CNN Reports that snipers have fired shots on Charity Hospital in New Orleans.
Memo to the Vacation King– we need all the help we can get. (More at AmericaBlog.)
(Btw, I just donated to the Red Cross- please do the same. We can’t rely on Bush to help these people.)
There is a logical explanation for it. Not a great one, and I’m not saying it’s the actual one, but it exists. Foreign practical (as opposed to financial) aid would have to be coordinated with the US relief effort. Given how completely fucked up the latter is, I doubt they could handle the logistics of integrating several small foreign crews.
Anon.- fair enough. Have you worked for organizations like the Red Cross before?
No, but I’ve got friends who work for Oxfam. Like I say, it’s not a great reason – the central organisation of the relief should be competent enough to cope with foreign assistance. But given that in reality it can’t even seem to coordinate police, national guard and US NGO operations, I’m very doubtful it could.
No, but I’ve got friends who work for Oxfam. Like I say, it’s not a great reason – the central organisation of the relief should be competent enough to cope with foreign assistance. But given that in reality it can’t even seem to coordinate police, national guard and US NGO operations, I’m very doubtful it could.
I can’t figure out WTF is going on and why all the $$$ flowing into aid groups aren’t providing IMMEDIATE relief. That’s what goddamn MEFA is there for. Look at what some asshole left on Crooks and Liars:
You have to realize that Libs expect immediate solutions to enormous problems – they have no tolerance for the word patience.
Well no shit, fuckstick! That’s because WE HAVE A VERY SHORT TIME TO SAVE THESE PEOPLES’ LIVES. Asshole. Fucking. Asshole. (I don’t normally get this pissed, but this is driving me crazy.)
Not only is he not expecting help he’s begun to REFUSE it. I live in Canada and I know firsthand that we have allready made a tangible offer of men and equipment, needed equipment at that (see below) from us. WHY? What the hell is the possible explaination for this other than total incompetance in dealing with this disaster? I have (since hearing this) donated to the american red cross… I no longer trust Bush and company to deal with this at all…
To think that while bush is on vaction and Condi rice is hitting broadway and being a nice little consumer, offers for Canada’s unique DART system,proven effective in recent disasters are being refused or ignored makes me want to scream for the people dying right now thanks to their carelessness.
–
On tonight’s news, CTV (Canadian TV) said that support was offered from Canada. Planes are ready to load with food and medical supplies and a system called “DART” which can provide fresh water and medical supplies is standing by. Department of Homeland Security as well as other U.S. agencies were contacted by the Canadian government requesting permission to provide help. Despite this contact, Canada has not been allowed to fly supplies and personnel to the areas hit by Katrina. So, everything here is grounded. Prime Minister Paul Martin is reportedly trying to speak to President Bush tonight or tomorrow to ask him why the U.S. federal government will not allow aid from Canada into Louisiana and Mississippi. That said, the Canadian Red Cross is reportedly allowed into the area.
Canadian agencies are saying that foreign aid is probably not being permitted into Louisiana and Mississippi because of “mass confusion” at the U.S. federal level in the wake of the storm.
Bush to the victims: I don’t care
Bush to the victims: I don’t care
It’s hard work.
It’s hard work.
Yeah, now he thinks about New orleans AND Iraq… Every day…
Bush thinks this is all just a big plot to make him look bad.
Realist:
Actually you’re probably right, has anyone at S!N seen this yet? Sorry dunno how to link properly…(http://news.forum.publicradio.org/article.pl?sid=05/08/25/1918224)
?I?m not meeting again with that goddamned bitch,? Bush screamed at aides who suggested he meet again with Cindy Sheehan, the war-protesting mother whose son died in Iraq. ?She can go to hell as far as I?m concerned!?
Bush, administration aides confide, frequently explodes into tirades over those who protest the war, calling them ?motherfucking traitors.?
Bush, whining petulantly during national emergencies since 9/11…
Yeah: they’re a bunch of callous, misanthropic, goose-stepping douche-bags, whose only concern is political expediency. There is no concern for actual living human beings.
Funny how this political expediency thing is going to blow up in their faces. This horrific event will cause a political earthquake for the GOP.
I just did my donation through The Rainbow Fund in order to gain both the joys of helping my fellow humans and annoying the religious wingnut contingent at the same time.
To all of the countries listed above, thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. And on behalf of the benighted administration with which we have been afflicted, I apologize for the rude rebuff.
Yeah… the recently gutted (thanks ‘efficient government’) federal emergency management agencies are having a hell of a time as it is coordnating the American crews.
That said- you’d think that we’d have coordnated with Canada for emergency management since, you know, we have that whole NORAD thing with them which one would think would encompass all facets of defense.
That rat bastard Hastert has implied that he would oppose federal funds to rebuild New Orleans… saying that since the city could potentially be flooded again, it wouldn’t be worth the effort.
Of course, by that logic, we should just abondon Iraq right now because it will probably degrade into a full-scale civil war within 5 years of our leaving- it’s just not cost effective to carry on spending so much money on it.
Hypocritical asses.
Oh, and of course, there’s always the fact that the primary agency for disaster ocntrol is thousands of miles away in a desert environment, thus kind of removing the backbone from any effort.
Hooray, Clusterfuck!
As screwed up as our emergency guys are on this, I suspect we’d be better off letting the Canadians coordinate everybody’s disaster response.
And Denny? Sooner or later the sun will burn out and we’ll all die, so what’s the point of doing anything? Jesus Christ. Does this guy refuse to eat because he’ll just be hungry again later (Yes, that’s rhetorical).
Where the hell does he intend to put these people? And how does he intend to keep others from moving into the newly open space of New Orleans again? That’s a shitload of eminent domaining.
Honestly, is he willing to use federal funds to buy the land to move them all somewhere else? And then to buy their old property to make sure the city doesn’t rebuild with new people? I’m betting not, if only because he couldn’t be bothered to spend federal money to shore up the levees in the first place, or for proper emergency planning for a major US city.
A Total Disaster
Mostly just links, because I’m too depressed and horrified to do anything more. Hell on Earth It’s really bad in the Superdome.Much worse than they dare show on TV (OK, how much spine do you expect them to grow in a week?)Life is even tough at the Ritz…
Also turned down Germany’s offer.
If mostly white people were dying, we’d let anybody with a helicopter fly into the U.S. to save them. This sh*t makes me so mad that I can hardly see straight.
Actually I meant to post that without the aka dig at Dr. BLT because there’s nothing funny about what our government is doing in New Orleans.
I suspect that, aside from the incompetence aspect-and that’s quite a major aspect with these colobags-that there’s an irrational “If we accept help, were admitting to weakness, and that will diminish our standing amongst the nations of the world. Who will fear us then? ” In other words, blind, stupid machismo. And thus, hundreds or thousands will die who need not have. Bastards.
Really, Russia, just come bring the food and water. Apologize later for not asking if it was ok with Runnynose Bunnypants first.
That’s what these guys are doing:
Today, [Cindy Sheehan’s] supporters plan to go to Shreveport, La., to deliver more than 5,000 pounds of supplies left over from Camp Casey to hurricane victims. (from the Houston Chronicle)
Fuck it, just fuck asking Chimpy’s permission first, he’s demonstrated that he’s not really in charge. No one is — not Chertoff, not Cheney, they all have their thumbs up their asses.
Also turned down help from the UN, which must have really hurt.
And you know what we’re going to see after this shit: wingnuts bitching about how no foreign countries aided in the relief effort.
Of course, you can’t blame Bush. He’s got a lot of other people to worry about too. All of his oil buddies have lost some oil, and their production capabilites are diminshed. Of course they’re making even more money right now with the price of gas shooting through the roof, but they still wanted more oil.
Assholes.
I’m so livid at this, I can’t even cuss.
Coutries offering aid, I’m sorry for the way you’ve been treated and rebuffed. I, among millions in this country, appreciate the effort to help the people in need (and we’ll work even harder to get this guy out of office).
Required reading.
The more I read, the sicker I feel. Natural disasters are one thing, but avoidable violence and greed in desperate times just make me want to stop the planet and get off. So many deaths, and so much of this…
I don’t hear any real solutions here. It’s easier just to keep bitching about Bush.
HERE IS A LIST OF FUCKING SOLUTIONS
THINGS TO DO NOW.
1. GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER AND FORM A COMPETANT CENTRAL COMMAND FOR THIS
2.ACCEPT FOREIGN AND UN AID
3.RECALL THE TROOPS AND EQUIPMENT FROM IRAQ(that OTHER disaster)SO THAT MILITARY HELICOPTERS AND SOLDIERS CAN HELP
4.AIRLIFT (FUCKING WADE THROUGH THE SLAG WITH 2 FEET IF YOU MUST) SOME FOOD AND WATER AND MEDICAL SUPPLIES TO PEOPLE DYING NOW INSTEAD OF YOUR THUMB UP YOUR ASS
5.STOP STAGING PHOTO-OPS AND “DEVESTATION TOURS” THAT COST MONEY AND ARE BETTER ORGANIZED THAN THE RELIEF EFFORT ITSELF.
6.ASK THE PUBLIC TO SHARE IN THE SACRIFICE (SOMETHING BUSH HAS NEVER DONE)
7.FIRE THE INEXPERIENCED AND INCOMPETANT (OR LYING) FEMA BUSH APPOINTEE AND REPLACE WITH SOMEONE EXPERIENCED IN DISASTER MANAGMENT
THINGS THAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE BEFORE BY THE ADMIN
1. NOT CUT FUNDING ON THE LEVEES YEAR AFTER YEAR SINCE 9/11 DISPITE EXPERT’S WARNINGS
2.NOT CRIPPLE FEMA WITH IDIOT LEADERS OR FORCE IT TO BE PART OF DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
3.NOT SEND MOST OF THE NATIONAL GUARD OVERSEAS IN A RESOURCE GRAB
THINGS THAT CAN STILL BE DONE
1.IMMEDIATE MOBILIZATION OF ALL RESOURCES REGARDLESS OF COST
2.START PAYING ATTENTION TO FUCKING GLOBAL WARMING, HURRICANES HAVE BEEN MORE POWERFUL YEAR AFTER YEAR FOR 30 YEARS RUNNING AND WATER LEVELS ARE CONSTANTLY RISING
3.IMPEACH BUSH.
I KNOW I’M WRITING THIS IN ALL CAPS WHICH I NEVER DO, YOU MAY GET THE IMPRESSION I’M YELLING, LET ME ASSURE YOU THAT I AM. THESE ANSWERS SHOULD BE SO GODDAM OBVIOUS I’M ASHAMED TO HAVE TO EXPLAIN THEM TO A FULL GROWN ADULT!
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