Fight the GOP lie machine w/ Katrina facts

[LuckyTheDog]

Sent to me by pal:


Katrina Fact File

Here it is: the good, the bad, and the infuriating. Much of this material is from Americablog.

Right-wingers claim the state of Louisiana never requested federal aid. Wrong. The request is available here: http://gov.louisiana.gov/Disaster%20Relief%20Request.pdf

Right-wingers claim nobody had any idea that the storm would be this bad. Wrong. Read the report from the National Weather service, dated 10:01 AM, Sunday August 28th, here: http://kamala.cod.edu/offs/KLIX/0508281550.wwus74.html

Right-wingers claim Bush (and by extension FEMA) had no idea how bad it would be. That's probably why the White House declared a disaster on Saturday - before Katrina even hit - and authorized FEMA 'to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures.' http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050827-1.html

Right-wingers claim that mayors and governors have the main responsibility in the event of natural disasters. Wrong - it's FEMA, according to their own web site: http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/theme_home2.jsp

Just as Bush's visit to Ground Zero after 9/11 halted rescue efforts here, so his visit to New Orleans halted food deliveries there: http://americablog.blogspot.com/2005/09/breaking-bush-visit-to-new-orleans.html

It's not just New Orleans - or as the citizens now call it, Lake George - that got hit and then ignored; as of this writing, the Mississippi gulf coast is suffering as well. http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/12555987.htm

CNN compiled statements by Bush administration officials, and contrasts them with what actually happened, here: http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/02/katrina.response/index.html

Video of Geraldo Rivera screaming at Sean Hannity and holding up a starving child for all the world to see is here: http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/09/02.html#a4763 Caution: extremely graphic.

Condi Rice exiting 'Spamalot' on Wednesday can be seen here: http://www.broadway.com/gen/Buzz_Photo_Op.aspx?ci=517286

The unprecedented editorial by the New York Times, in which they accuse Bush of looking 'casual to the point of carelessness', is available here: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/090105Z.shtml

Editor and Publisher follows up with a piece titled 'My Pet Goat, the Sequel', here: http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/columns/pressingissues_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001054581

Audio of the mayor of New Orleans berating the failures of every level of government, bringing his interviewer to the point of sobbing, is linked here: http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/02/katrina.nagin/index.html

You may have seen video of Bush watching the broken levees being repaired, and thought progress was being made. Sorry to disappoint: that was fake. A staged photo-op. 'Mission Accomplished' all over again. http://www.fromtheroots.org/story/2005/9/3/19542/97952

George Bush claimed that nobody could have known the levees would break. Well, nobody except the local newspaper, which had a five-part series on the subject that won a Pulitzer Prize…. http://www.nola.com/hurricane/?/washingaway/

…or the mayor, who said it was going to happen on Sunday, here: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/29/national/29storm.html

…. Or the Army Corps of Engineers, which has been warning of just this scenario for years: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/01/national/nationalspecial/01levee.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1125576074-sQ7+z4rSz1ij9jpG9m+KiA

Barbara Bush claiming that hurricane victims are happy about being in Houston - with a chuckle, no less - is here: http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001054719

The New Orleans Times-Picayune open letter to Dear Leader demanding the immediate firing of every official at FEMA, while accusing its head of 'bald-faced lies', is here: http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09.html#076771

And now, in closing, what is the Bush administration worried about? Its political agenda, that's what, which they rightly assume might be hindered somewhat by what we have all just seen. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/04/national/nationalspecial/04bush.html?hp&ex=1125892800&en=81553b958e19b706&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[B3Nut]

1. Kicked and nominated. nt

[LuckyTheDog]

2. Thanks

When I got that e-mail, I knew I should post the links here. Good, good stuff.

[LuckyTheDog]

3. Darn it

I am "kicking" my own post. This is good stuff.

[LuckyTheDog]

4. Kicking again

:kick: