Natural Disasters, Environmental Ruin, And An Inept Federal Government

For the past week I have been following the stories surrounding Hurricane Katrina and the events that have unfolded in its' wake. I have refrained from commenting until now. And I'm sure that I feel, as most Americans do, the utter disgust at what had happened. Below is a timeline breakdown of various events that transpired, some of which we are now just learning of and that are a complete contradictorily to what Bush and this administration have been telling us.

Friday August 26, 2005

As Hurricane Katrina approaches the gulf states as a Category V storm, the Governor of Louisiana foresees a major catastrophy and calls for a state of emergency and for assistance from the federal government. This request went directly to President Bush.

Saturday August 27, 2005

"The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of Louisiana and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts in the parishes located in the path of Hurricane Katrina beginning on August 26, 2005, and continuing."
-From White House Web Site


Monday August 29, 2005

The following photos and accompanying captions came from Yahoo! News

Elvin Duckworth, left, Jonathan Harvey, center, and Leonard Harvey paddle a row boat through a flooded street in their Gulfport, Miss, neighborhood after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast Monday, Aug. 29, 2005. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

U.S. President George W. Bush smiles during a town hall-style meeting at a retirement community where he talked about Medicare prescription-drug benefits for senior citizens in El Mirage, Arizona August 29, 2005. Bush on Monday urged skeptical senior citizens to sign up for a new Medicare prescription drug benefit program, touting a choice of plans with monthly premiums as low as $20. REUTERS/Jeff Mitchell

David Diaz looks at the area where he and his brother used to live in the Sadler Apartments on the waterfront in Biloxi, Mississippi, August 29, 2005. The pile of rubble and empty foundations are what is left of 30 or more apartments. REUTERS/Mark Wallheiser

President Bush holds up a birthday cake for Sen. John McCain , R-Ariz., upon his arrival at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Az., Monday, Aug. 29, 2005. McCain turned 69 Monday. Bush is traveling and will attend 'conversations' with experts and the elderly in El Mirage, Ariz., and Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., in an effort to sell older Americans on the value of a prescription drug benefit that begins next year for Medicare patients. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005

President Bush plays a guitar presented to him by Country Singer Mark Wills, right, backstage following his visit to Naval Base Coronado, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005. Bush visited the base to deliver remarks on V-J Commemoration Day. (AP Photo/ABC News, Martha Raddatz)

Evelyn Turner cries alongside the body of her common-law husband, Xavier Bowie, after he died in New Orleans, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005. Bowie and Turner had decided to ride out Hurricane Katrina when they could not find a way to leave the city. Bowie, who had lung cancer, died when he ran out of oxygen Tuesday afternoon. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Thanks to Hughes For America for the above photos, captions and html.

Wednsday, Aug. 31, 2005

On Wednesday night, Secretary Rice was booed by some audience members at "Spamalot!," the Monty Python musical at the Shubert, when the lights went up after the performance.

Yesterday, Rice went shopping at Ferragamo on Fifth Ave. According to the Web site www.Gawker.com, the 50-year-old bought "several thousand dollars' worth of shoes" at the pricey leather-goods boutique.

A fellow shopper shouted, "How dare you shop for shoes while thousands are dying and homeless!" - presumably referring to Louisiana and Mississippi."

I will be adding more to this later. I can only take so much at one time.

9/07/2005

I've relized that there's just to damn much that has transpired and now that Bush & Co. have let loose their spin machine, there's really no way I can begin to try and compose a full account of what has happened and what lies the federal government is throwing around now.

I will just add one more thing to this post:

So where is all this toxic floodwater from New Orleans going? Directly into Lake Pontchartrain. I just heard a report that it could kill all life in the lake and make its' way down to the Gulf of Mexico.

This is going to be one of the biggest environmental disasters in U.S. history. All because the federal government decided to cut funding for the levy system a few years ago.