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unbelievable

Talen Morgan
Amused
Join date: 2 Apr 2004
Posts: 3,097
09-02-2005 11:26
Already black congressmen and women along with the NAACP are pointing fingers....they say its about poor but they will bring up the race issue later....We live in a country of fuckig morons that can't do a thing but point fingers instead of saying what can I do to help.

Maybe one day Americans of all races, creeds, political idiologies, and religous beliefs can get together and help to kill everyone in our government so we can start again and maybe get it right this time.


WASHINGTON (AP) -- Black members of Congress expressed anger Friday at what they said was a slow federal response to Hurricane Katrina.

"It looks dysfunctional to me right now," said Rep. Diane Watson, D-California.

She and other members of the Congressional Black Caucus, along with members of the Black Leadership Forum, National Conference of State Legislators, National Urban League and the NAACP, held a news conference and charged that the response was slow because those most affected are poor.

Many also are black, but the lawmakers held off on charging racism.

"The issue is not about race right now," said Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, D-Ohio. "There will be another time to have issues about color."

President Bush, who visited storm-damaged areas Friday, acknowledged that the initial federal response was unacceptable and pledged to do more. (Related story.)

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Illinois, said too much focus has been placed on the looting, taking away from what should be the priority: getting food, water and stability to the tens of thousands of displaced victims.

Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, D-Michigan, noted that the city of Detroit has offered housing, food and clothing for 500 families displaced by Katrina. She urged other cities to do the same.

Watson and others also took issue with the word "refugee" being used to describe hurricane victims.

"'Refugee' calls up to mind people that come from different lands and have to be taken care of. These are American citizens," Watson said.

Added Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Maryland: "They are not refugees. I hate that word."

He called for citizens and governments to come together "with a force equal to that of Hurricane Katrina" to meet the needs of the hurricane victims.

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Moopf Murray
Moopfmerising
Join date: 7 Jan 2004
Posts: 2,448
09-02-2005 11:54
You know, speaking as an outsider, not being from the US and all, from what I've seen on the BBC, CNN, Fox, Sky etc. news coverage we're predominately being shown footage of black and, I believe, some hispanic people stuck at the dome, the conference centre etc. I haven't seen footage of many white people, to be perfectly honest.

I'd been left with an overwhelming sense of disenfranchised minorities kind of being left to fend for themselves. Whether that's right or wrong, or whether it's what the media has chosen to show in their infinite wisdom, I don't know. The overwhelming majority of them looked poor from what I've seen.

I also watched the congresswomen speaking today, which is what I presume that this article you've pasted is referring to. When the likes of CNN etc. started referring to the citizens of New Orleans as refugees a couple of days ago I found that really distasteful (and it was not isolated to one reporter either, it appeared to be what the network was labelling them as), so I am not suprised that people have picked up on that and asked them to cease using that term.

Having said that the whole thing has left me dumbstruck. That this can be allowed to happen (not the hurricane, that can't be stopped, but what has come after) in what is supposedly the richest, best equiped, most capable of countries leaves me at a loss. That they cannot adequately take care of their own in the face of disasters really beggars belief. You don't see that happening in rich, powerful countries. So why has it happened this week?
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David Valentino
Nicely Wicked
Join date: 1 Jan 2004
Posts: 2,941
09-02-2005 12:02
I find it unbelievable that folks were stick in the Superdome for 4 days without adequate (or any) food, very little water, with dead bodies scattered about, and being promised that they would be taken out by bus, day after day. They didn't even have porta-potties for godsake.

And I won't even go into how many folks were stranded hundreads of other places.

We still have alot of national guardsmen around. Why did it take the government 4+ days to get them there. Bet if it was in Texas the relief effort woulda been alot quicker on the Goverments part.

I find it unbelievable that in this day and age, with the money spent on preperation for just such disasters, that our government could be so inadequate in rracting and getting things done.

It is a huge disaster, and of course it will take a very long time to recover from, but relief and security efferts were woefully slow and inadequate. Good thing Bush spent all that cash on Homeland Security. I feel so much safer and confident now.
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Paolo Portocarrero
Puritanical Hedonist
Join date: 28 Apr 2004
Posts: 2,393
09-02-2005 13:31
You raise some valid points, Moopf, but keep in mind that federal agencies, such as FEMA, take their lead from state and local agencies. The fact is that New Orleans and Louisian, as a whole, did not craft a thorough disaster recovery plan. Although it's waaaay too early for anyone to start pointing fingers, I think we need to cut the fed a little slack. This is, after all, arguably the most massive natural disaster in US history.
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Chance Abattoir
Future Rockin' Resmod
Join date: 3 Apr 2004
Posts: 3,898
Believable
09-02-2005 17:42
From: WASHINGTON (AP)
Watson and others also took issue with the word "refugee" being used to describe hurricane victims.

"'Refugee' calls up to mind people that come from different lands and have to be taken care of. These are American citizens," Watson said.

Added Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Maryland: "They are not refugees. I hate that word."

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


WAHAHAHA! Identity Politics!!! Reality doesn't matter, only the representation of reality is worth fighting about. "We must put an end to the naughty words if we are going to overcome this tragedy." Please. LOL. You'd think having lost two elections and having a major powershift occur would change people's strategies. Nope.

Sigh. I still hate both sides.
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Chance Abattoir
Future Rockin' Resmod
Join date: 3 Apr 2004
Posts: 3,898
09-02-2005 17:45
From: David Valentino
We still have alot of national guardsmen around. Why did it take the government 4+ days to get them there. Bet if it was in Texas the relief effort woulda been alot quicker on the Goverments part.


Texas is a much richer state, probably has many more military bases, and no one would have to loot for guns because everyone already owns them... but I get your point ;)
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Judah Jimador
Registered User
Join date: 13 Mar 2005
Posts: 230
09-02-2005 18:53
From: Chance Abattoir
Texas is a much richer state, probably has many more military bases, and no one would have to loot for guns because everyone already owns them... but I get your point ;)


Texas is also a homesteader state. It's pretty easy to become a homesteader once you've acquired property there.

Not sure of all the implications, but the conventional wisdom is, a homesteader catches you on his or her property packing a weapon and exercising evil intentions, that homesteader can pretty much cut the local police out of the loop on what happens next.

-- jj
Chance Abattoir
Future Rockin' Resmod
Join date: 3 Apr 2004
Posts: 3,898
09-03-2005 01:48
From: Judah Jimador
Texas is also a homesteader state. It's pretty easy to become a homesteader once you've acquired property there.

Not sure of all the implications, but the conventional wisdom is, a homesteader catches you on his or her property packing a weapon and exercising evil intentions, that homesteader can pretty much cut the local police out of the loop on what happens next.

-- jj


Well, close. They have to be in your house before you can murder them.

However, if you're in the middle of nowhere and a hostile drawl belts out the words, "Get off mah propatee," you better run for cover anyway (been there, done that!)
_____________________
"The mob requires regular doses of scandal, paranoia and dilemma to alleviate the boredom of a meaningless existence."
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Ewan Took
Mad Hairy Scotsman
Join date: 5 Dec 2004
Posts: 579
09-03-2005 04:51
From: Talen Morgan
Already black congressmen and women along with the NAACP are pointing fingers....they say its about poor but they will bring up the race issue later....We live in a country of fuckig morons that can't do a thing but point fingers instead of saying what can I do to help.

Maybe one day Americans of all races, creeds, political idiologies, and religous beliefs can get together and help to kill everyone in our government so we can start again and maybe get it right this time.


WASHINGTON (AP) -- Black members of Congress expressed anger Friday at what they said was a slow federal response to Hurricane Katrina.

"It looks dysfunctional to me right now," said Rep. Diane Watson, D-California.

She and other members of the Congressional Black Caucus, along with members of the Black Leadership Forum, National Conference of State Legislators, National Urban League and the NAACP, held a news conference and charged that the response was slow because those most affected are poor.

Many also are black, but the lawmakers held off on charging racism.

"The issue is not about race right now," said Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, D-Ohio. "There will be another time to have issues about color."

President Bush, who visited storm-damaged areas Friday, acknowledged that the initial federal response was unacceptable and pledged to do more. (Related story.)

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Illinois, said too much focus has been placed on the looting, taking away from what should be the priority: getting food, water and stability to the tens of thousands of displaced victims.

Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, D-Michigan, noted that the city of Detroit has offered housing, food and clothing for 500 families displaced by Katrina. She urged other cities to do the same.

Watson and others also took issue with the word "refugee" being used to describe hurricane victims.

"'Refugee' calls up to mind people that come from different lands and have to be taken care of. These are American citizens," Watson said.

Added Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Maryland: "They are not refugees. I hate that word."

He called for citizens and governments to come together "with a force equal to that of Hurricane Katrina" to meet the needs of the hurricane victims.

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


I see politics not about what you can do for others but how much power you can leverage. People will see this disaster as a way of gaining power. It's easier to sit and point, make others look bad and increase your standing than actually do anything to help. It's the same the world over. The politics game must attract a certain type of person no matter what country you're in.
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Judah Jimador
Registered User
Join date: 13 Mar 2005
Posts: 230
09-03-2005 06:17
From: Chance Abattoir
I still hate both sides.


What he said.

-- jj