And the Denver Post changed their story:
“For whatever reason, probably because they realized they had stepped on their peepee, the story has changed.
"The party for the 6,000 delegates and their guests on Aug. 24 will honor Friends of New Orleans, a charity formed to help that city recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.The host committee originally said in a news release that Friends of New Orleans would be hosting the party. That is incorrect, according to the group, which raises funds for non-profit groups in Louisiana. The host committee is paying for the party. After the party, Friends of New Orleans is planning a gathering of its own at Fillmore Auditorium to raise awareness of the rebuilding efforts. The group plans a similar event at the Republican National Convention in Minnesota"
So let me understand.
The Friends of New Orleans isn't hosting THAT party, but instead is hosting THIS party. And a similar event will held at the Repubs..... uh huh. Sure.
An why? Why in the hell is a tax payer funded charity throwing a party for anybody???
This is nonsense. Pure and simple. And things like this is why that I quit long ago giving any money to anyone except the church.”
The good doctor has now decided the evils of evils has been done, and comments:
“New Orleans HAS rebuilt mostly without the aid of government on ANY level. The first government aid made its way to the city November 2007, more than two years after the storm devastated our world. As to why government money should be used to be rebuilt, I have 2 answers. 1.)It is what I, as an American citizen, pay taxes through the wazoo for. 2.) It was the failure of inadequate poorly designed federal levees that destroyed the city in the first place. As you see signs in stores "You break it,you fix it." You know this arguement we have gotten from the beginning of "Why rebuild it?" has been the biggest loss to me from Katrina. I NEVER thought Americans would turn their backs on their own. NEVER!!! Now I know how wrong I was. I hope you and your family never have to live through such heartache. If you do, I will be there to support you because you are my countryman and that to me is the American spirit. I believe this country has lost its way. People wrap themselves in the flag while turning their backs on their fellow Americans. Is that how patriotism has been warped? I just bought a book called "Painting Katrina". The foreword says it all for me. It says:
"To all the people whose lives were ravaged by the hurricanes of 2005, to the first responders and volunteers who put themselves in harm's way to save lives, to the private citizens from all walks of life and all parts of the country (and I add- the world) who gave us shelter and helped us rebuild, and to the indomitable spirit of our beautiful New Orleans."
New Orleans, a 300 year old city, has not died. We are still here creating a culture that has been here much longer than America itself. I am sorry you feel we are not "worth" your support but we are not going to disappear to make you happy. We endure.”
Since he seems to want to ignore taxpayer money being spent on a worthless party I suspect he is more of a Demo than Repub. But when he starts to slip into the world of urban myths, I can’t let him slide.
Doctor. Google New Orleans rebuilding funds and you will get 162,000 hits.
BTW – You write: “The first government aid made its way to the city November 2007.” Uh, what do you call all those sailors, coast guard and national guard??? And the supplies and the equipment they brought. Remember the $1500.00 debit cards that were passed out??
Look. If you don’t want to clean up the mess, don’t live in a flood zone. And quit expecting Auntie Jane in Kansas to pay for your right to live in a nice place. As for the “culture,” the corruption in NO is legend. Clean up that before thinking I should pay.
As for the levees:Link
“The original residents of Greater New Orleans settled on the high ground along the Mississippi River. Later developments eventually extended to nearby Lake Pontchartrian, built upon fill to bring them above the average lake level. Navigable commercial waterways extended from the lake to downtown. After 1940, the state decided to close those waterways following the completion of a new Industrial Canal for waterborne commerce. Closure of the waterways resulted in a drastic lowering of the water table by the city's drainage system, causing some areas to settle by up to 8 feet (2 m) due to the consolidation of the underlying organic soils. After 1965, the US Army Corps built a levee system around a much larger geographic footprint that included previous marshland and swamp. The average elevation of the city is between 1 and 2 feet (0.61 m) below sea level. There are no residential areas of the city that are currently more than 10 feet (3 m) below sea level.”
As the above shows, it was, and is, a complex situation. Along with that we know that millions just disappeared..not unusal… and then we have this, written about two months before Katrina.
“Money is so tight the New Orleans district, which employs 1,300 people, instituted a hiring freeze last month on all positions. The freeze is the first of its kind in about 10 years, said Marcia Demma, chief of the Corps' Programs Management Branch.
Stephen Jeselink, interim commander of the New Orleans Corps district, told employees in an internal e-mail dated May 25 that the district is experiencing financial challenges. Execution of our available funds must be dealt with through prudent districtwide management decisions. In addition to a hiring freeze, Jeselink canceled the annual Corps picnic held every June.
No picnic. Now that is a true sacrifice.
So feel put upon if you like, but rebuild out of your own pocket, not mine.
And yes, I have spent quite a bit of time in NO and find it to be an “experience.”
I guess he forgot about the environmentelists who sued the CoE to prevent them from strengthening the dykes- huh?
ReplyDeleteBecause it would adversely affect the swamp critters.
Unlike a hurricane would.
That's funny....
ReplyDeleteAnd Pogo did remind us that, "We have met the enemy and he is us!"
Ignore a Republican eyewitness. I voted for Bush twice. I am telling you what happened. The money I quoted was money TO THE CITY to rebuild. You know the money the conservatives were squawking about us rolling in while in truth Americans, including WWII veterans, were living in their cars and pissing into cans. And before you say "Well MS is doing fine" (another memorable spin), it isn't. My mother lives a block from the beach in Pass Christian MS and the town consists of slabs and trailers today. Political partisans prefer the spin over the truth. Stay in your safe imaginary bubble. I once occupied that same space before tragedy and government incompetency opened my eyes. I will vote for Obama this election because the Republicans, MY PARTY, needs to be punished for turning their backs on the Gulf South. So stay with your hate for your fellow Americans. It is just one more reason people are deserting the conservative movement in droves. For after all that has happened and all the suffering I have witnessed I still believe that the majority of Americans are good at heart and know that, in the end, you don't abandon your own. The Republicans made a MAJOR stategic error in demonizing Americans themselves. I guess they thought there were more people of your ilk with selfishness at their core. They are wrong. (Just like they were wrong about the FONO.)
ReplyDelete