Mr. Bootz often will pen a great compendium of facts to expose liberal fictions.
KATRINA boortz.com
Just a collection of notes made over the past weekend, most prompted by just sitting here and watching the coverage of the Katrina disaster on television:
THE BLAME GAME
It seems that Americans spent just as much time trying to assess blame for what happened in New Orleans as they did trying to find ways to fix it. The blame game started before Katrina even made landfall. The first trash can hadn't been blown over before people were saying that the hurricane was -- of course -- George Bush's fault. And why is that? Because Bush hadn't implemented the Kyoto Accords. Two things seemed to be forgotten during this initial rush to blame Bush. First, there were killer hurricanes like Katrina long before this scare over so-called "global warming." Second, the United States Senate, while Bill Clinton was President, turned down the Kyoto Accords by a unanimous vote of 99-0. So, the Senate under Clinton unanimously rejects Kyoto, and then the hurricane is Bush's fault because he didn't implement it. That logic could only work for liberals.
By the way ... we are now learning that Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco might have had a direct role in delaying federal assistance in the Katrina disaster. The story is surfacing that at one point George Bush offered federal help, and Governor Blanco, a Democrat, by the way, said that she preferred to wait for 24 hours before she made that request. That sure gets in the way of the Blame Bush game, doesn't it?
Wolf Blitzer has been one of the biggest race baiters and Bush bashers in this entire incident. On Saturday and Sunday, time after time after time, Blitzer was at the forefront of those asking questions about the racial component of this disaster. Then on Monday Blitzer started to fixate on Bush ordering flags to be lowered to half-staff for the victims of Katrina. So .. .now we're going to have a new national custom that flags be lowered to half-staff every time someone dies in a natural disaster? Oh, you say, it's because so many died? OK, fine What's the number then? At what number do you order the flags flown at half-staff? The tradition has been to lower flags to half-staff when some luminary dies -- someone who has made an important difference in our culture. Now we're going to have recriminations every time someone dies and the flags don't come down.
Then, after the hurricane hits, it all becomes Bush's fault because the federal government didn't respond fast enough. Much of this is based on a lack of understanding of our system of federalism. By law disaster relief is the primary responsibility of local and state governments, not the federal government. When the Islamic terrorists struck New York City the disaster response was local, not federal. When four hurricanes hit Florida last year the disaster response was local, not federal. By law the federal government steps in only when the state government requests it. Do we know when Governor Blanco stepped in to ask the federal government for help?
That brings us to FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Here the criticism seems well deserved. FEMA now operates under Homeland Security. I haven't heard from anyone who thinks that this agency measured up when called upon.
THE RACE GAME
We have people in our society, I refer to them as race warlords, whose power is derived solely from either generating or exploiting racial tension. They use this tension claim a position of leadership and racial power. If there is no tension, these people become powerless. It didn't take long after Katrina struck before these people realized that here was a real possibility to make a name and gather a following. All they had to do was blame the slow response on race. Since we have a Republican in the White House the media is going to be anxious to push this racial angle to the hurricane response. Soon as the first so-called black "leader" stepped forward the media rushed in. It was as if television had suddenly made the amazing discovery that most of the people who were left or who stayed behind in New Orleans are black. Was this really such a surprise? Seven out of ten New Orleans residents are black, so why is it so shocking to see that many blacks are among those left?
The idea that America in general, and George Bush in particular didn't care about New Orleans because the people stranded there were black is so absurd that it deserves no more attention here. Just be assured that the race warlords are going to be pushing the issue for all it's worth. Remember ... with racial harmony, or the appearance of racial harmony the power base for the race warlords disappears completely. This they will not allow to happen.
Georgia Democratic Congressman David Scott, a friend, suggested that Washington would have moved more swiftly if the faces on rooftops had been white. Then he says "prove me wrong." I've know Scott for thirty years. His usual shtick has been gun control, disarming American citizens. Though he is black I can't remember him making such a racially charged statement before. Prove him wrong? OK .. How about the non-white faces in the countries devastated by the tsunami? The difference? We were invited to send aid. We still haven't determined just when the invitation was issued for the federal government to save the day in New Orleans. Maybe David Scott has some information on that one.
One of the most absurd of the race warlords over the weekend was former SCLC president, the Rev. Joseph Lowery. Lowery seems to feel that the very reason the federal response was slow was because the people to be rescued and helped were black. On a Larry King interview Lowery pointed out that " ...we rushed to the Twin Towers, symbols of wealth. We didn't rush to the levy, the symbol of poverty and hard working people." Ok .. first we have the inference that there were no hard working people in the Twin Towers. That's typical of the left and typical of the class warlords. Only poor people work hard. Wealthy people get their wealth some other way .. by cheating, stealing, inheriting, exploiting. Secondly ... maybe this hasn't occurred to Joseph Lowry, but rescue workers could actually GET to the Twin Towers .. and when the police and firefighters arrived at the Twin Towers there wasn't anyone shooting at them. When the first responders started to evacuate the wounded from Ground Zero they didn't come under fire from predatory gangs. Larry King could have pointed this out to Joseph Lowery, but then he might have been accused of being a racist.
MAKING EXCUSES FOR LOOTERS
You wouldn't have believed this one. Bill O'Reilly had some guest on his show Friday night who addressed the looting issue. Sorry, I didn't get the man's name. I thought I heard O'Reilly say Gibb .. but he was black, heavy set and had a short beard. I thought I saw the U.S. Capitol backdrop during the shoot. I include the description because I really want to know who this fool is. [Lawrence Guyot? Scroll down to unresolved problems segment.] And just how big a fool is he? O'Reilly asked him if someone caught with five big-screen televisions in his home had been looting to survive. The fool said that they could have been taking those TVs to barter for food. He then compared police officers who broke into drug stores to get supplies for doctors in hospitals to the looters walking away with bins of Nike sneakers. This is why I couldn't have a TV show. I would have spent the next ten minutes doing everything I could to make sure everyone understood just what an idiot he was.
AND WHAT ABOUT HOMELAND SECURITY
Many are saying that the New Orleans first responders didn't have the equipment they needed to deal with a disaster like Katrina. I'm sure that's true. For many years, even before 9/11, our federal government has recognized three potential disasters of great magnitude in the U.S. One was a terrorist attack on New York City, another was an earthquake in San Francisco, and the third was a major hurricane strike on New Orleans. Our government knew what the potential was, but didn't take steps to meet it. We have some idiotic formula that us used to distribute appropriations for homeland security. One Texas community used homeland security funds to purchase a trailer that is used to haul a tricked-out lawn mower to lawn mower races. Will we learn the lesson here? Will we start concentrating the money where the treats exist and stop sending money to areas where there is virtually no homeland security threat?
Are you kidding? Of course not! There's politics involved.
Oh ... and how much money do you think FEMA is going to waste responding to Katrina? A promise: About a year from now you'll be hearing of tens of millions of dollars being paid out in disaster relief to people who suffered no harm whatsoever from Katrina.
COMPARING TO 9/11. WHERE'S MY MONEY?
Hurricane Katrina was a natural disaster, no matter how hard the media tries to make it look like a man-made, or Bush-made one. 9/11 was an attack on our country by a foreign force, not an intense low pressure area. But mark my words ... before one more week is over you will hear demands that the victims of Katrina get huge government payoffs just like the victims of 9/11; and anyone who dares to disagree will be labeled a racist.
LIFE INSURANCE FRAUD
Can you just imagine how many people are going to conveniently "disappear" while relatives make fraudulent life insurance claims? Whatever punishment awaits these people, it won't be harsh enough. And life insurance fraud will be just one of the types of financial fraud that will surface from the flood waters of Katrina.
KANYE WEST
We're not going to address Kanye West. He's a fool, and will soon move on to the obscurity he so richly deserves.
NATIONAL CATASTROPHE FUND?
Oh yeah ... that's a good idea. Let's set up some giant federal slush fund that just sits there waiting to be doled out to victims of disasters. Isn't that what insurance is for? Each of us is supposed to have our own catastrophe fund. A fire is a catastrophe, as is a flood or a car accident, or a grave health problem. Responsible individuals insure against these eventualities. As soon as we set up a national catastrophe fund irresponsible people will decide that they don't need those insurance policies any more ... after all, the government is there to take care of them.
One more thing ... once such a fund is established we will see wails of anguish and accusations of discrimination every time anything that could be remotely defined as a disaster struck. Politicians, of course, would love this fund. Imagine the power that comes with having billions of dollars at your disposal to hand out when disasters, real and imagined, strike.
JUST AN INTEMPERATE QUESTION:
How can the situation in New Orleans affect our efforts in Iraq? Well, look at it this way. How can we make the people of Baghdad believe that we'll be able to restore a sense of normalcy and safety six thousand miles away from Washington if we can't do it in a major American city after a hurricane?
NOW THE FOCUS IS ON THE POOR
OK .. now this needs to be said. All weekend long we heard about what we didn't do for the poor in New Orleans. Why isn't someone talking about what the poor didn't do for themselves?
What we saw in New Orleans was, in some part, the poor demonstrating the very behavior that made them poor in the first place, and the behavior that keeps them poor. We saw a complete and utter lack of self sufficiency and sense of responsibility. It was as if they had no sense of responsibility for their own safety. Did they deserve help? Of course! That's the role of government, and it's clear that the Mayor of New Orleans did next to nothing to make sure that the poorest citizens had a way out. But somewhere along the line someone has to recognize that the so-called poor do have some responsibility for their own lives and their own safety.
Drudge reminded us today about a story that was published in the New Orleans Times-Picayune on July 24th. That's about a month before the hurricane hit. The story said that city, state and federal emergency officials had a blunt warning for the residents of New Orleans. If there's a major hurricane, and you don't evacuate, "you're on your own." Here's part of that story:
"In scripted appearances being recorded now, officials such as Mayor Ray Nagin, local Red Cross Executive Director Kay Wilkins and City Council President Oliver Thomas drive home the word that the city does not have the resources to move out of harm's way an estimated 134,000 people without transportation."
"In the video, made by the anti-poverty agency Total Community Action, they urge those people to make arrangements now by finding their own ways to leave the city in the event of an evacuation.
"You're responsible for your safety, and you should be responsible for the person next to you," Wilkins said in an interview. "If you have some room to get that person out of town, the Red Cross will have a space for that person outside the area. We can help you."
There you go ... the warning was made. Evidently many decided to ignore the warning. That now somehow becomes Bush's fault.
AND HOW DID LEFTIST TALK RADIO DO?
Well .. let's consider the words of Air America's Randi Rhodes: In a broadcast last Friday the caring Ms. Rhodes repeatedly urged listeners in the hurricane-devastated Gulf Coast to go out and loot, insisting the poor should be allowed to steal goods at will. I don't' really need to comment on Randi's comments. Let us just point out that this is the liberal mind at work. boortz.com |
