After Katrina, U.S. Did Not Accept Most Offers of Aid

[cal04]

Source: Washington Post

As the winds and water of Hurricane Katrina were receding, presidential confidante Karen Hughes sent a cable from her State Department office to U.S. ambassadors worldwide.

Titled "Echo-Chamber Message" -- a public relations term for talking points designed to be repeated again and again -- the Sept. 7, 2005, directive was unmistakable: Assure the scores of countries that had pledged or donated aid at the height of the disaster that their largesse had provided Americans "practical help and moral support" and "highlight the concrete benefits hurricane victims are receiving."

Many of the U.S. diplomats who received the message, however, were beginning to witness a more embarrassing reality. They knew the U.S. government was turning down many allies' offers of manpower, supplies and expertise worth untold millions of dollars. Eventually the United States also would fail to collect most of the unprecedented outpouring of international cash assistance for Katrina's victims.

Allies offered $854 million in cash and in oil that was to be sold for cash. But only $40 million has been used so far for disaster victims or reconstruction, according to U.S. officials and contractors. Most of the aid went uncollected, including $400 million worth of oil. Some offers were withdrawn or redirected to private groups such as the Red Cross. The rest has been delayed by red tape and bureaucratic limits on how it can be spent.

Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/28/AR2007042801113.html?hpid=topnews

[Newsjock]

1. "$400 million worth of oil"

Just when I think I cannot be shocked anymore.

[jwirr]

59. Would love to know who it came from - probably Chavez.

[KatyaR]

66. It was from Kuwait.

Kuwait, which made the largest offer, pledged $100 million in cash and $400 million in oil. But the Kuwaitis eventually gave their money to two private groups: $25 million to the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund, a project of the former presidents, and another $25 million to the American Red Cross in February 2006. They still plan to contribute another $50 million, said the Kuwaiti ambassador to the United States, Salem Abdullah al-Jaber al-Sabah.

"It was based on my government's assessment of the fastest way to get money to the people that needed it," he said. "The Red Cross was on the ground and action-oriented."

In the White House's February 2006 Katrina report, U.S. officials said Kuwait's $400 million oil donation was to be sold for cash. Sabah said it was an in-kind pledge made when it appeared that U.S. refining capacity was devastated and that the American public would need fuel.

"We have to see what we have to do with that. When you pledge something in-kind, your intention is to give it in-kind. I do not think now the American people are in need of $400 million of fuel and fuel products," he said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/28/AR2007042801113_2.html?hpid=topnews">Most Katrina Aid From Overseas Went Unclaimed

So they pissed that away . . . .

I thought it was interesting that the article stated that the US had declined 54 of 77 offers for foreign assistance--they accepted a third of the assistance offered.

How could anyone possibly say no when people need help? Isn't it supposed to be all hands on deck? Oh, I forgot--we're the US--we don't NEED anyone's freakin' help.

I hope they all rot in hell for this . . . .

[jwirr]

75. I was just remembering something my father told me about the

Great Depression. He said that many minister's told their congregations to turn the "hobos" that knocked on their doors for food away because they were just beggars. He also said that many did not and fed the hungry themselves. This attitude about the poor is a long standing attitude that is NOT Christian not matter what those fallen ministers said.

[dansolo]

87. Those ministers were probably more concerned about donations

If people were to give directly to the homeless, then they wouldn't be able to give as much to the church.

[jwirr]

112. I think Woodie Guthrie sang about them in the song "So Long Its

Been Good to Know You."

[rockymountaindem]

2. What an embarassment

These countries won't forget we snubbed them.

[madrchsod]

7. no they will"forget" as soon as the adults are back in charge.

it`s going to take someone very special to restore our countries standing in the world. like him or not that man is mr obama.

[MsKandice01]

3. Rat bastards....

I hate these fucking people. Just when I think I'm suffering from outrage fatigue, something like this pops up and brings me right out of it.

Fuck you, Chimpy.

[MnFats]

4. Edward R. Murrow once said there were enough scandals in this country..

...to report them on the hour.
...there was a hint of this not long after the hurricane but not as detailed....Bush himself made this decision so we wouldn't 'look weak.'

this man has so much blood on his hands....

[frogcycle]

6. add that to the bill of particulars

fucking imbecile

[Donnachaidh]

5. I know that for FACT

Cousin called from Canada and asked WHY Canadian aid planes were being refused at the border. The WH told them to piss off - they could handle it. :grr:

[jwirr]

62. Please if you have documentation send it to the appropriate congressman.

[mainer]

67. Even US volunteer aid was refused -- or so a medevac guy told me.

He said that volunteer pilots flying choppers weren't given permission to land, because FEMA wouldn't give them clearance. FEMA was so territorial that they wanted to shut out everyone else.

[flyarm]

82. IT WAS IN ALL THE CANADIAN PAPERS!! LOOK IT UP!!

THE CANADIAN MOUNTED POLICE GOT TO N.O. BEFORE ANYONE IN OUR NATIONAL GUARD!! AND THEY WERE TURNED BACK..I READ IT IN ALL THE CANADIAN PAPERS!!

fly

[Lasher]

89. I remember that.

And I also remember Cuba's offer to send doctors was refused. Can't let those commies set a bad example with their government providing medical help. Lazy Katrina victims are supposed to pay for their own medical care just like everybody else in the United Corporations of America.

[nadinbrzezinski]

105. They were able to get in a couple days later

but if it helps, not the first time the US turns down help during a disaster.... Northridge comes to mind

Not excusing them... trust me, not excusing them

[iverglas]

115. just for information -- province-to-state aid worked fast

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20050831_katrina_template_050831

B.C. urban rescue team headed to Louisiana

Updated Wed. Aug. 31 2005 11:31 PM ET

CTV.ca News Staff

A specialized urban search and rescue team from Vancouver will be joining the rescue efforts in Louisiana in the wake of hurricane Katrina.

B.C. Solicitor General John Les said the province decided to send Vancouver Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) after officials in Louisiana asked for help.

"We're the first non-U.S.-based team to be requested," said Les. "They're going to be helping as many people as they can."

... The 45- person team -- which was dispatched to Southeast Asia after the Boxing Day tsunami -- is equipped to provide emergency room doctors, building engineers and swift water rescue personnel.

Earlier Wednesday, Canadian officials said they're prepared to send whatever type of aid the U.S. needs.

Federally, the US health authorities asked their Cdn counterparts to inventory supplies available, and everything was done and waiting long before any assistance was actually allowed to enter the US.

Expressions of thanks for that mission:
http://vancouver.ca/usar/usarcomment.htm

http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=014758&tid=077

(Prince George, September 14, 2005)

... The Canadian Red Cross has now deployed 87 workers to support Katrina disaster relief efforts. More are expected to follow.

The Canadian military did eventually do a lot of work in the disaster area:
http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/Operations/unison/index_e.asp


Interesting thread. I was actually wondering just yesterday whether Sri Lanka's contribution had been accepted, and what it might have been used for.

Aha:
http://www.slembassyusa.org/press_releases/fall_2005/sl_contributes_23sep05.html

President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga on Thursday (22 September) presented a cheque to the value of US $25,000 to former President Bill Clinton at the World Bank Headquarters in Washington D.C., to be credited to the ‘Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund’, towards disaster relief activities for those affected from hurricane Katrina, which caused considerable devastation in the states of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi in late August.

The Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund was set up by President George W. Bush to serve as an umbrella organization for the three special funds established by Governors of Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi and will focus on collecting donations to assist in the long-term recovery plan for the states affected by this terrible tragedy.

Earlier, in the immediate aftermath of the devastation caused by hurricane Katrina, Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to the U.S., Bernard A. B. Goonetilleke had handed over a cheque for US $ 25,000/- to the American Red Cross in Washington D.C., on behalf of the Government and people of Sri Lanka to express empathy with the affected victims. Ambassador Goonetilleke had also informed the American Red Cross that members of the Sri Lanka Medical Association of North America (SLMANA) stood ready to provide medical personnel to serve the survivors of hurricane Katrina and had offered to provide a consignment of Sri Lankan tea for the victims.

[nicknameless]

8. Rescue and relief was turned away = murder.

K&R

[partylessinOhio]

9. Seems like there is enough china, flatware, crystal and linens to

set tables from coast to coast. How about it Madame Squeaker?

[tavalon]

32. Yes, Madame Speaker

It's time to put out our finest impeachment linen.

[Kurovski]

10. Many of us can remember this happening at the time.

It added to the sense of madness and sheer, cruel insanity.

The suffering was DESIGNED to be magnified. Why? I don't fucking know.

The people in charge are NUTS. Is there any longer a question about that?

K&R

[Rosa Luxemburg]

34. yes, I'm glad this is being highlighted

The bush admin failed their people

[Raksha]

44. Yes, it was DESIGNED to be magnified in a cruel Social Darwinistic

experiment, apparently meant to reduce human beings to pre-human savages. Why??? So they'd start killing each other? To justify sending in Blackwater goons to restore order? I remember what I called it at the time, and what I still call it: Genocide.

[Frank Cannon]

50. Chaos = $$$$$ to these blood suckers

It was readily apparent to all of us who who were watching that there was an orchestrated effort in Katrina to not do Jack shit. This administration and their cronies make lots and lots of money from destruction and devastation, as they privatize the "effort" to "rebuild" and try to "restore order".

God, I hate these people.

[Blue_Tires]

108. +1

the same people were quick to feign shock when the TV news shows were highlighting the looting, violence, and all the other stuff that went on...

[MsKandice01]

11. The paragraph that really got my blood boiling...

"And while television sets worldwide showed images of New Orleans residents begging to be rescued from rooftops as floodwaters rose, U.S. officials turned down countless offers of allied troops and search-and-rescue teams. The most common responses: "sent letter of thanks" and "will keep offer on hand," the new documents show."

This story BETTER get some traction.

[rodeodance]

19. I recall hearing of this earlier. ---it did not get traction at that time either.

[tanyev]

12. Shameful. Absolutely shameful.

I don't know what else to say....:cry:

[Straight Shooter]

13. They did this so the bush administration could create chaos and backlash against the victims.

Just my opinion, here.

If you want to get people away from an area, why give them more assistance? Make them suffer, drive them out, then let your friends swoop in and take what they want.

The bush administration turned away the offers of assistance because it means that the people most affected by Katrina would have been able to stay and rebuild.

I consider this to be a serious criminal matter. Unbefuckinlievable.

[struggle4progress]

15. They did this to gentrify New Orleans in the hopes of turning the state red.

[Straight Shooter]

16. That, too.

Letting people die, making them lose their homes, for political partisan purposes. :grr:

I wonder if Rove made this decision ... he's a real believer in the ends justifies the means.

[loudsue]

79. Didn't bush put ROVE IN CHARGE OF MANAGING KATRINA CONTRACTS?

If I remember correctly, that's who bush sent to oversee the Katrina mess and to work with FEMA.

This is too horrific for words.

Furthermore, EVERY SINGLE PERSON I know in the US sent $$$$ money to Katrina relief funds. Even at the time, I thought the donations I saw people sending must have outstripped what was sent on 9/11 to New York.

Where in the fuck did those millions and millions of dollars go that almost every single person in the U.S. sent down there?

There are probably BILLIONS missing....just plain missing. What a landfall for the republican party! That's where the money from all our no-bid contracts have been going as we've seen from the Justice Department scandals. The RNC and repervlikin specific campaigns must be rolling in more money than they can count.

:kick::kick:

[Straight Shooter]

93. bush put rove in charge of the reconstruction effort

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/blog/2005/09/15/BL2005091501098_pf.html

"Republicans said Karl Rove, the White House deputy chief of staff and Mr. Bush's chief political adviser, was in charge of the reconstruction effort."

Rove's leadership role suggests quite strikingly that any and all White House decisions and pronouncements regarding the recovery from the storm are being made with their political consequences as the primary consideration. More specifically: With an eye toward increasing the likelihood of Republican political victories in the future, pursuing long-cherished conservative goals, and bolstering Bush's image.

That is Rove's hallmark.

The question remains, though, who was in charge of actually assigning contracts and dealing with offers of donations from other countries? If it's rove, this is more ugly evidence of his corruption.

[KamaAina]

97. Briefly, yes. Fortunately, Fitzmas intervened.

Once KKKarl was spending most of his time in the dock, the job of "Katrina czar" fell to a Heckuvajob Brownie-like little nonentity named Donald Powell. He hasn't done jack, obviously, but think of the damage Rove could have caused... :scared:

[rosesaylavee]

25. "gentrify" = racist genocide.

I am speechless.

[BrklynLiberal]

31. Absolutely. That is why they shipped the population all over the country.

Disenfranchment and diaspora.

[rosesaylavee]

60. I just want to be there when they get theirs.

That's all. I just want to see it in my lifetime. The Hague would be too good for them but I would settle for that.

[jwirr]

64. The Hague with all these donor nations testifying. Do you remember

when Prince Charles came to check out how the money his organization had donated was being used and had dinner with the *ss? Prince Charles was none to happy and now we know why.

[rosesaylavee]

72. No, I didn't know that...

We certainly have some work to do to repair America's international reputation... and I think internally as well. Not sure I will be looking to the feds for help in a disaster until 2009. Hope we don't have any. Heh.

[BrklynLiberal]

94. Like this?

[rosesaylavee]

95. Yeah - just like that...

:kick:

[grasswire]

36. and to provide profit opportunities....

....for cronies who would be able to buy up land for pennies eventually.

[rosesaylavee]

61. Isn't that part of every scandal so far?

How much their friends are getting out it? It is all about profit and the political power required to get that profit.

Sick. Sick. Sick.

[acmavm]

37. I feel about it the same way you do. How, if there was help for those poor

people in the 9th Ward (I believe), how could they run them off and take the land for developers? I mean, we couldn't have the poor coming back to reclaim their property, their homes, and their lives now could we?

[ryanmuegge]

84. Exactly. That is so indescribably evil.

[slj0101]

14. The fave RW talking point & subject of many a chain e-mail letter,

was that "no one" sent the US aid after the hurricanes.

Next time I get a stupid-ass e-mail like that again, I'll have this article at the ready. Bookmarked.

[bullwinkle428]

17. Recall after Katrina, all of the asshole Freepers jawboning about *"all these

other countries that are so quick to ask the U.S. for help when disaster strikes their country, but they refuse to step up when the U.S. is in trouble"...

:mad:

* Not a verbatim quote due to the lack of "hugh", "series", and "screwn"

[rodeodance]

18. also nbc news tonight did a good story on how very little $$ is going into housing-most

is tied up in redtape. 45% were Renters and they are left in the cold as there is little housing for them.

Newer houses are higher end.

[rodeodance]

20. Page A01

[IndianaGreen]

21. Cuba offered to send hundreds of doctors and health practicioners

all of them experienced in the sort of diseases that often result from tropical storms and hurricanes. The mighty and glorious United "In God We Trust" States of America turned down the request. Chavez offered cheap gas and assistance. He too was turned down!

[ToeBot]

22. Saw something about this on CSPAN today,

The Bush Administrations policy regarding New Orleans is simply - to do nothing. They wont say, out loud, that they aren't going to do anything, that would anger black residents (I'm paraphrasing). So they say something like, "If you own property, sure, come on back!", but the city isn't functioning, there are no utilities or other civic services. In many areas the wreckage is still as it was. In effect, they are letting the city die. (Someone tell me again why Google was using Pre-Katrina satellite photos.)

[me b zola]

45. I have figured out the neo-con/publican policy is on winning over AA voters...

The best that I can tell, the neo-con/publican policy on winning over African American voters is, "F-You, you aren't going to vote for us anyway, so we'll steal your votes." This is the gop policy regarding AA voters & issues that I believe that we saw manifest in NOLA.

[loudsue]

80. The African American vote is the one MOST being disenfranchised by republican election

officials in the Dept. of Justice scandal. This administration is doing everything they can to shut out, indeed KILL, the African Americans and poor people of every race & color in this country.

Repervlikins are just MONSTERS. That's all they are. Psychotic killers.

:kick::kick::kick:

[jwirr]

65. This treatment of US citizens also sheds some light on why nothing is

being done in Iraq to fix the infrastructure. They are the same kind of throwaway people in the *ss opinion.

How did we ever elect this man in this country. American people are not this greedy - look at the outpouring for the tsunami.

[HeeBGBz]

23. That's just f-ing great

I'm sure there was a great need for that help.

[liberal N proud]

24. All part of the right wing / neocon arrogance

Too good to let someone help our poor.

[Eugene]

26. A high crime: "residents begging to be resuced... U.S. turned down... search-and-rescue teams"

The State Department cables reveal a willful criminal act, not just
incompetence or even negligence. With lives on the line, the Bushies
obstructed relief efforts and hid their obstruction from would-be
donors.

Curious. Condoleezza Rice is conspicuously absent from this story.
This went down while she was shopping for shoes. As much as anyone
else, Rice needs to be called to account for this.

[DaveJ]

28. I agree Condoleezza Rice should respond, but...

You know what they'll say. Even the article says the funds were diverted to private charities. We know the government would have used those funds more effectively, but the Right believes government is unqualified to take care of domestic problems. Effectively, the Right believes that the populace should be controlled by economic pressure and not to be protected from self interested organizations. In reality, Democrats do not believe the government is there to take care of us, but to protect us from injustice caused by mega rich entities who the populace has no ability whatsoever to fight against.

[jwirr]

69. Yeah, what was the name of that rw charity that one of those fallen

preachers put up right away. We also need to remember that most of those rw churches hate evolution except for the "survival of the fittest" part. It is a look at me - God helped me and if He is not helping you it is your fault - REPENT.

[Gentleman Jack]

29. An Interview in Texas

I'm still reeling from an incident that happened while living in Houston after the event ... and I went to a job interview with a firm that had connections with and did a lot of hiring for Halliburton and its subsidiaries.

When I got called in to speak with a gentlemen, who identified himself as a VP with this particularly recruiting firm, he went through his usual shtick and then, and this is when it gets ugly, he began telling me talking about the opportunities that had actually been created because of the Katrina disaster.

Apparently, not only did this firm get some very lucrative contracts recruiting, he and several partners' devised a plan to begin buying up land in New Orleans. He floored me when he said that the hurricane *finally cleaned up the city* muttering something about *God finally doing something about New Orleans ..." He began praising Geo W Bush and told me that eventually the city would be rebuilt and it would become more *livable* and that W and his boys knew exactly what they were doing. He was encouraging me to buy some land with his group while making me an offer in a contract managerial position.

I excused myself and left. I still feel dirty when I think about smug cretin's spiel.

[blondie58]

55. welcome to DU, Gentleman Jack

what an incredible story. It is hard to believe that people actually think that way. It is nice to know that men such as you, with a highly respectable code of ethics exist. Thank you for restoring more of my faith in humanity.

[UpInArms]

56. Welcome to DU, Gentleman Jack!

thanks for adding your story to the list of atrocities and thanks for reacting to the barbarism in a humane manner - knowing how hideous these people are and recognizing them in the flesh is important.

We're glad to have you here among us :hi:

[jwirr]

70. Thank you for sharing this with us and welcome to DU.

[calimary]

92. Thank you for weighing in, and thank you especially for weighing in about THIS.

Welcome to DU! VERY glad you're here. If this is your first post, we are in for a treat here!

:yourock:

Now GET TO WORK!!!

[dansolo]

88. And don't forget who shelved the hearings on Katrina

The rat bastard Lieberman, aiding and abetting. In my book, he is just as guilty as Bush.

[CHIMO]

27. A List of Offers

Ante up for America

America’s friends abroad, and even some of its foes, have responded to the horrific destruction to the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina by pledging money and sending supplies to assist the recovery effort. Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates lead the pack, offering $100 million each. A touching $25,000 was pledged by tsunami-ravaged Sri Lanka. And Iran offered 20 million barrels of oil—if the United States lifts its sanctions. FP offers a complete breakdown of the kind (and sometimes surprising) generosity of more than 50 countries around the world.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3241

The link has a table of offers. I am sure that most heard about it at the time but it went un-noticed.

[BrklynLiberal]

30. hmmmm What was it that Kanye West said???????

[Zhade]

35. Infuckingdeed!

NT!

[HughBeaumont]

53. He was wrong.

George Bewsh doesn't care about ANY people . . . except the over-wealthy.

And this story proves it.

We needed to get rid of this guy YESTERYEAR!

[ocd liberal]

33. k & r n/t

[Phredicles]

38. Yet another thing that needs investigation & hearings;

I really wondered about this at the time. About the only coverage it got was a passing mention on the Colbert Report.

[Jelybe903]

39. No wonder the rest of the world thinks we are arrogant!

The shear nerve knowing United States Citizens were wondering why!??? Nobody wanted to help...And allowing people to say what they did about others coming to our aide when the WH knew the truth...

The sheer embarrassment I fell for our country!!

Not to mention that 400 million plus in oil offered as in kind aide because Kuwait, Venezuela and probably others knew that the American people would be devastated by the reduction in refineries in the area! To refuse this...while the oil companies were jacking up prices of gasoline and heating oil all over the country, Allowing oil companies to post record profits in the months following Katrina ...all the while blaming the lose of refineries as the reason for the inflated prices...What the Hell were they thinking!

Bush is under the impression he is leading the mushroom farm...but the mushrooms are tired of living in bull shit! And it is so far above shoe level!

[lefador]

51. Indeed....

There were stories in the international news of rescue crews sitting in tarmacs across Western Europe and Canada waiting for the go ahead from the US administration, only to be turned down. This is insulting in several ways, we were effectively saying that a) we didn't need their help, and b) that their help even if it was needed was just not good enough. It was honestly embarrassing to be see how foreign governments were more aware of the magnitude of the tragedy than our own leaders. But what were we expecting? We are a society that allows almost 20% of it to be w/o medical insurance, that spends more in prisons than on public college systems, in sort a culture that spends more per capita on pet care than in foreign humanitarian aid shouldn't be expected to be a role model in anything regarding compassion and humanity.

Same shit happened after 9/11, the whole world was crying for America, we basically had 90+% of humanity on our side. Had we had actual leadership in this country, and not the collection of warmongering baboons that pass for cabinet these days, we could have destroyed any of the gains that Osama claimed without firing a single shot. Instead we literally gave the middle finger to our supporters and went our merry way to bankrupt ourselves dealing with a goatf*cker in a cave somewhere and a two bit dictator.

It was at the same time that French, Canadian and German troops, all part of the ISAF, were carrying out a big deal of the fighting in Afghanistan than the talking heads in our country were calling them "surrender monkeys" plus all sort of other "niceties." Even when the blood was still fresh on the streets of Madrid, our leadership and media had all sorts of insults because Spain decided to listen to its citizens and pull out of Iraq.

And even recently, the merry folks at the project for the new American century (the geniuses behind the Iraq war) were crying bloody murder because the French president went on an official business trip to China. According to the PNAC France doing business with China is akin to high treason and such a disregard for American interest that actions sort of military pressure on France need to be enacted with all urgency. Which is just hilarious since the US is China's biggest trade parter, and our leaders have had many a business trip taking place in China.

I am sick of making excuses for my country men. In any other civilized country, the whole government would have been forced to resign after their handling of Katrina... here it is business as usual. And you know what, maybe there is such an overwhelming number of assholes in this society, that this government is -like the old adagio goes- the one that we deserve.

May god have mercy on our souls....

[Hawaii Hiker]

40. Hey Keith Olbermann:

I think a "Special Comment" is in order with this colossal f-up from the administration!....

[Miss Chybil]

41. I JUST CAN'T FUCKING TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! nt

[Laurab]

42. Yet Blackwater got in - to "keep order"

bringing guns and ammo, and causing more fear and chaos. It's hard to believe the administration wanted it the way it turned out, but I've seen no evidence to the contrary, and plenty to back it up.

I too remember there being a small amount of publicity about the aid that was turned away, but nothing like this. If we're not going to impeach the bastards, can we just turn the calendars ahead - instead of daylight savings time, world savings time...

[jwirr]

71. Neat idea. 2009 today.

[RB TexLa]

43. That's because America doesn't care about Louisiana

[intheflow]

46. No shit.

The Saudis gave hundreds of thousands of kitchen and bedroom kits to survivors, and built volunteer camps through international aid programs after having their money rejected by this administration. When the kitchen kits made it to distribution centers, the centers getting federal money required people to present FEMA case numbers before they'd be allowed to have the items. That was not a requirement or the intention of the Saudi donation, and shouldn't have been considering that when the kits arrived, many people still hadn't made it through the FEMA paperwork nightmare. And the WP is just figuring this out now?
:grr:

[Kablooie]

47. This isn't news. It's olds.

[Bluebear]

48. "the new documents show"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=781352&mesg_id=781352

The WaPo article is dated tomorrow, page A01

[loudsue]

81. Exactly! "New" documents. WHERE IN THE HELL WAS THE MEDIA ON THIS STORY????

"Follow the money" has been a scandal buster since the 1970's. Why in the hell did it take the Washington Post

YEARS

to put all of this together?

The MEDIA is 90% of the problem here!!! They've been so fucking busy protecting and supporting the repervlikins that they can't BOTHER to do any type of service to the American people!!

The MEDIA uses OUR airwaves, a billion trees cut down for newspaper print, and all they want to do is shove commercials down our throats 24/7. The FCC, with all those repervlikin bushie appointees won't hold anyone in our media responsible for decent reporting.

I've absolutely had it! Our voting machines are hijacked, our media is hijacked, and indeed our entire government is hijacked with these roaches. What a fucking nightmare of an infestation!!!

It's time to bring out the RAID and get rid of the fucking republican roaches!!!!

:kick::kick::kick:

[orleans]

49. unfucking real. but are we really surprised? no, not really. n/t

[ClintonTyree]

52. It all boils down to one thing.....

our country's own resources couldn't coordinate and disperse an effective response to the devastation in New Orleans. They failed......miserably. How are the offers from other countries going to be coordinated and dispersed? Who's going to coordinate and deploy them? Chertoff? Brownie? Any aid contributing countries had given would have sat and rotted or rusted before anyone from our government got around to utilizing it. It would still be sitting in some warehouse or on some shipping pier waiting to be dispersed. The utter failure of FEMA (after Bush's gutting of it and his placement of unqualified political appointees within it) would have prevented any of this aid from getting to it's objective in any case. No doubt the Bush administration realized this and, in their usual "laissez-faire" attitude, made a conscious decision to ignore the offers of aid and then followed their own course of "free market forces", along with a smattering of government and religious agencies, to handle the situation. They saw no need to accept aid from anyone else since it didn't fit their political strategy. Remember: EVERYTHING is political to these people. They do NOTHING without first weighing the political costs and benefits of any situation.

What I CAN'T understand is the Bush administration turning down $400 million of free oil. Unless, of course, they considered the amount to be such so paltry (at least on their ravenous scale) that it wasn't worth the trouble. Oil men turning down free oil? :eyes: Something is rotten in the District of Columbia.

I guess my point here is that any aid donated by the world's countries would have gone to waste anyway since the Bush administration was so totally inept at dispersing the aid we already had on hand. Any acceptance of aid from other countries would have been an admission that we, as the greatest country on earth, couldn't handle the devastation that occurred that August. It's all about perception and image. Bush has always been about, if nothing else, image. Accepting aid would have tarnished the "war President's" image, his fragile ego would have been marred, and we couldn't have that, could we? :grr: They so grossly mishandled the situation that any aid from other countries would have been wasted anyway.

[Solly Mack]

54. I'm in tears. How dare they...yet they dared

Criminal

[rucky]

57. donde esta el dinero?

check the RNC treasury.

[Old Vet]

58. Forgive me for being blunt......................

Every evil you could imagine took place in New Orleans,I honestly dont know what pissed me off the most. I spent three months with the red cross PRETENDING to help people, My god the stories! Paperwork to get food,The elderly black folk too proud to ask for help,Too much food and ice not delivered,Every con artist in the world with a chain-saw charging criminal prices,Watching the lights get turned on for the president's visit only to get turned back off when he left,Being told do not feed anyone in the ninth ward because its for there own good(See,once they left they weren't allowed back in), By far the most disturbing event was in baton rouge.I stopped there before I left and enjoyed my first cold drink and sandwich(That was a luxury for me) I didn't know anyone and walked outside to a table. There were a couple guys and a woman shooting the bull when one noticed I had a worn out red cross T-Shirt on. They said hows it going in New Orleans? I was about to tell them the terrible things going on when the woman cut in and said We finally washed those n****ers out of the projects. And then proceeded to tell me how it was a godsend this katrina was, You know a million people off of welfare and all that shit,At the same time people were still being found in homes and stuck in drains. And the other people were just nodding there heads in agreement,I cant explain how that felt to this day. I was like most down there,Waiting for americans from all over to help there fellow americans,But IMHO This govt turned its head on the most vulnerable in their time of need.

[stevedeshazer]

73. Incredible

Thanks for adding your story...being blunt is the order of the day.

[tanyev]

85. Hijacking catastrophe.

The ONE thing this administration does very well.

[Joanne98]

100. Thank you for your story.

I can't believe how cold this country has become. Twenty-five years of "greed is good", "I got mine so screw you". It's a selfish country now. Sometimes I don't think it's even worth saving.

[MasonJar]

63. This is now at the top of my despicable list. Can we all send this immediately

to the Speaker. The Bushites were stopping help from coming into New Orleans. New Orleans has always been a very unique city. It will be ruined by these monsters.

[NJCher]

68. I couldn't read page 2

It was too much for me.

A helping hand extended at a time of need and this disgrace of a government not only refuses some of the aid, it takes some and then lets it deteriorate (Italy).

The world already thinks we're wasteful fools. This is just proof.



Cher

[jwirr]

74. I have a question: I have been sending used books in good condition

down there for some time now. Is any of the things we individuals are doing going to help any of the people who really need it or are we just helping *ss and co. rebuild for the rich?

[Maeve]

76. Some of it most certainly is going to those who need help

I have a few friends who went down early and have been back since. There are many horrible tales, true enough; but there are also good stories of decent people helping those in need.
I would guess your contributions are helping the libraries, the day-care centers and schools and those resources are not going to benefit the rich primarily.

[jwirr]

111. Thank you. I am enjoying doing this so I would have hated to quit.

[Spazito]

77. I remember when our news showed ....

a British Columbia Search and Rescue team had reached St. Bernard parish, Louisiana, before any US help arrived and the ONLY reason they were able to be there was because they went through the state government and NOT through FEMA and the federal government.

From Vancouver, B.C. to Chalmette, Louisiana

The 46-member Urban Search and Rescue Team were exhausted, but they had some results to show for their work: 119 people rescued.

Their efforts were appreciated.

"The president of (St. Bernard Parish) got up and hugged me when I came through the door," said Tim Armstrong, one of the team's leaders, upon arrival back home Tuesday. They had shipped out on Aug. 31 -- two days after Hurricane Katrina struck.

"They all started weeping, because we were the first sign of relief effort that came in there."

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1125978665424_119

[loudsue]

83. That's heart breaking. TWO days after Katrina, and NOBODY in our country had come to help!???

Thank God for the Canadians!!

Damn to hell the repervliCONS.

:kick::kick::kick:

[Lasher]

90. FEMA wouldn't let the Red Cross in when they got there.

[nadinbrzezinski]

101. And I blame the American Red Cross for that one

having been there, done that I still remember telling an armed LT, in another country, you have two choices, move, or be run over. (HIs third choice was to open fire, and I knew I was taking THAT risk)

They COULD and SHOULD have gone in, but they're not trained to do that

[Joanne98]

78. Now this is the most racist thing I've seen in a long time..

grrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!

[skids]

103. Tell that to Condi Rice.

It was her department's responsibility, after all. And where was she? Oh yeah, shopping for shoes.

[merh]

86. I didn't think I could hate this admin any more than I do

:cry:

[glitch]

91. How else do you prove government is a failure? They had to turn it down.

I am kind of surprised they didn't take it and divert it into their own bank accounts though.

[OHdem10]

96. Conservatism holds that small government is best

Furthermore, they preach Government is the problem and
not the solution. Taken to its logical conclusion
Louisiana should take care of itself. The productive
members of society need not be hamstrung bailing
out the Non-productive. There were people on the
House and Senate floor who were opposing help after
the disaster.

Until we take the ideology head on and expose it for
what it is--we will always be dragging along trying
to apply "patches" to hemmorhages.

There is a certain "Imperial" attitude--I have heard
this stated on the floor of house and senate. We are
richest country in the world....we do not accept help
from other countries. I question the facts. Europe
and Asia are leading the way in economic slow down
at present. We have the lowest growth rate of any
developed country. That war is costly, I would say.

[Up2Late]

98. ANOTHER "Conspiracy Theory" Confirmed.

Maybe it's time to take a long hard look a who exactly is labeling scandals like this a "Conspiracy Theory," huh?:mad:

[KamaAina]

99. I have long thought that New Orleans and the region should form an NGO

to accept such donations directly.

It could even give the Gulf South observer status at the UN, giving heft to the words of one local blogger who referred to "the country to our north -- and I don't mean Canada."

[nadinbrzezinski]

102. It is wroth repeating and yes I have been there, done that

as a disaster worker... they were dealing with three things

1.- the US has NEVER received help before, hence the mechanisms were not present. (And yes I know that for a fact)

2.- I saw what happened to to Greek Medical Supplies happen to American Medical Supplies after a disaster in Mexico. Medical Personnel were clueless how to use that particular material. That stuff happens more often than not in disasters around the world

3.= They actually faced a disaster within a disaster from some of the incidents told, getting more stuff than you know what to do with

As to the allowances of personnel in... again have seen it. That pesky national pride gets in the way. Though there were teams on the ground, and people had to get creative on how to get them there

But having lived through many disasters first as a grunt and then as a disaster manager... seen this, done that... not too surprised.

The question will be, will they learn and get procedures down to the NEXT time they do a little better... not much better, just a little.

[JTG of the PRB]

104. I wish I could say this news surprised me...

...but it just doesn't. This is exactly the sort of thing BushCo does on a regular basis. Turning away allies when we need help because is America is strong, and we can protect our own? Why, that's just the American way!

This Administration makes me want to scream and scream and scream until my lungs explode.

[Withywindle]

106. GodDAMN, this needs to be on all the media 24/7.

What's with the don't-talk-about-Katrina mindset these days?

I remember hearing stories like this at the time, but it's good to have more detailed information. And it wasn't just other countries - there were truckloads of aid and volunteering emergency personnel (police, EMTs, etc.) from CHICAGO that were turned away.

[Uncle Joe]

107. Thanks for the thread cal

Kicked and recommended

[Doctor_J]

109. Help me - I forget

WHY can't we impeach them?

[earth mom]

110. And yet Pelosi & Co take Impeachment off the table.

Like seriously :wtf:

I NEVER EVER thought I'd see the kind of genocide that happened during Katrina that was basically APPROVED by the government of the USA, but there the fuck it is! That Pelosi & the rest of the rat bastards in Congress are allowing the fuckers in charge to continue on is the most disgusting thing I've EVER seen-there are just NO words! That people here on DU bitch and moan that Impeachment will hurt the democratic party-blah blah blah-is also evil too! What if happened to YOU or YOUR LOVED ONES?!!!!! Like WTF!!!

Oh, I could rant on all day about Katrina and all the other evils and abuses by * & Co, but ya'll have heard it before from me. I just do NOT understand how any of these people who say they "represent the people" think they can say so with so much blood dripping from their hands!

Because HELL NO! They with their blood soaked hands don't represent me, my family or friends! :grr: :grr: :grr:

:rant:

[happygoluckytoyou]

114. WRITE YOUR SENATORS...put it back on the table!!!!

%^)

[happygoluckytoyou]

113. DONT WORRY WALMART HAS CHINESE CATFISH %^)

nothing to worry about, with armageddon coming this year there is little reason to rebuild---

and barring a little poison, walmart has a full stock of catfish and some old jazz cds

in a related story, republicans have suggested moving the destroyed levy a few hundred miles to the west to block the illegal aliens
YOU WILL GET THE REPUBLICANS ATTENTION WHEN YOU SHOW HOW IT AFFECTS CHEAP LABOR

IT IS TOO BAD WHEN GEORGE TALKS TO GOD HE CANT GET A HEADS UP ON WHERE THE STORMS WILL HIT, WHERE IS OSAMA, AND WHY ISNT THE NATIONAL GUARD FIGHTING FIRES IN GEORGIA RATHER THAN STANDING BETWEEN A SUNNI AND A SHITAKE... by the way... here is your riddle for the day...

we are in iraq
they are having a civil war
we want to win

so... who is the enemy

[rocktivity]

116. Candidate for this months "You Call This NEWS?" Award

Bush's handlers were worried about Bush looking bad, of course--I guess they preferred that Bush looked WORSE...

:eyes:
rocknation