I'm still in DC attending a conference, but this thought cannot wait.... Isn't a disaster on a scale such as this precisely the thing the federal government is supposed to... [More]
September 2, 2005
SULLY SPEAKS
Last week I called out Andrew Sullivan for his idiotic defense of The Bell Curve. Today he begins to redeem himself. Here's just one quote. The reason I'm mad as... [More]
COMPARE AND CONTRAST
Amazing. --------... [More]
FRUM
Over at National Review, David Frum says the following: Is there not something bizarre about their willingness to fire off accusation after accusation, each contradicting the last? The disaster was... [More]
September 3, 2005
CONSERVATISM
As the nation reconsiders the federal government's response to Katrina and what it means for the future of government in this nation, it is important to consider the competing strains... [More]
WHEN ITS ALL OVER
When its all over, will we start seeing reports like this on Iraq? Its amazing the difference in media attitude in their coverage of Katrina versus Iraq. Its as if... [More]
5 YEARS OF THE CULTURE OF LIFE...
...gives you this: NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) ..snip.. The refugees, who were waiting to be taken to sports stadiums and other huge shelters across Texas and northern Louisiana, described how the... [More]
JUST IN CASE
Just in case you haven't seen this yet... the man in charge of FEMA cut his chops as... wait for it... the "Judges and Stewards Commissioner" for the International Arabian... [More]
THE ANTI 9/11
Via Laura Rozen... The administration has now lost David Brooks, lost the Washington Times, lost the Union Leader. Here's an excerpt of David Brooks on Friday's PBS News Hour: DAVID... [More]
JESSE IS BACK
Thank you Jesse: But here is a report of your Federal Government's response to Hurricane Katina and the flooding of New Orleans on Wednesday --- two days into the crisis:... [More]
PRIORITIES
As I've said a million times, what matters are your actions, not your words. So when Speaker of the House Hastert chose to forgo the vote on hurricane relief to... [More]
September 4, 2005
MORE BACKLASH
Crooks and Liars has some amazing video today. First off, Sen. Mary Landrieu get sso frustrated with the federal preparation and response to the hurricane that she quite literally threatens... [More]
I NEVER THOUGHT I'D DO THIS, BUT...
I'm linking to a post by conservative nutter Michelle Malkin. As Sully points out - and hat tip to him for the link - Michael "heck of a job" Brown... [More]
TO SULLY AGAIN
There are so many blogs around the sphere doing amazing work over the past few days that it's hard to know where to link. But I've been returning over and... [More]
DAVID BROOKS AGAIN
David Brooks has turned his rant on Friday's NewsHour into a full-blown column in today's NYT. Here's the conclusion: Katrina means that the political culture, already sour and bloody-minded in... [More]
PARALLELS
Frank Rich has yet aother outstanding column, this time drawing parallels between the administration's post-9/11 failures and its current post-Katrina failures. A taste: Though history is supposed to occur first... [More]
AN EYEWITNESS REPORT
From today's WaPo: By Tuesday afternoon I was already beginning to hear about martial law, widespread looting and the city's mandate that everyone leave and nobody return. "You have nothing... [More]
September 5, 2005
INTERESTING
From Newsweek: On the "no one could have known" denials coming from the prez, this: John Breaux, the former Democratic Louisiana senator and close Bush ally, rejected the president's claim... [More]
IF YOU'RE NOT OUTRAGED, YOU'RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION
You know that bumper sticker that says, "if you're not outraged then you're not paying attention"? I thought I understood it before, because I thought I knew outrage. But after... [More]
MY COUNTRY BACK!
I'm not the only one who wants their country back. From HuffingtonPost: Right now, we still don’t have the manpower to pick up the decaying, disease-carrying, floating bodies. As Lt.... [More]
BIG GOVERNMENT
Another HufPo contributor speaks. And my apologies in advance for reposting in full, but read on and you'll understand: We have what we asked for. And New Orleans and the... [More]
WATCH THIS...
Now. Whatever you are doing, stop it. And watch this. You've seen the transcript. But you can't understand it until you've seen it. Watch. Once Russert opens his damn fool... [More]
"THIS IS WORKING OUT VERY WELL FOR THEM"
My god. This family isn't human. Words fail me: Accompanying her husband, former President George H.W.Bush, on a tour of hurricane relief centers in Houston, Barbara Bush said today, referring... [More]
WAIT WAIT
So far we've got "local officials" and "red tape" to blame. Apparently we have to add "on vacation" to the list One reason for the slow White House response, said... [More]
A HELPING HAND
MoveOn.org helps out, with over 146,000 beds offered up so far. Time to put that "extra" bedroom to good use. --------... [More]
September 6, 2005
MORE HEARTBREAK
"We couldn't leave her - that's our mother." These stories just will not end. Question: Why is a private boat chartered by the BBC the only rescue craft in the... [More]
FINE THE VICTIMS?
Santorum wants to fine the victims who couldn't get out of New Orleans. No, I'm not making this up - there's even video. I didn't think it was possible, but... [More]
BUSH TO INVESTIGATE SELF!!!
Of all of the things said so far 'round the sphere about Bush's asinine plan to investigate himself, Billmon said it best: This is like Mrs. O'Leary's cow promising to... [More]
WHAT EXACTLY DOES IT TAKE?
Looks like the Whit e House is rejecting calls for the firing of FEMA chief Michael Brown. Which mean, I take it, that they think this is the appropriate response... [More]
THAT "DODGED A BULLET" HEADLINE
As Think Progress points out, Joint Chiefs Chairman Richard Myershas picked up Chertoff's lie that the national response to the hurricane was based on newspaper headlines stating that "New Orleans... [More]
PRAY
I don't normally pray, but I'm praying right now that this isn't true: A co-owner of Shelbyville-based Gowen-Smith Chapel has been deployed to Gulfport, Miss., to help with recovery since... [More]
EVEN WORSE
Another one via TPM: Frustrated: Fire crews to hand out fliers for FEMA ATLANTA - Not long after some 1,000 firefighters sat down for eight hours of training, the whispering... [More]
DESTROYING DELAY
Steve Soto just destroys DeLay. Personally I'm opposed to any and all tax cuts right now. We're running massive deficits, fighting a war on foreign soil, and facing a multi-hundred... [More]
A DEFENSE OF ROBERTS... SORT OF
Gil Troy, a historian whom I greatly admire, has an excellent post over at the new HNN reminding us that those Roberts documents probably aren't what they seem. Food for... [More]
KATRINA AND RACISM
Much has been said about the role race has played in the response to Katrina, and much of it in my opinion has been off the mark. But not this.... [More]
THE PRESS WAKES UP
So far, so good Q Scott, the reality at hand right now is that the President said that we still live in an unsettled world. This is an administration that... [More]
THE TIME IS NOW
Earlier I linked to a statement from John Edwards on the hurricane relief efforts. Now my man Obama has added his voice to the There's been much attention in the... [More]
September 7, 2005
WE'VE GOT TO EAT ZUCHINNI BECAUSE WE'RE ZUCHINNI EATERS
"Why would he build a dam in Arkansas? "His plan is to fight the water there, so that we don't have to fight it here!" This may be the best... [More]
MORE HEARTBREAK
Three items, and then I've really got to get some studying done: From RawStory Three tons of food ready for delivery by air to refugees in St. Bernard Parish and... [More]
September 8, 2005
THE LIST GROWS LONGER
Add this to the list of the list of things this utterly incompetent administration has completely and totally mismanaged: The government's $5 billion effort to help small businesses recover from... [More]
WHY, OH WHY?
Why oh why did this man have to sell his soul to the Bush administration. I know he would say he did is best to create change from the inside,... [More]
I'M JUST ASKING....
If James Madison, one of our most important and brilliant founding fathers, thought that appointing chaplains to the US House and Senate violated the First Amendment, why exactly do so... [More]
THIS WEEK ON NOW
Despite the fact that Bill Moyers has left the staff, The PBS news magazine NOW is still one of the best programs on TV. Week in and week out they... [More]
September 9, 2005
THEY'VE LOST NOVAK
And he even uses the "N Word" - Nixon. Listen to this: "There'll be plenty of time," Chertoff told Russert, to "do the after-action analysis." That bloodless dismissal made the... [More]
FORGET THE "BLAME THE LOCALS" EXCUSE
From the NYT WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 - As New Orleans descended into chaos last week and Louisiana's governor asked for 40,000 soldiers, President Bush's senior advisers debated whether the president... [More]
HEY DAD, YOU SEE THIS?
Got in a big argument last week with my dad over the non-existent 9/11 Iraq connection. Looks like even Colin Powell has decided to admit the truth: Powell also said... [More]
UNINTENTIONAL IRONY?
From today's WaPo.com The headline: Top Security for Freedom Walk The lead paragraph: Organizers of the Pentagon's 9/11 memorial Freedom Walk on Sunday are taking extraordinary measures to control participation... [More]
WELL WOULDN'T YOU KNOW...
Just found this from WaPo: BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. -- The deployment of thousands of National Guard troops from Mississippi and Louisiana in Iraq when Hurricane Katrina struck hindered those... [More]
CIVILIZATION HANGS BY A VERY THIN THREAD
Kevin is right. If this story doesn't make you fear for the future of the human race nothing will. Please tell me the local papers will investigate and expose these... [More]
IT'S NOT A JOKE
The first few times I saw this story I honestly thought it was a hoax. But via ThinkProgress, I now know it is not. Which leaves me speechless. WASHINGTON –... [More]
UPDATE:
John Edwards steps up once again: A little over 75 years ago, America was struck by a different kind of hurricane, the Great Depression. Like Katrina, the Depression left responsible... [More]
September 10, 2005
THIS IS CNN?
Look at this: YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - CNN filed suit in U.S. District Court in Houston late Friday to stop government efforts to exclude the media from covering the recovery... [More]
OUTRAGE
Think your outrage has finally begun to subside? Think things are finally starting to get better down South? Think again. PBS's NOW has produced an amazing report on the aftermath... [More]
COMPARE AND CONTRAST
All this talk about FEMA director Mike Brown might make you wonder... Just what were his predecessors like? Kevin Drum has everything you need to know. Forget returning honor and... [More]
IN CASE YOU AREN'T CONVINCED
Great interview this morning on NPR. Listen up. Jane Bullock, a career employee of the Federal Emergency Disaster Agency, says the federal response to the storm was the worst she's... [More]
DO THE LIMBO
How low can he go? 38 and falling: In Katrina’s wake, the president’s popularity and job-approval ratings have dropped across the board. Only 38 percent of Americans approve of the... [More]
September 11, 2005
SHOW US YOUR....
...field goals! And the diaspora celebrates. --------... [More]
PREACH ON!
Sully gets ministerial on us! Suddenly, I understand the situation in Iraq a little better. I understand a little better why two years after the invasion, the road from the... [More]
September 12, 2005
FEMA's FAILURES
There were a number of excellent post-Katrina timelines and summaries in newspapers around the nation this weekend, and although I read as many as I could, I just wasn't able... [More]
CONNECT THE DOTS...
...and a clear picture emerges. 1. Newsweek, using on the record but "anonymous" conversations with White House staffers, show that Bush was clueless about the true extent of the damage... [More]
MORE ON BROWN
One additional thought to add to my previous post about Brownie's resignation from FEMA... Aside from the fact that Bush looks unbelievably clueless for not knowing about the resignation before... [More]
September 14, 2005
THE FUTURE OF MUSIC
For months now I've been banging on to anyone who will listen about how Ableton Live is going utterly transform the way music is both created and performed. Now I... [More]
A LITTLE LATE, BUT...
I know I'm a bit late on this, but.... In response to a reporter who asked if Americans, in the wake of the hurricane, should be concerned about the government's... [More]
I LOVE MY STATE!
A victory of dignity, for equality, for decency, and yes, for love. BOSTON, Sept. 14 - In a sign that the legalization of same-sex marriage has changed the political landscape... [More]
COMPARE AND CONTRAST
Via HuffingtonPost, this pair of stories is just too good to pass up: Tom DeLay yesterday: AUSTIN (Sept. 13) - Two associates of U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay were... [More]
A GREAT IDEA
As I was doing some research for my previous post on federal spending, I came across this post on The Heritage Foundation's blog. And I have to say, its a... [More]
YES, THIS IS FOR REAL
Via Atrios Guess who wrote this: No snarky comment. But it is funny, no? --------... [More]
HE SAID NOTHING
They both beat me to it. So... What he said. --------... [More]
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU HIRE IDIOTS
Even when they think they're following the CYA playbook, they aren't. WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 - Hours after Hurricane Katrina passed New Orleans on Aug. 29, as the scale of the... [More]
THE LAST THROES
Apparently this is what they look like BAGHDAD, Iraq, Sept. 14 - Insurgents staged at least a dozen suicide bombings that ripped through Baghdad in rapid succession on Wednesday, killing... [More]
54
That's the number of US Senators that voted against legislation to create an independent commission to investigate the failure - local, state, and federal - that led to the Katrina... [More]
September 15, 2005
CUE THE WINGNUTS
Oh boy. A federal judge declared the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools unconstitutional Wednesday, a decision that could put the divisive issue on track for another... [More]
IF THIS ISN'T CRIMINAL...
...it should be. The patients and staff at Methodist could have been evacuated before Hurricane Katrina hit. But instead they were condemned to several days of fear and agony by... [More]
A GOOD QUESTION
Bush speaks. John asks... "It was a not a normal hurricane and the normal disaster relief system was not equal to it." Ok, now we're hearing excuses again. So, when... [More]
TAKE A HINT
In case you missed it... This week's NEW RULE from Bill Maher: America must recall the president. That's what this country needs. A good, old-fashioned, California-style recall election! Complete with... [More]
September 16, 2005
DUTY BOUND TO REPORT...
This has been reported all over the sphere today, but in case you missed it. Here's NBC News Brian Williams on the president's speech last night: I am duty-bound to... [More]
SOME THOUGHTS ON CONSERVATISM
Sully is on a rampage today: please don't ignore the facts: the biggest increase in federal government spending, debt and power since LBJ. Here's one tiny example of what we're... [More]
THE POINT OF NO RETURN
If you believe in global warming, this will terrify you. If you don't, you have two choices: Either provide me with a rigorous alternative scientific explanation that can withstand peer... [More]
THIS WEEK ON NOW
Last week was brilliant. This week threatens more of the same KATRINA: THE RESPONSE In the wake of Katrina, many around the nation are asking: what's next for New Orleans... [More]
September 19, 2005
BUSY WITH SCHOOL
Been crazy busy with school the past few days, so no posts. Sorry about that.... Still not much time, but there are a few things to pass along in case... [More]
September 20, 2005
SKINS WIN!
Wow. Wow. WOW! Redskins. Dallas. Joe Gibbs. Bill Parcells. Two 4th down conversions. Two long TD bombs. All in the last two minutes? No. Yes? Believe it! Thanks for staying... [More]
THE DONKEY FIGHTS - AND WINS!
This is huge. The Dems have stood tall and won round one. House GOP Scraps Plan for Joint Probe on Hurricane Response By Mary Curtius, Times Staff Writer WASHINGTON --... [More]
IRAQ SCANDAL GROWS
Atrios is right... When will the US media pick this up? Iraqi authorities are preparing an arrest warrant for the country's former defence minister in connection with a massive fraud... [More]
FISCHER-TROPSCH?!?
Sounds like a weird disease, I know, but if Montana Dem Brian Schweitzer is right, it could be the answer to our prayers. With 120 billion tons of coal in... [More]
THOSE MISSING BUSSES
Via Kevin Drum, it looks like we're starting to get an answer to why hundreds of school busses sat idle in the wake of Katrina: FEMA wouldn't allow Louisiana to... [More]