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The more I watched Primetime and Nightline (with Ted Koppell) the angrier I got - Bush and his administration are STILL not willing to admit that they have not responded in a timely manner. FEMA claimed there were 15,000 people at the Superdome & the mayor has been saying from jump it was 25,000 or more. When the representative from FEMA tried to say "well we just confirmed today how many people were really there" Ted Koppell dug his foot so far up his behind I think ole boy will be standing for the next two weeks.
Its scary to me the double talk that this administration will do to justify their short sighted decisions.
-they will not acknowledge how many people have been stranded
-when Diane Sawyer questioned Bush about people looting BECASUE THEY ARE HUNGRY he refuses to acknowledge that FEMA is not reaching everyone and is enforcing the shoot first rule.
-when the man from FEMA tried to say "well we can't be responsible when people don't follow evacuation orders" Koppell shot back HOW are people without cars or money to rent hotel rooms suppossed to leave if the GUARD wasn't available to provide buses,trains,boats, flat bed trucks for them to leave on??
- The money to upkeep and strengthen the levy was taken away in the last round of budget cuts in order to support Bush's war (I wonder how those states that benefited from the pork with nonsensical "needs" feel now? Hope they give back doublefold.
- The National Guard that should have been the first responders to assist with the evacuation are currently stationed in Iraq/Afghanistan (over 50%) - there was no plan in place despite repeated requests on how guards from other states would be depolyed in a state of emergency. Now days later they are still on the way & the federal government is trying to lay blame on city/state officials for not being able to handle the evacuation properly.
-Koppel brought up race (was it an issue in why it was taking so long)- FEMA denied it but you can't tell me if a tornado hit the Hamptons or an earthquake hit Orange County where the majority of the victims were white that the response would not have been better.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out for the current adminstration. Seeing their families not being taken care of is MORE demoralizing than anything any anti war protestors could say to the troops.
I SO miss Peter Jennings right now...but so far his colleagues at ABC seem to be holding it down.
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