Ray Nagin in '08

Off Topic Politics & World Issues
21

[quote]ron33 wrote:
I dont know much about Nagin,but at least he had the BALL’s to get on the air and tell them to get off their asses and do something.then after the guard rolls in georgie and lott and the miss. gov. do their photo ops tour in miss…Then W says the job wasnt good enough then turns right around and tells the fema guy what a great job hes doing.These Guys are a Joke![/quote]

You’re right, those responsible arent doing enough…Bush included. But this guy has balls for one reason and one reason only: he got on the air and acted like it was everyone’s fault but his own. He is the mayor of NO and bears just as much responsibility as anyone. Keep in mind that it was Bush who asked the governor and Nagin to evacuate the city. From AP:

“Gov. Kathleen Blanco, standing beside the mayor at a news conference, said President Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation for the low-lying city, which is prone to flooding.”

It seems to me that mandatory evacuation means just that…mandatory. What Nagin should have done was moblized all of those busses that are now under water and got as many people out of there as possible. But…he didnt. And now he has the nerve to act as though Bush is the one that let down the people of NO. Im not saying the federal government is doing a good job (surprise, surprise) but neither is local government. In my opinion, his little outburst was little more than a hypocritical publicity stunt.

22

Should the Mayor take some blame? Sure it’s his city. But…I do wonder why so many people just sat there after hearing about how devastating that it would be. I would have left town. And don’t tell me they had no where to go. Where are they going now? Simply driving (or even walking) away from the oncoming disaster (and some did) is better than waiting there to be wiped out.

23

[quote]LBRTRN wrote:
You’re right, those responsible arent doing enough…Bush included. But this guy has balls for one reason and one reason only: he got on the air and acted like it was everyone’s fault but his own. He is the mayor of NO and bears just as much responsibility as anyone. Keep in mind that it was Bush who asked the governor and Nagin to evacuate the city. From AP:

“Gov. Kathleen Blanco, standing beside the mayor at a news conference, said President Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation for the low-lying city, which is prone to flooding.”

It seems to me that mandatory evacuation means just that…mandatory. What Nagin should have done was moblized all of those busses that are now under water and got as many people out of there as possible. But…he didnt. And now he has the nerve to act as though Bush is the one that let down the people of NO. Im not saying the federal government is doing a good job (surprise, surprise) but neither is local government. In my opinion, his little outburst was little more than a hypocritical publicity stunt.
[/quote]

Maybe the most logical, intelligent post I’ve seen on this whole situation. I agree 100%.

Great post LBRTRN.

24

[quote]vaughn5000 wrote:
LBRTRN wrote:
You’re right, those responsible arent doing enough…Bush included. But this guy has balls for one reason and one reason only: he got on the air and acted like it was everyone’s fault but his own. He is the mayor of NO and bears just as much responsibility as anyone. Keep in mind that it was Bush who asked the governor and Nagin to evacuate the city. From AP:

“Gov. Kathleen Blanco, standing beside the mayor at a news conference, said President Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation for the low-lying city, which is prone to flooding.”

It seems to me that mandatory evacuation means just that…mandatory. What Nagin should have done was moblized all of those busses that are now under water and got as many people out of there as possible. But…he didnt. And now he has the nerve to act as though Bush is the one that let down the people of NO. Im not saying the federal government is doing a good job (surprise, surprise) but neither is local government. In my opinion, his little outburst was little more than a hypocritical publicity stunt.

Maybe the most logical, intelligent post I’ve seen on this whole situation. I agree 100%.

Great post LBRTRN.[/quote]

He has a very ,very good point. But what are you going to do? Rip people from their homes and make them leave? Is that legal?

25

Lbrtrn,I’ve seen a lot of the news but somehow I missed the one where bush called and asked for evacuation.Just curious where you saw this at.

26

[quote]BIGRAGOO wrote:
vaughn5000 wrote:
LBRTRN wrote:
You’re right, those responsible arent doing enough…Bush included. But this guy has balls for one reason and one reason only: he got on the air and acted like it was everyone’s fault but his own. He is the mayor of NO and bears just as much responsibility as anyone. Keep in mind that it was Bush who asked the governor and Nagin to evacuate the city. From AP:

“Gov. Kathleen Blanco, standing beside the mayor at a news conference, said President Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation for the low-lying city, which is prone to flooding.”

It seems to me that mandatory evacuation means just that…mandatory. What Nagin should have done was moblized all of those busses that are now under water and got as many people out of there as possible. But…he didnt. And now he has the nerve to act as though Bush is the one that let down the people of NO. Im not saying the federal government is doing a good job (surprise, surprise) but neither is local government. In my opinion, his little outburst was little more than a hypocritical publicity stunt.

Maybe the most logical, intelligent post I’ve seen on this whole situation. I agree 100%.

Great post LBRTRN.

He has a very ,very good point. But what are you going to do? Rip people from their homes and make them leave? Is that legal?[/quote]

I would never advocate that. However, I think we need to take into account why people didnt leave voluntarily
. Some, as you pointed out, may have stayed thinking this was just another false alarm but I’m willing to bet that most of those left in the city stayed because they either had no way out, no where to go, no means of taking care of themselves, or a combination thereof.

If Nagin and the governor had prepared properly they could have provided proper shelter, transportation, and provisions for those that legitimately
needed it. In a city that predisposed
to flooding, there should have been a contingency plan already in place. Im not saying everyone would have been saved but we wouldnt have a situation where some 50,000 people are stuck in a football stadium and convention center with no security, food, or water.

27

[quote]ron33 wrote:
Lbrtrn,I’ve seen a lot of the news but somehow I missed the one where bush called and asked for evacuation.Just curious where you saw this at.[/quote]

Here is the link http://www.nola.com/newsflash/louisiana/index.ssf?base/news-18/1125239940201382.xml&storylist=louisiana

The link also shows the complete ineptness of NO so-called evacuation plan. Gridlocked freeways, little to no transportation for those who have none, and the God damn Superdome as a safe haven (minus food, security, ect)? One of the only legitamate roles of government is the protection of the people and when it comes time to act their answer is “get out of the city!” Well no shit…

28

[quote]harris447 wrote:
BostonBarrister wrote:
I’m assuming you’re joking, because the alternative is depressing.

Well, the alternative is an assclown who doesn’t respond until three days later, smirks his way through a press conference where he tells jokes about getting drunk in NO, and avoids seeing any of the damage first-hand because he knows he’d be booed.

http://www.pixelmd.com/kanye.html

[/quote]

Actually, that’s not the altnerative – no matter how much you like or dislike the current President, he is disallowed from running for a third term by this little thing called the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that was passed in the wake of the FDR streak.

And I don’t care how much you like Kanye’s music, if you base your political opinions on the outbursts of a rock star – or really any other celebrity “genius” who is a “genius” at mixing music or performing Shakespeare or making movies but couldn’t find his @$$ with two hands when it comes to actual intelligence or understanding world and national issues – or even if you think quoting one of them is somehow relevant to an intelligent conversation on substantive issues – then those opinions aren’t worth two bits, or, to put it another way, Fifty Cent.

29

[quote]

BostonBarrister wrote:
I’m assuming you’re joking, because the alternative is depressing.

harris447 wrote:

Well, the alternative is an assclown who doesn’t respond until three days later, smirks his way through a press conference where he tells jokes about getting drunk in NO, and avoids seeing any of the damage first-hand because he knows he’d be booed.

http://www.pixelmd.com/kanye.html

rainjack wrote:
Well, I hate to break this to you - but Bush cannot be the alternative. He can’t run in 2008. You knew that right?

Sure you did. [/quote]

Ah, harris, I see rainjack already caught you up on the Constitution. My bad.

30

[quote]BostonBarrister wrote:
– then those opinions aren’t worth two bits, or, to put it another way, Fifty Cent.[/quote]

Two bits = 25 cents.

I don’t know how the hell you can have one bit.

31

[quote]Zap Branigan wrote:
Two bits = 25 cents.

I don’t know how the hell you can have one bit.[/quote]

I could tell you but then I would be sounding like a know-it-all.

32

When I was watching the evacuation process before Katrina hit, I noticed that they were using only the outbound lanes of traffic. Why weren’t the inbound traffic lanes used as a part of the evacuation route? I believe that is how they do it in Florida.

33

[quote]
BostonBarrister wrote:
– then those opinions aren’t worth two bits, or, to put it another way, Fifty Cent.

Zap Branigan wrote:

Two bits = 25 cents.

I don’t know how the hell you can have one bit.[/quote]

Damn, that’s right. Hay-pennies, pieces of eight, bits… Damn. =-)