Hurricane Katrina

[KipWellsFan]

Scott McClellan will not play the blame game, the buck stops here!

 

EDIT: LOL right after I wrote that I heard McClellan say that David Gregory was engaged in "blame gaming".

 

 

http://movies.crooksandliars.com/Imus-Greg...9-8-Katrina.mov

Edited September 9, 2005 by KipWellsFan

[Texsox]

The "liberal" viewpoint had already been expressed, thank you.

 

YASNY,

 

Does putting politics aside mean bi-partisan efforts, or the majority party cramming down a program? I think we both agree that both parties should be involved.

[Gene Honda Civic]

I had an iteresting --well, not interesting. let's say alcohol induced -- thought regarding the naming of huricanes and the like while watching the game at the pub tonight.

 

The general rules as I understand them are,

1. they alternate male/female

2. they go in alphabetical order

3. they become named when they become a tropical storm

4. the list of names comes out at the beginning of the year. It's predetermined.

 

I propose that we change the naming system. Instead of having just one name for each storm, the name should change to reflect the intensity of the storm.

 

Example:

 

Tropical storm = Tropical Storm K

Cat 1 = Hurricane Kitten

Cat 2 = Hurricane Katrina

Cat 3 = Hurricane Kirsty Alley

Cat 4 = Hurricane Killer Storm

Cat 5 = Hurricane Killer Storm of impending doom 5000 -- Because anything sounds scarier if you put numbers at the end.

 

I really think people would be much more likely to flee "Hurricane Killer Storm of impending doom 5000" than they would some wimpy "Hurrican Katrina."

[Rex Kickass]

A hurricane Kirstie Alley would make me flee the continent. *shudder*

[Goldmember]

Bob & Tom............  man I miss those guys!!

 

yeah they're awesome...

 

an update of the auction--they raised $311,975 (206,925 from bids, Colts owner Jim Irsay matched total up to 100,000 & 5,050 from cash donations). they were joking today about the amount of basketballs bobby knight had to sign. i guess they talked to the general yesterday and he said he'd sign every autographed b-ball they can auction off and they wound up getting $20,450 from that alone...

[kapkomet]

yeah they're awesome...

 

an update of the auction--they raised $311,975 (206,925 from bids, Colts owner Jim Irsay matched total up to 100,000 & 5,050 from cash donations). they were joking today about the amount of basketballs bobby knight had to sign. i guess they talked to the general yesterday and he said he'd sign every autographed b-ball they can auction off and they wound up getting $20,450 from that alone...

AWESOME! GO BOB AND TOM!

[Texsox]

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/174/story_17450_1.html

 

Ten things you can do besides sending money

[Balta1701]

Here's an LA Times piece that I'll bet a lot of those on the other side of the aisle from me will enjoy...

 

Back in the 70's, the Army Corps of Engineers put together a plan for a comprehensive barrier system, complete with flood control gates, that could have been installed around New Orleans in the hopes of preventing the flooding of the city. The plan was about to receive federal approval and funding, and it may well have been cheaper than the levee system which actually was built.

 

The system was never constructed, however, because of an environmental lawsuit...seems that the barrier system could have hurt the aquatic community (shrimp et al) of Lake Pontchatrain. The Corps clearly did a joke of an environmental impact study (consulted 1 biologist who wouldn't even attach his name to the thing)...but on the other hand, it's at least possible that if the proposed system had actually been constructed, it might have survived Katrina.

[southsider2k5]

More of the darker side of things

 

In Houston people are circulating fliers urging people to lock their doors and windows to protect themselves from the refugees. Also Reliant Stadium already had a drug ring starting.

 

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/3344290.html

 

A subdivision in FLA is reminding is residents that under their by-laws they are not allowed to take in people from Katrina.

 

http://www.nbc6.net/news/4951969/detail.html

[LosMediasBlancas]

Don't look now, but there are 2 storms brewing. One is over Florida, the other one still has slim chance of hitting the N.O. region.

[Steff]

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,...promoid=rss_top

 

How Reliable Is Brown's Resume?

Posted Thursday, Sep. 08, 2005

 

 

When President Bush nominated Michael Brown to head the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in 2003, Brown's boss at the time, Joe Allbaugh, declared, "the President couldn't have chosen a better man to help...prepare and protect the nation." But how well was he prepared for the job? Since Hurricane Katrina, the FEMA director has come under heavy criticism for his performance and scrutiny of his background. Now, an investigation by TIME has found discrepancies in his online legal profile and official bio, including a description of Brown released by the White House at the time of his nomination in 2001 to the job as deputy chief of FEMA. (Brown became Director of FEMA, succeeding Allbaugh, in 2003.)

 

Before joining FEMA, his only previous stint in emergency management, according to his bio posted on FEMA's website, was "serving as an assistant city manager with emergency services oversight." The White House press release from 2001 stated that Brown worked for the city of Edmond, Okla., from 1975 to 1978 "overseeing the emergency services division." In fact, according to Claudia Deakins, head of public relations for the city of Edmond, Brown was an "assistant to the city manager" from 1977 to 1980, not a manager himself, and had no authority over other employees. "The assistant is more like an intern," she told TIME. "Department heads did not report to him." Brown did do a good job at his humble position, however, according to his boss. "Yes. Mike Brown worked for me. He was my administrative assistant. He was a student at Central State University," recalls former city manager Bill Dashner. "Mike used to handle a lot of details. Every now and again I'd ask him to write me a speech. He was very loyal. He was always on time. He always had on a suit and a starched white shirt."

 

In response, Nicol Andrews, deputy strategic director in FEMA's office of public affairs, insists that while Brown began as an intern, he became an "assistant city manager" with a distinguished record of service. "According to Mike Brown," she says, "a large portion [of the points raised by TIME] is very inaccurate."

 

Brown's lack of experience in emergency management isn't the only apparent bit of padding on his resume, which raises questions about how rigorously the White House vetted him before putting him in charge of FEMA. Under the "honors and awards" section of his profile at FindLaw.com — which is information on the legal website provided by lawyers or their offices—he lists "Outstanding Political Science Professor, Central State University". However, Brown "wasn't a professor here, he was only a student here," says Charles Johnson, News Bureau Director in the University Relations office at the University of Central Oklahoma (formerly named Central State University). "He may have been an adjunct instructor," says Johnson, but that title is very different from that of "professor." Carl Reherman, a former political science professor at the University through the '70s and '80s, says that Brown "was not on the faculty." As for the honor of "Outstanding Political Science Professor," Johnson says, "I spoke with the department chair yesterday and he's not aware of it." Johnson could not confirm that Brown made the Dean's list or was an "Outstanding Political Science Senior," as is stated on his online profile.

 

Speaking for Brown, Andrews says that Brown has never claimed to be a political science professor, in spite of what his profile in FindLaw indicates. "He was named the outstanding political science senior at Central State, and was an adjunct professor at Oklahoma City School of Law."

 

Under the heading of "Professional Associations and Memberships" on FindLaw, Brown states that from 1983 to the present he has been director of the Oklahoma Christian Home, a nursing home in Edmond. But an administrator with the Home told TIME that Brown is "not a person that anyone here is familiar with." She says there was a board of directors until a couple of years ago, but she couldn't find anyone who recalled him being on it. According to FEMA's Andrews, Brown said "he's never claimed to be the director of the home. He was on the board of directors, or governors of the nursing home." However, a veteran employee at the center since 1981 says Brown "was never director here, was never on the board of directors, was never executive director. He was never here in any capacity. I never heard his name mentioned here."

 

The FindLaw profile for Brown was amended on Thursday to remove a reference to his tenure at the International Arabian Horse Association, which has become a contested point.

 

Brown's FindLaw profile lists a wide range of areas of legal practice, from estate planning to family law to sports. However, one former colleague does not remember Brown's work as sterling. Stephen Jones, a prominent Oklahoma lawyer who was lead defense attorney on the Timothy McVeigh case, was Brown's boss for two-and-a-half years in the early '80s. "He did mainly transactional work, not litigation," says Jones. "There was a feeling that he was not serious and somewhat shallow." Jones says when his law firm split, Brown was one of two staffers who was let go.

[Balta1701]

Don't look now, but there are 2 storms brewing. One is over Florida, the other one still has slim chance of hitting the N.O. region.

Actually the 1 that is over/just east of Florida is probably going to head back out to sea..then hang around for a little while and may very well turn back towards the U.S. We saw one do that last year and wind up hammering Florida.

[Texsox]

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,...promoid=rss_top

 

How Reliable Is Brown's Resume?

Posted Thursday, Sep. 08, 2005

When President Bush nominated Michael Brown to head the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in 2003, Brown's boss at the time, Joe Allbaugh, declared, "the President couldn't have chosen a better man to help...prepare and protect the nation." But how well was he prepared for the job? Since Hurricane Katrina, the FEMA director has come under heavy criticism for his performance and scrutiny of his background. Now, an investigation by TIME has found discrepancies in his online legal profile and official bio, including a description of Brown released by the White House at the time of his nomination in 2001 to the job as deputy chief of FEMA. (Brown became Director of FEMA, succeeding Allbaugh, in 2003.)

 

Before joining FEMA, his only previous stint in emergency management, according to his bio posted on FEMA's website, was "serving as an assistant city manager with emergency services oversight." The White House press release from 2001 stated that Brown worked for the city of Edmond, Okla., from 1975 to 1978 "overseeing the emergency services division." In fact, according to Claudia Deakins, head of public relations for the city of Edmond, Brown was an "assistant to the city manager" from 1977 to 1980, not a manager himself, and had no authority over other employees. "The assistant is more like an intern," she told TIME. "Department heads did not report to him." Brown did do a good job at his humble position, however, according to his boss. "Yes. Mike Brown worked for me. He was my administrative assistant. He was a student at Central State University," recalls former city manager Bill Dashner. "Mike used to handle a lot of details. Every now and again I'd ask him to write me a speech. He was very loyal. He was always on time. He always had on a suit and a starched white shirt."

 

In response, Nicol Andrews, deputy strategic director in FEMA's office of public affairs, insists that while Brown began as an intern, he became an "assistant city manager" with a distinguished record of service. "According to Mike Brown," she says, "a large portion [of the points raised by TIME] is very inaccurate."

 

Brown's lack of experience in emergency management isn't the only apparent bit of padding on his resume, which raises questions about how rigorously the White House vetted him before putting him in charge of FEMA. Under the "honors and awards" section of his profile at FindLaw.com — which is information on the legal website provided by lawyers or their offices—he lists "Outstanding Political Science Professor, Central State University". However, Brown "wasn't a professor here, he was only a student here," says Charles Johnson, News Bureau Director in the University Relations office at the University of Central Oklahoma (formerly named Central State University). "He may have been an adjunct instructor," says Johnson, but that title is very different from that of "professor." Carl Reherman, a former political science professor at the University through the '70s and '80s, says that Brown "was not on the faculty." As for the honor of "Outstanding Political Science Professor," Johnson says, "I spoke with the department chair yesterday and he's not aware of it." Johnson could not confirm that Brown made the Dean's list or was an "Outstanding Political Science Senior," as is stated on his online profile.

 

Speaking for Brown, Andrews says that Brown has never claimed to be a political science professor, in spite of what his profile in FindLaw indicates. "He was named the outstanding political science senior at Central State, and was an adjunct professor at Oklahoma City School of Law."

 

Under the heading of "Professional Associations and Memberships" on FindLaw, Brown states that from 1983 to the present he has been director of the Oklahoma Christian Home, a nursing home in Edmond. But an administrator with the Home told TIME that Brown is "not a person that anyone here is familiar with." She says there was a board of directors until a couple of years ago, but she couldn't find anyone who recalled him being on it. According to FEMA's Andrews, Brown said "he's never claimed to be the director of the home. He was on the board of directors, or governors of the nursing home." However, a veteran employee at the center since 1981 says Brown "was never director here, was never on the board of directors, was never executive director. He was never here in any capacity. I never heard his name mentioned here."

 

The FindLaw profile for Brown was amended on Thursday to remove a reference to his tenure at the International Arabian Horse Association, which has become a contested point.

 

Brown's FindLaw profile lists a wide range of areas of legal practice, from estate planning to family law to sports. However, one former colleague does not remember Brown's work as sterling. Stephen Jones, a prominent Oklahoma lawyer who was lead defense attorney on the Timothy McVeigh case, was Brown's boss for two-and-a-half years in the early '80s. "He did mainly transactional work, not litigation," says Jones. "There was a feeling that he was not serious and somewhat shallow." Jones says when his law firm split, Brown was one of two staffers who was let go.

 

amazing. I guess this is what happens when one party has all the power and the press is discredited.

[Balta1701]

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,...promoid=rss_top

 

How Reliable Is Brown's Resume?

Posted Thursday, Sep. 08, 2005

Wow, someone in the major media is actually running with it...I read about the "questions" about Brown's resume 2 or 3 days ago and figured the Mainstream Media would never bother to pick it up...figured it would be one of those things that just sat around brewing in left wing websites.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Don't look now, but there are 2 storms brewing. One is over Florida, the other one still has slim chance of hitting the N.O. region.

Ophelia has been sitting just offshore from us for 3 days, and we've been getting some outfall and some breeze but little more.

 

It continues to amaze me how different each hurricane is. Unlike most Atlantic cyclonal systems that start way over near western Africa, the tropical wave that became Ophelia coalesced from a bunch of sloppy weather just a couple hundred miles off of the Florida coast. It was very unorganized until it got spun up by a separate weather system southwest of it.

 

And now it's just kind of sitting for days at a time, contemplating a northward crawl and probably a bit back out to sea at a speed of about 3-6 mph. Sustained winds got one mile over the threshold (74 mph) to make briefly hurricane status last night, before again downgrading to a TS.

 

Few of the 6 major models are in agreement over what this storm is going to do. It will probably go out to sea for a while, but could strengthen, turn around and meander back into north Florida, Georgia, or the Carolinas some time next week.

[Steff]

Actually the 1 that is over/just east of Florida is probably going to head back out to sea..then hang around for a little while and may very well turn back towards the U.S.  We saw one do that last year and wind up hammering Florida.

 

 

The one has been there for days. Looks like Florida will get rain until it heads back out then will likely come back up the coastline. Doesn't look like that one has much, if any, of a chance for it to cross over to the the Gulf.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Yeah, Jeanne did a loop out at sea and looked rather inconsequential before she changed her mind and doubled back for us.

 

There was one a few years ago (can't remember the name) that cossed the peninsula once, went up through the eastern Gulf states, turned east and broke almost completely up before exiting up in coastal Georga or the Carolinas, reforming and cominng back to make another Florida landfall. Not a very high strength storm (or I'd remember the name), but it was an odd one.

Edited September 9, 2005 by FlaSoxxJim

[southsider2k5]

Just hitting the wire, Brown is being removed from running FEMAs efforts in LA.

[southsider2k5]

Just hitting the wire, Brown is being removed from running FEMAs efforts in LA.

 

FEMA press confrence is starting at 12:45pm

[Balta1701]

Just hitting the wire, Brown is being removed from running FEMAs efforts in LA.

AP Piece from 3 minutes ago...

 

Director Michael Brown is being removed from his role managing Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, The Associated Press has learned.

 

Brown is being sent back to Washington from Baton Rouge, where he was the primary official overseeing the federal government's response to the disaster, according to two federal officials who declined to be identified before the announcement.

 

Brown will be replaced by Coast Guard Vice Adm. Thad w. Allen, who was overseeing New Orleans relief and rescue efforts.

 

Brown has been under fire because of the administration's slow response to the magnitude of the hurricane. On Thursday, questions were raised about whether he padded his resume to highlight his previous emergency management background.

 

Less than an hour before Brown's removal came to light, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Brown had not resigned and the president had not asked for his resignation.

 

McClellan did not directly answer a question about whether the president had full confidence in Brown.

 

"We appreciate all those who are working round the clock, and that's the way I would answer it," he said.

 

Amid escalating calls for Brown's ouster, the White House had insisted publicly for days that Bush retained confidence in his FEMA chief. But there was no question that Brown's star was fading in the administration. In the storm's early days, Brown was the president's primary briefer on its path and the response effort, but by the weekend those duties had been taken over by Brown's boss — Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.

 

Also, while Brown was very visibly by the president's side during Bush's first on-the-ground visit to the hurricane zone last week, he remained behind the scenes — with Chertoff out front — when the president went back on Monday.

As far as I can tell...he's called back to Washington to basically sit at a chair and draw a salary, along with not giving any more interviews.

 

At least that would probably mean he's no longer in charge on the ground there.

Edited September 9, 2005 by Balta1701

[Balta1701]

Here's another fun quote from a Republican Congressman....

 

Rep. Baker of Baton Rouge is overheard telling lobbyists: "We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn't do it, but God did."

[LosMediasBlancas]

Here's another fun quote from a Republican Congressman....

 

 

What a guy.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Rep. Baker of Baton Rouge is overheard telling lobbyists: "We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn't do it, but God did."

 

That's one asshole not afreaid to speak his mind at least, while I'm sure there are countless others quietly thinking the same thing.

 

Katrina: your one-step urban sanitizer.

 

Apologies for the snarkiness, but I want to see just how much low-end housing actually gets replaced before I put away the cynicism entirely.

[Chisoxrd5]

Yeah, Jeanne did a loop out at sea and looked rather inconsequential before she changed her mind and doubled back for us.

 

There was one a few years ago (can't remember the name) that cossed the peninsula once, went up through the eastern Gulf states, turned east and broke almost completely up before exiting up in coastal Georga or the Carolinas, reforming and cominng back to make another Florida landfall.  Not a very high strength storm (or I'd remember the name), but it was an odd one.

 

Yea I remember exactly what you're talking about but I don't remember the name. I dont think the gulf coast has to worry about Ophelia but they should keep their eyes on the convection in the gulf that appeared about 24 hours ago. I don't know if anything has been said about it on any news channels but from my eye (which isn't very good, although I am fascinated by the formation of hurricanes and t-storms) look like something that needs to be watched. In fact, I wouldn't be suprised it gets labeled as a tropical depression before the end of the day. It would also be as strange as how Ophelia formed, as if from no where....

[southsider2k5]

The initial sweep for dead bodies is turning up far less than expected. Hopefully this means the estimates of up to 10,000 people turns out to be way to high.