No matter how cynical you get....

[tzikeh]

...but perhaps the greatest disappointment stands at the breached 17th Street levee. Touring this critical site yesterday with the President, I saw what I believed to be a real and significant effort to get a handle on a major cause of this catastrophe. Flying over this critical spot again this morning, less than 24 hours later, it became apparent that yesterday we witnessed a hastily prepared stage set for a Presidential photo opportunity; and the desperately needed resources we saw were this morning reduced to a single, lonely piece of equipment. - From Senator Landrieu, who only yesterday was falling over herself to thank President Bush on CNN.

ZDF News reported that the president's visit was a completely staged event. Their crew witnessed how the open air food distribution point Bush visited in front of the cameras was torn down immediately after the president and the herd of 'news people' had left and that others which were allegedly being set up were abandoned at the same time. - from Frank Tiggelaar, a human rights activist.

German link, translation: "[German] ARD correspondent Christine Adelhardt, who witnessed Bush's visit to Biloxi, was shocked about the extent to which the event was staged. The President brought with him vehicles to cut though the debris and people supposed to search for bodies, which Biloxi had been waiting for for days. But they didn't actually go to work where victims were waiting, but only served as telegenic background props in remote areas of the town, she explained."

Comments

[reginagiraffe]

God.

Yeah, that's all I've got.

God.

[coffeeandink.livejournal.com]

Jesus fuck, it's like living in the Soviet Union.

[26934113.livejournal.com]

THE PRESIDENT: The good news is -- and it's hard for some to see it now -- that out of this chaos is going to come a fantastic Gulf Coast, like it was before. Out of the rubbles of Trent Lott's house -- he's lost his entire house -- there's going to be a fantastic house. And I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch. (Laughter.)

Here. (http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/09/20050902-2.html)

[laddical.livejournal.com]

And now we're going to go try to comfort people in that part of the world.

That part of the world?

That part of the world? Like it's Iraq, or Bosnia, or somewhere other. Like he still doesn't get that these are his fellow Americans. GAH!!!!!!!

[seraphsong.livejournal.com]

I can definately vouch that the Gulf coast is definately part of America. In every class I go to at least 90% of the students have lost their homes, families or more. Some of my friends' families are without food and clean water, let alone shelter.

[umbo.livejournal.com]

Every time I think I've heard the worst, I hear about something new, like this. For all that I've disliked about the president over the last several years, I *never* would have imagined he could be *this* callous and unfeeling, or that there could be such consequences upon consequences of his administration's actions.

[dragovianknight.livejournal.com]

Oh my fucking gods.

I shouldn't be surprised, yet somehow, I am.

My dear fucking gods.

[ellen-fremedon.livejournal.com]

I passed these links on to Making Light (http://www.nielsenhayden.com/makinglight); this needs to get much wider exposure, quickly.

[svilleficrecs.livejournal.com]

What blows me away, more than the hubris, is the utter stupidity to think they wouldn't be caught, with the world watching.

[neotoma.livejournal.com]

A Potemkin Village rescue. I'm appalled, but not surprised. This President is a faker of the first water.

I just want this to get on mainstream news. Has it? I don't have cable, so I don't know.

[ltlj.livejournal.com]

Holy fuck. I knew he was evil, but Jesus.

[marycrawford.livejournal.com]

I read that earlier and did some googling - the Dutch viewer is Frank Tiggelaar, a human rights activist and one of the founders of a website where Bosnian refugees could contact each other and where the Miloseviç trial was broadcast live.

Pissed off doesn't even cover it. Gah.

[spoiledjap.livejournal.com]

I'm here via Carolinecrane. All I have to say is that this country is better off run by animals then GWB.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

I agree - I have several posts with several links, so feel free to browse.

[nekosmuse.livejournal.com]

Jesus... I'm here via link, but omg... there are literally no words...

[chaoticmage.livejournal.com]

I am completely apalled by all of this.

[seraphsong.livejournal.com]

There aren't a lot of people here in the South very happy with anything happening on the coast. A lot of people don't have food still and even more don't have any clean or safe place to stay.

[theclamsman.livejournal.com]

Mmmk, don't string me up, because I fucking hate Bush as much as the next radical liberal.

I'm inclined to take the German link seriously, but after thought/reading the stuff about Landrieu, I dunno. I didn't see 60 Minutes, I've read no follow-up to her published statement about the levee fixing; I do know that the Picayune announced that the 17th Street levee was declared fixed on Monday, Sept. 5th (yesterday). So they must've been doing something; perhaps they needed to bring in other equipment and it's possible Landrieu didn't know what she was seeing those two days (do you have a link to the transcripts of whatever interviews she gave ,i>after she issued that statement?). Believe me, I'd love to burn Bush on this, but I also like to do my own research and verification, first. Misinformation makes us lefties look utterly stupid. ;)

Here via a person on my friends list, BTW.