Conservative Responses To The Hurricane

by Chris Bowers, Tue Sep 06, 2005 at 01:00:43 PM EDT

Sen. Rick Santorum, today: Senator Rick Santorum is criticizing the government's emergency response to hurricane victims hurricane Katrina victims. But he's also criticizing the ones who chose to ride out the storm. "I mean, you have people who don't heed those warnings and then put people at risk as a result of not heeding those warnings. There may be a need to look at tougher penalties on those who decide to ride it out and understand that there are consequences to not leaving."Barbara Bush on Monday, September 5:"What I'm hearing which is sort of scary is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality.

"And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this--this (she chuckles slightly) is working very well for them."

The National Review on Monday, September 5: Under the circumstances, to say, as Steve Sailer does, that African Americans "tend to possess poorer native judgment than members of better-educated groups," and "need stricter moral guidance from society" does not seem to me very outrageous.US Senator Jon Kyl on Wednesday, August 31: It's a great question, Barry. You need to explore it. Because the question is if people know year after year after year a natural disaster occurs in a particular place and people continue to build there and want to live there, should they bear the responsibility of buying insurance or should everyone else bear the responsibility? Good question.Hunter is right. A pattern is forming.

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Implicit racism

I think Randi Rhodes got the flavor of what has been happening.

If I'm not misinterpreting her argument:
FEMA delayed sending in relief aid until the area could be "secured". Some of this makes perfect sense, a single truck or several with supplies would have been overrun and might have caused a stampede.

But the "secured" part is really a code word for the implicit feeling that the crowds in New Orleans, being mostly black, were a danger to relief workers and thus relief needed to wait until a sufficient armed national guard was in place.
Aid workers needed to be "protected" from the poor because they are black. This is part of the same redneck mentality that has blighted the US for three hundred years.
During the lynching years it was fear of black sexual predators. Same implicit fears, different code words. Now it's "looters".

by rdf 2005-09-06 01:35PM | 0 recs

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Implication: 'It's a CRIME to be POOR'

The problem with this supposition is that increasingly, as productivity rises and still-remaining jobs are shipped overseas to increase profits, is that there simply are not enough jobs for everybody. And many people who want work, can't find it. One has to wonder what the powerful in society will be wanting to do when it becomes obvious that our NATION has screwed up by making education and the support and development of new, 'viable in the 21st century' industries and jobs. One doesn't have to be a genius to see the possibility of some very ugly things lurking in the future when the choices become clearer.. That is, if we let the same kind of GREED and INFLEXIBLE THINKING that is clouding our thinking now, continue..

But that is clearly what the GOP has been planning, when you look at their quiet - but telling actions.. all across the board.. They are giving up on Americans.. we have outlived our usefulness to them..

Not just the poor, but all of us who expect our nation to honor the (regrettably, still unwritten) social contract that evolved out of the near-revolution that occurred during the Great Depression in 1934... It wasn't called a "New Deal" for nothing.. the 'deal' was a trade.. Businesses obligation was to work for the better good of all, and the people's obligation was similar.. But what happens when business no longer needs workers.. Things change.. Why doesn't the GOP see that? You can't keep taking and taking and never give back..

by ultraworld 2005-09-06 03:05PM | 0 recs

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Re: Implication: 'It's a CRIME to be POOR'

Oops.. add 'such a low priority' to the third sentence.

the point I'm trying to make is that we are on the road to hell.. essentially genocide.. if we fail to recognize the need to share the gains brought by increased productivity with all Americans.. (and yes, also with the rest of the world)

We are in a period much like that between the two World Wars right now, and the risk of fascism is very high..

fascism is the blind worship of power and the inability to see that unfettered greed creates a situation that only benefits extremism of the left..

I don't think that most Americans want Communism. But IF we let the capitalists get so out of touch with reality that they incite hatred in people - everywhere, we will do what no leftist has been able to do.. resurrect it...

Seriously...

In short THE SYSTEM HAS TO WORK FOR EVERYBODY OR IT STOPS WORKING

They may not care, thinking 'we don't need you poor folk' but if history teaches us anything, I suspect from looking at the declines and hubris of past 'empires' that they will end up regretting that choice... We all will end up regretting it, because those who commit crimes against the poor - on credit, as it were.. (in the past and present) have an obligation to pay up.. (now and in the future)

If they would rather upset the entire balance of nature - of justice - than accept that the pie is shrinking and accept that their slice of it will shrink - as others are.. as all of ours are.. then God help us..

Corporate profits were a record 44% last year.. Did you read that in the news? NO.. Wonder why? You should..

meanwhile, wages are falling for all but the well off..

Something is broken and if we are smart we will JOIN TOGETHER to fix it..

by ultraworld 2005-09-06 03:19PM | 0 recs

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It's interesting

This was such a monumental screw up, the arguement is not if it was a screw up, but why-and the choices are bad and horrible. For example, I saw Tucker Carlson interview Al Sharpton. Al Sharpton said the Federal response sucked ass because the people involved were black. Tucker Carlson, disagreed-he said the Federal response sucked ass people the people involved were poor. The arguement was not whether or not the response sucked ass, or whether or not it sucked ass for reasons of incompetences or whatever benign reason, but the argument was that the problem was that Bush et al considered these people sub-human because they were black, or because they were poor. This is what the difference between a conservative and a liberal is at this point. Bush is fucked, or he should be (but I think 40-45% of the population hates the gays (and the blacks and the poor), thinks abortion is murder, and likes guns and thier tax cuts, so this doesn't help us much).

by Geotpf 2005-09-06 03:44PM | 0 recs

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Explicit Racism

I am just astounded by the comment from The National Review. There is nothing implicit about what they are saying. They are just point blank saying that blacks are dumber then whites. For good measure they are also saying that blacks are more immoral. I can not believe that a national, "respected" news organization would get away with such racism in its purest form. This is something that I would expect to read in a southern newspaper circa 1960, not in any news outlet in 21st century America(outside of whatever newsletter the klu klux klan puts out, required reading for many Republican members of Congress Im sure).

by Andy Katz 2005-09-06 06:43PM | 0 recs

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Wonder

what they will say when tropical depression 16 hits Florida.

by Alice Marshall 2005-09-06 01:35PM | 0 recs

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Re: Wonder

Or when an outbreak of tornadoes hits Oklahoma, or when another hurricane hits South Carolina.

by KTinOhio 2005-09-06 03:06PM | 0 recs

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I think they are finally going over

the edge. It pisses me off, but then, I also glad to get rid of the illusions of the last decade. I am happy because of what my great grandmother used to say to me, "I would rather someone call me a nigger and frown at me, than to treat me like a nigger and smile at me." The point is that their veneer is off- and for that at least- we can deal with them as they are rather than trying to convince people what they are.

by bruh21 2005-09-06 01:38PM | 0 recs

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poorer native judgement my ass....

Here is a black six year old with more good judgement than Michael Brown, Chertoff, Bush and Cheney put together...

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-children5sep05,0,113027.story?coll=la-home-head lines

by Keith Brekhus 2005-09-06 01:50PM | 0 recs

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Here's O'Reilly's take

From today's O'Reilly Factor Talking Points Memo:

New Orleans is not about race. It's about class. If you're poor, you're powerless, not only in America, but everywhere on earth. If you don't have enough money to protect yourself from danger, danger's going to find you. And all the political gibberish in the world is not going to change that.

The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina should be taught in every American school. If you don't get educated, if you don't develop a skill, and force yurself to work hard, you're most likely be poor. And sooner or later, you'll be standing on a symbolic rooftop waiting for help.

by lalawguy 2005-09-06 02:24PM | 0 recs

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Not going to work

Well.. if this is what they are going to try- good luck.

At work today, more then one Bush voter(White; male, older then 40) wished they could take the vote back- mad as hell (like most everyone else).

Of course, he and the other 70 million or so can not take their votes back. However, the Dems have a rare opportunity to frame the debate as I do not see this GOP crap flying very far. I hate to tell Barb Bush, but many people liked New Orleans and it could just as well be Houston some nut case blows up as any where else. (Thank goodness for her secret Service as I am not sure her son would save her).

by mtguyinokc 2005-09-06 03:05PM | 0 recs

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Rush Stayed

I happened to listen the Rush Limbaugh the day before Katrina went over Florida and he was bragging about how he was going to ride it out.

Said something like, "I always leave, but I am going to stay and see what one of these things looks like!"

So let me get this straight:

Rich, White people, OK to stay and check out a hurricane for fun, as long as it isn't a really bad one.

Poor, African-Americans, few options but to stay and try and ride it out... Not only will mother nature devastate you, the US response will denegrate you, now we want to prosecute you.

by Matt in STL 2005-09-06 03:05PM | 0 recs

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Kyl is so full of shit.

How much money has he accepted from the federal government to fight Arizona's drought, or the natural disasters it causes, like wildfire? Does he tell victims of those disasters that they shouldn't have built in his state? Does he tell others to leave, because Arizona doesn't have enough water to sustain its population?

What a hypocrite. I hope Pederson hangs him with his idiocy.

by Drew 2005-09-06 03:46PM | 0 recs