Kings

[poliphilo]

George Bush reminds me of those useless late-18th century kings, George III and Louis XVI. He has no instinct for leadership; he has to be told what to do. "Say, Mr President, don't you think it would be a good idea if you flew down to the Delta and put in an appearance?" "Awww...do I have to?"

A natural-born leader would have been down there, mingling with the refugees, just as soon as it was safe to fly.

Sooner or later every dynasty throws up a man unsuited to the job.

George III was a successful farmer and Louis XVI had a talent for watchmaking and George Bush- if left to his own devices- would have cut the mustard (just)in the lower levels of middle management.

Did they tip the tea into Boston harbour for this? I think not.

Comments

[jackiejj.livejournal.com]

I just read that a woman gave birth on an overpass, and those who helped her used string to cut the cord...

This morning someone on the Today Show pinned down the head of FEMA, who finally admitted that it would be Sunday before the troops show up.

Unacceptable. Horrible.

The reporters are furious. They are asking hard questions, and those they ask say weakly, "Now, let's not point fingers..."

But NO ONE HAS COME.

I just saw a report on NBC news.

An NBC cameraman at the Convention Center talked with Katie Courick of Today Show. He said a man who was just one of the refugees had told him to come inside and take photographs of what was there.

He did, and showed them. He told Katie, I couldn't get aired half the stuff I saw. This is absolutely unbelievable.

He said the man told all the people that the cameraman was there to help
them, to get out the story. They were all eager and tried to cooperate.

Two people died WHILE HE WAS INSIDE.

He said Ray Coniff, Jr (a singer from New Orleans) was in town with NBC to do some Today stuff, and insisted on touring the Center with the cameraman, and he lost it and had to go outside.

I saw people who were at death's door. One old man dead under a blanket.
People just lying there, no hope. The toilets are filthy, overflowing. Trash everywhere. People have no medicine. Children have no milk.

Katie said, has anyone brought anything?

He said, they dropped some sea rations and water, as if to cattle, and the people ran out. He and others were saying, Make a chain!

He said, People need someone to COME DOWN HERE and talk to them.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

This is astonishing, unbelievable.

This is America. This is the world's only superpower. And they can't fly the troops in till the weekend....?

I don't understand what's going on.

If an enemy launched a pre-emptive strike on the country, would it take till Sunday for the defending troops to show up?

[jackiejj.livejournal.com]

Here's a blog from New Orleans (this is a blogsite getting much attention)--I'm just quoting it entirely--it's from yesterday:

The following is the result of an interview I just conducted via cell phone with a New Orleans citizen stranded at the Convention Center. I don't know what you're hearing in the mainstream media or in the press conferences from the city and state officials, but here is the truth:

"Bigfoot" is a bar manager and DJ on Bourbon Street, and is a local
personality and icon in the city. He is a lifelong resident of the city,
born and raised. He rode out the storm itself in the Iberville Projects
because he knew he would be above any flood waters. Here is his story as
told to me moments ago. I took notes while he talked and then I asked some
questions:


Three days ago, police and national guard troops told citizens to head
toward the Crescent City Connection Bridge to await transportation out of
the area. The citizens trekked over to the Convention Center and waited for
the buses which they were told would take them to Houston or Alabama or
somewhere else, out of this area.

It's been 3 days, and the buses have yet to appear.

Although obviously he has no exact count, he estimates more than 10,000
people are packed into and around and outside the convention center still
waiting for the buses. They had no food, no water, and no medicine for the
last three days, until today, when the National Guard drove over the bridge
above them, and tossed out supplies over the side crashing down to the
ground below. Much of the supplies were destroyed from the drop. Many people
tried to catch the supplies to protect them before they hit the ground. Some
offered to walk all the way around up the bridge and bring the supplies
down, but any attempt to approach the police or national guard resulted in
weapons being aimed at them.

There are many infants and elderly people among them, as well as many
people who were injured jumping out of windows to escape flood water and the
like -- all of them in dire straights.

Any attempt to flag down police results in being told to get away at
gunpoint. Hour after hour they watch buses pass by filled with people from
other areas. Tensions are very high, and there has been at least one murder
and several fights. 8 or 9 dead people have been stored in a freezer in the
area, and 2 of these dead people are kids.

The people are so desperate that they're doing anything they can think of
to impress the authorities enough to bring some buses. These things include
standing in single file lines with the eldery in front, women and children
next; sweeping up the area and cleaning the windows and anything else that
would show the people are not barbarians.

The buses never stop.

Before the supplies were pitched off the bridge today, people had to break
into buildings in the area to try to find food and water for their families.
There was not enough. This spurred many families to break into cars to try
to escape the city. There was no police response to the auto thefts until
the mob reached the rich area -- Saulet Condos -- once they tried to get
cars from there... well then the whole swat teams began showing up with
rifles pointed. Snipers got on the roof and told people to get back.

He reports that the conditions are horrendous. Heat, mosquitoes and utter
misery. The smell, he says, is "horrific."

He says it's the slowest mandatory evacuation ever, and he wants to know
why they were told to go to the Convention Center area in the first place;
furthermore, he reports that many of them with cell phones have contacts
willing to come rescue them, but people are not being allowed through to
pick them up.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thank you for this.

I can't think of an adequate reaction.

How about dumbfounded silence....

[jackiejj.livejournal.com]

Tony! A convoy of relief supplies--I can't count them--accompanied by armed soldiers--has arrived in New Orleans! They are heading to the Convention Center--just in.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Good. I'll go watch the news.

But it's been awful late in coming.....