What has happened down here is the wind have changed
Clouds roll in from the north and it started to rain
Rained real hard and rained for a real long time
Six feet of water in the streets of Evangeline
The river rose all day
The river rose all night
Some people got lost in the flood
Some people got away alright
The river have busted through cleard down to Plaquemines
Six feet of water in the streets of Evangelne
CHORUS
Louisiana, Louisiana
They're tyrin' to wash us away
They're tryin' to wash us away
Louisiana, Louisiana
They're tryin' to wash us away
They're tryin' to wash us away
President Coolidge came down in a railroad train
With a little fat man with a note-pad in his hand
The President say, "Little fat man isn't it a shame what the river has
done
To this poor crackers land."
CHORUS
Friday, September 09, 2005
shelter from the storm -Bob Dylan
Twas in another lifetime, one of toil and blood
When blackness was a virtue and the road was full of mud
I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
And if I pass this way again, you can rest assured
I'll always do my best for her, on that I give my word
In a world of steel-eyed death, and men who are fighting to be warm.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Not a word was spoke between us, there was little risk involved
Everything up to that point had been left unresolved.
Try imagining a place where it's always safe and warm.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
I was burned out from exhaustion, buried in the hail,
Poisoned in the bushes an' blown out on the trail,
Hunted like a crocodile, ravaged in the corn.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Suddenly I turned around and she was standin' there
With silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair.
She walked up to me so gracefully and took my crown of thorns.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Now there's a wall between us, somethin' there's been lost
I took too much for granted, got my signals crossed.
Just to think that it all began on a long-forgotten morn.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Well, the deputy walks on hard nails and the preacher rides a mount
But nothing really matters much, it's doom alone that counts
And the one-eyed undertaker, he blows a futile horn.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
I've heard newborn babies wailin' like a mournin' dove
And old men with broken teeth stranded without love.
Do I understand your question, man, is it hopeless and forlorn?
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
In a little hilltop village, they gambled for my clothes
I bargained for salvation an' they gave me a lethal dose.
I offered up my innocence and got repaid with scorn.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Well, I'm livin' in a foreign country but I'm bound to cross the line
Beauty walks a razor's edge, someday I'll make it mine.
If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Copyright © 1974 Ram's Horn Music
When blackness was a virtue and the road was full of mud
I came in from the wilderness, a creature void of form.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
And if I pass this way again, you can rest assured
I'll always do my best for her, on that I give my word
In a world of steel-eyed death, and men who are fighting to be warm.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Not a word was spoke between us, there was little risk involved
Everything up to that point had been left unresolved.
Try imagining a place where it's always safe and warm.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
I was burned out from exhaustion, buried in the hail,
Poisoned in the bushes an' blown out on the trail,
Hunted like a crocodile, ravaged in the corn.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Suddenly I turned around and she was standin' there
With silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair.
She walked up to me so gracefully and took my crown of thorns.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Now there's a wall between us, somethin' there's been lost
I took too much for granted, got my signals crossed.
Just to think that it all began on a long-forgotten morn.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Well, the deputy walks on hard nails and the preacher rides a mount
But nothing really matters much, it's doom alone that counts
And the one-eyed undertaker, he blows a futile horn.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
I've heard newborn babies wailin' like a mournin' dove
And old men with broken teeth stranded without love.
Do I understand your question, man, is it hopeless and forlorn?
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
In a little hilltop village, they gambled for my clothes
I bargained for salvation an' they gave me a lethal dose.
I offered up my innocence and got repaid with scorn.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Well, I'm livin' in a foreign country but I'm bound to cross the line
Beauty walks a razor's edge, someday I'll make it mine.
If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born.
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Copyright © 1974 Ram's Horn Music
"Your Call Will Be Disconnected"
calling the FEMA hotline to report personal loss to the hurricaine will not result in reaching an operator. If there is no operator available..
"Your Call Will Be Disconnected"
check for yourself Listen to CALL FEMA on the randi rhodes website
"Your Call Will Be Disconnected"
check for yourself Listen to CALL FEMA on the randi rhodes website
Thursday, September 08, 2005
ME ME ME
jen tel didnt tag me so i tagged myself.. AINT THAT LAME
1. when i was 5 i was on Bozo the clown and didnt get chosen for anything
2. i never wore braces
3. most of my teeth except my fronts are capped
4. i worked in a shoe factory in 1979 for a summer
5. i completed my masters degree in ONE YEAR
6. I moved to NYC knowing NO one
7. i always wanted to break my leg as kid
8. Howie Long the football player hung out at our house with the football jocks
9. my father's uncle ran money for the mafia and ended up in boston harbor
10. My grandfather was a flutist in the Russian Philharmonic
11. my grandmother saved her life 3 times in russia but speaking in russian, jumping in lake and hiding from Cossacks
12. my mother was raised keeping kosher
13. My father is a Shiner and a Mason
14. my mother, brother and neice all have learning disabilites
15. my first car was a 1966 comet station wagon
16. i cleaned WINTER ISLAND in salem an old coast guard base and made it usable
17. i stayed home sick on 9-11-02
18. i used to collect NBA teeshirts but only purchased in NBA cities
19. my favorite sandwich is swiss, provolone, and american cheese on a roll with lettace tomato mayo and Potato chips
20. i have never eaten an ice sundae
21. my first diet was at age 5
22 i have a triple minor psychology, sociology and political science to my BSW
23. i carry the title adjunct professor.
25. i have worked at two places full time since earning my MSW
1. when i was 5 i was on Bozo the clown and didnt get chosen for anything
2. i never wore braces
3. most of my teeth except my fronts are capped
4. i worked in a shoe factory in 1979 for a summer
5. i completed my masters degree in ONE YEAR
6. I moved to NYC knowing NO one
7. i always wanted to break my leg as kid
8. Howie Long the football player hung out at our house with the football jocks
9. my father's uncle ran money for the mafia and ended up in boston harbor
10. My grandfather was a flutist in the Russian Philharmonic
11. my grandmother saved her life 3 times in russia but speaking in russian, jumping in lake and hiding from Cossacks
12. my mother was raised keeping kosher
13. My father is a Shiner and a Mason
14. my mother, brother and neice all have learning disabilites
15. my first car was a 1966 comet station wagon
16. i cleaned WINTER ISLAND in salem an old coast guard base and made it usable
17. i stayed home sick on 9-11-02
18. i used to collect NBA teeshirts but only purchased in NBA cities
19. my favorite sandwich is swiss, provolone, and american cheese on a roll with lettace tomato mayo and Potato chips
20. i have never eaten an ice sundae
21. my first diet was at age 5
22 i have a triple minor psychology, sociology and political science to my BSW
23. i carry the title adjunct professor.
25. i have worked at two places full time since earning my MSW
dreaming again
since i have been home, i have slept better this week than i have slept in months. I have started taking Evening Primrose because someone told me if helps the hot flashes..
I think it reduced them so they dont wake me up. My body is still tired and i am up twice a night. I got to bed a little later and wake about 830am- better than my 6am waking or 730 on weekends.
I have been taking Tylenol PM somenight to sleep and last night i tried Calms Forte because i was wound up from school.
I have been having a variety of anxiety dreams, dreams about tickets on my car due to expired stickers and inspection( my inspection is due in september and i have all month to get it done so there is some sense of reality to the dream) NY cops will ticket you for looking the wrong way. They look in your car as they turn corners to make sure you are wearing your belt or not on your phone. My anxiety dreams are infrequent compared to my dreams about Mary Chapin Carpenter.
i dream of MCC often- she maybe one person who i have have the most sympatico with, even before i met her.
i dreamed last night that i met up with her at a loft that she owned in an area that i believe was NJ but the loft was being renovated and the insides torn out and being replaced with new items. when we met, i thanked her and Mary Beth, her personal assistant who was also in the dream for their recent acts of kindness and generosity towards me. I raised my hand and they both linked their fingers in mine. Mary Chapin took her arm and embraced me while keeping her fingers linked in mine. she held on hard and when i loosed up, she grabbed tighter.
OUtside this building was a lake, or the loft that looked like it was in old factory or fire station was on a lake. and i remember telling MCC in the dream, i could move to a place that looks like this. The street was lined with Lemon trees that were ripening. I asked MCC if i could have some Lemons, as they seemed to belong to her. In my mind, i was gonna take them anyway. She said yes, i told her i wanted to zest them, like i see them do over and over on FOOD network.
MCC was packing her suitcase, as i started to help her, she was meticulous about laying out the clothes and making sure that each piece was in order and i went to zip the carry on bag, she stopped me and wanted to do the inside tie on the suitcase. INside was tweeds and slacks and tops, and i thought (how fashionable these clothes are for a larger size woman)
i referenced to MB and MCC that sally lindsay was my assistant on the project and she was outta work so we both had time and it would allow sally to be treated with dignity. I wanted MCC to know that Sally was outta work..
Sally Lindsay was also in my dream. she was a shadow figure on the dream and she was there to help me. I told her in the dream that we would meet for dinner and dinner was on me..
i walked with MCC on the road looking at the scene around me. The natural world was beautiful. the leaves were starting to change and i knew she was travelling. she held on to my hand tight and i thanked her for all she has done.. I thanked her for her effort.
I think it reduced them so they dont wake me up. My body is still tired and i am up twice a night. I got to bed a little later and wake about 830am- better than my 6am waking or 730 on weekends.
I have been taking Tylenol PM somenight to sleep and last night i tried Calms Forte because i was wound up from school.
I have been having a variety of anxiety dreams, dreams about tickets on my car due to expired stickers and inspection( my inspection is due in september and i have all month to get it done so there is some sense of reality to the dream) NY cops will ticket you for looking the wrong way. They look in your car as they turn corners to make sure you are wearing your belt or not on your phone. My anxiety dreams are infrequent compared to my dreams about Mary Chapin Carpenter.
i dream of MCC often- she maybe one person who i have have the most sympatico with, even before i met her.
i dreamed last night that i met up with her at a loft that she owned in an area that i believe was NJ but the loft was being renovated and the insides torn out and being replaced with new items. when we met, i thanked her and Mary Beth, her personal assistant who was also in the dream for their recent acts of kindness and generosity towards me. I raised my hand and they both linked their fingers in mine. Mary Chapin took her arm and embraced me while keeping her fingers linked in mine. she held on hard and when i loosed up, she grabbed tighter.
OUtside this building was a lake, or the loft that looked like it was in old factory or fire station was on a lake. and i remember telling MCC in the dream, i could move to a place that looks like this. The street was lined with Lemon trees that were ripening. I asked MCC if i could have some Lemons, as they seemed to belong to her. In my mind, i was gonna take them anyway. She said yes, i told her i wanted to zest them, like i see them do over and over on FOOD network.
MCC was packing her suitcase, as i started to help her, she was meticulous about laying out the clothes and making sure that each piece was in order and i went to zip the carry on bag, she stopped me and wanted to do the inside tie on the suitcase. INside was tweeds and slacks and tops, and i thought (how fashionable these clothes are for a larger size woman)
i referenced to MB and MCC that sally lindsay was my assistant on the project and she was outta work so we both had time and it would allow sally to be treated with dignity. I wanted MCC to know that Sally was outta work..
Sally Lindsay was also in my dream. she was a shadow figure on the dream and she was there to help me. I told her in the dream that we would meet for dinner and dinner was on me..
i walked with MCC on the road looking at the scene around me. The natural world was beautiful. the leaves were starting to change and i knew she was travelling. she held on to my hand tight and i thanked her for all she has done.. I thanked her for her effort.
everybody gotta eat
National Restaurant Association Galvanizes Industry to Support Dine for America Hurricane Relief Effort
Restaurants, employees and guests unite to aid those impacted by Hurricane Katrina
September 02, 2005
Contact: Sue Hensley 202-331-5964, Katharine Kim 202-331-5939
(Washington, DC) On October 5, 2005, restaurants across the country will band together in a "Dine for America" day, a national fundraising effort to support the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund and help those affected by Hurricane Katrina and their families.
A Web site - www.dineforamerica.org - will be launched on Thursday, September 8, where participating restaurants—independent operators and national chains, tableservice and quickservice—can choose from a menu of options on how they would like to participate. Additionally, artwork for promotional materials such as posters, tray liners, table tents, and donation canisters will be available for download on the site.
Operators can donate all or part of their sales or proceeds on October 5, make a donation for each guest served, make a donation for each sale of a specific item, or make a donation of a set amount. One hundred percent of the funds raised will go to the hurricane victims and their families via the Red Cross.
"In 2001, Dine for America mobilized more than 8,000 restaurants and raised more than $20 million," said Association President and Chief Executive Officer Steven C. Anderson. "We hope to exceed that goal with this effort. Restaurants are the cornerstone of local communities across the nation and that is especially evident in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the lives, homes and businesses of millions of Americans."
"This is an opportunity for the industry to come together for a common cause and help our neighbors in the South in a time of desperate need. While short-term relief efforts are ongoing, the long-term effects are yet to be known and the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast region will take a long time. Not only do these Americans need help today, but they will need help throughout the fall," said Steve Stoddard, CEO, Restaurants Unlimited, Inc.
Restaurants interested in participating should go to www.restaurant.org for more information. The www.dineforamerica.org Web site is scheduled to be launched on Thursday, September 8.
The National Restaurant Association, founded in 1919, is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which is comprised of 900,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a work force of 12.2 million employees - making it the cornerstone of the economy, career opportunities and community involvement. Along with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, the Association works to represent, educate and promote the rapidly growing industry. For more information, visit our Web site at www.restaurant.org.
Restaurants, employees and guests unite to aid those impacted by Hurricane Katrina
September 02, 2005
Contact: Sue Hensley 202-331-5964, Katharine Kim 202-331-5939
(Washington, DC) On October 5, 2005, restaurants across the country will band together in a "Dine for America" day, a national fundraising effort to support the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund and help those affected by Hurricane Katrina and their families.
A Web site - www.dineforamerica.org - will be launched on Thursday, September 8, where participating restaurants—independent operators and national chains, tableservice and quickservice—can choose from a menu of options on how they would like to participate. Additionally, artwork for promotional materials such as posters, tray liners, table tents, and donation canisters will be available for download on the site.
Operators can donate all or part of their sales or proceeds on October 5, make a donation for each guest served, make a donation for each sale of a specific item, or make a donation of a set amount. One hundred percent of the funds raised will go to the hurricane victims and their families via the Red Cross.
"In 2001, Dine for America mobilized more than 8,000 restaurants and raised more than $20 million," said Association President and Chief Executive Officer Steven C. Anderson. "We hope to exceed that goal with this effort. Restaurants are the cornerstone of local communities across the nation and that is especially evident in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the lives, homes and businesses of millions of Americans."
"This is an opportunity for the industry to come together for a common cause and help our neighbors in the South in a time of desperate need. While short-term relief efforts are ongoing, the long-term effects are yet to be known and the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast region will take a long time. Not only do these Americans need help today, but they will need help throughout the fall," said Steve Stoddard, CEO, Restaurants Unlimited, Inc.
Restaurants interested in participating should go to www.restaurant.org for more information. The www.dineforamerica.org Web site is scheduled to be launched on Thursday, September 8.
The National Restaurant Association, founded in 1919, is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which is comprised of 900,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a work force of 12.2 million employees - making it the cornerstone of the economy, career opportunities and community involvement. Along with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, the Association works to represent, educate and promote the rapidly growing industry. For more information, visit our Web site at www.restaurant.org.
Wednesday, September 07, 2005
9-11 again
tonight i decided to address Hurricaine Katrina in my Social work with children and adolescents class. I want to help these undergraduate student learn the impact of trauma on people under 18...I decided to teach them about post traumatic stress syndrome and secondary trauma... i decided to teach them HOW to talk to kids about the hurricaine and how to answer kids questions..
One of my brighter student asked me, where the Social Workers were in Houston and where are the mental health professionals. and can we expect suicides, alcoholism and domestic violence rise among first responders again.. We ended up talking about Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. YOu need to feed people's stomachs before you can feed their heads...
slowly the topic switched to 9-11... it all triggers 9-11... i reminded them that sunday was the anniversary of the world trade towers being attacked and that should not take away from Katrina's damage.. as we were in eyesight of the WTC site, we talked about those Phanthon Towers and the many meaning of the landscape of disasters and why anniversaries and rituals are important..
the students decided that they could feel what went on in New Orleans.... empathy it is called... i responded..
when i left the building, i looked down Varick street as i do each week and sure enough the Towers of Light were back as they are every year and i nodded to the Fake towers..
as i walked up my block... i ran into my neighbor Freddie in his yankee jersey and i got the score to the red sox -LA game... Sox were winning.. yankees were winning too.. and i saw in a spit of sky between two apartment building, A single tower of light..... the tower followed me home.. or maybe like the burned debris from Prudentiial life that floated in the air on that tuesday morning, the light of the tower could reach my block...
One of my brighter student asked me, where the Social Workers were in Houston and where are the mental health professionals. and can we expect suicides, alcoholism and domestic violence rise among first responders again.. We ended up talking about Maslow's Hierarchy of needs. YOu need to feed people's stomachs before you can feed their heads...
slowly the topic switched to 9-11... it all triggers 9-11... i reminded them that sunday was the anniversary of the world trade towers being attacked and that should not take away from Katrina's damage.. as we were in eyesight of the WTC site, we talked about those Phanthon Towers and the many meaning of the landscape of disasters and why anniversaries and rituals are important..
the students decided that they could feel what went on in New Orleans.... empathy it is called... i responded..
when i left the building, i looked down Varick street as i do each week and sure enough the Towers of Light were back as they are every year and i nodded to the Fake towers..
as i walked up my block... i ran into my neighbor Freddie in his yankee jersey and i got the score to the red sox -LA game... Sox were winning.. yankees were winning too.. and i saw in a spit of sky between two apartment building, A single tower of light..... the tower followed me home.. or maybe like the burned debris from Prudentiial life that floated in the air on that tuesday morning, the light of the tower could reach my block...
Capricorn Horoscope for week of September 8, 2005
Capricorn Horoscope for week of September 8, 2005
Verticle Oracle card Capricorn (December 22-January 19)
Back when it was still a fledgling business in the 1950s, the McDonald's hamburger franchise caught the attention of a salesman named Ray Kroc. He joined the team as an executive, and soon began thinking about buying the company outright. His advisors counseled him against it, but Kroc said he had "a feeling in his funny bone" that it was the right thing to do. Years later, he had become a billionaire, renowned as one of the world's titans of industry. I'm not necessarily saying you will amass a comparable fortune, Capricorn, but decisions you make in the coming weeks could be as life-changing as Kroc's--and maybe even instrumental in ensuring that you fulfill the mission you came to Earth to carry out. Trust the feelings in your funny bone.
Verticle Oracle card Capricorn (December 22-January 19)
Back when it was still a fledgling business in the 1950s, the McDonald's hamburger franchise caught the attention of a salesman named Ray Kroc. He joined the team as an executive, and soon began thinking about buying the company outright. His advisors counseled him against it, but Kroc said he had "a feeling in his funny bone" that it was the right thing to do. Years later, he had become a billionaire, renowned as one of the world's titans of industry. I'm not necessarily saying you will amass a comparable fortune, Capricorn, but decisions you make in the coming weeks could be as life-changing as Kroc's--and maybe even instrumental in ensuring that you fulfill the mission you came to Earth to carry out. Trust the feelings in your funny bone.
chris responds...
Sure...why not?
1) Reply with your name and I'll respond with something random about you.
2) I'll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
3) I'll pick a flavor/color of jello to wrestle with you in.
4) I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me.
5) I'll tell you my first memory of you.
6) I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7) I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.
8) If I do this for you, you must post this on your journal.
1. Sharong - She is now plateless.
2. The Blessings - Dar Williams
3. Watermelon!
4. UCRs
5. Getting a Green World Poster from you while waiting on line at the Bottom Line
6. A Unicorn with a sparkling horn on her head.
7. How did you cope with working with children when you started in social work?
1) Reply with your name and I'll respond with something random about you.
2) I'll tell you what song/movie reminds me of you.
3) I'll pick a flavor/color of jello to wrestle with you in.
4) I'll say something that only makes sense to you and me.
5) I'll tell you my first memory of you.
6) I'll tell you what animal you remind me of.
7) I'll ask you something that I've always wondered about you.
8) If I do this for you, you must post this on your journal.
1. Sharong - She is now plateless.
2. The Blessings - Dar Williams
3. Watermelon!
4. UCRs
5. Getting a Green World Poster from you while waiting on line at the Bottom Line
6. A Unicorn with a sparkling horn on her head.
7. How did you cope with working with children when you started in social work?
MAMA BUSH speaks
the comments by the mother of President George W Bush have fueled the ire of some Americans, who see the Bush family as out-of-touch patricians.
“Almost everyone I’ve talked to says ‘we’re going to move to Houston,’” Bush said in a radio interview after visiting evacuees at the Astrodome with her husband, former president George Bush.
“What I’m hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality,” she said.
“And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so thtis - this is working very well for them.”
“Almost everyone I’ve talked to says ‘we’re going to move to Houston,’” Bush said in a radio interview after visiting evacuees at the Astrodome with her husband, former president George Bush.
“What I’m hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality,” she said.
“And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so thtis - this is working very well for them.”
Monday, September 05, 2005
Mr broussard on MEET THE PRESS sunday
MR. RUSSERT: And we are back.
Jefferson Parish President Broussard, let me start with you. You just heard the director of Homeland Security's explanation of what has happened this last week. What is your reaction?
MR. AARON BROUSSARD: We have been abandoned by our own country. Hurricane Katrina will go down in history as one of the worst storms ever to hit an American coast, but the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina will go down as one of the worst abandonments of Americans on American soil ever in U.S. history. I am personally asking our bipartisan congressional delegation here in Louisiana to immediately begin congressional hearings to find out just what happened here. Why did it happen? Who needs to be fired? And believe me, they need to be fired right away, because we still have weeks to go in this tragedy. We have months to go. We have years to go. And whoever is at the top of this totem pole, that totem pole needs to be chain-sawed off and we've got to start with some new leadership.
It's not just Katrina that caused all these deaths in New Orleans here. Bureaucracy has committed murder here in the greater New Orleans area, and bureaucracy has to stand trial before Congress now. It's so obvious. FEMA needs more congressional funding. It needs more presidential support. It needs to be a Cabinet-level director. It needs to be an independent agency that will be able to fulfill its mission to work in partnership with state and local governments around America. FEMA needs to be empowered to do the things it was created to do. It needs to come somewhere, like New Orleans, with all of its force immediately, without red tape, without bureaucracy, act immediately with common sense and leadership, and save lives. Forget about the property. We can rebuild the property. It's got to be able to come in and save lives.
We need strong leadership at the top of America right now in order to accomplish this and to-- reconstructing FEMA.
MR. RUSSERT: Mr. Broussard, let me ask--I want to ask--should...
MR. BROUSSARD: You know, just some quick examples...
MR. RUSSERT: Hold on. Hold on, sir. Shouldn't the mayor of New Orleans and the governor of New Orleans bear some responsibility? Couldn't they have been much more forceful, much more effective and much more organized in evacuating the area?
MR. BROUSSARD: Sir, they were told like me, every single day, "The cavalry's coming," on a federal level, "The cavalry's coming, the cavalry's coming, the cavalry's coming." I have just begun to hear the hoofs of the cavalry. The cavalry's still not here yet, but I've begun to hear the hoofs, and we're almost a week out.
Let me give you just three quick examples. We had Wal-Mart deliver three trucks of water, trailer trucks of water. FEMA turned them back. They said we didn't need them. This was a week ago. FEMA--we had 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel on a Coast Guard vessel docked in my parish. The Coast Guard said, "Come get the fuel right away." When we got there with our trucks, they got a word. "FEMA says don't give you the fuel." Yesterday--yesterday--FEMA comes in and cuts all of our emergency communication lines. They cut them without notice. Our sheriff, Harry Lee, goes back in, he reconnects the line. He posts armed guards on our line and says, "No one is getting near these lines." Sheriff Harry Lee said that if America--American government would have responded like Wal-Mart has responded, we wouldn't be in this crisis.
But I want to thank Governor Blanco for all she's done and all her leadership. She sent in the National Guard. I just repaired a breach on my side of the 17th Street canal that the secretary didn't foresee, a 300-foot breach. I just completed it yesterday with convoys of National Guard and local parish workers and levee board people. It took us two and a half days working 24/7. I just closed it.
MR. RUSSERT: All right.
MR. BROUSSARD: I'm telling you most importantly I want to thank my public employees...
MR. RUSSERT: All right.
MR. BROUSSARD: ...that have worked 24/7. They're burned out, the doctors, the nurses. And I want to give you one last story and I'll shut up and let you tell me whatever you want to tell me. The guy who runs this building I'm in, emergency management, he's responsible for everything. His mother was trapped in St. Bernard nursing home and every day she called him and said, "Are you coming, son? Is somebody coming?" And he said, "Yeah, Mama, somebody's coming to get you. Somebody's coming to get you on Tuesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Wednesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Thursday. Somebody's coming to get you on Friday." And she drowned Friday night. She drowned Friday night.
MR. RUSSERT: Mr. President...
MR. BROUSSARD: Nobody's coming to get us. Nobody's coming to get us. The secretary has promised. Everybody's promised. They've had press conferences. I'm sick of the press conferences. For God sakes, shut up and send us somebody.
MR. RUSSERT: Just take a pause, Mr. President. While you gather yourself in your very emotional times, I understand, let me go to Governor Haley Barbour of Mississippi.
Jefferson Parish President Broussard, let me start with you. You just heard the director of Homeland Security's explanation of what has happened this last week. What is your reaction?
MR. AARON BROUSSARD: We have been abandoned by our own country. Hurricane Katrina will go down in history as one of the worst storms ever to hit an American coast, but the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina will go down as one of the worst abandonments of Americans on American soil ever in U.S. history. I am personally asking our bipartisan congressional delegation here in Louisiana to immediately begin congressional hearings to find out just what happened here. Why did it happen? Who needs to be fired? And believe me, they need to be fired right away, because we still have weeks to go in this tragedy. We have months to go. We have years to go. And whoever is at the top of this totem pole, that totem pole needs to be chain-sawed off and we've got to start with some new leadership.
It's not just Katrina that caused all these deaths in New Orleans here. Bureaucracy has committed murder here in the greater New Orleans area, and bureaucracy has to stand trial before Congress now. It's so obvious. FEMA needs more congressional funding. It needs more presidential support. It needs to be a Cabinet-level director. It needs to be an independent agency that will be able to fulfill its mission to work in partnership with state and local governments around America. FEMA needs to be empowered to do the things it was created to do. It needs to come somewhere, like New Orleans, with all of its force immediately, without red tape, without bureaucracy, act immediately with common sense and leadership, and save lives. Forget about the property. We can rebuild the property. It's got to be able to come in and save lives.
We need strong leadership at the top of America right now in order to accomplish this and to-- reconstructing FEMA.
MR. RUSSERT: Mr. Broussard, let me ask--I want to ask--should...
MR. BROUSSARD: You know, just some quick examples...
MR. RUSSERT: Hold on. Hold on, sir. Shouldn't the mayor of New Orleans and the governor of New Orleans bear some responsibility? Couldn't they have been much more forceful, much more effective and much more organized in evacuating the area?
MR. BROUSSARD: Sir, they were told like me, every single day, "The cavalry's coming," on a federal level, "The cavalry's coming, the cavalry's coming, the cavalry's coming." I have just begun to hear the hoofs of the cavalry. The cavalry's still not here yet, but I've begun to hear the hoofs, and we're almost a week out.
Let me give you just three quick examples. We had Wal-Mart deliver three trucks of water, trailer trucks of water. FEMA turned them back. They said we didn't need them. This was a week ago. FEMA--we had 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel on a Coast Guard vessel docked in my parish. The Coast Guard said, "Come get the fuel right away." When we got there with our trucks, they got a word. "FEMA says don't give you the fuel." Yesterday--yesterday--FEMA comes in and cuts all of our emergency communication lines. They cut them without notice. Our sheriff, Harry Lee, goes back in, he reconnects the line. He posts armed guards on our line and says, "No one is getting near these lines." Sheriff Harry Lee said that if America--American government would have responded like Wal-Mart has responded, we wouldn't be in this crisis.
But I want to thank Governor Blanco for all she's done and all her leadership. She sent in the National Guard. I just repaired a breach on my side of the 17th Street canal that the secretary didn't foresee, a 300-foot breach. I just completed it yesterday with convoys of National Guard and local parish workers and levee board people. It took us two and a half days working 24/7. I just closed it.
MR. RUSSERT: All right.
MR. BROUSSARD: I'm telling you most importantly I want to thank my public employees...
MR. RUSSERT: All right.
MR. BROUSSARD: ...that have worked 24/7. They're burned out, the doctors, the nurses. And I want to give you one last story and I'll shut up and let you tell me whatever you want to tell me. The guy who runs this building I'm in, emergency management, he's responsible for everything. His mother was trapped in St. Bernard nursing home and every day she called him and said, "Are you coming, son? Is somebody coming?" And he said, "Yeah, Mama, somebody's coming to get you. Somebody's coming to get you on Tuesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Wednesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Thursday. Somebody's coming to get you on Friday." And she drowned Friday night. She drowned Friday night.
MR. RUSSERT: Mr. President...
MR. BROUSSARD: Nobody's coming to get us. Nobody's coming to get us. The secretary has promised. Everybody's promised. They've had press conferences. I'm sick of the press conferences. For God sakes, shut up and send us somebody.
MR. RUSSERT: Just take a pause, Mr. President. While you gather yourself in your very emotional times, I understand, let me go to Governor Haley Barbour of Mississippi.
Crawfish Étouffée Goes Into Exile
Hurricane Katrina has devastated one of the nation's most distinctive culinary cultures.
As restaurateurs and diners around the country worked to organize fund-raisers and find jobs for industry refugees, the people who ran many of the best-known restaurants in the United States struggled to find out what, if anything, was left of the vibrant New Orleans restaurant scene.
Brigtsen's Restaurant, a New Orleans landmark, is closed indefinitely.
Helping Workers in Restaurants
The restaurant industry and culinary associations have set up several ways to help New Orleans restaurant workers:
A fund has been established to benefit restaurant and hotel workers. Contributions may be sent to: New Orleans Hospitality Workers Disaster Relief Fund, Greater Houston Community Foundation, 4550 Post Oak Place, Suite 100, Houston, 77027; or call (713) 333-2200.
On Sept. 12, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Acadiana restaurant in Washington will sell New Orleans-style po-boy sandwiches, made by some of the city's top chefs, to raise money for victims. Restaurants throughout the country are being encouraged to have similar fund-raisers. Contact Simone Rathlé at (703) 534-8100, (800) 496-1733 or simonepr@aol.com.
On Oct. 5, restaurants across the country will have a "Dine for America" day to support the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. A Web site, www.dineforamerica.org, will be ready later this week.
On Oct. 11, chefs will serve dishes inspired by New Orleans at the Cornell Club in Manhattan. Tickets will be $175 a person. Proceeds will benefit the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau. Contact Katie Callahan at (212) 758-5322 or katie@venuepr.com.
On Oct. 17 in Washington, Share Our Strength, an antihunger charity, will hold a benefit with 40 top chefs. Information is available at www.strength.org.
Nearly 10 percent of the New Orleans labor force, about 55,000 people, worked in the city's estimated 3,400 restaurants.
Most of the city's best-known restaurants are in the French Quarter, Uptown and in the Garden District, which remained relatively dry. But there were still reports of fires, looting and other damage. Restaurants in the Central Business District and in the Bucktown section were flooded and more seriously damaged.
But whether or not restaurants were damaged, reopening them will be difficult. "We're kind of assuming that even in places like the French Quarter, even if they don't have water damage, they're not going to have customers for a long time," said Don Luria, president of the Council of Independent Restaurants of America, which is helping to find jobs for thousands of workers. "I think a lot of these people are not going to be returning to New Orleans for a long time, if ever."
Some restaurateurs are vowing to continue. "We have been instructed by the matriarchs that we will rebuild," Brad Brennan, of the family that owns the famed Commander's Palace and eight other restaurants, said from his office at Commander's Palace Las Vegas. "There was no hesitation."
The matriarchs are Mr. Brennan's aunt, Ella Brennan, and his mother, Dottie Brennan, who was evacuated to Houston, where the family also has a restaurant.
Mr. Brennan said it was too soon to know the extent of the damage, but all of the 800 employees of the Brennan restaurants were accounted for.
Chuck Subra Jr., executive chef and co-owner of La Côte Brasserie in the Warehouse District, stayed at the restaurant and the adjoining Renaissance Hotel until Wednesday afternoon, before leaving for New Iberia, about 110 miles to the west.
"We're picking up the pieces and moving on," he said, "but I definitely think New Orleans will be back. I'll be back with it."
John Besh, co-owner of Restaurant August and the Besh Steakhouse at Harrah's casino, both in the Central Business District, drove evacuees to his family home in North Carolina last week then returned last weekend with supplies, said Simone Rathle, his publicist.
The chef of the steakhouse, Alon Shaya, said that on television on Sunday he and Mr. Besh had seen the Subway sandwich shop next to August burning, but they could not see if the restaurant was damaged. Mr. Besh, he said, could not get into New Orleans, so yesterday he served red beans and rice to evacuees and emergency workers in Slidell.
Other chefs abandoned their homes and restaurants entirely. Frank Brigtsen of Brigtsen's Restaurant has lived his entire life in New Orleans, but has decided to settle in Shreveport, La, almost 300 miles to the northwest. "We won't have a livelihood, because the city won't be able to support it," Mr. Brigtsen said. "There's a chance it might resurrect itself, but there's not going to be tourism for many years."
Over the weekend, many of the top restaurant owners and chefs had been accounted for through friends, publicists and other chefs. Many logged on to the Southern Foodways Alliance Web site, where the Southern food historian and writer John T. Edge spent Sunday compiling a list of chefs and other members of the alliance who had been accounted for.
But many chefs and restaurant owners were still seeking word on Sunday on the whereabouts of their waiters, line cooks and dishwashers - people who lived paycheck to paycheck and were less likely to have cars or money to evacuate. "They are going to desperately need to find other employment pretty quick," Tom Weatherly of the Louisiana Restaurant Association said.
The restaurant association, along with the James Beard Foundation and the Southern Foodways Alliance, which are culinary associations, and OpenTable.com, an online restaurant service, are contacting restaurateurs around the country to set up a job bank they hope will provide jobs in as many as 3,000 restaurants. Information about the job bank can be found at jamesbeard.org and southernfoodways.com. The rest of Louisiana's restaurant industry, which generates $5.2 billion in sales a year and is the largest private employer in the state, was also trying to absorb the hurricane's blow.
Restaurants in nearby cities were overloaded with evacuees and short on food. Warehouses of major food suppliers like Sysco were damaged, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency was buying up huge parts of the remaining food supply, Mr. Weatherly said. For food lovers, the loss of a city that produced chefs like Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse and taught a nation how to eat gumbo, po' boys and étouffée, is incalculable.
New Orleans "is our spiritual and cultural culinary home," the Southern author and cook Nathalie Dupree said in an e-mail message.
"We don't know if the descendants of the great African-American and Creole cooks will return," Ms. Dupree said. "We don't know where those dishwashers and waiters and sauce chefs will go while the great chefs rebuild their restaurants, or if they will ever be back."
Pableaux Johnson contributed reporting for this article.
As restaurateurs and diners around the country worked to organize fund-raisers and find jobs for industry refugees, the people who ran many of the best-known restaurants in the United States struggled to find out what, if anything, was left of the vibrant New Orleans restaurant scene.
Brigtsen's Restaurant, a New Orleans landmark, is closed indefinitely.
Helping Workers in Restaurants
The restaurant industry and culinary associations have set up several ways to help New Orleans restaurant workers:
A fund has been established to benefit restaurant and hotel workers. Contributions may be sent to: New Orleans Hospitality Workers Disaster Relief Fund, Greater Houston Community Foundation, 4550 Post Oak Place, Suite 100, Houston, 77027; or call (713) 333-2200.
On Sept. 12, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Acadiana restaurant in Washington will sell New Orleans-style po-boy sandwiches, made by some of the city's top chefs, to raise money for victims. Restaurants throughout the country are being encouraged to have similar fund-raisers. Contact Simone Rathlé at (703) 534-8100, (800) 496-1733 or simonepr@aol.com.
On Oct. 5, restaurants across the country will have a "Dine for America" day to support the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. A Web site, www.dineforamerica.org, will be ready later this week.
On Oct. 11, chefs will serve dishes inspired by New Orleans at the Cornell Club in Manhattan. Tickets will be $175 a person. Proceeds will benefit the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau. Contact Katie Callahan at (212) 758-5322 or katie@venuepr.com.
On Oct. 17 in Washington, Share Our Strength, an antihunger charity, will hold a benefit with 40 top chefs. Information is available at www.strength.org.
Nearly 10 percent of the New Orleans labor force, about 55,000 people, worked in the city's estimated 3,400 restaurants.
Most of the city's best-known restaurants are in the French Quarter, Uptown and in the Garden District, which remained relatively dry. But there were still reports of fires, looting and other damage. Restaurants in the Central Business District and in the Bucktown section were flooded and more seriously damaged.
But whether or not restaurants were damaged, reopening them will be difficult. "We're kind of assuming that even in places like the French Quarter, even if they don't have water damage, they're not going to have customers for a long time," said Don Luria, president of the Council of Independent Restaurants of America, which is helping to find jobs for thousands of workers. "I think a lot of these people are not going to be returning to New Orleans for a long time, if ever."
Some restaurateurs are vowing to continue. "We have been instructed by the matriarchs that we will rebuild," Brad Brennan, of the family that owns the famed Commander's Palace and eight other restaurants, said from his office at Commander's Palace Las Vegas. "There was no hesitation."
The matriarchs are Mr. Brennan's aunt, Ella Brennan, and his mother, Dottie Brennan, who was evacuated to Houston, where the family also has a restaurant.
Mr. Brennan said it was too soon to know the extent of the damage, but all of the 800 employees of the Brennan restaurants were accounted for.
Chuck Subra Jr., executive chef and co-owner of La Côte Brasserie in the Warehouse District, stayed at the restaurant and the adjoining Renaissance Hotel until Wednesday afternoon, before leaving for New Iberia, about 110 miles to the west.
"We're picking up the pieces and moving on," he said, "but I definitely think New Orleans will be back. I'll be back with it."
John Besh, co-owner of Restaurant August and the Besh Steakhouse at Harrah's casino, both in the Central Business District, drove evacuees to his family home in North Carolina last week then returned last weekend with supplies, said Simone Rathle, his publicist.
The chef of the steakhouse, Alon Shaya, said that on television on Sunday he and Mr. Besh had seen the Subway sandwich shop next to August burning, but they could not see if the restaurant was damaged. Mr. Besh, he said, could not get into New Orleans, so yesterday he served red beans and rice to evacuees and emergency workers in Slidell.
Other chefs abandoned their homes and restaurants entirely. Frank Brigtsen of Brigtsen's Restaurant has lived his entire life in New Orleans, but has decided to settle in Shreveport, La, almost 300 miles to the northwest. "We won't have a livelihood, because the city won't be able to support it," Mr. Brigtsen said. "There's a chance it might resurrect itself, but there's not going to be tourism for many years."
Over the weekend, many of the top restaurant owners and chefs had been accounted for through friends, publicists and other chefs. Many logged on to the Southern Foodways Alliance Web site, where the Southern food historian and writer John T. Edge spent Sunday compiling a list of chefs and other members of the alliance who had been accounted for.
But many chefs and restaurant owners were still seeking word on Sunday on the whereabouts of their waiters, line cooks and dishwashers - people who lived paycheck to paycheck and were less likely to have cars or money to evacuate. "They are going to desperately need to find other employment pretty quick," Tom Weatherly of the Louisiana Restaurant Association said.
The restaurant association, along with the James Beard Foundation and the Southern Foodways Alliance, which are culinary associations, and OpenTable.com, an online restaurant service, are contacting restaurateurs around the country to set up a job bank they hope will provide jobs in as many as 3,000 restaurants. Information about the job bank can be found at jamesbeard.org and southernfoodways.com. The rest of Louisiana's restaurant industry, which generates $5.2 billion in sales a year and is the largest private employer in the state, was also trying to absorb the hurricane's blow.
Restaurants in nearby cities were overloaded with evacuees and short on food. Warehouses of major food suppliers like Sysco were damaged, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency was buying up huge parts of the remaining food supply, Mr. Weatherly said. For food lovers, the loss of a city that produced chefs like Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse and taught a nation how to eat gumbo, po' boys and étouffée, is incalculable.
New Orleans "is our spiritual and cultural culinary home," the Southern author and cook Nathalie Dupree said in an e-mail message.
"We don't know if the descendants of the great African-American and Creole cooks will return," Ms. Dupree said. "We don't know where those dishwashers and waiters and sauce chefs will go while the great chefs rebuild their restaurants, or if they will ever be back."
Pableaux Johnson contributed reporting for this article.
Looting or FINDING...
he Photographs
Who's a Looter? In Storm's Aftermath, Pictures Kick Up a Different Kind of Tempest
By TANIA RALLI
Published: September 5, 2005
Two news photographs ricocheted through the Internet last week and set off a debate about race and the news media in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Information from The A.P. photographer described this young man as looting.
In a similar visual circumstance, the white couple was described by a different agency's photographer as finding food.
The first photo, taken by Dave Martin, an Associated Press photographer in New Orleans, shows a young black man wading through water that has risen to his chest. He is clutching a case of soda and pulling a floating bag. The caption provided by The A.P. says he has just been "looting a grocery store."
The second photo, also from New Orleans, was taken by Chris Graythen for Getty Images and distributed by Agence France-Presse. It shows a white couple up to their chests in the same murky water. The woman is holding some bags of food. This caption says they are shown "after finding bread and soda from a local grocery store."
Both photos turned up Tuesday on Yahoo News, which posts automatic feeds of articles and photos from wire services. Soon after, a user of the photo-sharing site Flickr juxtaposed the images and captions on a single page, which attracted links from many blogs. The left-leaning blog Daily Kos linked to the page with the comment, "It's not looting if you're white."
The contrast of the two photo captions, which to many indicated a double standard at work, generated widespread anger toward the news media that quickly spread beyond the Web.
On Friday night, the rapper Kanye West ignored the teleprompter during NBC's live broadcast of "A Concert for Hurricane Relief," using the opportunity to lambaste President Bush and criticize the press. "I hate the way they portray us in the media," he said. "You see a black family, it says they're looting. You see a white family, it says they're looking for food."
Many bloggers were quick to point out that the photos came from two different agencies, and so could not reflect the prejudice of a single media outlet. A writer on the blog BoingBoing wrote: "Perhaps there's more factual substantiation behind each copywriter's choice of words than we know. But to some, the difference in tone suggests racial bias, implicit or otherwise."
According to the agencies, each photographer captioned his own photograph. Jack Stokes, a spokesman for The A.P., said that photographers are told to describe what they have seen when they write a caption.
Mr. Stokes said The A.P. had guidelines in place before Hurricane Katrina struck to distinguish between "looting" and "carrying." If a photographer sees a person enter a business and emerge with goods, it is described as looting. Otherwise The A.P. calls it carrying.
Mr. Stokes said that Mr. Martin had seen the man in his photograph wade into a grocery store and come out with the sodas and bag, so by A.P.'s definition, the man had looted.
The photographer for Getty Images, Mr. Graythen, said in an e-mail message that he had also stuck to what he had seen to write his caption, and had actually given the wording a great deal of thought. Mr. Graythen described seeing the couple near a corner store from an elevated expressway. The door to the shop was open, and things had floated out to the street. He was not able to talk to the couple, "so I had to draw my own conclusions," he said.
In the extreme conditions of New Orleans, Mr. Graythen said, taking necessities like food and water to survive could not be considered stealing. He said that had he seen people coming out of stores with computers and DVD players, he would have considered that looting.
"If you're taking something that runs solely from a wall outlet that requires power from the electric company - when we are not going to have power for weeks, even months - that's inexcusable," he said.
Since the photo was published last Tuesday Mr. Graythen has received more than 500 e-mail messages, most of them supportive, he said.
Within three hours of the photo's publication online, editors at Agence France-Presse rewrote Mr. Graythen's caption. But the original caption remained online as part of a Yahoo News slide show. Under pressure to keep up with the news, and lacking the time for a discussion about word choice, Olivier Calas, the agency's director of multimedia, asked Yahoo to remove the photo last Thursday.
Now, in its place, when readers seek the picture of the couple, a statement from Neil Budde, the general manager of Yahoo News, appears in its place. The statement emphasizes that Yahoo News did not write the photo captions and that it did not edit the captions, so that the photos can be made available as quickly as possible.
Mr. Calas said Agence France-Presse was bombarded with e-mail messages complaining about the caption. He said the caption was unclear and should have been reworded earlier. "This was a consequence of a series of negligences, not ill intent," he said.
For Mr. Graythen, whose parents and grandparents lost their homes in the disaster, the fate of the survivors was the most important thing. In his e-mail message he wrote: "Now is no time to pass judgment on those trying to stay alive. Now is no time to argue semantics about finding versus looting. Now is no time to argue if this is a white versus black issue."
Who's a Looter? In Storm's Aftermath, Pictures Kick Up a Different Kind of Tempest
By TANIA RALLI
Published: September 5, 2005
Two news photographs ricocheted through the Internet last week and set off a debate about race and the news media in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
Information from The A.P. photographer described this young man as looting.
In a similar visual circumstance, the white couple was described by a different agency's photographer as finding food.
The first photo, taken by Dave Martin, an Associated Press photographer in New Orleans, shows a young black man wading through water that has risen to his chest. He is clutching a case of soda and pulling a floating bag. The caption provided by The A.P. says he has just been "looting a grocery store."
The second photo, also from New Orleans, was taken by Chris Graythen for Getty Images and distributed by Agence France-Presse. It shows a white couple up to their chests in the same murky water. The woman is holding some bags of food. This caption says they are shown "after finding bread and soda from a local grocery store."
Both photos turned up Tuesday on Yahoo News, which posts automatic feeds of articles and photos from wire services. Soon after, a user of the photo-sharing site Flickr juxtaposed the images and captions on a single page, which attracted links from many blogs. The left-leaning blog Daily Kos linked to the page with the comment, "It's not looting if you're white."
The contrast of the two photo captions, which to many indicated a double standard at work, generated widespread anger toward the news media that quickly spread beyond the Web.
On Friday night, the rapper Kanye West ignored the teleprompter during NBC's live broadcast of "A Concert for Hurricane Relief," using the opportunity to lambaste President Bush and criticize the press. "I hate the way they portray us in the media," he said. "You see a black family, it says they're looting. You see a white family, it says they're looking for food."
Many bloggers were quick to point out that the photos came from two different agencies, and so could not reflect the prejudice of a single media outlet. A writer on the blog BoingBoing wrote: "Perhaps there's more factual substantiation behind each copywriter's choice of words than we know. But to some, the difference in tone suggests racial bias, implicit or otherwise."
According to the agencies, each photographer captioned his own photograph. Jack Stokes, a spokesman for The A.P., said that photographers are told to describe what they have seen when they write a caption.
Mr. Stokes said The A.P. had guidelines in place before Hurricane Katrina struck to distinguish between "looting" and "carrying." If a photographer sees a person enter a business and emerge with goods, it is described as looting. Otherwise The A.P. calls it carrying.
Mr. Stokes said that Mr. Martin had seen the man in his photograph wade into a grocery store and come out with the sodas and bag, so by A.P.'s definition, the man had looted.
The photographer for Getty Images, Mr. Graythen, said in an e-mail message that he had also stuck to what he had seen to write his caption, and had actually given the wording a great deal of thought. Mr. Graythen described seeing the couple near a corner store from an elevated expressway. The door to the shop was open, and things had floated out to the street. He was not able to talk to the couple, "so I had to draw my own conclusions," he said.
In the extreme conditions of New Orleans, Mr. Graythen said, taking necessities like food and water to survive could not be considered stealing. He said that had he seen people coming out of stores with computers and DVD players, he would have considered that looting.
"If you're taking something that runs solely from a wall outlet that requires power from the electric company - when we are not going to have power for weeks, even months - that's inexcusable," he said.
Since the photo was published last Tuesday Mr. Graythen has received more than 500 e-mail messages, most of them supportive, he said.
Within three hours of the photo's publication online, editors at Agence France-Presse rewrote Mr. Graythen's caption. But the original caption remained online as part of a Yahoo News slide show. Under pressure to keep up with the news, and lacking the time for a discussion about word choice, Olivier Calas, the agency's director of multimedia, asked Yahoo to remove the photo last Thursday.
Now, in its place, when readers seek the picture of the couple, a statement from Neil Budde, the general manager of Yahoo News, appears in its place. The statement emphasizes that Yahoo News did not write the photo captions and that it did not edit the captions, so that the photos can be made available as quickly as possible.
Mr. Calas said Agence France-Presse was bombarded with e-mail messages complaining about the caption. He said the caption was unclear and should have been reworded earlier. "This was a consequence of a series of negligences, not ill intent," he said.
For Mr. Graythen, whose parents and grandparents lost their homes in the disaster, the fate of the survivors was the most important thing. In his e-mail message he wrote: "Now is no time to pass judgment on those trying to stay alive. Now is no time to argue semantics about finding versus looting. Now is no time to argue if this is a white versus black issue."
Saturday, September 03, 2005
romantic lover
| The Romantic Lover 63% partner focus, 61% aggressiveness, 35% adventurousness |
| Based on the results of this test, it is highly likely that: You prefer your romance and love to be traditional rather than daring or out-of-the-ordinary, you would rather pursue than be pursued and, when it comes to physical love, your satisfaction comes more from providing a wonderful time to your partner than simply seeking your own. This places you in the Lover Style of: The Romantic Lover. The Romantic Lover is a wonderful Lover Style, and is the hallmark of young love--the Romantic Lover often loves the idea of being in love, and being a wonderful lover, and so they try to bring their prospective partners every bit of joy or happiness that they can. They are the serenaders, and the ones to rent carriages in the park or take a gondola ride down a canal. The Romantic Lover is a treasure to find, though they sometimes are prone to being hurt if their advances are ignored or harshly rebuffed. In terms of physical love, the Romantic Lover can seem shy, but usually it is simply a by-product of wanting to be perfect for their lover, and often needs some extra encouragement and re-assurance to truly feel at ease. Given a special, intimate evening, and the right lover, the Romantic Lover can be a delight in bed. Best Compatibility can probably be found with: The Classic Lover (most of all) or the Suave Lover, or the Exotic Lover. Congratulations! If you enjoyed this test, I would love the feedback! Also, you might want to check out some of my other tests if you're interested in the following: Nerds, Geeks & Dorks Professional Wrestling Buffy the Vampire Slayer America/Politics Thanks Again! -- THE LOVER STYLE PROFILE TEST |
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My test tracked 3 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
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| Link: The Lover Style Profile Test written by donathos on Ok Cupid |
Friday, September 02, 2005
my left arm
i have been home all week.. the morphine and local wore off and my arm got sore.. I was bandaged but had trouble wearing my sling. Tuesday, i was groggy and forced myself to walk.. i didnt want to read or walk or stand.. i couldnt sleep..
I had to move my car for alternate side parkting and was afraid to drive but i survived and moved my car to the "correct" side of the road
wedneday am, i went to Rite Aid and filled my script for Vicodin.. i had to got to school to teach for my first class, so i have to figure out a way to shower and wash my hair.. i used the same method as i used the last time i was in a sling
i taught my class and came home and took a pill and went to sleep.. well i went to nap and wake up every two hours.. the vicodin helped teh first night and the fact i hadnt really slept for a few nights before
going to bed to sleep is a pain in teh ass, i dont sleep through the night- i wake up every two hours or so.. as the hot flash starts.. My mother says when i am tired enough i will sleep.. i am more impaired than rested..
wednesday i called my doctor and got a 430 appointment so i called thursday and got a cancellation for 1115... with flowers and donuts i went to see DR Dangelo
my bandages were taken off, i saw the 9 holes in my bone From the screws( they will fill in) and i have plastic stitches and the tape bandages on my arm..
i can shower, drive but have to take lifting and carrying easy...
i am free from my sling..
i walked to park slope last night and stopped into methodist to get the name of the nurses who were so kind to me.. the ambulatory surgery nurse who made me comfortable and was the only one who was humane and Nellie Bata the Recovery nurse.. she was working so i got to thank her myself..in person..
i got a salad and come home, NOT TO SLEEP
I had to move my car for alternate side parkting and was afraid to drive but i survived and moved my car to the "correct" side of the road
wedneday am, i went to Rite Aid and filled my script for Vicodin.. i had to got to school to teach for my first class, so i have to figure out a way to shower and wash my hair.. i used the same method as i used the last time i was in a sling
i taught my class and came home and took a pill and went to sleep.. well i went to nap and wake up every two hours.. the vicodin helped teh first night and the fact i hadnt really slept for a few nights before
going to bed to sleep is a pain in teh ass, i dont sleep through the night- i wake up every two hours or so.. as the hot flash starts.. My mother says when i am tired enough i will sleep.. i am more impaired than rested..
wednesday i called my doctor and got a 430 appointment so i called thursday and got a cancellation for 1115... with flowers and donuts i went to see DR Dangelo
my bandages were taken off, i saw the 9 holes in my bone From the screws( they will fill in) and i have plastic stitches and the tape bandages on my arm..
i can shower, drive but have to take lifting and carrying easy...
i am free from my sling..
i walked to park slope last night and stopped into methodist to get the name of the nurses who were so kind to me.. the ambulatory surgery nurse who made me comfortable and was the only one who was humane and Nellie Bata the Recovery nurse.. she was working so i got to thank her myself..in person..
i got a salad and come home, NOT TO SLEEP
Bush faults recovery efforts as 'not enough'
The president's visit comes amidst fierce criticism
Friday, September 2, 2005; Posted: 7:12 p.m. EDT (23:12 GMT)
President Bush: The devastation "is going to require the attention of this country for a long period of time."
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Scorched by criticism about sluggish federal help, President Bush acknowledged the government's failure to stop lawlessness and help desperate people in New Orleans. "The results are not enough," Bush said Friday in the face of mounting complaints from Republicans and Democrats alike.
Bush promised to crack down on crime and violence, rush food and medicine to the needy, and restore electrical power within weeks to millions of customers across the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
"This is a storm that requires immediate action, now," the president said after a daylong tour of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. "I understand the devastation requires more than one day's attention. It's going to require the attention of this country for a long period of time." (See video of Bush vowing to rebuild New Orleans -- 4:31)
Congress passed a $10.5 billion disaster aid package Friday and Bush said he would sign it by day's end. (Related story.)
He also said National Guard troops were moving in to restore order in New Orleans. He said the city's convention center, where thousands of people lived for days in unsafe conditions, was secure.
Inspecting the disaster scene from the air and on the ground, Bush said the damage was "worse than imaginable" as he traveled through Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. He consoled weeping women and praised Coast Guard teams that pulled stranded people from the roofs of flooded homes.
In New Orleans, Bush flew by helicopter to the ruptured 17th Street levee and watched workers load huge sandbags that were airlifted and dropped into the breach.
"The president is starting to grasp the magnitude of the situation," said Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-Louisiana. Sen. Trent Lott, R-Mississippi, said, "The president obviously was just stunned" by what he saw.
Slow response
Four days after Katrina killed hundreds if not thousands, Republicans joined Democrats in wondering why it was taking so long to relieve the misery of so many people living in squalor without the necessities of life.
"If we can't respond faster than this to an event we saw coming across the Gulf for days, then why do we think we're prepared to respond to a nuclear or biological attack?" asked former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a Republican.
Republican Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts called the government's response "an embarrassment."
Rep. Mark Foley, R-Florida, called upon Bush to recall National Guardsmen stationed in Iraq whose homes and families were in the path of Katrina's destruction. The president said there were enough Guard troops for Iraq and recovery efforts.
The storm of criticism was stinging for a president who won widespread praise for his handling of the terrorist attacks four years ago. It was an unwelcome turn for Bush, suffering sagging approval ratings in the polls.
While Bush has been loath to admit errors throughout his presidency, he conceded that the recovery is not proceeding well.
Some White House aides and Republicans were glad to hear the president stop defending the administration's response when it was so obvious that conditions were so bad for so many people.
Where it's working
"Where it's not working right, we're going to make it right," the president said after walking through a devastated neighborhood of Mobile, Alabama. "Where it is working right, we're going to duplicate it elsewhere."
Bush faulted efforts to restore order in New Orleans, where looting, violence and other crimes have been rampant. Asked what he meant by unacceptable results, Bush said, "Well, I'm talking about the fact that we don't have enough security in New Orleans yet." He said 1,200 National Guard troops arrived there on Friday and that 1,200 were deployed on Thursday.
"They need to stabilize that situation," the president said. "They need to make sure that the food and medicine that is in place is given to the people that need the food and medicine."
He said he was not faulting efforts in Mississippi, where Republican Gov. Haley Barbour praised federal help. Still, Barbour said, "We've suffered a grievous blow that we won't recover from for a long while."
Mayor Nagin lashes out
Just a day earlier, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin had lashed out at federal officials: "They don't have a clue what's going on down here." (Related story.)
Anticipating a grim day, Bush said, "I'm not looking forward to this trip" as he began his inspection tour. "It's as if the entire Gulf Coast were obliterated by the worst kind of weapon you can imagine."
There were calls from Republicans for Bush to name a prominent official to oversee the recovery. Gingrich suggested former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Rep. John Sweeney, R-New York, suggested Giuliani, former Secretary of State Colin Powell or retired Gen. Tommy Franks to take charge.
In Biloxi, Mississippi, Bush comforted two weeping women on a street where a house had collapsed and towering trees were stripped of their branches. "My son needs clothes," said Bronwynne Bassier, 23, clutching several trash bags. "I don't have anything."
"I understand that," Bush said. He kissed both women on their heads and walked with his arms around them, telling them they could get help from the Salvation Army. "Hang in there," he said.
Asked later how the richest country on Earth could not meet the needs of its people, Bush said: "I am satisfied with the response. I am not satisfied with all the results."
Rice heading to Alabama
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she would fly to her native Alabama on Sunday to view the destruction there. She acknowledged that the trip is an unusual one for the nation's top diplomat.
"I'm an American and I'm a Southern American," she told reporters. "I just hope I can be a little bit of an extension for a president who cares deeply about what's going on in the Gulf region but can't be everywhere."
Rice, the administration's highest-ranking black, dismissed criticism from black leaders who were angry about what they said was a slow federal response to a disaster affecting mostly poor people.
Although she agreed that the black community has been heavily affected, Rice said "nobody wants to see Americans suffer, and I think everybody understand that."
The White House announced Bush had approved federal disaster aid for Texas and Arkansas, which also sustained hurricane damage. Bush urged people to donate money to the Red Cross.
The president rejected suggestions that the United States could not afford both the war in Iraq and the hurricane cleanup. "We'll do both. We've got plenty of resources to do both," he said.
The president's visit comes amidst fierce criticism
Friday, September 2, 2005; Posted: 7:12 p.m. EDT (23:12 GMT)
President Bush: The devastation "is going to require the attention of this country for a long period of time."
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Scorched by criticism about sluggish federal help, President Bush acknowledged the government's failure to stop lawlessness and help desperate people in New Orleans. "The results are not enough," Bush said Friday in the face of mounting complaints from Republicans and Democrats alike.
Bush promised to crack down on crime and violence, rush food and medicine to the needy, and restore electrical power within weeks to millions of customers across the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
"This is a storm that requires immediate action, now," the president said after a daylong tour of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. "I understand the devastation requires more than one day's attention. It's going to require the attention of this country for a long period of time." (See video of Bush vowing to rebuild New Orleans -- 4:31)
Congress passed a $10.5 billion disaster aid package Friday and Bush said he would sign it by day's end. (Related story.)
He also said National Guard troops were moving in to restore order in New Orleans. He said the city's convention center, where thousands of people lived for days in unsafe conditions, was secure.
Inspecting the disaster scene from the air and on the ground, Bush said the damage was "worse than imaginable" as he traveled through Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. He consoled weeping women and praised Coast Guard teams that pulled stranded people from the roofs of flooded homes.
In New Orleans, Bush flew by helicopter to the ruptured 17th Street levee and watched workers load huge sandbags that were airlifted and dropped into the breach.
"The president is starting to grasp the magnitude of the situation," said Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-Louisiana. Sen. Trent Lott, R-Mississippi, said, "The president obviously was just stunned" by what he saw.
Slow response
Four days after Katrina killed hundreds if not thousands, Republicans joined Democrats in wondering why it was taking so long to relieve the misery of so many people living in squalor without the necessities of life.
"If we can't respond faster than this to an event we saw coming across the Gulf for days, then why do we think we're prepared to respond to a nuclear or biological attack?" asked former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a Republican.
Republican Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts called the government's response "an embarrassment."
Rep. Mark Foley, R-Florida, called upon Bush to recall National Guardsmen stationed in Iraq whose homes and families were in the path of Katrina's destruction. The president said there were enough Guard troops for Iraq and recovery efforts.
The storm of criticism was stinging for a president who won widespread praise for his handling of the terrorist attacks four years ago. It was an unwelcome turn for Bush, suffering sagging approval ratings in the polls.
While Bush has been loath to admit errors throughout his presidency, he conceded that the recovery is not proceeding well.
Some White House aides and Republicans were glad to hear the president stop defending the administration's response when it was so obvious that conditions were so bad for so many people.
Where it's working
"Where it's not working right, we're going to make it right," the president said after walking through a devastated neighborhood of Mobile, Alabama. "Where it is working right, we're going to duplicate it elsewhere."
Bush faulted efforts to restore order in New Orleans, where looting, violence and other crimes have been rampant. Asked what he meant by unacceptable results, Bush said, "Well, I'm talking about the fact that we don't have enough security in New Orleans yet." He said 1,200 National Guard troops arrived there on Friday and that 1,200 were deployed on Thursday.
"They need to stabilize that situation," the president said. "They need to make sure that the food and medicine that is in place is given to the people that need the food and medicine."
He said he was not faulting efforts in Mississippi, where Republican Gov. Haley Barbour praised federal help. Still, Barbour said, "We've suffered a grievous blow that we won't recover from for a long while."
Mayor Nagin lashes out
Just a day earlier, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin had lashed out at federal officials: "They don't have a clue what's going on down here." (Related story.)
Anticipating a grim day, Bush said, "I'm not looking forward to this trip" as he began his inspection tour. "It's as if the entire Gulf Coast were obliterated by the worst kind of weapon you can imagine."
There were calls from Republicans for Bush to name a prominent official to oversee the recovery. Gingrich suggested former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. Rep. John Sweeney, R-New York, suggested Giuliani, former Secretary of State Colin Powell or retired Gen. Tommy Franks to take charge.
In Biloxi, Mississippi, Bush comforted two weeping women on a street where a house had collapsed and towering trees were stripped of their branches. "My son needs clothes," said Bronwynne Bassier, 23, clutching several trash bags. "I don't have anything."
"I understand that," Bush said. He kissed both women on their heads and walked with his arms around them, telling them they could get help from the Salvation Army. "Hang in there," he said.
Asked later how the richest country on Earth could not meet the needs of its people, Bush said: "I am satisfied with the response. I am not satisfied with all the results."
Rice heading to Alabama
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she would fly to her native Alabama on Sunday to view the destruction there. She acknowledged that the trip is an unusual one for the nation's top diplomat.
"I'm an American and I'm a Southern American," she told reporters. "I just hope I can be a little bit of an extension for a president who cares deeply about what's going on in the Gulf region but can't be everywhere."
Rice, the administration's highest-ranking black, dismissed criticism from black leaders who were angry about what they said was a slow federal response to a disaster affecting mostly poor people.
Although she agreed that the black community has been heavily affected, Rice said "nobody wants to see Americans suffer, and I think everybody understand that."
The White House announced Bush had approved federal disaster aid for Texas and Arkansas, which also sustained hurricane damage. Bush urged people to donate money to the Red Cross.
The president rejected suggestions that the United States could not afford both the war in Iraq and the hurricane cleanup. "We'll do both. We've got plenty of resources to do both," he said.
michael moore says moore than i could
Friday, September 2nd, 2005
Dear Mr. Bush:
Any idea where all our helicopters are? It's Day 5 of Hurricane Katrina and thousands remain stranded in New Orleans and need to be airlifted. Where on earth could you have misplaced all our military choppers? Do you need help finding them? I once lost my car in a Sears parking lot. Man, was that a drag.
Also, any idea where all our national guard soldiers are? We could really use them right now for the type of thing they signed up to do like helping with national disasters. How come they weren't there to begin with?
Last Thursday I was in south Florida and sat outside while the eye of Hurricane Katrina passed over my head. It was only a Category 1 then but it was pretty nasty. Eleven people died and, as of today, there were still homes without power. That night the weatherman said this storm was on its way to New Orleans. That was Thursday! Did anybody tell you? I know you didn't want to interrupt your vacation and I know how you don't like to get bad news. Plus, you had fundraisers to go to and mothers of dead soldiers to ignore and smear. You sure showed her!
I especially like how, the day after the hurricane, instead of flying to Louisiana, you flew to San Diego to party with your business peeps. Don't let people criticize you for this -- after all, the hurricane was over and what the heck could you do, put your finger in the dike?
And don't listen to those who, in the coming days, will reveal how you specifically reduced the Army Corps of Engineers' budget for New Orleans this summer for the third year in a row. You just tell them that even if you hadn't cut the money to fix those levees, there weren't going to be any Army engineers to fix them anyway because you had a much more important construction job for them -- BUILDING DEMOCRACY IN IRAQ!
On Day 3, when you finally left your vacation home, I have to say I was moved by how you had your Air Force One pilot descend from the clouds as you flew over New Orleans so you could catch a quick look of the disaster. Hey, I know you couldn't stop and grab a bullhorn and stand on some rubble and act like a commander in chief. Been there done that.
There will be those who will try to politicize this tragedy and try to use it against you. Just have your people keep pointing that out. Respond to nothing. Even those pesky scientists who predicted this would happen because the water in the Gulf of Mexico is getting hotter and hotter making a storm like this inevitable. Ignore them and all their global warming Chicken Littles. There is nothing unusual about a hurricane that was so wide it would be like having one F-4 tornado that stretched from New York to Cleveland.
No, Mr. Bush, you just stay the course. It's not your fault that 30 percent of New Orleans lives in poverty or that tens of thousands had no transportation to get out of town. C'mon, they're black! I mean, it's not like this happened to Kennebunkport. Can you imagine leaving white people on their roofs for five days? Don't make me laugh! Race has nothing -- NOTHING
-- to do with this!
You hang in there, Mr. Bush. Just try to find a few of our Army helicopters and send them there. Pretend the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast are near Tikrit.
Yours,
Michael Moore
Dear Mr. Bush:
Any idea where all our helicopters are? It's Day 5 of Hurricane Katrina and thousands remain stranded in New Orleans and need to be airlifted. Where on earth could you have misplaced all our military choppers? Do you need help finding them? I once lost my car in a Sears parking lot. Man, was that a drag.
Also, any idea where all our national guard soldiers are? We could really use them right now for the type of thing they signed up to do like helping with national disasters. How come they weren't there to begin with?
Last Thursday I was in south Florida and sat outside while the eye of Hurricane Katrina passed over my head. It was only a Category 1 then but it was pretty nasty. Eleven people died and, as of today, there were still homes without power. That night the weatherman said this storm was on its way to New Orleans. That was Thursday! Did anybody tell you? I know you didn't want to interrupt your vacation and I know how you don't like to get bad news. Plus, you had fundraisers to go to and mothers of dead soldiers to ignore and smear. You sure showed her!
I especially like how, the day after the hurricane, instead of flying to Louisiana, you flew to San Diego to party with your business peeps. Don't let people criticize you for this -- after all, the hurricane was over and what the heck could you do, put your finger in the dike?
And don't listen to those who, in the coming days, will reveal how you specifically reduced the Army Corps of Engineers' budget for New Orleans this summer for the third year in a row. You just tell them that even if you hadn't cut the money to fix those levees, there weren't going to be any Army engineers to fix them anyway because you had a much more important construction job for them -- BUILDING DEMOCRACY IN IRAQ!
On Day 3, when you finally left your vacation home, I have to say I was moved by how you had your Air Force One pilot descend from the clouds as you flew over New Orleans so you could catch a quick look of the disaster. Hey, I know you couldn't stop and grab a bullhorn and stand on some rubble and act like a commander in chief. Been there done that.
There will be those who will try to politicize this tragedy and try to use it against you. Just have your people keep pointing that out. Respond to nothing. Even those pesky scientists who predicted this would happen because the water in the Gulf of Mexico is getting hotter and hotter making a storm like this inevitable. Ignore them and all their global warming Chicken Littles. There is nothing unusual about a hurricane that was so wide it would be like having one F-4 tornado that stretched from New York to Cleveland.
No, Mr. Bush, you just stay the course. It's not your fault that 30 percent of New Orleans lives in poverty or that tens of thousands had no transportation to get out of town. C'mon, they're black! I mean, it's not like this happened to Kennebunkport. Can you imagine leaving white people on their roofs for five days? Don't make me laugh! Race has nothing -- NOTHING
-- to do with this!
You hang in there, Mr. Bush. Just try to find a few of our Army helicopters and send them there. Pretend the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast are near Tikrit.
Yours,
Michael Moore
you had to hear his words
Updated: 12:13 PM EDT
Bush Says Relief Results 'Not Acceptable'
President Tours Hurricane-Battered Gulf Region
By JENNIFER LOVEN, AP
WASHINGTON (Sept. 2) - President Bush, opening a tour of the hurricane-battered Gulf Coast, vowed Friday the government will restore order in lawless New Orleans and said the $10.5 billion being approved by Congress is just a small downpayment for disaster relief.
Speaking in Mobile, Ala., President Bush says the Gulf Coast looks as if it "were obliterated by the worst kind of weapon you can imagine."
"I'm not looking forward to this trip," Bush said as he set out for a first-hand look at the destruction in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi.
"It's as if the entire Gulf Coast were obliterated by the worst kind of weapon you can imagine," the president said.
Bush opened the day at the White House where he expressed unhappiness with the efforts so far to provide food and water to hurricane victims and to stop looting and lawlessness in New Orleans. "The results are not acceptable," said Bush, who rarely admits failure.
The president's comments came after New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin lashed out at federal officials, telling a local radio station "they don't have a clue what's going on down here."
Bush got a warm reception in Mobile from Govs. Haley Barbour of Mississippi and Bob Riley of Alabama. Both praised the federal government's response. Still, Barbour said, "We've suffered a grievous blow that we won't recover from for a long while."
Standing with the governors in an airplane hangar, Bush said, "We have a responsibility to clean up this mess."
"What is not working right, we're going to make it right," Bush said.
Beginning in Mobile, Ala., the president was to fly by helicopter over some of the hardest-hit areas along the Alabama and Mississippi coasts and stop at a few points in Mississippi to hear from those on the ground.
Given the chaos of the early days after the storm, Bush's schedule remained fluid up until the last minute. Aides considered limiting his visit to New Orleans, mostly drowned in rank floodwaters and descending in many areas into lawlessness, to only an aerial tour.
Friday's trip follows a 35-minute flyover of the region he took Wednesday aboard Air Force One. It offers Bush more of a firsthand assessment of the progress that has been made since he raced back to Washington to oversee the recovery effort. But, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said, the president also was going there to bring, on behalf of the nation, "support and compassion for the victims and our appreciation" for those helping with the ongoing response.
While the president was working his way along the coast, his wife, Laura, was scheduled to be nearby in Lafayette, La. Mrs. Bush was to visit the Cajundome arena to console people who took shelter there.
"This is an agonizing time for the people of the Gulf Coast," Bush said from the Oval Office.
Amid the lowest approval ratings of his presidency, Bush has other problems besides the hurricane: Gasoline prices have soared past $3 a gallon in some places, and support is ebbing for the war in Iraq.
So Bush has tried to respond in a way that evokes the national goodwill he cultivated after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks - and that does not recall the criticism his father, former President Bush, endured after Hurricane Andrew slammed Florida in 1992.
But the president began facing questions about his leadership in the crisis almost immediately.
Though he cut his August stay at his Texas ranch short by two days to re
Bush Says Relief Results 'Not Acceptable'
President Tours Hurricane-Battered Gulf Region
By JENNIFER LOVEN, AP
WASHINGTON (Sept. 2) - President Bush, opening a tour of the hurricane-battered Gulf Coast, vowed Friday the government will restore order in lawless New Orleans and said the $10.5 billion being approved by Congress is just a small downpayment for disaster relief.
Speaking in Mobile, Ala., President Bush says the Gulf Coast looks as if it "were obliterated by the worst kind of weapon you can imagine."
"I'm not looking forward to this trip," Bush said as he set out for a first-hand look at the destruction in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi.
"It's as if the entire Gulf Coast were obliterated by the worst kind of weapon you can imagine," the president said.
Bush opened the day at the White House where he expressed unhappiness with the efforts so far to provide food and water to hurricane victims and to stop looting and lawlessness in New Orleans. "The results are not acceptable," said Bush, who rarely admits failure.
The president's comments came after New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin lashed out at federal officials, telling a local radio station "they don't have a clue what's going on down here."
Bush got a warm reception in Mobile from Govs. Haley Barbour of Mississippi and Bob Riley of Alabama. Both praised the federal government's response. Still, Barbour said, "We've suffered a grievous blow that we won't recover from for a long while."
Standing with the governors in an airplane hangar, Bush said, "We have a responsibility to clean up this mess."
"What is not working right, we're going to make it right," Bush said.
Beginning in Mobile, Ala., the president was to fly by helicopter over some of the hardest-hit areas along the Alabama and Mississippi coasts and stop at a few points in Mississippi to hear from those on the ground.
Given the chaos of the early days after the storm, Bush's schedule remained fluid up until the last minute. Aides considered limiting his visit to New Orleans, mostly drowned in rank floodwaters and descending in many areas into lawlessness, to only an aerial tour.
Friday's trip follows a 35-minute flyover of the region he took Wednesday aboard Air Force One. It offers Bush more of a firsthand assessment of the progress that has been made since he raced back to Washington to oversee the recovery effort. But, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said, the president also was going there to bring, on behalf of the nation, "support and compassion for the victims and our appreciation" for those helping with the ongoing response.
While the president was working his way along the coast, his wife, Laura, was scheduled to be nearby in Lafayette, La. Mrs. Bush was to visit the Cajundome arena to console people who took shelter there.
"This is an agonizing time for the people of the Gulf Coast," Bush said from the Oval Office.
Amid the lowest approval ratings of his presidency, Bush has other problems besides the hurricane: Gasoline prices have soared past $3 a gallon in some places, and support is ebbing for the war in Iraq.
So Bush has tried to respond in a way that evokes the national goodwill he cultivated after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks - and that does not recall the criticism his father, former President Bush, endured after Hurricane Andrew slammed Florida in 1992.
But the president began facing questions about his leadership in the crisis almost immediately.
Though he cut his August stay at his Texas ranch short by two days to re
what a schmuck ???
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Bush sought Thursday to reassure victims of Hurricane Katrina that the federal government is doing its best to send aid to the thousands of displaced and stranded people.
"I understand the anxiety of people on the ground," Bush told ABC's "Good Morning America." "... But I want people to know there's a lot of help coming."
Congress will reconvene early from its summer recess either late Thursday or Friday to pass a $10 billion hurricane relief bill, according to House and Senate sources.
Bush asked his father, former President George H.W. Bush, and former President Bill Clinton to spearhead relief efforts for victims of the storm, the White House said Thursday.
The former presidents also have been leading efforts to generate relief for the victims of the tsunami that devastated Asia last winter.
Friday the president will have a close-up look at the devastation when he visits areas hardest hit by the hurricane, including the Alabama and Mississippi coasts and New Orleans, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.
Bush said his trip to the affected areas was still being coordinated.
President Bush also said Thursday he views Hurricane Katrina's impact on the nation's energy infrastructure on the Gulf Coast to be "temporary," and urged Americans not to hoard supplies.
"Americans should be prudent in their use of energy during the course of the next few weeks," he told reporters at the White House. "Don't buy gas if you don't need it."
Bush said he discussed the impact with Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan over lunch. "In our judgment, we view this storm as a temporary disruption that is being addressed by the government and by the private sector," the president said.
Bush noted that the secretary of the Department of Energy has approved tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and a temporary waiver of fuel formulation requirements, announced Wednesday, that will allow the sale of fuels typically permitted only during the cooler months.
Bush said federal authorities were also working with major oil companies to repair the refineries and pipelines that were damaged and shut during the storm, but noted that supplies will be tight.
"The good folks must understand that major refineries have been shut down, which means it is going to be hard to get gas to some markets," he said. "We're going to have a temporary disruption of gasoline product."
The president surveyed Katrina's destruction from Air Force One on his way from Crawford, Texas, to Washington Wednesday.
Back at the White House, he announced a massive federal mobilization to help victims of the storm, but said recovery "will take years."
"We're dealing with one of the worst natural disasters in our nation's history," Bush said in an address from the Rose Garden, surrounded by members of his Cabinet. "I can't tell you how devastating the sights were." (Watch report on the desperate conditions at the convention center -- 2:54)
"The folks on the Gulf Coast are going to need the help of this country for a long time. This is going to be a difficult road. The challenges that we face on the ground are unprecedented, but there's no doubt in my mind that we're going to succeed." (Transcript)
He told communities affected by the storm, "The country stands with you" and pledged, "We'll do all in our power to help you."
Bush announced that he has created a Cabinet-level task force to coordinate hurricane relief efforts across federal agencies, headed by Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff. (Watch Chertoff detail how the government plans to aid relief efforts -- 5:03)
The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Michael Brown, will be in charge of the federal response on the ground in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
The federal government also will use more than 400 trucks from the Department of Transportation to take food, water and supplies to those whose homes have been damaged or destroyed, and plans are being made to provide housing, education and health care for the displaced, he said.
The president said the federal government would also undertake a "comprehensive recovery effort" to rebuild devastated communities and restore infrastructure, including roads and bridges wiped out by Katrina, an effort he said would take years.
"Right now, the days seem awfully dark for those affected. I understand that," he said. "But I'm confident that, with time, you'll get your life back in order. New communities will flourish. The great city of New Orleans will be back on its feet. And America will be a stronger place for it."
"I understand the anxiety of people on the ground," Bush told ABC's "Good Morning America." "... But I want people to know there's a lot of help coming."
Congress will reconvene early from its summer recess either late Thursday or Friday to pass a $10 billion hurricane relief bill, according to House and Senate sources.
Bush asked his father, former President George H.W. Bush, and former President Bill Clinton to spearhead relief efforts for victims of the storm, the White House said Thursday.
The former presidents also have been leading efforts to generate relief for the victims of the tsunami that devastated Asia last winter.
Friday the president will have a close-up look at the devastation when he visits areas hardest hit by the hurricane, including the Alabama and Mississippi coasts and New Orleans, White House spokesman Scott McClellan said.
Bush said his trip to the affected areas was still being coordinated.
President Bush also said Thursday he views Hurricane Katrina's impact on the nation's energy infrastructure on the Gulf Coast to be "temporary," and urged Americans not to hoard supplies.
"Americans should be prudent in their use of energy during the course of the next few weeks," he told reporters at the White House. "Don't buy gas if you don't need it."
Bush said he discussed the impact with Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan over lunch. "In our judgment, we view this storm as a temporary disruption that is being addressed by the government and by the private sector," the president said.
Bush noted that the secretary of the Department of Energy has approved tapping the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and a temporary waiver of fuel formulation requirements, announced Wednesday, that will allow the sale of fuels typically permitted only during the cooler months.
Bush said federal authorities were also working with major oil companies to repair the refineries and pipelines that were damaged and shut during the storm, but noted that supplies will be tight.
"The good folks must understand that major refineries have been shut down, which means it is going to be hard to get gas to some markets," he said. "We're going to have a temporary disruption of gasoline product."
The president surveyed Katrina's destruction from Air Force One on his way from Crawford, Texas, to Washington Wednesday.
Back at the White House, he announced a massive federal mobilization to help victims of the storm, but said recovery "will take years."
"We're dealing with one of the worst natural disasters in our nation's history," Bush said in an address from the Rose Garden, surrounded by members of his Cabinet. "I can't tell you how devastating the sights were." (Watch report on the desperate conditions at the convention center -- 2:54)
"The folks on the Gulf Coast are going to need the help of this country for a long time. This is going to be a difficult road. The challenges that we face on the ground are unprecedented, but there's no doubt in my mind that we're going to succeed." (Transcript)
He told communities affected by the storm, "The country stands with you" and pledged, "We'll do all in our power to help you."
Bush announced that he has created a Cabinet-level task force to coordinate hurricane relief efforts across federal agencies, headed by Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff. (Watch Chertoff detail how the government plans to aid relief efforts -- 5:03)
The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Michael Brown, will be in charge of the federal response on the ground in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.
The federal government also will use more than 400 trucks from the Department of Transportation to take food, water and supplies to those whose homes have been damaged or destroyed, and plans are being made to provide housing, education and health care for the displaced, he said.
The president said the federal government would also undertake a "comprehensive recovery effort" to rebuild devastated communities and restore infrastructure, including roads and bridges wiped out by Katrina, an effort he said would take years.
"Right now, the days seem awfully dark for those affected. I understand that," he said. "But I'm confident that, with time, you'll get your life back in order. New communities will flourish. The great city of New Orleans will be back on its feet. And America will be a stronger place for it."
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