Presidential Election 2008

[jtward01]

Being a Florida resident I've probably had a bit more exposure to Jeb Bush than most of the other folks on this board. Although the one time I met him in person I wasn't impressed, he certainly seems more intelligent and sincere than his big brother. I don't believe he's mature enough or experienced enough to do a good job as president, nor would his wife be an ideal First Lady. I don't know if it got much press outside of Florida, but right after he became Gov. his wife got in some hot water for going on a shopping spree in Paris and then not declaring about $35,000 in purchases when she came through US Customs. Although Jeb apologized, and was clearly really pissed at her, her attitude was very much like taxes are only for "the little people." Nor can I think of any charity or public improvement project she's been involved with.

Hillary Clinton, to me, is nothing but a phoney. If she wanted to run for the Senate why didn't she return to her home state and run? Maybe because the people there know her too well? Certainly because even a junior senator from New York gets more press than any senator from Arkansas. I was stunned to find out that there was no residency time requirement to run for the US Senate in New York. You would think that a person should be required to live in an area for at least a few years before being allowed to represent that area in Congress.

No, I'm afraid I'd have to write in Osama Bin Lauden long before I would ever vote for Hillary Clinton. I just pray that both parties manage to find better candidates than we've been offered over the past 15 years or so.

[EMT001]

Jeb Bush would never get out of the 08' republican primaries.... But, if it were between the two of them, I would vote for Clinton.

[Asysin2leads]

So, you're saying the administration is in no way responsible for failing to heed the warning signs of 9/11 and reacted swiftly and appropriately to the situation with Hurricane Katrina, huh? Tell me, what color is the sky in your world? Bush is a moron. His actions and inactions allow Americans to die.

[mediccjh]

Giuliani!

[Ridryder 911]

Asysin2leads, your an intelligent person, However; you might to really research " who really knew about Bin Lauden.... hmm can you say Clinton . but he thought he wasn't no threat at the time...

After watching the horrible situation in the South, and the people who shot at rescuers and refused to evacuate.. I have narrowed down to two people.. the Bleeding heart Oprah Winfrey... who is the richest women in the U.S. can actually declare " if they weren't poor black attitude .. not considering the time to plan for activation etc.. oh, that's right she is an expert in everything ... she is a t.v. celebrity. or the following ......

this guys is great !.. He handle s the press.. doesn't put up with B.S.... Apparently he is a proponent of EMS ( every press soundbite he has mentioned EMS) .. and tells it like it is... Rajun Cajun!

'John Wayne dude' general blasts Katrina complaints as 'B.S.'

Baton Rouge, Louisiana (AFP) Sep 05 - Lieutenant General Russel Honore lived up to his 'John Wayne dude' nickname Monday, blasting complaints that red tape or poor security were snarling relief efforts as "B.S."

The fiery general, in charge of the military component of the mission, lost his rag during a press conference after President George W. Bush's visit to rescue coordinators here.

"That's B.S. It's B.S.," Honore raged.

"I can tell you that is B.S. We have got 300 helicopters and some of the finest EMS workers in the world down there.

"There is no red tape ... there are isolated incidents that people take to paint a broad brush."

Honore also lashed out at questions from journalists at the Baton Rouge emergency operations center concerning the security situation in New Orleans.

"You need to get on the streets of New Orleans, you can't sit back here and say what you hear from someone else.

"It is secure, we walk around without any issues. Why the hell are you trying to make that the issue, if you can help, get there and help," he said, saying that people were being scared away by reports of violence.

When one reporter argued that there still reports of bureaucracy and unrest stalling relief efforts in some outlying parishes of New Orleans, Honore fumed: "I don't care if it is Hancock County, Mississippi -- we are not going to have that kind of issue."

The comments that sparked Honore's verbal blast were apparently made by US Representative Bobby Jindal, who represents a New Orleans district.

He's got my vote !

Be safe,

Ridryder 911

[Asysin2leads]

Yeah, that cigar smoking guy, he's great, huh, right from central casting. Just what we need, another far right-wing take no guff catchphrase spewing person who can pander to the hawks while even more American citizens die. But heck, they did great in picking him, huh, he looks good in front of the cameras, got a catchy kinda nickname (It rhymes! YAY!), all the administration has too do is have him putting some soundbites on TV and pretty soon we'll forget all about those people dead. The Bush administration did some great PR work on that one. But for me, who puts human lives at more of a value than camera time, I say he can say whatever he wants, pictures say a 1,000 words, he may say the complaints are BS, but he can say that because the people who are floating face down in the waters of Lake Ponchatrain can't really respond, can they? The Bush administration, either through gross incompetence or calculated negligence did not respond appropriately and because of their actions, PEOPLE ARE DEAD. But don't worry, I'm sure the Republican media blitz can go into high steam, throw some American flags around, and Bush will come out smelling like a rose again. I mean, what are a few dead minority elderly and children when it comes to OUR COMMANDER IN CHIEF, right? It'll pass, they'll bury the bodies, and we'll be back to arguing about gay marriage and the other REALLY PRESSING matters in the country. The 9/11 Commission reports gross negligence in the FBI and CIA. Doesn't matter, no ones fired, Bush is a hero. Bush uses evidence of yellowcake uranium, later proved to be bogus, to go to war, doesn't matter, he can do no wrong. American soldiers get slaughtered everyday in Iraq with insufficient armor or resources, doesn't matter, we have to "stay the course", Karl Rove rats out a CIA agent, doesn't matter, he's still a patriot, and now, untold numbers of people, perhaps going up into the thousands are DEAD or DYING because of the federal government's incompetence, but STILL IT DOESN'T MATTER, it wasn't his fault. I'm not a Democrat, I'm not a Republican, I'm an American. My question is, how many people have to lose their lives, how many times does this great nation have to be embarrassed in front of the world BEFORE IT MATTERS???

Just curious, does your "Ragin' Cajun" GI Joe action figure have a response to this 'BS'?

Thirty bodies in nursing home

Southeast of New Orleans, crews Wednesday began recovering dozens of bodies from a nursing home that was flooded after the hurricane. And as floodwater is being pumped out of New Orleans, experts worry the soupy mess of chemicals and bacteria will sicken anyone who tries to stay in the city.

[mediccjh]

Thirty bodies in nursing home

Southeast of New Orleans, crews Wednesday began recovering dozens of bodies from a nursing home that was flooded after the hurricane. And as floodwater is being pumped out of New Orleans, experts worry the soupy mess of chemicals and bacteria will sicken anyone who tries to stay in the city.

The City of New Orleans' own OEP site states that it and the State are responsible for emergencies in the City. It is the responsibility of the City and State to evacuate those who couldn't. Not the feds.

Did you see the picture of all the school buses sitting in the parking lot, not moved, in the City of New Orleans?

[jtward01]

Evacuation planning is a local responsibility. The evacuation plan for the city of New Orleans made NO mention of using any public transportation resources to evacuate those residents who had no means to evacuate on their own. The officials were aware of this oversight because a draft of a new emergency plan includes using buses in the evacuation but the new plan had not yet been adopted so the buses remained in their parking lots.

Here in Florida each site designated as an evacuation shelter is stocked year around with non-perishable food and water. This is a local responsibility. Apparently, in New Orleans, none of the shelters had supplies pre-positioned.

FEMA, by law, is designed to support the efforts of local officials, not to move in and take over. It must wait for the governor to ask the president to declare that a state of emergency exists before it can mobilize. In Louisiana the hurricane hit on Monday, the levee broke on Tuesday, the governor made the formal request on Wednesday. By Friday supplies and troops started reaching the city. That's 48 hours after the request, well within what is considered acceptable by most emergency managers. That's why officials always say you should have several days worth of food and water in your personal emergency supplies, because they know it will take that long. The system worked as it was designed.

Does it need to be changed? Damned right, it does. Every designated shelter should required by law to be stockpiled with enough MREs to provide four meals (two per day for two days) to as many people as that shelter is authorized to hold, plus a two day supply of water. As soon as a disaster occurs the President should be able to declare martial law, federalize the national guard and order troops and FEMA personnel into the area. FEMA should stockpile additional emergency supplies at various locations around the country so that by the time the initial two-day supply at the shelters is exhausted additional food and water will be arriving.

There should be designated "special needs" shelters for people with chronic medical problems. These shelters should be stockpiled with the most commonly prescribed medications, i.e., insulin, lasix, nitro, asthma inhalers, etc. Certainly there's no way to keep every med that every person might need, but keeping just the most basic would save lives.

There is far more that can be done than can be listed here, but the point is, this should be a wake up call to this nation and some deep fundamental changes in how we plan to deal with disasters in sorely needed.

[mediccjh]

Evacuation planning is a local responsibility. The evacuation plan for the city of New Orleans made NO mention of using any public transportation resources to evacuate those residents who had no means to evacuate on their own. The officials were aware of this oversight because a draft of a new emergency plan includes using buses in the evacuation but the new plan had not yet been adopted so the buses remained in their parking lots.

Here in Florida each site designated as an evacuation shelter is stocked year around with non-perishable food and water. This is a local responsibility. Apparently, in New Orleans, none of the shelters had supplies pre-positioned.

FEMA, by law, is designed to support the efforts of local officials, not to move in and take over. It must wait for the governor to ask the president to declare that a state of emergency exists before it can mobilize. In Louisiana the hurricane hit on Monday, the levee broke on Tuesday, the governor made the formal request on Wednesday. By Friday supplies and troops started reaching the city. That's 48 hours after the request, well within what is considered acceptable by most emergency managers. That's why officials always say you should have several days worth of food and water in your personal emergency supplies, because they know it will take that long. The system worked as it was designed.

Does it need to be changed? Damned right, it does. Every designated shelter should required by law to be stockpiled with enough MREs to provide four meals (two per day for two days) to as many people as that shelter is authorized to hold, plus a two day supply of water. As soon as a disaster occurs the President should be able to declare martial law, federalize the national guard and order troops and FEMA personnel into the area. FEMA should stockpile additional emergency supplies at various locations around the country so that by the time the initial two-day supply at the shelters is exhausted additional food and water will be arriving.

There should be designated "special needs" shelters for people with chronic medical problems. These shelters should be stockpiled with the most commonly prescribed medications, i.e., insulin, lasix, nitro, asthma inhalers, etc. Certainly there's no way to keep every med that every person might need, but keeping just the most basic would save lives.

There is far more that can be done than can be listed here, but the point is, this should be a wake up call to this nation and some deep fundamental changes in how we plan to deal with disasters in sorely needed.

=D> =D> =D> =D> =D> =D> =D> =D>

[Ridryder 911]

Hey can we get another semi literate spoiled redneck Jesus freak in office? I think there's still part of the country left in one piece. I."

Actually Asysin2leads, this offends me.( No, I am not calling for a ban) I am sure it might the other 40 million christians, in this country. I do not call other religous faith names and respect their right to have such. You are an intillegent young person in medicine, but appeareantly do not know what the rest of the country is really like outside your city. Actually, the majority of America does not have the idealogies, morays of the East or West Coast. This has been proven again, and again by elections. These "Jesus freaks" are the ones who are cooking 40,000-50,000 meals three times a day, providing shelters, clothing, opening their homes to helpless.

I contibuted by way of money, clothing and medical supplies to my church medical missionary team as well as being on the list of open home to accept family if they needed a place. If possible I will be joining my DMAT team later in a couple of weeks. I am sorry, I did not see the post on what action you did ?

Believe it or not, most Americans do not not expect the government to be responsible for us, nor do we want such. It was horrible tragedy that occured. Yes, there was problems. But there also lies the accountability factor and the responsability each action as well.

You can not or should not think the government is responsible for all actions. Sorry, the government agencies did their part.. they warned them ! The citizens did not take or heed such warnings. Personal responsability has to be accounted for somewhere.

Yes, thousands of people died. It was a horrible, horrible tragedy, yes some needlessly, but; that is why they call it disasters. Yes, there will be inquiries of what occured, amd yes hopefully we will learn to develop better plans for a faster and better response so this will never occur again.

But what would you had the government to do ... forced evacuation and then if Katrina did not hit.. I am sure you would had complained of wasted tax money and infringing on peoples rights! So no matter who, what occured, it would had been wrong. Again, yes the ball was dropped at many levels. Starting at the responsability of the citizens of New Orleans, then City, State, and yes even at the Federal level.

This tragedy is not over, and will not be for several years. After the news media has milked it as much as possible and people get back into their routine of life again, these people will still have to live with it. The need in government support to assist them should be there but not as a hand out; but a hand up.

Life is ugly at times, no one ever promised it would be easy. Horrible events caused by nature, and man will continue to occur until the end of time. The best we can do is to try to be better prepared, by being more responsible for ourselves, design a better disaster response system and also realize that each system has it limits and capabalities.

Be safe,

Ridryder 911