CNN reports: President Bush on Tuesday said he takes responsibility for the federal government’s failures in responding to Hurricane Katrina. "Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government and to the extent the federal government didn’t fully do its job right, I take responsibility," Bush said during a joint news conference with Iraqi President Jalal … Read More
Brownie Is Toast
Breaking News: FEMA Director Mike Brown resigns. He wants to spend more time with his horses. Now FEMA has an empty seat in charge. *Sigh*. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
A Day Late; A Dollar Short
Breaking news: FEMA Chief Relieved of Katrina Duties WASHINGTON – FEMA Director Michael Brown is being removed from his role in managing the Bush administration’s Hurricane Katrina relief efforts and is returning to Washington. Brown, who has been under fire for the federal government’s slow response to the storm that devastated much of the Gulf Coast region, will be replaced … Read More
And Now To The Polls
Survey USA‘s 3-day rolling tracking poll shows the following (Asking the question: Do you approve of Bush’s handling?): Wednesday, 8/31 – Approve 48, Disapprove 39Thursday, 9/1 – Approve 46, Disapprove 44Friday, 9/2 – Approve 40, Dissaprove 53Saturday, 9/3 (Watch the effect of Friday) – Approve 41, Dissaprove 53Sunday, 9/4 (Initial Friday photo-op effect wearing off) – Approve 38, Disapprove 55 … Read More
Where’s Bush?
FEMA is calling Katrina the worst disaster to hit America . . . ever. Parts of New Orleans are on fire, even though most of the city is underwater. There are fears that the entire city could turn into a "toxic lake", as the flood waters continue to pour in. Over sixty people are known dead (so far) in Mississippi. … Read More
Dodged A Bullet? Not So Much.
Looks like things are not going so well for New Orleans. A two-block section of the levee apparently gave way last night. Reports suggest that 80% of the city is flooded. Of course, I’m sure there’s plenty of Louisiana National Guardmen to help out, right? As southern Louisiana wades its way out of its terror and destruction, they will find … Read More
Katrina Blogging
WDSU (New Orleans) has a blog with good up-to-the-minute coverage. Wikipedia has good coverage round-up and background, although it is not as up-to-the-minute (and beware the troll attacks). Obviously, my decision to have a Katrina slideshow is affecting loading time of the sidebar, but I will maintain it throughout much of the day. UPDATE 11:17 a.m. EDT: Katrina downgraded to … Read More
Katrina Is Really Really Bad – Part II
From the NOAA: MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS…PERHAPS LONGER. AT LEAST ONE HALF OF WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WILL HAVE ROOF AND WALL FAILURE. ALL GABLED ROOFS WILL FAIL…LEAVING THOSE HOMES SEVERELY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED. THE MAJORITY OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS WILL BECOME NON FUNCTIONAL. PARTIAL TO COMPLETE WALL AND ROOF FAILURE IS EXPECTED. ALL WOOD FRAMED LOW … Read More
Katrina Is Really Really Bad
Look. We know that all hurricanes are bad. And we know that category 5 hurricanes are really bad. But something like this hitting New Orleans is perhaps the worst. New Orleans lies below sea level, and is protected by levees. It’s basically a large bowl, and even in normal weather, water has to be pumped out of the basin. And … Read More
Iraqis Cannot Agree On Constitution?
The Associated Press is reporting: Parliament announced it had no plans to gather Thursday night and no date for a future session, signaling Iraqi factions were failing to agree on a new constitution before a self-imposed midnight target. It’s the "no date for a future session" part that is alarming. It’s one thing if they are negotiating, haggling, horse-trading, or … Read More
Supreme Court Rules On Valerie Plame Journalists
The Supreme Court ruled today that journalists cannot avoid grand jury subpeonae asking them to reveal their sources (or, put another way, that journalists can face jail time for failing to reveal their sources in response to a grand jury subpoena). This puts the plaintiffs, Time magazine’s Matthew Cooper and The New York Times’ Judith Miller, in a precarious position. … Read More
Supreme Court Rules On Ten Commandments
BREAKING NEWS: The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Ten Commandment displays are not permissible in courthouses. Well, that’s what the headlines are screaming at the moment. The devil, as they say, is in the details. For example, is the Decalogue permissible if it is part of a larger display about the origins of law? UPDATE No. 1: Decision was 5-4, … Read More
Schiavo’s Body Is Dead
RIP, finally. UPDATE: The response from the right-wing blogosphere — full of death poems and scripture, not to mention wailing and gnashing of teeth — was a little TOO predictable, don’t you think? UPDATE #2: I take that back. I was just home for lunch and caught about 20 minutes of the cable news networks. Man, do they want this … Read More