meme orandum
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The big disconnect on New Orleans CNN — Permalink NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) — Diverging views of a crumbling New Orleans emerged Thursday. The sanitized view came from federal officials at news conferences and television appearances. But the official line was contradicted by grittier, more desperate views from the shelters and the streets. | |
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Felix @MemeFirst: Because both local Democrats and federal Republicans are culpable in this enormous clusterf**k, all of them have retreated into platitudes and bulls**t. Gateway Pundit: The Democratic Governor Blanco is blaming the Feds for the big disconnect. Brian Stelter: "Diverging views of a crumbling New Orleans emerged Thursday," CNN.com says this afternoon. |
Tom Tomorrow: "(Watch the video report on explosions and gunfire — 2:12 More here." Cookie Jill: He's credited with helping president bush formulate his administration's tax plan. - listen to him on npr "my ideal... Ross @TheTalentShow: Today they've helpfully compared the official FEMA statements on this mess to the actual, or as they cruelly (for Bush... |
| Also: Shawn @LiquidList, Echidne, Kos @DailyKos, Gary Farber, Jesse Walker | |
President Arrives in Alabama, Briefed on Hurricane Katrina White House — Permalink THE PRESIDENT: Well, first I want to say a few things. I am incredibly proud of our Coast Guard. We have got courageous people risking their lives to save life. And I want to thank the commanders and I want to thank the troops over there for representing the best of America. | |
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Marty Lederman: At the very moment when the President seemed as oblivious to the needs of the American people as he has ever been, and... Ezra Klein: Is This Impeachable? Via Jeff Dubner, what the F**K is wrong with our President? Patrick: George W. Bush, today: The good news is— and it's hard for some to see it now—that out of this chaos is going to come a fantastic Gulf Coast, like it was before. |
Tom Burka: "This umbrella is perhaps one of the finest umbrellas this country has ever had," said Bush, "and I stand firmly behind it." Andrew Sullivan: And I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch.' (Laughter)." - president George W. Bush, today. Radley Balko: It apparently is. And did Kanye West just say on the NBC telethon, "George Bush doesn't care about black people?" |
| Also: Jeffrey Dubner, Atrios | |
Mandatory evacuation ordered for New Orleans AP — Permalink NEW ORLEANS (AP) — In the face of a catastrophic Hurricane Katrina, a mandatory evacuation was ordered Sunday for New Orleans by Mayor Ray Nagin. Acknowledging that large numbers of people, many of them stranded tourists, would be unable to leave, the city set up 10 places of last resort for people to go, including the Superdome. | |
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TheAnchoress: Maybe I've always misunderstood, but I've always thought that a Governor of a state is essentially like the President of... Will Collier: I can only chuckle wryly in anticipation of the hoops they'll have to jump through to explain away this: "Gov. Kathleen... Kathryn Jean Lopez: BEFORE IT IS COMPLETELY OVERLOOKED — Maybe I'm falling into Bush defensiveness again, but I think the record should... |
Gateway Pundit: And, the Anchoress (Nola.com) reports today that: "Gov. Kathleen Blanco, standing beside the mayor at a news conference,... John @PowerLine: So what prompted the order that prevented Hurricane Katrina from being a natural disaster of unprecedented magnitude? MarkInMexico: Bush had to appeal to Louisiana governor "NEW ORLEANS (AP) — In the face of a catastrophic Hurricane Katrina, a... |
Bush: 'Results are not acceptable' CNN — Permalink NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) — President Bush told reporters on Friday that millions of tons of food and water are on the way to the people stranded in the wake of Hurricane Katrina — but he said the results of the relief effort "are not acceptable." | |
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McQ: At the federal level: "Before leaving Washington, Bush told reporters that millions of tons of food and water were on... Glenn Reynolds: MORE PROGRESS? "A convoy of military vehicles plowed through the flooded streets of New Orleans on Friday bringing... John Cole: The Results Are Not Acceptable This seems to be the consensus view: President Bush told reporters on Friday that... |
Orin Kerr: UPDATE: As of 1:23pm, CNN.com is now posting what I hope is an important development: "A convoy of military vehicles... Clayton Cramer: Things Are Much Worse In New Orleans Than I Thought — This CNN account is shocking: "Overnight, police snipers were... Damian Penny: Caught napping — Tim Naftali, in Slate, savages the Bush Administration for its painfully inadequate response to Katrina: The president's statement this afternoon set the tone. |
| Also: Gene @HarrysPlace, Donald Sensing, Gary Farber, Andrew Sullivan, Wind Rider, Ann Althouse, Laura Rozen | |
AROUND THE REGION Houston Chronicle — Permalink The Navy has hired Houston-based Halliburton Co. to restore electric power, repair roofs and remove debris at three naval facilities in Mississippi damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Halliburton subsidiary KBR will also perform damage assessments at other naval installations in New Orleans as soon as it is safe to do so. | |
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Amanda Marcotte: Guess who got the contract to clean up New Orleans? Halliburton. They really do want to destroy the city, don't they? Susie Madrak: From Amanda: Guess who got the contract to clean up New Orleans? Halliburton. Nathan Newman: Halliburton Hired by Navy for Hurricaine Cleanup — Well, we knew this was coming and who would be making money on other... |
Cookie Jill: the more we know about the 1600 crew...the worse it gets i'm speechless. these folks have no freaking idea what the f**k they are doing. Arthur Silber: DEATH AND DESTRUCTION ARE ALWAYS GOOD FOR SOMEONE — And you get one guess as to who that someone is: [snipped quote] And so the orgy of crony capitalism continues… John @AmericaBlog: Halliburton gets NOLA clean-up contract — That didn't take long. |
Mayor to feds: 'Get off your asses' CNN — Permalink (CNN) — New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin blasted the slow pace of federal and state relief efforts in an expletive-laced interview with local radio station WWL-AM. The following is a transcript of WWL correspondent Garland Robinette's interview with Nagin on Thursday night. | |
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Ross @TheTalentShow: The reasons why he's not being heralded as the new "America's Mayor" will remain a mysterious mystery that will never be... Gateway Pundit: The city was (is) filling up with water like a tub and what did Mayor Nagin do? What? Gary Farber: Transcript of New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin on WWL: "You know the reason why the looters got out of control? |
McQ: The mayor of New Orleans: "And I am telling you right now: They're showing all these reports of people looting and... Charles Kuffner: It's scary how accurate it is. UPDATE: Here's a transcript of the Nagin interview - thanks, Karin! Magpie @PacificViews: You can listen to the interview if you go here. [MP3 player required] Nagin minces no words. Via MetaFilter. |
| Also: Chris @AmericaBlog, Jeralyn Merritt | |
Contributions Near $100 Million By / WaPo — Permalink Less than a week after Hurricane Katrina, American giving to help storm victims has surged past the level raised for South Asia tsunami relief in the same period, nearing the $100 million mark, according to charities and experts. | |
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John Cole: Keep Donating I have calmed down a touch, and this is good news: Less than a week after Hurricane Katrina, American... Nico @ThinkProgress: What a stark contrast to the outpouring of generosity being shown by the American people in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Gary Farber: His point has some validity, but there's a time and place for things. Donations have reached nearly $100 million. |
Scared Monkeys: Contributions are nearing $100,000,000.00 has been raised by charitable organizations in the wake of this tragedy. James Joyner: Contributions Near $100 Million (WaPo, A12) "Less than a week after Hurricane Katrina, American giving to help storm... |
The disaster response: 'Magnificent' or 'embarrassment'? CNN — Permalink NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) — When it comes to assessing the effectiveness of the emergency response to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, two divergent — and incongruous — views have emerged over more than three long days of misery. | |
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McQ: Because: "New Orleans police officers told CNN that they needed the manpower earlier in the week to prevent the looting and violence now prevalent in the city. Tbogg: Meanwhile the members of the Bush Summer 2005 Incompetency Tour are going, "We rock, man!", all evidence to the... Laura Rozen: DHS Secretary Chertoff: FEMA doing a "magnificent job." |
MarkInMexico: He is probably getting 2 hours sleep in 24 trying to rescue every living breathing human being possible while his... Barbara O'Brien: The CNN anchor, Daryn Kagan, wondered why he couldn't have been briefed in Washington. Coming to Mobile seemed like just a political move, she said. Oliver @LiquidList: Politics: Rampant Cluelessness 11:28 AM Edition...more to come in next 30 seconds, I imagine. |
Democrats and Others Criticize White House's Response to Disaster By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Sept. 1 - A political furor intensified on Thursday over President Bush's handling of Hurricane Katrina as Democrats, local officials and members of an increasingly bewildered public accused the president of a slow response to the flood that has plunged New Orleans into chaos. | |
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Judith Weiss: The disaster continues ... 54.jpg 3.jpg (photos from excellent Houston Chronicle site) Whoever was in the White House... MarkInMexico: The slobbering attacks and the knee-jerk defenses and the finger pointing to the left, right, up, down, north, south, east and west all makes me sick to my stomach. Joe Gandelman: UPDATE II: In a New York Time's piece about Democrats going after Bush on this issue, it quotes a Democrat who... |
Gateway Pundit: This is after the president already declared a state of emergency in Louisiana before the storm hit. (via DJ Drummond at... Josh Marshall: In her piece today Bumiller sets the record straight ... [snipped quote] This is good stuff. Kos @DailyKos: Meanwhile, Condi Rice has been shamed back to work (but Cheney is still on vacation), and Dennis Hastert was for flood emergency funding before he was against it. |
| Also: Taegan Goddard, Joe @AmericaBlog, Lambert @Corrente | |
The Doomed Cities NRO — Permalink The heart of New Orleans. As we mourn New Orleans, let us also celebrate it, as New Orleanians famously celebrate their own dead. The city has long been admired for its literary creativity, its exceptional food, and its wonderful music, and deplored — albeit also frequented — because of its legendary corruption and degradation. | |
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Gal Beckerman: Michael Leeden, at National Review, sees Naples in New Orleans. TheAnchoress: Michael Ledeen has a very provocative piece up at NRO: As we mourn New Orleans, let us also celebrate it, as New Orleanians famously celebrate their own dead. Ed Driscoll: Cities Living On Borrowed Time — Micheal Ledeen compares New Orleans with Venice and Naples: [snipped quote] Read the rest. |
Dan Darling: Dr. Ledeen wrote up an impressive tribute to New Orleans over on National Review in which he compares the city to... Roger L. Simon: Why didn't they fix the place, I wondered? Brother Ledeen, wearing his historian hat, responds. |
Foreign governments line up to help after Katrina By / Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - More than 20 countries, from allies Germany and Japan to prickly Venezuela and poor Honduras, have offered to help the United States cope with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. | |
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Charles Kuffner: Astrodome not turning away evacuees — Via Greg comes this message from Harris County Judge Robert Eckels. Aziz Poonawalla: accountability for the unnatural disaster by Aziz Poonawalla Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent flooding of NOLA were... Scott Shields: Here are the actual facts from Reuters AlertNet: "The United Nations offered to help coordinate international relief efforts for the United States. |
McQ: I have to admit, these very thoughts have been running through my head. The rest of the world? Kos @DailyKos: But here's the reality: "The State Department said offers so far had come from Belgium, Canada, Russia, Japan, France,... Gary Farber: Read The Rest Scale: 0 out of 5 for the 1st, 3 out of 5 for the other two. ADDENDUM: Also this. |
| Also: Donald Sensing | |
Government Saw Flood Risk but Not Levee Failure NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Sept. 1 - When Michael D. Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, returned in January from a tour of the tsunami devastation in Asia, he urgently gathered his aides to prepare for a similar catastrophe at home. | |
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Lindsay Beyerstein: "[NYT]" FEMA should have been planning for massive flooding in New Orleans back when everyone was predicting a direct hit from a Category 5 hurricane. John Cole: Anatomy of A Disaster The NY Times has probably the best round-up of what went wrong to date: Disaster officials,... Matthew Yglesias: Today's New York Times offers a good rundown and last night on CNN Aaron Brown was asking some smart questions and raising many of the relevant points. |
Michael Bérubé: Not your father's GOP — Even the usually mild-mannered Kevin Drum is outraged: [snipped quote] Well, Kevin, I'm going... Jeff Goldstein: And from the New York Times: "Disaster experts acknowledged that the impact of Hurricane Katrina posed unprecedented difficulties. Jeffrey Dubner: I had forgotten about this until Josh Marshall posted a quote from The O'Reilly Factor last night, but Bill O'Reilly and Shepard Smith were truly offensive. |
| Also: Josh Marshall, Kevin Drum, Rich Lowry | |
The foretelling of a deadly disaster in New Orleans By / Houston Chronicle — Permalink New Orleans is sinking. And its main buffer from a hurricane, the protective Mississippi River delta, is quickly eroding away, leaving the historic city perilously close to disaster. | |
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Judith Weiss: [ UPDATE: More predictions from years past about NOLA flooding, that eventually came to pass. Joe Gandelman: As evidence of this, just read this amazing article in the Houston Chronicle ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN DEC. 2001 but republished today. |
David Sirota: Four years ago, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) report argued that the odds of a catastrophic New Orleans... Charles Kuffner: If you haven't already, read this piece by Eric Berger from 2001 about what we've seen this week was going to look like. |
As South drowns, Rice soaks in N.Y. NY Daily News — Permalink Did New Yorkers chase Condoleezza Rice back to Washington yesterday? Like President Bush, the Secretary of State has been on vacation during the Hurricane Katrina crisis, with Rice enjoying her downtime in New York Wednesday and yesterday. | |
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Paul McLeary: Certainly there are rescue workers, soldiers, police officers, firefighters and citizens performing much more immediate,... Zoe Kentucky: Thanks to the people of New York for helping Condi Rice get a clue. |
Skippy: the new york daily news tells us: like president bush, the secretary of state has been on vacation during the hurricane... Joe Gandelman: Our UPDATE on this item now includes the fact that in addition to Halstert clarifiying his comments that it might be... |
La. governor warns troops will "shoot and kill" Reuters — Permalink BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (Reuters) - Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco warned rioters and looters in New Orleans on Thursday that National Guard troops are under her orders to "shoot and kill" to end the rampant violence in the city in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. | |
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MarkInMexico: I don't consider that to be looting at all. It's survival. But looting TV's, jewelry, guns and ammo is quite another. Dr. Steven Taylor: On Shooting Looters — James Joyner has as excellent post in response to Governor Blanco's order that National Guard troops "shoot to kill" looters and rioters in New Orleans. James Joyner: La. governor warns troops will "shoot and kill" "Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco warned rioters and looters in New... |
La Shawn Barber: Billions we spend, and all we have to show for it are four-day-old corpses on the side of the road, starving and injured... Jan Haugland: The governor is warning looters that battle-hardened National Guard troops are now moving in, and they will shoot to kill. |
'To Me, It Just Seems Like Black People Are Marked' By / WaPo — Permalink BATON ROUGE, La., Sept. 1 — It seemed a desperate echo of a bygone era, a mass of desperate-looking black folk on the run in the Deep South. Some without shoes. It was high noon Thursday at a rest stop on the edge of Baton Rouge when several buses pulled in, fresh from the calamity of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. | |
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MarkInMexico: The inner city residents who ghettoized themselves deserved this. Ogged @Unfogged: Bush says the efforts so far are "not acceptable." — Farber again has a bunch of links. — via Amy Sullivan,... Jeff A. Taylor: "And the state troopers were talking about making arrests" — That is most jarring of several memorable quotes to be found in this dispatch from New Orleans. |
Amy Sullivan: A Washington Post reporter shares this account of one family's ordeal leaving New Orleans this week that made me initially frustrated and then just profoundly sad. Betsy Newmark: The Washington Post has an unbelievable headline and story on their front page. Apparently, this natural disaster and human tragedy is all about race. Steve Antler: What's being said... Thomas, the philosopher, waved his bandaged hand. He had a theory: "God's angry with New Orleans. |
Bush Tours Katrina Damage Amid Criticism By / AP — Permalink MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Facing sharp criticism, President Bush toured the hurricane-battered Gulf Coast on Friday and vowed the government will restore order in lawless New Orleans. He said the $10.5 billion approved by Congress was just a small downpayment for disaster relief. | |
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Avedon Carol: "Even Republicans were criticizing Bush and his administration for the sluggish relief effort. " John @AmericaBlog: Fanny Dooley says... AP [quote] Asked later how the richest country on Earth could not meet the needs of its people, Bush said "I am satisfied with the response.[end quote] |
Joe @AmericaBlog: Newt slams Bush — Gingrich makes sense. That's scary: [snipped quote] Damn it, Newt, you have to understand, the President was on vacation. |
Newsview: Rhetoric Not Matching Reality By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) — The Iraqi insurgency is in its last throes. The economy is booming. Anybody who leaks a CIA agent's identity will be fired. Add another piece of White House rhetoric that doesn't match the public's view of reality: Help is on the way, Gulf Coast. | |
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Joe @AmericaBlog: AP nails Bush; Rhetoric doesn't match Reality — AP puts it in terms of rhetoric and reality. |
Kathryn Jean Lopez: RON FOURNIER wraps up Iraq, Katrina, and Valerie Plame in an AP "news analysis" bow. |
New Orleans mayor lashes out at feds CNN — Permalink NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) — As his city skidded deeper into chaos, New Orleans' embattled mayor accused federal officials of dragging their feet while people are dying in deplorable conditions. | |
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James Panero: "(More here and here.)" Steve Antler: You count them... Mayor Ray Nagin's voice cracks "with anger and anguish" as he "lashes out at the feds." |
Ogged @Unfogged: Here's one to start us off. — The mayor of NO says, "They're feeding the people a line of bull, and they are... Jeralyn Merritt: NOLA Mayor to Feds: Get Off Your As*es — Here's the audio of yesterday's radio interview with an extremely angry New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. |
Storm disaster fuels doubts over US terror plans By / Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Hurricane Katrina's devastation of New Orleans — and the delay helping stranded people get out or even get water and food — is raising doubts that U.S. cities may be ill-prepared to cope with a potentially worse disaster: a major attack. | |
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McQ: A taste of the future? Atrios: The Punchline — Four years of hearing that "9/11 changed everything" as a justification for literally everything, we... |
Steve Soto: What is behind Mr. Bush's concerns may be the possibility that voters will start asking how well has Bush really... |
Budget Hit Looms as Senate OKs $10.5 Billion in Immediate Aid LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — Congressional leaders conveyed a bipartisan sense of urgency Thursday amid mounting criticism over relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina, announcing they were cutting short their summer recess to act on a Bush administration request for $10.5 billion to cover immediate needs. | |
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Brad Plumer: 3) I, for one, can't wait until Congress gets back in session and starts debating the estate tax, Medicaid cuts, and taking the knife to heating assistance for the poor. Matthew Yglesias: But compare that to Pete Domenici who worries that with all this death and destruction it'll be hard to eliminate health care for poor people: [snipped quote] Poor baby. |
Gary Farber: But don't worry: Congress is looking out for us. |
A National Disgrace NRO — Permalink Government in catastrophe. The disaster of New Orleans, unspooling minute by minute on our TV screens, has been wrenching — in one particular way even more gut-twisting than Sept. 11. | |
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Jeffrey Dubner: Martial law was declared by local officials; curfews have been in effect since Saturday; and the 1,500 police officers... |
Rich Lowry: NOT A NATIONAL DISGRACE — A dissent from this column I wrote yesterday: "It is not. |
Republicans urge Bush to ask Giuliani to guide relief effort By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON — Rep. John Sweeney, R-N.Y., urged President Bush to appoint former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani or two former military officials to run the ground response in the Gulf Coast, saying local authorities are not up to the task. | |
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Taegan Goddard: Gingrich Criticizes Bush, Homeland Security — Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) "criticized the Bush... |
Rex Hammock: Two words: Rudy Giuliani. |
The Rebellion of the Talking Heads By / Slate — Permalink A former deputy chief of FEMA told Knight Ridder Newspapers yesterday (Sept. 1) that there "are two kinds of levees—the ones that breached and the ones that will be breached." A similar aphorism applies to broadcasters: They come in two varieties, the ones that have gone stark, raving mad on air and the ones who will. | |
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Felix @MemeFirst: I'm very glad that the news organisations - even the right-wingers - are speaking truth to power. But it's nowhere near enough. |
Gary Farber: REPORTERS STRIKE BACK Jack Shafer notes various cases of reporter meltdown: "Last night, CNN's Anderson Cooper... |
Cameras Captured a Disaster but Now Focus on Suffering By / NYT — Permalink A woman in a wheelchair, her face and body covered by a plaid blanket, dead, and left next to a wall of the New Orleans convention center like a discarded supermarket cart. | |
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Guest Blogger: Yet, as Alessandra Stanley points out in the NY Times, "After three days, Hurricane Katrina still looked nothing like what Americans are used to seeing." Gary Farber: Here: "As Mr. Chertoff tried to reassure viewers that the federal authorities had matters under control, CNN and Fox... |
Brian Stelter: Katrina: "D.C. Snapped To Attention" As Cameras Recorded The Desperation — Alessandra Stanley reviews the TV coverage:... Jim Romenesko: Journos register their dismay with conditions in New Orleans — New York Times Alessandra Stanley says outrage was in... |
Calif. Senate Passes Gay Marriage Bill WaPo — Permalink SACRAMENTO, Sept. 1 — The California Senate voted Thursday to allow gay couples to wed, becoming the first legislative body in the nation to approve same-sex marriage without a court order. | |
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Jeffrey Dubner: It still faces a number of obstacles before it can take effect — the assembly, most notably, which defeated a similar... Gary Farber: WE CAN STILL BE GAY ABOUT SOMETHING. California: [snipped quote] Now to see if the Assembly changes from the last vote. Kathryn Jean Lopez: MARRIAGE NEWS FROM THE LEFT COAST — "The California Senate voted Thursday to allow gay couples to wed, becoming the... |
David Schraub: Gay Rights Under The "Rational Basis" Test — In the wake of the California State Senate's recent vote legalizing gay... Zoe Kentucky: Caught Offguard — I've been so preoccupied with other news that I didn't even know this vote was coming. [snipped quote] Wow. |
Corps officials: Funding levels not to blame for flooding Chicago Tribune — Permalink WASHINGTON — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Thursday that a lack of funding for hurricane-protection projects around New Orleans did not contribute to the disastrous flooding that followed Hurricane Katrina. | |
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McQ: Blame for the flooding: "The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Thursday that a lack of funding for hurricane-protection... John Cole: Already, there is more and more evidence that the noxious memes about levee cuts causing the breach are being dispelled:... James Joyner: Corps officials: Funding levels not to blame for flooding (Chicago Tribune) "The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said... |
MarkInMexico: And we the people continue to buy their newspapers, magazines, books and cable channels and the products advertised... Michelle Malkin: The Anchoress takes stock of the political and physical landscape 100 hours after stormfall. Read the whole thing. John @PowerLine: The Army Corps of Engineers says the "underfunding" theory is bogus: [snipped quote] Maybe the left will have to go back to global warming. |
| Also: Randall Parker, Steve Antler, Gary Farber, John Hawkins | |
Katrina News Tracker WSJ — Permalink Updated regularly with news on the hurricane's aftermath. All times EDT. 11:55 a.m.: The Wall Street Journal's Bhushan Bahree in New York updates the IEA news: The International Energy Agency will release two million barrels a day of crude oil, gasoline... | |
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Brad DeLong: There are two tests here: can we do better as a society in understanding and solving major problems, and can we be... Barry L. Ritholtz: Maps and Graphics "â Storm Paths: 2005 and Before â Levee Systems of New Orleans â New Orleans... |
Kevin Aylward: No registration required... [OnlineJournal] 'Fats' Domino has been located! Rex Hammock: WSJ news tracker: The Wall Street Journal has "freed" it's news tracker of Katrina-response stories. |
Could the Tragedy Have Been Averted? By / TCS — Permalink Excessive regulations, unless lifted, will hamper the relief efforts. Are budget cuts to blame for the levee break? A look a the facts suggests the answer is no. The regional Army Corps of Engineers chief said in 2003 that a project to protect the city from a category 4 or 5 storm would take 30 years to complete. | |
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James Joyner: Katrina: Looters Are to be Expected — Tech Central Station has an interesting collection of articles on Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. Glenn Reynolds: TECHCENTRALSTATION has produced a special Katrina coverage page. |
Ed Driscoll: TCS On Katrina — Tech Central Station has created a new section devoted to coverage of Katrina. |
A Can't-Do Government By / NYT — Permalink Before 9/11 the Federal Emergency Management Agency listed the three most likely catastrophic disasters facing America: a terrorist attack on New York, a major earthquake in San Francisco and a hurricane strike on New Orleans. | |
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MarkInMexico: Then we add into this mix the weasels of the press who now boldly pontificate at every opportunity how this thing or... Barbara O'Brien: Today Paul Krugman writes, "The administration has, by all accounts, treated the emergency management agency like an... McQ: That being said, let's deal with the second guessers such as Paul Krugman: "First question: Why have aid and security taken so long to arrive? |
Brad DeLong: Another sign that he's wiser and more reality-based than I am: Paul Krugman A Can't-Do Government - New York Times:... Steve Soto: Democratic efforts to frame this administration as incompetent along the lines of Krugman's argument this morning would be lethal to the GOP in 2006. La Shawn Barber: More than anything we want to hear him speak authentically and tell us what's on his mind, what kind of plan he has in... |
| Also: Marie @LeftCoaster, Tbogg, Atrios, Rich Lowry, Susie Madrak, Attaturk, Mickey Kaus, John @AmericaBlog | |
Critics Say Bush Undercut New Orleans Flood Control WaPo — Permalink President Bush repeatedly requested less money for programs to guard against catastrophic storms in New Orleans than many federal and state officials requested, decisions that are triggering a partisan debate over administration priorities at a time when the budget is strained by the Iraq war. | |
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McQ: Disagreeing: "President Bush repeatedly requested less money for programs to guard against catastrophic storms in New... Barbara O'Brien: If Congress doesn't demand accountability ... E.J. Dionne: "When Government Is 'Good'" "They Saw It Coming" "Bush... Taegan Goddard: Meanwhile, the Washington Post notes Bush "repeatedly requested less money for programs to guard against catastrophic... |
MarkInMexico: From the founding of the city in one of the worst geographical locations possible to the destruction of the delta, from... Steve Soto: Those concerns will be coupled with a media that seems to be finally connecting the dots to Bush's own actions in... Michael Froomkin: Ugly talk by people who should know better Shoot on sightBush administration tries out a blaming the victims meme People... |
| Also: Betsy Newmark, Mark Kilmer, Steve Antler, Gary Farber | |
New Orleans Airport Transformed Into Giant Hospital WaPo — Permalink NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 2 — The New Orleans airport was transformed Friday into a giant field hospital as fleets of military and Coast Guard helicopters disgorged the sick, the injured and the bedraggled from the heart of the flooded city for triage and treatment. | |
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Jo Fish: I think that they just discovered that everything that they say and do has been recorded and analyzed by friends and not-friends. Armando @DailyKos: Different "Facets" of the Story — Karl Rove Shifts Gears After a day of a ridiculous CYA operation which showed the... |
Gary Farber: NOLA AIRPORT TRANSFORMS INTO HOSPITAL, Mayor breaks down on air: "The New Orleans airport was transformed Friday into... |
Bush says results of hurricane response 'not acceptable' AP — Permalink WASHINGTON (AP) — President Bush, facing blistering criticism for his administration's response to Hurricane Katrina, said Friday "the results are not acceptable" and pledged to bolster relief efforts with a personal trip to the Gulf Coast. | |
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MarkInMexico: The president whose legacy is now down the toilet deserved this. I deserved this and you deserved this. It's all our fault. Zoe Kentucky: Who does Bush hold accountable? Courtesy of Liquid List, a rather astute observation. [snipped quote] Nice catch. |
Oliver @LiquidList: Is George W. Bush, President of the United States and head of the federal government, blaming the federal government for its slow response to the anarchy in New Orleans? |
Newsview: Politicians Failed Storm Victims By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON - At every turn, political leaders failed Katrina's victims. They didn't strengthen the levees. They ceded the streets to marauding looters. They left dead bodies to rot or bloat. Thousands suffered or died for lack of water, food and hope. Who's at fault? | |
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Steve Bainbridge: I started thinking along these lines when I read Roy Fournier's column: "At every turn, political leaders failed Katrina's victims. MarkInMexico: We elect presidents, legislators, governors and mayors whose first and foremost goal after attaining office is their own reelection. Radley Balko: Government Fails — I find it refreshing that so many media figures are demanding accountability from government officials and at least recognizing the government failure, here. |
Machiavel @RedState: “History will remember the hapless duo of C. Ray Nagin and Kathleen Blanco - and not kindly.” Yes, Mr. Fournier, the politicians failed us. Joe Gandelman: Meanwhile, the AP's Ron Fornier writes that not only did politicians at all levels and from both parties fail the city... Steve M.: Here's Ron Fournier of AP: ...There's plenty of blame to go around - the White House, Congress, federal agencies, local... |
| Also: Michelle Malkin, Steve Antler, Damian Penny, James Joyner, Rich Lowry | |
Local Officials Criticize Federal Government Over Response By / NYT — Permalink NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 1 - Despair, privation and violent lawlessness grew so extreme in New Orleans on Thursday that the flooded city's mayor issued a "desperate S O S" and other local officials, describing the security situation as horrific, lambasted the federal government as responding too slowly to the disaster. | |
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McQ: The chaos and the criticism: "Mr. Compass said the federal government had taken too long to send in the thousands of... MarkInMexico: If everybody would just shut the hell up until the people affected have been more or less taken care of and the cleanup... Riggsveda @Corrente: No One Could Have Anticipated The President Would Be An Imbecile — NOLA fire From the front page of the NYTimes comes... |
Gateway Pundit: (AP) Hat Tip to Larwyn Powerline, Michelle Malkin, Instapundit, etc. are gathering data on the political storm that is brewing in the south and heading east. Garrett M. Graff: Soledad, after hearing the complaints of the New Orleans mayor, ripped into Brown, asking how it was that CNN knew more than FEMA did. V @LeftInTheWest: Give to the Red Cross — The National Guard finally arrived in the wake of Katrina's ravage with food and water for some, but it will take a lot more to save these Americans. |
| Also: Armando @DailyKos, Gary Farber, James Joyner, Laura Rozen, Rich Lowry | |
State Senate Votes to Let Gays Marry LAT — Permalink SACRAMENTO — The California Senate voted Thursday to allow homosexuals to marry, becoming the first legislative body in the United States to embrace the idea and setting off a scramble for three votes needed for passage in the Assembly. | |
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Ezra Klein: I'll Be Back (As Soon As Things Blow Over) This is the most spectacular dodge I've ever seen. Nick Gillespie: California Senate Goes Gay — [snipped quote] Whole LA Times piece here. Julian Sanchez reports on the battle over gay parents here. |
Kevin Drum: But if it passes the Assembly, Arnold has proposed a novel excuse for vetoing it: [snipped quote] That's something you... |
Depot Explodes Over Lawless New Orleans By / AP — Permalink NEW ORLEANS - An explosion at a chemical depot jolted residents awake early Friday, illuminating the pre-dawn sky with red and orange flames over a city awash in corpses and under siege from looters. There were no immediate reports of injuries. | |
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McQ: And in case you thought it couldn't get worse: "An explosion at a chemical depot jolted residents awake early Friday,... Wind Rider: So much for "remain calm, all is well" "Tourist Debbie Durso of Washington, Mich., said she asked a police officer for... |
James Joyner: Katrina: Depot Explodes Over Lawless New Orleans — An explosion at a chemical depot has added to the misery in New Orleans. |
When Government Is 'Good' By / WaPo — Permalink The sight of rescue workers, the police and the Coast Guard, governors, mayors, and federal officials struggling desperately with the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina brings to mind Cohen's Law: "Government is the enemy until you need a friend." | |
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Julian Sanchez: By now you've probably seen at least one instance of this spate of tiresome ruminations on how the hurricane is some... Amy Sullivan: UPDATE: E.J. Dionne also makes the liberal case for good government. Armando @DailyKos: E.J. Dionne hits this as well in his column tomorrow: "One can hope that our individual generosity will pour forth to our fellow citizens suffering on the Gulf Coast. |
Paul @PowerLine: Free association, E.J. Dionne style — E.J. Dionne seizes upon the disaster in New Orleans as today's pretext for his usual Republican bashing. Radley Balko: The problem is, inevitably, they'll do as E.J. Dionne has done, and determine that the solution is a bigger, more... |
Intricate Flood Protection Long a Focus of Dispute NYT — Permalink The 17th Street levee that gave way and led to the flooding of New Orleans was part of an intricate, aging system of barriers and pumps that was so chronically underfinanced that senior regional officials of the Army Corps of Engineers complained about it publicly for years. | |
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Randall Parker: The flooding in New Orleans could have been avoided for $2.5 billion which could have been funded with a bond payable with higher property taxes. Michelle Malkin: Per the New York Times: "No one expected that weak spot to be on a canal that, if anything, had received more attention and shoring up than many other spots in the region. John Cole: Some more info rolling in on the levee that failed: In an interview last night, Mr. Naomi said the cuts had made it... |
McQ: On one of the levees which failed: [quote] "A breach under these conditions was ultimately not surprising," he said last night.[end quote] Captain Ed: Despite not getting the full federal budget money requested for levee engineering Louisiana requested, it turns out that... Erick @RedState: But, in a New York Times article lamenting the fact that the 2004 budget cut funds for levee repairs and subtly casting... |
| Also: Gary Farber | |
Explosions Fill New Orleans Sky With Smoke By / AP — Permalink NEW ORLEANS — An explosion jolted residents awake early Friday, illuminating the pre-dawn sky with red and orange flames over the city where corpses rotted along flooded sidewalks and bands of armed thugs thwarted fitful rescue efforts. | |
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La Shawn Barber: "(Source)" You're not the only one, Mayor Nagin. |
TChris: Some have responded in heroic fashion. Others have quit. |
News Transcript DefenseLINK — Permalink Participating in this brief were: Mr. Bryan Whitman, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Ms. Pat Downs, Senior Policy Analyst, Office of the Undersecretary of Defense | |
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McQ: UPDATE: Fascinating and informative briefing by LTG Carl Strock, Commander of the US Corps of Engineers. Laura Rozen: The Pentagon says it has interviewed five "credible" former Able Danger associated individuals who remember that the project had identified 9/11 hijacker Mohamed Atta. |
Andy McCarthy: MEANWHILE, THE ABLE DANGER PLOT THICKENS — Lost under the horrid Katrina radar, the Pentagon yesterday gave an important Able Danger briefing. Tom Maguire: Able Danger - Pentagon Press Briefing — The Pentagon held a press briefing on Able Danger today [transcript], and the... |
Boeing Machinists Decide to Strike By / AP — Permalink SEATTLE - Machinists at Boeing Co. voted overwhelmingly Thursday to strike, rejecting a three-year contract proposal their leaders had deemed "insulting." A Boeing spokesman said the strike vote meant the company would immediately stop assembling... | |
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James Joyner: Boeing Machinists Decide to Strike (AP) [snipped quote] While I am not a fan of unions generally and strikes in particular, I understand the machinists' frustration here. |
Jayson @PoliPundit: The Award For Bad Timing goes to yet another one of those trapped-in-the-past industrial labor unions. |
New Orleans rocked by huge blasts BBC — Permalink The New Orleans riverfront has been hit by a series of massive blasts, and fires are raging in the area. The cause and extent of damage are not yet clear. Police boats are at the scene of the explosions, which occurred at about 0430 (0930GMT). | |
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Ann Althouse: Said Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco, who strikes me as incredibly inept. [snipped quote] Well, I can see why she wouldn't be into the "blame game." |
Dr. Steven Taylor: Just When You Thought it Couldn't Get Worse — Via the BBC: New Orleans rocked by huge blasts [snipped quote] According... |
FEMA chief: Victims bear some responsibility CNN — Permalink (CNN) — The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Thursday those New Orleans residents who chose not to heed warnings to evacuate before Hurricane Katrina bear some responsibility for their fates. | |
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Jesse Taylor: Even in the aftermath, we're seeing the same sort of (federal) incompetence that helped cause this devastation - as a... Barbara O'Brien: Michael Brown is still blaming the victims because they didn't evacuate. By now it's well known many people didn't have the means to evacuate. Laura Rozen: Disconnect — Arabian Horse Association Attorney-Turned-FEMA Chief: "Victims Bear Some Responsibility." |
McQ: It's hard to mount a relief effort in the face of events like this: "Sniper fire prevented Charity Hospital from evacuating its patients Thursday. Riggsveda @Corrente: Michael "Not Responsible" Brown of FEMA says they should have just gotten out. Patrick: From CNN: The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Thursday those New Orleans residents who chose... |
| Also: Shawn @LiquidList, Kevin Edit This, Gary Farber, Mark Kleiman | |
Terrorist Known Before 9/11, More Say By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Sept. 1 - A Defense Department inquiry has found three more people who recall seeing an intelligence briefing slide that identified the ringleader of the Sept. 11 attacks a year before the hijackings and terrorist strikes, Pentagon and military officials said Thursday. | |
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Tom Maguire: MORE: The NY Times coverage - they have forgotten what Shaffer never knew, which is to say, they describe Shaffer as knowing about the Atta ID before 9/11. |
Ace: Three More Remember ID'ing Mohammad Atta — Drip, drip, drip. [snipped quote] Anyone want to bet this turns out to be not quite true? |
Hastert: Rebuilding New Orleans 'doesn't make sense to me' AP — Permalink It makes no sense to spend billions of dollars to rebuild a city that's 7 feet under sea level, House Speaker Dennis Hastert said of federal assistance for hurricane-devastated New Orleans. Democratic lawmakers from Louisiana were quick to disagree Thursday and Hastert sought to clarify the comment during the day. | |
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Joe Gandelman: Speaker of the House Dennis Halstert put his foot in his mouth by asking a question some have asked out on the streets: ... Jim Henley: Comments () » Reasons to Regret Federal Immunity from Suit, Number 11-ty Million in a Series The reporting on... |
John Cole: Tone Deaf But Probably Right This will be making waves tomorrow: It makes no sense to spend billions of dollars to... |
Fats Domino Found in New Orleans By / Yahoo! News — Permalink One of rock 'n' roll's chief architects has been rescued from the rubble of New Orleans. Fats Domino, who had been unaccounted for in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, was plucked from the flooded city by a rescue boat. The singer is seen being helped from a boat by an emergency crew. | |
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Avedon Carol: Fats found. (Allen Toussaint still missing.) Julia seems to recall hearing it all before... Freedom is messy. Michelle Malkin: FATS DOMINO HAS BEEN FOUND — Some good news: Fats Domino, the rock 'n roll legend, has been found in New Orleans—plucked from the flooded city by a rescue boat. Damian Penny: Some good news — Fats Domino, who had been missing for days, has been found alive and safe. |
Gateway Pundit: Michelle Malkin reports on the good news this morning: Fats Domino who had been unaccounted for in the wake of Hurricane... James Joyner: Katrina: Fats Domino Is Missing in New Orleans — Blues legend Fats Domino, who found his thrill on Blueberry Hill, is missing in New Orleans along with his entire family. Volvo Liberal: Finally, some good news... A Thrill [snipped quote] Update [2005-9-1 21:57:55 by Armando]: By Armando. |
| Also: Patrick | |
Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina; New Orleans Mayor Pleads for Help; Race and Class Affecting the Crisis? CNN — Permalink THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Happening now, a desperate S.O.S. From New Orleans, the mayor specifically. | |
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Arianna Huffington: When asked on CNN whether the federal response was fast enough, Clinton bobbed, weaved, and fell back on this utterly... John Cole: This simply wasn't what was predicted would happen: President Bill Clinton: Yes, I think that's important to point out. Captain Ed: However, tonight I offer praise to Bill Clinton, who took CNN's Suzanne Malveaux to task for playing partisan politics... |
MarkInMexico: It takes a disgraced ex-president who is clearly on the other side of the political fence from our current White House... Patterico: From an interview by CNN's Suzanne Malveaux of former presidents G.H.W. Bush and President Clinton: G.H.W. BUSH: Let me — I just to want finish. |
Budget cuts delayed New Orleans flood control work By / Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON, Sept 1 (Reuters) - Bush administration funding cuts forced federal engineers to delay improvements on the levees, floodgates and pumping stations that failed to protect New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina's floodwaters, agency documents showed on Thursday. | |
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Avedon Carol: I've noticed on several sites that the wingers seem to think Bush's underfunding of the Louisiana flood control project... Oliver Willis: >> Budget cuts delayed New Orleans flood control work UPDATE: Because they were done with Cindy Sheehan, the... Riggsveda @Corrente: Where Does That Buck Stop Again? Part II Impeach. Impeach. Impeach. P.S. Impeach. |
James Joyner: A Reuters story lends some credence to these charges: Budget cuts delayed New Orleans flood control work "Bush... Lambert @Corrente: After some obligatory balancing, AP's Ron Fournier points out the obvious: [snipped quote] Ah, priorities, priorities... |
Fats Domino found OK in New Orleans CNN — Permalink (CNN) — Rock 'n' roll pioneer Fats Domino was among the thousands of New Orleans residents plucked from rising floodwaters, his daughter said Thursday. Karen Domino White, who lives in New Jersey, identified her father in a picture taken Monday night by a New Orleans Times-Picayune photographer. | |
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Norbizness: Take good news where you can find it, like the rescue of Antoine "Fats" Domino. May the days ahead have many more such stories. RJ Eskow: he's walkin' ... word is that fats domino is alive: [snipped quote] which means that fats, a 77-year old man, could be... Jeff Quinton: Fats Domino found AP [snipped quote] UPDATE: He's been found since I read this article but delayed in posting it. |
James Joyner: Update (2208): Thankfully, this one has a happy ending: Fats Domino found OK in New Orleans (CNN) "Rock 'n' roll... Gary Farber: FATS DOMINO FOUND alive. [snipped quote] So he's sorta lost again. Read The Rest Scale: 2 out of 5. |
Special Dispatch Series - No. 977 MEMRI — Permalink In reaction to Hurricane Katrina and the destruction in its wake, a high-ranking Kuwaiti official, Muhammad Yousef Al-Mlaifi, who is director of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Endowment's research center, published an article titled "The Terrorist Katrina is One of the Soldiers of Allah, But Not an Adherent of Al-Qaeda." | |
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Arthur Chrenkoff: Kennedy Jr. finds himself on the same wavelength as Muhammad Yousef Al-Mlaifi, director of the Kuwaiti Ministry of... Alcibiades @KesherTalk: In it, the writer, Muhammad Yousef Al-Mlaifi, who is the director of the Kuwaiti Ministry of Endowment's research center proclaims Hurricane Katrina to be the workings of Allah |
Gary Farber: Thanks, everyone! Although it's not unanimous. Read The Rest Scale: 0 out of 5 for the 1st, 3 out of 5 for the other two. |
Poll: Gas Prices Affecting Habits CBS News — Permalink (CBS) Americans say high gas prices have already affected their behavior - and they expect prices to rise even higher, especially as a result of Hurricane Katrina. That concern and a worsening perception of the war in Iraq appear to have dragged President Bush's approval rating down to 41 percent, matching the lowest level ever seen in this poll. | |
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Steve M.: Another poll, this one from CBS, shows Bush in the doldrums, though still above the floor his fan base provides — his approval is at 41%. Taegan Goddard: Bush Hits Bottom in Another Poll — High gas prices and "a worsening perception of the war in Iraq" have dragged... |
Steve Soto: CBS News Poll Has Bush Down To 41%, His Lowest In That Poll — The latest CBS News poll out today, taken through last... |
Hastert Questions Rebuilding New Orleans AP — Permalink WASHINGTON — It makes no sense to spend billions of dollars to rebuild a city that's seven feet under sea level, House Speaker Dennis Hastert said of federal assistance for hurricane-devastated New Orleans. | |
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Jesse Taylor: As you've probably read already, Dennis Hastert has advocated leaving New Orleans destroyed. Wind Rider: Dennis Hastert has brought up a valid point - of course that means he's being reflexively pummeled for simply bringing... Joe Gandelman: But it is indeed a political fumble (he wouldn't have issued his statement later if his people didn't realize it was a mistake). |
Montag: AP: Hastert Questions Rebuilding New Orleans — Hastert, in a transcript supplied by the suburban Chicago newspaper,... Dave Winer: People who argue that we shouldn't rebuild New Orleans would probably say we shouldn't rebuild New York either. John Hawkins: In Defense Of Dennis Hastert — Dennis Hastert has gotten a lot of flack for some comments he made about New Orleans |
| Also: Lambert @Corrente, Tom Maguire, Kevin Drum, Donald Sensing, Dwight Meredith, McQ | |
Mayhem disrupts evacuation CNN — Permalink NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) — Police and National Guard troops struggled to restore order Thursday in New Orleans, where gunfire, looting and small fires have disrupted efforts to evacuate the flooded city. | |
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New Donkey: An Accountability Moment — I'm not sure how calmly I can talk about today's developments in New Orleans. Let's take a quick inventory. Jack Grant: If anyone had any questions... ...they should have been answered by now, we are seeing what the Apocalypse will look like; how fragile the veneer of civilization truly is. Matt Singer: You have to donate — From CNN: "DESPAIR, DEATH PERVADE NEW ORLEANS "Thousands of people forced from their homes by... |
DC Media Girl: Completely out of control — More terrible news out of the flood zone: Lt. Col. Pete Schneider of the National Guard... Donald Sensing: Update: CNN's reporter Chris Lawrence reports from New Orleans' convention center, [snipped quote] There are many more... Laura Rozen: Oh No. The evacuation of New Orleans' Charity Hospital, long awaited by its desperate staff and patients, has been halted because of sniper fire. |
| Also: Damian Penny, Talking Dog, Ed Kilgore, Faiz @ThinkProgress, James Joyner, Ann Althouse, Echidne, Hilzoy @ObsidianWings, Judd @ThinkProgress | |
Trapped in an Arena of Suffering By / LAT — Permalink NEW ORLEANS — A 2-year-old girl slept in a pool of urine. Crack vials littered a restroom. Blood stained the walls next to vending machines smashed by teenagers. The Louisiana Superdome, once a mighty testament to architecture and ingenuity, became the biggest storm shelter in New Orleans the day before Katrina's arrival Monday. | |
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La Shawn Barber: Doctors and nurses are begging for help. The aftermath of the storm is much worse than the storm itself. Captain Ed: During the day, many reports of perfectly awful news stories, but I'm not going to focus on that now. Scott Mehno: (Scott Gold's LA Times piece comes the closest â" describing Superdome refugees forced to sleep in their own... |
Amanda Marcotte: None whatsoever. [snipped quote] No reason Planned Parenthood would do this but pure evil, huh? Joe Gandelman: Meanwhile, the LA Times paints a picture of the Superdrome as a once-proud structure and makeshift emergency shelter... Ann Althouse: Reported in the L.A. Times: [snipped quote] What plan did this city have for evacuation of the poor? |
| Also: Gary Farber, Jeralyn Merritt | |
Officials Struggle to Reverse a Growing Sense of Anarchy NYT — Permalink NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 1 - National Guard troops moved in force into this storm-ravaged city today as state and local officials struggled to reverse a growing sense of anarchy sparked by reports of armed looters, bodies floating untended in stagnant floodwaters, and food and water supplies dwindling for thousands of trapped and desperate residents. | |
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Michelle Malkin: STATE OF ANARCHY — Officials in New Orleans are belatedly sounding the right tones of toughness against looters and thugs. Matthew Yglesias: Not Enough Troops — I don't know all the ins-and-outs, but when you read about the looting going on in New Orleans and... |
Tom Maguire: And House Speaker Dennis Hastert made grumbling noises (from which he backpedaled) about the cost and sanity (my word) of rebuilding parts of New Orleans. Ezra Klein: Donate — C'mon folks — the blogosphere gave more than this to Paul Hackett...and great as he is and important as his race was, it all just pales in comparison. |
Trapped Tourists Lose Chartered Buses By / AP — Permalink (09-01) 14:00 PDT New Orleans (AP) — Five days after Susan Dewey arrived in New Orleans to celebrate her birthday, she was so desperate to get out that she banded with hundreds of other tourists to hire 10 buses for $25,000 to rescue them. | |
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James Joyner: As this story and others make clear, though, it's not easy to tell the vermin from the merely desperate. Susie Madrak: You know? UPDATE: Gee, imagine. Hungry, desperate white people loot, too. Cookie Jill: note to this administration i think these folks were heeding the warning and planning to evacuate. |
Jason Van Steenwyk: The post below on logistics all but predicts this: [snipped quote] Transportation resources are limited. Digby: Update: Some of the "right" people are looting, too. Should they be shot, Peggy? |
Unrest Intensifies at Superdome Shelter AP — Permalink NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Fights and trash fires broke out, rescue helicopters were shot at and anger mounted across New Orleans on Thursday, as National Guardsmen in armored vehicles poured in to help restore order across this increasingly desperate and lawless city. | |
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Scared Monkeys: September 1st, 2005 by Scared Monkeys —> These were the words said by President George W. Bush as Air Force One flew... Joe Gandelman: Another AP story noted growing unrest there: "Fights and trash fires broke out at the hot and stinking Superdome and... Atrios: Bush to Victims: Just Die AP: Fury rose among many of those evacuated. |
Ed Cone: AP: Outside the Convention Center, the sidewalks were packed with people without food, water or medical care, and with no sign of law enforcement. Kieran Healy: The reports of what's happening convey little except how poorly-prepared, ill-coordinated and slow-moving the disaster response is. Steve Bainbridge: Somebody somewhere soon is probably going to have make that very call, given the way things are heading down in New Orleans. |
| Also: Laura Rozen, John @AmericaBlog, Kash, Gary Farber | |
SIGHTINGS New York Post — Permalink SECRETARY of State Condoleeza Rice, here on three days' vacation to shop and see the U.S. Open, hitting some balls with retired champ Monica Seles at the Indoor Tennis Club at... To read this story... Forgot your password? | |
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Skippy: she also took time to knock a few balls with monica seles, according to the gawker (who is all over this story, as is our buddy talkleft). Susie Madrak: And Page Six reports that she's also working on her backhand with Monica Seles. Shawn @LiquidList: Politics: Condi Still On Vacation — Via Americablog we learn that Condi Rice is in New York City, still on vacation,... |
Joe Gandelman: Yet, newspaper items like this that show she's happily enjoying a vacation isn't going to help the administration's image. Steve Soto: She was going to Spam-a-Lot on Broadway, hitting tennis balls with Monica Seles, and buying thousands of dollars of new shoes in New York this morning at Ferragamo's. John @AmericaBlog: From today's NY Post: "SIGHTINGS: September 1, 2005 — SECRETARY of State Condoleeza Rice, here on three days' vacation... |
| Also: Jeralyn Merritt | |
Pentagon Finds More Who Recall Atta Intel By / AP — Permalink WASHINGTON — Pentagon officials said Thursday they have found three more people who recall an intelligence chart that identified Sept. 11 mastermind Mohamed Atta as a terrorist one year before the attacks on New York and Washington. | |
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TheAnchoress: I love Americans. In the midst of all of this, Able Danger story is alive and kicking. Michelle Malkin: ABLE DANGER UPDATE — AP reports that three more people are backing up Curt Weldon's allegations about Able Danger, the... |
Captain Ed: Able Danger: Pentagon Finds Three More Witnesses — The naysayers of the 9/11 Commission took another blow to their... |
Bush insists help is on the way BBC — Permalink US President George Bush has admitted there is "frustration" at the speed of the relief effort following Hurricane Katrina's hit on the Gulf Coast. "I fully understand people wanting things to have happened yesterday. | |
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Faiz @ThinkProgress: "Hurricane Pam" Reveals Administration's Incompetence — While President Bush has maintained that nobody could have... Armando @DailyKos: Update [2005-9-1 12:27:7 by Armando]: Nomadic's Recommended Diary has this from the bbc: [snipped quote] So he admitted his incompetence. Steve Soto: Bush, to the knee-padded Dianne Sawyer on ABC's Good Morning America, this morning. |
Tacitus: The NYT's bizarre fantasies of being ravished by the Leader notwithstanding, there is a definitive public role for a President in these circumstances. ArchPundit: From the BBC. I've stayed away from any of this until this just blew my mind: [quote] "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees.[end quote] Cookie Jill: "- bbc" many sources disagree... "no one can say they didn't see it coming. |
| Also: DavidNYC @DailyKos | |
Police and Owners Begin to Challenge Looters NYT — Permalink NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 31 - In a city shut down for business, the Rite Aid at Oak and South Carrollton was wide open on Wednesday. Someone had stolen a forklift, driven it four blocks, peeled up the security gate and smashed through the front door. | |
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Joe Gandelman: But the smell of anarchy wasn't only at the Superdome, this New York Times report suggests, but in the (often flooded)... Shawn @LiquidList: First, Bush has obviously screwed up, again —> 1, 2, 3 Second, humanity sure is weird —> 1, 2, 3 And third, where are our Democrats? Jacob Sullum: After a Hurricane, Armed Defense May Be OK — Yesterday The New York Times ran a surprisingly sympathetic account of New Orleans property owners' using guns to prevent looting. |
Jeff Goldstein: And what he needs to do is what needs to be done—even if it means Shepard Smith will go blind whacking at his own... Gal Beckerman: At the very least, those pieces that explore the now widespread looting or the sad and odorous fate of those who took... Steve Antler: How it works... John Carolan was sitting on his porch in the thick, humid darkness just before midnight Tuesday when... |
| Also: Dr. Steven Taylor, Jesse Walker, Gary Farber, Glenn Reynolds, Spoons | |
Flood-control funds short of requests Chicago Tribune — Permalink WASHINGTON — Despite continuous warnings that a catastrophic hurricane could hit New Orleans, the Bush administration and Congress in recent years have repeatedly denied full funding for hurricane preparation and flood control. | |
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Bill Scher: As many have learned in the past few days, flood control funds for the New Orleans area were seriously cut under Bush. Joe Gandelman: Meanwhile, there's an even bigger political problem looming for Bush (and Congress) when the water has receeded: report... Kevin Edit This: Mike Parker, former GOP Congressperson and Head of Army Corps of Engineers in New Orleans: "I'm not saying it wouldn't... |
John @PowerLine: Of course, the alleged "underfunding" of the levee project didn't just start this year: "A corps plan to shore up the... Josh Marshall: Then there's this piece in the Chicago Tribune. Todd Gitlin: This from Andrew Martin and Andrew Zajac in the Chicago Tribune joins John Vidal and Duncan Campbell in The Guardian,... |
| Also: Avedon Carol | |
A Dearth of Answers By / WaPo — Permalink Diane Sawyer's rare live interview with President Bush this morning on ABC's Good Morning America exposed one of the president's greatest weaknesses: He doesn't have the answers to some of the most important questions. | |
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Radley Balko: In one of his daily letters to the editor, New Orleans native Don Boudreaux replies: [snipped quote] On a related note,... Jesse Taylor: This is how he's been acting about terrorism and Iraq since 2001. Brad DeLong: Dan Froomkin writes: A Dearth of Answers: Diane Sawyer's rare live interview with President Bush this morning on ABC's... |
Jo Fish: Whore Media — Dan Froomkin in the Post makes a really, really good point: [snipped quote] We all cheered when the WH... Michelle Pilecki: Michelle Pilecki: A Flood of Cassandras — When President Bush piped up on "Good Morning America" today and said, "I... Gary Farber: Our President, this morning: [snipped quote] I've been laying off the political stuff, so far, as well as the backward... |
Chaotic scene at convention center MSNBC — Permalink After spending the morning shooting some chaotic scenes at the New Orleans Convention Center, NBC Photojournalist Tony Zumbado joined MSNBC's Alison Stewart to describe the scene. To read an excerpt of their conversation, continue to the text below. | |
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Arianna Huffington: Another journalist doing his profession proud is NBC's Tony Zumbado, whose coverage from the New Orleans convention center on MSNBC last night was remarkable. Brian Stelter: "They are transcendant images and comments from Americans who followed the rules and saw the system break down around... |
Gal Beckerman: Go to comments — Distortion By Omission, Not Commission NBC photojournalist Tony Zumbado looked visibly shaken this afternoon when he spoke on MSNBC with Alison Stewart. Gary Farber: THE HORROR. Trapped in an Arena of Suffering and Harry Connick, Jr. "the only authority". It's going surreal now. |
Chaos in increasingly desperate New Orleans AP — Permalink NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (AP) — Fights and trash fires broke out at the hot and stinking Superdome and anger and unrest mounted across New Orleans on Thursday, as National Guardsmen in armored vehicles poured in to help restore order across the increasingly lawless and desperate city. | |
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Randall Parker: A helicopter evacuation service had to be suspended due to fears of gunfire. Jason Van Steenwyk: EOC meltdown — Just saw this: [snipped quote] Command and control? That's your job, Terry. |
Ann Althouse: "What is going on in the United States? James Ridgeway writes in the Village Voice: "Why won't Bush take decisive action in the Hurricane Katrina disaster and send in the military? |
Fats Domino Is Missing in New Orleans By / AP — Permalink NEW YORK - Fats Domino was missing Thursday, days after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, said his longtime agent, Al Embry. Embry told The Associated Press that he hadn't been able to contact Domino since talking to him Sunday evening by phone. | |
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Gateway Pundit: Where's Fats Domino? Word is out that Fats Domino has not been heard from since Hurricane Katrina. Ed Driscoll: At least, hopefully he's still alive—he's been reported missing in New Orleans, where he's resided for many years. |
Avedon Carol: "Fixing The Intelligence" Over Lockerbie Fats Domino Is Missing in New Orleans. |
News Analysis: Hard New Test for President By / NYT — Permalink WASHINGTON, Aug. 31 - Not since he sat in a Florida classroom as the World Trade Center burned a thousand miles away has President Bush faced a test quite like the one he returned to Washington to confront this afternoon. | |
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Michael @AmericaBlog: The New York Times makes clear this is Bush's biggest test since 9-11, one that in many ways is more complicated. Susie Madrak: More from the MBA President Thanks to Diebold et al, we have this dimwit instead of a real president: But the... Ann Althouse: David Sanger of the NYT analyzes the Bush response to Katrina and compares it to his response to 9/11: [snipped quote] We all need to hope for Bush to succeed in this. |
Liz Cox Barrett: Like Fournier, Curtius and Chin end their piece ominously, with a quote from Keith Ashdown of "congressional watchdog... Joshuah Bearman: Joshuah Bearman: Numbers Game — Quick juxtaposition: On Page A1 of yesterday's New York Times: A Hard New Test for the... TheAnchoress: Sanger does what Fournier couldn't He has written a very fair-minded analysis on what the president faces, and the political ramifications thereof. |
The Storm After the Storm By / NYT — Permalink Hurricanes come in two waves. First comes the rainstorm, and then comes what the historian John Barry calls the "human storm" - the recriminations, the political conflict and the battle over compensation. Floods wash away the surface of society, the settled way things have been done. | |
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Kieran Healy: For example, on the conservative side of the fence, the contrast between David Brooks and Jonah Goldberg (also here) is striking. Damian Penny: Update: David Brooks compares Hurricane Katrina to other catastrophic natural disasters which have struck the United States, and the political fallout which resulted from each. Jo Fish: Flashback... David Brooks recent column about the looming issues of race and disaster recovery made me think of one thing. |
Chuck Gutenson: Sadly, as David Brooks and others have noted, those suffering are disproportionately the poor and those otherwise on the margins. Gal Beckerman: Lo and behold, a certain conservative New York Times columnist agrees with us. Michael @AmericaBlog: Open Thread — And even milquetoast conservative David Brooks sees the political and social faultlines here: "But take a... |
| Also: Attaturk, Rich Lowry | |
A Diminished FEMA Scrambles to the Rescue By / LAT — Permalink WASHINGTON — In 2001, the Federal Emergency Management Agency concluded that a catastrophic hurricane in New Orleans was "among the three likeliest ... disasters facing this country." | |
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Jeralyn Merritt: Since Bush moved it into Homeland Security, critics say that disaster relief has gotten the short shrift compared to counter-terrorism related activities. Aziz Poonawalla: At least nine articles in the Times-Picayune from 2004 and 2005 specifically cite the cost of Iraq as a reason for the... |
Kevin Drum: 2003: Under its new organization chart within DHS, FEMA's preparation and planning functions are reassigned to a new Office of Preparedness and Response. |
Exodus From New Orleans Continues Amid Chaos WaPo — Permalink Meanwhile, elected leaders from the president on down faced aggressive questioning on morning TV shows about the pace of rescue and relief operations. President Bush, in a rare appearance on morning television, said he understood the "frustration" of... | |
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Garance Franke-Ruta: President George W. Bush, 9/1/05 (via WaPo): [snipped quote] There's a big difference between pointing out the... Jeralyn Merritt: He said, "I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees." Really? |
Kos @DailyKos: Heh — The wingutosphere was in a twitter when I said yesterday that Katrina was worse than 9-11. It was. |
New Orleans Mayor Issues 'Desperate SOS' By / AP — Permalink NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Storm victims were raped and beaten, fights and fires broke out, corpses lay out in the open, and rescue helicopters and law enforcement officers were shot at as flooded-out New Orleans descended into anarchy Thursday. "This is a desperate SOS," the mayor said. | |
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DC Media Girl: Deteriorating rapidly — More horrors from the AP: NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Storm victims were raped and beaten, fights and... Joe @AmericaBlog: AP describes the scene: [snipped quote] Meanwhile, Condi's playing tennis, Cabinet secretaries are trying to get their... |
Oliver Willis: "— AP UPDATE: Dennis Hastert says it "doesn't make sense" to rebuild New Orleans. What the eff is wrong with these people? Rod Dreher: GUY HAS A POINT — From an Associated Press dispatch, bad news for the president from a grassroots political analysis: ... |
Sniper fire halts hospital evacuation CNN — Permalink NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) — The evacuation of patients from Charity Hospital was halted Thursday after the facility came under sniper fire twice. A physician at the hospital said that despite the incidents staff members and patients were eager to get out after three days with no water and electricity and sparse food rations. | |
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John Cole: And Something I Simply Can Not Understand And one thing about this tragedy (among a list of things) that I simply can... |
DC Media Girl: Yes, it's time for order to be established - mercilessly — What sort of a sick twist shoots at doctors and nurses? |
Congress to Vote on $10B Katrina Package By / AP — Permalink (09-01) 13:19 PDT WASHINGTON, (AP) — The Bush administration intends to seek more than $10 billion to cover immediate relief needs in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, congressional officials said Thursday, and lawmakers made plans to approve the request by the weekend. | |
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Brad Plumer: Alongside everything else that can be said about Hurricane Katrina, Dennis Hastert of all people asks the offensive-but-important question: Should New Orleans even be rebuilt? |
Barbara O'Brien: House Speaker Dennis Hastert is getting flack for something he said this morning: "Despite the haste involved in... |
Chaos in New Orleans; Thousands Believed Dead CNN — Permalink THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED. WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Wolf Blitzer. And you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where we're getting feeds along the Gulf Coast. The hardest-hit areas are in the grip of desperation and violence. | |
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Digby: These people are rich and white: "BLITZER: The disaster, what's unfolding in New Orleans, elsewhere in the Gulf as... |
Gary Farber: THURSDAY, 3:10 p.m. CNN: [snipped quote] There was much more, including details about Charity Hospital and the sniper,... |
THE BIG ONE New Orleans Times-Picayune — Permalink The line of splintered planks, trash and seaweed scattered along the slope of New Orleans' lakefront levees on Hayne Boulevard in late September 1998 marked more than just the wake of Hurricane Georges. It measured the slender margin separating the city from mass destruction. | |
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Steve @BeggingToDiffer: ON THE BREACH — There's a lively debate in the comment section to Kriston's post below wherein he takes George W. Bush... |
Kevin Drum: BUSH AND KATRINA....Echidne of the Snakes reports that on Good Morning America today, George Bush said: "I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees." |
Bush warns: No gouging Reuters — Permalink WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush warned Thursday against price-gouging of gasoline in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and said looters should be treated with zero tolerance. | |
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James Joyner: Bush: Zero Tolerance for Looters — President Bush today declared that there should be "zero tolerance" for looters and price gougers. Bryan Caplan: No, this isn't from Bush's "zero tolerance" on "gouging" speech. The words are too big. |
Tyler Cowen: When such a disaster comes, should we waive price gouging laws, and temporarily repeal liability for those helping strangers? |