Ok E-FUCKING-NUFF! gather round the fire, will ya?

[ChefWide]

This post


Look, I have one question: What happens when al Queda does the nasty to another major american city? Over the past few years, with the BILLIONS that have been earmarked and Millions that have been spent to prepare every major metropolitan region in this country against the horror of a major terrorist 'event', did somebody just forget NO? How many other major cities are TOTALLY unprepared for the most OBVIOUS localized catastrophe?

I mean, didnt somebody have a PLAN for this? did they have a discussion about it? What happens if shit hits the fan someplace else at the same time? WHO IS IN CHARGE AROUND HERE, ANYWAY?

I mean, really, a feckin' second grader given the task of whiping out NO with limmitted budget and a couple vans of OklahomaCocktails would say, '... BY JOVE! THE LEVEES! Just blow the levees! Its been comon knowledge for 30 years that all ya gotta do is breach the feckers and thats that! Mother nature will do the rest!'

... if this is how prepared we are to handle an OBVIOUS and KNOWN danger, one that has been EXPECTED and even PREDICTED... what do we do in a situation where somebody pops a suitcase nuke in a metro area? a couple of well placed dirty bombs? some bio agents?


What kind of reponse on a local and national level are we going to produce for a another such cataclysm? Is anybody else in a sense of perplexion over why we are so 'pants down-mouth agape' at this event?


Why arent we prepared?



The crux of the biscuit is that i cant help thinking that those could be my kids/loved ones wandering the streets desperate for help that we seem to be able to provide to foreigners in what seems like a heartbeat. I hate to see the suffering, hate it. SOrry for ranting. not sure how to be of tangible help to CHANGE the state of affairs in the halls of power that should be, should most definitely HAVE BEEN more prepared to help our own.

 

[lardo5150]

I just want to know why it took these guys 4 days to get down there and help.

 

[jerkbox]

i dunno but i'm upping my supply of clif bars and ammunition just in case

 

[eat big]

i dunno but i'm upping my supply of clif bars and ammunition just in case

Where are you now?

 

[Razorguns]

You're right -- very often some of the most smartest, are the most dumbest. A well placed bomb to blow up the levee and boom -- thousands dead.

Too easy for a terrorist. Then again, terrorists aren't all that much smarter either.

 

[jerkbox]

Where are you now?

I'm everywhere. Focker.

 

[chefbone]

No source posting in an open forum Bro!!!

 

[eat big]

I'm everywhere. Focker.

I see, cracka.

 

[UA_Iron]

the money allocated to excavate and construct new levees went to Iraq. A major gamble for the bush administration, which ultimately they lost.

 

[Lestat]

teh scary thing is, the homeland security department DID have a plan for a NO hurricane/flood.. and also had done a dry run last year to prepare for it!

 

[jdynasty]

Chef, it's ok if you rant, but if you do, please be willing to actually do something about it, go vote, volunteer come election time, call you senators and congressmen, or send them letters

NO administration would have been ready for this, but as usual, people jump on the Bush hating bandwagon and take shots at the president. As if everything that happens in life is his fault

If that was the case than, it's FDR's fault japan attacked pearl harbor
it's JFK's fault we didnt win Vietnam right away
its Reagans fault we lost 213 marines in beruit
its clintons fault for oklahoma city

Things happen that are beyond our control, and nature is one of them.

What people fail to release is that great defense only works in sports, it hardly works in real life situations, sure maybe we could have been more prepared, but we are past that, now we have to figure out how to just move forward from here.

As far as the war is concerned, Id rather fight them there, than here

 

[lardo5150]

ya, but damn dude, they should of had the national gaurd down there by at LEAST tuesday.

 

[thelion2005]

The job of governing, which includes being prepared, is too big for the people we have elected. They are always behind the next crisis ... and it takes a crisis for them to do something.

In this case, the local government waited for the Feds and the Feds for the locals. Now we have the relief trucks passing the trucks of people leaving for Texas.

Our President is not an evil person, but he is always a bit confused and overwhelmed. He led a very sheltered life and is the product of that ... soft.

We must demand more. 2008 will be very interesting. I'm not sure if an improvement.
Clinton vs McCain

 

[ziggyziggy]

ya, but damn dude, they should of had the national gaurd down there by at LEAST tuesday.

Activation of the National Guard is a function of the State government, not the feds, unless the emergency is nationwide.

Zig

 

[Burning_Inside]

Chef, it's ok if you rant, but if you do, please be willing to actually do something about it, go vote, volunteer come election time, call you senators and congressmen, or send them letters

NO administration would have been ready for this, but as usual, people jump on the Bush hating bandwagon and take shots at the president. As if everything that happens in life is his fault

If that was the case than, it's FDR's fault japan attacked pearl harbor
it's JFK's fault we didnt win Vietnam right away
its Reagans fault we lost 213 marines in beruit
its clintons fault for oklahoma city

Things happen that are beyond our control, and nature is one of them.

What people fail to release is that great defense only works in sports, it hardly works in real life situations, sure maybe we could have been more prepared, but we are past that, now we have to figure out how to just move forward from here.

As far as the war is concerned, Id rather fight them there, than here

Eh your analogies are off, see this is more akin to Bush not having a fire extinguisher if he were running a kitchen. Something like this is to be expected at some point. It's a force of nature, happens all the time, kinda like you always have toilet paper on hand cause you know you're going to shit. And if you're out, well you can always use your fingers.

 

[BrothaBill]

Absolutely, Ive posted this before and Ill say it again until the promise land
the sky is falling

 

[rsnoble-im-back]

I'll have fried chicken with a side of mashed potatoes please

 

[pintoca]

I read a comment yesterday from a Dutch Newspaper... as you all know, Amsterdam is completely under sea-level, as well as much of the Netherlands (DUH, hence the name).

They developed decades ago a system of Hidraulic barriers they use to protect themselves... no earth-leeves...

Anyway, the manager of the company in charge of those things was basically in shock that a city loke N.O, in a country like the U.S, rellied ONLY on some 15th Century system of defense against the water. He made a point that when you have a city under sea-level, surrounded by water, it is not a matter of "IF" something happens but "WHEN" because you need to take it for granted.

 

[Hiatussin]

I read a comment yesterday from a Dutch Newspaper... as you all know, Amsterdam is completely under sea-level, as well as much of the Netherlands (DUH, hence the name).

They developed decades ago a system of Hidraulic barriers they use to protect themselves... no earth-leeves...

Anyway, the manager of the company in charge of those things was basically in shock that a city loke N.O, in a country like the U.S, rellied ONLY on some 15th Century system of defense against the water. He made a point that when you have a city under sea-level, surrounded by water, it is not a matter of "IF" something happens but "WHEN" because you need to take it for granted.

My parents house is 3 meters below sea level

most of holland is, the most populated parts anyway

For our system to fail according to engineers the following conditions would need to occur simultaneously-

*At least a gale force 12 from the North West
*Monthly high peak tide (3 hours every month)

We haven´t had wind that strong in more than a decade and the wind is usually from the South West. Chances are minimal. Nothing fitting the definition hurricane or tornado has occurred in the area in recorded history.
Sometimes we get very small oversea tornados that suck up some water and drop it on our ass. but those are so rare and usually small that people think of them as a cool novelty rather than a danger.

I heard rumours the government is procrastinating maintenance on the system though.

We don´t just block water. We manage it. we have huge automated bay doors, designated flooding areas around the rivers, etc. You can study for a BA, MA or Phd in watermanagement here.

We´ve been doing this from the beginning, this land was created by taking the water out. All the windmills were originally pre-industrial water pumps.

If it does flood, like it last did in 1953, before the current system was installed, people can get out of the area most of the time because its only a one-front war for us. I do recall hearing and seeing footage of a practically instant international relief effort the same day in that disaster. Ships, clothing, food and water and volunteers came from lots of other nations.

All public schools (more than 95% of kids attent public school here) give the kids weekly mandatory swimming lessons for two years. After this they have to pass some tests. They have to swim at least 10 meters underwater, staying in the same lane, show you know a good stroke and dive, get to the other side of the pool under a maximum time, know how to stay above water in position without using your arms. The test is taken in full clothing to represent unplanned swimming.

This is when you´re about 8. Kids think its really cool its their first diploma and exam. Parents take pictures and stuff. They like being "bad" and getting in the water with their clothes and shoes on.

The knowledge of these things is one of the few export products of our little country. Asia has been calling Dutch experts in for consultation on these things.

 

[GoldenDelicious]

Chef, it's ok if you rant, but if you do, please be willing to actually do something about it, go vote, volunteer come election time, call you senators and congressmen, or send them letters

NO administration would have been ready for this, but as usual, people jump on the Bush hating bandwagon and take shots at the president. As if everything that happens in life is his fault

If that was the case than, it's FDR's fault japan attacked pearl harbor
it's JFK's fault we didnt win Vietnam right away
its Reagans fault we lost 213 marines in beruit
its clintons fault for oklahoma city

Things happen that are beyond our control, and nature is one of them.

What people fail to release is that great defense only works in sports, it hardly works in real life situations, sure maybe we could have been more prepared, but we are past that, now we have to figure out how to just move forward from here.

As far as the war is concerned, Id rather fight them there, than here

i disagree. ranting is a perfectly good thing to do. it builds awareness, and awareness in the population is critical in a democracy or republic.

most of what bush et al have been able to get away with has been possible because of ignorance. ignorance is what allows government 'spin' (another name for propaganda, really) to work.

if more people were ranting and raving in the pre iraq invasion days, perhaps the USA wouldnt have gone there, thousands of people would have been alive, and you guys would have been debating about the best way to manage yet another budget surplus, rather than freaking out that youre up to your eyebrows in debt, the price of oil has skyrocketed, and international perception of the USA would have remained positive.

if more people read the fine print, asked questions, and flat out gave a shit about the world around them, youd have higher calibre people in administrative positions, with better intentions/agendas, and the world would be a better place.

so quit telling people to shut up.

 

[rsnoble-im-back]

NO is just another fine product of a capitalistic society.