In the wake of Katrina, U.S. bungled offers of foreign aid CREW found
Today marks the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina striking the Gulf Coast. The ramifications of that storm are still being felt. Last month, CREW released the most comprehensive matrix available to date detailing all offers of assistance from around the world in the wake of the Hurricane Katrina disaster. The report and accompanying documents can be found here. The report paints a very disturbing picture of the failures of the U.S. government to accept and utilize foreign aid in the wake of the devastating hurricane. When we released the report, Melanie Sloan said:
A review of the State Department documents reveals distressing ineptitude. Countries were trying to donate desperately needed goods and services, but as a result of bureaucratic bungling and indifference, those most in need of these generous offers of aid never received it.
CREW’s matrix is based on 25,000 Department of State (DOS) documents it received as a result of a lawsuit filed under the Freedom of Information Act in December 2005 for records relating to the federal government’s handling and acceptance of international offers of aid after Hurricane Katrina.
The matrix includes all international offers, whether they were rejected or accepted and the reasons why, if available. The documents reveal a number of disturbing responses to offers from 145 countries and 12 international organizations from around the world.
understanding Katrina
By now it is apparent that bushco has prolonged the Iraq fiasco for the purposes of funneling war bucks into the Bush machine. And as we have seen, bushco favors corrupt practices because that gives a better hold on the Bush crowd. It builds your machine and provides rebates and the most powerful of incentives: Bush keeps them out of prison and apportions the loot. We have seen how corruption flourished in all branches of government, including some formerly free of corruption such as the CIA. The DHS is a blueprint for corruption. This is the result of policy of George Bush, father and son. The old man aims for a political dynasty and knows that corruption makes your machine grow big and strong. Junior, of course, studies at his father’s knee. Dick Cheney, too, was a part of the plan. By now, it is no secret that bushco is the most corrupt political machine in history and that Boss Tweed has been eclipsed. It will all be exposed, except for those parts that touch on the corruption of Democrats.
Which brings us to hurricane Katrina. First, please understand that the disaster was due to an inadequate system of levees which were breached by Katrina. The problem of the levees has been known for over 50 years, but no remedy was ever applied. The blame for this is with the officials of Louisiana and New Orleans, but mostly New Orleans as it was strictly a local problem. William Jefferson and his pals at work.
We have taken the measure of George Bush. He knows that there is big money in wars and disasters. He saw that the destruction of New Orleans would mean a huge clean-up and rebuilding with Federal funds- provident mother nature yielding up her bounty to bushco. It is not human nature to put an end to one’s source of happiness, and so Bush looked the other way while the waters poured in.
Nero is said to have played the fiddle while Rome burned and then built a gigantic villa and park for himself, with a lake, over the burnt-out section. Bush played the guitar - as shown in a photograph taken while floods poured in.
We pay for this mess.
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understanding Katrina
The billions spent on the aftermath of Katrina need to be traced and determinations made as to who received it. It would be uncharacteristic of bushco to let such an opportunity slip by.
So let's have a look-see, shall we?