Brown said the Army and civilians couldn't get to the Conv Ctr....REALLY??

[Roland99]

Today, Michael Brown testified the Army and civilians could not get to the Convention Center. He cited media reports of looting, shots fired, etc. as reasons why (his comment was "The Army kills people".)

Well.....



http://5stringkr.blogspot.com/2005_09_01_5stringkr_archive.html

3 Duke students tell of 'disgraceful' scene
http://www.herald-sun.com/durham/4-643298.html

By Ray Gronberg : The Herald-Sun
[e-mail]
Sep 4, 2005 : 9:36 pm ET

DURHAM -- A trio of Duke University sophomores say they drove to New Orleans late last week, posed as journalists to slip inside the hurricane-soaked city twice, and evacuated seven people who weren't receiving help from authorities.

The group, led by South Carolina native Sonny Byrd, say they also managed to drive all the way to the New Orleans Convention Center, where they encountered scenes early Saturday evening that they say were disgraceful.

"We found it absolutely incredible that the authorities had no way to get there for four or five days, that they didn't go in and help these people, and we made it in a two-wheel-drive Hyundai," said Hans Buder, who made the trip with his roommate Byrd and another student, David Hankla.

...


The trio say they left Durham about 6 p.m. Thursday and reached Montgomery about 12 hours later. After catching 1½ hours of sleep, they reached the coast at Mobile. From there, they traveled through the Mississippi cities of Biloxi and Gulfport.

Why could three college sophomore students reach the Conv. Ctr in a two-wheel drive Hyundai?

[madaboutharry]

1. I have come to the conclusion

that they are all full of shit. All of them. Every last one of them.

[saltpoint]

2. A few days after the storm struck the Gulf coast, I heard this

interview on Aaron Brown's CNN news program.

After that interview, I just didn't want to entertain any more bullshit from Bush administration officials about "not being able to get into" New Orleans for relief.

I love this post, Roland99.

You've captured the incredulity that many of us have about Bush and Brown and Chertoff, etc.

Thank you.

[BushOut06]

3. No shit - Brownie didn't even know anyone was there to begin with

He had to be told by someone on CNN that there were people at the Convention Center. Even then, he sounded surprised.

[Roland99]

5. Chertoff found about the Conv. Center on Thur. from NPR's Robert Seigel...

All Things Considered, September 1, 2005
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4828771

[MissWaverly]

8. If they had been stranded at Neiman Marcus

He would have found them in under 30 minutes.

[Deb]

4. I had to turn it off after those remarks

I just couldn't stomach any more of it. Brown deserves jail time for murder.

[Disturbed]

6. Chertgouhl and Brownie need to be charged with..

Criminal Negligence. Shrub and Darth Cheney are required to be Impeached.

[MichiganVote]

7. Most disgusting degment in US history ever. No excuse is good enough

Total and complete incompetence from start to finish. This administration treats the catastrophes we have endured during the Bush 'reign' as some kind of joke. I am sick and tired of being lied to by a bunch of yellow bellied, worthless, cowards.

[MadMaddie]

9. The three students truely wanted to help...

Chertof, Brownie and * didn't have any true intention of helping the American citizens down in the gulf.

They all need to be prosecuted and sentenced to serve time in their new detention centers!!

[bvar22]

10. Geraldo Fucking Rivera BROADCAST from the Center...

days before the Officials showed up.

He said on the air "If I can get here, they can get here!"

I have always disliked Geraldo, but he redeemed himself that night.

[CJCRANE]

11. Not to mention the BBC were there

and foreign media from all over the world..

[Disturbed]

12. Rethug lies are just freakin' insulting.

Thier lies are so damn childish. The Congress critters just sit there and don't challenge the stupid lies of the Rethugs.Damn! Just once I like to see and hear a Congress critter say: "What the Hell are you saying? That is one of the dumbest lies that I have ever heard. I am charging you with perjury."

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

23. Geraldo and MSNBC's Tony Zumbado(?) were on the air PLEADING

for assistance for the people of New Orleans. It was the most gut-wrenching thing I have ever seen. The Tony guy (I can never seem to remember his name and in my opinion he deserves whatever the highest award is in tv reporting) was saying over and over "these people are calm, they need HELP!!!" I can't help but believe myself that some element of racism was also at work. Because New Orleans was a predominently black city, I just think that somehow those in power were buying more into the "looting, vandalism, mobs running amok" fear mongering than if the majority of those faces at the Convention Center had been white.

I also heard someone say that initially they were focused on search and rescue. What search and rescue? The only ones who did anything credible whatsoever was the Coast Guard. And even "recovery" was pathetic and half-assed when they wouldn't even enter the houses to find people who survived the Hurricane but not it's aftermath. They didn't WANT to find the bodies, because if they did, the death count would be far higher than 9/11 and many of the deaths can be laid right at the door of the Bush Administration.

[kskiska]

24. Harry Connick, Jr., got there, too. n/t

[fed-up]

13. If the Army can't go where shots are fired-Bring em home from Iraq NOW! nt

[magellan]

14. Gooooooooaaaaaaaallllll!!!!

fed-up, that's the best retort I've heard yet. If only those questioning Brown were half as on the ball!

:applause:

[fed-up]

15. thnx n/t

[TheGunslinger]

17. US Army shooting US citizens is a bit different

[hootinholler]

16. Why isn't he being held in Contempt?

Wasn't he under oath?

-Hoot

[bklyncowgirl]

18. They believed the rumors more than the truth.

CNN, NBC etc. had no problem getting in there to report what was happening. What's interesting is that they reported the truth when they actually saw it--large crowds of generally well behaved but desperate people at the Superdome and Convention Center. Some looting--mostly ordinary people grabbing things they needed to survive and sadly a few criminals taking advantage of the situation.

It was when they repeated rumors of widespread looting and violence that the reporting became unreliable. Unfortunately it was the rumors that were believed by the authorities probably because they fit their stereotypes of the urban poor.

The thought that large heavily armed National Guardsmen would be totally overwhelmed by looters is utterly laughable but looking at the faces of the Guardsmen when they finally got into New Orleans, I believe that they believed it. Remember General Honore screaming at them to put down their guns. Those soldiers were scared shitless.

[Roland99]

20. And has anyone brought up these points in the hearings so far?

CNN, MSNBC, FOX, NPR, etc. all had reporters at the Dome and the Conv. Ctr. They were never in danger. They never recorded any fights or shots fired.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

19. Too dangerous for the Army, the National Guard and the Red Cross?

We all remember the media coverage from the Convention Center and the streets of NOLA. If our leaders are too scared and cowardly to go into a major American city because of media reports about some looting and some sporadic violence, then we are all, each and every one of us - doomed. They just left the majority of the peaceful, deserted, dehydrated and dying population to suffer needlessly. And let's not forget about people dying in plain sight on highway overpasses and being turned back when they tried to walk over the bridge into Gretna.

This is the most disgraceful chapter in Modern American history and everyone from the President, to the Head of Homeland Security, and whoever was directing the National Guard and the Red Cross to stand down and ignore their missions should be removed from office or resign immediately.

WE must never forget Katrina or her victims!!!

[malaise]

21. As I heard someone say yesterday

if the US was a Parliamentary Democracy, the government would have been forced to resign the week after Katrina. It remains a fugging disgrace.
There was a great article on TomPaine yesterday tracing the rise of Michael Browne. He's just another example of a rethug criminal. They were busy setting up contracts for themselves.

[bullwinkle428]

22. I guess all of those reporters just flew in on magic carpets? (n/t)

[SpaceCatMeetsMars]

25. I turned on the TV and was absolutely astonished to hear the reporter

tell the anchor that HARRY CONNICK JR. seemed to be the only person in authority. I thought, WTF a musician/actor is in charge? Good for him, good man, but where was FEMA? He was able to get there and try to help with far fewer resources they they must have.

This country is a nuthouse now.