Woe unto you! by Carol Wolman

Woe unto you! by Carol Wolman

Curses are considered rude these days.  I've been called a hatemonger for believing that Bush should be impeached.  That belief has been intensified over the past two weeks.

The insensitivity of the Bush family to the suffering of others is remarkable.  Bush commented that his friend Trent Lott, who lost a house to Hurricane Katrina (he has two others) will be rebuilt in a year.  "A year from now I'll be sitting on his front porch", says Dubya.   What about the millions who cannot afford to rebuild?  whose living was marginal at best and have lost everything?  Only the rich matter to the rich.

Then there was his mother Barbara's comment about how the refugees love Texas so much that they are better off now.  Better to lose the queen of cities, New Orleans?  Better to lose one's neighborhood, and home? 

This arrogant family has the nerve to interrupt food service to starving people for hours so they can have their photo ops.  Here's what Jesus had to say to their ilk:

 Luke 6:  ²⁴But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.

   ²⁵Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.

   ²⁶Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

 

In the name of the Prince of Peace,  Carol Wolman

Fw: Why is FEMA blocking rescue efforts?

Many stories below imply strongly that FEMA was more hindrance than help when it finally got going.  I've worked with the Red Cross in disaster areas, and I know that the key is using every available resource, and mobilizing and organizing all volunteers.  FEMA has been doing just the opposite, as the following list of stories shows- sorry I don't have URL's for some of them- they are compiled from other people's emails. 

 

Our Veterans for Peace group has provided the only food, communication line, organization in Covington, LA for the past week.  Person to person, community to community must replace the feds, who have become enemies of the people.  Let's show up the pious rulers, the false Christians who have diabolically made the situation worse.  Let's love our neighbors, and organize privately to help the hurricane victims.

 

In the name of the Prince of Peace, Carol Wolman

http://www.dailykos.com/  These stories from the their main page

FEMA won't accept Amtrak's help in evacuations

FEMA turns away experienced firefighters

FEMA turns back Wal-Mart supply trucks

FEMA prevents Coast Guard from delivering diesel fuel

FEMA won't let Red Cross deliver food

FEMA bars morticians from entering New Orleans

Update [2005-9-5 16:14:29 by DavidNYC]:

FEMA blocks 500-boat citizen flotilla from delivering aid

  U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, D-La., issued the following statement following her tour of the flooded area with Bush:

"...I understand that the U.S. Forest Service had water-tanker aircraft
available to help douse the fires raging on our riverfront, but FEMA has
yet to accept the aid. When Amtrak offered trains to evacuate significant
numbers of victims far more efficiently than buses FEMA again
dragged its feet. Offers of medicine, communications equipment and other
desperately needed items continue to flow in, only to be ignored by the
agency.
 03 Sep 2005 A visibly angry Mayor Daley (of Chicago)
said the city had offered emergency, medical and technical help to the
federal government as early as Sunday to assist people in the areas
stricken by Hurricane Katrina, but as of Friday, the only things the feds
said they wanted was a single tank truck.

Private communication- FEMA cut communication lines in some LA parishes.  One story is that a sheriff's department reconnected the wires, then guarded them so that FEMA wouldn't cut them again. 

be sure to read this:
Media Failures, Media Truths

http://www.dailykos.com/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Then this:

The Last Time America Lost a City

by SensibleShoes

Mon Sep 5th, 2005 at 12:22:26 PDT

[Promoted from the diaries with minor edits by DavidNYC.]

...comparing the government reaction this past week to the government reaction the last time an American city was destroyed - San Francisco, April 18, 1906.

The earthquake struck at 5:13 AM.

By 7 AM federal troops had reported to the mayor.

By 8 AM they were patrolling the entire downtown area and searching for survivors.

The second quake struck at 8:14 AM.

By 10:05 AM the USS Chicago was on its way from San Diego to San Francisco; by 10:30 the USS Preble had landed a medical team and set up an emergency hospital.

By 11 AM large parts of the city were on fire; troops continued to arrive throughout the day, evacuating people from the areas threatened by fire to emergency shelters and Golden Gate Park.

St. Mary's hospital was destroyed by the fire at 1 PM, with no loss of life, the staff and patients having already been evacuated across the bay to Oakland.

By 3 PM troops had shot several looters, and dynamited buildings to make a firebreak; by five they had buried dozens of corpses, the morgue and the police pistol range being unable to hold any more.

At 8:40 PM General Funston requested emergency housing - tents and shelters - from the War Department in Washington; all of the tents in the U.S. Army were on their way to San Francisco by 4:55 AM the next morning.

Prisoners were evacuated to Alcatraz, and by April 20 (two days after the earthquake) the USS Chicago had reached San Francisco, where it evacuated 20,000 refugees.

Of course, the technology of the day was fairly primitive, and the U.S. was a much poorer country. No doubt we could move more quickly today.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the BBC noted the criticism of the government's slow response, Lt. Commander Kelly explained that NorthCom was ready to go well in advance of Katrina making landfall, but suggested the president didn't make the right call at the right time.

"Northcom started planning before the storm even hit. We were ready when it hit Florida, because, as you remember, it hit the bottom part of Florida, and then we were planning once it was pointed towards the Gulf Coast.

"So, what we did, we activated what we call 'defense coordinating officers' to work with the states to say, 'OK, what do you think you will need?' And we set up staging bases that could be started. We had the USS Bataan sailing almost behind the hurricane so once the hurricane made landfall, its search and rescue helicopters could be available almost immediately So, we had things ready. The only caveat is: we have to wait until the president authorizes us to do so. The laws of the United States say that the military can't just act in this fashion; we have to wait for the president to give us permission."

Apparently, that permission could have been given right away, but it wasn't. Bush was on vacation, sharing some cake with John McCain, and pretending to play some guitar.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fw: Urgent call to Congress re impeachment

Dear Friends,

The House Progressive Caucus is laying the groundwork for impeachment by
asking for documentation of discussions in the US leading into the Iraq war,
looking for evidence that facts and intelligence were "fixed around the
policy" (Downing Street Memo- DSM). The Resolution of Inquiry that would
bring this issue to the House floor may be coming up today. Bill cosponsors
are urgently needed in order to make this happen.

Especially target House members who cosigned Conyer's May letter to Bush
asking for an explanation of the DSM- 131 Congresspeople, but have not yet
cosponsored Barbara Lee's Resolution of Inquiry- only 58 so far. Mike
Thompson of Northern California is one of these.

Please read Mike Hersh's email below for further info and links. I know we
are all busy with hurricane aid, but please take a moment to call your
Representative.

In the name of the Prince of Peace, Carol Wolman

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike Hersh" <MikeHersh@MikeHersh.com>
To: "carol wolman" <cwolman@mcn.org>
Sent: Monday, September 05, 2005 10:22 AM
Subject: Re: Downing St. Resolution of Inquiry - Carol - Please send this to
all your lists? Thanks!

> Help Needed - PLEASE Call Your Representative's Office TUESDAY Re: HRes
> 375 the Downing Street Minutes
>
> A few months ago, Rep. Barbara Lee introduced a Resolution of Inquiry
> [H.Res. 375 Re: the Downing Street Minutes] to investigate Bush
> Administration deceit and wrongdoing leading up to the Iraq War. The
> After Downing Street Coalition - http://www.afterdowningstreet.org - is
> working with Rep. Lee's office and others to gain Congressional
> cosponsors for this Resolution. Unfortunately we are running out of
> time. The showdown vote is drawing near. You can help us win! We need
> your help. Especially if your Representative is a member of the
> International Relations Committee (see list of members below). Please
> send this to all your lists, post on blogs and yahoo groups, etc.
>
> Congress reconvenes September 6th and the International Relations
> Committee (IR Committee) could vote on the Resolution soon - perhaps
> even that day. Please call your Congressmember's D.C. office Tuesday
> morning, September 6th and urge him or her to cosponsor the Resolution
> of Inquiry. Please note: "support" isn't enough. We need them to
> *cosponsor.* Then, keep calling every day - and get friends and family
> to call - until there's a vote on the Resolution. Watch for news about
> this at the committee website:
> http://wwwc.house.gov/international_relations/index.htm and see below
> for a list of IR Committee members, cosponsors, the text of the
> Resolution, the Downing Street documents and more. Use
> AfterDowningStreet's Lobby Kit to persuade your Congress Person:
> http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/538
>
> Get your Member's D.C. telephone number here: http://www.house.gov/
>
> Ask for the Legislative Director or the person in charge of Iraq or
> foreign policy, express your strong support for the Resolution of
> Inquiry (ROI), and request the Representative join the growing number of
> cosponsors. If they tell you that the representative will *not* be
> cosponsoring H. Res. 375, ask for specific reasons. Ask what it would
> take for the Representative to co-sponsor.
>
> If your Representative is a Republican, explain that Rep. Jim Leach from
> Iowa - a top-ranking Republican on the International Relations Committee
> - is already cosponsoring. If your Representative is a Democrat, explain
> that Leach and Tom Lantos, the Ranking Democrat on the International
> Relations Committee, are now cosponsoring. Ask: How can a Democrat
> refuse to cosponsor when a top Republican is consponsoring?
>
> We need THREE total Republicans on the International Relations Committee
> and ALL of the Democrats to cosponsor for H. Res. 375 to pass from the
> Committee to the House for a floor vote - see below for members of the
> IR Committee. For every Democrat who refuses to cosponsor, we need an
> additional Republican.
>
> Even if your Representative is not on the IR Committee, we need them as
> cosponsors, *not* just as supporters of the Resolution. If the ROI fails
> in committee, we'll need massive cosponsorship in the House.
>
> We also need specific information to follow up on these calls. Find out
> if your Representative seems willing or reluctant to cosponsor and then
> report back to us at http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/1887
>
> Current cosponsors: http://www.house.gov/lee/roi/roi.htm
>
> We can't assume your Congressperson is aware of these materials. If they
> need to know more about the Resolution or express uncertainty, ask for a
> fax number and / or email address to send copies of the Resolution of
> Inquiry and the actual Downing Street Minutes to the Representative or
> staffer(s). Fax or email these materials to them. You can get them here:
> One-page PDF of the Resolution of Inquiry:
> http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/downloads/roi-onepage.pdf
>
> Link to the ROI (scroll down):
> http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/902
>
> One-page PDF of the first Downing St. Minutes also known as the Downing
> Street Memo from July 23, 2002:
> http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/downloads/dsmemo.pdf
>
> Link to the Downing St. Minutes:
> http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/1
>
> If your Representative signed Rep. Conyers' letter of 5/5/05 Calling on
> the President to Answer Questions Concerning the "secret Downing Street
> memo" but hasn't agreed to Cosponsor HRes 375, you should mention that.
> Here's a PDF list of Members of Congress who signed the letter:
>
http://www.house.gov/judiciary_democrats/letters/bushletterlistofsigners.pdf
>
>
> Here's a PDF of the letter itself:
> http://www.house.gov/judiciary_democrats/letters/bushsecretmemoltr5505.pdf
>
> Members of the International Relations Committee
> Democrats:
> Tom Lantos: <http://www.house.gov/lantos>California, 12th District
> Howard L. Berman <http://www.house.gov/berman>: California, 28th District
> Gary L. Ackerman: <http://www.house.gov/ackerman> New York, 5th District
> Eni F. H. Faleomavaega: <http://www.house.gov/faleomavaega>American Samoa
> Donald M. Payne: <http://www.house.gov/payne>New Jersey, 10th District
> Robert Menendez: <http://menendez.house.gov>New Jersey, 13th District
> Sherrod Brown: <http://www.house.gov/sherrodbrown>Ohio, 13th District
> Brad Sherman: <http://www.house.gov/sherman>California, 27th District
> Robert Wexler: <http://www.house.gov/wexler>Florida, 19th District
> Eliot L. Engel: <http://www.house.gov/engel>New York, 17th District
> William D. Delahunt: <http://www.house.gov/delahunt>Massachusetts, 10th
> District
> Gregory W. Meeks: <http://www.house.gov/meeks>New York, 6th District
> Barbara Lee: <http://www.house.gov/lee>California, 9th District
> Joseph Crowley: <http://www.house.gov/crowley>New York, 7th District
> Earl Blumenauer: <http://www.house.gov/blumenauer>Oregon, 3rd District
> Shelley Berkley: <http://www.house.gov/berkley>Nevada, 1st District
> Grace F. Napolitano: <http://www.house.gov/napolitano>California, 38th
> District
> Adam B. Schiff: <http://www.house.gov/schiff>California, 29th District
> Diane E. Watson <http://www.house.gov/watson/>: California, 33rd District
> Adam Smith <http://www.house.gov/adamsmith/>: Washington, 9th District
> Betty McCollum <http://www.house.gov/mccollum/>: Minnesota, 4th District
> Ben Chandler <http://chandler.house.gov/>: Kentucky, 6th District
> Dennis A. Cardoza <http://www.house.gov/cardoza/>: California, 18th
> District
>
> Republicans:
> Henry J. Hyde, Chairman: <http://www.house.gov/hyde> Illinois, 6th
District
> James A. Leach: <http://www.house.gov/leach> Iowa, 2nd District
> Christopher H. Smith <http://www.house.gov/chrissmith>: New Jersey, 4th
> District
> Dan Burton: <http://www.house.gov/burton>Indiana, 5th District
> Elton Gallegly <http://www.house.gov/gallegly>: California, 24th District
> Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: <http://www.house.gov/ros-lehtinen>Florida, 18th
> District
> Dana Rohrabacher: <http://www.house.gov/rohrabacher>California, 46th
> District
> Edward R. Royce: <http://www.house.gov/royce>California, 40th District
> Peter T. King: <http://www.house.gov/king>New York, 3rd District
> Steve Chabot: <http://www.house.gov/chabot>Ohio, 1st District
> Thomas G. Tancredo <http://www.house.gov/tancredo>: Colorado, 6th District
> Ron Paul <http://www.house.gov/paul>: Texas, 14th District
> Darrell Issa <http://www.issa.house.gov/>: California, 49th District
> Jeff Flake <http://www.house.gov/flake>: Arizona, 6th District
> Jo Ann Davis: <http://www.house.gov/joanndavis>Virginia, 1st District
> Mark Green <http://www.house.gov/markgreen/>: Wisconsin, 8th District
> Jerry Weller <http://www.house.gov/weller/>: Illinois, 11th District
> Mike Pence <http://mikepence.house.gov/>: Indiana, 6th District
> Thaddeus G. McCotter <http://www.house.gov/mccotter/>: Michigan, 11th
> District
> Katherine Harris <http://www.house.gov/harris/>: Florida, 13th District
> Joe Wilson <http://joewilson.house.gov/>: South Carolina, 2nd District
> John Boozman <http://www.boozman.house.gov/>: Arkansas, 3rd District
> J. Gresham Barrett <http://www.house.gov/barrett/>: South Carolina, 3rd
> District
> Connie Mack <http://www.house.gov/mack/>: Florida, 14th District
> Jeff Fortenberry <http://www.house.gov/fortenberry/>: Nebraska, 1st
> District
> Michael McCaul <http://www.house.gov/mccaul/>: Texas, 10th District
> Ted Poe <http://www.house.gov/poe/>: Texas, 2nd District
>
> We cannot thank you enough for your help. Your efforts really count!
>
> Sophie de Vries
> - http://www.ImpeachCentral.com
>
> Mike Hersh /
> - Maryland State Coordinator, Progressive Democrats of America
> http://www.pdamerica.org
> - Organizer, Democracy for America Silver Spring-Wheaton
> http://www.democracyforamerica.com
> - Chairperson, Montgomery County Progressive Alliance
> http://www.mc-progressivealliance.com
> - Radio Left Co-host - http://www.radioleft.com
> - MikeHersh.com - http://www.mikehersh.com
>
> =.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=.=
> Take Back the Media! Contribute ideas and support today:
> http://www.mikehersh.com/Become_The_Media.shtm
> Openly Oppose Bush Store - T-Shirts, Stickers, Buttons and More:
> http://www.cafepress.com/antibush04
> Please support our efforts - to donate any amount visit:
> http://www.mikehersh.com and click the button in the upper *left*
>
> Help Keep the Left Alive:
> - The After Downing Street Coalition - http://www.afterdowningstreet.org
> - The Media Watch Project - http://www.democrats.com/media
> - CindySheehan.com - http://www.CindySheehan.com
>