King County Councilman Steve Hammond has learned an important lesson from the disastrous disaster relief effort in New Orleans. Unfortunately, it’s the wrong lesson… but you can’t fault the guy for his dedication to lifelong learning.
Yesterday Hammond introduced an ordinance that would make the investigation, arrest and prosecution of “looting and related crimes” the county’s highest law enforcement priority during natural or man-made disasters. Hmm. And I suppose once we’ve rounded up all the people grabbing Pampers and Doritos from collapsed convenience stores, then we can get around to actually… um… rescuing people. Hammond explains:
“This measure will protect King County from the kind of lawlessness that enveloped New Orleans after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and plagued the city of Seattle during the World Trade Organization protests in 1999,” said Councilman Hammond. “By making the arrest of looters and other disaster-related crimes a top priority of law enforcement during the next natural disaster or man-made conflict, we will force local emergency administrators to timely coordinate evacuation assistance with the federal government and we will protect our citizens from the dangers of anarchy.”
Uh… what the fuck is he talking about?
First of all, I’m kind of offended that Hammond would equate the worst natural disaster in US history, with WTO protests that resulted in a McDonalds and a couple of Starbucks getting their windows smashed. Second, how exactly does making looting our top priority “force” local emergency administrators to coordinate with the federal government? And third… what the fuck? If I’m trapped underneath the rubble of my collapsed house, I’d like the county’s top priority to be digging me the fuck out, not guarding the snack food aisle at the local Safeway!
In the event of a major disaster I sure as hell want the police and the national guard and other first responders in thick of it, on the streets, making their presence felt, and keeping order. But when faced with the choice of rescuing a person from a collapsed building, or rescuing a TV from the arms of a looter, I’d hope the police would follow their own moral conscience, rather than the twisted directives of Hammond’s “Wal-Mart Protection Act of 2005.”
If Hammond is looking for a public safety issue to nudge him ahead in his tough primary battle against Raymond Shaw Reagan Dunn, I’d focus on the inherent danger of relying on public officials whose resumes were built on political appointments.
You have to like wingnuts like Hammond that would rather tie up the police having them shoot looters instead of save people should the big one hits.
You would think, given all the variables that occur should a disaster of any kind hit, it would be better to have the police commanders decide what their top priorities are, not a fool like Hammond.
Hammond must think there is another close election on the horizon—fucking wingnuts will do anything to suppress Democratic voters.
Let’s hope this isn’t what he had in mind: http://www.cadenhead.org/workbench/news/2748
Shoot ’em. This is ‘Murka. Shoot ’em.
dj @ 2
‘…wingnuts will do anything to suppress Democratic voters.’
Lucky for you KC always comes up with extra voted ballots sans voters.
5th generation welfare hacks steal 42 inch Sony plasmas and $200 Air Jordans from FOOT LOCKER, and it must be Newt’s fault. 500 New Orleans buses didn’t move as “Da Mayor” held out for Greyhound coaches, and it must be Bush’s fault. $2000 Red Cross debit cards: like welfare, only better!!!!!
Blacks and the DNC will insure Hillary [08] will still carry New Orleans by 300,000 votes even if New Orleans is a ghost town. Like Joe Stalin noted, “It’s who counts the votes”!!!
NoWonder @ 5
… do not.
New Orleans, Detroit, Harare………Gee, what do these fine Democrat cities have in commom??
Why do wingnuts perseverate on the same stupid topics no matter how many times we correct them?
Headless Lucy @ 7
It is just easier for them to make up shit to support their conspiracy theories, and then they forget that they made it up.
re 7: That’s why we’re trying to eliminate Chuck Hegel’s voting machines. You hit upon the truth, but purely by accident.
We care more about property than people.
Nice. Hammond would be the first to be shot over here on the east side. There are plenty of wingnuts but even my republican friends standing around reading this shit want to slap the shit out of him right now. And I know two of them are racists.
JCH @ 7 and 9:
You are a worthless racist piece of shit.
@11-“It is just easier for them to make up shit to support their conspiracy theories, and then they forget that they made it up”
And you can see this from the lunatic left “proudly” on display everyday at HA. You guys are the most pathetic, delussional, pseudo-intellectual morons that Seattle/King county has to offer.
I laugh daily at the continued implosion of the “re-gressive” political movement and look forward to the day that some of you get the education, real world experience and serious psychiatric assistance you need to somehow, someday, become responsible for your failures, your miserable lives and attitudes that you share daily.
From IDGAF @ 16
“… [I] look forward to the day that some of you get the education, real world experience and serious psychiatric assistance you need to somehow, someday, become responsible for your failures, your miserable lives and attitudes that you share daily.”
i.e. “I hope you all become a brainwashed wingnut like me.”
No thanks.
IDGAF, perhaps someday you will join the Reality Based community. But until then your remarks regarding “education, real world experience and serious psychiatric assistance ” are like a mirror held up to your face.
ID(IOT)GAF: Do you get paid by the word? At first glance, your masters don’t seem to get good value for their money because you repeat yourself so often but then again endless repetition is the essence of the “big lie”.
Hey Goldy, what’s up with these GOP nut jobs holding public office, and their obsession with guns and killing people? Remember when Kent Pullen (R-Puyallup) took a gun into the Legislature?
You can always spot GOP politicians on the street. They’re the ones wearing buckskin shirts and coon hats, trying to look like Davy Crockett.
Crockett probably was a fucking redneck, too.
Wingnuts want people to believe in UFOs and alien abductions so they have someone to deflect blame to.
Hammond’s plan to shoot looters has a serious flaw — a lot of Republican politicians and CEOs would get shot because they’re doing most of the looting.
Donna and DJ, You both amongst the rabbit, clueless, rujax and afew select others are the LEADERS of those so divorced from reality, you actually in your dysfuctional, dellusional minds believe that somehow you are the past, present and future of this country. When in reality, day after day, you repeat the dwindleling, psychotic mantra of a tiny minority of people who are just plain ignorant by way of your flawed critical thinking skills that continously subverts reason, logic and factual reality. Your points of view have become ludicrous and repulsive to the overwhelming majority of those of us who unlike you, have exercised our freedoms to become self-reliant, financially responsible and thru education, experience and a committment to personal responsibility for all aspects of our lives have become those who are police officers, firefighters, paramedics and the finest within the military, business and philanthropic community. The only mirror one needs to look in is the one in your home for the reason YOU have failed to thrive in this the finest country on the face of the planet.
ID(IOT)GAF: You’re spewing the mantras of fascism. Get educated yourself.
@ 23
… and all that from Mr. I Don’t Give A Fuck.
23-
That is a REALLY GOOD pile of bullshit.
Too bad more people are actually like…well, me.
It’s truly unfortunate that the facts are not being acknowledged, regardless of party brainwashing.
FACT: Americans in New Orleans were effectively murdered, by the thousands, because of sins of omission or commission. But they were, alas, predominently the “Amurikans” of the country instead of the “Americans”: Here’s the difference:
***
Levy budget was slashed by Bush by over 40% when funds were requested to shore up NO’s levies to a level 5 hurricane security.
Fact: Louisiana voted Democratic. New Orleans has a high incidence of African-American low-income population. Both those things mighta had a LEETLE somthin’ somethin’to do with the feds spitting in the eye of Democratic LA and re-allocating funds distribution.Cheney/Bush APPEARED..now note I say APPEARED–to have used that funding cut to paint a rosier pixshur for Amurikans —note the spelling of this citizenry, who,dazed and confused, cross-eyed in their adoration of an amoral President who can use the Bible and their narrow-minded religiosity to lead them by the nose like the Pied Piper— these Amurikans Be-LIEVE as Christians it is moral and Right to deny basic substance to our least fortunate while blushingly toe-in-the dirt-subservient, they support the Cheney/Bush Juggernaut that has been rolling since the day the CBJ first stepped into the Whiteman’s House to ensure that the wealthy STAY wealthy and get wealthier. The N’awlins levy funding that was pulled was a nice balance, along with the $35 billions gutted from Medicaid and social services programs, to offset that little inheritance thingy planned for 2006: to make sure that the millibillionaire “Americans” (for whom “Constitutional Entitlement” is beginning to mean something VERY different than America’s historical past) are “entitled” to keep their inherited money without those pesly old taxes.. because..well..they DESERVE it..somehow…or other….—
This done in order to move forward the Cheney/Bush Juggernaut of Prestidigitation (“A-MEN!!HAlleLU-jah! ok we got their attention now…send those bills through while they’re lookin’ at the Bible I have in my hand..”…) and THE BEHIND THE SCENES POWERS THAT BE.
Now what WERE they planning? Well, let me tell ya (how embarrassing for any sentient being to notice this came through the very same week as KAtrina’s devastation..hmmm…God works in mysterious calendar ways…) Well, look at the floor of the House and Senate: Those redirected funds helped to spruce up and present a less whop-sided looking deficit when (after $35 billion was to be cut from Medicaid and other desperately needed benefits for the poor) the $70 billion real eatate tax rollback machine was to be put into play. Maybe we wouldn’t NOTICE the elephant of an additional $600 million or billion or so annual deficit addition (I dunno..when the zeros get to trailin’ out that far my eyes cross..)
These are the continuing efforts of the CBJ (Cheney/Bush Juggernaut) to make all the dreams of the top 1/2 of 1% of our population come tru– they have been WAAY put upon to pay taxes on the $$multi-$mil/bils [fill-in-the-zeros they have made on the backs of the working class here ]inheritances that have come to them through no honest effort of their own…but, somehow…these fine Americans (as opposed to all us other Amurikans) well, they just gosh darn DESERVE to get a little break, after all, they have been so DEPENDABLE in their attendance to bezillions of fund-raisers and all…
Dreams do come tru in Amurika for..ahem.. Americans.
*****
The NO Times-Picayune newspaper did a study and editorials 2 years ago on this very thing happening and got…no respect. And reduced money.
*****
FEMA spent $250,000 to do a drill to test the effectiveness of a mock-hurricane disaster in NO. THAT didn’t go too well.
And they didn’t shorten their learning curve a bit with it..
FEMA worked well under Clinton (even all the Repubs in DC will reluctantly agree to that) and because it was a CLinton success story, Bush apparently was compelled to yank in the opposite direction and fix what wasn’t broken, dragging it into Homeland Security and crashing yet another program on the virus-riddled computer we know as OUR GOVERNMENT.
***
Finally, and there is NO DEFENSE for this…
“What didn’t go right last week?” (Bush question of Nancy Pelosi with a straight face and crooked mouth)
How COULD one of the most CRITICAL positions in our government–overseeing the protection of our LIVES–be placed in the hands of a guy like Michael Brown who LIBERALLY lied on his resume and got a good-old-boy appointment through connexions with a college roomie? ANd NOBODY IN HOMELAND SECURITY EVEN RAN A CASUAL CHECK ON HIS CREDENTIALS?
THIS when the average citizen’s library book check-out histories can be perused by the FBI for no reason except they want to? (no real correlation there except..the absurdity of it all..this “Homeland “SECURITY” LEADERSHIP we have been hammered with since 9/11.
THE EMPEROR WEARS NO CLOTHES.
***********
anD..speaking of that tragic happening…to compare Hurricane Katrina to 9/11 and talk about the stellar CRUCIAL RESPONSE and its effectiveness during that tragedy…
Well, just think how OUTSTANDING our response would have been for 9/11..had we had a week’s forewarning of the tragedy poised to occur.
OH but wait..I forgot to mention that the National Guard is historically on the sceen imediately in times of national disaster…oh wait…they’re not here….
Don’t EVEN mention Iraq. Bless those soldiers’s hearts. Pray they stay safe until AMuriKans stop focusing on the spewings of our highest elected Hypocrites and start havin’ a clue as to who’s been steerin’ this sinking ship.
It’s time to vote in someone who will BRING OUR TROOPS HOME and take the CORPORATIONS WHO ARE AMERICA”S REAL HIJACKERS DOWN A PEG OR TWENTY.
There. I did say it.
And Now that Michael Brown is no longer with us,
I feel safer somehow…even if they don’t replace him…
The ONLY thing I>D>G>A>F about is what a tiny, irrelevant, inconsequential group of socialists like you think about me. It doesn’t effect my life in any way, shape, or form. Your opinions serve as nothing but a source of entertainment. But rest assured, when the next disaster hits, thousands of people such as myself with years of USAR, EMS, law enforcement and military logistical, operations and command will be there as soon as possible to extricate you from a crisis situation that probably will be yet another result of your own poor, illogical choices that demonstrate once again your inabilty to reason in a sane, rational and intelligent manner.
Idiot-Gaf:
“I laugh daily at the continued implosion of the “re-gressive” political movement. . . .” and you claim to be in touch with reality? Heck, Bush is starting to get into Nixon on a bad day numbers.
And now it is being reported that Colin Powel will come out and say he was lied to by the administration when he went before the UN. I guess we will have to expect him to be trashed by the wingnuts.
Hammond wants to shoot looters to be the highest priority for police, even before saving people, apparently.
By statute, simple possession of pot is the lowest priority of police in Seattle.
Maybe someone should introduce Hammond to the lowest priority.
ATTENTIN feloow individuals with a functioning brain. Be sure to read Upwardbounds diatribe for a SHINING example of an individual expressing an opinion(s) that hasn’t a single fact, shred of evidence and is filled with outright lies and misrepresentations. His “choice” is clearly to be an blathering idiot who considers his brief analysis of “headlines” on blogs to be factual information.
15.Ivan………..I can’t “feel” your love!! Perhaps you need to move to inner Detroit or Harare, Zimbabwe and show them “your love”? Yes, Harare. Kind of like inside the Superdome, except you’ll need a passport!
IDGAF @ 29
“But rest assured, when the next disaster hits, thousands of people such as myself with years of USAR, EMS, law enforcement and military logistical, operations and command will be there as soon as possible to extricate you from a crisis situation”
I should hope you will be there. IT’S YOUR FUCKING JOB!
“…that probably will be yet another result of your own poor, illogical choices that demonstrate once again your inabilty to reason in a sane, rational and intelligent manner.”
What the fuck? Again, you spout off bullshit about which you know nothing. Are liberals somehow less likely to prepare for disasters than conservatives? I don’t think so.
And, one thing we know for sure, the wingnut branch of the conservatives are certainly not about averting disasters through public works projects: perfect example is their resistance to fixing the Alaska Way Viaduct (which will be our own little hell come the next earthquake) and the SR520 floating bridge (which will make a nice underwater park/graveyard one of these days).
Sorry, IDGAF, your hypocritical wingnut bullshit isn’t fooling anyone.
JCH you are a racist pig.
34.K……….Where is the love?? JCH [retired and enjoying life on the Big Island, Hawaii. No more tax revenue from me, commie libs!! Go tax someone else!! Atlas has Shrugged!]
dj:
Good points. 912 is mostly going to road maintanence and safety. We have had two head on accidents that may have been prevented if 912 is defeated. Maybe we should start a 912/wingnut butcher’s bill.
re 29: Kiss my ass you lame piece of shit.I will meet you anywhere , anytime. POSER!!!
Kiss my ass you lame piece of shit.I will meet you anywhere , anytime. POSER!!! -Comment by headless lucy— 9/9/05 @ 10:09 pm
I call BULLSHIT on you, Ballsless Looney.
You don’t even have the testicles to answer a question HERE, little girlie man.
HeadlessLucy: all mouth and ASS, no brains or balls.
To IDGAF
Hmmm…I’m caught. I admit it…those facts were gathered from National Public Radio (that leftwing bastion) and CNN and the 24/7 coverage of Katrina on tv. And Time. And Newsweek.
What can I say, I surmised that political thingy. It seems to fit into the puzzle really well.
And given the Halliburton bustle of activity in the wake of our monumentally disasterous experiences both here and abroad, I–along with every other sentient being in the world (note, IDGAF, I said ‘SENTIENT’ being so it’s okay if you continue to miss the point..it’s not your fault) am getting a clue as to who a few of those prestidigitizing corps behind the scene are….lol.
Here’s an additional tidbit I heard from my sister who works for a large communications company: a co-worker who brought his family up here to Charlotte from New Orleans post- Katrina horror revealed something I haven’t heard on tv— his grandfather said there are actually sharks swimming around in the streets of New Orleans. Sharks. That spilled through the levee. NOw isn’t that a chilling image.
But, then again, I hear we got a shark of our own circling the Katrina debacle: Halliburton. Another no=bid contract. Another tentacle of fraud and deception poised to slither into the pockets of American taxpayers. And the $52 billion in relief that was approved without oversight? was no doubt being eyeballed by Cheneyland as it was being voted on. (another chance at pseudo-reconstruction..oh boY! I knew that Cheney had to have a REAL reason for traveling to the area..sizing up the mark…)
And as to the billions that will be thrown at Halliburton and other companies of the same ilk, it’s prolly gonna continue to go like this:
BUSHWHACKER: “…because well shucks, we didn’t have TIME to actually write up a budget proposal –you folks in Congress know how that is…like…9/11 and stuff. Sorry there aren’t any REAL details. Heh. We’ll try to do better on the additional $100 billion + this is goin’ to take…. But you know…I have been so CONCERNED about getting help to all those Hurricane ‘Corinna’ folks like Laura was talking about..the minute I left that last fundraiser ..well okay a coupla days later…I took action and figured out how this would help Uncle Dick..er I mean the .er..
victims. and throwin’ money sort of in their general DIRECTION is goood PR… especially if it ain’t MINE..LOL”
[Check out CROOKSANDLIARS.ORG, I think it was..a video of Laura Bush talking about Hurricane ‘Corinna’. Horrendously amusing in a macabre sort of way…and also the Halliburton gig compliments of the US NAvy. DOn’t KNOW that’s true…but..look to history to predict the future. Unca Dick (or should I say another sharkinthewater named Dick…has already paved the way to even better profits —see CandrewB@48 above. A simply brilliant tactical hand-up-Bush’s-butt maneuver there, DICKhead! nice!! Kick ’em while they’re down..and make a tidier profit while you’re doin’ it]
Roll on, Regime, roll on…
You’re about 5 days late and more than a few SENSE short kiddo…(does that make you DownwardBound?)
As reported last week by Halliburton Watch, the US Navy has asked Halliburton to repair naval facilities damaged by Katrina under an existing $500 million contract.
Earlier this year the Navy awarded KBR and three other companies $350 million in contracts to repair facilities damaged in 2004 by Hurricane Ivan.
Don’t let a few key words… existing contract, awarded (which means they gave the best BID compared to whomever else was bidding) and three other companies… get in the way of your HateBush/Cheney/Halliburton fest, because you certainly have no facts… little clues like the opening to paragraph 4, the cute little “No doubt…blah, blah, blah” gambit.
There is no shame, no accountability. -Comment by HowCanYouBePROUDtobeAnASS— 9/4/05 @ 11:55 pm
THREE, they have exactly THREE competitors and nearly double the employees of their closest competitor and still 52 BILLION LESS in net income, smaller gross margins and smaller operating margins.
Yep, big bad evil Halliburton.
Who are you kidding?
You wouldn’t even had known the name if Dick Cheney hadn’t come from there. -Comment by HowCanYouBePROUDtobeAnASS— 9/5/05 @ 12:11 am
Hey PissAss-
You gonna spit on Vet’s on this thread too?
It osunds like the man has his head together.
Oh, and by the way Goldy, linking you fuck-ups dircly to WTO is entirely appropriate.
The Seattle police should have been shooting to kill.