Word spreads of disastrous federal policy in New Orleans

Two days ago, I wrote about an article from 2001 in which scientists anticipated an occurrence like Katrina in New Orleans. I also pointed out that this administration has been cutting funding to the area for years. My ol' pal Stephanie Miller even read bits of it on her show, which was a nice feeling (even if she didn't GIVE ME CREDIT!).

Nevertheless, like many others I assumed that the near-miss of New Orleans would mitigate the damage. That was tragically optimistic. One thing I'm glad to see, though, is the mainstream media reporting that experts had seen just such a disaster coming for years. They're also observing the loss of federal funds to New Orleans and the shortage of National Guard members able to contribute to relief duty-- they're requesting manpower and equipment from other states.

One right-wing blog had a post yesterday "disproving" the notion that we could use more of the National Guard right here in the US. Yes, the liberal blogs have pointed this out, and each article I've seen has quoted military officials in the affected states. Who claimed that everything's just fine with the National Guard in those states? Official Pentagon spokesmonkey Lawrence DeRita. I'm sure he's much better informed on the Alabama National Guard than their actual CO. You might remember DeRita saying "People are dead because of what this son of a bitch said," after the allegations of detainee abuse at Guantanamo Bay. Because torture doesn't kill people-- transparent government kills people.