Nina May

(The following is an accumulation of blogs, articles, news reports and quotes that have been gathered during the past two weeks).

While Katrina was still in the Gulf, two days before it hit the coast, Max Mayfield of the National Hurricane Center took the unprecedented action of calling Nagin and Blanco personally to plead with them to begin MANDATORY evacuation of New Orleans. They said they’d take it under consideration. This was after the NOAA buoy 240 miles south had recorded 68′ waves before it was destroyed.

President Bush spent Friday afternoon and evening in meetings with his advisors and administrators drafting all of the paperwork required for a state to request federal assistance (and not be in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act or having to enact the Insurgency Act).

Friday evening, August 26, the President called Governor Blanco and pleaded with her to sign the request papers so the federal government and the military could legally begin mobilization and call up.

He was told that they didn’t think it necessary for the federal government to be involved yet. After the President’s final call to the governor she held meetings with her staff to discuss the political ramifications of bringing federal forces. It was decided that if they allowed federal assistance it would make it look as if they had failed so it was agreed upon that the feds would not be invited in.

Saturday before the storm hit the President again called Blanco and Nagin requesting they please sign the papers requesting federal assistance, that they declare the state an emergency area, and begin mandatory evacuation.

After a personal plea from the President, Mayor Nagin agreed to order an evacuation, but it would not be a full mandatory evacuation, and the governor still refused to sign the papers requesting and authorizing federal action.

But if you go way back before Katrina even had a name, look at the Orleans Parish Levee Board, which is supposed to manage the safety and maintenance of the Levee . . .that broke causing such devastation, was spread a little thin. They also manage hundreds of acres of parks, dozens of commercial properties, and a pair of marinas, an airfield, and a riverboat casino. The state-appointed Levee Board has spent $2.8 million developing “a proposal to build a 4-mile-long island on Lake Pontchartrain with beaches, camping areas, and possibly hotels, restaurants, and an amusement park.” Cost: $200 million.

None of this money was earmarked to hold the waters back and shore up the levees. Yet Al Sharpton and other democrat apologists immediately blamed the federal government, Bush in particular, for not giving enough money to this part of the country. No Al . . .that was not the problem. You really need to get your facts together before screaming racism every time you see a camera pointed in your direction. Just an aside . . .you would not have even KNOWN about the tragedy of the stranded people at the Super Dome if it hadn’t been for white anchors hanging in their for days to bring the news to the world. Mayor Nagin wasn’t down there with his people, pleading for food and water for them, he was busy on the talk show circuit blaming the President for HIS failures.

And, why was the emergency preparedness plan that was submitted to the federal government for funding and published on the city’s website, never implemented? In fact it may have been bogus for the purpose of gaining additional federal funding as we now learn that the organizations identified in the plan were never contacted or coordinating into any planning – though the document implies that they were.

And, why did Blanco refuse to even sign the multi-state mutual aid pack activation documents until Wednesday which further delayed the legal deployment of National Guard from adjoining states?

And why does Nagin keep claiming that the President should have commandeered 500 Greyhound busses when he had, at his disposal, over 500 busses to use, but he never raised a finger to prepare them or activate them.

Associated Press reported Saturday evening, August 27:

“President Bush declared a state of emergency in Louisiana on Saturday because of the approach of Hurricane Katrina, and his spokesman urged residents along the coast to heed authorities’ advice to evacuate.”

“We urge residents in the areas that could be impacted to follow the recommendations of local authorities,” White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said that day.

According to a Sunday morning August 28 AP dispatch, “Bush also lit a fire under Governor Blanco while Katrina twirled furiously across the Gulf of Mexico.”

“Gov. Kathleen Blanco, standing beside the mayor [Nagin] at a news conference, said President Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation for the low-lying city, which is prone to flooding.”

Here’s the story in Blanco’s own words:

“Just before we walked into this room, President Bush called and told me to share with all of you that he is very concerned about the citizens. He is concerned about the impact that this hurricane would have on our people. And he asked me to please ensure that there would be a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans.”

It was reported Monday that “Blanco refused to sign over control of the National Guard to the federal government and turned to a Clinton administration official, former Federal Emergency Management Agency chief James Lee Witt, to help run relief efforts.”
Finally, on thursday, September 1, three days after Katrina struck, Governor Blanco called for 40,000 National Guard troops.

President Bush dispatched four Navy ships to the region,
asked Congress to return from vacation and approve an initial $10.5 billion in federal assistance to the region (which he signed Friday), and recruited his father and President Bill Clinton to raise private and corporate money to aid Katrina’s survivors.

Mayor Nagin, failed to move to higher ground and deploy at least 255 school buses. Rather than easily evacuate 12,750 New Orleanians per journey last week, these buses sat in formation on a soaked parking lot where AP photographer Phil Coale found them last Thursday, September 1.

While his citizens sat hungry, thirsty at the Super Dome, and ignored by their mayor, Ray Nagin, he ordered that 400 tourists from outside of his state and outside of our country be evacuated from the downtown hotels, and were sent to the front of line to be evacuated from the city.

Also, Nagin announced Monday that he would dip into the city’s rapidly dwindling coffers to fly exhausted New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) officers to Las Vegas for five-days of rest and relaxation — even as city residents sleep on cots in sports arenas, and local attics.

And who is to blame for the snipers and blatant Crimes? Bush, the Mayor, the governor . . . or people who preyed on their fellow citizens during a crisis?

Snipers fired at doctors and nurses who tried to evacuate patients from Charity Hospital. Terrified of bullets, medical personnel kept the infirm in sweltering rooms where some died.

A flotilla of private boats prepared to rescue stranded hurricane survivors. The boat owners turned back and went home when they were shot at. Those dying on their rooftops had to wait longer, perhaps fatally, thanks to their own murderous neighbors.

“Spoke to my uncle this morning (Thurs) in Riverbend near Carrolton and St. Charles. He and several (elderly) residents are holed up there and the security situation is getting desperate. Heat is extreme, and there are roving gangs of looters with guns. The looters have also
commandeered a backhoe and are ramming homes… While Leake Avenue and River Road are dry, they are afraid to leave as they fear they will be shot, carjacked etc.”

Michael Shellie of Oregon told the New York Post about looters who broke into his New Orleans hotel: “They threw everything out the windows just for the fun of watching it crash — televisions, vending machines, beds. And they robbed the manager at gunpoint, so he fled.”

Rather than applaud as 14 contractors crossed the Danziger Bridge to fix the 17th Street Levee that faltered and submerged their city, a well-armed band of hoodlums instead opened fire on these engineers. NOPD.

The Democrats immediately began the blame game, starting with Senator Robert Kennedy who said that God was punishing Haley Barbour for not encouraging president Bush to sign the Kyoto Agreement. And that if the agreement had been signed, the hurricane would not have happened. Yes, it was a literate hurricane, incredibly savvy of political nuances and would have started its trek toward the coast, been presented with a copy and stopped in its tracks saying, “Oh, I apologize, I didn’t realize you had signed the Kyoto Agreement, and that even though Haley Barbour was against it, and is now the governor of Mississippi, I will retreat, subside and not inflict the damage I had intended to inflict.” Where do they get these guys who call themselves leaders?

I can understand Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson and Michael Moore repeating the talking points they are spoon fed by the Democrat party, and know that their livelihood depends on disseminating hyperbole and racial accusations. But an elected official? Since Robert is blaming God for Haley’s actions, would he blame God for wiping out New Orleans because 100,000 gays had planned their annual Southern Decadence march the weekend that Katrina hit, promising greater debauchery than ever before? No because that would be politically incorrect for a loving God to kill people for a moral reason, but it’s not for a political reason. That makes a lot of sense Senator Kennedy.

But if anyone is really to blame it is the gurus of the welfare mentality who have kept these poor people trapped on the government plantation, dependent upon the masters of the plantation to tell them where to go, what to do, where to get food . . . or to wait, and starve in the hot sun. Why is it that only people on government assistance trusted the government, listened to them and sat for days waiting for help, while others who have zero trust in the government got the heck out of Dodge?

Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, the Democrat party has created such a dependency class that fully grown adults are clueless as to how to take care of themselves when a disaster hits the plantation. This shame of a failed system is what was exposed in this disaster and that is why the Mayor, the Governor and the other democrat leaders have to scream and blame ANYONE else for not only their failure in helping their citizens, but for relegating these poor citizens to a life of total and complete dependency, void of motivation and initiative. That is a hidden crime across the country that needs to be revealed.

After the incredible, miraculous victory of Elijah* in the “God vs the Baal Worshippers” bout, Elijah did an amazing “victory lap,” outrunning King Ahab’s horses and chariot all the way from Mount Carmel to Jezreel. He was pretty pumped by the experience and saw it as a clear mandate for God to reign supreme in the hearts of all the people. Until he saw Jezebel that is. Then she threatens him, invoking the names of her irrelevant and disproved “gods” and what does Elijah do? He looks her square in the face and . . . turns and runs for his life. What???

Let me back up here for a minute and put the story in context. You have Elijah, the only prophet of God that was not killed by Jezebel, challenging her “prophet team” to a huge God-off, he overcomes the odds, God brings down fire from heaven, hearts are changed, the false prophets killed, Elijah supernaturally runs several miles ahead of a team of horses, and a woman, with zero power at this point, puts such fear in him that he runs away and hides in the dessert. And, he was so afraid and bummed out he asked God to take his life.**

This just doesn’t compute. He just witnessed the most incredible display of God’s power on earth, totally eviscerating his enemy and the Wicked Witch of the West scares him so badly he wants to die?

The Republican party has so many similarities to Elijah. They have this uncanny ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. I can only hope, in light of this last election, that being handed an overwhelming mandate that they look fear in the face, they don’t run, they don’t hide, and the don’t forget why they were put in office.

With all the odds against President Bush’s reelection, he prevailed, while increasing seats in both the house and Senate, and the key issue for most voters was determined to be moral issues. Every move to keep marriage defined as between a man and a woman passed overwhelmingly in every state with it on the ballot.

There is no reason to fear the unknown or the threats of a woman whose “gods” have just lost their version of the “Super Bowl.” But, will the party gird up its loins of resolve, outrun the chariots of division, and face down the voices that have tried to silence the majority as they fight to maintain moral absolutes in society?

Well, I think it depends on the power they perceive our modern “Jezebel” to have. Republicans, conservatives, born again Christians, the military, homeschoolers, business executives and people who talk about a need to maintain strong moral values, have all been targeted for either destruction or defeat, by our nation’s Jezebel. This “threat” of reprisal serves to restrict the forward movement and vocalization of these beliefs and systems.

Why are conservatives, Republicans and the other “suspicious groups” which are identified by this “Jezebel” as right wing conspiratorial, radicals so intimidated by words when they comprise the majority of the voters in the nation? Elections have shown in the past when a candidate who knows who they are, what they believe, why they believe it, and has the courage to stand up to Jezebel, that they are a huge favorite of the electorate. Look at the Reagan paradigm. It is not a mystery that an entire moniker was coined for a huge block of voters called “Reagan Democrats” for people who liked everything about their party except their platform, their elected leaders, their views on moral issues and their stance on national defense. Other than that, they were proud to be Democrats.

But that image died on Mount Carmel when the false impressions and superficial characteristics of the old Democrat party were run through with the sword of truth and insight. The party that fought to keep slavery in tact, and then move to keep blacks from voting and disenfranchised from the body politic in the past two centuries, had to remake their personae in the light of changing values and shifting priorities. Also, in light of the fact that the Republican party was always there to keep them honest on the issues of racial discrimination, government control, tax increases, national defense, encroaching socialism and a deference to international control of our sovereignty. The only thing is . . . standing there in a face off with Jezebel, the Republican party never remembers the power it has by the numbers it almost always pulls in the polls. They shake in fear at a hollow movement and antiquated party because they have been told that to act on any of their beliefs would define them as “right wing extremists” and cause them to shrink in fear.

We need to put a mirror in front of Elijah so that not only does it reflect the incredible man of God that just believed for the most amazing miracles, but it blocks out the nagging, whiney, insipid voice of the Jezebel that has as its goal the destruction of greatness, replacing it instead with controllable, malleable mediocrity that can be frightened, manipulated and defined by her image.

So . . . as we see the incredible mandate that President Bush and the Republican party has just received from the American people, I pray that they don’t shrink in fear before the impotent forces that have as their goal the silencing of all opposing views and opinions. The President has a chance to shape courts in the image of the constitution with honorable men and women who will not legislate from the bench using judicial activism, but who will see the boundaries of their power in the four corners of the documents that define our laws and freedoms.

What would be so horrible about having as a litmus test the belief that a child in the womb should be protected? Common sense tells you that anyone who would condone the murder of an unborn child, would not stop there at injecting their mayhem in other areas of our society. If a child can’t be defined, then marriage can’t be, freedom can’t be, liberation of oppressed nations can’t be, ad infinitum. The failure to base decisions on absolutes paves the way for anarchy where everyone determines for themselves what they think is right and wrong. One man thinks it is their right to cut off another man’s head, while another feels that a pastor’s voice should be silenced for reading “politically incorrect” scripture from their church pulpit. The purpose of both views is to silence and intimidate, it is just their methods that are a different.

So, instead of shrinking in fear, and running to the dessert of political safety to hide out these next four years, the President, our elected officials and the Republican party need to stand firm in their resolve and finish the job they started. The Jezebel of negativity, divisiveness, oppression, intimidation and hypocrisy needs to be challenged, overcome and replaced. But that takes courage . . . it takes conviction . . .and takes a memory of past miraculous victories. We can chose to run and hide after such an amazing victory . . . or we can stand and finish the fight. The choice is ours.

*I Kings 18: 18-46 **I Kings 19: 1-4

This is the second part of a commentary I wrote the day before the election, called, “With This Much Water on the Alter . . . Expect a Miracle in the Election.”

If you want a copy, let me know. It is not posted any place.

Have you ever known a real war hero and asked them about their time in the service? Little boys especially love to hear about the medals of their grandfathers and uncles and are always disappointed when the real hero, inevitably, touches the medal with tenderness and proceeds to say, “Oh, I’m not the hero . . . all my buddies were the heroes. I was just fortunate to get back home.” The little boys of course are looking for grand stories of fire fights and blood and guts recounting war adventures, but anyone who has ever served will tell you it is not something they feel comfortable talking about.

A real war hero does not go around bragging about his exploits. If anything, with a real hero, they will only give credit to their fellow fighting men, downplaying anything heroic that they may have accomplished. They are very reluctant to toot their horn because they know there are fellow soldiers who didn’t make it out either alive or in one piece and forever in their minds they feel as though they failed in some way: That they were not able to protect, save, preserve, prevent. They feel a sense of awesome responsibility that supercedes what the war was, the battle, the conflict, even the poltical and philosophical nuances surrounding the circumstances of them fighting for their lives.

All of this is really at the heart of the controversey with the very conflicted, confused, and desparate, John Kerry. He wants it both ways. He wants to be lauded as the conquering hero, while being respected and honored for abandoning his fellow soldiers and working to turn public opinion against them while they are still being shot at. You can call it what you want, but I choose to call this the traitorous act of a coward with an ego too big to recognize the truth.

If his purpose was to spend as much time in a battle zone as boy scouts spend on a summer camp out, collecting as many bobbles as possible to pad his political resume while escaping battle with no wounds to match his medals, then he succeeded. He should have taken his medals, put them on the wall, run for Senate in the hopes of one day being president. People today, would have no reason to question his patriotism, his honor, his integrity and veracity. He would, by everyone’s determination, be considered to be a war hero.

But because the accolaides issue forth from his own agenda laden lips, and self produced video clips of “reinactments”, the claims are as empty as his war chest. The medals meant nothing to him, because the receiving of the medals meant nothing to him. They didn’t cost him what they cost a true war hero like Max Cleland, who left three limbs on the battle field. Ironically, because his devastating injuries were obtained at the same time . . they only warranted one medal. Do three medals for three superficial scratches equal one medal for the loss of three limbs? No wonder John felt no emotional attachment to the medals, ribbons or whatever he threw over the fence to show the world he had officially turned his back on his fellow soldiers who weren’t as fortunate as he was to get out after only 4 months.

Sen. Max Cleland, D-Ga., earned a Soldier’s Medal and Silver Star medal for valor, but in his autobiography (1986), on page 87 he says, “[I was awarded the Soldier’s Medal] for allegedly shielding my men from the grenade blast and the Silver Star for allegedly coming to the aid of wounded troops…” He continues, “There were no heroics on which to base the Soldier’s Medal. And it had been my men who took care of the wounded during the rocket attack, not me. Some compassionate military men had obviously recommended me for the Silver Star, but I didn’t deserve it.” And on Page 89 of the same book he says, “I was not entitled to the Purple Heart either, since I was not wounded by enemy action.”

My gosh, if anyone has earned the right to not only brag about his ribbons, but do anything he wants with them, it is a man who served his country with the ultimate sacrifice of irreplaceable limbs. But instead, his response echoes those of thousands of other true war heroes who are humble in the face of praise, and reluctant to acknowledge that they are true heroes.

John Kerry needs to make up his mind whether he wants to be considered a war hero and hopefully get the votes of Americans who don’t know about all the weapons systems he has voted against. Or, he needs to decide that he wants to appeal to his natural base, the left wing extremists who helped undermine the mlitary in the ’70s, hurt our global image, and maligned the character of real heroes who were laying down their lives because their country called them to service. He cannot have it both ways, and he can’t compare his service of 4 months and bogus medals, to six year service of people who chose the option of the National Guard, knowing at any time their troop could be called to serve, and possibly die. By challenging Bush’s choice of service in the National Guard, Kerry, and the Democrats insult every single person who has ever served in the Guard . . . oddly while defending Bill Clinton’s “choice” to dodge the draft in the military that he loathed, and, lied about it.

I challenge John Kerry to call the Witmer family and tell them that their daughter and sister Michele, who served and died in Iraq, was less honorable than his service because she only served in the National Guard. He can’t choose just one man he is running against, who served honorably in the National Guard, trash his record, without necessarily besmirching the service and duty of every other National Guard member. Again . . . he can’t have it both ways. He can’t claim to the car manufacturers that he is proud to own a fleet of SUVs then deny to the environmentalists that he owns any. He can’t claim he never falls at skiing but then blame someone else when he does fall. He can’t rail against the rich when he is married to one of the wealthiest women in America, owns five homes, a private jet and, oh, a fleet of gas guzzling cars. He can’t be committed to connecting with the less fortunate while flying his personal hairdresser to coif his hair so he can address them. He can’t claim to be strong militarily when he has voted against almost every weapons system in the country. He can’t claim to be a patriot while proudly admitting he slapped the military in the face. He can’t be a compassionate liberal while claiming to have committed war attrocities, with no repercussions from the usually squeemish left. One person’s war criminal is another person’s war hero. He can’t have it both ways. Is he an SUV driving, priviledged wealthy war criminal or is he an environmentally senstive, anti-military, war hero who supported the attack on Iraq and acknowledged that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction? He should probably have decided who he was before he decided to run for office.

A uniform and medals do not make a hero. If that was the case, we should let Saddam out, give him back his fatigues and guns and set him and Castro up as the new leaders of America. At least their outfits would match. As I recall, Hitler liked to wear a uniform with lots of medals. So what? So John Kerry once wore a uniform with medals. He denounced the uniform, the medals and the US . . . so let’s judge him by his actions now. He is a pitiful characture of a man in a 15-minutes-of-fame time warp who really thinks Americans can’t connect the dots that lead to the conclusion that this man is out of touch with reality . .. and with the pulse of the American people who really get that the war we are engaged in is totallly different than his point of political reference, Vietnam.

And sadly, the entire platform of the Democrat party and their candidate is to recreate that same destructive, demoralizing climate for the troops who are now serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. Inspite of what Kerry does or doesn’t do . . inspite of what the kangaroo 911 Commission did . . . inspite of how the Democrats exploit the body count in the Iraq war, the vast majority of the Ameircan people remember that we were attacked, 3000 innocent people were killed, and these terrorists will not stop until the country is utterly destroyed. So . . .it is up to the American people to decide to return to a pre-911mentality with a Commander in Chief who is stuck in the ’70s, or stay the course of a defended homeland, offensive military objectives to destroy terrorism, and re-elect George W. Bush.
*I wrote this a month ago, but wanted to hear John Kerry and see how the people who accused Bush of grandstanding for flying a jet onto an aircraft carrier would act when Kerry used the same military “props” for his speech and entrance into Boston. I must say, nothing in his speech made me change a word in this commentary.”

It is so cute to hear people, like Andrea Mitchell and even Geraldine Ferrara, cooing about John Edward’s youthful good looks suggesting that women would be dumb enough to vote for the ticket just because of that. Now which party is being sexist? If I could spell the noise of a tape recorder rewinding, it would appear here. Then I would play all the negative sound bites that flooded the airwaves the minute that Dan Quayle was announced as Bush’s running mate in 1988.

These same voices denounced the GOP for trying to recreate the Kennedy magic by tapping a young, handsome senator telling the country, immediately that they were never allowed to refer to Dan’s good looks. The same people who, 12 years ago, dismissed the female vote saying women were too smart to fall for good looks only, are now falling all over themselves between heaves of girlish blushes to remind the very smart women of America that Edwards is not just another pretty face… he is THE pretty face. Gee, if all America wants is a pretty face to lead them, let’s go to Central Casting to find one.

Then we have the all important military issue. Why was service so important just six months ago, and now no one cares that Edwards did no service in the military? Why is it that Republicans who honorably serve in the National Guard, like both Dan Quayle and George W. Bush, are equated to war criminals, while draft dodgers like Bill Clinton, and antiwar activists like John Kerry are lauded as men of courage and conviction? And if the Dems think military service is so important… why didn’t they vote for George 41 and Bob Dole?

As I heard the sound clip during the Democrat primary of Kerry asking what Edward’s military record was, reminding the world, once again, that when he served in Vietnam, that Edwards was in diapers, I had a vision. It was like this amazing flash of familiarity that hits you like a ton of bricks. It really dealt more with the similarities that they share on almost every issue, making them number one and four in “The Most Liberal in the Country” contest. But, it just hit me… Edwards is Kerry’s clone. My gosh, he is… Mini-Me. The diaper quote actually helped me fashion the vision with Edwards in the carryall, strapped to Kerry’s breast like Dr. Evil in Austin Powers. *

Think about it… John and John… wow, he really is a Mini-Me. Same name and everything. Isn’t that cute? Not only do they both represent only 19% of the American public who identify themselves as “liberal”, but their voting records are practically carbon copies of each other. They can’t out liberal each other. While claiming to be men of the people… the two Johns are very very very very wealthy. They are in the top part of the top part of the top part of that little percent part that says you are very very very very wealthy. But they both, with a cloned straight face, actually tell the voters that they are for “the little people.” Well, they don’t use the word “little,” that is too pejorative and their handlers would have a heart attack, so they use words like “victims of the Republican tax cuts.”

Boy, that is a head scratcher. Don’t tax cuts help tax payers who have been paying the bills for a bloated bureaucracy and out of control politicians who spend with abandon? So the two Americas that Edwards talks about are those who work hard and pay taxes and what… those who don’t work and don’t pay taxes? What exactly are these two Americas? Which America is he in and does he just absolutely hate the other America? His ridiculous, divisive rhetoric has every American asking, gee am I the good one or the bad one? Which side am I on? I know I am not as wealthy as either of them, or George Soros, or Michael Moore, or all those other loudmouth elitists who pretend to speak for me and mine.

So 81% of the people defined by Edwards as being in the “other” America say to themselves, “I must be in the hard working middle-class America, paying taxes to support the incredible burden of the government, while Kerry and Mini-Me are in the America reserved for rich liberal elitists.”

So as John [Kerry] parades his cute little dimpled clone around, hoping his southern accent will cast a magic spell over every southern voter, imagine them both with the tip of their pinky at the edge of their mouth saying, “We belong to the America where everyone is worth… ‘One Billion Dollars.’”

*If you have seen Austin Powers III, you will get this, if not, see it and tell me what you think.