(no subject)

[theweaselking]

Quoth the New York Times: "Bush to New Orleans: Drop Dead"

German news didn't just cover Bush when he visited the wreckage, they covered before and after. (Link requires Realplayer or RealAlternative)

Christine Adelhardt live from Biloxi:

"Two minutes ago the President drove by with his convoy. What happened here in Biloxi during the day is really unbelievable. All of a sudden the rescue troops finally showed up, the clean-up vehicles; we didn't see those over the last days here. In an area where it really isn't urgent, there is nobody around, all the remaining people went to the city center.

The President is traveling with a press convoy, so they get wonderful pictures saying the president was here and the help will follow. The amount of this catastrophe shocked me, but the amount of set-up that happened here today is at least equally shocking for me.

That's right. Aid stations were set up immediately before Bush arrived with the cameras and torn down immediately after he and the cameras left - but the news only showed that everywhere Bush went, the aid stations were up and running.

Compare and contrast: Hurricane relief in Louisiana and Mississippi in 2005, versus hurricane relief in Florida in 2003 - a much richer swing state in an upcoming election, run by a family member.


"I will never again tell people that help is on the way," said Thomas M. Stone, the parish fire chief. "It's not coming."

Yet another case of Codi Rice lyign through her teeth: Kingston, Jamaica: The US State department refuses offers of relief and assistance from Jamaica

Pam Spaulding on what refugee status means to gay people, due to the US's hypocritical and discriminatory laws.

Recovering from the devastation of hurricane Katrina may be particularly difficult for same-sex couples who are not recognized in any of the three states directly hit by the storm or in those states where refugees have fled.

* The Federal Defense of Marriage Act prevents FEMA from providing any relief in the form of family benefits to same-sex couples. The laws also will directly impact gay and lesbian families where one partner has died as a result of the hurricane.

* Federal DOMA bars Social Security survivor benefits. State benefits would also be denied.

* Louisiana has a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and prevents the state from recognizing any legal status for common-law relationships, domestic partnerships or civil unions.

* Mississippi and Alabama both have defense of marriage acts which also deny rights to gay and lesbian couples.

* Should the family home be in the name of the deceased partner the survivor would have no rights.

* Any insurance payouts could go to the estate of the deceased and if there is no will would go to the closest blood relative.

* In cases where one partner is hospitalized the other partner would not be guaranteed visitation rights or any say in medical care.

* If the deceased partner were the birth or adoptive parent of the couple's children those children could be removed from the care of the other parent and placed in foster care.

* Surviving same-sex partners even could be denied any say in funeral or burial decisions.

* Even in those cases where couples had legal documents such as living wills, powers of attorney or other agreements that could be valid in the states in which they were prepared and notarized there is no guarantee they would be honored in states where survivors were relocated.

Finally, a story of seven refugees who banded together to get to help - the oldest of whom, a six-year-old-boy, carried his five-month-old brother and led 5 toddlers through Baton Rouge to find help. They were evacuated from New Orleans by helicopter - their parents were told to send the children first, and the helicopter would be back for the adults in 25 minutes. It never returned, but instead dropped the children in Baton Rouge. The parents were sent to San Antonio separately.