Today the WSJ laid blame squarely on the mayor and governor where it belongs. They largely agree with my own assessment.
UPDATE:
Apparently the MSM is starting to pick up on the non-executed plan by the locals that let people die, ABC gets it. (HT: Captain’s Quarters)
In the massive response to Hurricane Katrina, dozens if not hundreds of charities rushed to provide essential care to the victims. Some brought food, others brought medicine. Planned Parenthood got into the mix “on the frontlines aiding patients in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.” (Their words)
What were the essentials that Planned Parenthood brought to starving and dehydrating people? Why contraceptives, of course. It’s as if the voice of Margaret Sanger herself spoke out from the grave saying “You’ve seen those masses of displaced black people on TV. Give us money and we’ll make sure that, when they come to your town, they don’t breed!” (HT: Dawn Eden).
In a crisis where people really need help and are avoiding roaming gangs of thugs and rapists I don’t think sex is on their mind. Instead of letting the Red Cross or Catholic Charities take the donation money, Planned Parenthood is taking it so they can continue their eugenic mission. More on this at Culture & Cosmos.
Crossposted from Coalition for Darfur
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Two weeks ago, the “Be a Witness” campaign reported that it couldn’t even pay TV networks to cover the genocide in Darfur
American Progress created a television advertisement for BeAWitness.org,
our netroots campaign that calls out the television news media for
their deplorable coverage of the genocide in Darfur. Over the last few
days, three Washington DC television affiliates, NBC-4, CBS-9, and
ABC-7, informed us that they refuse to air the ad.Since the
major networks seem to have their hands full covering stories like
Natalee Holloway and the Runaway Bride, the ad does what the media
won’t — puts the spotlight on Darfur, and suggests that genocide
warrants increased coverage.ABC News broadcast just 18
minutes of Darfur coverage in its nightly newscasts in all of 2004 —
“and that turns out to be a credit to Peter Jennings,” as Nicholas
Kristof pointed out. NBC News featured 5 minutes, and CBS only had
three, “about a minute of coverage for every 100,000 deaths.” Now they
won’t allow us to pay for 30 seconds to urge better coverage of the
genocide.
While this is obviously inexcusable, it is at
least somewhat understandable that TV networks would be reluctant to
run ads criticizing their own failings.
What is odd is that
the networks’ collective refusal to run this ad generated almost no
print media coverage. And judging by the print media’s own lack of
coverage of Darfur, it is easy to see why.
A search of US
newspapers for the number of stories that mentioned the word “Darfur”
at least 2 times over the last 19 months shows how coverage of the
genocide increased during 2004, only to all but disappear in 2005 (we
looked for stories that mention Darfur at least twice in order try to
eliminate pieces that mentioned it only in passing)
January 2004: 8February 2004: 20
March 2004: 29
April 2004: 72
May 2004: 186
June 2004: 327
July 2004: 713
August 2004: 891
September 2004: 659
October 2004: 369
November 2004: 517
December 2004: 269
January 2005: 397
February 2005: 271
March 2005: 240
April 2005: 275
May 2005: 199
June 2005: 227
July 2005: 260
August 2005: 115
The most staggering thing about these numbers is that they reveal that there has been a nearly eight-fold decrease in the number of stories about Darfur between last August and this August.
The other amazing thing is that, on August 1st of this year, former Sudanese rebel leader John Garang died
in a helicopter crash. Garang, who only three weeks earlier had been
sworn in as vice president under the terms of the Comprehensive Peace
Agreement that ended two decades of civil war between North and South
Sudan, was seen by many as a man who might be able to bring peace to
Darfur. Yet, despite his death and the implications it holds for the
future of Darfur, coverage of Darfur plummeted.
Nearly one
year after the United States called the situation in Darfur “genocide”
and the United Nations found overwhelming evidence of “serious
violations of international human rights law and international
humanitarian law, including crimes against humanity or war crimes” in
Darfur, the genocide is receiving less print coverage than it did before many had even heard the word “Darfur.”
We cannot “be a witness” to the genocide in Darfur if the media continues to keep us in the dark.
The scene of devastation at Chappaquiddick has highlighted the widening gap between rich and poor. Rich Ted Kennedy escaped blame for driving a Buick into a river with a poor Mary Joe Kopechne that could not escape being killed as a result.
Oh, I screwed up that talking point, we are supposed to be attacking John Roberts with the Rich-Poor gap, not Teddy Kennedy.
From Michelle Malkin I’ve learned the Superdome is going to be torn down due to storm damage.
One question. If that was the safest place in the city developed to withstand a Cat 5 hurricane, why is it beyond repair after being hit indirectly by a category 4?
I’m busy at with my shift at the Internet Storm Center so probably light posting today.
