The "city" of Louisiana (Keith Olbermann) - transcript

For all who didn't see or want to read Olbermann's scathing indictment of the administration, he has it on his blog now:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6210240/

edited to add "transcript" in title

I was watching. I just e-mailed the link to my friends.

He expressed exactly what so many of us have been feeling.

Way to go Keith!

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT TO "CITY OF LOUISIANA" SHOW NOW POSTED:
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9231761/

Again, the link in the opening post is to Keith Olbermann's blog home page, not a permalink and not to the transcript.

The link above is to the FULL TRANSCRIPT for the September 5 show.

Here is a PERMALINK to Keith's BLOG for Sept 5, also on the subject of "The City Of Louisiana" but his blog entry, NOT the show transcript: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8514671/#050905a

Links to VIDEO CLIPS in different fomats and to the Crooks & Liars blog entry (with video clips and more) are collected downthread HERE:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4652755&mesg_id=4657489

email the COUNTDOWN SHOW:
countdown@msnbc.com

email Keith Olbermann:
KOlbermann@msnbc.com

Go Keith Go!

Clearly and plainly and for all to hear.

I will miss Keith Olberman

GO KEITH!

Shepard Smith and FoxNEws comments.


Thank you for expressing the OUTRAGE of A NATION andthe deliberate genocide of US citizens by the never-elected Bush
Regime. There is going to be a reckoning of these treasonous group of Nazi-Busche thugs.

I hope this nationwide outrage will give Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald and his Grand Juries investigating the crimes and treason of the never-elected Bush Regime the courage to send the Federal Marshalls to arrest and indict Mr. Bush and his Nazis.

NO MORE GENOCIDAL MASS MURDER OF OUR SOLDIERS, IRAQIS, CITIZENS OF AFGHANISTAN OR AMERICAN CITIZENS. IF BUSH/CHENEY ATTACK IRAN, RUSSIA AND CHINA AND VENEZULA HAVE SAID THEY WILL RETALIATE ON A HUNDRED AMERICAN CITIES AND THIS MEANS YOUR CHILDREN AND LOVED ONES TOO, STOP
DEFENDING THIS MASS MURDER AND CALL FOR THE ARREST OF THE ENTIRE BUSH REGIME FOR TREASON AND CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY!!!

Sincerely,

You should include the word TRANSCRIPT in your thread title 'cause I'll bet a lot of people who missed it live want to read it.

relevant lnks:

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT TO "CITY OF LOUISIANA" SHOW NOW POSTED:
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9231761/

Again, the link in the opening post is to Keith Olbermann's blog home page, not a permalink and not to the transcript. The link above is to the full transcript for the September 5 show.

Here is a PERMALINK to Keith's BLOG for Sept 5, also on the subject of "The City Of Louisiana" but his blog entry, NOT the show transcript: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8514671/#050905a

Links to VIDEO CLIPS in different fomats and to the Crooks & Liars blog entry (with video clips and more) are collected elsewhere in this thead HERE:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4652755&mesg_id=4657489

email the COUNTDOWN SHOW:
countdown@msnbc.com

email Keith Olbermann:
KOlbermann@msnbc.com

What a quote.

Olberman is the man.

---

Help build Camp Katrina on The Mall!

50,000 Katrina survivors camped on Bush's doorstep. In the seat of government and power. Demanding answers and change.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=4629758

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=132&topic_id=2059147

:loveya: :loveya: :loveya:

Thank Keith at:

KOlbermann@msnbc.com

I sent KO a thank you note.

Thanks for the link.
I will be sending it to everyone I know along with the link to KO's blog.

Excellent commentary by KO!

:yourock:

If only all of them were like him, this country would be nowhere near the trouble it has slid into these last years of horror, and things would have been very different after the hurricane. Gore and Kerry would not have let this happen. The levees would have been built up and aid would have been sent in immediately and massively.

I have been sickened with many of the corporate media articles that are following the Bush/Rove spin that state and local officials are responsible for the after-hurricane delays, aid-blocks and all the rest. It is a monstrous lie. Other articles play the popular game of saying 'both sides have their story, we have to given them equal value." Like "intelligent design" vs. the entire scientific world. We need to blast the editors when these slimy productions are launched in their venues and praise them when a truth-telling article is printed. There are a few good ones, many muddled and bad ones, and some truly sickening ones. Typcially only the truthful ones even raise the possibility that Bush might have any reponsibility for what has happened.

Keith has said it so well. Let's hope the millions of Americans who listened to him LISTENED, for he's one of their rare chances to actually hear the truth on American TV. He did it after the fraudulent election too, and he was the only one who did then.

be something that can spread throughout the neutered media? Dare we hope?

Having 'balls' has nothing to do with moral fortitude.

for these horrors of neglect already had balls, but they didn't seem to help.

Hard to see how they keep walking and lying without hearts.

Mr. Bush, not President Bush.

wait to make sure it was safe to say so.

from his blog "... even the internet's meager powers were correctly devoted to telling the stories of the twin disasters, natural... and government-made."

I am so proud to be in the KOEB (not that I wasn't before this anyway).

I lived in New Orleans for most of my life.
I broke down sobbing at the end of his program tonight.
Recommended.

couldn't hear him stand up for the truth and slam the heartless, lying monsters who have stolen our country and killed and traumatized so many. But of course, they lost their TVs and electricity if not their lives.

Dear Keith,
I have to tell you - there's something about a person speaking truth to power that really keeps me hopeful. Keep doing it and we'll be here with you. You're an inspiration to people who feel disenfranchised all over this country, but especially those in the "city" of Louisiana.

Love,
bear425 from the KOEB at democraticunderground.com

:loveya:

edit: KOlbermann@msnbc.com

Dear Keith:

Thank you for so directly and eloquently saying exactly what needed to be said.
In the last week, so many of us have been alternately crying and raging as we have watched this (un)natural debacle unfold.
This administration has repeatedly said that it does not believe in government and now we see the result of their lack of governance: the death of New Orleans and the death and displacement of so many - far too many - people.

Thank you again for speaking the truth,
my name here

It didn't take this crisis to make him see the light or grow a pair. Let's not forget...this was the man who was pushing for investigation into the Ohio election irregularities long after anyone else in the media, mainstream or not, had given up on it. For that, he was called a tinfoil hatter, a loony, and a whole lot worse by a whole lot of people.

For Olbermann, integrity is not something he just learned last week.

Thank goodness.

King Dumbass** himself. I didn't think it was possible...

should be printed out and left for any and everyone to read. WE should leave them, on buses, in grocery stores, at the libraries...etc. You get the picture.

As many people as possible to see and read this.

his words keep going thru my mind. I had given up in frustration any thoughts that someone in the media would have the courage to speak out against this plague that is overcoming this country. I hope the rest of the media will follow suit. How long will a lie last. His courage in the face of all the flack that will come his way should give the rest of us the will to fight longer and harder against this abomination called the Bush administration. Thank you again Keith. Well Done!!!

FoxNews Comments, my Congressperson and local media through Congress.org which will publish your letter online if you check the YES box. Along with a statement calling for the immediate arrest of the entire Bush Regime for Crimes Against Humanity.

http://bellaciao.org/en/imprimer.php3?id_article=8065&recalcul=oui

Soldier’s Open Letter to George W. Bush
Monday 5th September 2005

by Michelle J. d’Entremont 2LT, US Army Reserves Engineer Corps
Open Letter to George W. Bush

If you’re not pissed off, you’re not paying attention.George Bush is going to go down in history as the President Who Destroyed America.

Oh sure, there were problems before he ever took office. Every nation has problems. But in the year 2000, the USA was at a fairly high point. The economy was growing.Science was moving forward. International relations were fairly good. The future looked bright. And then, an election was rigged, and a "President" who was never
properly elected took office.

We all know how all the different stories about inappropriate election practices during the 2004 election. The cheating. The manipulation of the polls. The fact that people from largely Democrat demographics were prevented from voting. If you don’t know about all this stuff... then you weren’t paying attention. We also know That the 2000 elections were bullshit.

But it’s too late for that. We got the chimpanzee in the Oval Office, and we’ve got to deal with him. Too bad the War-Monger president, who doesn’t even know HOW to run a war in the first place, also doesn’t know how to run a country. The disaster on September 11th, 2001 was handled very well... not by Bush, but by Rudy, the esteemed former mayor of NYC.

The only reaction from Bush to the whole fiasco: LET’S GO TO WAR! But... that’s in the past. What about now?

Our country is already hurting financially because of the actions of our "president", or inactions, as the case might be. Our international relations are shot to hell - EVERYBODY hates us. The education system is hurting. Our entire economy is likely to fall into recession, if not an actual depression to rival the crash of the 1920s.

The average citizen can’t even afford gasoline - but if we’d invested in cars that used non-petroleum fuel sources (a technology we’ve had for a couple of decades but never developed) we wouldn’t have this problem in the first place! (Hmm, does anyone else detect a connection between the oil companies, the government who unds research, and the car companies?)

The progress of the scientific community is being thwarted by Chimp-Boy’s religious convictions. Bush was too busy "stopping the fags from destroying our nation" to bother running the nation. I wonder how much money went into his "Protect Marriage" campaign. How much money and resources have been spent on a war overseas, when our own infrastructure needs desperate help? DID YOU KNOW that Bush wanted to implement a universal health-care system in Iraq, funded by our own tax dollars, when we don’t even have universal health care here? I don’t have health coverage, but MY MONEY is going to help give medical care to some Iraqi.

THIS IS BULLSHIT!

Now, not all of these things fall solely on the shoulders of George W. Bush. It’s his entire pathetic administration, but he’s the man with the final say. He’s the guy who was given all sorts of extra powers of authority by the Patriot Act. He’s the idiot leading the pack. I’m sorry, "leading" was the wrong word. Leadership is a quality he doesn’t have.

Let’s look at the situation we have right now. Our National Guard is overseas when we need them at home. Yes, they’re calling them back home now, but they shouldhave been here in the first place. People are dying, in America, of dehydration,hunger, and disease, because we took too long to respond to an emergency. The US Army can drop a bomb with pinpoint precision overseas within an hour of receiving the mission, and they’re telling me it took our leaders THREE FUCKING DAYS to drop food and water on our own soil?

MORE BULLSHIT! American citizens are dying, on American soil. Oh sure, the "president" went to visit the poor victims, and he hugged women and girls for the camera, and shook people’s hands... what a wonderful photo opportunity it must have been. But when he climbed aboard his helicopter to fly to the disaster area, did he even bother to think of loading a couple of extra crates of water, and maybe some
food, for the victims? I’m sure there was space. And it may not have helped everybody, but to the family that would have received those supplies, it could mean the difference between life and death.

Compassionate-conservativism, my fucking ass.

This whole disaster-relief operation is a textbook example of "too little, too late." It’s a textbook example of SHITTY LEADERSHIP. All the way from the bottom up. For the first 24 hours, the mayor of New Orleans told people he had it under control, and they didn’t need help. Two days later, he’s screaming and swearing at people for not coming sooner. What? Did he think the National Guard just shows up on its own? You have to ask! We, the soldiers of the Reserves and Guard, don’t sit in our unit headquarters, watching CNN, and say, "Oh look!A disaster! Let’s go!" WE CAN’T. We have to have orders. We need authorization.

And we need to be requested. And then, what about the governor of Louisiana? Have we even heard anything from her? She should have realized that the mayor of New Orleans wasn’t seeing the situation clearly, and acted. But no. And then there’s the "president." WHAT THE FUCK? There has been a failure in EVERY level of our civilian chain of command. And then there’s FEMA. Don’t even get me started.

They’re running a logistical nightmare. Yes, communications are down, but they knew that would happen! They were supposed to have been planning for this for years! The people of that organization are paid dearly, specifically to be ready in case of an emergency. And then, the emergency happens, and it all falls to hell.

The Army can go in, and within 24 hours, we could have had food and water and medical facilities on the ground, IF we had been requested... but we weren’t, until it was too late, and people were already dead and dying of preventable causes.

50,000 people were stranded in a convention center, and FEMA didn’t know ANYTHING about them until four days after the storm. They would have known all about it if they’d just turned on the television, because apparently CNN has better information than the people who are supposed to handle the disaster. This is pitiful, and inexcusable.

Opportunities have been wasted, resources have been poorly used. Every vehicle going into that region, whether traveling by land, air, or sea, should be carrying food,water, clothing, medicine, and other supplies in, and carrying people out. It doesn’t matter if they can only fit a little bit on a helicopter. If a helicopter is going to pick up medical evacuees, they have room in their cargo hold to carry supplies in, before picking up the patient. Who the fuck was running the logistics here, and did we check to make sure they’d at least graduated kindergarten before hiring them?

Things only started to work when the Army took over (thank God for General Honore), and I’m sure they’re going to need much more help before it’s over. I’m a qualified officer in the Army Engineer Corps. SEND ME, DAMN IT! I’m sitting here, making LJ entries, when I should be helping to save lives! I’m going insane, wanting to do something!

To finish off, I’d like to address Mr. George W. Chimpanzee Bush, the President Who Destroyed America:

***

Your citizens are dying, and I personally hold you responsible for their lives. As the president, you are a public servant, NOT a king. Your job is to serve the people of the United States of America and to uphold the Constitution, not to preach your Biblical beliefs and to play golf. I’m sorry the hurricane disrupted your vacation. It
must be awful for you, but I assure you, it’s far worse for the victims.

Today, you addressed the nation, and admitted that you made some mistakes - that everyone involved in the relief effort made some mistakes. That’s not good enough. Apologies won’t bring back the people who died needlessly. As the highest authority in the land, you can’t afford those sorts of mistakes. "Oops!" is not an answer. You
were supposed to do something, but you didn’t until it was too late for many of them, and more are going to die. Their blood is on your hands. There are still people living in filth, sleeping in the streets, crowded into crumbling buildings, stranded onrooftops, dehydrated, sick, dying, and desperate for just a bottle of water and a bit of food.

These are American citizens - your highest priority... but you are incapable of understanding their suffering because you’ve been so sheltered all your life, you can’t even comprehend the sensations of true hunger, thirst, or desperation. You’ve never had to worry about your next meal, or of having a roof over your head. And when you left New Orleans, after hugging a few people while surrounded by cameras, and you flew back to Washington, DC in the comfort of your helicopter,

WHAT DID YOU HAVE FOR DINNER? I’ll bet it was delicious, wasn’t it?
Oh, and by the way, how much money are you going to donate to the victims of the hurricane, Mr. Bush? How much money is going to come out of your personal bank account? You’re independantly wealthy, and could live comfortably on JUST the pension from your presidency for the rest of your life.Children are giving their lunch money. What are you going to give? How much do you really love America?

The American people don’t want your lies, excuses, and apologies anymore. How many mistakes can you make before you stop making them? How many more people have to die for your stupidity? Should we just wait for the next major disaster to strike, just in case you do better next time? We don’t want a "next time", Mr. Bush. We don’t want your promises of a better tomorrow. We want your resignation.

Michelle J. d’Entremont
2LT, US Army Reserves
Engineer Corps

(I have no fear of publicly using my name for this. Pass it on. These are my words, and I stand behind them with my name, rank, and convictions. And if it ends up on CNN, with my name, and Bush reads it, even better.)

http://www.livejournal.com/users/mijan/27168.html

Oh my God, the press has finally woken up and gone back on the f*cking job!

Between Shepard Smith's and Geraldo's immolation of Sean Hannity the other day, to Olbermann's brilliant and all-too-poignant smackdown of the Giggling Murder and his band of Merry Morons, I have regained some measure of faith in the fourth estate's recognition of its own duty to the citizens of this nation.

Olbermann deserves a National Press Club Award for this.

Keith has been awake and on the job.
It's the others who have been snoozing for awhile. Some were shocked out of that complacency by this tragedy. I hope they'll stay awake, but fear that some have already been dozing back off.
If you haven't read Keith's earlier blogs, especially about the election, I encourage you to do so.

...True, Olbermann has been a singular voice of sanity every since he had the good taste and better judgement to emigrate from Murdoch's fold.

I hope that the rest of the "free" press will continue to find its voice.

...He is being very brave. I can't commend him enough.

Looks like it's time to take our country back!:patriot:

Kudos to Keith.

Pointed, sharp, I like it.

Keith's blog is completely separate from his shows and is never a transcript; his blog entries are personal and often don't cover the same subjects as the shows as this one does. The TRANSCRIPT of the show which includes this segment ("The City Of Louisiana") is not up yet; usually they appear about a day after a show. I'll post it here as a reply to this post when it does.

Collecting the links to this INCREDIBLE, THRILLING, TRUTH-TELLING MIRACLE from Keith:

Here is a direct link to the VIDEO CLIP, which you MUST MUST MUST see. It was posted upthread (Reply #11) by Cush:
http://media.putfile.com/OlbermannSwings
Here is a permalink to the entry on Keith's blast at Crooks & Liars:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/09/05.html#a4810
This entry has a link to a Windows Media version of Keith's wonderful piece. Here is a direct link to this VIDEO CLIP IN WINDOWS MEDIA:
http://movies.crooksandliars.com/Olbermann-Blasts-on%20-Katrina.wmv
Crooks & Liars says that a QuickTime version will be added soon (in the same entry).

Here is a link to KEITH'S BLOG HOME PAGE by Keith on the same subject, which is posted in the opening post. At the moment, his entry that is related to the "City of Louisiana" piece is at the top, but it will move down as he posts more blog entries. THIS IS NOT A PERMALINK. For some reason, the time stamp for the entry - which is usually a live link to the permalink URL - is NOT a live link for this entry. Don't get conspiracy-theory worries, I'm sure it's a glitch. Again, this is NOT the show transcript, but a much briefer personal commentary.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6210240
(Note, the DU thread about this links to this blog and calls it the show transcript, but that's not true. Keith's blog is completely separate from his shows and is never a transcript; his blog entries are personal and often don't cover the same subjects as the shows as this one does. The TRANSCRIPT of the show which includes this segment ("The City Of Louisiana") is not up yet; usually they appear about a day after a show. I'll post it here when it does.

I'll post a link to the SHOW TRANSCRIPT as a reply to this post when it becomes available. I expect it will appear sometime tomorrow afternoon.

I added the word "transcript" at someone's suggestion, but should have thought to specify blog instead.
I did not notice many differences, aside from a few words, between his blog entry which is titled "The "city" of Louisiana" and the video. It looked to me like an unusually fast post from him of what he said on his show. Did you catch differences I did not?
Sorry if I confused anyone with the added word to the title of the post.
And thanks for posting the great list of links for KO's show from today.
The more that we see this, read it and share it with others, the better.


edited for lousy typing

at MSNBC tomorrow afternoon, the day after the show, most likely. You can watch for the transcripts to the various MSNBC news/commentary shows on this page:
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3719710

Keith's blog is more personal than his shows, often dealing with stories not covered at all on the show but of special interest to him. Lots of baseball entries during the season - he loves baseball. It's where he vents too. It's posted irregularly - sometimes he'll go for days without one, sometimes he'll have several on one day. It's well worth watching what he chooses to say in his blog. Its home page is here:
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6210240
Right now, the "City of Louisiana" story is at the top, but that will move down and be displaced by newer entries.

I just noticed - the link in your opening post is to his blog home page, and is NOT a permalink to the specific entry related to the TV report. For some reason, there's not a permalink for this entry at his blog site as there usually is. Normally you get it by clicking on the time stamp for the post, but that's not a live link this time.

since I read them often, though I admit I skip past the baseball ones :)


As I said, I should have used blog instead of transcript and I understand that the full transcript of the show will be longer. And you're right, that blog will move down as he writes new ones. I was just trying to post it so those who hadn't seen the show could read what he wrote.

Still, that blog seemed to catch most of the speech I heard, rather than being different from it. If there were major differences that I did not catch, or a problem of some kind, I apologize.

important event if not for your post.

I'm just trying to clarify for people who come to this thread after it is archived and something else is on the top of Keith's blog page. What I wrote was really intended to people coming to this thread later on and trying to find everything. I see all these important threads as resources, and the more links they have, the better. It's not so easy to reconstruct what are the related links after weeks or months have passed. But right now, they're right there, easy to find. For example, I posted the Crooks & Liars permalink and Windows media video link. They'd be much harder to find weeks from now.

You did us all a HUGE favor by posting this thread, and I'm grateful. Tears came to my eyes when I watched it. Keith is a man of passionate integrity and insight. His outrage at what has been done, all the lies behind it, should convince many people that there is something very disturbing here. He clearly believes the delay is deliberate, though of course he could not say it.

Here's the smoking gun on how the delayed help from the US military WAS a deliberate choice by Bush. They were there with all the supplies and equipment and waiting but could not go in without his order. Which they did not get. I hope Keith knows about this. Here's the direct link to the BBC video in Windows Format:
http://www.nitrogen.no/files/video/bbc_interview.wmv
and in the original 28 mb MPEG-4:
http://news.globalfreepress.com/movs/katrina/BBC_Katrina.mpg
And here's the DU thread on it:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4605183
And a dKos thread on it:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/9/3/115611/4051

It will help greatly since I have a feeling KO will be blogging quite a bit and the blog I linked to will move done.
Thanks also for the great links.
I frequently read your wonderful posts and alwways learn more even though I don't reply to them as much as I should.
I was crying too - hugs to you :hug:

Which companies sponsored the show? We should thank them too, because you know they'll get threats and hate mail from freepers and we want to encourage them to support Keith's courageous truth-telling.

I've also posted the email addresses for Keith himself and also for the Countdown show.

I'm glad to hear somebody reads my posts. Sometimes it feels like there's nobody listening and I'm fooling myself working on them. And hugs are always very welcome, especially in these hard days. Here's one for you! :hug:

I've put the image below on the top right corner of my computer screen to remind me to center and calm, that there is vast strength in lovingkindess and wisdom. His infectious, frequent, joyful laugh isn't so evident in this image, but you know it's ready to burst through. Looking at him is an antidote to the toxic horror of Bush and his monsters and their newest crime, perpetrated on our suffering fellow Americans in the hurricane's path.

http://www.pacificvillage.org.nyud.net:8090/villagevoices/int4/Dalai_Lama.jpg

I keep flipping channels when the ads come on. I've got the timing down pretty well lately.
Maybe some of the wonderful KOEB would know?
Agree we should support KO in any way we can.

Your posts are amazing, sometimes so much so that it takes me awhile to process the info in them and don't post. Do believe that they are appreciated.

So you have gone to see the Dalai Lama? A friend saw him recently in Switzerland and she said similar. It was his laugh and a good-sized sneeze (and good humored comment about it) that helped form his warm bond with everyone there.

and history, seen him on film, know people who have seen him. Everything I have heard/read/seen about him is consistent on what he is like, what it is like to be with him.

I hope people don't think my posts are "too much" and skip them.

ChiTrib: "Nearby Navy Ship Underused" - doctors idle, hospital beds empty; also a piece fromNewhouse News on how the military are frustrated over red tape.

Meanwhile, people are still dying of prolonged neglect. And wasn't there a story of a mother giving birth to a baby in one of those huge noisome evacuee pens and both of them dying? And no damn wonder. Meanwhile, there were clean hospital beds and doctors ready a helicopter flight away. If this doesn’t stir up outrage and heartbreak in my country, it’s lost its soul.

I can't understand why Americans have not realized before that the "Culture of Life" meme of the neocons is one of the cruelest Orwellian jokes of all.



The military professionals have to be careful about reporting disagreement or frustration with the President's policies or decisions, but between the lines you can see the frustration at their resources not being used to save lives and help the hurricane victims. This is from Newhouse News Service.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9231761/

Again, the link in the opening post is to Keith Olbermann's blog home page, not a permalink and not to the transcript.

The link above is to the FULL TRANSCRIPT for the September 5 show.

Here is a PERMALINK to Keith's BLOG for Sept 5, also on the subject of "The City Of Louisiana" but his blog entry, NOT the show transcript:
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8514671/#050905a

email the COUNTDOWN SHOW:
countdown@msnbc.com

email Keith Olbermann:
KOlbermann@msnbc.com

I heard him on TV, but the read is even better.

Bob Schieffer of CBS saying the government's response to Katrina was a like a "dog watching television" (able to distinguish light and sound, but unable to determine that those images have anything to do with reality) --

WOW WOW WOW -- it's like Brigadoon -- the press awakens every 100 years to do its JOB!

him in emails approving of KO. They have had words.

email the COUNTDOWN SHOW:
countdown@msnbc.com

email Keith Olbermann:
KOlbermann@msnbc.com

I don't have an email address for Keith's boss, but emailing the show should help.

I suggest also emailing the SPONSORS!!! I don't have cable, so I don't know which companies they are. If you know, please post them and we can have a writing campaign that could have some impact. They do like to keep the sponsors happy, and they're bound to have received freeper hate mail over Keith's truth-telling.

Olbermann really has a way with words, yes?

Seeing it first hand or hearing it was something.

We know that 19% of CNN web visitors are absolute Clinton haters. A hatred that rises above and beyond any other consideration. When he makes a statement as obvious and accurate as the following, what other explanation could their be that one would not agree with it?

CNN Web Poll

Do you agree with former President Clinton that government "failed" the people in the aftermath of Katrina?

Yes 81% 64325 votes

No 19% 15128 votes

Total: 79453 votes

for Bush's order. They followed the hurricane and stood by waiting while people were drowning for DAYS because the order did not come. Here is this devastating video and discussion on it. The most vital statements are near the end, when the NorthCom spokesman explains that they cannot go in without the President's order. The rest of the video shows how well-prepared and well-informed they were.

Here's the direct link to the BBC video in Windows Format:
http://www.nitrogen.no/files/video/bbc_interview.wmv
and in the original 28 mb MPEG-4:
http://news.globalfreepress.com/movs/katrina/BBC_Katrina.mpg
And here's the DU thread on it:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4605183
And a dKos thread on it:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/9/3/115611/4051

Meanwhile, Bush was relaxing. Then, many days after the hurricane, when basically there were STILL effectively no federal relief efforts, the Bush Administration tried to get Gov. Blanco to sign away important civil powers to them, including among other things, total control of New Orleans and of the state's National Guard - and THEN they would move in. Blanco refused, rightly seeing this as BLACKMAIL to force her to accept federal MARTIAL LAW:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1750979 (The LBN thread title - by DU rules the same as the WaPo title - is misleading. Read the excerpt.)

Federal relief efforts were minimal and people continued to die needlessly while the NorthCom commanders waited for Bush's order, but FEMA was out cutting emergency telephone lines in Jefferson Parrish. Civil police had to guard the repaired lines from FEMA!!!! This fact has been reported by at least three independent sources and confirmed. A DUer confirmed that electrical lines and phone lines look very different, so they knew what they were doing. There is NO GOOD REASON why FEMA would try to destroy emergency telephone commucations, but several sinister reasons. Think about it. Here's one Du thread on FEMA cutting the emergency phone lines:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4632852

I'm quite sure now that one of the things that this is about (I think there are several) is that the neocons want more power. They wouldn't call it martial law, though. It would be some Orwellian name like "Operation Safe America." They've been working toward this for years. John Dean calls it "constitutional dictatorship" and says it is possible (this was written in 2002 and discusses what would happen after another domestic terrorist attack - but the hurricane destruction does the trick even better):
http://archives.cnn.com/2002/LAW/06/columns/fl.dean.powers.0607

Finally, for the bigger picture, here is an article written in Dec 2003 in response to General Tommy Franks' amazing interview, the one in which he said that "one more hit" (like a domestic terrorist attack) would be enough for them to suspend the Constitution. This entire article is excellent and prescient, but I'm going to quote the paragraph that especially grabbed my attention.

so I couldn't do more than skim this, but it all looks so important.
If you haven't already, please be sure to also post this in a thread of its own since everyone needs to see this info.
Thanks again for always pulling together the info so we can see the connections.

When Blanco requested aid they told her she needed to go through her state government first?

The city of Louisiana :wtf:

It is galling when Bush says, "We are not satisfied with the results." Someone needs to explain to him that it is well within his purview to get the results he expects -- that's one of the perks of being president. It is the most damning admission of failure that Bush (or any president, for that matter) can make.

Over 90 years ago, my town was nearly wiped off the map by a flood of massive proportions. Poor levee structure, and no dam systems upstream, were largely culpable for that disaster. After the water subsided, the community banded together and raised enough money for a series of dams, plus reinforced levees. We have not had a problem with flooding since. My point? The year of that flood -- 1913 -- is still a rallying cry around here because we remember the devastation, and what was accomplished afterward to make sure nothing like this ever happened here again. In a similar vein, I see the words "New Orleans" as a rallying cry that could doom the GOP for many years to come. The Republicans in power showed their true agendas and colors during the past two weeks, and it is very, very unlikely that most of the American public will forget this travesty anytime soon. And they shouldn't. Our government failed us. All of us.

I thank God for the many, many writers whose work I read through DU, professional or not, who have captured the grotesque, criminal shortcomings of this president* and administration* -- and done so so eloquently. I can't do it...I just get too angry. Thanks to you all.

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPT TO "CITY OF LOUISIANA" SHOW NOW POSTED:
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9231761/

Again, the link in the opening post is to Keith Olbermann's blog home page, not a permalink and not to the transcript. The link above is to the full transcript for the September 5 show.

Here is a PERMALINK to Keith's BLOG for Sept 5, also on the subject of "The City Of Louisiana" but his blog entry, NOT the show transcript: http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8514671/#050905a

Links to VIDEO CLIPS in different fomats and to the Crooks & Liars blog entry (with video clips and more) are collected upthread HERE:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4652755&mesg_id=4657489

email the COUNTDOWN SHOW:
countdown@msnbc.com

email Keith Olbermann:
KOlbermann@msnbc.com

email the COUNTDOWN SHOW:
countdown@msnbc.com

email Keith Olbermann:
KOlbermann@msnbc.com

I suggest also emailing Keith's SPONSORS!!! I don't have cable, so I don't know which companies they are. If you know, please post their names here and we can have a writing campaign that could have some impact. (Given the overload of DU lately, I'd appreciate hearing via PM since, otheriwise I probably won't know if this post has been replied to.) The network will want to keep its sponsors happy, and they're bound to have received freeper hate mail over Keith's truth-telling. Keith's creepy boss would use the hate mail, so let's send something to offset it and give Keith some more ammunition to show that HONESTY IS GOOD BUSINESS. Even though his boss wouldn't know "honesty" if it bit him in his rear.