Venezuela Offers Hurricane Aid; Chavez Criticizes US Response to Katrina

[NNN0LHI]

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGBYGYI82DE.html

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez offered humanitarian relief Wednesday in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina but sharply criticized the U.S. government's planning and response to the disaster.

Chavez focused his criticism on U.S. President George W. Bush, calling him "the King of Vacations," referring to the fact he was at his Texas ranch when the hurricane struck.

"As more information comes out now, a terrible truth is becoming evident: That government doesn't have evacuation plans," Chavez said during a speech.

He said Bush, "there at his ranch, said nothing more than 'you need to flee;' he didn't even say how - in cowboy style."

[DELUSIONAL]

1. I'm liking this guy!

[sasha031]

3. Wish we had a Chavez

I am with him on that, the man is all compassion man

[SharonRB]

11. No wonder Pat Robertson wanted him assasinated

He (Chavez) actually makes sense.

[rocktivity]

12. It's Robertson's wanting Chavez to be asassinated

that made God send Katrina.

:evilgrin:
rocknation

[doublethink]

2. Is it true that our Bush regime government ....

turned him down, along with a few other offers of help from other Nations? I heard that earlier .. but saw no confirmation? :shrug:

[anotherdrew]

40. other nations behave diplomaticly so we won't know 'til the leaks come

the dutch aren't going to say... "what the hell, why are you turning down our assistance?" they should make it know, as other willing helpers should if their offers are rebuffed by this insane, worthless, piece of shit administration.

[Canuck55]

68. There was an unverified report..

..on Kos (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/8/31/235829/261) that a 'viewer' had seen a report that Vancouver's USAR team and Canada's DART team was not allowed clearance to cross the border due to 'security concerns' arriving from 'mass confusion'. I haven't been able to find a transcript of it on CTV or CBC, but the live coverage to transcripted info has been chaotic to say the least.

Canada's Cormorant fleet consists of the best SAR helicopters on the planet, they should have been immediatly deployed Tuesday afternoon with USAF F-15 escorts if required for 'security concerns'.

As for DART:

===============================================


What does DART do?

DART consists of about 200 Canadian Forces staff who can ship out quickly to conduct emergency relief operations for up to 40 days.

The team has four main goals:

* Provide basic medical care: Its tented medical aid station can serve up to 250 outpatients and 10 inpatients a day. The medical platoon treats minor injuries and tries to keep diseases from spreading, but doesn't perform surgeries. The aid station includes a lab, a pharmacy, limited obstetrics services and rehydration and preventative medicine section.

* Produce safe drinking water: Water purification staff can produce up to 50,000 litres of potable water a day, as well as chlorinating local wells and monitoring water supplies.

* Repair basic infrastructure: Engineers can fix roads and bridges, repair electrical and water supply systems and build refugee camps.

* Make communication easier: DART sets up facilities to make communication easier between everyone involved in the relief effort, including the afflicted country, non-governmental organizations and UN aid agencies.

DART does not go into places where it will face organized resistance and tries not to step on the toes of aid agencies.

The team receives less money than any other unit in the Canadian Forces, with an annual budget of $500,000.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/cdnmilitary/dart.html

=====================================

These guys and gals had their boots on the ground within 48 hours of the obvious effect the Indian Ocean Tsunami was going to have. I'm ashamed of the last line in the snipped piece.

[Minstrel Boy]

4. "The King of Vacations"

That was the best, bitter laugh I had all day.

[anotherdrew]

42. how do you say "King of vacations" in spanish?

[ninkasi]

63. El Rey de Vacaciones

El hombre no tiene verguenza.

[mom cat]

5. Chavez is so right! Castro does a much better job of hurricane

prepadedness and management of the aftermath. But I guess that is what it is like in those countries where people matter.

[flamingyouth]

6. "King of Vacations"

:rofl:
Actually, it would be much funnier were it not also so freaking infuriating. :grr:

[Larkspur]

7. Hugo Chavez for US Prez!!!

Hey, he's Latin American. Does that count? :sarcasm:

[wli]

49. Why sarcasm? He'd do a much better job than Bushler. n/t

[Jamison]

8. This is unbelieveable!

A president from a different country has offered to do more than our own president thus far.

Chavez rocks BTW.

[NYC Liberal]

9. It's very sad that a foreign leader is doing more to help the US

than our own "president." Very sad indeed.

May I offer a hearty FUCK YOU to Bush.

[pitohui]

10. god bless chavez for his help

he may feel $1 million is an insignificant sum in the face of this diaster but every little bit is appreciated and if giving the gift through Citgo is the way to get the money to louisiana victims it is a kindness

as far as his criticisms, i don't know if anyone could have fully evacuated new orleans

it would require a completely different type of gov't, most people who couldn't evacuate had no automobiles yet in past evacuations the roads were already packed to the max, so getting more busses on the road might not have worked, people have been trapped in busses in evacuations

it was really the first time ever that automobile evacuation of new orleans and southeast louisiana worked as smoothly as it did

as recently as dennis the lower parishes were involved in an ugly spat w. upper jefferson parish for evacuating out of turn

we actually did better than we have ever done before

and still it was not enough

i do feel our state and local officials performed magnificently given the limits of our finances

the feds, i agree, they fell down

[VegasWolf]

13. Boy genius is too busy counting his oil profits. Here 20 million, there

30 million, hee hee, oh, here's another 50 million from Halliburton!
Wee!!!!

[samsingh]

14. amazing how the truth sounds

here's one guy who's standing up to Bush. And he's right, proper planning could have made things less destructive.

so many others should hang their fing heads in shame.

[TankLV]

15. God Bless Hugo!

FUCK BUSH*!

[sabra]

'Cowboy' Bush failed in Katrina evacuation - Chavez

http://today.reuters.co.uk/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2005-09-01T005625Z_01_MOL103316_RTRUKOC_0_UK-WEATHER-KATRINA-CHAVEZ.xml

'Cowboy' Bush failed in Katrina evacuation - Chavez

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a vocal critic of the U.S. government, on Wednesday called U.S. President George W. Bush a "cowboy" who had failed to manage the Hurricane Katrina disaster and evacuate victims.

"That government had no evacuation plan, it is incredible, the first power in the world that is so involved in Iraq ... and left its own population adrift," Chavez said in a cabinet meeting broadcast live on television.

His remarks came as U.S. authorities evacuated thousands of people from New Orleans and after Bush said it would take years to recover from flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina.

The death toll on Wednesday reached at least 200 in what Bush called the nation's worst natural disaster.
"That man, the king of vacations ... the king of vacations in his ranch said nothing but, you have to flee, and didn't say how ... that cowboy, the cowboy mentality," said Chavez, chuckling in a reference to Bush without naming him directly.

[Bumblebee]

16. It's true that when a hurricane was recently threatening Cuba

his friend Castro made sure they had a near 100% rate of evacuation

[kskiska]

41. Remember when * offered Castro $50,000 in aid

for their hurricane? Fidel turned it down. Maybe now Fidel will do the same.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

17. His point is valid

However, it's FAKE cowboy bush, or "little boots" if you prefer.

[Qibing Zero]

18. Why does Chavez speak for our country better than any of our...

..elected officials can? The man just seems to understand the scope of things in not only a local perspective, but from a global one at the same time. I love Chavez and all, but this is really saddening for us.

[glendavis77]

19. Hillary had harsh words too:

"Immediate action must be taken to determine the source of graphic pornographic and violent content appearing on the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas video game."

[theHandpuppet]

21. Unfortunately, you are SO right

Doesn't give me much hope for '08.

[anotherdrew]

44. you nailed that. to hell with Hillary

[fla nocount]

47. HEY! She's the only Dem. that looks good in a pink tutu. n/t

[otohara]

62. LOL

thanks for the chuckle and sad, sad truth

[Name removed]

20. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[OzarkDem]

22. Buh bye

[VegasWolf]

23. You misspelled stupid. It's stoopid you dummy! nt

[Don Claybrook]

25. Hi there, fucknose

And you apparently think that your hero the idiot psychopath cares for you?

Crawl off and die somewhere. I'm not in the mood for pissants like you tonight.

[OzarkDem]

29. Maybe we should take him up on his offer

to take our own shot at running the rescue effort. Does that mean Bush will resign and let Dems take over?

[Don Claybrook]

33. You know...

I'd even put Dan Quayle in charge of the damned thing before I'd willingly leave it with these slick fucking liars.

[neuvocat]

27. "I can't even respond to how incredibly stupid you all sound!"

I'm sure that the irony of your own statement has been lost on you.

[VegasWolf]

30. You should put your tee shirt on now and head back to the bar

sonny, don't forget to pick up a pack of smokes on the way!

[kevinam]

24. let's not go crazy with the praise...

Chavez should be thanked for his generous donation to aid the victims of hurricane Katrina. I think much of what he said about W* was entertaining. However, this man has problems with human rights abuses. The government in his country stifles politcal dissent. There are vigiliante death squads roaming his country. His gift is appreciated and generous, but I don't think we should cast him as a great man.

Also, does his donation have anything to do with Citgo's request for a loan of oil from the US reserves??

Kevin.

[Don Claybrook]

26. Bullshit

Prove it, or quit spreading lies.

[glendavis77]

31. He refers to the lady who wanted to topple Chavez

He's talking about Maria Corina Machado. Her rights are being "abused" for being tried after signing the document that tried to legitimize the death of democracy in Venezuela in 2002:

[kevinam]

39. that is the type of response...

I would expect a free republic. You curse me because you didn't agree with my opinion. I must be lying if you aren't informed.

http://hrw.org/doc?t=americas&c=venezu

http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2002/18348.htm

"The Government’s human rights record remained poor; although there were some improvements in a few areas, serious problems remained. The police and military committed extrajudicial killings of criminal suspects. The police allegedly had links to vigilante death squads responsible for dozens of killings in seven states. Investigations into the forced disappearances by the security forces of criminal suspects remained extremely slow. Torture and abuse of detainees persisted, and the Government failed to punish police and security officers guilty of abuses. Prison conditions remained harsh; violence and overcrowding was so severe as to constitute inhuman and degrading treatment. Arbitrary arrests and detentions increased. Impunity was one of the country's most serious human rights problems. Police rarely arrested suspects, and when they did, the suspects often were soon set free. Crimes involving human rights abuses did not proceed to trial due to judicial and administrative delays. Lengthy pretrial detention and corruption and severe inefficiency in the judicial and law enforcement systems also were problems."

But really, you can go to amnesty international, or even you search engine to find them.

Kevin.

[leesa]

52. Sounds like the past to me. I see thw word "was" over and over again.

[Don Claybrook]

69. here's the hrw link for the US

http://hrw.org/doc/?t=usa&c=usdom
Which is worse?

Again, bullshit. The onus is on you to prove your false claim. So why don't YOU find a better link than the proven liars at the US State Dept.

PS: I didn't curse you. If I had, you'd know it.

[glendavis77]

28. The president of Sweden has abuse problems

http://www.hrw.org/doc/?t=torture
Virtually all presidents have a page full of "abuses" in the human rights watch torture. This should show you who's exaggerating.
Do you want the abuse page for the president of Mexico, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Italy, etc. etc.?

[Horse with no Name]

32. LOL

His human rights abuses do NOT surpass ours.
Something about "glass houses" comes to mind.
As far as the death squads--who the fuck do you think put them there?
Let me tell you. The US.
Sorry to disillusion you--his offer of aid is real and he doesn't need a "loan of oil" from the US.

[kevinam]

46. Ok...

So some guy kills 1000 people, so it is Ok for me to kill 100?? It is okay for Hugo Chavez to commit them since the US has?? I never claimed they DID surpass the US. I never said one country was better than another. I never said he NEEDED a loan of oil from the US. The fact of the matter is Citgo did request a loan of oil from the reserves. How do you KNOW his offer is real and COMPLETELY UNRELATED to the request for a loan of oil?? I didn't claim to know one way or another. I presented a question. Why didn't you just express your answer to the question.

Kevin.

[Minstrel Boy]

57. please, don't float your vague accusations here.

Specifically, what crimes are you laying at Chavez's feet?

[leesa]

51. Stop lying or get yourself informed. That is pure BS.

[bushisanidiot]

53. "Death Squad" is a Rumsfeld term.. it's repuke speak in order to try

to demonize someone else's military.. of course the U.S. military doesn't have "death squads".. they kill only the people who need to be killed.

do you also use the term "death tax" in place of estate tax?

just asking..

[NorthernSpy]

34. wow -- is Chavez reading my posts?

I said ALL that stuff right here!

Venezuela is lucky. Chavez and the Bolivarians are doing a lot of good. Too bad that our own politicians come in two varieties: evil, and plumb useless.

[glendavis77]

35. Or maybe he's talking about this law

"The new law on Social Responsibility in television and Radio is presented by the president and his supporters as a response to popular demands for an end to (gasp!)............... scenes of sex, violence and strong language during daytime viewing!."
Chavez shares the same views as Hillary in that aspect.
Is this the serious abuse?
http://www.voanews.com/english/2004-12-10-voa52.cfm

[Rex]

36. The King of Vacations!

Not bad for a communist dictator! I hope he drives the right wing CRAZY!

[thebigidea]

38. in what alternate universe is he a communist dictator?

[Rex]

43. Sorry forgot the sarcasm tag.

Some people here have called him one! I suggested that the Dems ask for aid from Chavez and got scolded for it. Heaven forbid the Dems do something smart.

[Scout1071]

37. Viva la Chavez!

Or is it Vive le Chavez? Damn, mi espanol es muy bad.

[novak goes postal]

61. la is fine....

[Endangered Specie]

45. You know I didnt used to think all that much of this guy...

but damn, opinions can change I guess :)

[antonialee839]

48. Geez, why couldn't this have been a Democrat

here in the US pointing out the obvious?

[Nihil]

70. Probably because Bush doesn't own Chavez

No embarrassing information.
No bribes.
No compromising photographs.
No panic over threats of violence.
No influence over political career.

Just simple competence combined with the guts to stand up to a bully.

That's why this couldn't have been a Democrat in Congress or the Senate.

[LisaL]

50. It is sad, isn't it-how incapable we are of handling a

natural disaster.

[kainah]

54. Gas 12 cents/gallon in Caracas

I saw that little factoid somewhere in the last few days. One would wish that W could be humble enough to accept assistance from Chavez but we all know that's not possible.

[Up2Late]

55. 'Cowboy' Bush failed in Katrina evacuation - Chavez (Reuters)

(This is such a great headline, I wish I could post it, but I know it would just end up here anyway.)

'Cowboy' Bush failed in Katrina evacuation - Chavez

Wed Aug 31, 2005 08:47 PM ET

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a vocal critic of the U.S. government, on Wednesday called President Bush a "cowboy" who had failed to manage the Hurricane Katrina disaster and evacuate victims. "That government had no evacuation plan, it is incredible, the first power in the world that is so involved in Iraq ... and left its own population adrift," Chavez said in a cabinet meeting broadcast live on television.

His remarks came as U.S. authorities evacuated thousands of people from New Orleans and after Bush said it would take years to recover from flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina. The death toll on Wednesday reached at least 200 in what Bush called the nation's worst natural disaster.

"That man, the king of vacations ... the king of vacations in his ranch said nothing but, you have to flee, and didn't say how ... that cowboy, the cowboy mentality," said Chavez, chuckling in a reference to Bush without naming him directly.

<http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=9527423&src=rss/worldNews>
(more at link above)

[UCLA Dem]

56. I love that guy!!

[Senator Lamb]

58. i hate when people call Bush a cowboy

it bolsters his image in a country that prefers cowboys over well educated proper speaking politicians. now cheerleader...

[novak goes postal]

59. I am loving this guy......Chavez is a real hero in my book

and he has the oil to back himself up with.....I feel that we really showed the world our excessive weakness in ALL departments with this disaster in the gulf, that we couldn't or was it we wouldn't take care of. are we really this weak or has Bush just bled our military and National Guard units to death..... Have i told you yet tonight how much I HATE these people?

[barb162]

60. a leader of a country who is honest...refreshing and also funny

[1932]

64. One of Chavez's first crises was a huge mudslide back in '98

I believe he handled it incredibly well.

He talks about it in the book Aleida Guevara wrote based on her interviews with him.

[Tom Joad]

65. Bush again in the middle of "My Pet Goat"

He did eventually cut short his vacation, so this great book STILL remains unfinished. A source of great frustration.

He is pledged to finish it at some time in the near future, and "get on with his life", and wants these pesky things to stop interrupting him.

[Celica Toyota]

66. Can we have him for President?

Viva Chavez!

[NVMojo]

67. I love Chavez, Bush is an embarassment to this country, always was ....

Why can't his dad beat the piss out of him for this nation's sake?

[Moderator]

71. Locking at OP's request

There is another thread on this topic.