ABC and CBS on Sunday night pivoted from the success, of the aide efforts for fire evacuees at San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium, to make political points: ABC highlighted a protest about “immigrant rights” and CBS focused on how President Bush's visit to victims contrasted with how after Katrina Bush “flew home from vacation” in Air Force One “thousands of feet above the evacuees” and “never stopped.” Reporter Seth Doane contended, over 2005 video on the CBS Evening News of the Superdome evacuees, Bush peering out the window of Air Force One and that plane flying over the stadium, that “for many it was a sharp contrast with another football stadium two years ago: The Superdome in New Orleans during Katrina -- overcrowded, miserable conditions, all under a leaking roof, while thousands of feet above the evacuees, President Bush flew home from vacation in Air Force One and never stopped.” Doane suggested: “Contrast this past week when the President came to a burned-out area to press the flesh...”
Unsaid, Bush visited, within a week, areas of Mississippi hit by Katrina and made it to New Orleans as soon as conditions made a trip feasible.
Over on ABC's World News, reporter Ryan Owens looked at Qualcomm before noting “across town, a protest by an immigrants' rights group. They say officials didn't do enough to evacuate migrant workers. Four charred bodies were found last week in a field near the Mexican border.” But other news reports made it clear those killed weren't picking crops and could be more accurately described as “illegal aliens” since they were found by a border crossing.
An October 25 San Diego Union-Tribune posting, by Pauline Repard and Greg Gross, reported:
Border Patrol agents found the bodies of three men and a woman in a rocky canyon near the junction of state Routes 94 and 188, between Potrero and Barrett Junction Thursday.The identity and nationality of the victims haven't been determined yet, but Border Patrol supervisor Joseph Mason said the canyon is part of a rugged mountain route popular with illegal immigrants and smugglers.
“There are large groups and then small groups like this one that go through there on a regular basis,” Mason said. “There are footpaths all over the place.”
Border Patrol agent Matthew Johnson said that earlier in the week, agents rescued a group of border crossers in the area who said there were more people nearby.
“We looked for them, but the fires came up and we didn't find them,” he said.
—Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center
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Comments Policy
The whining Katrina victims
October 29, 2007 - 04:36 ET by UnsaneWhy should he have seen the Katrina victims? They'd just do what they are still doing: whining.
Because, as well ALL know, New Orleans was and is the ONLY city in America to get with with a natural disaster...
Res tantum valet quantum vendi potest.
}}---> It's different Unsane
October 29, 2007 - 04:53 ET by Cool ArrowI don't know why Katrina is different from Florida, or Kansas floods and tornadoes, or California quakes and fires. But ask any bleedin' heart liberal and they'll tell you with a tear in their eye that if you don't know why it's different, you are certainly a racist hatemonger.
Besides, Katrina refugees had nothing but a positive effect on Houston, right?
Hope this helps.
Houston and TX
October 29, 2007 - 05:12 ET by UnsaneYeah. And we Houstonians are just aching to model our city government on that of New Orleans.
Texas should really look to the east and emulate the shining example of Louisiana so much more...
Res tantum valet quantum vendi potest.
Huey Long
October 29, 2007 - 05:59 ET by Cool ArrowPerhaps we should erect temples to Huey Long. He was the master at providing the poor with a feeling of well being while he robbed them blind.
What a complete and utter
October 29, 2007 - 05:04 ET by ckc1227What a complete and utter misrepresentation of what happened, which is all too typical of the media these days. To imply that Bush didn't visit NO during that time is, well, BS, to say the least. I guess we'll just have to add one more to the growing list of Katrina myths that have somehow morphed into reality, courtesy of the all-to willing MSM, of course.
At least Brit Hume on Sunday had the guts to call all this Katrina nonsense for the nonsense it is.
I also seem to recall that
October 29, 2007 - 08:26 ET by BeowulfI also seem to recall that within a week after Katrina, Bush visited N.O., and was accused of many things, including holding up rescue efforts and doing face-time for political reasons.
I suppose this moron "reporter", Seth Doane, Dufus, Dork, whatever his name is, expected Bush to wade through running water in N.O. to visit them po' folks and make them feel like someone cared about them. But no! They were BLACK, and Bush doesn't care about BLACKS! Instead, he went to Kalifornika and dodged burning falling trees, worked fire hoses, and PERSONALLY rescued several WHITE people, in stark contrast to N.O.
I am personally getting so fed up with this blatant partisan "reporting", it's makes me sick to my stomach. First Bush was interfering with Katrina recovery ops. Then he never showed up, Then he would interfere with Kalifornika fire ops (like all the firefighters were going to drop the hoses to go see George). Then he's showing favoritism to Kalifornika (one of his most supportive states <sarc off>) over N.O. In a month, he will have never shown up to Kalifornika either (if it will make political points for some weenie reporter). This BULL$H!T has GOT to stop. Reporters CANNOT continue telling lies and distorting the little truth they do tell to make political points, and never get called out on it. Thank God for NewsBusters and MRC!
The Closed Mind Erects Strong Barriers
Hysterical MSM reports might have kept Bush away
October 29, 2007 - 05:24 ET by nkviking75Given the media reports at the time that suggested that New Orleans was a lawless place with rampant looting, people shooting at rescue helicopters, and murders and rapes in abundance at the Superdome, do you suppose the Secret Service might have thought it wasn't safe to let the President walk into the middle of all that? Of course, the media reports were hysterical and exaggerated, but that little detail is going down the MSM memory hole.
When you put the clowns in charge, don't be surprised when a circus breaks out.
"...President Bush flew
October 29, 2007 - 06:23 ET by Indiana Joe"...President Bush flew home from vacation in Air Force One and never stopped.”
And if he HAD stopped, the MSM would have been complaining about how that didn't really help, just like that dimbulb Lt. Governator in CA. Plus, how the brouhaha at the airport just interfered with the "rescue" efforts. And how much it cost to land and take-off AF1 in terms of fuel etc, just so the Prez could score "political points."
Etc, etc, ad nauseum.
So let's see....President
October 29, 2007 - 06:45 ET by motherbeltSo let's see....President Bush didn't stop to see the Katrina victims. The press flayed him six ways from Sunday over that. So, learning his "lesson" he decides this time he will make sure he visits the victims. Do they say "Good! He learned his lesson." No, they make sure to point out that he didn't do it after Katrina.
I'm only surprised they're not saying it's because Katrina's victims were black. Or did I miss that?
I don’t know about anyone
October 29, 2007 - 07:18 ET by USA4freedomI don’t know about anyone else but I get really tired of
hearing of Katrina, and the poooooor victims. I sent $100 to the red cross and
$100 to the Catholic Aid. I would like my money back... This is the perfect
example of liberalism. You never can give enough, they don’t expect results,
its all about how every one “feels”, and don’t question them or.. you are a
racist, and its always political!!!!!
Hell my ex wife moved to one of the areas that the hurricane
destroyed in Mississippi, my Daughter paid a visit and told me that all sorts
of things are being rebuilt.
(Now if only I could get next hurricane to hit again, to
wipe out that cheating ( ) and her boyfriend with half my money..,
oops sorry..
These are the boys of Pointe du Hoc.
Ronald Reagan- 40th Anniversary of D-Day
Spot on
October 29, 2007 - 07:23 ET by UnsaneYour post nails it on the head.
Ever notice that the media NEVER mentions MS? And they were hit much harder by Katrina than New Orleans.
Could it be that Katrina actually paraded the corrpution and sickness of New Orleans before the country??? For some reason, when Houston was hit by Alicia in 1983, things sucked for awhile, but they weathered it and moved on...ditto when Allison dumped rain on this city like no other in 2001.
Did Houstonians ball up and cry about it for years and years and years? No. Yet, they share the same coastline as New Orleans...and they are only 300 miles apart! (And FL...well, didn't they get hammered three times in September 2004 ALONE???)
Res tantum valet quantum vendi potest.
One Of The Great Injustices By The MSM
October 29, 2007 - 08:10 ET by BourbeauWe'll never be able to change what transpired in Ms, NO, or CA, and that includes the disgraceful conduct by the MSM - print, tv, cable and otherwise. How they were able to make NO and Katrina different than any other natural tragedy in the past 50 years, that left people without homes, furnishings, and even loved ones is beyond comprehension. What a fickle society we have become where we allow these morons (MSM) to feed us our daily dose of tragedy while we wipe our eyes and noses with Kleenex as we send a check. There are right ways and wrong ways to handle a natural disaster. FL, CA, MS, TX and the mid-west with their floods did it right; NO (i.e. Mayor Nagin and Gov. Blanco) did it wrong. And we permitted our President to be visciously maligned because of a photo that the MSM SUCCESSFULLY translated into Bush neglect. NO, with Katrina, soaked the American public for donations and help; only to allow it to fall into the wasteful pit that is the corrupt NO/La political machine. Lesson learned; next time, change the channel and don't write the check.
Purpose for being of the media.
October 29, 2007 - 08:12 ET by Blogger Guy00001The reason why the media exist is to promote a leftist world view.
It is foolish to think that the media exists to give us the news and entertainment, while incidentally favoring a liberal point of view.
No.
Leftists went into the press, TV news, TV "entertainment" and the film industry because they planned to promote their view of the world as seen from the extreme left.
}}---> Great Idea
October 29, 2007 - 08:28 ET by Cool ArrowHow about we declare all that land exposed by the Georgia drought suitable for development? I'm thinking it makes about as much sense as rebuilding the sinkhole that is New Orleans.
"...President Bush flew
October 29, 2007 - 08:43 ET by landsharkOf course not.
That must have been a different President Bush.
You know, the one who hates black people.
Lemme guess, these visits don't count because he was in Mississippi where there was effective leadership and people who wanted to rebuild their lives immediately.
Your second link was
October 29, 2007 - 11:11 ET by BeowulfYour second link was obviously Bush's stunt-double (something he learned from Saddam). The real Bush would never consider exposing himself to physical contact with "those" people. Either that, or someone high up in the administration (Reich?) did some serious Photo-Shopping... <sarc off>
Now, the question is, will anyone force-feed these links (and many others) to this so-called "journalist" after his inane and insulting premise that Bush never visited N.O.??? Of course, he didn't actually come out and say Bush never visited. Just that he flew over and didn't stop, insinuating that he never visited (not mentioning all the times Bush did go reinforces this insinuation). This is misreporting of the worst kind, and until confronted with their lies of omission, will only get more prevalent.
The Closed Mind Erects Strong Barriers
good point
October 29, 2007 - 12:35 ET by landsharkAs you pointed out - they can argue that the president never actually stopped in N.O. on his way home from vacation, which is factually correct, although misleading.
It's basically the Michael Moore school of journalism; make statements that are arguably factual (or at least defensible) but use them in a context that deliberately distorts, or contradicts, reality. Of course the defense then becomes, "Gee, we're just reporting the facts. We can't help it if people are misinterpreting us. We're not at all partisan, you paranoid, right-wing, lunatics."
Or am I giving them too much credit?
No, Shark. I think you're
October 29, 2007 - 12:43 ET by BeowulfNo, Shark. I think you're spot-on. Over the last few years, I think every "journalist" plans ahead for spin, even before running a story. Often, even before conducting an interview. Be it for political gain or damage control. It's all spin, just the same. And look at their reactions lately on those few occasions when they are called out on their BS rhetoric. They hit the ceiling and screw in with their hair on fire (actions that in a much younger person would be called a temper-tantrum). Anyone who can't see the "how dare they question ME" attitude from most of these elitist morons is blind and/or stupid...
The Closed Mind Erects Strong Barriers
another Homer sandwich
October 29, 2007 - 11:43 ET by wizardjrThis whole Kartina meme reminds me of a Simpsons episode where Homer had this giant sandwich that he wasn't able to consume in one sitting. So, he kept eating on it day after day as it got raunchier and raunchier and finally nearly killed him. I think that the Left Over Media, just like Homer, is not paying attention to something that's obvious to the most casual observer - this is making them sicker and sicker. I can only hope they just keep on keeping on. They just keep pushing folks to Fox, AM radio, and the web: Thank You MSM!
As a Katrina survivor
October 29, 2007 - 12:01 ET by rpkinmdAs a Katrina survivor I didn't and don't remember things the way the news media does. First, Mississippi was harder hit than Louisiana and New Orleans, secondly, it was Kathleen and Ray, the dynamic duo that could not together muster the balls to order an evacuation. Good riddance to Kathleen and NO deserves Ray.
Kathleen and Ray were fast to blame the Feds for their first responder failures. The Feds are and never were responsible for first responder duties; it is a state and local area. The Feds support locals like they did in California. While you might point out a few areas where FEMA or the Feds could have done better, the myth that Katrina was a big Fed failure is perpetuated by media and people with an agenda.
Thanks for the lucid
October 29, 2007 - 13:00 ET by BeowulfThanks for the lucid clarification rpkinmd. This is a simple yet major point the LSM overlooks or ignores. FEMA cannot respond until requested. FEMA supports and directs recovery operations. Blanco and Nagin simply DID NOT DO THEIR JOBS. Blanco actually held up FEMA for two days after they were requested over the issue of "who's in charge". Nagin spent less time in N.O. than Bush in the early days of the recovery (disregarding the "Bush Never Stopped" report earlier). And of all the cities and states hit, many harder than N.O., who are the only ones whining and bitching and making virtually no progress towards recovery? And lastly, who builds a city, on the coast, known for hurricanes, an average of 12 feet below sea level? I call that asking for trouble. And they have known the threat for decades, yet they did nothing about it except misappropriate levy funding and squat in their crime-ridden city and complain about how rough they have it.
Do they build cities on the slopes of active volcanoes in Hawaii?
Are the residents in Kalifornika bitching about their homes, build in a fire hazard area, burning down? They may have been stupid building there, but they accept that they lost their bet with nature. Sure, they may rebuild and have this happen over again, but they will go into it with their eyes open, and they aren't demanding federal funding to rebuild private property.
And they aren't sitting on their fat asses waiting for "the government" to come in and fix everything.
The Closed Mind Erects Strong Barriers
Ditto
October 29, 2007 - 13:02 ET by Vivian LeeSpeaking as someone who has seen the devastation first hand done by Katrina (I have some horrific photos from the scene), I also recall a different order of events. President Bush wanted to visit the Gulf Coast immediately after the storm but Governor Haley Barbour asked him to wait. There were a couple of reasons.
One was that there was no way to provide proper security and transportation, when you couldn't even travel the roads yet. Bridges and roads were completely washed away and so much debris prevented safe travel.
The other reason was because there were still rescue and recovery efforts on-going. We needed to look for possible survivors and recover bodies. The situation needed to be assessed by state and local officials first. It was the right decision in my opinion.
Comparing the CA wildfires to Katrina is like comparing apples to oranges. And frankly, I resent the comparison by the MSM and anyone else. The people on the Gulf Coast were not victims of FEMA, President Bush or anyone else in government. Most who survived can say their lives were devasted by a hurricane but they will go on, stronger, and not live in the vortex of victimhood. But that is a choice. Others will choose sadly to remain life-long victims.
ConservativeBelle
http://conservativebelle.blogspot.com
Well said, Belle (sound of
October 29, 2007 - 16:28 ET by BeowulfWell said, Belle (sound of applause)!!!
The Closed Mind Erects Strong Barriers
Media Malpractice
October 29, 2007 - 13:03 ET by landsharkInstead of throwing bricks at the president for his perceived inaction in the afternath of Katrina, maybe the media should conduct a self-exam to see why they dropped the ball so badly when it came to their reporting.
No bodies stacked like cordwood, no baby-raping gangs, no gunfights at the Superdome, no police officers or National Guardsmen shooting unarmed civilians......
Considering their own malpractice, they're in no position to criticize how anyone else did their job.
Hold the self-congratulation
Well, Bill Clinton couldn't leave the golf course...
October 29, 2007 - 20:54 ET by Dave RWell, Bill Clinton couldn't bring himself to so much as leave the golf course to do anything at all for the victims of the Chicago heat wave. I doubt FEMA ever got so much as a phone call from Billy Joe Bob Bubba.
Never heard CBS, or the rest of the pro-Islamo-fascist MSM, utter so much as a peep about that.
I suppose CBS's Seth Doane has an actual point to make here?