DEC, Cty Health Ignore High Bacteria in Silver Lake Polluting Sound for Month.

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WPCNR WATER REPORT. By John  F. Bailey. September 8, 2005: The Department of Environmental Conservation and the County Department of Health have ignored dangerous bacteria levels contaminating Silver Lake for the last six weeks. Water containing bacteria levels high enough to close a beach has been flowing down into Long Island Sound.  DEC and the County Department of Health attributed the cause to stormwater sewage run off from the July 18 downpour that hit White Plains. Neither agency has  taken a proactive role in locating the source of the bacteria, nor did they alert the public of the dangerous bacteria levels of the contaminated water.



SILVER LAKE LIBERTY PARK, LABOR DAY. Fence installed by City prevents citizens from approaching the contaminated water. The city awaits lab tests to see if bacteria levels remain high or have gone down. Photo, WPCNR News.


 


 


The City of White Plains fenced off the Liberty Park waterfront of Silver Lake, ending water boat activities for the season at the city’s three-year old water recreation area, according to City Executive Officer Paul Wood,  to protect residents. The city awaits latest lab tests to determine if the bacteria level is still high, and whether it is safe to hold the city’s 9-11 Memorial there Sunday.





The fencing, Wood said, was to prevent citizens from touching or entering the lake which has consistently tested, Wood reports, at a bacteria level in the water of 1,600 MPN for the last six weeks.


 


The bacteria level according to the Westchester County Department of Health and the Department of Public Works would necessitate the closing of the lake to the public if it was used as a bathing beach.  Wood said the park would remain closed to the public until the city deemed it safe. The Mayor, speaking to the City of White Plains, concluding the Common Council meeting Tuesday evening, said that Liberty Park adjacent to the algae fouled lake would be the scene of the city’s September 11 Memorial festival.


 



 


North End of Silver Lake from Harrison side. Labor Day. Photo by WPCNR News.


 


Paul Wood announced the city fencing decision this week, was to keep citizens safe from the polluted waters. Wood said there still is no explanation for the contamination at this time. “We don’t know,” he said. “An odor was detected. We shut the park immediately (July 28) because we didn’t know what it was.”


 


The Department of Environmental Conservation spokesperson, Wendy Rosenbach, told WPCNR last week, that DEC’s Tarrytown water quality office is aware of the lake situation, but this may only be because WPCNR contacted that office first, and they referred WPCNR to Ms. Rosenbach. City Hall spokesperson David Maloney informed White Plains last Friday the city had not informed the DEC of the Silver Lake algae and odor condition.


 


Rosenbach told WPCNR that a person in that DEC Tarrytown office, Lenny attributes the cause to stormwater overflow into the lake and geese droppings.


 


Mr. Wood told WPCNR that the geese arrived at Silver Lake only after the park had been closed to the public for a few weeks. Wood told WPCNR last week the Department of Recreation and Parks was going to spray the Liberty Park area with a goose repellent to discourage the geese from loitering. (In a related development the City of Montclair, New Jersey, has found great success by posting a statute of a coyote in the middle of a town water park, which has lowered the geese population from 98 to 5).


 



West Side of Silver Lake (White Plains side) as seen from the Harrison waterfront Labor Day. Major algae bloom is on the Harrison side of the lake as of Labor Day. The Bloom, looking very similar to Blue-Green Algae, a sometimes toxic bloom, that is “alerted” in the State of Vermont, has been growing since July 18, when a sewage like stench was reported. Photo by WPCNR News.


 


Wood said the sewage-like odor was detected the day after the rain storm of July 18, and Commissioner of Public Works Joseph Nicoletti, conducted tests on the lake, which showed the high bacteria readings. Nicoletti smelling the alleged sewage, immediately closed the park The most recent testing was drawn one week ago and the city apparently still awaits those test results from the County Lab in Grasslands.


 


Asked if the DEC was concerned that the high level bacteria testing water was flowing into Long Island Sound, the DEC spokesperson Rosenbach said it was a small lake (12 acres). Asked if the Department of Environmental Conservation tested other tributaries, including Silver Lake, flowing into the Mamaroneck River for bacteria, and when and what  level of bacteria became an environmental concern, considering the nitrogen problems Long Island Sound is having,  Rosenbach said she would check to find what the DEC procedure was to monitor bacteria levels of streams and lakes flowing into the Mamaroneck Avenue River. The dieoff of lobsters in Long Island Sound, a study, funded by Congresswoman Nita Lowey found runoff of West Nile spray to be a major cause of the lobster dieoff in the Sound.


 


However, an algae bloom as of Monday, Labor Day,  still covered approximately 40% of the lake at the North and South shores and extends approximately 10 to 15 feet out from shore on the Western White Plains shore and a similar distance on the eastern shore in Harrison, and the northern end of the lake.


 


Brian Murphy of the City of White Plains Department of Public Works meeting with Paul Wood and WPCNR by phone said told WPCNR Tuesday, August 30, that the latest DPW tests of the water quality, performed by the City Department of Public Works, showed a Mean Probable Number of 1,600 bacteria content, which he said is seven times greater than the level (200-300 MPN)  at which the Department of Health would close a beach to swimmers.  For reference, the toxicity of the waters flooding New Orleans today are 10 times the level considered unsafe, so this was very contaminated water in Silver Lake.


 



South End of Silver Lake, Labor Day. Photo by WPCNR News.


 


Murphy said another test was conducted Tuesday, August 30 and results were expected to be in from the county Department of Labs within 48 hours. But as of Wednesday, September 7,  those results apparently were not in yet, because City Hall did not have any new news on the Silver Lake water condition after the Common Council meeting Tuesday night.


 


Murphy said the level of bacteria has remained constant at 1,600 since the testing began, meaning the lake waters which flow into the Mamaroneck River and travel eventually to Long Island Sound, could conceivably be much higher. Murphy explained the Department of Labs scale only goes to 1,600. The PH level of the lake, The Mayor’s Office said was 7.9 which they explained was slightly alkaline. (As acidity of the lake increases, the PH reading descends, with 1 being very high acidity which kills all fish.)


 


Thomasine Mastrantone, a spokesperson for the County Department of Health said the department, as a matter of policy did not monitor and was not concerned about bacteria levels or algal levels in bodies of water that were not public beaches.


 


Ms Mastrantone said the Department conducted daily dye tests over the last month and “there was no evidence of any sewage in the water now. The algae that is naturally occurring is a normal thing that happens at any water source. We’ve been (dye) testing since mid-July. We believe it was caused by overflow of rainwater. Sewage overflowed from the manhole (on the Harrison side).” She said she was not sure whether the sewage was of human origin, “I don’t know if they tested what kind of stuff came out. There is no evidence of any sewage in the water right now (Tuesday, August 30.)”


 


She attributed the algae bloom to the heavy rains and storm water overflow of July 18. She did not have the identity of the kind of algae it was.


 


The Westchester County Department of Environmental Facilities spokesperson Anthony Zabrinski, said that the department did not monitor Westchester lakes unless the contamination involved sewage. Asked what could have caused the algae bloom, Zabrinkski said he did not know, and did not know whether the heavy rains had contributed to acidic build-up in the water.


 


No Benchmark.


 


Brian Murphy of the White Plains DPW, speaking to WPCNR, last week, said that there was no baseline measurement ever taken of lake water quality when the city took over the lake in 2002. The readings taken after the algal blooms appeared, (along with a pungent raw eggs sewagelike stink) were the first water quality readings ever taken by the DPW on Silver Lake). The readings showed the lake was contaminated within a week after July 18. Murphy confirmed that when the city took possession of the park  they never tested the water.


 



Labor Day Afternoon. Flow into Mamaroneck River all but slowed to a trickle and WPCNR detected an odor. Photo by WPCNR News.


 


The algae has been growing and expanding on the lake surface for five weeks, unreported to the residents of White Plains by the city, and unreported to the public by Westchester County. The condition was first brought to the attention of the White Plains Department of Public Works by a person calling the DPW after the rain storm who noticed the sewage like smell. Wood said Commissioner Joseph Nicoletti immediately recommended closing the park on the White Plains side.


 


A White Plains Police source said the park was closed due to a possible sewage leak from the Harrison side. The Mayor of Harrison, Steve Malfitano has not returned a WPCNR call for comment to clear up what Harrison found on their side of the lake.


 


Ryan Calls City Response Unsatisfactory.


 


Legislator Bill Ryan got involved in early August. Ryan, the County Legislator, informed us he first learned of the closing the first week in August from a call from a constituent.


 


Ryan, did not have an explanation to WPCNR why the population of the City of White Plains was not informed officially of the closing, and why the County Department of Health did not announce it. Ryan said the fencing “was an unsatisfactory response to an unsanitary condition. It’s not in compliance.”


 


The cryptic closing signs erected by the city are often ignored. On Labor Day, two gentlemen wanted to fish at the park, and two mothers wanted to picnic, but WPCNR which was there observing the lake condition to take these photographs, informed the two would be recreationers of the reason for the park being closed. This did not deter two joggers from running into the park while WPCNR was having a conversation with the fishermen and the two mothers.


 


Next, Ryan recalls, he heard a report that a truck had dumped some raw sewage intothe lake. This prompted him, Ryan said, to call White Plains August 15, and he was told Commissioner Nicoletti was out of town, and the Mayor’s office said they would get back to Mr. Ryan. Ryan said they never did. On August 16, Ryan said he was referred to Brian Murphy, Deputy Commissioner of Public Works.


‘


The next day, August 17, Ryan said he called the Harrison Department of Public Works, and said that Harrison’s Commissioner of Public Works, Bob Wasp, who informed him the algae bloom was brought to Wasp’s attention after the rains of July 18. Wasp told Ryan that after dye tests were done showing no sewage was present in the water, he, Wasp decided to keep his Harrison side of Silver Lake open to the public.


 


After WPCNR reported exclusively on the closing of Silver Lake last week, Wood informed CNR that White Plains sewer lines were sound and not leaking.


 


The County Public Health Department told WPCNR last week they found no evidence of raw sewage in the water, that the Health department saw no reason to close the lake, and the County Health Department did not know the bacteria content of the water. The spokesperson said the Department of Health concluded the algal bloom was caused by overflow from stormwater drains from the Harrison side of the lake.


 


Remediation Methods Available


 


Mr. Wood said the city brought in a consultant, Raul Cardenas for advice on how to eliminate the algae blooms. Brian Murphy of the White Plains DPW said last week that the city was thinking of irradicating the bloom with copper sulphate, a common remedy, but Cardenas, also said the city risked a fish kill. So, Wood said the city decided to fence the park instead. Murphy also said Dr. Cardenas did not identify the type of algal bloom.


 


WPCNR contacted Wendy Rosenbach, spokesperson for the New York State Department of  Environmental Conservation in New Paltz and asked if the city had consulted with DEC on the algae. Rosenbach said the DEC was aware of the Silver Lake situation. She said they had not.


 


Asked what remedies for the algae were available to the City of White Plains, Rosenbach stated remedies for the algae, in addition to the copper sulphate method,  included stocking the lake with grass carp, a bottom feeding vegetarian fish that is sterile and will not reproduce that eats algae and plants.


 


For Silver Lake, a 12 acre lake you would need, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Inland Fisheries Division, five 10-12 inch grass carp per acre if the water body has 50% or less plant coverage on the bottom, or 60 fish; and 10 per acre (120 fish) if the plant coverage is greater than 50%.  Rosenbach said the city would have to receive a permit from the NYDEC to stock the carp to remove the algae.


 


Another solution Rosenbach said was to use booms to scoop out the allergy.  To prevent algae from forming, Rosenbach suggested the city install aerators,  (fountains)  on the surface of the Lake, similar to those found in golf course water hazards that would roil the surface of the water.


 


Ryan not happy with City Response.


 


Ryan contended in last week’s story that it was the city’s responsibility to clean up the algae in the water since that was part of the lease. Wood denied the city was responsible.


 


A copy of the lease between Westchester County and the City of White Plains was given to WPCNR by Mr. Ryan, who pointed to the following passage, as his evidence that the city by the terms of the lease is responsible for the water quality of the lake. The passage Ryan cites is on page 3 of the lease and reads:


 


“To the extent that Tenant shall make any improvements to or conduct activities on the Demised Premises that are consistent with the aforementioned standard, it shall also take all reasonable measures to protect the water quality of the Lake and other sensitive environmental features of the Demised Premises and the adjacent Silver Lake Park, including, but not limited to wetlands, streams, sleep slopes or rock outcroppings.”


 


The lease also states on page 6, the county “will not provide any improvements, services or utilities to the Demised Premises. To the extent that Tenant undertakes to construct any improvements or to utilize any services or utilities on the Demised Premises not consistent with the standards set forth in section”2” above, the same shall be at the sole cost and expense of the Tenant.


 


And the lease further requires the City of White Plains to “comply with all statutes, ordinances, rules, orders, regulations, codes and requirements of the Federal, State County and municipal governments and of all their departments and bureaus applicable to the Demised Premises or the conduct of any activities permitted under this lease upon the Demised Premises, including, but not limited to State and County public health laws, codes, rules, regulations, and applicable  environmental laws, rules and regulations, including, but not limited to, the State Environmental Quality Review Act.”


 


DEC monitors Silver Lake-Mamaroneck River Connection on a Spot Basis.


 


WPCNR asked Ms. Rosenbach of the DEc if the DEC was concerned that such high bacteria content was flowing out of Silver Lake into the Mamaroneck River to Long Island Sound for at least a month, July 18 through August 31. Rosenback said the DEC has a schedule of basin monitoring determined by its Albany office, but said the DEC Tarrytown office had not taken any action on the White Plains finding of high bacteria account in the water.


 


This is interesting, because the DEC is required to make sure limits on contaminants are not execeeded according to their news release announcing a program to renew Long Island Sound in 2001:


 


The DEC has set standards of dissolved oxygen in the waters of Long Island Sound which is effected by nitrogen and phosphate levels as well as sewage entering the Sound. According to a DEC press release of February 8, 2001, the DEC “has completed its Total Maximum Daily Load analysis to achieve water quality standards for dissolved oxygen in Long Island Sound. The TMDL assessment will ensure that releases of nitrogen into Long Island Sound from sources in New York and Connectuct will not result in violations of dissolved oxygen standards in the Sound.”


 


The release reports, “New York and Connecticut have determined that water quality in Long Island Sound is impaired due to low levels of dissolved oxygen, a condition known as hypoxia. Sufficent levels of dissolved oxygen in water are a basic requirement for marine life, and hypoxia can have sever negative impacts on fish and other marine organisms. Nitrogen releases from land-based sources such as sewage treatment facilitiers and agricultural operations, or atmospheric deposition from combustion of fossil fuels, can result in decreased levels of dissolved oxygen in a receiving water body.”


 



Forgotten Promise? Press Release Announcing DEC readiness to monitor county waterways leading to  Long Island Sound. Photo by WPCNR News.


 


The most interesting part of the February 2001 press releases states that “The Federal Clean Water Act requires states to identify water bodies that do not meet water quality standards. States must then develop assessments of how much of a given pollutant the affect water body can safely receive and absorb, and then identify and implement measures to ensure such limits are not exceeded.”


 


According to the Department of Health of the County spokesperson Mary Landrigan speaking to WPCNR yesterday, the Department of Health does not regularly monitor tributaries along the Mamaroneck River, or any other water body in the county for water quality sampling water quality. The previous spokesperson had told WPCNR that the Department of Health is only concerned with water quality at bathing beaches and ponds where swimming is permitted.


 


The February 2001 release states the “DEC is actively involved in local watershed efforts, conducting important monitoring and assessment activities, modifying permits and limiting the discharge of pollutants into the Sound, all of which are having a positive impact on the health of the Sound.”


 


WPCNR will be contacting DEC in Albany to see how often they swing by Silver Lake to monitor the Mamaroneck River inflow there, and other tributaries.


 


In the case of Silver Lake the high level bacteria content  has been dismissed by the DEC and the Department of Health as not of their concern, and they have not taken remedial steps to prevent or remediate the release of the bacteria for six weeks from July 18 through the end of last week.


 


 


The City of White Plains has been the only official entity concerned about the alleged sewage problem. The source has not been positively identified and the remediation has been to let the lake work the pollution out.


 


The city as of this time awaits confirmation that bacteria levels have declined to manageable levels, according to City Hall as of Tuesday. No word yet as to whether the park will be ready for the celebration on Sunday.


 


Not a West Nile Hazard says county.


 


 


In another matter, last week the County Department of Health announced mosquito batches collected in Mount Vernon, Yonkers and New Rochelle have tested positive for West Nile Virus. Informed of this by WPCNR, and asked about Silver Lake being a breeding ground in its present state,  Legislator Bill Ryan had Gary Kriss, his press officer for the Board of Legislators check with the Department of Health to see if the algae infested Silver Lake posed a West Nile breeding ground hazard and whether the county has checked that lake.


 


Kriss said the County Department of Health informed him that West Nile mosquitos generally thrive in urban environment where there is standing water, and that Silver Lake is not tested for mosquitos infected with West Nile virus because it is open flowing water and not likely for mosquitos who carry West Nile to breed there, though this is breeding season.


 


Mary Landrigan, spokesperson for the Department of Health said that if White Plains wanted to have Silver Lake tested for West Nile-infected mosquitos they could call the county at 813-5000.


 


A biologist dismissed this explanation of the Department of Health, saying mosquitos do not have preferences for small standing water puddles as opposed to open lakes and marshes.


 


WPCNR also notes that one of the fears cited by health officials about the New Orleans flood waters (very similar to a lake) is that they are a breeding ground for West Nile virus. It should also be noted that when the county first sprayed for West Nile mosquitos,  they sprayed virtually every water body in the county, which was determined to have caused the lobster dieoff and resulted in a $120 Million settlement.

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White Plains High Softball Team Schedules Benefit Clinic for Hurricane Victims

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WPCNR PRESS BOX. From White Plains Fastpitch. September 7, 2005: The 1-A League Fastpitch Softball Champion White Plains Tigers will stage a Hurricane Katrina Victims Softball Clinic Saturday in three sessions at White Plains High School from 1 P.M. to 5:30 for girls grades 4 through 8, emphasizing defensive skills.



Tiger Softball Coach Ted O’Donnell told WPCNR, “I met with several of the Varsity players this week and we decided that we needed to do something to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. As a result, We’re sponsoring a Benefit Softball Clinic this Saturday, September 10th.”


The varsity and junior varsity players will be helping to conduct the clinic that will take place in three separate sessions each lasting an hour and a half. Participants should arrive 15 minutes before the session they wish to attend, either 1, 2:30, or 4 P.M. The event will take place rain or shine at White Plains High School at the softball field, affectionately referred to by WPCNR as O’Donnell’s Bluff. In event of rain it will be held in the high school gymnasium. Girls should bring a glove and wear cleats or sneakers. If, inside they must wear sneakers. The cost per player is $75 with 100% of the proceeds going to relief to help the Hurricane Katrina. For more info, contact 422-2189, 428-5986.

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Council Approves JPI Condo Payment. Approves $131,801 In New Certs

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WPCNR COMMON COUNCIL CHRONICLE-EXAMINER. By John F. Bailey. September 7, 2005: At the monthly Common Council meeting Tuesday night, the Council approved without comment the payment of $1.4 Million to the city by The Jefferson at 300 Mamaroneck Avenue as the method by which JPI, builders of the 281-unit luxury condo-townhouse complex would meet their affordable housing obligation. Originally intended as a rental, The Jefferson is about to offer their units and town houses as condominiums.


 


Very quietly, city assessibles continued to decline.


 


The council simultaneously approved $131, 801.70 in tax certiorari  settlements for a pair of elderly condominiums, resulting in $500,000 plus in certiorari paybacks by the city school district further pressuring the School District budget for 2006-07, now in preparation. WPCNR is awaiting the School District figures on exactly how much the latest certiorari hit will be on the district.


After an impassioned plea from affordable housing advocate Rose Noonan, not to approve the payment in lieu of, the Council voted 7-0, rebuffing her request. No Councilperson commented on their decision or indicated whether this was now the standard city policy that condominium complexes could pay a one time fee. With two Condoplexes awaiting public hearings next month (having been continued to October), this is a key issue.



 The $1.4 Million JPI payment to escape offering affordable units from their inventory, was calculated from a fee schedule assessing a fee for each of five two-bedroom units, and eleven one-bedroom units adopted by the Common Council August 1, 2005.


 


Two More Condos Follow Bay Hills Condo Lead.


 


Crystal Towers Condominiums at 20 Old Mamaroneck Road and Heritage Towers Condominium on 15 Stewart Place are the latest city condos,  to join the march of assessed properties that have come to the Delfino Administration for tax relief and reassessment that have been settled by the city without a court fight.


 


Bay Hills Condominiums in the posh Southend received a $215, 691.25 total certiorari last month, costing the school district an estimated $862,765 in certioraris.  For every tax dollar the city gives back, the City School District has to pay back four.


 


Crystal Towers, according to the paperwork submitted with the Common Council agenda, but not disclosed in the Common Council official agenda, received a tax refund of $71,549.31 cumulative for the tax years 1999-00, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06. The assessment of the property has been lowered from a high of $487,800 to the new assessment value of $325,000 a decline of $162,800.


 


Heritage Towers at 15 Stewart Place will receive a $60,252.39 tax certiorari covering the years 1998-99, 1999-00, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06. The assessment of that complex has declined from $1,129,410 in 1998-99 to its present assessment of $925,000. The total decline in assessment is $204,410.


 


The Council also approved bonding of $680,000 for the purpose of buying heavy duty rolling stock for the Department of Public Works.


 


Scope on St. Agnes Property Closed.


 


The Public Scoping Hearing on the 390-unit St Agnes North Street Community senior condominium complex was closed.


 


The public has 10 days to submit written comment to the Planning Depart, 255 Main Street White Plains, NY. The hearing saw the repeat of Wyndham Close concerns about traffic, storm water runoff, size of the complex, and raised again the issue of what the rezoning precedent requested by North Street Community would mean for the development of the rest of the New York Presbyterian Hospital property adjacent to the the former St.Agnes property.


 


C.J. Follini, the principal of North Shore Community told WPCNR exclusively that the group was not talking or considering partnering with New York Presbyterian Hospital to run the complex for them. Follini said they did not have the experience or expertise of administering a senior care facility, and were not in the mix. He said he was considering six possible partners in the project. He said he would talk to New York Presbyterian Hospital “as neighbors” but was not considering them as a possible working partner.


 


Marc Pollitzer of the North Street Association warned the Common Council not to spot zone and to stick with their zoning for the hospital property, warning they would not be able to defend granting other specific zoning changes to another developer,  if they crafted a special zone for the North Street Community, as is being requested by the developer.


 


Next in the process is the Common Council acceptance of the scoping document.

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Here Come the Problem Solvers!

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WPCNR NEWS COMMENTARY. By John F. Bailey. September 7, 2005: I was watching Mr. Bush a few moments ago with his cabinet gang of very nervous people behind him. He said…”We’re the problem solvers.”

Please, I want to repeat that. “We’re the problem-solvers.”


I thought I was watching The Daily Show. Which is what this Monty Python government is.


I am so glad. So solve them, already. Let’s have a timetable. If you have a plan for recovering from a disaster, let’s have it.


Where is the plan that FEMA has for recovering a major city? Could anyone please tell me? After all you had to consider an earthquake or a WMD hit, right?


Has any network nitwit asked them, well surely you must have scenario-ed a destroyed city as part of your FEMA plan. What is it? Is everything falling into place? What will you do first?


They do not know ladies and gentlemen. Most of what is being done now is out of the goodness of communities hearts which are doing the job these ridiculously overpaid FEMA FUMBLERS are supposed to be doing!


No one has pinned down whether these creative plans are the result of FEMA or American ingenuity and feeling which is great.


I am sure the Bush administration is going to be quick to claim credit for these. That would be just like them. Look how good we’re doing about relocating, putting kids in school, getting people to help. I can hear it now.


It’s not them. It is you Mr. and Ms. and Mrs. America. You students from Duke who went down and told the true story of what it was like down there.


The Bush Administration and Sean and Rush are too busy whining about it not being their fault, and saying who knew?  


The President said “There is some misunderstanding between  what the federal, State and local governments should do.”   


Is anybody listening to this — what this jackass is saying. Has Mr. Bush ever read the Presidential Oath? He spent all day last Wednesday listening to his lawyers, according to Newsweek instead of saying the hell with the legality, we have to help these people.


Incisive! Daring.


“There is some misunderstanding between what the federal, state and local governments should do.”


Hey, Mr. Bush. It’s o.k. to help, you’re the President.


It took our peerless leader  — what — 9 days to figure that out? You know he must have consulted one of his conservative think tanks.


 Or maybe Rush or Sean told him. Perhaps Rush and Sean are the two dumbest people on radio today. Dumber than dirt, crueller than dirt. Hatefully superior. 


 Perhaps Rush and Sean should go down to New Orleans and Mississippi and Alabama in their $2,000 suits and mingle a little. Smell the roses. Do their shows on location. At least Geraldo is down there. The sad thing is their listeners think these two men are for them. They are for themselves. Sean was described by Randi Rhodes today as “Bush’s whore.”  


I love what Rush said today. I mean people think this radio personality is so smart. Here’s what this man said today, it is another Rush classic:


There’s no difference between the Katrina disaster and the Galveston Hurricane of 1900. He’s right actually.


In Galveston of 1900 there were no phones. In New Orleans of 2005, there were no phones.


There were no helicopters in Galveston. In New Orleans there were not too many to speak of either.


They shot looters in Galveston on sight, Rush said. They ordered persons to shoot looters in New Orleans, but only found five or 6 to shoot. They sent in the Guard to shoot looters and bring order but they could not find too many, The Los Angeles Times reported that today.


There was no relief in Galveston. There was no relief in New Orleans.


It took days for the news to get back to Washington about how bad it was in Galveston. It took 5 days for the news to get back to Washingon about the Gulf Coast. Thank God for television.


There was no television and radio in Galveston. There was no television or radio in New Orleans.


But I am being sophist here.


Back to the reassuring words of our peerless leader.


Mr. Bush said he was going to investigate his own administration. That’s really going to be a grilling!  Reminiscent of Claude Rains telling his Casablanca police to round up the usual suspects.


And then Tom DeLay, saying how the FEMA people were working 24 hours a day without sleep, and that it was strictly a local authorities problem. Nervous, Tommy?


Mr. Brown and Mr. Chertoff don’t look too tired, do they? Neither does Mr. Bush. He does not look too tired, either. All those power suits and no power to get things done.


It’s too late.


Every Republican in congress and the senate up for election in 2006 should be doomed if any Americans had brains in their heads. No Republican or Democrat in office now can ever say to a voter we care about you.


What intrigues me is the people that write me and say this is the usual liberal trash.


It has nothing to do with being liberal, republican or democrat. It is a matter of being a decent human being who does the right thing when you are in position to do it — when you have “the con” as they say in the Navy. You can’t pull a Captain Queeg every time you get in a jam.


I allege Mr. Bush is not a decent human being. I ask, what would Jesus do?


I lump all those people who claim they represent the American people in that category, too.


It has taken a week before any elected yo-yo has spoken up about what has happened here.


Other than the Louisiana Republican Congressman and the tentative plaintive pitiful Mary Landreau and that includes Hillary Clinton, AND her husband Bill. We still have not heard Chuck Schumer’s take. Maybe Chuckie Cheese is on vacation, too.


However Hillary the Hopeful today called for rolling FEMA out of the DHS and into the cabinet. How gutsy. How timely. How creative. How sensitive.


And hey, how about Greta the Griller collaring Hillary yesterday and not asking her flat out, how would you have handled this situation Mrs. Clinton if you were President? Do you think the President should have overrode the Governor and sent in the troops? You have to ask that question. How about asking Bill the same thing, Grets? Smoke the hypocrits who have simply being laying low.


It took Hillary and Bill a week to figure that out? A week to figure we have to have an investigation? Get out of here! This was a no-brainer, but then the Clintons have shown a lack of brains before, a lack of a sense of timing, and appropriateness of time and place.


Those qualities alone, based on the Bush supporters out there who love the guy, these qualities dutifully qualify Hillary for President, judged on the swift decision-making in the White House. She will fit right in.


Now, our congress in Washington is starting to finger point as they see which way the wind is blowing. Finally, a tad of outrage.


When you consider that The Department of Homeland Security did not even run up an Orange Alert 9 days ago, you can see how much they were paying attention. In fact, as far as I can see, the only thing the Department of Homeland Security has done, other than hold a lot of good, chummy, security conferences and comaraderie is create the Orange Yellow, Amber heightened state of awareness system and improve airport security, which of course is being taken away by cuts to the FAA Air Traffic Control System. Can anyone think of anything else, other than the airport search lines? I’m serious?


And what has FEMA been doing? Look, it was crummy under James Witt, too. Remember the signs on rooftops in North Carolina during Hurricane Hugo? How about the Mississippi floods? Not too many boats then either. Witt is the genius who told this reporter personally that he did not know the toxic level of a radiation cloud from Indian Point. This is the expertise level of these bureaucrats and congress people. They are good getalong people. They each protect the backside of the other.


You think they know a lot. But, the sad fact is they do not. They are incompetents for the most part who have risen to their positions because they appear likable and appear to care, and do the bidding of their highest contributors, not you. Appear is the key word.


They don’t care. I cannot emphasize that enough.


Mr. Bush does not. Mr. Cheney does not. Mr. Lott does not (gutless statement by him tonight about not biting the hand that’s trying to help you — is that a veiled threat?). Ms. Rice does not. Mr. Brown does not. Mr. Chertoff does not. The list goes on and on.


Some more photo-ops for Mr. Rove to put in his “To Do List,” it is the least WPCNR can do to help the damage control program put into effect by The Bush Team, and if ever there was an approriate name, it is The Bush Team. Bush League!


Today’s Top 13 Photo Ops from the Karl Rove To Do List:


1. Have President pose with the King of Saudi Arabia announcing a cut in the Barrel Price of Oil, perhaps a $1. That was actually happening today (a quick call by Daddy to his pals in Saudi Arabia perhaps?)


2. Pose members of his cabinet in blue jeans tomorrow. (When are we going to realize a sharp suit, a white shirt, and close haircut, and a big belly do not do not do not mean competance?)


3. Show Mr. Bush with  a chain saw clearing wreckage in Missouri.


4. Show Mrs. Bush, helping to give hepatitis shots, perhaps to a grinning young African-American.


5. Show President Bush in a classroom with displaced Louisiana kids going to school.


6. Have Mr. Bush attend an NFL Opener in Texas with Louisiana evacuees ( I think that has great potential), announcing an NFL Build, House and Teach Contest.


7. Arrange for Mr. Chertoff or Mr. Brown to resign. Or both — or perhaps a reassignment to head the investigation of themselves while simultaneously bringing in Rudy Giuliani and George Pataki to oversee the rebuilding effort. (They are still arguing over rebuilding the Trade Center.)


8. Show Mr. Bush and members of congress with three giant $40 Billion Check made out to Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Mayor Delfino finds this very effective in getting a point across.


9. Next create a contingency of Republican Leaders labeled the “Republican Rescuers” who personally tour the areas. ( A former Executive Officer of White Plains found the personal tour very effective.)


10. Show President Bush at the switch that throws on the electricity to one New Orleans building.


11. When Dick Cheney arrives Thursday (9 days after the levee break), have Dick treated at one of the medical centers treating the folks needing medical care.


12. Have the FCC Chairman make the first call when the first phones go back on in the city.


13. Have Mr. Gonzalez, the Attorney General, sitting down with the Governors of all 50 states to thrash out “American Rapid Response” — the new three color code of awareness of need system that states can run up on state flag poles: Green for Send Aid Now. Yellow for Send a Little Aid, and Red for we’re O.K.  But there will be varying shades of flags: Lime for send troops and food, but no water, etc.


That way lawyers and Homeland Security people will not mistake the need.


How am I doing, Mr. Rove? Just doing my part in Damage Control Response!

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Picnic Ends in Serious Assault at Winbrook Complex Sunday Night. 4 Arrested.

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WPCNR POLICE GAZETTE. By John F. Bailey. September 5, 2005. UPDATED 12:20 P.M. E.D.T. UPDATED 2:00 A.M. E.D.T. September 7,2005: Inspector Daniel Jackson, spokesman for the White Plains Department of Public Safety confirmed to WPCNR that a serious assault took place Sunday evening at the Winbrook Housing Project on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in the park centered in the middle of the Winbrook complex. Jackson said the assault took place following a picnic held Sunday evening.


Inspector Jackson, in a statement to WPCNR Tuesday has provided more details of the incident. Inspector Jackson’s statement:


There were two people injured in the fight at 33 Fisher Ave. 1 female with minor injuries and 1 male whom was seriously injured. He was taken to the Westchester Medical Center where he underwent Emergency Surgery.



His status as of this morning was stable but serious condition. The investigation is continuing.

As of now, four people have been arrested for participation in the assault and charged with Gang Assault 1st Degree a B-Felony.  Lamont Person of Chatterton Ave. Tammel Esco, Shamel Esco, and Dennis Paige all from Dekalb Ave.

More arrests are expected.


Tuesday afternoon, Inspector Jackson provided more details to WPCNR of the circumstances. The Inspector said the incident was called in at midnight Sunday from the Winbrook complex and that it originally started as an altercation between two females, and then the males joined in.


Jackson said the victim was stabbed and struck with a chair and weapons such as a knife and a box cutter were involved in the assault.


When asked in the persons involved had been drinking, Jackson said the Police Report did not indicate that. Asked if the suspects arrested had been given sobriety tests, Jackson said they had not.  He said the investigation was continuing and more arrests were expected.

 

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Media Turns to the “Happy Side” of the Story. Ignores the Obvious.

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WPCNR NEWS COMMENTARY. By John F. Bailey. September 5, 2005 Updated Briefly 11:30 P.M., September 5, 2005: I have just finished watching four hours of Fox News and CNN reporting on the New Orleans, Mississippi, Alabama disaster. I have just heard that before Judge Rehnquist is in the dirt, Bush has nominated Judge Roberts to be Chief Justice. He sure acted quickly on that one didn’t he? Tasteless!


 


The preponderance of coverage devoted itself to how the victims were being cared for and reported how Texas particularly and other places are housing the victims. Very feel good stuff and we salute that. Every day Americans want to help fellow Americans in trouble. It is only the government that apparently does not.


 



The reports of Sunday confirmed that contrary to what was reported Saturday and Friday, the New Orleans Convention Center was not completely evacuated until 6 PM Sunday. So the earlier reports that everyone had been moved out Friday night were false, giving a false sense of efficiency.


 


The questions of what everyone is doing were answered, but there was a great deal of jumping on every possible report of a sniper. One correspondent even raised the possibility a sniper had downed a helicopter, when it later turned out that the helicopter had simply rolled over on the ground. But if you did not watch for four hours as I did, you did not know that at the time.


 


Correspondents spoke of anarchy, depravity in the Convention Center. However no one has documented any depravity. Not one rape victim incident has been described by the police in police report detail. You know if they had, it would have been on the air. There was an incident where police confronted gunmen on a bridge and killed two. O.K., that is one officially reported incident. Then there was last night’s report of the besieged police station, what was up with that? How did that work out? Was that exaggerated?


 


My point here is that to give the impression there is rampant violence going on through babble is lousy reporting. It’s rumor spreading.  In fact, when the National Guard Commander that has singledhandedly sorted out this mess in two days, when asked about all this alleged sniping by Geraldo,  said “I didn’t say that. Most of the loud bangs are motor vehicles popping empty water bottles.” I mean the Commander said that!  The Commander essentially said reports of violence were hearsay.


 


Fox keeps finding pictures of fires to show. Says they will send out a team to check them out.


 


The big news is that Mike “Security” (Chertoff) Quarterback of the DHS  showed up in New Orleans today. Good job, Mike, always good to get a first-hand look! I saw no interviews with Mike “Rescue” Brown, Captain of the FEMA Fumblers. No reporters through the last four hours even noted the fact that Mike and Mike were not briefing people. And, they are not. This is a big story. Mike and Mike are not telling us what is going on.  The government has shut down communications. Sort of a little like White Plains, isn’t it?


 


I have to commend the reporter who finally asked Mike Security a tough question. They asked apparently if Chertoff and the DHS was not prepared. Chertoff bristled, said there will be time for “lessons learned,” but that they were making all their efforts to save people and care for people now.  Mikey was just a little sensitive. Perhaps a reporter should have asked him why he was just showing up on the scene four days after the levees broke. But, these questions are now being dismissed by Mikey as counterproductive. But you have to ask these to point out what people are missing.


 


One Fox Correspondent actually said there is no information being supplied the media. At least the National Guard Commander is talking to Geraldo.


 


The focus of the story is being shifted to the humanitarian efforts, to give the impression that the government has control of the situation,  but occasionally disturbing facts are arising out of the coverage that are inexplicable and correspondents should be pouncing on.


 


Example: Fox reports that the National Guard is securing the airport now, because they expected violence from the victims. This kind of reporting fuels the sniper-violence angle. However, other than heartwarming interviews with people, their reporter at the airport did not ask the victims how long did the bus ride take to the airport in Kenner (12  miles outside of New Orleans), how long did they stay there? You gotta document the experience.


 


Example: A correspondent interviews the Army Corps of Engineers supervisor, and he thinks the breach in the canal will be completed tonight. He brings up the matter of the fact that the pump station is underwater, and the Army Corps of Engineers spokesman says it has not been ascertained whether the pumps will work, if they get electricity. No follow-up question. They have had five days to get into that pump house and figure out if the pumps will work.  Sure hope they do not have to send out for new pumps. You have to ask this guy do they have backup pumps on order to supplement the pumps they hope will work to pump it out faster. Again, this lack of thinking on the Army Corps’ part is stunning. They should be lining up every damn pump in America to drain this flood, now.


 


The other question that should have been asked is whether holes have punched in the southern walls as reported Friday,  to help the area drain and how that is going, or if it has been done. But, heck, the news producers have to be thinking of these questions. Report, don’t cheerlead.


 


Example: You have the Army Corps of Engineers spokesman. The New York Times reports Sunday that the Times Picayune website spotted the levy break NOT the Army Corps of Engineers. That is huge incompetence!!! But, but, but, but, nowhere in the course of the 4 hours I watched Sunday evening, did any Fox or CNN newshound bring upthis point. This means, this means, this means, the Army Corps of Engineers was asleep at the dike.


 


Example: I am updating this section of this article on Monday evening. The report on WINS1010 in New York was that water is being pumped out finally from the canals. Well, Aaron Brown of CNN points out at about 10:30 P.M. Monday night, in an interview with a Corps of Engineers spokesman that, surprise, they are only DRAINING THE PUMP HOUSE!!!! The guy suddenly does not answer, disappears! Come on a little straight answers are needed. The main pumphouse is not apparently working.  Could Aaron explore this topic later on in the broadcast? Could there be a little candor on the part of the Army engineers? We still do not know if the pump house is working or this is just a giant sump pump clearing the pump house.


 


Example: They report the Times Picayune has finally got their paper going, and their editoral is calling for the firing of those responsible. How about an interview with the Times-Picayune people.


 


Example: In four hours I did not have one interview with the Mayor of New Orleans or the Governor of Louisana, the Governor of Alabama or the Governor of Mississippi or any of their senators. Ain’t nobody talking. Just a lot of good warm-feeling, touchy feely stories.


 


Hint: The glamour anchors have to stop using the term, “getting life back to normal.”


 


Example: The spin coming out of CNN and Fox is that everyone has been evacuated. This simply is not a true thing to say. We hear everyone is being evacuated, yet rescues are still going on . No one has an estimate of how many persons evacuated before the levee overflowed,  from the 1.3 million in the area. At this point, reporters are saying there are 225,000 persons in shelters.  That leaves 1, 075,000 unaccounted for. How many of those evacuated? No estimates. As of noon today, the National Guard commander is saying there are 10,000 left in the city.


 


The report is thousands have died. They finally give a death toll of New Orleans as 59. Let’s hope that is correct.


 


People are being moved 12 miles to the airport at Kenner, according to my Rand McNally atlas.  12 miles. Then evacuated. A two-step.  In fact, it was reported on Fox they were still being moved there by midnight, but from where?  In the 12 hours of coverage I have seen, no network has popped up a map of this city so we can see various areas in terms of the pathetically short distances to cover to conduct evacuation operations to show just how poor the efforts have been the last week because of lack of equipment.  


 


I have also not seen a map showing what areas of the city are covered by water and what are not.  The distance from the Superdome to the airport is three Tappan Zee Bridges, or the length of the Cross Westchester Expressway, or White Plains to Yonkers. They could not get people that distance to fly them out to the airport and shoot them out of there on commercial planes before Saturday? These questions cry out to be asked. It is ludicrous. 


 


The impression I get from the media coverage, whether intentional or not, is that the New Orleans airport was a great distance away. Hell people could have walked to the airport in one day, if the planes were there. They should have been driven there, if the buses had been arranged for. I hate to say this but moving folks 12 miles if you have the vehicles and then the planes has to be done.  The delay in sending in the National Guard was inexcusable, but the lack of buses that should be have on order. A great unanswered question.


 


Example: Condoleeza Rice, dressed in her best Banana Republic safari-chic was unloading supplies on camera in Alabama Sunday. It must have been tough being out in that heat for the Fashionista. The Fox Network dutifully reported her statement that race had nothing to do with the delay in the help. But no correspondent asked her what was the reason for the delay. You have to ask that question.


 


If WINS 1010 plays back Ms. Rice’s statement and I quote it, “President Bush would never withhold aid from a hurricane zone because of race.” Then the follow up was, “Why did he withhold it? Or what was the reason he did not see fit to send it?” That’s just letting her off the hook. Perhaps since Louisiana has a Democratic Governor, a Democratic Senator, and a Democratic Mayor, that might have had something to do with it. Forget about this crap that the states have to ask. I call up the governor, and I say, honey, you just asked, and I send them in Wednesday.


 


Example: Donald Rumsfeld was on the scene in one of the zones, could not tell if it was in Mississippi or Alabama or New Orleans. Rummie did not get interviewed about the refinery capacity. Or anything. If he was, his comments did not appear on the four segment I watched from 10 P.M. to 2 A.M.


 


Example: The Labor Secretary announced a series of employment programs to get the victims without jobs working at jobs cleaning up the storm ravaged areas. This is well-meaning, but they have to phone in to register. Hello, Washington! There are no telephones working in the three affected areas.


 


Example: Senator Charles Schumer made a statement on the Supreme Court vacancy. I heard it on WINS 1010. But Senator Schumer, who takes every opportunity to speak out on Indian Point security, and Hillary Clinton, that great humitarian have not uttered one word on the The Katrina Apocalypse. Not one word. And no faxes to me from her press office, which they send me all the time.


 


Example: The best reporter on this whole thing has been of all people, Jerry Springer, who has garnered solid evidence of FEMA ineptitude: He has an e-mail from Carnival Cruise line saying they are willing to send three cruise ships for housing, but have not been released yet by FEMA (this was Friday). He has an e-mail from rescue crews in Kansas City that they have not been invited by FEMA (this was Friday). How about CNN,FOX and the other news organizations looking into this inexplicable decision-making?


 


Example: WINS 1010  aired a clip from New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg in which the Mayor said Sunday he had 72 New York City Police, buses, and firemen to send down but he was awaiting FEMA’s o.k. The next time WINS aired the clip, the comment that Bloomberg made say New York was awaiting FEMA’s o.k., was cut out of it. Draw your own conclusions.


 


Example: The comment by the rap star on the live music special to aid the victims that aired I believe on NBC Friday evening was edited out when the special was rebroadcast. That was the comment that President Bush was not helping the victims because they were black. How can they edit that out? Draw your own conclusions.


 


Example: There were no questions at all about the gasoline problem of any official. And we all know what the gasoline problem is. Something they could have asked the Labor Secretary Ms. Chin.


 


Example: President Bush announces he will fill Judge Rehnquist’s replacement promptly. How about a follow-up question there: How promptly is promptly? By the way, ladies and gentlemen, both CNN and Fox spent a lot of time talking about this replacement issue. Another issue to divert us from the national disaster and administration ineptitude. Who cares who serves on the Court of Fools? Obviously not our Senators who are ready to just put Judge Roberts on it, and he has had virtually no bench experience. Anybody can be on the Supreme Court as long as you play ball.


 


In the ultimate act of bad taste, Bush nominated Roberts to be Chief Justice (with 1-1/2 years bench experience). He couldn’t wait to get a distraction going?


 


As reporters we all want to help, but guys and gals, do not lose focus, you have a government here that has shown terrible judgment.


 


Now what can we look forward to on Monday.


 


Perhaps Mr. Rove is working on the following Photo Ops:


 


President Bush’s twin daughters helping out reading to children at the Astrodome, or rallying Students Across America to help rebuild the areas.


 


First Lady Laura Bush walking in to Jefferson Parish with victims being allowed back to their homes.


 


The President on a rescue mission with the National Guard Commander. You know that’s going to happen.


 


The President with Geraldo.


 


The President on Larry King. I can hardly wait for that one. You know Larry wants it.


 


The President again on Good Morning America, when Diane Sawyer can again throw softballs. (I mean, Diane, I want you still, but could you not have asked the President if he looked at weather reports last week?)


 


The President touring Baton Rouge with Dr Frist.


 


The President with Mike Security and Mike Rescue announcing billions and billions of programs.


 


The President with Bill Clinton and his Daddy, launching a fund drive at the Astrodome.


 


The President announcing Halliburton being given the contract for getting New Orleans, Mississippi and Alabama producing gasoline, as well as homes.  We should at least catch up to India, which is already given its Tsunami victims new homes in just 8 months. Do you think I’m kidding? They have employed Halliburton to rebuild the damaged Naval Stations in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. That story appeared in The New York Times Sunday.


 


Two last media notes: WABC Radio had the nerve to allow a comedian to take over their air Sunday for at least an hour. He spewed forth criticism on the folk of New Orleans, castigated the ACLU, and diatribed on the way New Orleans handled the crisis. It was a disgrace. WABC has not disgraced itself so much since Rush Limbaugh put out the theory perhaps a liberal person had torched the Oklahoma City FBI building. How could WABC put someone on the air who would have such hatred. You know if that person was in trouble he’d be the first person screaming for help.


 


As good as the Springer show was Friday, WLIB, Air America in New York should not be running the tape over and over, just because their thoughtful hosts wanted Sunday and Labor Day off. They were very outraged Friday. But did not see fit to come in over the weekend and broadcast live.


 


Oh, one last word on these photo ops. It is show, ladies and gentlemen. To show the President is working.


 


 

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Media Ignores The Truth in Plain Sight. The Duck-and-Cover President Has No Clue

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WPCNR News Commentary. By John F. Bailey. September 4, 2005: President Bush and his scrambling damage controllers are now asking the media to help them out of this “temporary disruption being handled by the federal government and private sector” as the Great Bush describes the Katrina Apocalypse.



 


I wonder if the Republican and Democratic Senators in Washington, only one of whom has come to New Orleans, would consider 1,000 counts of Involuntary Manslaughter grounds for bringing impeachment charges against a sitting-on-his-ass President, his vacationing staff, his Homeland Security Advisor, who apparently comes from the donuts-and-coffee era of Car 54 Where Are You Policing, his FEMA director, who has yet to get New Orleans excrement on his Gucci loafers, and his Secretary of State fashionista and Broadway Showtune Afficionado and tennis buff, the former sharecropper’s daughter; and oh, yes, the Vice President. Perhaps they all should be hung for the genocide they are presiding over.


 


Obviously, receiving sexual favors in the White House and seducing a 25-year-old woman, is, and that, of course is a far more serious offense that would automatically trigger impeachment proceedings, and negligent genocide committed by inaction when Americans are dying on our soil because of mismanagement pales in comparison to that atrocity committed on Monica Lewinsky.


 


But, the media have lost all reliability when they do not report explicitly that Mr. Bush was in New Orleans Friday and did not tour the area, did not commiserate with the victims (perhaps they smelled too bad, and the man who co-pilots jets onto an aircraft and says mission accomplished could not stomach it.) Those people waiting and dying have far more courage than anybody. It takes courage to face death. It takes no courage to provide gratuitous concerns.


 


I gotta tell you, you got to go into that airport area and spend some time if you are a decent human being in charge of taking care of them.


 


All America wants to take these poor brave souls into their homes I think. The President could not even walk amongst them. What would Jesus do?


 


It’s not what you say, it’s what you do. Well, I write the truth.


 


Maureen Dowd, writing in The New York Times today reported that “the can-do” President was at the New Orleans airport Friday, and did not, did not, did not visit the sick and dying victims his administration ignored for 4 days, and immediately flew his sorry do-nothing butt out of there. Ms. Dowd, thanks for revealing that. You are a great reporter for reporting what all the anchors and all the on the scene reporters did not.


 


If you watched CNN and Fox News Friday night from 10 P.M. to 3 A.M. early Saturday moring as I did, you had no clue he was in New Orleans Friday. If you listened to News Radio 880 and WABC Talk Radio, and Air America Radio in New York, during the day Friday, you also had no clue he was in New Orleans on the ground Friday. I want to know why the first time I am hearing in detail, that President Bush was on the tarmac in New Orleans is in Maureen Dowd’s column!


 


The Washington Post  buried this little item in their Saturday coverage, but at least they grasped the significance of it, and I bet the editor had to fight to keep it in. But this story was a Washington Post story the Journal News picked up.


 


The Washington Post wrote: “Bush flew here (New Orleans Airport) and saw firsthand an airport turned partly into a large field hospital. There, for most of the day, the tarmac was home to the injured and infirm, taken there for triage or treatment. Some walked or staggered; others waited in wheelchairs or on stretchers.”


 


But hey, Washington Post, did he touch a victim? Did he go up and see them? You got to report that.


 


Well, according to Ms. Dowd, he did not even go up and express sympathy. No Photo Op there! How callous of the President to avoid the dying.


 


Last night at about midnight, CNN dismissed, dismissed, dismissed coverage of the ongoing situation in The Big Hard, by doing around 15 minutes an the death of the Supreme Court Justice. Who cares about the man who put President Bush in office? The court that endorsed wholescale election fraud to their everlasting shame.


 


God, this Reinquist death was so welcomed by the media moguls, because it has given them an excuse to defocus America off the New Orleans involuntary genocide. Both news networks rolled glowing obituary tributes to the death of this man. One man.


 


This is news judgment that boggles the mind. Reinquist  was insignificant. But he was white, rich and powerful and distinguished. His death was more important than thousands’?????


 


But, that’s not all, ladies and gentlemen. The CNN reports were last night at midnight that all New Orleans refugees had been evacuated and were being routed to shelters. ALL. A little later they said that thousands were waiting at the New Orleans airport for flights out. This gives the impression the crisis has been met.


 


Well, hold on CNN and Fox. The victims were not in effect on their way. They, in reality, were moved a few miles to wait somewhere else for evacuation. This is spin. This is trying to make good so it can be said they’ve all been evacuated. They did report that officials were making phonecalls to hospitals around the country to take these poor folk and treat them. They don’t know where to send them.There are no contingency plans that they can tap. Why is that not being said?


 


No running death toll has been reported. And, as of Sunday morning, there is no estimate of the number of people left in the city to be rescued.


 


The flippant attitudes of the papers this morning and the television outlets last night was that the Guard has evacuated everybody. They were putting positive spin. And still the reports of looting were laced right up there at the top of the stories. The excuse.


 


Well let’s hear soundtrack of gunshots, CNN. Let’s run live footage instead of rerunning the same stuff. Let’s see the bodies. Better yet have your reporters COUNT bodies they see.


 


 Let’s turn the camera on the street at that embattled police station the other night, so we can see the people doing the seiging.  Let’s see have specifics of how many looting areas there were. If you can report it you must have it on tape somewhere. There was looting, yes. But to listen to the audio, you get the impression that this was Watts or Washington D.C. 1968 – it is not. I was there in Washington in 1968.


 


The most telling quote of all was from Bill Lockey, the FEMA official in charge in Louisiana. This is what he said, according to Washington Post report:


 


“It seems our planning was inadequate. We worked on it, we exercised for it, but the reality of it – we’ve been working as hard as we can do. I’ve yet to be in a disaster where it went right.”


 


Inadequate? There was no planning. The basic question FEMA had to ask themselves about New Orleans, was, how do we get 480,000 people out if the levees break? Where do we treat 480,000 people? Obviously they did not have a preset plan. You can see it on TV.


 


The media is struggling to make the President look good. The in-the-muck reporters are showing great courage in getting the story. Adminstration and officials statements are not being challenged and hard questions not asked.


 


It takes no courage to write this column. But it is the right thing to do. Somebody has to see a cover-up in the process.


 


Now what will be Sunday’s photo ops? Perhaps they can wash up a few grateful refugees for the President to hug by Monday.


 


Let’s face it, the Bush Administration is spending more energy trying to show the President cares than any real caring.


 


Is that an impeachable offense, not caring?

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Bush Sends The Airborne Finally. Blames State & Local Gov’t. What a Surprise!

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WPCNR NEWS COMMENTARY UPDATE. By John F. Bailey. September 2, 2005: This is an update to my previous two columns.


Today several things were said by President Bush in his live radio address. He said he is calling the First Cavalry Airborn from Fort Bragg to aid in the recovery. A Fort Bragg soldier on the radio earlier this week suggested this on Wednesday. Good job, kid. The military was not given a chance to help when they could have helped!!!


President Bush also implied oh, so subtlely in the live radio address that essentially this is a failure of state and local governments to deal with the problem. The Beltway Boys first blamed the looters to disguise the fact they were not ready. Well, that’s no longer going to play. Now they are saying the state and local governments are not doing the job as their excuse. Don’t be fooled. This is buckpassing of the shameless most self-serving kind.


Now, Condoleeza Rice, is actually back from her New York adventure in stiletto land and was heard on WCBS radio listing the countries offering aid, and said more medical aid would be brought in from these countries “if needed.”  If needed? Hey Condoleeza, could we please turn on the television, like Michael Brown, the head of FEMA does to update himself on the medical needs?  This is God awful, ladies and gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. America and the world. Back to Farragamo, Ms. Rice. And Kudos to the New York Post for telling us what you were doing while thousands of black people were out their waiting for the help that never came.


Let’s put Mack Carter in her position, he would know whether medical aid is needed. He was a Medic in Viet Nam.


Now, contrary to what CNN reported at 3 AM this morning that most of the Superdome people had been evacuated, giving the false impression the evacuations were done, the new National Guard commander down there gave us a firm number an hour ago  10:30 A.M. He says they are turning their attention to evacuating the 25,000 people in the New Orleans Convention Center. Well where is the fleet of 620 or so buses needed for them? Are they stretched as far as the eye can see? Where are they going? Can we expect those choppers from Fort Bragg to be ferrying them out soon? Could we have one aircraft?????


It is six days. Please. We have a little bit of a crisis here, Mr. President. And could you please go to New Orleans and spend a night in the convention center for your next photo op. That just might play better.


 


Where are the buses for the rest of the 200,000 folks according to Jessie Jackson that may or may not be still there in the rest of the city? Where are the true numbers of whose left in the city does any one for God’s sake know? It is reassuring the military is taking charge. They know how to do that.


And why isn’t the national media whose “in the muck” reporters are doing a great, hard job and are (actually being supressed by their neatly coiffed anchors) demanding  those numbers? Keep reporting.Suspend your incredulity and politeness and toast these political hacks.


The military commanders should have been in charge six days ago. They are now trying to straighten out the mess.


Oh — are Michael Brown and  Mr. Chertoff in New Orleans yet? Please advise CNN. And how about a key slide showing the location of these spokespeople? That is a glaring bit of sucking up by the networks.


 Could somebody take charge of this situation? God, where is Alexander Haig when you need him?


And is Dick Cheney on the way? Or does this turn his stomach? It turns mine. Perhaps it is too much for him.


And considering Cuba is ready to fly in doctors now, and we, I do not believe have ever helped them when they have been raked by hurricanes, let’s accept Mr. Castro’s help. Thank you Mr. Castro from we Americans who are as appalled as you are at this debacle of leadership. Spanky and Alfalfa could do better.


 Now, locally, this is an update for Andy Spano and Mayor Joseph Delfino of White Plains. The oil companies latest contribution to the “Temporary Disruption Being Handled by the Federal Government and Private Sector” is that the price of regular gasoline on Mamaroneck Avenue in White Plains, NY is $3.47.9. a gallon as of noon Saturday. We will check it again in an hour. Perhaps we should do the county gas survey every day.


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 


 

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Bradley: MTA Windfall Profits Should Not Be Spent on a New HQ

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WPCNR ADAM IN ALBANY. By Assemblyman Adam T. Bradley, 89th Assembly District (White Plains) September 2, 2005: It was recently reported that the Metropolitan Transit Authority will end 2005 with an $833 million surplus.  The MTA is attributing this multi-million dollar surplus to a hot real estate market and low interest rates on bonds.  Being that the MTA receives a percentage of the tax revenue from New York’s mortgage recording tax as well as the property transfer tax and the actual revenues from these taxes far exceeded what MTA official had projected, the agency will end the year with substantial profits.



 


Unfortunately, the MTA has indicated that they may take these additional funds and apply them toward building a platform and a new MTA headquarters over the 13-acre West Side railyards.  


 


It’s hard to fathom that the Metropolitan Transit Authority actually plans to build a new platform and new corporate offices with this surplus, while Westchester commuters have had to endure outrageous fare hikes and parking fees that the MTA claimed were necessary to protect existing services.  It’s outrageous that the MTA duped the commuting public in the past with cooked books and a bait and switch tactic to justify fare hikes, only to turn around millions in profits a few years later.


 


The MTA should be implementing a fiscally responsible plan that would apply the surplus toward paying off current debt, off-setting existing fares and those fare increases already planned for 2007 and 2009.  Let’s stop picking the pockets of our commuters and give the commuting public the break they deserve.


 


Scandal and fiscal mismanagement continue to plague public authorities.  Authorities clearly need to be reined in and made accountable.  That’s why the Assembly passed legislation I sponsored to improve oversight of the state’s public authorities and public benefit corporations (A.9007).  This legislation, which also passed the Senate will:


 


·        create an inspector general with jurisdiction over authorities to make sure they are given the kind of oversight they are lacking;


·        create the Authority Budget Office to review authority budgets;


·        mandate training for authority board members, strengthen ethics and prohibit authority executives form sitting on authority boards;


·        improve standards for independent audits of authority spending; and


·        establishing new rules to regulate the sale of authority property.


 


I urge the governor to sign this vital legislation into law immediately so that we can begin to crack down on our Public Authorities. I also call on his hand-picked MTA Board of Trustees to end its reign of mismanagement and invest the $833 million surplus of public dollars into protecting struggling commuters.

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A Temporary Disruption Being Dealt With by the Federal Government. God Help Us.

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WPCNR NEWS COMMENTARY “America’s Hotel Rwanda, Continued.” By John F. Bailey. September 2, 2005: Now what have we learned about the media coverage that boldly fills our screens as America’s Hotel Rwanda plays out in “The Big Hard” with mindnumbing images out of any parent’s nightmare unfolding daily. We have to get tough, newsboys and newsgirls of America. You have to stick the knife in harder. Let’s take a look at what I’ve seen:




  1. Reporters do not know how to ask specific questions any more.

 


How about just once asking for a specific? Like where are the trucks now? What route are they taking? Is the food loaded, or being loaded?  Where is the National Guard coming from?  How many, when? When Mr. Brown and Mr. Chertoff refuse to answer specific questions they reveal just how inept they are. You gotta know that if you’re in command. When they don’t tell you, they don’t know.


 


       Here’s a question for the next quoiffed anchorperson to ask, it’s not enough to look hurt on camera and sigh with sympathy, be a truth seeker, shove the knife in and make these phonies bleed the truth.


 


This question is for Paula Zahn to ask: How come if you guys practiced for a huge hurricane with a million people needing to be moved, you didn’t figure out that just maybe the roads would be blocked a little, bridges would be out, all communications would be gone, there might be a little flooding, and it might be better to fly in supplies and drop them, and maybe you might need more than 20 buses in three days? How realistic could the training have been? Or serious the thinking. Ask them that, for me beautiful. 


 



  1. We know you are beautiful. But, hey people are dying out there.

 


Please lady anchors, let’s not color coordinate the makeup so much and the suits, and leave the lip gloss at home, o.k. Plain white blouse, pulled back hair. No eyeshadow, no lashes, please. Look like you at least have been working 24 hours a day and writing up some questions to ask these phonies, instead of putting on makeup for two hours before air, and like you’re going out to La Circ after you get off the air.


 


And same for you pretty boys out there. Lose the pink and green suspenders. Time to just look as if you worked at thinking up an interview once in your life, when it really matters.  Those poor guys out in the streets, may hat is off to you. I’m not there and you are, and you’re doing the best you can.


 


 


 



  1. Some Reporters are afraid to expose a lie.

 


Larry King had Good Ol’ Guy Mississippi Govern Haley Barbour had the audacity to tell Mr. King that at 1 o’clock Sunday they had no idea this was more than a Category 1 hurricane. And mindnumbingly, Mr. King did not call him on that utter lie. I knew in Lake Placid, NY, where I was that this was a category 5. People were telling me about it. Mr. Barbour should be whisked out by Mr. and Mrs. and Ms. Mississippi because he is a fool, a liar, and an apologist. 


 


 On the air last night, Mr. Brown said he felt the response was moving along efficiently considering the circumstances. Did the reporter ask what makes you think that? What did you expect? No. They let Brown actually say that and get away with it.


 



  1. The news producers are not showing the bodies enough.

 


      We keep hearing about floating bodies, but we are not seeing them enough. It was not until last night when folk were dying at the convention center that they were shown. And,. Guess what friends, columnists are complaining about the networks dramatizing things. If it were not for television, the administration would be saying everybody is being moved out and fed and are getting along well. Because of television, they cannot say that.


 


Show more guys. Use the television eye to show the truth. Because you are not being told it.


 


     5. The networks are not pressing the talking heads for the numbers!


 


       They have to do this: get hard numbers on who is gone and who is not. Hard numbers, running totals so we can measure totals! Press them for it. Please report accurate numbers.


 


 


6. The networks are not exposing the photo ops set up by this administration today.


 


One of the great disgraces of many in this not-to-be-believed response to this disaster were the photo ops arranged by the White House today. Can you believe this crap, ladies and gentlemen?


 


In the first photo op in Biloxi, President Bush is shown being briefed by coast guard, with Chertoff and Brown with him in Biloxi, and the briefing was way poorly miked.


 


That clown Karl Rove spent the last two days I allege dreaming up these photo ops to portray Bush as caring and on top of the situation. What horse manure straight from the Crawford ranch.


 


      Do you really believe, Mr. and Mrs. America, and those wonderful African-American heros and heroines and children suffering in the sun, that Mr. Bush did not know what was going on? Why were not the microphones turned up at that briefing?


  


       And the greatest outrage of all, pointed out to me by a former ABC News Correspondent – two Coast Guard helicopters idle in the hangar. Hey, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, why didn’t you ask our peerless leader a question: Mr. President, is this the first time you are hearing about the Biloxi situation as it is now? Mr. President why are those helicopters not flying?


 


     Now on to photo op number: Mr. Bush at the Salvation Army center with a couple of neat black victims with him. Come on? This was even phonier than the first one. I wonder how much the administration paid those two victims to make nice.


 


     On photo op number three, I saw in a photo of President Bush commiserating with a guy on the stoop in Biloxi, white naturally.


 


      Note: Mr. Rove, you screwed up. Mr. Bush should have also walked around New Orleans and hugged some of those brave, patient, trusting black people who are slightly more dirty and smelly than the scrubbed up young black women he hugged for the cameras. You could almost see Bush cringe.


 


      This is a fraud to make you believe this yo-yo cares.  I hope you people are not buying this. This is a page out of the Mayor Delfino spin machine.  Next thing you know President Bush will be visiting the funerals. Yeah, let’s see him do that. There’s one for you Mr. Rove.


 


     Here’s a question I would ask if I was a reporter. How much time did the White House spend setting up this photo opportunity: 3 hours, 5 hours?


 


     Please, kill the photoops. Spare us. This President could care less. If he cared he would have been on the ground Monday night in New Orleans or as close to it as possible.


 


      I will always remember the day, the President of the United States on CNN TV said, and I quote, describing the events of the last five days as “A temporary disruption being dealt with by the federal government and the private sector.”


 


I saw him say that. I heard him say that. I still do not believe what I heard.


 


You cannot make this up.


 


Yale University should revoke this guy’s diploma.


 


It ranks right up there with Marie Anotinette’s “Let them eat cake.”


 


 

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