power commensurate with his courage and character. I saw on another DU thread that he's a Democrat who had supported Bush. I sorta doubt it now. Here's a rush transcript of his interview that another DUer had kindly provided:
http://rapidshare.de/files/4632564/nagin.mp3.htmlRush transcript of the file (probably contains errors, but it gives you an idea)
...
I mean to dictate and to manage military resources down here and I'll fix it for you. You call him right now and you call the governor and you tell them to deligate the power that they have to the mayor of New Orleans and we'll get this damn thing fixed.
It's politics man and they are playing games and they are spinning it. They are out there spinning for the cameras.
> But can't they just... If nothing else look at 25% of their energy coming from this state is not flowing through the pipelines. We are on the verge of anarchy. Can't they understand that if nothing else they are going to be hurt politically?
I don't know what they are doing. I mean the airconditioning must be good, because I haven't had any in 5 days. And maybe there's some smoke coming out of the airconditioning unit that is clogging some folks' vision.
> Have you talked to the president.
I've talked directly to the pResident. I've talked to the head of Homeland Security.
> What they say?
I've talked to everybody under the sun. I've been out there. I've flown these helicopters. Been in the crowds. Talking to people. Crying. Don't know where their relatives are. I've done it all, man!
And I'll tell you, man: I'll keep hearing that it is coming This is coming. That is coming. And my answer to that today is: BS! Where is the beef? There is no beef in this city. There is no beef anywhere in south-east Louisiana and these goddamned ships which are coming: I don't see them!
> What did you say to the pResident of the United States and what did he say to you?
I basically told him that we had an incredible crisis here and that him flying over it on AirForce One does not do it justice and that I have been all around this city and I am very frustrated because we are not able to master resources and we are outmaned in about every respect.
Do you know the reason why the looters got out of control? Because we had most of our resources saving people, 1000s of people that where stuck in attics, man. The old ladies. When you pull of the ventilator vents and look down there and standing there in water upto their fricking neck.
They don't have a clue what is going on down there. They flew down here. One time. Two days after the doggawn event was over with TV cameras, AP reports, all kinds of goddamn - excuse my French everybody in America, but I am pissed.
> Did you say to the pResident of the United States. I need the military in here?
I said I need everything. Now, We'll tell you this: I'll give the pResident some credit on this. He send one John Wayne dude down here that can get some stuff done and his name is General Armery(sp?) and he came of the doggawn chopper and he started cussing and people started moving and he is getting some stuff done. They are going to give that guy - if they don't want to give it to me - full authority to get the job done and we can safe some people.
> What do you need right now to get control of this situation?
I need reinforcements. I need troops, man. I need 500 buses, man and we are talking - one of the briefings we were talking about public school bus drivers and come down here and bus people.
I'm like you gotta be kidding me. This is a national disaster. Get every doggawn Greyhound busline in the country and get their asses moving to New Orleans. That's them thinking small, man and this a major, major, MAJOR deal. And I can't emphasise it enough, man. This is crazy
I've got 15-20,000 people over there at the Convention Center. It is bursting at the seems. The poor people in Tammany(?) Parish. They are airevacing people over here in New Orleans. We don't have anything and we are sharing with our brothers in Tammany Parish. It is awful down here.
> Do you believe that the pResident is seeing this and holding news conferences on this, but can't do anything until Kathlyn Blanco requested to do it and do you know whether or not she has made that request.
I have no idea what they are doing, but I will tell you this: You know God is looking down on all this and if they are not doing everything in their power to safe people they are going to pay the price. Because everyday that people delay, people are dying! And they are dying by the hunderds down there. I'm willing to bet ya.
We are getting reports and calls that are breaking my heart from people saying: I've been in my attic. I can't take it anymore. The water is upto my neck. I don't think I can hold out and that is happening as we speak.
And you know what really upsets me, G... (?)
We told everybody of the importance of the 17th Canal Street issue. We said please, please take care of this and we don't care what you do figure it out.
> Who did you say that to?
Everybody! Governor, Homeland Security, FEMA, you name it - we've said it and - you know - they've allowed that pumping station next to pumping station 6 to go under water. People to stay there and endanger their lives. And what happened was that when that pumping station went down, the water started flowing again into the city and it started to get to levels that probably killed more people.
In addition to that, we had water flowing through the pipes of this city. That's a powerstation over there. So there is no water flowing anymore on the East bank of New Orleans Parish. The critical water supply was destroyed, because of lack of action.
> Why couldn't they drop the 3000 pound sand bags or the containers that they were talking about earlier? Was it an enginering feat that just couldn't be done?
They said it was some pullies that they had to manufactor, but you know in a state of emergency you are crazy and you figure out ways to get stuff done. Then they told me that they went overnight and that they build 17 concrete structures and that they had the pullies on them and that we are going to drop them.
I flew over that thing yesterday and it is in the same shape that it was after the storm hit. There is nothing happening! And they are feeding the public a line of bull and it's spinning and people are dying down there
> If some of the public called and they are right. There is a law that the pResident, the federal government can't do anything without local or state request would you request Martial Law?
I've already called for martial law in the city of New Orleans. We did that a few days ago.
> Did the governor do that too?
I don't know. I don't think so. But we called for martial law when we realised that the looting was getting out of control and we directed all police officers to direct them to controlling the streets. They were dirty, dead tired from saving people, but they worked all night because we thought that this thing was going to blow wide open last night, so we redirected all of our resources and held it under check. I'm not sure whether we can do that another night with the current resources and I am telling you right now:
They are showing all these reports of people looting and doing all the weird stuff - and there are doing that - but people are desperate and they are trying to find food and water. The majority of them. And you've got some knuckleheads out there and they are taking advantage of this lawless, this situation where - you know - we can't really control it and they are doing some awful, awful things, but that's a small minority of the people.
Most of the people are looking to try and survive. And one of these things. Nobody talked about these things. Drugs flowing in and out of New Orleans and the surrounding metropolitan area so freely it was scary to me and that's why we had the escalation in Murrays. People don't want to talk about this, but I want to talk about this.
You had drug addicts that are now walking around this city looking for a fix and that's the reason why they were breaking in hospitals and drugstores. They are looking for something to take the edge off their Jones if you will and right now they don't have anything to take the edge off and they've probably found guns, so what you see is drugstarving, crazy addicts - drugaddicts that are reacking havoc and we don't have the manpower to deal with it. We can only target certain sections of the city and form a perimeter around them and hope to God that we are not overrun.
> Well you and I must be in the minority, because apparantly there is a section of our citizenry out there that thinks that because of a law that the Federal Government can't come unless requested by the proper people. That everything which is going on to this point has been done as good as it can possibly be.
Really??
> I know you don't really feel that way?
Well did the Tsunami victims request. Go through a formal process to send a request?
Did the Iraqi people request that we go in there? Did they ask us to go in there?
What is more important? This is - I tell you man - I'm probably going to get in a whole bunch of problem. I probably get in so much trouble it ain't even funny. They don't even want to deal with me after this interview is over.
> You and I will be in the funny place together.
But... we authorized 8(0) billion dollars to go to Iraq. After 9/11 we gave the pResident unprecedented powers to take of New York and other places. You mean to tell me where most of y'all is coming through. A place that is so unique. When you mention New Orleans all over the world, everybody's eyes light up. You mean to tell me that a place where you probably have 1000s of people that have died and 1000s more that are dying everyday - that we can't figure out a way to authorize the resources that we need?
C'mon man. I'm not one of the those drug addicts - I am thinking very clearly and I don't know whose problem it is. I don't know whether it is the governor's problem. I don't know whether it is the president's problem. But somebody needs to get their ass on the plane and sit down - the two of them - and figure this out right now!
> What can we do here.
Keep talking about it.
> We'll do that. What else can we do?
Organize people to write letters to their congressmen (email), to the president, to the governor. Flood their doggawn offices with requests to do something. This is ridiculous. I don't want to see anybody to anymore goddamn press conferences. Put a moratorium on press conferences. Don't do another press conference until the resources are in this city and then come down to the city and spend with us when there are military trucks and troops that we can't even count. Don't tell me 40,000 people are coming in. THEY ARE NOT HERE! It's too doggawn late! Get off your asses and let's do something and let's fix the biggest doggawn crisis in the history of this country
> I'll say it right now: You are the only politician that has called and called for arms like this and whatever it takes the governor, president, whatever law president it takes, whatever it takes, I'll bet that the people listening to you are on your side
Well, I hope so Garland. I am at the point now where it don't matter. People are dying. They don't have homes. They don't have jobs. The city of New Orleans will never be the same ... in this time ...
> That's mayor Nagine in an interview ...
pnorman
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