The coverage from Texas is obviously being stage managed.

[EFerrari]

There have been no uncomfortable interviews with weeping women. No shots of the homeless who rode it out downtown Houston. No shots of worried kids that are a part of any disaster. No interviews with survivors waiting to leave Galveston, only shots in the middle distance that show the color composition of the line.

It looks like, if you're not a white guy and don't have a new truck and you're not giving away food, chances are no one will talk to you on camera.

But here's a leak: right now, they have some folks out in wheel chairs in front of a care facility. They're waiting for the grid searchers. They have no water and no food. But the reporter is stressing that bedridden people still don't want to leave!

I guess those bedridden people must be @ssholes.

Houston Ch 11 is giving out a lot of good resources on the air. But they sure are spending most of their time nagging at people, imho. And they're spending most of their time filming clean and dry people.

[southern_belle]

1. No question about that n/t

[Selatius]

2. Bush and the Republicans don't want another monumental failure to be televised.

It would totally erase any bounce they got from the Republican Convention.

[EFerrari]

4. And the real obscenity is how easily Ch 11 just bent over and agreed

to their terms.

[mrJJ]

3. Not Good

Source: KHOU Live News Feed

Command Center for all of Southeast Texas based at Tulley Stadium is out of food and water.

Rep John Culberson (R) is on KHOU on a news conference asking Houstonians to bring food and water to the emergency response command center.

Reporters are asking "Who dropped the ball?"

Read more: http://www.khou.com/video/?nvid=178826&live=yes&noad=ye...

[rainbow4321]

7. The KHOU anchor is now reporting there is enough food/water

Saying that Houstonians are responsible for getting the responders what they need, no thanks to FEMA.

Personally, I'd rather have Culberson come out and say if this is true or not.

I'm thinking Perry and Chertoff layed a few bricks when Culberson did his news conference.

[EFerrari]

17. I bet they totally missed that he would speak up. n./t

[Retrograde]

18. "no thanks to FEMA"

Ain't it the truth?

[magellan]

35. Someone is blaming state gov't in Austin for FEMA absence

I don't know who, I just came in at the end of the discussion on Houston ABC 13, but someone was shifting blame to a state official in Austin who allegedly changed game plans on FEMA, causing this delay. 16-18 hours till FEMA is in place.

:shrug:

Also, ABC 13's chopper reporter complained MIGHTILY to Gov Perry earlier about air space being closed over Bolivar, Crystal Beach, etc. Perry said that's a "local gov't" decision, the chopper guy said he didn't realize the mayors of Bolivar and Crystal Beach controlled the air space, Perry responded that air space is a federal issue...Pass the buck, pass the buck.

Kudos to these guys at ABC 13 for pressing the issue. Wayne Dulcefing is on the air now explaining why this blackout is such an affront to free press. He understands the issue of potential loss of life, but he feels the people have the right to see what the conditions are and to evaluate the response, regardless of whether the gov't WANTS them to see it or not.

[intheflow]

54. This is a play from the Katrina response playbook.

The Republicans blamed Louisiana's Democratic Governor Kathleen Blanco for poor FEMA response, and also the the Democratic Mayor of NOLA Ray Nagin. This time around, Texas has a Republican governor, so he's obviously not to blame, just like Haley Barbour in Mississippi after Katrina. :eyes: Still, they need a scapegoat. Austin, the Texas capitol, has a Dem mayor, Will Wynn. Who better to blame for poor FEMA response? I don't believe for a second that Ike caught them off-guard--FEMA stands for FEDERAL Emergency Management Agency, do they assume people don't want their help unless it goes through x, y, and z channels? Puh-lease!

It's all complete and utter bullshit. This is more of the Republican "drowning government in a bathtub;" the Bush administration purposefully stages a poor FEMA response to gain political advantage by vilifying the Democrat's response. these people are sick mother-fuckers.

[Jane Austin]

57. Why would you believe Culberson?

He's a Texas Republican.

[TXDemGal]

5. What I don't get is why

at one point, Houstonites were advised to "shelter in place" and "hunker down." I know Perry et al. wanted to avoid road gridlock, but WTF? Is Houston itself politically expendable for the Goopers? Anybody know?

[EFerrari]

6. They bet on controlling the media. And, it looks like that's a good bet.

:shrug:

[KeepItReal]

8. Didn't want a repeat of 100 people dying on the interstate trying to leave Houston (during Rita)

That was a massive clusterf*ck. People ran out of gas in gridlocked routes out of town.

They only allow Galveston island to evacuate inland this time.

They literally blocked the interstates to prevent Houstonians from rolling out.

[EFerrari]

10. I remember that. After that, my family put together backpacks

to hike out of here in case we needed to. That was horrible.

[Igel]

15. They told more than Galveston to leave.

Areas on both sides of the Bay were under mandatory evacuation orders.

Lots of people stayed put who shouldn't have. Some neighbors in my apt. complex aren't back yet; they left town.

But it was to avoid the disaster from last time. And they did, mostly. Power's coming back on in patches around town, dozens of supermarkets are open, ice is being distributed. There are some screw ups, but if not getting enough food to a staging area to feed 300 workers is the worst of it, we can live with it.

Damage near where I live is minor--downed trees, carports collapsed, minor flooding (not of any apts. or houses, as far as I can tell). But we're not in a flood-prone area (if anything, it's the opposite--our water drains away to flood others' property). Can't even find anybody with heat rash, and if they don't have it, they won't; it's cooling down today, and should be very pleasant out tomorrow. Lows overnight are upper 60s/low 70s, and that's surprising.

Now, the areas affected by the storm surge and flooding, they have some severe problems. Then again, those were the areas to be evacuated. I'll be interested in seeing the death toll, after all the house-to-house searches are done on Galveston, the Bolivar Peninsula, and other places, and they've managed to get all the people in shelters organized and accounted for. I'm thinking less than Rita, and hope I'm not wrong.

[EFerrari]

16. Glad to hear the worst went by you. n/t

[bermudat]

9. I used to live in Houston.

It looks to be that Governor Goodhair is getting ready to set up his presidential campaign and

Mayor Bill White is readying himself for the governorship. They both must weigh a ton they are so

full of themselves. Everything is how well everything is going, patting themselves and the people

around them on the back. The undercurrent of their message is 'See how much better we is

than the darkies in New Orleans.' You wouldn't think any black or hispanic people live in Galveston

or Houston. Or any poor folks.

[EFerrari]

12. Or anyone with wrinkled clothes. Who else has been disappeared?

They have all these WASP GQ types talking trash.

Where are the regular people right now?

Eta: Thank you, Scott, for pounding into my head that when the camera points in one direction, it isn't pointing in the other freakin' direction. :grr:

[readmoreoften]

11. I like this piece of cognitive dissonance: 140K Stupid People Who Didn't Leave + 8 casualties!

If there are only to the magnitude of 8 people over 200 miles who perished, maybe the 140K people who hunkered down were intelligent considering that 110 people died from evacuating Rita.

Of course many of these people didn't evacuate because of mixed messages from weather reporters and public officials.

[EFerrari]

13. You obviously hate America.

Where are the interviews with residents that aren't 30-40 white males in their Sunday sport clothes?

:shrug:

[readmoreoften]

20. Because the 'refusees' are enemy combatants risking the lives of our boys...

I'm confused about how this is a dangerous rescue mission. Wasn't Sean Penn rescuing people after Katrina? Weren't newscasters everywhere? Did they get in the way of rescue ops then?

[EFerrari]

24. Who knows what real people are really doing right now.

That's the worst part. They're making us less real to OURSELVES with this propaganda.

[EFerrari]

14. To be fair, Ch 11 is showing a LOT of the destruction of property.

But, where are the people? :shrug:

[TBF]

50. It's completely bizarre. I'm watching from Dallas (we're in northern

brazoria and evacuated because we have 2 small children). All I see are pictures of houses in West U and River Oaks. They're not fooling me - I recognize those neighborhoods. I have not been able to find out what is happening on Galveston - especially the west end. FEMA was in town by Wed., along with the National Guard, and I think they are censoring big-time. "Nothing to look at here folks - no Katrina - everything going fine". That's what I see. There could be thousands dead and who knows if we'll ever hear the truth.

[PDittie]

19. Only Republicans running for election on the

"press conferences". Cornyn, McCaul, Emmett, and yes, that description includes that Blue Dog Bill White.

[PDittie]

21. No deaths reported in Houston.

Three in Galveston. Two in Louisiana, one in Arkansas. That is unadulterated BS.

[EFerrari]

23. No doubt, it is. n/t

[EFerrari]

22. Skeletor's new briefing.

Kay said we have to get the refineries up so schools can open.

(Thanks, Kay!)

They aren't mic'ing the questions.

lol

Skeletor is being asked about distribution of supplies: The state is responsible for taking our supplies and getting them distributed. But -- this isn't about a screw up. (Can we assume stuff isn't being distributed very well?)

Reporters sound insistent and irritated in their unamplified background.

On distribution points: "I think Galveston is covered with Reliant." Really?!

Skeletor says today was mostly devoted to figuring out where to put supplies.

I can't stand to listen to him any more

He hasn't had a single word of empathy for the victims of this disaster. Not one.

ETA: They did not mic the questions at this briefing.

[rainbow4321]

27. Then there was the goon all but dragging Chertoff off the stage with

"We've been told to keep you on schedule" Said Chertoff will do another press conf. at 9:30 pm.

[malaise]

25. Chertoff and the goons behind him

are running from the death numbers.

The mike was still on when Sheila Jackson Lee asked Skeletor about the generators for the hospital.

Go public Sheila.

add. Sp.

[EFerrari]

26. From even the living.

Where are the inteviews with survivors?

[barbtries]

28. watching an interview

on eyewitness news
http://www.maroonspoon.com/wx/ike.html
i don't know who she's talking to, but both the interviewer and the interviewee are pissed.

i still don't understand why michael chertoff has a job after katrina and i shut it off whenever he's on camera.

[EFerrari]

29. The reporters sounded pissed at the breifing but it was hard to hear

them.

Skeletor has a job because they scapegoated Brownie in the press. They're all disgusting criminals who have no regard for us at all.

[barbtries]

34. no doubt about that

wayne dolcefino on eyewitness news is telling it like it is.

people want to know and have a right to know what's happening and what has happened - regardless of how terrible it may be.

[senseandsensibility]

30. Just curious...how are you watching the local coverage?

On the web?

[EFerrari]

32. DirecTv Ch 361 / CH 11 Houston. n/t

[barbtries]

36. here

http://www.maroonspoon.com/wx/ike.html

[senseandsensibility]

46. Thanks!

:hi:

[MadrasT]

40. Local coverage over the web

http://www.maroonspoon.com/wx/ike.html

You can mute the channels you don't want to listen to - otherwise you get 4 competing audio streams to go with the 4 video streams.

[senseandsensibility]

49. Thanks for the link

:)

[EFerrari]

31. "This is just a heart breaking picture, to see that water tower there."

They're showing Crystal Beach.

Where are all those people? Why no mention of them?

:shrug:

[EFerrari]

33. Where are the people?

:shrug:

[EFerrari]

37. Have to go walk my puppy but CH 11 is filming broken stuff

and that's where all the focus is.

Where are all those people?

You'd think people, not plywood, would be the focus . . .

[readmoreoften]

45. No, the people who stayed behind were greedy and stupid.

They are now subhuman and not newsworthy--so instead lets forget those people and focus on property and stuff! But most of all, how it could've been "so much worse."

[Rabrrrrrr]

38. Bush learned his lesson from Katrina - don't let the media report accurately.

Sadly, the lesson should have been "respond earlier and help people", but apparently it helps Haliburton's bottom line if they just instruct the media not to report anything truthful.

[EFerrari]

41. I hate these mfers. n/t

[tannybogus]

39. Chertoff and Bush have been busy.

Here's a link to a thread about what they were saying earlier.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3998627

[countryjake]

42. What the heck is up with this video?

http://www.khou.com/video/news-index.html?nvid=282641

I've gone back to this several times, emptied my temporary files, checked my Media Player, but it still has no audio with it.

Does anyone else hear this report, or is it just my computer?

[EFerrari]

43. I get no audio either. nt

[malaise]

44. 95% of homes in Oak island have been

destroyed. Crystal Beach is a complete disasster.
50% of structures in Chambers County destroyed. They haven't even reached High Island. Cattle roaming the area.

[merh]

47. They better do something

they cannot afford to not get the votes in texas - that will be a blessing for the survivors, they won't be screwed with by the government and overlooked like they were in louisiana and they will have proper voting precincts come November.

[EFerrari]

48. Have you heard from your people?

:hug:

[merh]

56. Still not certain about the cousin that lived at Bolivar

Others are without electricity and water, but they didn't have much damage. Thanks for asking :hug:

[daleo]

51. It's a brave new world

Nobody dies in natural disasters anymore. Just like it was during the days of the Soviet Union.

[EFerrari]

53. No kidding.

Ironically the quotation is, "Oh, brave new world that has such people in it!"

:(

[fla nocount]

52. Hooverville n/t

[cwydro]

55. The chicken little media is embarrassed that their predictions

of widespread death and destruction did not come true.

I live in the Keys and they threaten us like this with every one that comes down the pike. I'm one of those people who does not evacuate. There are many of us; the majority in fact.

This "certain death" bullshit that they were predicting was nonsense and now they don't want to admit they have cried wolf once again.

Yes, there is much destruction. Damage can be expected with a large cat 2 like that.

Yes, people living in a surge area should take care to ride it out on higher ground. I think Houston made the correct decision not to evacuate.

[Junkdrawer]

58. What if the media were completely excluded from Katrina?

Wouldn't the horrors have been even worse?

Would we have eventually found out or would the news have been called "groundless rumors" or "conspiracy theories"?

Something deep in my bones tells me something unspeakable is happening on Galveston Island.

[XemaSab]

61. From a lot of the pictures I've seen

If people died in some of these towns, their bodies are out in the Gulf. :(

[rainbow4321]

59. Volunteer fireman in Crystal Beach: Goats and cows are all that are left

80% of the homes in his subdivision are gone. He could see a mile in several directions and there were no homes left. Goats and cows the only signs of life roaming around.
News saying that Gilcrest area is totally wiped out.

[EFerrari]

60. DU calls it again. malaise had it early this morning:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4002229