Ray Nagin

Let us not frame Ray Nagin words as not giving a fuck anymore, maybe

he feels too compassionate. These are his people that elected him, they

look to his leadership, and at this time of crisis…people want to

know that the level of frustration and anger of the situation is

not only held by them. I heard the whole interview and I was thoroughly

impressed with the segment instead of the snippets you hear on the

TV. While people are trying to spin the situation for positive press,

Mr. Nagin comes out and says what the real deal of the effectiveness

of state and federal response to the most tragic event to happen in one

hundred years. So to the person who started the blog, I would

challenge you, given the same role and title as Nagin, to NOT voice

the same vigilance and vigor that he displayed. By NOT speaking out and

forcing powers who are equipped to help would be a disservice to

those whom you serve.

NIK

Nik, I didn’t mean that in a negative way - just to imply that he had moved beyond the usual political calculus that dictates what politicians feel they can say.

sir like you and i think in the aftermath you should and hopefully will run for another office. i like how you tell it like it is FEMA IS CRAPyou my sir are a very god fearing man and love human life. if i live there i would support you 100%. rebuild you city and god bless you and all the people.

barbara

You know for too long we have had to put up with the Dictat of a government that is so arrogant that it disrespects our Constitution with impunity. It is a pleasant surprise to see an elected official actually bucking up to the Washington idiocracy and telling it like it is. The Mayor is going to go a lot further in politics if he sticks up for the people like he has. Best of luck to him.

Ray Nagin is a complete incompetent as Mayor. The first

action in a disaster falls on the local people, the local government, and the state government. Why didn’t he utilize the many available school buses to evacuate those without transportation? Since it was his plan to use the Superdome as a shelter, why did he not have water and food supplies laid in there in advance for at least the first 24/48 hours.

He’s a former cable tv executive elected as Mayor two years ago. I would suppose he doesn’t have a clue as to how to manage any emergency let alone one of this magnitude.

What has New Orleans done with the Federal monies sent there over the years that was earmarked for upgrading and maintaining the dikes around the city?

I understand he was confronted with what is probably the largest disaster of its type this country has ever seen. However he has failed miserably, and no amount of finger pointing, wailing, or cursing, is going to change that.

I find Mayor Nagin’s radio interview to be extremely heart-rending.

He conveys the desperate helplessnes of every man, woman and child in flood-ravaged New Orleans. Free from any political posturing, Nagin’s interview dramatizes the cruel irony of a State that is quick to mobilize for war, but is tragically slow to mobilize to save lives - the lives of its own citizens. Mayor Nagin’s commentary given right in the valley of death will stand in history as one of the weightiest indictments of the

Bush presidency.

Dear Mayor Nagin expect to be blamed for every thing that went wrong during Katrina. Most people have never faced your problems and, of coarse, could do it better.

I feel that you “called it as you saw it”. Homeland

Security is a total bust that involves too many untrained personnel calling all the shots. Too many power grabbers,

too many special interest to be considered and too few

brave men to call it like it is. You,Sir are one of the few brave men who called it as you saw it. It is time the Federal Government start worrying about the infrastructor of the USA and stop meddling in everybody elses business.

IF RAY NAGIN WERE THE MAYOR OF THE CITY I LIVE IN, I WOULD BE ASHAMED TO

TO ADMIT IT. HE HAS A FILTHY MOUTH,DID NOT HAVE THE CITY READY FOR AN EMERGENCY EVEN SMALLER THAN WHAT IT WAS.HE WAS IN A GYM I SUPPOSE WHILE

EVERYONE ELSE WAS OUT TRYING TO SAVE LIVES,IN ONE INTERVIEW. I THINK HE IS A VERY POOR EXCUSE FOR A MAYOR. ALL HE WANTS IS FOR THE GOVERMENT TO DISH OUT MONEY AND COME IN AND REBUILD NEW ORLEANS AND TAKE THE CREDIT FOR IT ALL. GOD BE WITH THE PEOPLE OF NEW ORLEANS.

In Reply to Jan Estes,

I would like you to be one of the victims down here waiting on food and water! I would like you to stand in there shoes for atleast 3 days without it and lets see what you have to say about what Ray Nagin said…. he said what needed to be said! you are probably sitting somewhere on your ass and not helping the people of New Orleans so why do you care about what he’s doing? Ray Nagin is only one man, one Mayor who did everything he could, and that was to inform the people. Don’t say he just wants the Government to dish out money, Hell we all want the Gov. to do that… I just think your response was stupid! keep your close minded comments to your self. Until you get off your ass and do something, ttyl and stay in your comfort Zone!

To K. Bell:

You said “Ray Nagin is only one man, one Mayor who did everything he could, and that was to inform the people.”

EXCUSE ME! He may be only one man, but he did nothing except whine about others. It’s called divert the attention from myself, I’ll look better if I can make others look worse.

“Inform the people?” have you ever heard of the National Weather Service, they are the ones that INFORMED the people.

No you are wrong we don’t ALL want the government to dish out money. The welfare state is part of the problem down there now.

Why didn’t he use the school buses to evacuate more people?

Why didn’t he have water and food supplies laid into the Superdome in advance? He knew it would be a shelter.

Just how fast do you think FEMA should have got down there? They first had to assess the disaster, then mobilize. That doesn’t happen overnight. Have you ever heard of States Rights. These responses always start with the local government and then the state government before it goes to the Federal level. Hell, Louisiana’s own Governor didn’t call out her national guard early. And she is the ONLY one that can call them out.

Jan, enjoyed your comments.

For Ray Nagins own information he and the governer are suppose to be the first ones to respond before the federal government can get involved and if he did not know that WHAT is he doing as mayor. Now he wants to play the race card. Again it seems that every time somthing goes wrong most black always want to blame the goverment.

It is like you bite the hand that is feeding you.

I am so sick of people doing the blame game they need to step up to the plate and

shoulder their own responsibilites. Where does Nagin get off blaming the president

when he was the one in charge of New Orleans. No one seems to remember that New Orleans is about 80% black. (The reason you see so many waiting to be rescued). I am so sick of hearing of the poor black people If they would get off

their dead ass and get off walfare and work. Instead every time their is a chance

they want to blame someone else. Well I do know what it is like to lose everthing as

we have lost everything and my husband is 65 years old with a sight disisbility and he is

still working and will till the day he dies so tell me about how poor you are. We do not expect the goverment to give us a hand AND WE EARN what we get AND that seems to be lost in this country. It is how much can I get from the goverment and then turn around and blame the goverment for all their own problems as you can see with Nagin it was a typical blame

someone else.

It was Nagins responsibility to be prepared for an emergency. They were living in an area that was just waiting for a diaster to happen. I guess living in LA LA LAND for Nagin is a better place to live and just blame the goverment again.They are suppose to take care of me . HE IS THE MAYOR1

I don’t know Ray Nagin or what it was like to be in his shoes these past 11 days any more than the rest of you do. All

I know is what I’ve seen on TV and in print. I applaud his impassioned speech telling those who were supposed to send relief to stop with all the press conferences, get off their asses and get something done. I don’t know why buses weren’t sent out (there may be a good reason) or why there weren’t enough supplies in the local shelters. Hopefully we’ll hear more about that in time. What I do know is that Nagin (a former Rebubican) didn’t support the govenor in the election which may have lead to bad blood between the two and an unwillingness for Blanco to work with or support Nagin even in this dire situation. There seems to be some sort of power struggle going on between the two even now with the mandatory evacuations. We know that FEMA also bungled their relief efforts and is lead by someone far more incompetent and unqualified than Nagin (Brown). But, that’s another response….

if you know the interworkings of politics, you would understand that Mayor Nagin had his hands tied. And as for him having a filthy mouth, i find it refreshing. And where would those people be today if he did not speak so frankly.

Kathleen Blanco should not have taken so long to respond and maybe she is not fit to make desicions. Also my family was missing, safe now, but neverless I do not give a shit about states rights when my mother coulde have been drowning.

The fact that people in the states feel the gov is not responcible is a testament to the racism that allowed this to happen. Do you think if those faces where white it would have happened the same way? don´t say this is playing the race card, this is a fact.

Whatever what doing well, we need to do it right; better. Mayor Nagin comment wasn’t bad at all. I bet if this disaster occurred in our house, city and state. “what we be our comment”, if it happen to us? Let us be realistic and realize the value of everything we cheerish. God we surely do to us individual the way we do do other, it might be later or soon.

Mayor Nagin needs to be impeached and so does the Govenor. Both are too stupid to be incontrol of even butt wiping.

In response to Kathy, being a black person, I usually would find your comments offensive, but I don’t. I have finally gave up hope that we are all American’s. Your utter discontent for black people even through this crisis, the worse in American history, has finally shown me that no matter what we (black people) do, we will never be an united people. So thank you.

I would applaud you and your husband’s efforts to escape poverty. But I would also like you to understand that there will always be poor people. But, don’t worry, we are down there dying, so we’ll be out of your hair soon.

Ray Nagin is a man, mistakes, just like all of us. I can applaud him for his standing up, but he is just like you, I’m sorry, me, and i would have done the same thing. Sometimes, people need a good yelling at to get thier asses moving.

Maybe you should get a bullhorn, and drive around yelling at black people to get thier asses off welfare and get a job, and maybe the next time they get hit with the worse national disaster, they can get out and come and live next to you, right?

Sweet old lady, probably going to die with that hate in your heart, so sad

I FIND MR NAGINS REMARKS RIGHT TO THE POINT THEY,THE GOVERMRNT SHOULD HANG THERE HEADS DOWN LOW TERRIBLE,PITTIFUL,ROTTEN RESPONSE MY MY WE CAN DESTROY BUT WE CANT HELP OUR OWN IN A CASE OF EMERGENCY,SAD REAL SAD SO THANK YOU MR.NAGIN FOR TELLING THEM WHAT WE ARE ALL THINKING.

In response to the sweet old lady with the hate in her heart (Kathy). I too would have been offended by your words if I had not come to the realization that we are not equal. (So thank you Corey for shedding that light.) I am in Atlanta, Ga and my hubbie and I have opened up our homes to 16 evacuees from NOLA. Of the 16 people that we have here, 10 of those persons are WHITE. So I guess it goes to show that race did not play apart of those LAZY black persons who were too sorry to get off their rumps and evacuate. I guess the media ommitted those white working souls from the camera.

At least a few of you have it right and have a little sense! Instead of sitting on their dead welfare loving asses waiting for someone to come and get them it seems to me that the minute everyone heard that Katrina was approaching they should have used the 2 legs and feet that God gave them and HIT the road walking and or running as fast and as far away as they could! Instead…..they sat on their lazy asses like they have done all their lives, waiting for their food stamps and welfare checks paid for by OUR hard earned taxpayer dollars!!!

Nagin and Blanco dropped the ball…………..THEY are to blame………NOT our Government or FEMA!

RAY NAGIN FOR PRESIDENT. Some people can’t handle the way life is today,

mainly because their part of the evil in this country.. Ray Nagin tells

it like it is, and I respect a man for that. People like Jan Estes

obviously is one of the self rightious fake people that are clueless,

that actually add to the problem. He done all he could do, at least he wasn’t sucking the Presidents ass. President Bushwhack should be

impeached, Bush has done nothing but ruin this country. Come on people

this country was founded on God, but yet the people take away public

right to worship God, to take God out of our Pledge and take it off

our public building because some atheist or devil lover was offended?

That is proof of a demise of a country, but of coarse what can you

expect from a society that says it is more socially acceptable to be

a homosexual, then a Christian in a monogomous faithful marriage, a

society that says we can’t raise our children we should let TV and

the Goverment do it for us, look at our past generations and compare

them to today, I have alot more respect for my parents and grandparents

then I every have for the young ones today.

So in closing Hell yes Ray Nagin is a good man and done what he could

so what if he had a few slips of the tongue it happens especially in a

heated or emotional moment, I certainly don’t condemn the man for that.

I would vote for the man in a heartbeat for President to come clean up

the mess baby bush has made..

God really loves difference. Colors, personallities,

, flowers, dirt, sand , animals, fish, trees, rainbows and soo… many other different things.

But the smartiest thing he mad was humans and they fight over what he loves the most. Difference!

God loves all of us how dare we not love each other

I don’t want to be in the shoes of a person who hated all thier lives difference, when getting before him and explaining thier behavior on earth

In reply to Sharon;

Your opinion speaks volumns about the kind of tragedies

that you have encountered. I have worked catastrophes

and I assure you that if it were you in trouble, no

matter how small, you would find that your needs would

be of utmost importance to you. You are a selfish unkind person that has no concept of how this place smells

or how hungry its people, or thirsty, or frightened, they still are. People like you should be forced to visit 3rd would countries and see the horror of it all. In fact it would probably do most americans some good.

Mike, what the hell did Nagin “tell like it is?” Did he tell he didn’t do anything for his people? He had three days to help get people to safety before the storm hit. Yet he did nothing. I understand he has been under stresses the likes of which none of us here have ever seen. However he is the Mayor, and as such especially given the geographic position of New Orleans, he SHOULD have had a program in place to move people out of harms way.

You people saying “the government should have” do you not realize Nagin is the first link in the government? Apparently he is also the weakest link.

TO K.BELL

I AM SORRY IF I AFFENDED YOU. FIRST IAM UPSET THAT RAY NAGIN DIDNT HAVE THE PUMPS READY, PLUS OTHER FAULTS. NO I HAVE NOT SET AROUND AND DONE NOPTHING. I PRAY FOR YOUR AND EVERY ELSES SAFTY AND COMFORT. MABY THE MONEY I SENT FEED YOU A MEAL OR GAVE YOU WATER IF YOU ARE ONE OF THE DISPLACED. YOU NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO HOW YOU WORD THINGS. THE PEOPLE TRYING TO HELP ARE THE ONES YOU JUMP. IAM PRAYING FOR YOU ALSO K. BELL.

Coral,

Ray Nagin is a piece of sh*t. He is suppose to be a man of the people and he wasn’t. The bottom line is that people can blame FEMA (who is partly responsible)all they want but at the end of the day Nagin failed his people. He let 700 international visitors and his staff get on the buses at at the Superdome before his people, who had been waiting there for days. Keep in mind his staff and the tourists were all clean and safe because they were staying with Nagin at the Hyatt Hotel. While his people had to endure sub-human conditions and excessive violence and rapes.

Why the hell didn’t this a**hole use the buses, when he had the chance? He could have potentially evacuated 13,000 residents, prior to the storm. He told the people to go to the Superdome, and it wasn’t even safe. He is a piece of sh*t and he should resign immediately. And don’t even get me started on Blanco, what a friggin’ waste.

I seriously hope the mayor of New Orleans see to it that a moratourium is passed that will allow the people to hold on to their land. I cannot shift blame, because that’s not my style. I’m curious how we as African Americans will mobilize and not depend on others to come to our resue. One thing I am angry about is the fact that everyone says it’s a local issue first. How so when the NOA (National Oceanic Admin) warned the White House early September that this would possibly occur. Lastly, let’s get on these no bid contracts that African Americans are not getting and why did we leave the city only to let others make money on the rebuilding. OPEN YOUR MINDS

To anonymous:

If in fact you are one of the evacuees from Katrina, my heart goes out to you and all the victims of this disaster.

As to your comment about it being a local issue first, that is the way disaster relief is, and has been, set up for many years. As I have stated earlier in this thread, the Federal Government recognizes “States Rights”. It IS the job of the local and state officials to assess the damages, and call for any outside help if/when needed. By law, FEMA cannot move in to help until asked by the State officials. Not only did the LA Governor NOT ask FEMA to come in, she wouldn’t let the Red Cross and Salvation Army in the first two days after the storm.

Too many people suffering, too many people pointing fingers of blame, too many people living in a reclaimed swamp where homes should have never been built in the first place, too many people who did not evacuate when they were told to.

austin tam-george - give me a break they knew the storm was coming - they did nothing. Look at Hurricaine andrew, killed about same number of people, knew that it was coming about 5 days prior, yet nothing was said about that one - reverse discrimination? Oh Yea, most of them were white folk.

Mr. Nagin has just ended his political career. Back off FEMA and

President Bush. I lived in Ohio in the 70’s when the tornando came

through Zenia. Guess what FEMA came in 4 days afterwards and no one

was screaming racisim. Give it a rest!!!