People in Pike County, Ky ., are now eligible to apply for federal disaster assistance from the Commonwealth and the Federal Emergency Management Agency as they recover from severe storms, flooding, and mudslides that struck Kentucky beginning July 17. President Obama issued a major disaster declaration on July 23 that made Pike County eligible for federal disaster assistance.
Anyone who has uninsured or under-insured losses in Pike County may complete an online application at www.disasterassistance.gov or apply by phone by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362) or TTY 800-462-7585 for people with hearing and speech disabilities. The toll-free numbers are available seven days a week, 7 AM to 10 PM, until further notice.
"Filing damage reports with Commonwealth or county emergency managers or voluntary agencies will not start the federal disaster-assistance process,” said Kentucky Division of Emergency Management Director John Heltzel. “You must register with FEMA to start the process.”
FEMA’s Individual Assistance program can help eligible applicants with temporary housing assistance, uninsured personal property losses and medical, dental, and funeral expenses caused by the disaster, along with other disaster-related expenses and serious needs. Low-interest disaster loans from the United States Small Business Administration also will be available to cover residential and business losses not covered by insurance.
"Flood survivors don’t have to wait for an insurance inspection to begin the registration process; they should apply as soon as possible,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Doug Mayne. "We will begin working with people who have losses immediately and we will continue to coordinate with the Commonwealth to speed recovery efforts."
When applying for help, be sure to have the following information available: Your current telephone number. Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you now are staying. Your Social Security number, if available. A general list of damages and losses you suffered. If insured, the name of your company or agent and your policy number. Bank account coding if you wish to speed up your assistance by using direct deposit.
FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
Reported by: FEMA
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Governor Doyle to Push for Federal Help Ahead of FEMA Arrival
The state will move Tuesday morning to seek a major disaster declaration and federal help for residents living where floods washed away appliances, mementos, cars, homes and businesses last week, Gov. Jim Doyle announced late Monday.
A new estimate for Milwaukee County put the cost of the destruction at $37.5 million, and state officials received word that a Federal Emergency Management Agency team would soon start an assessment of what last week's deluge wrought. The team from FEMA's Chicago office is expected to tour the damaged areas, including Milwaukee, Grant and possibly other counties, starting Monday.
Accused of delaying action earlier in the day, Doyle announced hours later that he would pursue the disaster declaration ahead of the FEMA inspections.
The federal assessment, though, remains a necessary step in determining whether the flooding qualifies as a major disaster and residents are eligible to receive help for damage to their homes and other property losses not covered by insurance.
Residents and local officials have no doubt.
Three days after the rain abated, crews in Milwaukee had picked up 580 tons of debris - the furniture, photo albums, carpeting and housewares destroyed when flood waters and backed up sewage flowed into thousands of basements. Nearly 3,000 residents in Milwaukee have called to have their ruined property carted away.
In one neighborhood near Lincoln Creek, 10 homes have been placarded as unsafe and three already have been designated to be razed.
Nearly 1,000 homes and businesses in two North Shore suburbs, Whitefish Bay and Shorewood, sustained similar basement and foundation damage because of the flooding.
Damage to private homes and businesses totaled $9.75 million in Whitefish Bay, $6.3 million in Milwaukee and $1.5 million in Shorewood, according to figures released by the Milwaukee County Emergency Management Bureau.
Across the county, the damage estimate to homes and businesses reached nearly $27.1 million and the damage to public properties was estimated to be $10.3 million.
Calls to the 211 hotline to report flood damage continued steadily on Monday, as did the now ubiquitous greeting: "How's your basement?"
The backlog of calls to the hotline remained about 120 to 150, despite assistance from a half-dozen agencies called in to answer phones and provide information to water-logged residents.
"What I'm picking up on is people didn't realize how bad it was right away," said Bob Waite, program director of the 211@IMPACT hotline. "They're finding they picked everything up, and then they're finding mold and structural issues and other things going on."
More than half of the nearly 4,000 flood-related calls placed to 211 so far originated from three zip codes, 53209, 53216 and 53218, an area where observers measured more than 7 inches of rain in roughly six hours. The zip codes cover a large area around Lincoln Park on the northeast side of Milwaukee.
In 2008, when major flooding spread across 30 counties in southern Wisconsin in early June, the damage estimates continued to climb into October. FEMA then provided $97 million in federal disaster assistance to individuals and businesses and another $12 million to government entities that incurred damage. Much of the damage was caused by the severe storms that started on June 5, and the state received a federal major disaster declaration nine days later.
On Monday, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett urged Doyle to speed up the effort to help the thousands of residents now suffering because of the storms that hit on Thursday night and Friday morning. Barrett told reporters Monday afternoon that he has been calling Doyle and U.S. Rep Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) to pound home the message that "it is imperative that FEMA get here . . . sooner rather than later."
Doyle spokesman Adam Collins said the state can't make the request to FEMA until Milwaukee County and other counties in the region finish estimating the damage - something that no county has done so far.
"It's a big job and people have been working around the clock on it," Collins said. "FEMA is ready to be here early next week to validate the damage assessments, but at this point the damage assessments have not been submitted."
Sheriff David Clarke Jr. called that misinformation.
The County Emergency Management Bureau, which is a division of the sheriff's office, sent a damage report to the state on Friday, detailing a preliminary $28.5 million tally of lost property and washed out foundations.
"We sent a follow-up letter asking them to expedite this thing and get FEMA out here now so we can go about the business of getting people their disaster relief so they can get their lives back together," Clarke said.
"Our numbers are in," he said. "We are not the holdup on this."
Clarke said the revised figures reached Monday would be sent to state emergency management officials immediately.
Wisconsin Division of Emergency Management spokeswoman Lori Getter said the time being taken to seek the disaster declaration in Milwaukee is typical of such cases. The state is working with several counties hit by the floods.
A new estimate for Milwaukee County put the cost of the destruction at $37.5 million, and state officials received word that a Federal Emergency Management Agency team would soon start an assessment of what last week's deluge wrought. The team from FEMA's Chicago office is expected to tour the damaged areas, including Milwaukee, Grant and possibly other counties, starting Monday.
Accused of delaying action earlier in the day, Doyle announced hours later that he would pursue the disaster declaration ahead of the FEMA inspections.
The federal assessment, though, remains a necessary step in determining whether the flooding qualifies as a major disaster and residents are eligible to receive help for damage to their homes and other property losses not covered by insurance.
Residents and local officials have no doubt.
Three days after the rain abated, crews in Milwaukee had picked up 580 tons of debris - the furniture, photo albums, carpeting and housewares destroyed when flood waters and backed up sewage flowed into thousands of basements. Nearly 3,000 residents in Milwaukee have called to have their ruined property carted away.
In one neighborhood near Lincoln Creek, 10 homes have been placarded as unsafe and three already have been designated to be razed.
Nearly 1,000 homes and businesses in two North Shore suburbs, Whitefish Bay and Shorewood, sustained similar basement and foundation damage because of the flooding.
Damage to private homes and businesses totaled $9.75 million in Whitefish Bay, $6.3 million in Milwaukee and $1.5 million in Shorewood, according to figures released by the Milwaukee County Emergency Management Bureau.
Across the county, the damage estimate to homes and businesses reached nearly $27.1 million and the damage to public properties was estimated to be $10.3 million.
Calls to the 211 hotline to report flood damage continued steadily on Monday, as did the now ubiquitous greeting: "How's your basement?"
The backlog of calls to the hotline remained about 120 to 150, despite assistance from a half-dozen agencies called in to answer phones and provide information to water-logged residents.
"What I'm picking up on is people didn't realize how bad it was right away," said Bob Waite, program director of the 211@IMPACT hotline. "They're finding they picked everything up, and then they're finding mold and structural issues and other things going on."
More than half of the nearly 4,000 flood-related calls placed to 211 so far originated from three zip codes, 53209, 53216 and 53218, an area where observers measured more than 7 inches of rain in roughly six hours. The zip codes cover a large area around Lincoln Park on the northeast side of Milwaukee.
In 2008, when major flooding spread across 30 counties in southern Wisconsin in early June, the damage estimates continued to climb into October. FEMA then provided $97 million in federal disaster assistance to individuals and businesses and another $12 million to government entities that incurred damage. Much of the damage was caused by the severe storms that started on June 5, and the state received a federal major disaster declaration nine days later.
On Monday, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett urged Doyle to speed up the effort to help the thousands of residents now suffering because of the storms that hit on Thursday night and Friday morning. Barrett told reporters Monday afternoon that he has been calling Doyle and U.S. Rep Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) to pound home the message that "it is imperative that FEMA get here . . . sooner rather than later."
Doyle spokesman Adam Collins said the state can't make the request to FEMA until Milwaukee County and other counties in the region finish estimating the damage - something that no county has done so far.
"It's a big job and people have been working around the clock on it," Collins said. "FEMA is ready to be here early next week to validate the damage assessments, but at this point the damage assessments have not been submitted."
Sheriff David Clarke Jr. called that misinformation.
The County Emergency Management Bureau, which is a division of the sheriff's office, sent a damage report to the state on Friday, detailing a preliminary $28.5 million tally of lost property and washed out foundations.
"We sent a follow-up letter asking them to expedite this thing and get FEMA out here now so we can go about the business of getting people their disaster relief so they can get their lives back together," Clarke said.
"Our numbers are in," he said. "We are not the holdup on this."
Clarke said the revised figures reached Monday would be sent to state emergency management officials immediately.
Wisconsin Division of Emergency Management spokeswoman Lori Getter said the time being taken to seek the disaster declaration in Milwaukee is typical of such cases. The state is working with several counties hit by the floods.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
FEMA Continues To Monitor Tropical Storm Bonnie, Encourages Americans To Be Prepared
The head of the United States Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Craig Fugate announced today that federal disaster aid has been made available to the Commonwealth of Kentucky to supplement commonwealth and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe storms, flooding, and mudslides beginning on July 17, 2010, and continuing.
The President's action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Pike County.
Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.
Federal funding also is available to Commonwealth and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms, flooding, and mudslides in Pike County.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures Commonwealth-wide.
Douglas G. Mayne was named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. Mayne said that damage surveys are continuing in other areas, and additional counties may be designated for assistance after the assessments are fully completed.
Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties can begin applying for assistance tomorrow by registering online at /www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 AM to 10 PM (local time).
Stay informed of FEMA's activities online: videos and podcasts available at www.fema.gov/medialibrary and www.youtube.com/fema ; follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fema and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fema.
FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
Reported by: FEMA
Published on: 2010-07-24
The President's action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Pike County.
Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.
Federal funding also is available to Commonwealth and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms, flooding, and mudslides in Pike County.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures Commonwealth-wide.
Douglas G. Mayne was named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. Mayne said that damage surveys are continuing in other areas, and additional counties may be designated for assistance after the assessments are fully completed.
Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties can begin applying for assistance tomorrow by registering online at /www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 AM to 10 PM (local time).
Stay informed of FEMA's activities online: videos and podcasts available at www.fema.gov/medialibrary and www.youtube.com/fema ; follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fema and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fema.
FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
Reported by: FEMA
Published on: 2010-07-24
Friday, July 23, 2010
FEMA Continues To Monitor Tropical Storm Bonnie, Encourages Americans To Be Prepared
This evening, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) announced that the tropical depression has been upgraded to Tropical Storm Bonnie with sustained winds of 40 mph, to become the second named storm of the Atlantic Hurricane season. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) continues to monitor the storm and stands ready to support state, territory and local officials in the region and the Gulf Coast to ensure they have the resources to respond should a storm strike. FEMA also is urging everyone in the region to take steps now to ensure they are prepared for possible severe weather.
The NHC has issued a tropical storm warning for the east coast of Florida from Golden Beach Southward, including the entire Florida Keys and Florida Bay and along the west coast of Florida, northward to Bonita Beach. The NHC has also issued a tropical storm watch for the entire east coast of Florida north of Golden Beach to Jupiter inlet, including Lake Okeechobee. A warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours. A watch means that the conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours.
"We continue to monitor the storm and FEMA personnel continue to work closely with state, territory, and local officials to ensure they have the support they need," said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. "The most important thing for people living in the area to do right now is to ensure their family is prepared and to follow the instructions of local officials. For more information and helpful tips, anyone can visit www.Ready.gov."
FEMA has life-saving and life-sustaining commodities and supplies strategically located across the country to support states in their response. These supplies, including water, meals, tarps, blankets, generators and other essential items, can be replenished through the national logistics supply chain.
In Florida and locations around the Gulf Coast alone, more than one million liters of water, 1.8 million meals, 70,000 rolls of plastic sheeting, 260,000 tarps, 250,000 blankets, 60,000 cots and 300 generators are available for use as needed. FEMA has conducted resource support planning and preparations with all hurricane-prone states and territories for the current hurricane season to ensure a coordinated disaster response, if needed.
The storm's tract is currently moving west-northwestward toward the Gulf of Mexico. FEMA also remains in close contact with our federal partners at the National Hurricane Center and the United States Coast Guard. If the tract continues in that direction, the Unified Area Command will make any decisions regarding the movement of assets and workers involved with the BP Deepwater Horizon Operations.
The National Weather Service remains the source of official severe weather watches and warnings, including flash flooding which can take only a few minutes to develop in the case of heavy rains. Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and surrounding areas have already been receiving heavy rainfall. FEMA encourages all individuals in the region to listen to NOAA Weather Radio and their local news to monitor for severe weather updates, and to follow the directions provided by their local officials.
FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
Reported by: FEMA
The NHC has issued a tropical storm warning for the east coast of Florida from Golden Beach Southward, including the entire Florida Keys and Florida Bay and along the west coast of Florida, northward to Bonita Beach. The NHC has also issued a tropical storm watch for the entire east coast of Florida north of Golden Beach to Jupiter inlet, including Lake Okeechobee. A warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours. A watch means that the conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours.
"We continue to monitor the storm and FEMA personnel continue to work closely with state, territory, and local officials to ensure they have the support they need," said FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate. "The most important thing for people living in the area to do right now is to ensure their family is prepared and to follow the instructions of local officials. For more information and helpful tips, anyone can visit www.Ready.gov."
FEMA has life-saving and life-sustaining commodities and supplies strategically located across the country to support states in their response. These supplies, including water, meals, tarps, blankets, generators and other essential items, can be replenished through the national logistics supply chain.
In Florida and locations around the Gulf Coast alone, more than one million liters of water, 1.8 million meals, 70,000 rolls of plastic sheeting, 260,000 tarps, 250,000 blankets, 60,000 cots and 300 generators are available for use as needed. FEMA has conducted resource support planning and preparations with all hurricane-prone states and territories for the current hurricane season to ensure a coordinated disaster response, if needed.
The storm's tract is currently moving west-northwestward toward the Gulf of Mexico. FEMA also remains in close contact with our federal partners at the National Hurricane Center and the United States Coast Guard. If the tract continues in that direction, the Unified Area Command will make any decisions regarding the movement of assets and workers involved with the BP Deepwater Horizon Operations.
The National Weather Service remains the source of official severe weather watches and warnings, including flash flooding which can take only a few minutes to develop in the case of heavy rains. Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and surrounding areas have already been receiving heavy rainfall. FEMA encourages all individuals in the region to listen to NOAA Weather Radio and their local news to monitor for severe weather updates, and to follow the directions provided by their local officials.
FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.
Reported by: FEMA
Feds let BP keep oil cap closed for another day
The federal government's point man for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill says he's authorized BP to keep the cap on its busted well for another 24 hours after the company pledged to closely monitor the seafloor for signs of a new leak.
In a statement issued Monday, retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen says a federal science team held a conference call with BP representatives Sunday night. He says the scientists got answers they wanted about how BP is monitoring the seabed in case any new leaks erupt from the capped well.
Allen had written BP the day before to say a seep had been detected a distance from the well and demanded BP step up monitoring of the seabed.
Allen says in his Monday statement he'll only allow the cap to stay on if BP continues meeting its obligations to watch for signs that it could possibly worsen the situation.
Source: AP News
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Big Times News
What if Freedom is no longer a spectator sport?
We at BigTimesNews.com want to pose a few "what ifs" to the readers, and the nation at large to see, if confronted with a bit of circumstancial evidence, would you the readers come to the same conclusions we have?
What if the Elite had a list of goals they wanted to accomplish this year? Goals which consisted of war with Iran and the ability to fuel that war, reck the US economy, establish the ground work for a NAFTA Superport in the Gulf of Mexico, feeding the NAFTA Superhighway, which will feed North America, pass Cap and Trade, Fill the FEMA camps which have been built, have coastal areas free and clear of people for some UN agenda, and confiscate guns without really having to do it.
What if on April 11, some members of the military industrial complex set off a chain of nukes in a deep part of the Gulf to cause a fracture, and fill up the bottom with enough oil and gas to fuel an invasion against Iran? What if this explosion was felt by every seismograph online at the time? Who cares about the Straight of Hormuz, and who cares about our lack of refinement, especially if we could mix that oil and gas with corexit, and keep 99% of it at the bottom of the Gulf, so we can simply place refinement ships above the black pool, suck it up, and distribute it to the world right on the spot. What if you had to explain the 1% that had escaped by sinking a oil rig in the Gulf, then blame can be placed on a 24 hour newsfeed of a 21" pipe, that no one can do anything about.... watch my left hand while I get you with my right. What if they blew up the oil rig, and waited to announce it on the day of the birthdays of Queen Elizabeth and Hitler, and Earth Day, in addition to it being the day set to announce Cap and Trade. What if they said they stopped the oil leaking after 88 days? Is it just a coincidence that everyone is talking about revelations 8:8, read it for yourself? Or maybe it's just to toy with us a little more.
Would you worry about political or legal reprecussions, if you knew the people who would either not evacuate the Gulf Coast, or sue you in the future would be killed by the toxic fumes, so who cares. Not to mention the cancellation of the November elections due to the chaos of the evacuation of 20+ million people.
What if a spill so vast, and unreported could somehow stop the loop current in the Gulf Stream, warm the waters, and the climate, and warm the hearts of all the Global Warming non-believers. Would this help you pass Cap and Trade? Or free up vast coastal areas for the UN agenda mentioned above. Would this cause a deep freeze of the Northern half of the United States?
How would 20+ million Americans headed North take their guns with them? Would the loss of property value, jobs, industry, and lives of so many people wreck the already weak US economy?
What if you knew the 20+ million Americans couldn't head to the South West, because you had created such a problem with border drug violence and illegal immigration in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California? Opps, can't go there.
What if the Government tried to stir up racial tensions between white and black America just before 20+ million evacuating Southerners have to head North of the Mason-Dixon, with nowhere to go? Where are most of the FEMA Camps anyway? And food is scarce, because one of the world's most incredible fishing industries has just been destroyed. Not to mention all the crops from the Gulf to North Dakota are being covered in toxic rain thanks to BP, the corexit, and the radio-active petroleum oozing from the bottom of the ocean floor.
Which brings us to our last, most sobering point... What if by distributing radio-active gasoline around the world, in every car tank that is unlucky enough to use it makes it easy for these pyschopaths to have cart blanche distribution of their wonderful, new, high-tech nuclear weapons? What if freedom is no longer a spectator sport?
www.BigTimesNews.com
*
turo62
ENERGETIC BURSTS OF OIL FROM SEA FLOOR SEE WEB CAM
*
ericroded
We're clearly not getting an accurate nor complete story on this shit.
Why on Earth would anybody deny BP keeping it's cap that is working ON?
Might as well just make up the news my Goddamn self.
*
cessnadriver
There is an old saying: The more you stomp on the burning bag of dog crap on your porch, the bigger the problem becomes.
If the backpressure from the capped well further damages the well bore and/or the oil is finding another path of least resistance, as any pressurized fluid will do, it might be better to open the well head and recover as much oil as possible rather than risk opening up 1, 000 oil channels and passages through that sedimentary rock.
*
ericroded
I thought the only solution was going to be the relief well.
Oh well, different day, different story.
That's how it goes.
Every shitty day, another shitty story.
I used to think the USA could do anything it set its mind to.
Now I'm pretty sure everything we touch turns to shit.
You know what Liberty would be?
a.) paying your taxes and not whining about it.
and
b.) voting on election day.
and
c.) spending the rest of your time living your life.
I kicked booze, I can kick reading nooze.
Catchy right?
"I kicked booze, I can kick the nooze!
Hey!
I kicked booze, I can kick the nooze!
What?
'He said he kicked booze he can kick the nooze!
Wooooo!
He kicked booze he can kick the nooze!'
Huh huh huh!"
*
starvapor
The reason BP is at odds with common sense is because they are classic Capitalists infected with the fear of losing their grip on greed and the influence they have in perpetuating the status of greed....
The Capitalism they adore does two things…it legalizes and rewards greed.
Greed (excessive desire to acquire or possess more, especially more material wealth, than one needs or deserves) has been with human beings forever.
We have a number of things in our species that you would call the dark side, and greed is one of them. If you don't put certain structures in place or restrictions on those parts of our being that come from that dark place, then it gets out of control.
Capitalism does the opposite of that. It not only doesn't really put any structure or restriction on greed. It both encourages and rewards it.
BP is also very much like Anarchists who want no control or government over their rampant desires, yet want to have unrestrained control over everything they do.
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cessnadriver
If BP could have gotten away with it, they would have thrown $75 million at the feds and said, "You deal with it."
That's what they tried to do via the efforts of their flying monkeys in Congress.
The parable of the Titanic should be taught to all executives. The series of executive blunders-16 lifeboats when they could have had 64, one pair of binoculars, one box of the wrong-colored flares, believing their own "unsinkable" nonsense, steaming at full speed through the Greenland Ice Field in April in a ship that doesn't turn when it's going at 1/2 speed, and many others-doomed that ship, as it doomed the Deepwater Horizion well.
*
NadePaulKuciGravMcKi
british petroleum DEMANDED it stay closed
How much damage is being done?
Who is giving who the orders?
In a statement issued Monday, retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen says a federal science team held a conference call with BP representatives Sunday night. He says the scientists got answers they wanted about how BP is monitoring the seabed in case any new leaks erupt from the capped well.
Allen had written BP the day before to say a seep had been detected a distance from the well and demanded BP step up monitoring of the seabed.
Allen says in his Monday statement he'll only allow the cap to stay on if BP continues meeting its obligations to watch for signs that it could possibly worsen the situation.
Source: AP News
Powered by Mochila
Story continues below...
powered by Change.orgStart a Petition »
*
Big Times News
What if Freedom is no longer a spectator sport?
We at BigTimesNews.com want to pose a few "what ifs" to the readers, and the nation at large to see, if confronted with a bit of circumstancial evidence, would you the readers come to the same conclusions we have?
What if the Elite had a list of goals they wanted to accomplish this year? Goals which consisted of war with Iran and the ability to fuel that war, reck the US economy, establish the ground work for a NAFTA Superport in the Gulf of Mexico, feeding the NAFTA Superhighway, which will feed North America, pass Cap and Trade, Fill the FEMA camps which have been built, have coastal areas free and clear of people for some UN agenda, and confiscate guns without really having to do it.
What if on April 11, some members of the military industrial complex set off a chain of nukes in a deep part of the Gulf to cause a fracture, and fill up the bottom with enough oil and gas to fuel an invasion against Iran? What if this explosion was felt by every seismograph online at the time? Who cares about the Straight of Hormuz, and who cares about our lack of refinement, especially if we could mix that oil and gas with corexit, and keep 99% of it at the bottom of the Gulf, so we can simply place refinement ships above the black pool, suck it up, and distribute it to the world right on the spot. What if you had to explain the 1% that had escaped by sinking a oil rig in the Gulf, then blame can be placed on a 24 hour newsfeed of a 21" pipe, that no one can do anything about.... watch my left hand while I get you with my right. What if they blew up the oil rig, and waited to announce it on the day of the birthdays of Queen Elizabeth and Hitler, and Earth Day, in addition to it being the day set to announce Cap and Trade. What if they said they stopped the oil leaking after 88 days? Is it just a coincidence that everyone is talking about revelations 8:8, read it for yourself? Or maybe it's just to toy with us a little more.
Would you worry about political or legal reprecussions, if you knew the people who would either not evacuate the Gulf Coast, or sue you in the future would be killed by the toxic fumes, so who cares. Not to mention the cancellation of the November elections due to the chaos of the evacuation of 20+ million people.
What if a spill so vast, and unreported could somehow stop the loop current in the Gulf Stream, warm the waters, and the climate, and warm the hearts of all the Global Warming non-believers. Would this help you pass Cap and Trade? Or free up vast coastal areas for the UN agenda mentioned above. Would this cause a deep freeze of the Northern half of the United States?
How would 20+ million Americans headed North take their guns with them? Would the loss of property value, jobs, industry, and lives of so many people wreck the already weak US economy?
What if you knew the 20+ million Americans couldn't head to the South West, because you had created such a problem with border drug violence and illegal immigration in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California? Opps, can't go there.
What if the Government tried to stir up racial tensions between white and black America just before 20+ million evacuating Southerners have to head North of the Mason-Dixon, with nowhere to go? Where are most of the FEMA Camps anyway? And food is scarce, because one of the world's most incredible fishing industries has just been destroyed. Not to mention all the crops from the Gulf to North Dakota are being covered in toxic rain thanks to BP, the corexit, and the radio-active petroleum oozing from the bottom of the ocean floor.
Which brings us to our last, most sobering point... What if by distributing radio-active gasoline around the world, in every car tank that is unlucky enough to use it makes it easy for these pyschopaths to have cart blanche distribution of their wonderful, new, high-tech nuclear weapons? What if freedom is no longer a spectator sport?
www.BigTimesNews.com
*
turo62
ENERGETIC BURSTS OF OIL FROM SEA FLOOR SEE WEB CAM
*
ericroded
We're clearly not getting an accurate nor complete story on this shit.
Why on Earth would anybody deny BP keeping it's cap that is working ON?
Might as well just make up the news my Goddamn self.
*
cessnadriver
There is an old saying: The more you stomp on the burning bag of dog crap on your porch, the bigger the problem becomes.
If the backpressure from the capped well further damages the well bore and/or the oil is finding another path of least resistance, as any pressurized fluid will do, it might be better to open the well head and recover as much oil as possible rather than risk opening up 1, 000 oil channels and passages through that sedimentary rock.
*
ericroded
I thought the only solution was going to be the relief well.
Oh well, different day, different story.
That's how it goes.
Every shitty day, another shitty story.
I used to think the USA could do anything it set its mind to.
Now I'm pretty sure everything we touch turns to shit.
You know what Liberty would be?
a.) paying your taxes and not whining about it.
and
b.) voting on election day.
and
c.) spending the rest of your time living your life.
I kicked booze, I can kick reading nooze.
Catchy right?
"I kicked booze, I can kick the nooze!
Hey!
I kicked booze, I can kick the nooze!
What?
'He said he kicked booze he can kick the nooze!
Wooooo!
He kicked booze he can kick the nooze!'
Huh huh huh!"
*
starvapor
The reason BP is at odds with common sense is because they are classic Capitalists infected with the fear of losing their grip on greed and the influence they have in perpetuating the status of greed....
The Capitalism they adore does two things…it legalizes and rewards greed.
Greed (excessive desire to acquire or possess more, especially more material wealth, than one needs or deserves) has been with human beings forever.
We have a number of things in our species that you would call the dark side, and greed is one of them. If you don't put certain structures in place or restrictions on those parts of our being that come from that dark place, then it gets out of control.
Capitalism does the opposite of that. It not only doesn't really put any structure or restriction on greed. It both encourages and rewards it.
BP is also very much like Anarchists who want no control or government over their rampant desires, yet want to have unrestrained control over everything they do.
*
cessnadriver
If BP could have gotten away with it, they would have thrown $75 million at the feds and said, "You deal with it."
That's what they tried to do via the efforts of their flying monkeys in Congress.
The parable of the Titanic should be taught to all executives. The series of executive blunders-16 lifeboats when they could have had 64, one pair of binoculars, one box of the wrong-colored flares, believing their own "unsinkable" nonsense, steaming at full speed through the Greenland Ice Field in April in a ship that doesn't turn when it's going at 1/2 speed, and many others-doomed that ship, as it doomed the Deepwater Horizion well.
*
NadePaulKuciGravMcKi
british petroleum DEMANDED it stay closed
How much damage is being done?
Who is giving who the orders?
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Newark NJ is getting ready for martial law
July 1,2010
Mayor Cory A. Booker
Inaugural Address
Thank you everyone. My deepest gratitude to my family and friends for their
unconditional love and support and my profound thanks to the people of our city for
again putting their faith in my leadership and for giving me the greatest privilege of my
life, to serve as Mayor of the greatest city in America.
I believe that especially in Newark, we must hold on to our knowledge of history. Our
city, the third founded in our Nation, has proven through the prowess of our people that
we not only embody the spirit of America but we have expanded the very conception of
it.
America has always been a daring dream. And in our city, we have worked to make real
on this dream, this promise, and this hope of America.
Newark's sacred soil has given rise to heroes of hope who have, under difficult
circumstances, achieved stirring success and awesome achievement.
In the more than 300 years of our existence, let it not be fast forgotten that our soldiers
who stood in Washington's army, on beaches in Normandy, and in our current conflicts
have watered our Nation's way with their sweat and blood.
Let it not be forgotten that our laborers, inventors and entrepreneurs built this nation,
fueled its economic dominance and expanded the quality of life for millions.
Let it not be forgotten that our poets have touched our nation's heart, our songwriters and
musicians have helped pen and play our nation's scores, our authors have written some of
our nation's greatest works and our activists have made our democracy more inclusive of
diversity and even more daring in its dreams for itself.
This is Newark, New Jersey.
And even in our last 50 years, perhaps during some of Newark's most challenging times,
when others sought to write Newark's epitaph we have best evidenced those values our
nation particular! y needs now.
Newark today is more hopeful, has more promise, possibilities and potential because this
is a city where its people did not give up on their American dreams when others
abandoned their faith in them; stood their ground when others cut and ran.
This is Newark, a place where faith is stubborn, hope is intractable, and the will to fight
and win towers over cynical surrender, resignation and retreat.
The American spirit needs the Newark spirit. The values that have helped our city survive
and thrive, endure and overcome are the solid bedrock that is needed during these
shifting, uncertain times.
It is self-evident as we 10 swear an oath before our city, before our common history, and
before ancestors looking down from above, that we assume roles of leadership and
service during the worst economy in 70 years.
The foundation of government is being shaken all across our globe from Europe to Asia
and we cannot turn on the news or read the newspaper and not see that governments
across our country and state face dire realities.
Newark will not be spared this economic upheaval. Our most sacred institutions in all
corners of our city, from museums and libraries, schools and hospitals, institutions of
public safety and historic nonprofits which serve the public good will be forced to choose
amongst limited options that all involve wrenching, painful outcomes.
Understand this, the decisions that are before the elected officials on this stage and other
leaders throughout our community will not be popular. This is a time for leadership not
popUlarity. I am so grateful for the municipal council: they have come to the table,
especially in the past weeks and months, with a real sense of cooperation and shared
responsibility. They have brought ideas, innovations, as well as deep compassion and a
sense of profound empathy.
But there is also the realization that while we will do everything possible to lessen the
pain - and we will succeed in doing so - there will however still be pain. The challenges
before us demand that we reinvent or even revolutionize government as we know it
today. As we are seeing in cities all across New Jersey, we will be forced to do more with
less and in the process services will be cut, jobs will be lost, and families will be affected.
But despite these painful circumstances and the financial realities that are out of our
control, I tell you that we in Newark still have the power to choose our own destiny.
This is Newark. We will counter pain with perseverance, we will answer this crisis with
courage and creativity; and we will match budget blues with our own unique song of
strength and a new anthem of achievement.
Our city WILL set the national standard of urban transformation in the four years ahead.
We will year after year continue to drive down crime.
We will build even more new parks in our city from our water front to our wards - green
will more and more become Newark's new color.
In the last 4 years in a down housing market, we built 1000 units of public and affordable
housing; we will continue with this ambitious pace, fighting to make Newark a livable
city for Newarkers of all incomes.
We will build new schools and expand excellent educational options for our children and
parents. Education will be a central part of my agenda for the next four years - we will
2
0, let America be America again-The
land that never has been yet--
And yet must be--the land where every man is free.
The land that's mine--the poor man's, Indian's, Negro's, ME-Who
made America,
Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain,
Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain,
Must bring back our mighty dream again.
0, yes,
I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath-America
will be!
Fellow Newarkers, I swear this oath today - with council and community - that Newark
will be - and America will be. Let us swear an oath, every citizen of our city, that despite
these dark and difficult days, we will be our Nation's hope and her light. We will be like
days before, a city of innovation, of art and artistry, of education and industry. This is
Newark New Jersey; let the spirit of America ring true and live abundantly in our great
city.
May God Bless Newark, New Jersey.
May God Bless America.
Mayor Cory A. Booker
Inaugural Address
Thank you everyone. My deepest gratitude to my family and friends for their
unconditional love and support and my profound thanks to the people of our city for
again putting their faith in my leadership and for giving me the greatest privilege of my
life, to serve as Mayor of the greatest city in America.
I believe that especially in Newark, we must hold on to our knowledge of history. Our
city, the third founded in our Nation, has proven through the prowess of our people that
we not only embody the spirit of America but we have expanded the very conception of
it.
America has always been a daring dream. And in our city, we have worked to make real
on this dream, this promise, and this hope of America.
Newark's sacred soil has given rise to heroes of hope who have, under difficult
circumstances, achieved stirring success and awesome achievement.
In the more than 300 years of our existence, let it not be fast forgotten that our soldiers
who stood in Washington's army, on beaches in Normandy, and in our current conflicts
have watered our Nation's way with their sweat and blood.
Let it not be forgotten that our laborers, inventors and entrepreneurs built this nation,
fueled its economic dominance and expanded the quality of life for millions.
Let it not be forgotten that our poets have touched our nation's heart, our songwriters and
musicians have helped pen and play our nation's scores, our authors have written some of
our nation's greatest works and our activists have made our democracy more inclusive of
diversity and even more daring in its dreams for itself.
This is Newark, New Jersey.
And even in our last 50 years, perhaps during some of Newark's most challenging times,
when others sought to write Newark's epitaph we have best evidenced those values our
nation particular! y needs now.
Newark today is more hopeful, has more promise, possibilities and potential because this
is a city where its people did not give up on their American dreams when others
abandoned their faith in them; stood their ground when others cut and ran.
This is Newark, a place where faith is stubborn, hope is intractable, and the will to fight
and win towers over cynical surrender, resignation and retreat.
The American spirit needs the Newark spirit. The values that have helped our city survive
and thrive, endure and overcome are the solid bedrock that is needed during these
shifting, uncertain times.
It is self-evident as we 10 swear an oath before our city, before our common history, and
before ancestors looking down from above, that we assume roles of leadership and
service during the worst economy in 70 years.
The foundation of government is being shaken all across our globe from Europe to Asia
and we cannot turn on the news or read the newspaper and not see that governments
across our country and state face dire realities.
Newark will not be spared this economic upheaval. Our most sacred institutions in all
corners of our city, from museums and libraries, schools and hospitals, institutions of
public safety and historic nonprofits which serve the public good will be forced to choose
amongst limited options that all involve wrenching, painful outcomes.
Understand this, the decisions that are before the elected officials on this stage and other
leaders throughout our community will not be popular. This is a time for leadership not
popUlarity. I am so grateful for the municipal council: they have come to the table,
especially in the past weeks and months, with a real sense of cooperation and shared
responsibility. They have brought ideas, innovations, as well as deep compassion and a
sense of profound empathy.
But there is also the realization that while we will do everything possible to lessen the
pain - and we will succeed in doing so - there will however still be pain. The challenges
before us demand that we reinvent or even revolutionize government as we know it
today. As we are seeing in cities all across New Jersey, we will be forced to do more with
less and in the process services will be cut, jobs will be lost, and families will be affected.
But despite these painful circumstances and the financial realities that are out of our
control, I tell you that we in Newark still have the power to choose our own destiny.
This is Newark. We will counter pain with perseverance, we will answer this crisis with
courage and creativity; and we will match budget blues with our own unique song of
strength and a new anthem of achievement.
Our city WILL set the national standard of urban transformation in the four years ahead.
We will year after year continue to drive down crime.
We will build even more new parks in our city from our water front to our wards - green
will more and more become Newark's new color.
In the last 4 years in a down housing market, we built 1000 units of public and affordable
housing; we will continue with this ambitious pace, fighting to make Newark a livable
city for Newarkers of all incomes.
We will build new schools and expand excellent educational options for our children and
parents. Education will be a central part of my agenda for the next four years - we will
2
0, let America be America again-The
land that never has been yet--
And yet must be--the land where every man is free.
The land that's mine--the poor man's, Indian's, Negro's, ME-Who
made America,
Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain,
Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain,
Must bring back our mighty dream again.
0, yes,
I say it plain,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath-America
will be!
Fellow Newarkers, I swear this oath today - with council and community - that Newark
will be - and America will be. Let us swear an oath, every citizen of our city, that despite
these dark and difficult days, we will be our Nation's hope and her light. We will be like
days before, a city of innovation, of art and artistry, of education and industry. This is
Newark New Jersey; let the spirit of America ring true and live abundantly in our great
city.
May God Bless Newark, New Jersey.
May God Bless America.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
police state 4 the rise of fema full length
Tyranny is HERE! The grim future foretold in 1984 has become reality. The United States is now recognized globally as one of the most oppressive police states on earth. And it's only getting worse.
POLICE STATE 4 chronicles the sickening depths to which our republic has fallen. Veteran documentary filmmaker Alex Jones conclusively proves the existence of a secret network of FEMA camps, now being expanded nationwide. The military industrial complex is transforming our once free nation into a giant prison camp. A cashless society control grid, constructed in the name of fighting terrorism, was actually built to enslave the American people. Body scanners, sound cannons, citizen spies, staged terror and cameras on every street corner -- it's only the beginning of the New World Order's hellish plan.
This film exposes how the "Continuity of Government" program has established an all powerful shadow state. Prepare to enter the secretive world of emergency dictatorship, FEMA camps, and a shredded Constitution. Witness police and military savagely attacking innocent citizens as our own government unleashes false flag operations to justify its oppression. Then watch as Alex Jones takes on corrupt mercenary police and exposes mainstream media brainwashing.
src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
Monday, July 19, 2010
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District Social Media User Guidelines
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District Social Media User Guidelines
These are the official guidelines for use of social media at USACE, Jacksonville District. We expect all who participate in social media on behalf of Jacksonville District to adhere to and follow these guidelines. Failure to do so could affect your future participation on these sites. Currently, Jacksonville District maintains four official social media sites, all under the username “JaxStrong,” on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr. No additional sites or social media platforms will be established at this time.
INTERNAL USER GUIDELINES
If you are a Jacksonville District employee or contractor contributing to the District’s social media sites, blog, or any other kind of social media in an official or unofficial capacity — these guidelines are for you.
Once You Decide To Engage
If you participate in Jacksonville District social media, please follow these guiding principles:
•
Do not use your army.mil e-mail address to establish an account on a social media platform.
•
Post honest, informative and respectful comments—no spam and no off-topic or offensive remarks.
•
No posting of classified, proprietary, privileged or FOUO information.
•
No posting of personal information on District sites. The District’s social media sites are to educate and inform the public of Jacksonville District programs and projects.
•
Assume personal responsibility for your comments, your username and any information provided.
•
Always pause and think before posting. If your comments give you pause, don’t post them.
•
When disagreeing with others' opinions, keep it appropriate and polite.
•
Bottom line: Maintain professional conduct in the virtual world as you would in the real world.
US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, JACKSONVILLE DISTRICT SOCIAL MEDIA USER GUIDELINES
Rules of Engagement
Operations Security is paramount. Any information that may compromise OPSEC should not be discussed. If in doubt as to whether information may violate OPSEC, contact your supervisor or CCO.
Be transparent. This translates to “be honest.” In a social media environment, honesty is important to credibility. If you are writing about your work at the Corps of Engineers, use your real name, identify that you work for the Corps, and be clear about your role. Stay in your lane.
Be judicious. Make sure that your efforts to be transparent don't violate USACE and U.S. Army policy, privacy, confidentiality, and legal guidelines. Never comment on anything related to legal matters, litigation or any parties in which we are in litigation. Remember, what you publish is widely accessible. Consider the content carefully. If your comments give you pause, don’t post them.
Stay in your lane. Make sure you write and post about your areas of expertise. It applies in public forums as much as it applies to conversations with the media. If you’re not the best person to comment on a topic, you shouldn’t do so in an official capacity. Contact CCO if you encounter a situation where another subject matter expert is needed.
Create interest. As a Corps employee and a citizen, your view of the Corps’ work is unique and the public wants to hear from you. The Corps of Engineers is making important contributions to the world and social media is providing a forum to reach new audiences and educate them on those contributions. Your comments will give the public an inside look at the Corps’ work.
If you make a mistake, admit it. Be quick to provide a correction and contact the Corporate Communications Office.
US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, JACKSONVILLE DISTRICT SOCIAL MEDIA USER GUIDELINES
EXTERNAL USER GUIDELINES
These are the official social media user guidelines for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District. We ask that you follow our posting guidelines. If you don't comply, your message will be removed. These are the official guidelines for use of Jacksonville District social media sites.
•
We do not allow graphic, obscene, explicit or racial comments or
submissions nor do we allow comments that are abusive, hateful or
intended to defame anyone or any organization.
•
We do not allow solicitations or advertisements. This includes promotion or endorsement of any financial, commercial or non-governmental agency. Similarly, we do not allow attempts to defame or defraud any financial, commercial or non-governmental agency.
•
We do not allow comments that suggest or encourage illegal activity.
•
Assume personal responsibility for your comments, your username and any information provided.
•
We will review all comments prior to posting and reserve the right to discard messages containing inappropriate content.
•
The appearance of external links on this site does not constitute official endorsement on behalf of the U.S. Army or Department of Defense
These are the official guidelines for use of social media at USACE, Jacksonville District. We expect all who participate in social media on behalf of Jacksonville District to adhere to and follow these guidelines. Failure to do so could affect your future participation on these sites. Currently, Jacksonville District maintains four official social media sites, all under the username “JaxStrong,” on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr. No additional sites or social media platforms will be established at this time.
INTERNAL USER GUIDELINES
If you are a Jacksonville District employee or contractor contributing to the District’s social media sites, blog, or any other kind of social media in an official or unofficial capacity — these guidelines are for you.
Once You Decide To Engage
If you participate in Jacksonville District social media, please follow these guiding principles:
•
Do not use your army.mil e-mail address to establish an account on a social media platform.
•
Post honest, informative and respectful comments—no spam and no off-topic or offensive remarks.
•
No posting of classified, proprietary, privileged or FOUO information.
•
No posting of personal information on District sites. The District’s social media sites are to educate and inform the public of Jacksonville District programs and projects.
•
Assume personal responsibility for your comments, your username and any information provided.
•
Always pause and think before posting. If your comments give you pause, don’t post them.
•
When disagreeing with others' opinions, keep it appropriate and polite.
•
Bottom line: Maintain professional conduct in the virtual world as you would in the real world.
US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, JACKSONVILLE DISTRICT SOCIAL MEDIA USER GUIDELINES
Rules of Engagement
Operations Security is paramount. Any information that may compromise OPSEC should not be discussed. If in doubt as to whether information may violate OPSEC, contact your supervisor or CCO.
Be transparent. This translates to “be honest.” In a social media environment, honesty is important to credibility. If you are writing about your work at the Corps of Engineers, use your real name, identify that you work for the Corps, and be clear about your role. Stay in your lane.
Be judicious. Make sure that your efforts to be transparent don't violate USACE and U.S. Army policy, privacy, confidentiality, and legal guidelines. Never comment on anything related to legal matters, litigation or any parties in which we are in litigation. Remember, what you publish is widely accessible. Consider the content carefully. If your comments give you pause, don’t post them.
Stay in your lane. Make sure you write and post about your areas of expertise. It applies in public forums as much as it applies to conversations with the media. If you’re not the best person to comment on a topic, you shouldn’t do so in an official capacity. Contact CCO if you encounter a situation where another subject matter expert is needed.
Create interest. As a Corps employee and a citizen, your view of the Corps’ work is unique and the public wants to hear from you. The Corps of Engineers is making important contributions to the world and social media is providing a forum to reach new audiences and educate them on those contributions. Your comments will give the public an inside look at the Corps’ work.
If you make a mistake, admit it. Be quick to provide a correction and contact the Corporate Communications Office.
US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS, JACKSONVILLE DISTRICT SOCIAL MEDIA USER GUIDELINES
EXTERNAL USER GUIDELINES
These are the official social media user guidelines for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District. We ask that you follow our posting guidelines. If you don't comply, your message will be removed. These are the official guidelines for use of Jacksonville District social media sites.
•
We do not allow graphic, obscene, explicit or racial comments or
submissions nor do we allow comments that are abusive, hateful or
intended to defame anyone or any organization.
•
We do not allow solicitations or advertisements. This includes promotion or endorsement of any financial, commercial or non-governmental agency. Similarly, we do not allow attempts to defame or defraud any financial, commercial or non-governmental agency.
•
We do not allow comments that suggest or encourage illegal activity.
•
Assume personal responsibility for your comments, your username and any information provided.
•
We will review all comments prior to posting and reserve the right to discard messages containing inappropriate content.
•
The appearance of external links on this site does not constitute official endorsement on behalf of the U.S. Army or Department of Defense
Sunday, July 18, 2010
11-year-old Viral Video Star Placed Under Police Protection After Death Threats
Earlier this week, a funny video went viral of 11-year-old Jessi Slaughter (AKA Kerligirl13) crying while her dad yelled at the people trolling her on the Internet. It's not so funny now that she's been placed under police protection.
11-year-old Viral Video Star Placed Under Police Protection After Death Threats
More than 1.7 million people have seen the foul-mouthed Floridan's breakdown and laughed at her dad's luddite rage. But the video, "You Dun Goofed Up," wasn't the only thing to go viral: Jessi Slaughter's real name, address and phone number was distributed widely on the Internet via Internet pranksters 4chan, Tumblr and other online backchannels. We spoke with Jessi's mother, Dianne Leonhardt, on the phone, and tells us they've received a slew harassing phone calls since the video went viral Thursday.
Leonhardt says some of those phone calls have been death threats, and the local sheriff's department has launched a criminal investigation into the video. Jessi was placed under police protection and brought to a safe house soon after it went viral. She came home today, but she's not online: A court order has barred her from using the Internet for at least three days.
So far, things haven't escalated past phone calls and online vandalism of Jessi's social-networking accounts. But Leonhardt says the family's life has been completely upended by a stream of prank calls." I've had people calling, impersonating themselves as cops, as child protection services," she says. Though Leonhardt says Child Protection Services is in fact involved in the case. "Something we never wanted!" Leonhardt's husband shouted from somewhere in the room when she told us this over the phone.
Leonhardt says the family is under "24/7 police surveillance" but still doesn't feel safe knowing that anyone on the Internet could have their home address. "We've had may, many death threats," she says. "We're afraid to leave the house. We're afraid to go to bed. We're sleeping in shifts, my husband and I am." Above all, Leonhardt says, "I wan't my life back. I want my daughter's life back."
Pre-teen or not, Jessi isn't an entirely passive player in this. The freakout in "You Dun Goofed" was over harassment sparked by one of Jessi's earlier videos that had also gone viral, to a lesser extent: An astonishingly profane rant in which Jessi tells Internet haters to "suck my non-existent penis" and "Get AIDS and die" and hurls epithets no 11-year-old should know.
What does her mother think of it?
11-year-old Viral Video Star Placed Under Police Protection After Death Threats
More than 1.7 million people have seen the foul-mouthed Floridan's breakdown and laughed at her dad's luddite rage. But the video, "You Dun Goofed Up," wasn't the only thing to go viral: Jessi Slaughter's real name, address and phone number was distributed widely on the Internet via Internet pranksters 4chan, Tumblr and other online backchannels. We spoke with Jessi's mother, Dianne Leonhardt, on the phone, and tells us they've received a slew harassing phone calls since the video went viral Thursday.
Leonhardt says some of those phone calls have been death threats, and the local sheriff's department has launched a criminal investigation into the video. Jessi was placed under police protection and brought to a safe house soon after it went viral. She came home today, but she's not online: A court order has barred her from using the Internet for at least three days.
So far, things haven't escalated past phone calls and online vandalism of Jessi's social-networking accounts. But Leonhardt says the family's life has been completely upended by a stream of prank calls." I've had people calling, impersonating themselves as cops, as child protection services," she says. Though Leonhardt says Child Protection Services is in fact involved in the case. "Something we never wanted!" Leonhardt's husband shouted from somewhere in the room when she told us this over the phone.
Leonhardt says the family is under "24/7 police surveillance" but still doesn't feel safe knowing that anyone on the Internet could have their home address. "We've had may, many death threats," she says. "We're afraid to leave the house. We're afraid to go to bed. We're sleeping in shifts, my husband and I am." Above all, Leonhardt says, "I wan't my life back. I want my daughter's life back."
Pre-teen or not, Jessi isn't an entirely passive player in this. The freakout in "You Dun Goofed" was over harassment sparked by one of Jessi's earlier videos that had also gone viral, to a lesser extent: An astonishingly profane rant in which Jessi tells Internet haters to "suck my non-existent penis" and "Get AIDS and die" and hurls epithets no 11-year-old should know.
What does her mother think of it?
The Obama Deception
The Obama Deception is a hard-hitting film that completely destroys the myth that Barack Obama is working for the best interests of the American people. The Obama phenomenon is a hoax carefully crafted by the captains of the New World Order. He is being pushed as savior in an attempt to con the American people into accepting global slavery. We have reached a critical juncture in the New World Order's plans. and only by exposing the con can we help to save freedom in America. The Obama Deception is not about Left or Right: it's about a One World Government. The international banks plan to loot the people of the United States and turn them into slaves on a Global Plantation. Covered in this film: who Obama works for, what lies he has told, and his real agenda, and how his initial appointments and actions prove he serves the corporate oligarchs, not the American people. If you want to know the facts and cut through all the hype, this is the film for you. other locations:------------- or ------------------------ http://www.megavideo.com/?v=TFHZ8MQQ -------------------------- or ----------------------------------- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAaQNACwaLw
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Obama faces growing credibility crisis
Robert Gibbs, Barack Obama’s chief spokesman, got into hot water this week for daring to speak the truth – that the Democrats could lose control of the House of Representatives in November. But it could be even worse than that.
Contrary to pretty much every projection until now, Democratic control of the Senate is also starting to coming into question. While Mr Obama’s approval ratings have continued to fall, and now hover at dangerously close to 40 per cent according an ABC-Washington Post poll published on Tuesday, the fate of his former colleagues in the Senate looks even worse.
In the past few days polls have shown Republican challengers taking the lead over previously safe Democratic incumbents, such as Barbara Boxer in California and Russ Feingold in Wisconsin. Indeed, given the uniformly negative direction in the numbers, it is now quite possible the Republicans could win the Senate seats formerly held by both President Obama in Illinois, and Joe Biden, vice-president, in Delaware.
Add to that the continuing woes of Harry Reid, the Senate Democratic majority leader, in Nevada, where the Republican party’s recent nomination of Sharron Angle, a far-right and highly eccentric Tea Party supporter, appear to have had no positive effect on Mr Reid’s prospects, and the Grand Old party has a good shot at taking control of both houses of Congress. Worse for Mr Obama, political scientists say that at this stage in the calendar, there is almost nothing he can do about it.
“If you ask me where the silver lining is for President Obama, I have to say I cannot see one,” says Bill Galston, a former Clinton official, who has been predicting for months the Democrats could lose the House. “Just as BP’s failure to cap the well has been so damaging, Obama’s failure to cap unemployment will be his undoing. There is nothing he can do to affect the jobless rate before November.”
The direction of the data could hardly be worse. According to Democracy Corps, a group headed by Stanley Greenberg, a liberal pollster who is a close friend of Rahm Emanuel, Mr Obama’s chief of staff, a majority of US citizens see Mr Obama as “too liberal”.
Astonishingly, 55 per cent of citizens think Mr Obama is a “socialist” against only 39 per cent who do not share that diagnosis. The same poll shows 48 per cent support for Republicans against just 42 per cent for Democrats. The numbers are eerily similar to 2006, except that it was George W. Bush’s Republicans who were on the receiving end four years ago.
“The bottom line here is that Americans don’t believe in President Obama’s leadership,” says Rob Shapiro, another former Clinton official and a supporter of Mr Obama. “He has to find some way between now and November of demonstrating that he is a leader who can command confidence and, short of a 9/11 event or an Oklahoma City bombing, I can’t think of how he could do that.”
In private, informal advisors to Mr Obama are almost as negative. According to one, the US public’s loss of confidence in Mr Obama’s leadership is a factor above and beyond their dissatisfaction over the state of the real economy, which continues to slow as last year’s $787bn stimulus starts to run dry. The adviser, who asked to remain anonymous, said the public did not know what Mr Obama really believed. Examples include his lukewarm support last year for a public option in the healthcare bill and his equally lukewarm support today for a Senate bill that would extend unemployment insurance and aid state governments to keep teachers in their jobs.
In both cases, Mr Obama has offered only token, negotiable, support. “I never thought I would say this, but even I’m unsure what President Obama really believes,” says the adviser. “Instead of outsourcing decisions to Congress, he should spell out his bottom line. That is what leaders are for.”
Next week, Mr Obama is likely to sign a historic Wall Street re-regulation bill into law. Earlier this year he did the same for healthcare. But polls show the public either does not care, or even opposes these otherwise big reforms. “The longer this goes on, the more it looks like Obama wasted his first year on healthcare,” said the outside adviser. “It’s still the economy, stupid.”
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. You may share using our article tools. Please don't cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web.
Contrary to pretty much every projection until now, Democratic control of the Senate is also starting to coming into question. While Mr Obama’s approval ratings have continued to fall, and now hover at dangerously close to 40 per cent according an ABC-Washington Post poll published on Tuesday, the fate of his former colleagues in the Senate looks even worse.
In the past few days polls have shown Republican challengers taking the lead over previously safe Democratic incumbents, such as Barbara Boxer in California and Russ Feingold in Wisconsin. Indeed, given the uniformly negative direction in the numbers, it is now quite possible the Republicans could win the Senate seats formerly held by both President Obama in Illinois, and Joe Biden, vice-president, in Delaware.
Add to that the continuing woes of Harry Reid, the Senate Democratic majority leader, in Nevada, where the Republican party’s recent nomination of Sharron Angle, a far-right and highly eccentric Tea Party supporter, appear to have had no positive effect on Mr Reid’s prospects, and the Grand Old party has a good shot at taking control of both houses of Congress. Worse for Mr Obama, political scientists say that at this stage in the calendar, there is almost nothing he can do about it.
“If you ask me where the silver lining is for President Obama, I have to say I cannot see one,” says Bill Galston, a former Clinton official, who has been predicting for months the Democrats could lose the House. “Just as BP’s failure to cap the well has been so damaging, Obama’s failure to cap unemployment will be his undoing. There is nothing he can do to affect the jobless rate before November.”
The direction of the data could hardly be worse. According to Democracy Corps, a group headed by Stanley Greenberg, a liberal pollster who is a close friend of Rahm Emanuel, Mr Obama’s chief of staff, a majority of US citizens see Mr Obama as “too liberal”.
Astonishingly, 55 per cent of citizens think Mr Obama is a “socialist” against only 39 per cent who do not share that diagnosis. The same poll shows 48 per cent support for Republicans against just 42 per cent for Democrats. The numbers are eerily similar to 2006, except that it was George W. Bush’s Republicans who were on the receiving end four years ago.
“The bottom line here is that Americans don’t believe in President Obama’s leadership,” says Rob Shapiro, another former Clinton official and a supporter of Mr Obama. “He has to find some way between now and November of demonstrating that he is a leader who can command confidence and, short of a 9/11 event or an Oklahoma City bombing, I can’t think of how he could do that.”
In private, informal advisors to Mr Obama are almost as negative. According to one, the US public’s loss of confidence in Mr Obama’s leadership is a factor above and beyond their dissatisfaction over the state of the real economy, which continues to slow as last year’s $787bn stimulus starts to run dry. The adviser, who asked to remain anonymous, said the public did not know what Mr Obama really believed. Examples include his lukewarm support last year for a public option in the healthcare bill and his equally lukewarm support today for a Senate bill that would extend unemployment insurance and aid state governments to keep teachers in their jobs.
In both cases, Mr Obama has offered only token, negotiable, support. “I never thought I would say this, but even I’m unsure what President Obama really believes,” says the adviser. “Instead of outsourcing decisions to Congress, he should spell out his bottom line. That is what leaders are for.”
Next week, Mr Obama is likely to sign a historic Wall Street re-regulation bill into law. Earlier this year he did the same for healthcare. But polls show the public either does not care, or even opposes these otherwise big reforms. “The longer this goes on, the more it looks like Obama wasted his first year on healthcare,” said the outside adviser. “It’s still the economy, stupid.”
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2010. You may share using our article tools. Please don't cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
fema info
Sometimes I wonder what goes on at our town meetings? When I'm not thinking about more exciting stuff. Like, if today's the day I put hospital corners on my bed.
Recently, I read a blow-by-blow account of such a meeting. Now, I don't know who came up with the term "minutes" to depict the slow-moving action, but I think he had a more objective and fluid sense of time than Stephen Hawking.
Here's what happened when the town board last met.
At their last meeting, the board proposed that they amend Chapter 155 of the Town Code, entitled, "Garbage, Rubbish And Refuse." Amazingly, chapter 155 of Tolstoy's "War And Peace" has the same exact title. Tolstoy has better characterization, but he's got nothing on Harrison for raw suspense. A novelization of the proceedings will be out in the fall.
Mayor Joan Walsh stated that this amendment was "only for three family homes," who will be exempt from paying a carting fee in the year 2010. But they will have to begin paying again in 2011. When this was announced, gasps were heard around the room and several people fainted.
However, the board was not through with discussing "Garbage, Rubbish And Refuge." Even though the tension and excitement in the room was already at a fever pitch.
Next up was the controversial amendment, "Placement For Collection: Collection In Commercial Districts." This should have been resolved in the previous meeting, but the board got bogged down in semantics and spent several hours just defining "placement." And all they could resolve was that they'd tackle the rest of the title in the next meeting.
So, it was resolved, that "Every Commercial Establishment within the Town/Village of Harrison" shall "annually pay a Commercial Registration Fee for the carting away of its Garbage, Rubbish And Refuse." The board was near an agreement on this when someone suggested that "Garbage, Rubbish and Refuse" was a tautology, or, an unnecessary repetition of words. Then someone said that "an unnecessary repetition" was itself a tautology. So things bogged down for the second time in a month.
The suggestion that they instead re-title the amendment "Blood, Sweat And Tears" went unheeded.
Finally, the amendment was passed because Harrison needed the money.
The board then put forward the amendment that every commercial establishment must also pay a fee for the collection of "trash, rubbish and garbage." Which, if carefully worded, would seem like a completely different amendment and allow the town to charge everyone twice. This amendment passed enthusiastically.
Finally, the board got around to the meat of the garbage question. That's right, the kind of pails it should be put in. It was proposed that each commercial establishment shall put out no more than 10 pails or cans for the collection of trash. Although some merchants have put out 12 and said it's the same according to The New Math. The quality of each pail, it was proposed, must be approved by the Public Works Commissioner. If you bought them from his brother, Joe the pail salesman, approval would occur that much quicker.
All the board members called out "Aye!" So either the amendments passed, or they really are just in there watching "Pirates Of The Caribbean."
The other order of business that the board voted on, had to do with installing an emergency generator at police headquarters, to the tune of $210,000. The board first resolved to make sure there was that much money in their Capital Improvement Account. Not like the last time, when all they found was some petty cash and some handwritten IOUs - misspelled.
It turns out the money was available. Then the Law Department had to prepare a contract and the Treasurer had to do an audit. And, after submitting their bills to the town, Harrison was $30,000 short.
Finally the money was all in place.
The last order of business for this recent board meeting was the Authorization To Adopt The Hazard Mitigation Plan. Now, I'm no fan of hazards. And I feel they should be mitigated whenever you get a break in the day. But there's one catch here. This plan was supposed to be presented to FEMA. What happened after that in the meeting? I'm still unsure, because I didn't read the minutes. Whenever I see the name FEMA. I have a tendency to scream and throw stuff across the room. In this case, it was my laptop, which broke.
It should be ready Thursday.
So, I really don't know how the most recent board meeting ended. But, I'm concerned. FEMA doesn't really have a great history, especially when it comes to mitigating hazards. Harrison, are you sure you want their advice about this?
Recently, I read a blow-by-blow account of such a meeting. Now, I don't know who came up with the term "minutes" to depict the slow-moving action, but I think he had a more objective and fluid sense of time than Stephen Hawking.
Here's what happened when the town board last met.
At their last meeting, the board proposed that they amend Chapter 155 of the Town Code, entitled, "Garbage, Rubbish And Refuse." Amazingly, chapter 155 of Tolstoy's "War And Peace" has the same exact title. Tolstoy has better characterization, but he's got nothing on Harrison for raw suspense. A novelization of the proceedings will be out in the fall.
Mayor Joan Walsh stated that this amendment was "only for three family homes," who will be exempt from paying a carting fee in the year 2010. But they will have to begin paying again in 2011. When this was announced, gasps were heard around the room and several people fainted.
However, the board was not through with discussing "Garbage, Rubbish And Refuge." Even though the tension and excitement in the room was already at a fever pitch.
Next up was the controversial amendment, "Placement For Collection: Collection In Commercial Districts." This should have been resolved in the previous meeting, but the board got bogged down in semantics and spent several hours just defining "placement." And all they could resolve was that they'd tackle the rest of the title in the next meeting.
So, it was resolved, that "Every Commercial Establishment within the Town/Village of Harrison" shall "annually pay a Commercial Registration Fee for the carting away of its Garbage, Rubbish And Refuse." The board was near an agreement on this when someone suggested that "Garbage, Rubbish and Refuse" was a tautology, or, an unnecessary repetition of words. Then someone said that "an unnecessary repetition" was itself a tautology. So things bogged down for the second time in a month.
The suggestion that they instead re-title the amendment "Blood, Sweat And Tears" went unheeded.
Finally, the amendment was passed because Harrison needed the money.
The board then put forward the amendment that every commercial establishment must also pay a fee for the collection of "trash, rubbish and garbage." Which, if carefully worded, would seem like a completely different amendment and allow the town to charge everyone twice. This amendment passed enthusiastically.
Finally, the board got around to the meat of the garbage question. That's right, the kind of pails it should be put in. It was proposed that each commercial establishment shall put out no more than 10 pails or cans for the collection of trash. Although some merchants have put out 12 and said it's the same according to The New Math. The quality of each pail, it was proposed, must be approved by the Public Works Commissioner. If you bought them from his brother, Joe the pail salesman, approval would occur that much quicker.
All the board members called out "Aye!" So either the amendments passed, or they really are just in there watching "Pirates Of The Caribbean."
The other order of business that the board voted on, had to do with installing an emergency generator at police headquarters, to the tune of $210,000. The board first resolved to make sure there was that much money in their Capital Improvement Account. Not like the last time, when all they found was some petty cash and some handwritten IOUs - misspelled.
It turns out the money was available. Then the Law Department had to prepare a contract and the Treasurer had to do an audit. And, after submitting their bills to the town, Harrison was $30,000 short.
Finally the money was all in place.
The last order of business for this recent board meeting was the Authorization To Adopt The Hazard Mitigation Plan. Now, I'm no fan of hazards. And I feel they should be mitigated whenever you get a break in the day. But there's one catch here. This plan was supposed to be presented to FEMA. What happened after that in the meeting? I'm still unsure, because I didn't read the minutes. Whenever I see the name FEMA. I have a tendency to scream and throw stuff across the room. In this case, it was my laptop, which broke.
It should be ready Thursday.
So, I really don't know how the most recent board meeting ended. But, I'm concerned. FEMA doesn't really have a great history, especially when it comes to mitigating hazards. Harrison, are you sure you want their advice about this?
Friday, July 9, 2010
Board discusses financing, bond issue for renovation projects
A citizens group is close to having enough signatures to petition the Decorah School Board for a bond issue.
At a special meeting Tuesday morning, Superintendent Mike Haluska explained the bond issue, estimated at approximately $10.4 million, could go before District voters as soon as Tuesday, Sept. 14.
Haluska said although the amount of work the District will be able to afford to have done at Decorah High School and John Cline School depends on how the bids come in, he said the projected cost is between $16 and $19 million.
The project would likely include a remodel of the high school to address the aging heating, venting and cooling system, installed when the building was originally constructed in 1954.
Other modifications would include an increase in natural lighting to the art room, and adding increased security to the Iowa Communications Network (ICN) room, which is frequently utilized by the public.
The school's lunch room would also be expanded to add another serving line and accommodate more students. A new gymnasium would be built and the old one could be utilized as a staging area while the rest of the building's classes were being remodeled.
Haluska added the exact specifications of the high school project will also depend on whether or not the District receives Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding.
"If FEMA dollars are available, we will build a new safe room to FEMA specs. If we don't have the FEMA money, we will still reinforce the walls, so we have a safe place (during a disaster), but we wouldn't have the same degree of ventilation or a generator," said Haluska.
Haluska said with regard to John Cline School, "At the very least, John Cline will be climate controlled."
The breakdown
Haluska explained in addition to the bond referendum, the District's Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) and statewide penny proceeds will cover the rest of the $19.5 million the District will deposit in its construction account.
Of the $10.4 million, $10, 280,355 will go toward construction, with $124,645 for the underwriter's discount and the cost of issuance. Of the $5,705,000 the District will receive via PPEL through 2024, $4.2 million will be deposited into the construction account, $1.4 million will be used to pay off the 2004 debt for middle school construction, and another $89,000 will go to the underwriter's discount and cost of issuance. Haluska said the $5 million the District will use from statewide penny proceeds is only half of the District's projected revenues through 2028.
At a special meeting Tuesday morning, Superintendent Mike Haluska explained the bond issue, estimated at approximately $10.4 million, could go before District voters as soon as Tuesday, Sept. 14.
Haluska said although the amount of work the District will be able to afford to have done at Decorah High School and John Cline School depends on how the bids come in, he said the projected cost is between $16 and $19 million.
The project would likely include a remodel of the high school to address the aging heating, venting and cooling system, installed when the building was originally constructed in 1954.
Other modifications would include an increase in natural lighting to the art room, and adding increased security to the Iowa Communications Network (ICN) room, which is frequently utilized by the public.
The school's lunch room would also be expanded to add another serving line and accommodate more students. A new gymnasium would be built and the old one could be utilized as a staging area while the rest of the building's classes were being remodeled.
Haluska added the exact specifications of the high school project will also depend on whether or not the District receives Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding.
"If FEMA dollars are available, we will build a new safe room to FEMA specs. If we don't have the FEMA money, we will still reinforce the walls, so we have a safe place (during a disaster), but we wouldn't have the same degree of ventilation or a generator," said Haluska.
Haluska said with regard to John Cline School, "At the very least, John Cline will be climate controlled."
The breakdown
Haluska explained in addition to the bond referendum, the District's Physical Plant and Equipment Levy (PPEL) and statewide penny proceeds will cover the rest of the $19.5 million the District will deposit in its construction account.
Of the $10.4 million, $10, 280,355 will go toward construction, with $124,645 for the underwriter's discount and the cost of issuance. Of the $5,705,000 the District will receive via PPEL through 2024, $4.2 million will be deposited into the construction account, $1.4 million will be used to pay off the 2004 debt for middle school construction, and another $89,000 will go to the underwriter's discount and cost of issuance. Haluska said the $5 million the District will use from statewide penny proceeds is only half of the District's projected revenues through 2028.
Scenes from the Tennessee flood - FEMA assistance
Homeowners rebuilding after the spring floods can receive valuable information from hazard mitigation specialists with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at Lowe’s stores in Nashville and Smyrna, beginning Monday, July 12, 2010.
The specialists can answer questions about protecting homes from future disaster damage, as well as offer other home improvement tips and techniques. Topics will include mold and mildew cleanup and prevention, flood insurance, flood- and wind-resistant building methods, wind straps and other measures to make homes stronger and safer. Publications on these topics will also be available.
FEMA mitigation specialists will be available at the following Lowe’s locations July 12 through July 19:
• 7665 Highway 70 S., Nashville, TN 37221
• 410 Genie Lane, Smyrna, TN 37167
Specialists will be in the stores:
• 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday, July 12, 2010
• 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, July 13 through July 18, 2010
• 8 a.m. to noon, Monday, July 19, 2010
Mitigation specialists will also be available at the following location July 12 through July 17:
• 7034 Charlotte Pike, Nashville, TN 37209
Specialists will be in the store from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
There is no cost to talk with the specialists.
Participation in Special Events
FEMA mitigation specialists will also participate in the following special events in Tennessee during July:
• Soul Food Festival, Riverfront Park, First Avenue North and Broadway, Nashville, TN 37201, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., July 14, 2010
• Nashville Farmers Market, 900 Rosa Parks Blvd., Nashville, TN 37208, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., July 16 through July 17, 2010
• Tony Formosa Racing, Tennessee State Fairgrounds, 625 Smith Ave., Nashville, TN 37203, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., July 17, 2010
• DeKalb County Fair, 300 Fairgrounds Road, Alexandria, TN 37012, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., July 19 through July 24, 2010
Follow the recovery in Tennessee online at http://twitter.com/tema, http://twitter.com/fema, http://www.facebook.com/TNDisasterInfo , www.youtube.com/fema and http://www.flickr.com/photos/t_e_m_a .
The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA and TEMA do not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.
If you like this article, please click this subscribe button above. It free to subscribe to Examiner Articles and you only need your email address to subscribe. You are never spammed or contacted, you are only notified of new articles from this page. Please check out my Tri-Cities Examiner page in the links to the right of this page.
The specialists can answer questions about protecting homes from future disaster damage, as well as offer other home improvement tips and techniques. Topics will include mold and mildew cleanup and prevention, flood insurance, flood- and wind-resistant building methods, wind straps and other measures to make homes stronger and safer. Publications on these topics will also be available.
FEMA mitigation specialists will be available at the following Lowe’s locations July 12 through July 19:
• 7665 Highway 70 S., Nashville, TN 37221
• 410 Genie Lane, Smyrna, TN 37167
Specialists will be in the stores:
• 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday, July 12, 2010
• 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday, July 13 through July 18, 2010
• 8 a.m. to noon, Monday, July 19, 2010
Mitigation specialists will also be available at the following location July 12 through July 17:
• 7034 Charlotte Pike, Nashville, TN 37209
Specialists will be in the store from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
There is no cost to talk with the specialists.
Participation in Special Events
FEMA mitigation specialists will also participate in the following special events in Tennessee during July:
• Soul Food Festival, Riverfront Park, First Avenue North and Broadway, Nashville, TN 37201, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., July 14, 2010
• Nashville Farmers Market, 900 Rosa Parks Blvd., Nashville, TN 37208, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., July 16 through July 17, 2010
• Tony Formosa Racing, Tennessee State Fairgrounds, 625 Smith Ave., Nashville, TN 37203, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., July 17, 2010
• DeKalb County Fair, 300 Fairgrounds Road, Alexandria, TN 37012, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., July 19 through July 24, 2010
Follow the recovery in Tennessee online at http://twitter.com/tema, http://twitter.com/fema, http://www.facebook.com/TNDisasterInfo , www.youtube.com/fema and http://www.flickr.com/photos/t_e_m_a .
The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA and TEMA do not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.
If you like this article, please click this subscribe button above. It free to subscribe to Examiner Articles and you only need your email address to subscribe. You are never spammed or contacted, you are only notified of new articles from this page. Please check out my Tri-Cities Examiner page in the links to the right of this page.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
FEMA says no to Streator
The Federal Emergency Management Agency deemed the state of Illinois has the necessary local resources for continued tornado relief efforts.
What does that mean for Streator? No federal grant money.
Mark Peterson, a FEMA spokesman, told The Times Wednesday the state's request for federal aid was denied June 29, despite Streator city manager Paul Nicholson's report no word had been sent to Streator.
"The city works through the county and the county works through the state," Peterson explained. "We denied Gov. (Pat) Quinn's request but that essentially is a denial to the city of Streator's."
As a result, Streator will not receive federal grants; however, the U.S. Small Business Administration is offering low-interest, long-term loans to those affected. Essentially, the city will have to pay for its own cleanup efforts.
"If FEMA were to accept the request, there would be more funds available through grants and the SBA loan program," said Patty Thompson, Illinois Emergency Management Agency communications manager. "The loan program through the SBA will still help many people."
Thompson also confirmed there is nothing more on the horizon as far as federal assistance.
"All options have been explored," she said. "We pursued them all and FEMA didn't work out."
What does that mean for Streator? No federal grant money.
Mark Peterson, a FEMA spokesman, told The Times Wednesday the state's request for federal aid was denied June 29, despite Streator city manager Paul Nicholson's report no word had been sent to Streator.
"The city works through the county and the county works through the state," Peterson explained. "We denied Gov. (Pat) Quinn's request but that essentially is a denial to the city of Streator's."
As a result, Streator will not receive federal grants; however, the U.S. Small Business Administration is offering low-interest, long-term loans to those affected. Essentially, the city will have to pay for its own cleanup efforts.
"If FEMA were to accept the request, there would be more funds available through grants and the SBA loan program," said Patty Thompson, Illinois Emergency Management Agency communications manager. "The loan program through the SBA will still help many people."
Thompson also confirmed there is nothing more on the horizon as far as federal assistance.
"All options have been explored," she said. "We pursued them all and FEMA didn't work out."
FEMA extends Ike mobile home program 6 months
GALVESTON, Texas — A temporary mobile home program for southeast Texas residents still displaced since 2008's Hurricane Ike has been extended to Jan. 7.
The new deadline was announced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Gov. Rick Perry had sought the six-month extension.
The Sept. 13, 2008, hurricane swamped parts of the Galveston area.
FEMA spokesman Raymundo Perez on Tuesday said 102 families in Galveston County are still living in mobile homes provided by the agency.
More than 3,700 FEMA-provided mobile homes were in use immediately following Ike. Overall, 149 mobile homes are still occupied by displaced Ike residents in Texas.
The new deadline was announced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Gov. Rick Perry had sought the six-month extension.
The Sept. 13, 2008, hurricane swamped parts of the Galveston area.
FEMA spokesman Raymundo Perez on Tuesday said 102 families in Galveston County are still living in mobile homes provided by the agency.
More than 3,700 FEMA-provided mobile homes were in use immediately following Ike. Overall, 149 mobile homes are still occupied by displaced Ike residents in Texas.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Industrial Apocalypse Soon, Says Writer
We Are on Our Own
To those with ears to hear…
Finest government money can buy, and the EPA is on the payroll!
Look where their funding comes from… all the industries they rule on!
Refusal to take action on the gulf oil spill shows how useless all our government agencies are.
The SWAT teams, Wakenhut security, and armed denial of access to the affected areas?
Martial law 100 miles inland from our national borders…
After refusing any and all ideas of what should be done, is it any wonder people are skeptical?
Thousands of fishing boats could make a difference, but this is not allowed.
Thousands of people could help in these efforts, but they are not allowed.
Instead of addressing the issue, we now have official plans to evacuate!
It will start small, BUT, all in all, there are some 20 to 40 million people involved.
The migration of the great dust bowl all at once and multiplied by ten…
Think of a forbidden zone that is too dangerous to go into.
Think of the fact that after the oil rains, nothing of any kind will grow there, and all wildlife dead…
Those who resist evacuation are to be forcibly removed!
The whole gulf of Mexico becoming a great soup of chemicals, AND the air deadly…
The wind will spread this destruction over the entire south east of our country…again, gotta move!
All gulf coast states are now subject to this, all major cities, and all the people there.
To ruin the rest of the country, all it takes is one die hard hurricane that simply keeps going inland,
Slowly spreading that toxic oil rain that has already fallen in Texas and Louisiana…rumors of the same in Georgia too…
If you think BP is criminal in this, what about our very own government?
They all knew and not only did nothing, but ignore it all…
There were censors on the ocean floor indicating exactly the problems that have escaped…
The readings are a part of the reports to our government agencies!
Now what?
If there is any way you can, leave!
Many of the survivalists and patriots might be willing to accept people and even help them get out.
Lots of people are setting up to survive, but everyone will be required to work.
Bring essential survival types of things, tools, dried food, water purification devices, and arms.
Most of these communities will be under someone in command.
Be ready to take orders and designated responsibilities.
Everyone needs to be proficient in firearms for hunting and defense.
No one has said anything about how these 20 – 40 million people are going to be taken care of.
According to just the shear number, it doesn’t look like any agency, state, or the fed is capable.
This leaves the alternative of using FEMA camps.
You know, all those concentration camps all over our country that don’t exist…?
Several thousand U.N. vehicles have been spread out over the south east United States…wonder what they are for?
None of this is going to be good.
It is recommended that everyone, no matter what you are doing, start getting ready to be on your own.
Take care of your family first, doesn’t matter if you work for the government or are in military service.
Water, food, and arms are the big three. Do not get caught in traffic on any road.
Do not trust anyone, they might be after what you have, you, or your family…
There will be thousands who will starve to death, die from lack of water, and many will disappear into the FEMA camps.
Out of this, a lot of people who survive, will be coming to visit.
Hungry people are the most dangerous on the planet…the reason to be armed.
After that comes the takers. Small groups that systematically raid survival groups, taking what they want.
Another reason to be armed and have several people to help.
In about two to three years, things should calm down, and most will be able to look into the long range tasks of surviving.
This is what we have to look forward to, at the beginning now, and after the dust settles.
Are you ready?
To those with ears to hear…
Finest government money can buy, and the EPA is on the payroll!
Look where their funding comes from… all the industries they rule on!
Refusal to take action on the gulf oil spill shows how useless all our government agencies are.
The SWAT teams, Wakenhut security, and armed denial of access to the affected areas?
Martial law 100 miles inland from our national borders…
After refusing any and all ideas of what should be done, is it any wonder people are skeptical?
Thousands of fishing boats could make a difference, but this is not allowed.
Thousands of people could help in these efforts, but they are not allowed.
Instead of addressing the issue, we now have official plans to evacuate!
It will start small, BUT, all in all, there are some 20 to 40 million people involved.
The migration of the great dust bowl all at once and multiplied by ten…
Think of a forbidden zone that is too dangerous to go into.
Think of the fact that after the oil rains, nothing of any kind will grow there, and all wildlife dead…
Those who resist evacuation are to be forcibly removed!
The whole gulf of Mexico becoming a great soup of chemicals, AND the air deadly…
The wind will spread this destruction over the entire south east of our country…again, gotta move!
All gulf coast states are now subject to this, all major cities, and all the people there.
To ruin the rest of the country, all it takes is one die hard hurricane that simply keeps going inland,
Slowly spreading that toxic oil rain that has already fallen in Texas and Louisiana…rumors of the same in Georgia too…
If you think BP is criminal in this, what about our very own government?
They all knew and not only did nothing, but ignore it all…
There were censors on the ocean floor indicating exactly the problems that have escaped…
The readings are a part of the reports to our government agencies!
Now what?
If there is any way you can, leave!
Many of the survivalists and patriots might be willing to accept people and even help them get out.
Lots of people are setting up to survive, but everyone will be required to work.
Bring essential survival types of things, tools, dried food, water purification devices, and arms.
Most of these communities will be under someone in command.
Be ready to take orders and designated responsibilities.
Everyone needs to be proficient in firearms for hunting and defense.
No one has said anything about how these 20 – 40 million people are going to be taken care of.
According to just the shear number, it doesn’t look like any agency, state, or the fed is capable.
This leaves the alternative of using FEMA camps.
You know, all those concentration camps all over our country that don’t exist…?
Several thousand U.N. vehicles have been spread out over the south east United States…wonder what they are for?
None of this is going to be good.
It is recommended that everyone, no matter what you are doing, start getting ready to be on your own.
Take care of your family first, doesn’t matter if you work for the government or are in military service.
Water, food, and arms are the big three. Do not get caught in traffic on any road.
Do not trust anyone, they might be after what you have, you, or your family…
There will be thousands who will starve to death, die from lack of water, and many will disappear into the FEMA camps.
Out of this, a lot of people who survive, will be coming to visit.
Hungry people are the most dangerous on the planet…the reason to be armed.
After that comes the takers. Small groups that systematically raid survival groups, taking what they want.
Another reason to be armed and have several people to help.
In about two to three years, things should calm down, and most will be able to look into the long range tasks of surviving.
This is what we have to look forward to, at the beginning now, and after the dust settles.
Are you ready?
Friday, July 2, 2010
fema camp info
1. Executive Summary
2. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
3. Powers and Preparations for a Declared State of Emergency
4. Detainment Camps
5. End Notes
`
1. Executive Summary
The United States Federal Emergency Management Agency has numerous detainment camps throughout the United States. Some camps have been recently constructed and / or renovated and are fully staffed. The existence of the camps coupled with Presidential Executive Orders giving the President and Department of Homeland Security (of which FEMA is now part) control over ‘national essential functions’ in the event of ‘catastrophic emergency’ have resulted in concerns that the camps will be used to forcefully detain American citizens for unconstitutional purposes.
2. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
History
FEMA was created on April 1, 1979 pursuant to President Jimmy Carter’s Executive Order 12127. It amalgamated the Federal Insurance Administration, the National Fire Prevention and Control Administration, the National Weather Service Community Preparedness Program, the Federal Preparedness Agency and the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration activities formerly carried out by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. It also took over Civil Defense from the Department of Defense, which was in charge of preparing citizens for military attack. [1]
In 1993 Bill Clinton turned the directorship of FEMA into a Cabinet position. In 2003 FEMA became part of the Department of Homeland Security’s Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate. [2]
Stated Purpose
The stated purpose of FEMA is to “reduce the loss of life and property and protect the Nation from all hazards, including natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters, by leading and supporting the nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation.” [3]
Recent Operations
FEMA’s most notable large-scale operation in recent times was in the aftermath of August 2005 hurricane Katrina, which occurred along the north-central Gulf Coast, particularly affecting New Orleans, Louisiana. FEMA’s response to the disaster was widely criticized due to a slow and inadequate response, blocking external private and public assistance from individuals and groups including the Red Cross, [4] banning photographs of the dead [5] and confiscating reporter’s equipment [6] and homeowner’s registered firearms. [7]
The 2006 Congressional report on FEMA’s handling of Katrina stated that it was "… a national failure, an abdication of the most solemn obligation to provide for the common welfare," [8]
Criticisms
Some have criticized FEMA’s failure as being due to is focus on ‘civil defense’ continuity of government and terrorism response programs to the detriment of its natural disaster response readiness. It is further alleged that hurricane Katrina was used to test run of a continuity of government program, allowing FEMA to rehearse rounding up and relocating large numbers of people to camps, suspending their constitutional rights and militarizing the region [9] with the help of private military contractors (mercenaries). Black Water USA, a private security company, was used in the aftermath of Katrina. [10]
3. Powers and Preparations for a Declared State of Emergency
REX-84 and Operation Garden Plot
Readiness Exercise 1984 (REX-84) is an emergency response program involving the implementation of martial law, the movement of civilian populations and the arrest and detainment of segments of the population. A rehearsal of the program was carried out April 5-13, 1984. It was led by FEMA and the Department of Defense and involved the coordination of 34 other Federal departments and agencies. [11] REX-84 was mentioned during the Iran-Contra hearings [12] and publicly exposed by the Miami Herald on Sunday July 5th, 1987. [13]
Similar large-scale emergency preparedness drills have taken place regularly since then. The most recently announced, organized by NORTHCOM, are scheduled for October 15-20. [14] Some assert that the drills continue to include preparations for the suspension of the Constitution and the implementation of martial law. [15]
Operation Garden Plot is a United States Army and National Guard program under control of the US Northern Command (NORTHCOM) to provide Federal military support during domestic civil disturbances. One example of the program’s implementation was during the 1992 Los Angeles riots when US Army and Marine forces were used in conjunction with the California National Guard. [16] In Los Angeles an Executive Order was made to permit the use of the Federal army to uphold domestic laws pursuant to the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, which places restrictions on the domestic use of the military for law enforcement purposes. [17]
Recently, however, Section 1076 Public Law 109-364, or the "John Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007" (H.R.5122) has amended Posse Comitatus and The Insurrection Act (which also places limits on domestic military deployment) to allow the Federal government to unilaterally take control of state National Guards and position Federal troops anywhere in the country during a ‘public emergency’. [18]
Executive Orders
Throughout the 1960s numerous Presidential Executive Orders were issued authorizing Federal agencies to take over essential functions in the case of a declared emergency. The powers include, among many others, the authority of the Federal government to take over transportation infrastructure including highways and seaports (10990), food resources and farms (10998) and mobilize citizens into government supervised work brigades (11000). [19]
On May 9, 2007 President George Bush reasserted the role of the Federal government during a declared emergency by issuing Executive Order NSPD 51/ HSPD-20. The Order states that in the event of a ‘catastrophic emergency’ all ‘national essential functions’ may be taken over by the Executive branch of government and the Department of Homeland Security (including FEMA). [20]
4. Detainment Camps
Developments and Construction
In August 2002, then Attorney General John Ashcroft called for American citizens who are deemed ‘enemy combatants’ to be detained indefinitely without charge and independently of the judiciary. [21] This legal position was upheld in the case of a US citizen detained abroad by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a January 2003 ruling. [22]
In October 2006 the Military Commissions Act was passed by Congress. [23] The legislation applies to non-US citizens and permits individuals labeled as ‘enemy combatants’ to be imprisoned indefinitely and without charge. It also denies non-military tribunal judicial review of detainment (Section 7), disregards international treaties such as the Geneva Convention, and states that it is the President who defines what constitutes torture (Sections 5 & 6).
In January of 2007 the American Civil Liberties Union released a report based on documents obtained by a Freedom of Information Act suit showing that the Pentagon had monitored at least “186 anti-military protests in the United States and collected more than 2,800 reports involving Americans in an anti-terrorist threat database.” [24]
For some time FEMA has been renovating and constructing new detention camps throughout the country. In January 2006 Haliburton subsidiary KBR announced that it had been awarded an “indefinite delivery / indefinite quantity contract to construct detention facilities for the Department of Homeland Security worth a maximum of $385 million over 5 years. [25]
Stated Purpose
Little has been said about the purpose of the detainment camps but when official comment has been made it has stated that the camps are for the temporary detainment of illegal immigrants. [26]
Quantity and Locations
Citizens who are concerned about the purpose and potential use of the detainment camps have documented and, when possible, filmed the detainment facilities. A current estimate of the number of detainment camps is over 800 located in all regions of the United States with varying maximum capacities. [27] If one includes government buildings currently used for other purposes the number is far greater. Video of renovated but empty detainment camps has also been released. [28]
5. End Notes
[1] Executive Order 12127--Federal Emergency Management Agency
http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/eo/eo-12127.htm.
[2] Federal Emergency Management Agency. “About FEMA” April 1, 2007.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Federal Emergency Management Agency. News Release. “First Responders Urged Not To Respond To Hurricane Impact Areas Unless Dispatched By State, Local
Authorities” 29 August 2005 http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18470;
Rodgers, Ann. “Homeland Security won't let Red Cross deliver food” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 3 September 2005
Zarend-Kubatko, Jill. “Disaster touches area residents” Valley Life. 2 September 2005 http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15147862&BRD=>.
[5] Editorandpublisher.com. “Journalist Groups Protest FEMA Ban on Photos of Dead” 7
September 2005 http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001055768>.
[6] Gebauer, Matthias. “The Eye of the Hurricane” Spiegel Online International.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,373590,00.html>.
[7] Berenson, Alex and Timothy Williams. “New Orleans Begins Confiscating Firearms as Water Recedes” New York Times. 8 September 2005 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/08/national/nationalspecial
08cnd-storm.html?ex=1189483200&en=b7a5f1efcf668506&ei=5070>.
[8] Cable News Network (CNN). “Report: Katrina response a 'failure of leadership':
Homeland Security secretary described as 'detached'” 14 February 2006
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/02/13/katrina.congress/index.html?iref=newssearch>.
[9] Nimmo, Kurt. “Attacks on democratic rights, breaching legal barriers: FEMA and
Katrina: REX-84 Revisited” Global Research. 11 September 2005 www.//globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=NIM20050911&articleId=929>.
[10] Scahill, Jeremy. “In the Black(water)” The Nation. 22 May 2006
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060605/scahill>.
[11] Reynolds, Diana. “The Rise of the National Security State: FEMA and the NSC.” Publiceye.org. 1990.
[12] “Suspension of American Constitution Oliver North.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8tQAYYtLok&mode=related&search=>.
[13] Chardy, Alfonso. “Reagan Aides and the ‘Secret’ Government.” The Miami Herald. 5 July 1987 http://www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/hardtruth/secret_white_house_plans.htm>.
[14] United States Northern Command. “Exercise Vigilant Shield ’08 slated for October.” 30 August 2007 http://www.northcom.mil/News/2007/083007.html>.
[15] Rogers, Lee. “NORTHCOM Plans 5 Day Martial Law Exercise.” Intel Strike. 5 September 2007 http://intelstrike.com/?p=57>.
[16] Global Security. “Operation Garden Plot JTF-LAJoint Task Force Los Angeles”.
[17] Morales, Frank. “U.S. Military Civil Disturbance Planning:
The War At Home” Covert Action Quarterly, #69 Spring / Summer 2000. http://cryptome.org/garden-plot.htm>.
[18] Morales, Frank. “Bush Moves Towards Martial Law” Toward Freedom. 26 October 2006
[19] Anonymous. “FEMA Concentration Camps: Locations and Executive Orders” Friends of Liberty. http://www.sianews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1062>.
[20] The White House. “Presidential Directive NSPD 51, HSPD-20.” 9 May 2007.
[21] Turley, Jonathan. “Camps for Citizens: Ashcroft's Hellish Vision” Los Angeles Times. 14 August 2002.
[22] Cable News Network (CNN). “Americans may be held as 'enemy combatants,' appeals court rules.” 8 January 2003 http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/01/08/enemy.combatants>.
[23] The Library of Congress. Military Commissions Act of 2006. 17 October 2007 http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:S.3930:>.
[24] American Civil Liberties Union. “ACLU Report Shows Widespread Pentagon Surveillance of Peace Activists” Press Release. 17 January 2007 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/spyfiles/28024prs20070117.html>.
[25] Halliburton Public Relations “KBR Awarded U.S. Department of Homeland Security Contingency Support Project for Emergency Support Services.” 24 January 2006 http://www.kbr.com/news/2006/govnews_060124.aspx>.
[26] Ibid.
2. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
3. Powers and Preparations for a Declared State of Emergency
4. Detainment Camps
5. End Notes
`
1. Executive Summary
The United States Federal Emergency Management Agency has numerous detainment camps throughout the United States. Some camps have been recently constructed and / or renovated and are fully staffed. The existence of the camps coupled with Presidential Executive Orders giving the President and Department of Homeland Security (of which FEMA is now part) control over ‘national essential functions’ in the event of ‘catastrophic emergency’ have resulted in concerns that the camps will be used to forcefully detain American citizens for unconstitutional purposes.
2. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
History
FEMA was created on April 1, 1979 pursuant to President Jimmy Carter’s Executive Order 12127. It amalgamated the Federal Insurance Administration, the National Fire Prevention and Control Administration, the National Weather Service Community Preparedness Program, the Federal Preparedness Agency and the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration activities formerly carried out by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. It also took over Civil Defense from the Department of Defense, which was in charge of preparing citizens for military attack. [1]
In 1993 Bill Clinton turned the directorship of FEMA into a Cabinet position. In 2003 FEMA became part of the Department of Homeland Security’s Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate. [2]
Stated Purpose
The stated purpose of FEMA is to “reduce the loss of life and property and protect the Nation from all hazards, including natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters, by leading and supporting the nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation.” [3]
Recent Operations
FEMA’s most notable large-scale operation in recent times was in the aftermath of August 2005 hurricane Katrina, which occurred along the north-central Gulf Coast, particularly affecting New Orleans, Louisiana. FEMA’s response to the disaster was widely criticized due to a slow and inadequate response, blocking external private and public assistance from individuals and groups including the Red Cross, [4] banning photographs of the dead [5] and confiscating reporter’s equipment [6] and homeowner’s registered firearms. [7]
The 2006 Congressional report on FEMA’s handling of Katrina stated that it was "… a national failure, an abdication of the most solemn obligation to provide for the common welfare," [8]
Criticisms
Some have criticized FEMA’s failure as being due to is focus on ‘civil defense’ continuity of government and terrorism response programs to the detriment of its natural disaster response readiness. It is further alleged that hurricane Katrina was used to test run of a continuity of government program, allowing FEMA to rehearse rounding up and relocating large numbers of people to camps, suspending their constitutional rights and militarizing the region [9] with the help of private military contractors (mercenaries). Black Water USA, a private security company, was used in the aftermath of Katrina. [10]
3. Powers and Preparations for a Declared State of Emergency
REX-84 and Operation Garden Plot
Readiness Exercise 1984 (REX-84) is an emergency response program involving the implementation of martial law, the movement of civilian populations and the arrest and detainment of segments of the population. A rehearsal of the program was carried out April 5-13, 1984. It was led by FEMA and the Department of Defense and involved the coordination of 34 other Federal departments and agencies. [11] REX-84 was mentioned during the Iran-Contra hearings [12] and publicly exposed by the Miami Herald on Sunday July 5th, 1987. [13]
Similar large-scale emergency preparedness drills have taken place regularly since then. The most recently announced, organized by NORTHCOM, are scheduled for October 15-20. [14] Some assert that the drills continue to include preparations for the suspension of the Constitution and the implementation of martial law. [15]
Operation Garden Plot is a United States Army and National Guard program under control of the US Northern Command (NORTHCOM) to provide Federal military support during domestic civil disturbances. One example of the program’s implementation was during the 1992 Los Angeles riots when US Army and Marine forces were used in conjunction with the California National Guard. [16] In Los Angeles an Executive Order was made to permit the use of the Federal army to uphold domestic laws pursuant to the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act, which places restrictions on the domestic use of the military for law enforcement purposes. [17]
Recently, however, Section 1076 Public Law 109-364, or the "John Warner Defense Authorization Act of 2007" (H.R.5122) has amended Posse Comitatus and The Insurrection Act (which also places limits on domestic military deployment) to allow the Federal government to unilaterally take control of state National Guards and position Federal troops anywhere in the country during a ‘public emergency’. [18]
Executive Orders
Throughout the 1960s numerous Presidential Executive Orders were issued authorizing Federal agencies to take over essential functions in the case of a declared emergency. The powers include, among many others, the authority of the Federal government to take over transportation infrastructure including highways and seaports (10990), food resources and farms (10998) and mobilize citizens into government supervised work brigades (11000). [19]
On May 9, 2007 President George Bush reasserted the role of the Federal government during a declared emergency by issuing Executive Order NSPD 51/ HSPD-20. The Order states that in the event of a ‘catastrophic emergency’ all ‘national essential functions’ may be taken over by the Executive branch of government and the Department of Homeland Security (including FEMA). [20]
4. Detainment Camps
Developments and Construction
In August 2002, then Attorney General John Ashcroft called for American citizens who are deemed ‘enemy combatants’ to be detained indefinitely without charge and independently of the judiciary. [21] This legal position was upheld in the case of a US citizen detained abroad by the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a January 2003 ruling. [22]
In October 2006 the Military Commissions Act was passed by Congress. [23] The legislation applies to non-US citizens and permits individuals labeled as ‘enemy combatants’ to be imprisoned indefinitely and without charge. It also denies non-military tribunal judicial review of detainment (Section 7), disregards international treaties such as the Geneva Convention, and states that it is the President who defines what constitutes torture (Sections 5 & 6).
In January of 2007 the American Civil Liberties Union released a report based on documents obtained by a Freedom of Information Act suit showing that the Pentagon had monitored at least “186 anti-military protests in the United States and collected more than 2,800 reports involving Americans in an anti-terrorist threat database.” [24]
For some time FEMA has been renovating and constructing new detention camps throughout the country. In January 2006 Haliburton subsidiary KBR announced that it had been awarded an “indefinite delivery / indefinite quantity contract to construct detention facilities for the Department of Homeland Security worth a maximum of $385 million over 5 years. [25]
Stated Purpose
Little has been said about the purpose of the detainment camps but when official comment has been made it has stated that the camps are for the temporary detainment of illegal immigrants. [26]
Quantity and Locations
Citizens who are concerned about the purpose and potential use of the detainment camps have documented and, when possible, filmed the detainment facilities. A current estimate of the number of detainment camps is over 800 located in all regions of the United States with varying maximum capacities. [27] If one includes government buildings currently used for other purposes the number is far greater. Video of renovated but empty detainment camps has also been released. [28]
5. End Notes
[1] Executive Order 12127--Federal Emergency Management Agency
http://www.fas.org/irp/offdocs/eo/eo-12127.htm.
[2] Federal Emergency Management Agency. “About FEMA” April 1, 2007
[3] Ibid.
[4] Federal Emergency Management Agency. News Release. “First Responders Urged Not To Respond To Hurricane Impact Areas Unless Dispatched By State, Local
Authorities” 29 August 2005 http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18470;
Rodgers, Ann. “Homeland Security won't let Red Cross deliver food” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 3 September 2005
Zarend-Kubatko, Jill. “Disaster touches area residents” Valley Life. 2 September 2005 http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=15147862&BRD=>.
[5] Editorandpublisher.com. “Journalist Groups Protest FEMA Ban on Photos of Dead” 7
September 2005 http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001055768>.
[6] Gebauer, Matthias. “The Eye of the Hurricane” Spiegel Online International.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,373590,00.html>.
[7] Berenson, Alex and Timothy Williams. “New Orleans Begins Confiscating Firearms as Water Recedes” New York Times. 8 September 2005 http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/08/national/nationalspecial
08cnd-storm.html?ex=1189483200&en=b7a5f1efcf668506&ei=5070>.
[8] Cable News Network (CNN). “Report: Katrina response a 'failure of leadership':
Homeland Security secretary described as 'detached'” 14 February 2006
http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/02/13/katrina.congress/index.html?iref=newssearch>.
[9] Nimmo, Kurt. “Attacks on democratic rights, breaching legal barriers: FEMA and
Katrina: REX-84 Revisited” Global Research. 11 September 2005 www.//globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=viewArticle&code=NIM20050911&articleId=929>.
[10] Scahill, Jeremy. “In the Black(water)” The Nation. 22 May 2006
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060605/scahill>.
[11] Reynolds, Diana. “The Rise of the National Security State: FEMA and the NSC.” Publiceye.org. 1990
[12] “Suspension of American Constitution Oliver North.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8tQAYYtLok&mode=related&search=>.
[13] Chardy, Alfonso. “Reagan Aides and the ‘Secret’ Government.” The Miami Herald. 5 July 1987 http://www.theforbiddenknowledge.com/hardtruth/secret_white_house_plans.htm>.
[14] United States Northern Command. “Exercise Vigilant Shield ’08 slated for October.” 30 August 2007 http://www.northcom.mil/News/2007/083007.html>.
[15] Rogers, Lee. “NORTHCOM Plans 5 Day Martial Law Exercise.” Intel Strike. 5 September 2007 http://intelstrike.com/?p=57>.
[16] Global Security. “Operation Garden Plot JTF-LAJoint Task Force Los Angeles”
[17] Morales, Frank. “U.S. Military Civil Disturbance Planning:
The War At Home” Covert Action Quarterly, #69 Spring / Summer 2000. http://cryptome.org/garden-plot.htm>.
[18] Morales, Frank. “Bush Moves Towards Martial Law” Toward Freedom. 26 October 2006
[19] Anonymous. “FEMA Concentration Camps: Locations and Executive Orders” Friends of Liberty. http://www.sianews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=1062>.
[20] The White House. “Presidential Directive NSPD 51, HSPD-20.” 9 May 2007
[21] Turley, Jonathan. “Camps for Citizens: Ashcroft's Hellish Vision” Los Angeles Times. 14 August 2002
[22] Cable News Network (CNN). “Americans may be held as 'enemy combatants,' appeals court rules.” 8 January 2003 http://www.cnn.com/2003/LAW/01/08/enemy.combatants>.
[23] The Library of Congress. Military Commissions Act of 2006. 17 October 2007 http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:S.3930:>.
[24] American Civil Liberties Union. “ACLU Report Shows Widespread Pentagon Surveillance of Peace Activists” Press Release. 17 January 2007 http://www.aclu.org/safefree/spyfiles/28024prs20070117.html>.
[25] Halliburton Public Relations “KBR Awarded U.S. Department of Homeland Security Contingency Support Project for Emergency Support Services.” 24 January 2006 http://www.kbr.com/news/2006/govnews_060124.aspx>.
[26] Ibid.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Glenn Beck Threatened By NWO Civilian Inmate Labor Program
Glenn Beck a NWO "Shill"? Or...Was he THREATENED BY THE NWO over the FEMA CAMP story!
report...YOU DECIDE! lol
Installations
Civilian Inmate
Labor Program
Headquarters
Department of the Army
Washington, DC
14 January 2005
UNCLASSIFIED
Glenn Beck's FEMA Backflip
This video consists of a several clips from from Fox News featuring Glenn Beck. In the first part he makes some very disturbing claims about the reality of FEMA detainment camps and the possiblity of a totalitarian takeover of the United States with the imposition of martial law. In the next segment he completely reverses his position, saying that the information was not properly researched, despite having claimed earlier that his team had spent days researching and "could not debunk it".
Next we see Beck interviewing Congressman Ron Paul, who, while not confirming the existence of the camps, nonetheless says there is "justified concern" and makes some disturbing claims of his own about the enormous power which FEMA wields, giving them the ability to put people in camps without further legislation.
In the final section James Meigs of Hearst publications makes a direct comparison between the FEMA camp claims and 9/11 "conspiracy theories".
Meigs was the author of a massively flawed Popular Mechanics piece which attempted to debunk the 9/11 truth movement, and particpated in a debate with a young and inexperienced Dylan Avery in 2006.
The views put forward by Meigs regarding the collapse of WTC 7 have subsequently been refuted even by NIST, the official governent body which investigated the 9/11 building collapses.
The full "investigative" piece on the "FEMA Camps" from James Meigs is due Monday 6th April.
FEMA prepares to evacuate Gulf due to BP spill
After Hurricane Katrina, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provided 120,000 trailers to victims and relief workers.
Residents soon began complaining of sore throats, burning eyes and noses and trouble breathing.
The cause? High levels of formaldehyde.
Formaldehyde is an industrial chemical that is linked to nasal cancer, respiratory problems and even leukemia. Scientists believe that the fumes resulted from cheap wood and poor ventilation. Whatever the cause, the government banned the trailers from being used for long term housing. The fumes and health risks were too high.
But the trailers, which cost FEMA $130 million a year to maintain and store, recently found a new market. According to the New York Times, they are being bought by hundreds of contracting companies, dozens of which are in Louisiana, and by individuals in public auctions. Some buyers said they were unaware of the health risks.
If you're living in one of these trailers, we want to hear from you.
For everyone else, we want to know what you think about this story.
Residents soon began complaining of sore throats, burning eyes and noses and trouble breathing.
The cause? High levels of formaldehyde.
Formaldehyde is an industrial chemical that is linked to nasal cancer, respiratory problems and even leukemia. Scientists believe that the fumes resulted from cheap wood and poor ventilation. Whatever the cause, the government banned the trailers from being used for long term housing. The fumes and health risks were too high.
But the trailers, which cost FEMA $130 million a year to maintain and store, recently found a new market. According to the New York Times, they are being bought by hundreds of contracting companies, dozens of which are in Louisiana, and by individuals in public auctions. Some buyers said they were unaware of the health risks.
If you're living in one of these trailers, we want to hear from you.
For everyone else, we want to know what you think about this story.
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