Friday, September 9, 2005

Ann Coulter will always be hateful. And she's so amused by herself ... astounding! Perhaps she's just mentally ill. Coulter to MoveOn: “How About Helping Out?”. Ann Coulter just called out MoveOn on Hannity & Colmes: MoveOn.com [sic] is down protesting outside the White House. How about putting together some evacuee bags? How about actually helping out? Speaking of that, I think I’d like to hear a breakdown at the end of this, how much churches are contributing versus… MoveOn.com? Last Thursday, as tens of thousands of families found themselves newly homeless, MoveOn launched an emergency national housing drive called HurricaneHousing.org. In just one week, over 235,000 beds have been offered to Katrina victims through the site. ThinkProgress to Ann Coulter: When will you stop embarassing yourself on live national television? [Think Progress] 9:37:14 AM    comment []

Another liar in the administration. This one shouldn't surprise anyone. Of course we knew he was an incompetent heartless bastard. But could we really imagine that he lied on his resume? Who he was? Brown’s Dishonesty Jeopardizes His Law License. This morning, Time Magazine reports that FEMA director Mike Brown has lied about his professional qualifications. Brown is a member of the Oklahoma State Bar. According to the “Oklahoma Rules of Professional Conduct” conduct involving “dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation” is a violation constituting “professional misconduct.” Oklahoma state law specifies that “any lawyer violating these Rules of Professional Conduct shall be subject to discipline.” Discipline includes “disbarment, suspension of a respondent from the practice of law for a definite term…public censure or private reprimand.” Note to other members of the Oklahoma State Bar: According to Rule 8.3 of the Oklahoma Rules of Professional Conduct, “A lawyer having knowledge that another lawyer has committed a violation of the Rules of Professional Conduct that raises a substantial question as to that lawyer’s honesty, trustworthiness or fitness as a lawyer in other respects, shall inform the appropriate professional authority.” [Think Progress] 9:33:16 AM    comment []

Media Presence Essential as Katrina Rescue Efforts Continue. Josh Marshall has relayed word of a “sea change in the treatment of reporters trying to get access to the city from yesterday to today.” Journalists now seem to be getting through New Orleans without any troubles. Speaking for most of us, he writes, “I’d be curious to know what may have happened behind the scenes over the last thirty-six hours” that led to the change. Good question — what did happen? After all, it’s fairly clear who had the incentive to keep journalists out of New Orleans: President Bush’s handlers, who are worrying themselves over public opinion fallout. But who would ever pressure the administration to let the journalists back in? Easy. The rescuers. Officials in New Orleans believe that anywhere from ten to fifteen thousand people remain in the city, and search teams are still trying to save stranded holdouts. Media presence is critical to this type of disaster response. Reporters find and report on gaps that are not being filled; they locate people and identify fires and other urgent emergencies; their coverage always triggers private donations. Their ability to communicate (particularly in a case like this, where communications systems are still not fully in place) supplements the broader operation. Consider that the media is playing a central role in family reunification, broadcasting interviews with victims in New Orleans while putting out the names of loved ones to whom they want to get the message that they’ve survived. And with a skeptical public — as well as Democrats and Republicans in Congress — calling for an investigation of the disaster response, the transparency afforded by the media’s presence couldn’t be more timely. It heartens me to hear that federal officials are no longer frustrating the work of reporters. When that kind of behavior occurs in Africa and other poor regions of the world, our government cuts off foreign assistance, downgrades diplomatic relations, and demands that changes be made. For the sake of the survivors still trapped in New Orleans, let’s hope FEMA considers changing its ways for good. – Gayle Smith [Gayle Smith was chief of staff of the U.S. Agency for International Development, and served as the special assistant to the president and senior director for African Affairs at the National Security Council under President Clinton.] [Think Progress] 9:31:43 AM    comment []

© Copyright 2005 Patricia Thurston.