Houston Should Be Evacuated

[Extra Stout]

"They got them for the outlying areas, for the Gulf and Galveston, but they ain't made no preparations for us in the city, for the poor people here. There ain't no (evacuation) buses here. I got nowhere to go."

While of course the NY Times is happy to give the impression that Houston is abandoning its poor people, what they don't tell you is that Ms. Skinner gave this interview while on Bellaire Boulevard, ON HIGH GROUND, in SW Houston. That is not an evacuation zone.

I don't expect Ms. Skinner to be an expert on urban topography. She may be scared and frustrated, but the point is she's in a safe area. I expect local and state officials to have their priorities straight and go after people who NEED to be evacuated rather than those who WANT to be evacuated. Thus, Galveston, and areas near the bay, the Ship Channel, and the bayous took priority.

If they'd found an abandoned poor person in the flood-prone northeast side, they'd have a story. But the NY Times doesn't have a story, just an agenda and a distortion.

[Extra Stout]

Judie Anderson of La Porte, Texas, covered just 45 miles in 12 hours. She had been on the road since 10 p.m. Wednesday, headed toward Oklahoma, which by Thursday was still very far away.

"This is the worst planning I've ever seen," she said. "They say, 'We've learned a lot from Hurricane Katrina.' Well, you couldn't prove it by me."

If she left 10 PM Wednesday, that would put this report on 10 AM Thursday.

Now it's Friday at 4. Houston-area highways are mostly clear. Even being 45 miles north of La Porte got Ms. Anderson out of the storm surge area. I doubt there will be a follow-up report about how Ms. Anderson successfully reached Oklahoma.

Remember, the Houston/Galveston evacuation plan assumes it will take 33 hours to get people out. That's why they started on Wednesday. That's why we saw traffic jams two days before the storm rather than during the storm.

What the biased NYT did here was take one frustrated, hysterical person and use her to make a false and misleading political point.

[Spurminator]

I think Julie Anderson was interviewed by the AP because I've seen her quote in several stories.

[Extra Stout]

I think Julie Anderson was interviewed by the AP because I've seen her quote in several stories.

I think the AP picked up the NYT story.

[SpursWoman]

oasis of super wonderfulness.

[Extra Stout]

I find it hard to believe that Mayor got elected in Houston without appealing to the Republican base though...

The city of Houston leans Democrat. It's the suburbs that are 80% Republican.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

It's messed up seeing the traffic cam of Houston at rush hour with no cars on the roads.

[hussker]

Gore won in 2000, if not for the Supreme Court being a Republican-controlled court, W wouldn't of even had a chance in 04 and Kerry would have been a moot point. Although I still contend that Kerry did win - history will prove me right eventually. I can't help it that the Republicans stole both elections. I just calls them as I sees them.

Progressivism is the next big political movement, you just haven't realized it yet. Give it a couple years. You'll come around.

Congratulations on your loaf of bread prediction. Amazing.

Hopefully, the Commissioner of MLE (Major League Elections) will eventually revoke the asterisk...Oh, I am sorry, there isn't one! Maybe we should pe ion to invoke one!

[spurster]

I think the AP picked up the NYT story.

Extra Stout, it' s an AP story, not a NYT story. Like a lot of newspapers, the NYT also has all the AP stories available. You'll have to blame the liberal AP on this one.