Politics As Usual

Does this really surprise anybody? Rot drips from the top down. Since our illustrious leader and his henchmen are such liars, fabricators, and destroyers of the truth, it follows the trickle-down theory and every department now follows GBs lead - lie, lie, lie and fabricate. What a rotten bunch of people we have running our government now. Its a disgrace in the worst way. I can't wait until some serious housecleaning is done in 2009, when the new people take over. God help us, it just couldn't get any worse in DC.

Actually, it's worse than we thought. One of the largest producers of "news" in the United States is the CIA. The last time they reported figures (in 2002)they were spending over a billion a year on domestic propaganda. Given the high cost of news production (especially location feeds), our mainstream news outlets are happy to air the pre-packaged "stories" supplied by our government without mentioning the fact it came from Uncle Sam. Unfortunately, we live in the time that our own government considers each one of us a potential enemy, and feel it their job to "correct our thinking" before more rigorous measures are taken.

I like the TYPE. WE THE PEOPLE still own the country!

This is another indication that the staff working under our president is made up of bubble-headed idiots who are merely filling desk-space, to a president who is doing the same.

The entire Bush Administration is fake; why should their "news conferences" be exempt?

Patriot; Unless you're a corporate "people," you don't own the country--you're just a slave like the rest of us. Stop spouting the rhetoric you've been brainwashed into believing, open your eyes & take a look around. America hasn't been a democracy for at least 100 years, when it quietly became a corprocracy.

FEMA is a joke. Let's get those trailers from New Oleans and ship them to CA....so all the money isn't wasted. All FEMA employees (big guys) should be ousted, OR take a huge pay cut.......

I am not the least bit surprise. FEMA is doing exactly what any government agency does. And that is, "CIRCLING THE WAGONS."

Bill, perhaps you can fill us all in into the "agenda" of ABC news in reporting this?

Are you implying it is not true?

FEMA does what it is does best - promotes incompetence. Hiring only the best at their level of incompetence has only proven that one should never expect more. The Bush Administration, its fearless leader, George Walker Bush, has only managed to hire, select, or promote those slightly less incompetent than he is, although I must admit, there are a couple who appear to be somewhat smarter. After all, to call for a Press Conference without actual reporters? How smart or stupid is that?! Not even fearless leader George Walker Bush has done that!

Arnold was right... the press wants this to be a mess. They want people to die. They want homes to burn. They want to blame it all on Bush.

The truth will not be silenced.

Fema stages a fake press conference using its' own staffers and yet someone out there has to turn it around and blame the press.
Sounds like another Fema staffer to me.

Because no other news organization has reported anything even close to this, I have serious doubts about the veracity of this article. My BS meter is pegged.

Don't be so naive as to believe ABC don't have an agenda! They are a big corporation just like the rest of the nations media and are looking out for their own best interest! Do you really think their just here to keep us informed? Thats funny!

LB Tartaglia - Here is what cnn says: "Then they have to find the fire-starter, who could be a flame-obsessed kid, a property owner seeking an insurance payout -- or even a firefighter looking for glory." The lib media at work implying it is a firefighter that started the whole thing. My bet is it was a "yellow journalism" graduate news babe from Columbia University with a need for some quick news.

PEOPLE! Arnold and plain ordinary citizens have repeatedly said that things are just fine down there--not the Katrina disaster the media wants it to be. People are calling radio stations saying how great disaster aid has been, how law and order is in place down there (aside from the illegal family trying to steal things). My employee's friend who is down there says she is pleasantly surprised how organized things are. ABC is just another biased news organization trying to make headlines out of nothing. After all, strife and misery are what make headlines, so if it's not there, they ahve to try to push it and make it up, just like Harry Reid's statement that the fires are caused by global warming. Gotta keep global warming in the headlines!

Personally I don't care either way. Reporters often ask stupid questions to sensationalize their news. They have often gone from reporting to creating. So long as the info intended to be released by FEMA is released, who cares? Secondly, if they really wanted to give you a spin they would have just realeased a statement. Nothing says the person being asked a questions would have answered any more than they did.

Odd that the Bush Administration can not doing anything right in the Media's eyes, even though the Governor of California is not complaining. Reason is because they are Republicans. The Liberal Media feeds in with the MoveOn.org Democratics to say anything the Bush Administration does is wrong. ABC News is totally anti-Republican and Pro-Democrat and Pro-Hillary. The American people see this which is why ABC News has no crediablity with the American people; also why Hillary has a 51% disapproval rating yet ABC News touts her.

Hey Bill,
ABC did not imply that it is a firefighter that started it. They listed that with several other possibilities. The reason for that is that it has happened more than once in the past. It is a terrible thing, but it does happen. 99.99999% of firefighters are great and honorable people but there is always that small percent that start fires to put them out and be a hero. Now get back to your Bush, Cheney kool-aid.

Hey media bias bush's disapproval rating is 66% but he is much loved over at fox.

Remember when FEMA was actually a very efficient, operational department? Of course that's before GWB came in and stuck it under his other joke of a dept. Homeland Security headed by #1 Zombie Man. Now it is as worthless as GWB.

they only admitted it was an error in judgement because they got caught... and while i don't trust ANY mainstream media these days, some independent reporters are trying... of course, the flat-earthers will blame the messenger, but once in a while a sliver of truth eeks out of the mainstream media

What were these guys thinking? Though the fires are a tragedy, the emergancy response was good. All this does is make anything they say suspect. The guy who okayed this needs to be looking for another job. Those with the Bush-phobias need to get a grip. Presidents don't cause wildfires or hurricanes. Neither are they responsible for those too dumb to evacuate when they are told to. They are, though, responsible for how the government responds. Doesn't matter whether you are Dem or Rep, there is a great danger in appointing political cronies to positions they are not qualified to hold.

Mediabias: If you hate ABC.news so much because as you say they love "liberals" what the hell are you doing reading their news? Go to FOX where you belong and stop bellyaching. Leave the rest of us be who know lies when they hear them, dummy GWB clone.

Whats the difference to the white house? everytime Bush and Cheney went to "town hall meetings" they had GOP operatives hand pick the attendees and guide them on what questions to ask.
There were never anything but rehearsed questions and answers to put on TV about their 'town hall meetings' ..whatever.

All of those CAPITAL LETTERS make this article to DIFFICULT TO READ. Will you please QUIT DOING that?

Shouldn't they be prosecuted for fraud?

Business as usual.

Wow, just wow.

Why all the fuss... FEMA pretends to function, so why not pretend to hold a press conference? Going up the ladder, we have a President who pretends to know what he's doing, a Congress who pretends to do anything at all, and a population who pretends to believe either one.

If FEMA was really just interested in getting the "facts" out to the people then why the charade? Why didn't they just hold a press briefing and say "these are the questions we've been getting and here are our answers"? No, they are afraid of opening themselves up to questions for which they have no time to prepare or "spin"!

AMERICA, Land of the free, of and by the people .... R.I.P 1776-2007 thanks to Bush and all our other dirty, currupt, non-righteous, self serving, sleazy politicians...

You GW haters crack me up. Maybe you should cut back on the weed, booze and crack. You all sound like crack heads spewing your ugly hate. GW is a hero. GW is a visionary. GW has saved the world. Dems are weak and powerless even though they took both branches. The normal public prefer GW to the dem ran branches who do nothing. GW has made our country safer. GW and heroically led our troops to the victory that is on going. The excellent plan is working. ;)

MarinesCallmeDoc... open your eyes, Look around... nothing is getting better... NOTHING, this man waves the american flag while he and his administration destroy what it stands for...

This is all about Washington cronism. The President has steadfastly refused to appoint anything but yes men to head things at a time when the US in under severe stress. OH yeah-HIllary will soon fix it-----about as quick as she will show up and fix my flat tire! People get your heads out of the sand and stop this nonsense-America is in the balance and it is not Gore's "Balance."

Hey MarinesCallmeDoc, did you know that a year after the Iraq invasion, bush and his administration tryed to have solgiers pay cut as well as doing away with danger pay and cut benefits to solgiers families, Do you remember when our men and women in the armed forces were fighting and dying in Iraq GW made a joking video about not finding weapons of mass distruction... yeah great GW!

msarinescallmedoc: sixty-six percent of the normal, working, intelligent people of this country DISapprove of your ersatz hero. Are you still going by the "Mission Accomplished" sign for your cue on the "victory" thing? He's not a visionary - he said he's the "decider" - how 4th grade.

The media are supposed to serve their readers and viewers interests not push their personal political agendas so a pox on all you partisans taking advantage of this disaster to push your group of Government Gangsters against "their" Ggroup of Government Gangsters. Hilary or Barak would have done no better or no worse than GW. That is not the point. The point is who prevented local communities from suppressing the underbrush etc and caused it to get so thick---they should have to pay. Send the Bill to the Sierra Club and the other "Greenie" Socialit failures who are once more "planning" the enviroment instead of managing it. Withdraw ALL Government Insurance and other post fire (or flood) help on Houses built in such unsuitable , heavily wooded areas or on beaches and flood plains. People will soon quit building there if they have to pay for it themselves. FEMA should be closed, like all Government Agencies it is corrupt and inept, no matter who runs the Government. If a disaster happens and people really need immediate help the local Governor can call in his national guard and DoD can send some troops to maintain law and order and transport essentials in the short-term, but leave it to the people and their Insurance companies to rebuild.

LOL! The Bush administration is a joke. But you know what? We the people are even dumber for allowing all of this nonsense to go on. Our government runs us, we don't call the shots. When is everyone going to wake up and smell the coffee?

Anybody shocked?

Fire the Turkey!

This story was written by Al Kamen a Washington Post reporter who is known as a Bush heating ultra liberal who has a history of writing foolish, stupid, outlandish, and untrue stories. I am betting that by tomorrow morning it will have vanished into thin air with no mention of it anywhere including ABC news. For those of you who really don’t care if it is true or not - hammer away if it makes you feel better.

Heckuva job, FEMA...remember, that staged press conference Bush had with the troops back in 2005 - very similiar...it's all about image and PR, instead of actually getting the job done...smoke and mirrors...

If I performed my job in the same manner as these people do I would be fired, simple as that... there is no accountability what-so-ever... I'm sick of our government, both the republicans and democrats.
they play with our lives and money like it's nothing, they all disgust me!

Stop supporting War. It IS possible to make this country safer without killing and pillaging. In my opinion, it's a vastly superior method. We have disasters at home that needs the attention of our soldiers. Natural disasters that are nearly impossible to presdict and even harder to end than a useless war....

par for the course. yawn...

well just remember after a car accident the news always says alcahol may have been involved they never say it may not have been Involved

So the lesson here is that forest fires may or may not be alcoholics and the media is letting them off easy on thier blatent disregard for the lives of us mortals....

For a good lesson in past history of this soet of fraud then go back to watch "Flags of our fathers" It just never ends.

I'm not sure how this would be considered an "agenda"? Even Fema admits it was a sham. The real "agenda" lies on the shoulders of these corrupt people.

And exactly what's wrong with this? The slanted attacks by the news media are somehow better?

This is just another "Mission Accomplished" banner. Liars like Bush and his "administration" do not know how to face the truth: it is wholly alien to them.

ABC consultant Alexis Debat faked stories.
Jack Kelley, a USA Today correspondent, faked stories.
Reuters used fake photos.
Nick Sylvester, the Village Voice, faked story.
The news media has made its share of fake stories.
FEMA did not lie like the above reporters did.

You know what is really interesting? people's absolute disregard for being moral when they suddenly get the freedom to post to a blog and not have to answer for their statements. People who use the online blogosphere to use other people's tragedies to take potshots at anybody they don't like are very foolish. If you don't like GWB, that's fine, don't vote for a republican next year if you don't want to. But remember, just because you can doesn't mean that you should hate the person who is the leader of the country. He has a lot tougher job then you will EVER experience, and despite your over-sized egos opinion, you could NOT do a better job. And if all you ever do is complain about everything he does wrong, we just might end up with a new president who is even worse. Whatever happened to common courtesy, and when did the world devolve into just flinging mud at everyone you don't like? Get back to what matters people.

Bravo, Cedric T. Did you notice how no one even acknowledged your thorough and accurate post? Yes, the real problem here is that Environmentalists over the years demanded that the underbrush not be cleared out and burned, and that the individuals and their insurance companies were not primarily responsible for treating the land directly around their homes being treated with preventatives. This is not about Global Warming (which seems to be happening, but according to Many Scientists is not either caused by humans nor is it the crisis Gore/greenie/liberals paint it to be) but it is about greed and mismanagement. And postingcomm: No, it can't. When you have read and studied and understand the religion of Alquaida,get back to me.

Heck-of-a-job Brownie must be laughing his butt off. Sad, really sad...round and round we swirl, closer and closer to the drain.

I know of a plot to misinform the news media on site in San Diego. FEMA staffers were to pose as PIO's (public information officers) and provide information with a Federal Government spin. At least one FEMA employee questioned the order but it's unknown if it was carried out by the individual. The video was then to be feed to all the networks as a news piece using there own contracted satellite truck that had been used to feed legitimate news information. They now have another satellite truck company (Surelink) and news orineted camera crews to help FEMA with its misinforming mission.

It's impeachment time!!! These are "Bush" people and their operation is "Bush league". Such a shoddy set-up should be thrown back in the face of the present regime and the Republicanite Senate that set these things in motion. Impeach the President!!! Give the world a break!!!

I'm not surprised at FEMA's "deception" ! All you have to do is take a close look around South Mississippi and Louisanna and talk with the ordinary every day people on the street and ask them : How much money or help did FEMA actually give to you? I think you'll find that even those still in FEMA trailers are having serious issues that FEMA does not address. I am a disabled veteran and I was offered and received a small amount of help from FEMA only to have to pay it back with interest afterwards because they didn't tell me the real truth to begin with about how much they would help in conjunction with insurance. I've had to borrow more money for repairs that far exceeds insurance payments to me and FEMA gave me "nothing"! They even told me I was eligible for a loan with The SBA and on the same day I received their letter in the mail, they cancelled "all of my paperwork"! They said it was because I refused to give them personal information.....I don't give out personal information on the telephone at 9 or 10 PM when a stranger calls and simply says they are calling from FEMA! Yes, I refused and I requested a letter from them on their stationary/letterhead requesting such information and finally received one and I filled it out and returned it and then they cancelled my application! FEMA better not ever show up on my doorstep again!! I wouldn't trust them to "HELP" do anything. They're a bigger scam than most of the con artists out there.

Several posters have said they were not offended by this sham press conference. Perhaps they don't realize how the first actions of any totalitarian regime is to control the news. The pressure to do so and the advantages are as immense to the regime as they are devastating to the public. Even the Nazis, in the years leading up to WWII, did not try to exclude American reporters from news conferences. Of course, all the answers to reporters' questions were lies! But at least they got to ask them.

Yawn ZZZZZ. This is getting to be warped. Yawn, ZZZZ

How in the name of all that is right in the world did someone like this make it to the rank of Vice Admiral? The Navy must be cringing now.