Jesse Jackson ignored poor blacks, only helped rich, elite blacks in NOLA

Question:

…hmm, I wonder why he didn’t go to the Superdome or Convention Center, where he was needed the most, wasn’t he watching TV? Maybe he had an "indifference to the pain of poor people, and black people." "Jackson, some four days after Hurricane Katrina struck, apparently led a bus convoy to rescue 450 students trapped at the historically black Xavier University, hardly the poorest people in the city, but rather, we might suggest, part of the black elite who get to go to a university of that caliber." http://www.talkingproud.us/Hammer090405A.html Blacks were in critical leadership positions, Jesse. Get it right. Jesse Jackson rode out Katrina in Caracas, Venezuela, in the palace of the "hate America" administration of Comrade Chavez. He’s home now to belittle the American people’s response to the Katrina disaster. By Ed Marek, editor I’ve been wondering when old faithful, Jesse Jackson, would bounce out of the woodwork to make the disaster response to Hurricane Katrina a racial thing. On September 2, we have Jackson tearing into President Bush and the American people like this: "There is a historical indifference to the pain of poor people, and black people … we seem to adjust more easily to black pain. "We reach out today for our president to lead from the ground, not the air. "They are poor people, black people (trapped in New Orleans) for the most part without private transportation, many of them are old and sick. "How can blacks be left out of the leadership and trapped into the suffering?" "When the 9/11 tragedy struck us, the president was there in two days, on the ground embracing police and firemen. When the tsunami struck, he immediately mobilized world opinion. "The UN relief effort for the tsunami was superior to the US effort for New Orleans and Louisiana. For American citizens, we deserve better." Jackson, some four days after Hurricane Katrina struck, apparently led a bus convoy to rescue 450 students trapped at the historically black Xavier University, hardly the poorest people in the city, but rather, we might suggest, part of the black elite who get to go to a university of that caliber. Jackson said he was shocked at the scenes of pain and suffering. Well, Jackson, don’t feel like the Lone Ranger. The entire nation has been shocked by the scenes of pain and suffering. May God have mercy on you if you don’t believe that. Tell us Jackson, by what measure have you concluded that Americans have adjusted to black pain? You have no such measure. If you look at the photography of the rescue efforts that have been underway immediately following Katrina’s departure, you’ll see a lot of Americans from all walks of life helping and saving lives, often beyond the call of duty. I personally have not seen one photo showing your Rainbow Coalition, the Black Caucus, the Urban League or the NAACP in there doing anything. All I hear from these outfits is complaining and whining. Look Jackson, we are not fools. We all understand that poor people are without private transportation, and many are old and sick. Why the mayor and governor did not get them out of town is a matter left for later analysis. Blacks have not been left out of the leadership. The mayor of New Orleans, his chief of police, and much of his staff are all black. The responsibilities for city disaster preparedness and first response fell on them. They are and were in the most critical positions of leadership. Did they do their job? We’ll evaluate that later. So what if the president was in New York two days after 9-11 and so what that he immediately mobilized world opinion for tsunami support? What’s your point? Make it clearly instead of talking in hieroglyphics. Your analogy is all bent out of shape. The UN relief effort for the tsunami was not superior to the US effort in New Orleans. Sayting it was truly reflects how out of touch you are Jackson. What UN effort for the tsunami? There was no UN relief effort of any note. Damned near the entire effort was an American effort. And the American effort took time to kick in as well. You might recall that the same media criticizing the US response to Katrina criticized the US response to the tsunami on the other side of the world. We opened a photo gallery series on December 28, 2004, two days after the tsunami struck, entitled, "Our sons’ and daughters’ tsunami response makes you shiver with pride." I personally looked at the photography coming from the region every day, and I didn’t see any UN effort. Sorry. Jackson has tried to deceive us, yet again. One more point. The fools in the media and politics, including Jackson, know nothing of what is required to mount a major logistics effort of the kinds required by the tsunami and Katrina. Nothing. They just have no clue. I am very proud of the way we Americans have responded to Katrina, and I know my pride will grow as each day passes. I am also very proud of the way those who suffered in New Orleans under the most difficult circumstances hung in there and fought the fight as best they could until the help we provided got there. I don;t know that I could have held up as well. One never knows until tested. They were tested by the tens and tens of thousands, and they passed with flying colors. Do they have legitimate complaints? Hell yeah. Did they survive? Hell yeah, almost all of them. Were there some no-goodnkiks in the crowd? Of course, but none of us will allow them to cover up the iron-clad will to survive demonstrated by so many. With regard to one each Jesse Jackson and his Monday morning quarterbacking, it is worth noting that on August 24 he was joined with Venezuela’s consul general in Chicago getting themselves in a lather over Pat Robertson’s remarks about taking out Venezuela’s President Chavez. At that time, Tropical Storm Katrina was east of Florida and on a direct course toward southern Florida. Her winds were only 40 mph but she was predicted to be heavy with rain. On August 25 Jackson was marketing his trip to Venezuela scheduled for August 27-30. Tropical Storm Katrina had been approaching southeastern Florida with 50 mph winds but was moving slowly and was very heavy with rains. She struck Florida as a Category 1 Hurricane with winds at 75 mph and lots of rain on that day. On August 27, Jackson boarded a private jet sent by Comrade Chavez to Chicago to fly him to Caracas. While flying out of Chicago, now Hurricane Katrina, a Category 1, had just departed Florida’s southwest coast after leaving much destruction and killing at least nine. She quickly gained strength over the Gulf of Mexico and was rated a Category 3, and experts warned she could be a Category 4 by landfall the Gulf Coast, predicted for August 29. On August 28, Jackson was on Venezuelan television with President Chavez. That morning, Hurricane Katrina was passing into the Gulf of Mexico between southwest Florida and Mexico’s Yucatan and was upgraded to the most powerful hurricane possible, Category 5. Surges in excess of 18 feet, severe structural damage, and rapidly rising water levels in low lying areas were predicted. New Orleans was cited at this time as highly vulnerable. New Orleans’ mayor and staff, along with the Louisiana governor and staff, all knew that the city’s levees were only designed to withstand a Category 3. Rev. Jesse Jackson shares a moment with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez after receiving a sash at the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, Aug. 29, 2005. Photo credit: Fernando Llano, AP On August 29, the day Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans, Jackson was in the Miraflores Presidential Palace in Caracas meeting with Comrade Chavez. On August 30, Jackson was flying back to the US on Chavez’s private jet. We do not know whether Jackson’s busy schedule in Venezuela precluded him from staying abreast of the route of Hurricane Katrina. One must wonder whether the hurricane and its ferocity simply escaped Jackson’s attention while playing grab-ass with the "hate America" administration of Comrade Chavez. Perhaps he was tired and simply surprised. He did show up in safe and sound Baton Rouge on September 1, two days after the disaster. The first I noted Jackson in New Orleans was on September 3, five days after the disaster.

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