-t, Heather, Dana, my heart to you. There's really nothing else I can say.

I think I need to sleep for a week, for no apparent reason. I'm just lazy.

Did you hear the whole thing? I was watching CNN at ass o'clock this morning, and think they were carrying it, live. God bless him. "I don't know if it's the Governor's problem, or the President's problem, but somebody needs to get their ass on the plane, and do something."

I just really, really like that guy. I loved the call for a moratorium on press conferences. Essentially he wants people to stop talking and "get off their asses." You gotta love the candor--even if it's the product of extreme desparation.

You know one thing is scaring me (of the many)? That so much of the authorities seem to be reliant on the media to get their info. I mean, yay that all those journalists tromping around are getting the info out, but good god, they should be at least the secondary source for the emergency response people. And even then, it's like they aren't paying attention to the media.

Robert Siegel was practically daring Chertoff to call him a liar over the fact that there were people at the convention center. Chertoff kept dodging it, saying they had no such reports. DUDE. Siegel had John Burnett on the phone RIGHT THEN and THERE who way saying on the order of a couple thousand.

Chertoff's office did call back later to acknowlege they had since got reports, but christ. If you obviously don't know and people are telling you, for godsake.....

I just heard the NO Mayor's interview on WWL. Wow.

I heard a short clip on NPR, where they bleeped his saying "goddamn". And then proceeded to ask America to excuse his French.

(Love that expression!) (No idea why swear words are French.)

Sounds like he put on his ass-kicking boots. As well he should. Usually, when El Salvador is offering you aid, it's bad enough for the ass-kicking to start.

Robert Siegel was practically daring Chertoff to call him a liar over the fact that there were people at the convention center. Chertoff kept dodging it, saying they had no such reports. DUDE. Siegel had John Burnett on the phone RIGHT THEN and THERE who way saying on the order of a couple thousand.

I heard that and my jaw just dropped. How could he not know?

NBC just had a photographer on at the convention center -- I saw the people right there on my tv. He said three people had died just when he was there. I guess he was there a few days ago, they aired footage, but no supplies (like, say, water) were delivered until yesterday. He brought Harry Connick, Jr., there too -- he's describing going through with Connick and with the only guy who apparently seems to be in charge there, who he described as "if you want to get sterotypical," looking like a looter. Which I assume to mean young and black.

I heard that and my jaw just dropped. How could he not know?

He had no reports that arrived through "official channels"?

These are bureaucracies. God forbid they should have to improvise a response to a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Oh, and not for nothing, but I heard someone this morning making an excellent point, but now I forget who -- weren't we supposed to be spending the past four years preparing for a catastrophic event?

Is this the satellite picture whose authenticity bon was wondering about? Or was it this (real one)?

No.

eta: and on ita's edit, yes.

Hang on - lemme find it....