FEMA decides that they have done enough to help Puerto Rico. San Juan mayor disagrees. Strongly.

Courtesy of NBC News:  

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said in a statement that commercial supplies of food and water have been re-established in Puerto Rico and that private suppliers are “sufficiently available that FEMA commodities are no longer needed for emergency operations." The supplies were scheduled to end Wednesday; Washington's decision to end aid to the island was first reported by NPR.

FEMA said most grocery stores are open, as are transportation systems, gas stations, banks and ATMs. FEMA staging areas are still open and have provisions for local mayors to obtain for their citizens, FEMA said.

Not so fast FEMA.   

The mayor of San Juan on Tuesday denounced the U.S. government’s plan to end emergency food and water aid to Puerto Rico, saying she had just sent powdered milk to a school that was still without power and struggling to find the necessary supplies for its students. 

“Yesterday, I had to help — because it is a moral imperative to help — a school about 45 minutes from San Juan that still has no water, no electricity and no milk for their children,” the mayor, Carmen Yulín Cruz, said at the Latino Victory Summit, a gathering of Latino leaders and activists that seeks to boost the number of Hispanics in elected office.

“While I’m standing here with you there are children without food in Puerto Rico,” Cruz said at the summit. 

She said she continues to see women crossing rivers using a rope, because their bridge was washed away, to get medication for their children. 

“We need the help and it’s not help, we have paid for it,” Cruz said, noting that Puerto Ricans have fought in every U.S. military campaign.

"There is a need in Puerto Rico, and we ask the president to, for once, do the right thing and not take the aid away from Puerto Rico."

"During all the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico, there's been a feature of the Trump administration and that is that they take away the aid before it's done," Cruz said to reporters following her speech, citing the example of the withdrawal of the Army Reserve even though bridges still need building. 

Let's face it the people of Puerto Rico are simply not white enough for Trump to care about. 

The costs of global warming are literally too expensive to ignore.

Courtesy of TPM: 

A non-partisan federal watchdog says climate change is already costing U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars each year, with those costs expected to rise as devastating storms, floods, wildfires and droughts become more frequent in the coming decades. 

A Government Accountability Office report released Monday said the federal government has spent more than $350 billion over the last decade on disaster assistance programs and losses from flood and crop insurance. That tally does not include the massive toll from this year’s wildfires and three major hurricanes, expected to be among the most costly in the nation’s history. 

The report predicts these costs will only grow in the future, potentially reaching a budget busting $35 billion a year by 2050. The report says the federal government doesn’t effectively plan for these recurring costs, classifying the financial exposure from climate-related costs as “high risk.” 

“The federal government has not undertaken strategic government-wide planning to manage climate risks by using information on the potential economic effects of climate change to identify significant risks and craft appropriate federal responses,” the study said. “By using such information, the federal government could take the initial step in establishing government-wide priorities to manage such risks.”

And of course this does not calculate the cost of human life that will also rise exponentially as these devastating weather patterns worsen.

Just imagine for a minute how much less all of this would have cost if thirty years ago people had listened to those wacky climate scientists and started working toward weaning ourselves off fossil fuels, and moving toward renewable energy sources.

We could have literally saved billions and billions of dollars.

But then how would those poor oil companies have made their billions and billions of dollars?

Once again surrounded by the devastation left by a hurricane Donald Trump attempts to convince people his hands are YUGE!

#Trump today in #Naples ripping through a pair of white gloves says his hands were too big needs bigger gloves pic.twitter.com/RB3twfG7ap

— Strategic Sentinel (@StratSentinel) September 14, 2017

Courtesy of New York Magazine:  

President Trump, who’s been dealing with smart alecks making fun of his gerbil hands since he was a fixture in Spy magazine, made a show of not being able to fit into a pair of rubber gloves on Thursday, the second time he’s done so in as many weeks. 

During his trip to hurricane-ravaged Naples, Florida, Trump, along with the First Lady, vice-president, and others, passed out lunch to people working to clean up the coastal town. According to the White House pool report, Trump positioned himself behind a tray of sandwiches, where he attempted to put on a pair of rubber gloves. He struggled to fit them over his mitts, declaring, “They’re too small.” After the glove on his right hand ripped, Trump decided to recommend hoagies rather than actually pass them out. 

“Here’s a nice one,” he told one diner.

This is the second time while standing amid the destruction left by Mother Nature that Trump attempted to vindicate himself against the now 27 year old charge made by Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter that he is a "short fingered vulgarian."

Apparenlty the "vulgarian" part never bothered him at all.

You may remember the first time this same happened in Texas earlier in the month.

As he puts on plastic gloves to serve food at NRG Stadium...President Trump turns to press and says: "My hands are too big!" pic.twitter.com/WIUTLOS4XD

— Pat Ward (@WardDPatrick) September 2, 2017

Keep in mind that in both of these cases Trump was supposed to be faking compassion and at least pretending to help people whose lives had just been devastated, and yet he cannot help but make everything about him.

Brave Willow firefighter loses home to the very fire he is fighting to stop.

Neighbor walks one of Leo Lashock's dogs by what remains of Lashock's home.

So last night somebody sent me an e-mail with a Daily Kos link attached and asked me to please post something about this story.

I don't usually take requests, but this time it was my pleasure.

Courtesy of the Daily Kos: 

A valiant and unselfish fire captain in the town of Willow Alaska has been fighting fire, without end, since Sunday. Sometime during the week he realized the smoke he saw in the distance was his own home.... his truck.. his dog trailer. Everything. 

Thanks to neighbors, his 17 dogs were rescued, and were returned to their owner today amid the smoldering ruins of the rest of his belongings. 

His name is Leo Lashock. He's 51. He's a fire Capt , a recreational dog musher. And a hero. If you have a few bucks to send his way, he could use them. And he deserves them. His mailing address (PO Box) is readily available on Zabasearch. To read more about Leo, the Sockeye Fire and the brave firefighters battling it, go to ADN.com. This was posted without Mr. Lashock's knowledge or permission. Thank you. This is the best thing you'll do today. 

As it turns out Lashock's mailing address is not "readily available" however there is a Facebook page for the Willow Dog Musher's Association which has information for those wishing to help out.  

And here is the Alaska Dispatch story about Lachock for those who want to know more.

The poor guy really did lose just about everything, except 17 of his dogs who were rescued before the flames arrived. (Three are still missing.)

I don't often suggest that people send money, and you can respond however you want to here.

However I will say that these people are being devastated by these fires, and it seems especially unfair that a man who has been on the front line since the day they started should return home to find virtually everything he owns destroyed.

The epitome of Christian love.

So that strange looking individual up above is a former LA cop and current missionary and self styled preacher Tony Miano. He is also used to host a show with Kirk Cameron buddy, Ray Comfort.

Well while most people were reacting with horror at the devastation that resulted from that earthquake in Nepal, Miano had an entirely different reaction.

.@CNN Praying 4 the lost souls in Nepal. Praying not a single destroyed pagan temple will b rebuilt & the people will repent/receive Christ.
— Tony Miano (@TonyMiano) April 25, 2015

Yeah nothing like a devastating earthquake, and an astronomical loss of innocent life, to convince the heathens to reject thousands of years of religious tradition and embrace the Christian god, who Christians believe is responsible for all natural phenomena on earth.

Good sales pitch.

(H/T to The Friendly Atheist.)

Philippine Catholic Bishops are sending Bibles and rosary beads to communities devastated by typhoon Yolanda. Yeah who needs food and shelter when you have Jesus?

Courtesy of Inquirer News: 

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is sending several copies of the Bible and rosaries to Tacloban and nearby provinces to fill the spiritual necessities of those affected by supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name Haiyan). 

According to the CBCP, the Episcopal Commission for the Biblical Apostolate (ECBA) will be sending 1,000 copies of the Bible to help strengthen the faith of the typhoon victims. 

On the other hand, the prayer support network of the pro-life movement Rosary for Life donated to the CBCP an initial 3,000 rosaries for Tacloban to help uplift the spiritual morale of the devastated people in the city. 

“We know that through prayers somehow we will survive as a people and persevere in life. The primacy of the spiritual dimension in our lives must be emphasized to our people. We, of course know that the physical necessities of life are important but also important is the spiritual side of the people in this recent calamity. We are making these rosaries available to people to help them pray in this time of trial and tragedy,” said William Lorenzo, the communication officer of Rosaries for Life, in a statement. 

Lorenzo said they would visit the affected areas to help rehabilitate the Catholic spirituality of the people of Tacloban. 

He added that rosaries would also be sent to Samar, another province badly affected by the supertyphoon. 

Meanwhile, Dr. Natividad Pagadut, ECBA’s executive secretary, believes that the distribution of the Bible should be coupled with formation and counseling of the people in order to guide them on how to use it. 

“We hope that the Bible would help the victims recover from the tragedy, strengthen their faith, and improve as persons,” she said. 

“It is best to couple it with formation, counseling and to guide them on what to read in the Bible during this time. With this, they will be consoled, challenged, they will gain hope to move on, and get up from this terrible experience,” Pagadut said. 

The biblical apostolate also gave 100 copies of children’s Bible for kids to read to help them get up from the devastating experience. 

WTF? These people have lost EVERYTHING and with all of the money at their disposal the Catholic church sends them Bibles and beads?

They don't care about the well being of these people, they are just worried that they will lose members of the flock who might be questioning the wisdom of worshiping a God who either sent this typhoon on purpose who was unable or unwilling to prevent it.

These people need physical help, not more proselytizing.

I may be nothing more than a heathen but I have sent two different donations already.

Cash donations.

And I did it not to earn my way into heaven, or to buy my way out of hell, but simply because it is the right, the human, thing to do.

President Obama visits devastated Oklahoma. Update.

Courtesy of USA Today:

During a first-hand look Sunday afternoon at the devastation from last week's violent tornado, President Obama praised Oklahomans for their resolve while consoling victims and promising continued help. 

"I'm just a messenger here today, letting everybody here know that you are not alone, that you've got folks behind you," Obama said. "Obviously, the damage here is pretty hard to comprehend. Our hearts go out to the families who have been impacted, including those who had loved ones who were lost." 

Obama, who flew from Washington to nearby Tinker Air Force Base, spent several hours in the area. He walked through one of the hardest-hit neighborhoods in the Oklahoma City suburb and toured the ruins of Plaza Towers Elementary School, which was destroyed by the tornado. He later visited a local fire station that has been used as a command post. There he thanked first responders and met with families of seven children who died at the school. 

I swear not since Bill Clinton has a president been this effective at comforting hurting Americans.

Even if he were NOT doing all that he has done for the country in the last four and half years he would probably still be remembered for this alone. I personally have great respect for those that can demonstrate compassion for their fellow man, and President Obama is EXACTLY the guy that I would want to show up and offer support if I were dealing with devastation the likes of this Oklahoma Tornado, or Hurricane Sandy, or any other disaster one might imagine.

Update: Wiping away a tear.

Photo courtesy of the Obama Diary.

Courageous Oklahoma Atheist has over $50,000 raised for her by grateful fellow atheists.

Courtesy of HuffPo: 

After a vicious tornado ripped through her Moore, Okla. home on Tuesday, Rebecca Vitsmun was lucky to be alive. After graciously handling an awkward moment while discussing the aftermath on national television, more good fortune is headed her way. 

In a Tuesday interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Vitsmun was asked if she was thanking "the Lord" for deciding to escape home with her 19-month-old son. She hesitated for a moment, before telling Blitzer that she was actually an atheist. 

"You are. All right. But you made the right call," Blitzer said, prompting Vitsmun to add: "We are here, and I don't blame anyone for thanking the Lord." 

An Indiegogo community called Atheists Unite has responded resoundingly in support of Vitsmun's poise. Over just a few hours from late Thursday into early Friday, 250-plus funders had raised more than $7,000 for her. According to the page, a fundraising goal of $50,000 in assistance has been set. (Since HuffPo posted this article the amount raised has gone up dramatically and they have now met their $50,000 goal and then some!)


"It's important that our community shows that we have your back when you come out publicly as an atheist," the campaign page wrote. "Let's show the world that you dont need to believe in a god to have human compassion nor does all charity fall under the banner of religion. Let's get this courageous woman and her family back in their own home."

I have to say that as an atheist myself I was REALLY impressed with Ms. Vitsmum's ability to stay true to her beliefs (Or lack of beliefs if you prefer) while being questioned on national television. 

Just like lowering our heads during unexpected requests for prayer, it is sometimes just easier to play along rather than to stand out, but this brave young mother seemed to have no problem. And for that she has earned the respect and admiration of many people, both religious, and nonreligious.

P.S. By the way the most humorous response from the religious right to this rather embarrassing incident for CNN was from Glenn Beck, who seems to believe that it was the result of sabotage from the "forces of spiritual darkness:"  

“I think he was fed some information about the guest he had on beforehand — that’s what producers do — given some questions that he should ask, etc., etc.,” Beck explained. “Some producer, who is sympathetic to the atheist plight or just doesn’t like Christians or whatever it is, thought it was important to point out that, in the middle of the heartland in American where most people are God fearing, there are atheists there too.” 

“It’s important because it informs others what they are being taught about atheists from atheism and the bully pulpit and other sources of bias that is not a correct reflection of reality in plain view,” he continued. “We are not fighting against flesh and bone, we are fighting the forces of spiritual darkness. And it doesn’t matter what people’s intent are, but I will tell you that, that was there for a reason.”

Oh yeah, if there is an atheist showing up on national television in the wake of a catastrophe  like that they MUST be a plant. After all in the face of such devastation wouldn't that frighten ANYBODY into clinging to superstition and their faith in a bronze age god?

Actually, not so much.

CBS News interviews sweet little old lady after Oklahoma tornado destroys her home, and then everything gets awesome.

Watch until the 1:39 mark. I promise you will not be disappointed.

They used their own bodies to protect the children.

Courtesy of the Telegraph:

The centre of the destruction was Moore, a suburb of 55,000 to the south of the city. 

There, the Plaza Towers primary school was directly hit by the tornado, and 24 children are feared to have died inside. At least seven bodies have been pulled from the rubble of the school and authorities have confirmed that more casualties are expected. 

One witness at Plaza Towers told KOCO television: "We pulled a teacher out and she was on top of three kids. The kids were fine but the teacher was in a bad way and we wheeled her into an ambulance. As far as I know most of the kids got out. 

"There were kids running around screaming. The school is just gone, you can't tell what was the front and what was the back. People were screaming for their children." Another rescuer said: "They've been pulling out third graders. It is absolute chaos down here. It's horrific." 

One teacher described lying on top of six children in a bathroom to protect them. 

The children pulled from the rubble were passed down a human chain to a triage centre in the car park of the school, which taught 500 pupils. 

Many of the children had been taken to a local church to shelter before the storm hit. Around 75 were believed to have been kept at the school by teachers as they sought to ride out the tornado.

 A second school in the storm's path, Briarwood Elementary, was also flattened.

A teacher hugs one of the students from Briarwood Elementary School.

I can barely imagine how terrifying it must have been for these children, and the teachers left behind to protect them. But story after story is emerging of these educators literally shielding the bodies of their students with their own.

I think the next person I hear say a derogatory remark about a teacher I will punch in the mouth.

The devastation that you can see in the pictures is bad enough but take a look at the video one family captured as they emerged from where they took shelter from the storm.

When they entered that space they were surrounded by the walls of a house, and when they emerge there is nothing but sky above them.

I don't necessarily think that this is the right time to get political, but I cannot let this go without mentioning that both of Oklahoma's Senators voted against providing relief to New Jersey after Sandy.

Somehow I imagine they will have changed their tune about government spending. Don't you?

Update: More unbelievable video.

By the way for those wondering how come these people did not have time to get all of the children to safety you should know that there was ONLY a sixteen minute warning, and that the schools are some of the best constructed buildings in the area. Literally the ONLY way to have been completely safe was to go underground, and from what I am hearing the bedrock under this town makes that very difficult.

Oklahoma hit by perhaps the worst Tornado in history. Update!

The tornado has destroyed two schools and there are attempts right now to rescue the students trapped under the debris.

My understanding is that some of these children are third graders.

This is going to be bad.

Update: Courtesy of CNN:

Areas of metropolitan Oklahoma City appeared to be in shreds Monday afternoon after a massive tornado moved through the region. "The houses are destroyed. ... Completely leveled," a helicopter pilot for CNN affiliate KFOR said. A school was apparently among the structures leveled by the twister.

I have not yet heard of any deaths, but I am having trouble believing that there will not be any fatalities considering the damage I am seeing on the television right now.

Update 2: According to news reports the 4th, 5th and 6th grade classes were evacuated and they are safely at a nearby church. That seems counter intuitive to me, but I don't know any details I don't know the reasoning.

There were 75 people in the school when the tornado hit.

So far they are not reporting any deaths but there is also a neighborhood all around the school and it is flattened like a pancake, so things do not look good.

Update 3: More pictures:

It looks like a war zone.

Update 4: Reports of two dozen or more fatalities in that school. They are apparently the missing school children.

Update 5: President Obama has notified FEMA to get "all available  assistance" to the area ASAP.

That is good because it is beyond clear that these people need as much assistance as possible right now.

President Obama returns to devastation left in wake of Sandy in order to console victims and view progress of the cleanup.

President Obama consoles parents of children killed in storm.

Courtesy of the Chicago Tribune:

President Barack Obama consoled grieving victims of Superstorm Sandy on the ground and surveyed disaster zones from the air on Thursday, visiting parts of New York City still struggling to recover 17 days after the storm devastated the U.S. Northeast. 

Wearing a wind breaker and sturdy shoes, the president walked through destroyed sections of the borough of Staten Island, hugging and chatting with people whose lives were shattered when Sandy slammed ashore on October 29, bringing a record storm surge and killing more than 120 people. 

During his FIRST visit to the areas devastated by this incredible storm, the President was criticized for using it as a photo-op for political gain. Well now the election is over, and here the President is again, doing the job he was elected to do.

Clearly it was NEVER about the photo-op, it was about helping people in need.

I am sure that Mitt Romney probably has the help that FEMA provided these devastated people on his list of things the President GAVE voters in order to buy their support.

By the way you can watch the President's statement by clicking here.

Ladies and Gentleman allow me to introduce my President and yours, Barack "Together we can do anything" Obama.

I don't really think I have to add anything.

THAT is who Mitt Romney is running against, and that help he is offering this devastated woman is what Romney wants to privatize.

I believe the appropriate word here is "checkmate."

Obama campaign ad uses Mitt Romney's words against him to devastating effect. Update!

I saw this ad on Meet the Press this morning and was blown away by how powerful, and potentially damaging to the Romney campaign, it was.

The new attack against the President by the Romney campaign is that he is a liar. That of course is projection on their part and in NO way supported by the evidence.

All of that of course makes me wonder how the Republicans will deal with this ad, which does nothing but use Romney's own unedited words against him. Let's watch how quickly they abandon the truth to defend their candidate.

Update: Here is another version featuring Bruno Mars.

Some people had to work this Labor Day weekend. Very important work.

The President visited New Jersey today, and spent time with Governor Christie surveying the damage wrought by Irene.

Courtesy of The Obama Diary:

“I know that there’s been some talk about whether there’s going to be a slowdown in getting funding out here, emergency relief. As President of the United States, I want to make it very clear that we are going to meet our federal obligations – because we’re one country, and when one part of the country gets affected, whether it’s a tornado in Joplin, Missouri, or a hurricane that affects the Eastern Seaboard, then we come together as one country and we make sure that everybody gets the help that they need. And the last thing that the residents here of Paterson or the residents of Vermont or the residents of upstate New York need is Washington politics getting in the way of us making sure that we are doing what we can to help communities that have been badly affected.”



This is what a President, a good President, does.

He goes to where people are hurting and comforts them, promises to help them, and then he does exactly that.

Could ANYBODY imagine this man worrying about what is said about him on a blog?

There are just too many more important things for him to do.