What the media did not put into context, and what confirms that the media did exhibit an anti-Bush bias, is that dozens of Louisiana and New Orleans disaster officials are under criminal indictment and awaiting trial for stealing up to $60 million in federal funds given to the state of Louisiana by Congress for disaster relief since 1998. Nor has the New York Times made much of the fact that the governor and the mayor were elected on the Democratic ticket. Nor has the New York Times reported on the fact that the mayor of New Orleans had up to 2,000 public school and city busses available to evacuate those who could not evacuate themselves. The New York Times only reported that the mayor cried that the Feds were too slow to offer transportation out of New Orleans after the storm which of course was not true either. Those busses are now scrap metal. Nor has the New York Times reported the fact, before the hurricane, the Louisiana governor had stationed fully armed and equipped 250 National Guard troops in the very convention center where so many poor suffered, were murdered, raped, shot and or starved. Yes, 250 Louisiana National Guard troops, fully armed and supplied, were just down the hall from the victims (in the same building), literally on the other side of a door, from the day before the storm hit, but were not ordered by their commander, the governor of Louisiana, to attempt to help the victims on the other side of their door. Yet, the New York Times continues to publish the claims of Louisiana officials that the federal government waited three days to send in troops. 1) The governor of Louisiana refused to allow National Guard troops from other states into Louisiana until the commanding General was sworn into her state s Guard and even then, made them wait one more day. 2) The governor already had her troops, under her command, in the convention center, but ordered them not to help. In the Guard s own words, when they ventured out into the city to evaluate conditions, they left by the back door during the night so as to not be seen by the victims. One of the Guard s leaders said he even forbid his troops from using their own flashlights at night, until they got far enough away from the convention center, so as to not attract attention or gun fire. If such reporting on the part of the New York Times and other media outlets is not biased, at the very least it s irresponsible and dishonest. By the way, the French Quarter will officially reopen for business Sept. 26 (next weekend), according that same mayor. Parts of the French Quarter never stopped doing business during and after the hurricane.

Sources: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na- money17sep17,1,5736422.story?coll=la-headlines-nation

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2005/09/16/D8CLFT1O0.html

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/ns/news/story.jsp? id=2005091614390002816880&dt=20050916143900&w=RTR&coview=

http://www.qando.net/details.aspx?Entry=2588

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/14/ AR2005091402655.html