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September 05, 2005

Mayor Nagin -- un-f*cking-believable

I read this and thought it had to be ScrappleFace.

NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 4 - A day after two police suicides and the abrupt resignations or desertions of up to 200 police officers, defiant city officials on Sunday began offering five-day vacations - and even trips to Las Vegas - to the police, firefighters and city emergency workers and their families. ...

Mr. Nagin, who has been demanding more federal assistance for days as his city struggled with despair, death and flooding, said he had asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pay for the trips but the agency said it could not. He said the city, therefore, would pay the costs.

This boob ignored his city's own Evacuation Plan, almost TWO THIRDS of his police force fade into the woodwork and Nagin says:
He said he believed there were now enough National Guard members in the city to allow the police to take a break and still keep the city secure, and he brushed off questions about whether such a trip might look like a dereliction of duty.

"I'll take the heat on that," Mr. Nagin said. "We want to cater to them."

Strange, I don't remember Rudy sending NYPD cops and their families to Vegas or Atlantic City on 9/18/2001. Infact, I don't remember NYPD cops abandoning their posts either.
Officials said they expected the military, with much greater resources, to expand rescue work, begin cleaning up the city and take the first steps toward reconstruction. ...

New Orleans officials said they would remain in charge. Mr. Riley, who has been on the police force for 24 years, will oversee the police department in the superintendent's absence.

"We haven't turned over control of the city," Colonel Ebbert said.

What more can I say? I've heard of the fabled corruption of the city government of New Orleans, but this is so baldfaced as to border on parody.

Abso-fucking-amazing.

(h/t Bryan Preston for Michelle Malkin)

Posted by Darleen at September 5, 2005 08:30 AM

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