Watch THE PROCESS Video on MYSPACE

Watch THE PROCESS Video Beggar on MYSPACE.
Detroit's rock reggae madmen, THE PROCESS, go from New York to LA in this adventure in the life of a street person. This Award winning video takes you with the band to the Holland tunnel in New York, on to Al's Bar in LA, and back to Detroit again. THE PROCESS tell the story of a homeless person with a wild montage of images and never before seen concert footage.

CLICK HERE to watch the video!

Midland Daily News Article (Happy Birthday Bob Marley)

Steve Griffin, Midland Daily News 02/24/2006

Sixty-one years after his birth, and 25 years after his passing, the life of reggae artist Bob Marley continues to be celebrated -- and not just in the Rasta-man's native Jamaica.

Saturday, Shooters, on Gratiot Street in Saginaw, will host its annual Bob Marley Birthday Bash. Headlining will be The Process, a Detroit-based rock/reggae outfit with mid-Michigan roots. The Saginaw ska band Stamp'D will open, and Ambassador David from Reggae Ambassador Worldwide will serve as DJ.
"Put on your dancing shoes," advises a news release from Ambassador David, "and come ready to party."
First to send you to the floor will be Stamp'D, which began as a Saginaw trio in 1996 and has blossomed into its current horn-enriched seven members, several of them from the Birch Run-Saginaw area.
Saturday will be the first public performance for the band's new lineup.
When founding member, guitarist and lead vocalist Phil Garno moved to Texas several months ago, sax player Seth Payton stepped up to the frontman and vocalist role, grabbing a guitar as well as his horn.
"I'm excited, and a little bit nervous," he said of the brighter spotlight. "But we're still the fun, happy, rock/reggae/rhythm outfit."
They're known as a "ska" band, specialists in the Caribbean-based music that, mixing its genetic material with slower, more vocal "rock steady" music, evolved into reggae.
"Like reggae, ska is roots music," said Payton, "about freedom and oppression. But it's not always making a political statement. And no matter what it's talking about, it's still feel-good music."
Ambassador David notes that Marley, best known for reggae, made three ska songs his first recordings.
Payton calls his band's music "third-wave ska." First came the Caribbean original, then a second wave from enthusiasts such as the English Beat and The Specials in Great Britain.
The third wave keeps the basic concepts, including a moving bass line and guitar and horn notes on upbeats, but adds a rock-driven feel.
Along with Payton's move to center stage, other lineup changes have taken place, "as people get older and move on with their lives," he said.
Remaining are longtime members and current Saginaw residents Billy Filter on drums and Jim Garno on bass, and Birch Run native and East Lansing resident Matt Wesener on guitar, percussion and synthesizer.
New to the band are trombonists Tim Horenziak, a Birch Runner now living in Caro, and Joe Greer of Saginaw. Former member Justin Comerford of Saginaw will sit in on trumpet Saturday night, while Payton continues to seek one or more band members on that instrument.
For the band The Process, the event is a twofer: they're headlining the Marley celebration, plus launching their seventh self-produced CD, "Weapons of Mass Percussion." The new disc was produced by veteran Gee Pierce.
Asher, never one to shy away from politics as ammunition in a musical war for peace, says the new album calls on memories of all the things that have happened since September 11, 2001: "This is a snapshot of everything you couldn't process then."
The title cut, for example, features sound bites of politicians, including President George W. Bush saying of insurgents, "Bring them on."
The band has been in business for 15 years: music meets technology, organic meets technology. It works in musical forms including rock, rhythm, techno and dub, the latter a Jamaican musical form that features plentiful sound processing.
Overlaying music in diverse forms and sounds from outside the musical sphere has become simpler, said Asher in a phone interview. "What used to take all day with a huge stack of hardware can now be done in minutes with software.
"Some of this is so essentially remixed they're like entirely new tracks."
The Process comprises Asher, Bill Heffelfinger, Garrick Owen and Gabe Gonzalez, the latter a former member of George Clinton's P-Funk All-Stars who, besides laying down a variety of rhythms, provides live remixes.
At last year's Detroit Music Awards, Asher was named "Outstanding World/Reggae/Ska Songwriter," while his band received nominations in four additional categories.

Fan Pics From the CD Release Event

These pictures were taken by friend of THE PROCESS Rick Moreau at the Release Party For Weapons Of Mass Percussion on Bob Marley's Birthday at Shooters in Saginaw.

ASCAP Award

ASCAP selected David Asher and Garrick Owen of THE PROCESS as recipients of an ASCAPlu$ award. The purpose of this special award, which has been given each year since 1960, is to reward writers whose works have a unique prestige value for which adequate compensation would not otherwise be received, and to compensate those writers whose works are performed substantially in media not surveyed by ASCAP. This is the 5th year in a row that the duo has been nominated by the society.
The award brings cash and recognition to Asher and Owen, the primary writers of THE PROCESS.

Bust Big Radio Payola

From an email from the the http://www.freepress.net/ website.
Bust Big Radio Payola
Dear David Asher,
Ever wonder why commercial radio has become a mind-numbing repetition of the same songs by Jessica Simpson and Celine Dion? It's not just you. Corporate radio in every town has become a wasteland. And in many cases, it's a crime.
An investigation airing tonight on ABC News "Primetime" exposes illegal payola across the radio dial. Radio conglomerates that control hundreds of local stations are taking bribes to endlessly spin major label acts, keeping independent artists off the air.
FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adlestein calls big radio payola "potentially the most widespread and flagrant violation of FCC rules in the history of American broadcasting." But the FCC's Republican leadership remains reluctant to crack down against the corporate radio giants that have sold off our airwaves.
Tell the FCC to Bust Corporate Radio Payola
This new age of payola is the product of consolidated radio ownership. Several of the largest radio conglomerates in America -- including Clear Channel, Viacom/CBS radio and Cumulus -- are among those now under subpoena in a criminal investigation by the New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer.
Spitzer has exposed a shadowy network of promoters hired by the recording industry to launder hundreds of millions in cash and prizes each year, lining the pockets of big radio broadcasters who agree to spin corporate acts nationwide.
"They thought the FCC was asleep, and they shot someone in front of the policeman," Adelstein tells ABC News. "The policeman is obligated to act when evidence is so clear."
Tell the FCC to Stop the Abuse of Our Airwaves
The airwaves belong to the public -- not the media companies with the fattest wallets. Any broadcaster in violation of payola statutes could face severe FCC sanctions and even the loss of their broadcast licenses.
But the FCC won't act unless they feel pressure from you. Please take action today.
Onward,
Timothy KarrCampaign DirectorFree Presswww.freepress.net
P.S. Activists, musicians, students and independent broadcasters are joining with Free Press to stop payola and reclaim the public airwaves. Learn more at www.freepress.net/payola.
P.P.S. Want to do more? Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold has introduced a bill to stop record labels from paying off radio stations in exchange for airplay. Urge your senators to co-sponsor the "Radio and Concert Disclosure and Competition Act" (S. 2058).

Preview 4 tracks from the new CD.

Preview 4 tracks from the new CD

at PURE VOLUME.

Check out 4 new mixes From the new CD by THE PROCESS,

"Weapons Of Mass Percussion".

Weapons Of Mass Percussion

(Free Download!)

Osama Forgotten

Evildoers Stamp'D Out In Dub

Rasta Soldier-Radio

Exclusively at Pure Volume.

THE PROCESS article in Review Magazine

'The Process: Gabe Gonzalez, Bill Heffelfinger, David Asher, Garrick Owen.Photo by 'Gotts'

Pre-release reviews of the new CD by THE PROCESS are starting to appear. Check out the interesting article by
Lauren Davis in Review Magazine.

Click Here to read the article online.

THE PROCESS: Weapons of Mass Percussion Newest CD Release Marks Continued Evolution from One of Mid-Michigan's Most Prolific Bands
By Lauren Davis

If you asked founding member David Asher of "The Process" how he would sum up the last 15 years, he would likely tell you it's been a great ride. He would also immediately remind you that it's just getting started.
With a hard-hitting mix of rock, rhythm, techno, and dubbing, the band is preparing to release its seventh self-produced album to fans that have come to expect the unexpected.
There is an old saying that a person's perception is often their reality. With "Weapons of Mass Percussion", The Process challenges the perception. It's an eye-opening trip through the status quo that draws attention to the way we view our society, our potential for ignorance, and our subjective sense of bliss.
This is not a project bent on swaying opinion. Rather, "Weapons of Mass Percussion" is a testament to a musician's ability to call traditional thinking and norms into question. In a politically correct world, The Process is not even close to fitting in and they wouldn't have it any other way.
My first encounter with the new CD is the title track; A dub mix of sound bytes from our favorite government misfits. It's akin to a smack in the face with the blatantly obvious. Both astute and amusing, the montage of political rhetoric falls right into the adept hands of the musicians crafting the backbeat. Its defining quality is not just its willingness to "go there", but to do so with a wink and a nod at the ridiculousness that often befalls the empowered.
If it seems to the average individual that stringing together a bunch of soundbytes into a powerful musical arrangement is taking some shortcuts, consider the thought behind it:What you hear is an audio snapshot of all of the things we are either too overwhelmed to contemplate, or too disgusted with to challenge. "Weapons.." manages to make its point without driving it too far over the top. Because he considers it a far less "mainstream" piece of work, David Asher describes this album as a "departure" from traditional Process releases.
I call it an evolution.
In today's entertainment world, it's not easy to be a do-it-yourselfer. But Asher describes the challenges of being a self produced band in a corporate musical environment with some degree of nonchalance. The Process has done it for fifteen years, and, he says, it never gets easier. "It's like going to battle. We have to push, and promote, and produce, and do all of those things that we did when we first started out. We face a lot of challenges every time we put something out there. But we believe in ourselves, and having friends and fans (who) support and believe in us really helps".
As one would anticipate, the fan base has changed over the years without the help of corporate entities, thank you very much. When asked if outlets like www.reviewthisradio.com, and the underground music scene, in general, have helped to develop the band, Asher answers before I finish the question.
"The fan base? It's broadening across all demos. The explosion in the underground music scene, especially on the Internet, has helped a lot. I mean, I'm recording songs that have been around since the time of King David. I'm really just a conduit for what's really out there. But I get letters and e-mails from Japan, Europe, South America all over the world. It's amazing!"
Would a band like The Process ever really acclimate to a corporate label? Asher doesn't think so. "Corporate Support is great when corporate actually supports you. But most of the time, what they do is support you for a time, and then hand you a bill after it's all over (or when they determine you're done) for 'talent development'. We just want to keep creating."

Though The Process has the support of talented studio producers like Gee Pierce, and some quality promotional people with whom they work closely, the band still maintains control over their product. They have also managed to keep ownership of their library: Something even the most successful artists have regretted signing away.
Retaining creative control has given The Process a certain level of freedom to explore more drastic changes in their musical approach. David Asher excitedly tells me about how, four years ago, adding a new drummer with strong African influence led them to explore other avenues.
He describes it as a major turning point. Following their sixth release, "Blood & Bones", The Process immediately began working on the new project. "We never left the studio," he says. "We've done re-mixes on various tracks that are so different they're essentially like new. Our new drummer gives different techno vibes, rich rhythms, and a very real, new feel to everything. It's a lot of fun!"
Though wildly popular overseas, dub music is still taking root in the states. So how do you define it, exactly?
"It's the influence of turning music around using what's out there in new technology. It got more creative by taking western rock instruments to make African music." Though as the genre expands, admits Asher, " It's become more bionic and technological."
For that very reason, the techno approach sometimes has more traditional musicians struggling with the age-old battle of craftsmanship vs. technology. How does a band like The Process answer critics who view a synthesized/dubbed product as, while certainly creative, not necessarily musical in nature?
It's a tough question, but he takes it in stride. "I would point out that my guitar player, for example, is a highly skilled musician featured in many industry mags, and widely viewed as one of the best. I have a drummer who can play circles around any rhythm you throw at him. My whole band, these are quality players. And they find plenty of ways to express themselves in what we do".
But of the musical merit, itself? "I understand the question" he says honestly, "But you have to embrace the new technology, and move forward with it. It's part of the creative process. For example, The Beatles heard a synth and immediately put it to work for them." Taking the technology to new heights, explains Asher, "Šis what makes music evolve."
Still, he seems to appreciate the value of more traditional timbres. "We try to bring a warmth and an organic feel to what is a fairly cold, technological arena. To juxtapose that is a great challenge. You know, it's a tough balancing act being true to yourself, and being something marketable. A good man once said 'By what do you measure your success? Becoming a flash in the pan, hoping for more? Or is it the ability to keep pushing and creating?' We're out there pushing, for better or worse, and it's really what it's all about. As long as we can keep doing it and be true to the effort, we're good with that."
In the decade and a half it's been making music, The Process has seen his share of challenges, frustrations, and successes. I ask David, "If something were to happen tomorrow, and "Weapons of Mass Percussion" were to be the final word from the band, what would the overall message have been?"
"It's all peace." He says. "And it's okay to be a warrior for peace." He brightens as he adds, "I see the future though, and after seven albums, it's still forward to the best of our abilities.""Is there anything you would have done differently?" I ask.
The question seems to catch him off-guard. After a long moment, he answers, and I can hear him smile through the phone. The response is slow, and somewhat introspective. "What would I do differently?" He muses.
"Nothin'. Not a thing. I'm doing the same thing (taking the same approach) as I did back then. I've just become a little better at it."Another long pause and then:
"...Rastafari flows like a river. After fifteen years? It's a soul refresher now."The Process will be at Shooters headlining the annual Bob Marley Birthday Bash and releasing their new CD, Weapons of Mass Percussion on Saturday, February 25th, and is a featured artist on Review This Radio Dot Com.

THE PROCESS CD Release Party Feb 25th!

THE PROCESS release their newest CD "WEAPONS OF MASS PERCUSSION" at a party Saturday Feb 25th, 9:00 PM at Shooters of Saginaw (8845 Gratiot Rd, Saginaw, 48609 - (989) 781-6333, $5.00 at the door). Celebrate Bob Marley's Birthday with a night featuring THE PROCESS and STAMP'D, vendors and a reggae DJ. Don't miss this very special event!

THE PROCESS Return to the Stage

THE PROCESS return to the stage after a lay-off of several months Saturday Feb 25th at Shooters Nightclub in Saginaw. The event is a double feature, the celebration of the Honorable Robert Marley's birth, as well as a CD release party for the newest release from THE PROCESS "Weapons Of Mass Percussion".
Opening the show is the return of the much venerated Ska kings of Saginaw, Stamp'd, now fronted by horn man and process session man Seth Payton. Stay tuned for more info as this landmark night advances toward us!

2005 A year filled with good and bad.

Well 2005 is heading to a close. It's been a year filled with good and bad. THE PROCESS has had professional triumphs and disappointments but we keep on pushing the boundries forward ever, backward never! A high point of the the year was winning the 2005 Detroit Music award for "Outstanding World/Reggae Songwriter". One of the low points is the closing of AMPCAST one of our online indie music sites. We had reissued our back catalog through AMPCAST, however we were not able to make much revenue as the CD profits mostly went to the company (AMPCAST). I think that not sharing enough profits with the artists (greed) is really why they closed. So we will find another venue to release our back catalog. Most likely we will produce it ourselves and sell it through our distributor THE ORCHARD. However this will take some time as we are preparing our new CD for release. If you are interested in picking up some copies of our back catalog at AMPCAST you only have another month or so to do it, so check it out www.ampcast.com/theprocess
Heres to a new year, hopefully one with more peace and love and less insane mindless killing. Best, David

PIGMAN

PIGMAN
Lots of people have asked me over time, "Whats the deal with Pigman"? So I thought I'd set the record straight.
"Pigman" was an old pig farmer that lived on a desolate stretch of local backroad near our hometown.
He was always surrounded by a pack of barking dogs, everywhere he went, which was only up and down the road.
Pigman lived without electricity or running water, in an old trailer in front of his pigpens.
Local rednecks from the town tormented Pigman by shooting his pigs from across the river with bows and arrows, driving by his house at all hours honking their horns and by stealing his pigs to roast.
"Pigman" eventually died...he was found dead in his trailer by a neighbor. When they did the autopsy, they had to actually cut the socks off of his feet...Despite this, we're sure there was still a spot for him in "Pigman Heaven".

There is an actual story, told by our friend Art Howse which inspired the song, and it goes like this:
Corky Legue's old man went on down to Pigman's farm to buy a little pig, and took Corky along.
Pigman had some pigs in that pen that weighed over a thousand pounds, and he never trimmed their eye-teeth, so they
grew up, like the tusks on wild boars.
Pigs are meat-eaters. They'll gind you up, bones and all...a pig'll eat ya, bones and all. A pig'll eat ya, bones and all.
Pigs are smart, too...and they stick together. If you take one pig, you've gotta take 'em all.
Pigman reached down into the pen and pulled up a squealing little baby pig by its tail and said, "They don't steal many pigs around here, Corky Legue," ...and a hundred pig-soldiers come up out of the mud... a hundred pig-soldiers come up outta the mud and they started batterin' down that ol' pigpen...they started batterin' down them old pallets...they were comin'...comin' for Corky Legue...

CLICK HERE to buy the DVD "PIGMAN THE MOVIE".

CLICK HERE to watch it online (lo-res) .

New CD by THE PROCESS out soon!

The new album by THE PROCESS, "WEAPONS OF MASS PERCUSSION" is due to be released in early 2006. Recorded and mixed at U Be U Production House with mixdown master Gee Pierce, the new CD breaks brave new ground in the worlds of Remix and Dub Music. Featuring 9 new mixes from THE PROCESS and Gee Pierce, the CD also features mixes by several other producers including THE PROCESS drummer P-Funk All Star Gabe Gonzalez. Get ready to travel to uncharted sonic territory: WEAPONS OF MASS PERCUSSION in early 2006!
Gabe Gonzalez: Photo by Steven Gotts

THE PROCESS at The Independant Artists Company

THE PROCESS is now featured on The Independant Artists Company website.

THE PROCESS is featuring the title track from the new CD by THE PROCESS, "WEAPONS OF MASS PERCUSSION", due to be released in the next few months! This sonic assault presents a chilling case for those who believe our goverment is involved in deception and mass mind washing.

Click here to visit THE PROCESS page on the site.

High Crimes of Treason

From an email from Moveon.org
In his January 2003 State Of The Union, President Bush made his case for war in Iraq. He included this now-infamous 16-word deception about Iraq's nuclear capability: "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."
But the White House had known for nearly a year that this claim was false. In February 2002, the CIA sent former Ambassador Joseph Wilson to Niger to investigate the unsubstantiated claim that Saddam Hussein tried to buy uranium from Niger for use in nuclear weapons.
Wilson had discovered that the claims were bogus and documents used to support the claims had been forgeries. He reported this to the CIA, and the CIA told the White House.
Why did President Bush use the discredited nuclear claims in his January 2003 State of the Union Address to make the case that Iraq was a nuclear threat? They wanted to invade Iraq.

Now my thoughts: It now seems more then ever that this was a war for oil under the guise of "rescuing the people of Iraq from a madman dictator". Never mind that the USA armed him and trained him with the unholy chemical weapons he used. We knew he had them, we sold them to him. What we could not say for sure was that they were destroyed. So we created a ruse that Iraq had Weapons of Mass Destruction to allow for public support of the war.

also from Moveon.org
Six months after the President's 2003 State of the Union Address, as Bush's WMD and nuclear claims began to unravel, Wilson went public and exposed the Bush Administration's false nuclear claims in a New York Times op-ed.
The full July 6, 2003 op-ed, "What I Didn't Find In Africa," can be read here: http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1070
The White House saw Wilson as a major threat. According to the Los Angeles Times, "Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff was so angry about the public statements of former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, a Bush administration critic married to an undercover CIA officer, that he monitored all of Wilson's television appearances and urged the White House to mount an aggressive public campaign against him, former aides say."

The week after Wilson's op-ed in the New York Times, "two senior administration officials" were cited by conservative columnist Robert Novak in his column outing Wilson's wife CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson.
The White House Iraq Group (WHIG), originally formed to sell the war to the public, "morphed into a virtual hit squad that took aim at critics who questioned its claims." WHIG was run out of Vice President Cheney's office, and included Cheney's Chief of Staff "Scooter" Libby, top Bush strategist Karl Rove, and other top Bush administration officials.
Not only did this leak end Valerie Plame Wilson's 20-year career as a CIA covert agent, but it also exposed a longstanding CIA front company, Brewster Jennings & Associates, where Plame worked and put at risk many of the undercover agents who had worked with Wilson in the past.
Today's indictment says Libby illegally obstructed the investigation into the White House outing of an undercover CIA agent, Valerie Plame Wilson. He also was charged with perjury and making false statements to FBI agents. The ongoing investigation of Karl Rove revolves around the same issues, among possible others.

My last thoughts for today: There is NO WAY that Libby and Rove did this themselves ...Cheney and his lap-dog W. Bush were in on it all along. They have two more years to cling to power and try to outlast the hourglass of of Justice. However the hourglass has been tipped and the sands are running through it quickly. History will record the acts of shame and desperation of these evil men.
One final thought: If Bush and Cheney have to resign, Speaker of the House Bill Frist will be President. But Speaker Frist has his own insider trading scandel so he won't cut it. Ms. Rice the Secretary of State is next in line. We will at last have a female black President. Nevermind that she is a corporate greed/death monger just like the others.
Here we are, stuck in this war with criminal leaders who won't be able to save themselves in the end. Many Americans are so dumbed down by propaganda they have no idea what the hell is happening to our country. I fear for the USA in a way I never have before. God save us.

THE PROCESS on REVIEW THIS RADIO

THE PROCESS is being featured on REVIEW THIS RADIO Michigan's premier internet radio showcase of original music in all genres.
The station is a team effort of Robert E. Martin, publisher and editor of Review Magazine, technical director and Review webmaster Andrew Lay, and Lauren Davis, on-air personality at Wheelz 104.5 and 101, an FM, classic rock station twin-pack.
CLICK HERE to read the scoop in Review Magazine!

LISTEN TO REVIEW THIS RADIO HERE!

THE PROCESS VIDEO ON DOWNLOAD.COM

Detroit's rock reggae madmen, THE PROCESS, go from New York to LA in this adventure in the life of a street person. This Award winning video takes you with the band to the Holland tunnel in New York, on to Al's Bar in LA, and back to Detroit again. THE PROCESS tell the story of a homeless person with a wild montage of images and never before seen concert footage.
CLICK HERE to see the video of "Beggar".

Whats in a name?

Hail up massive! I have a thought to post...Have you ever wondered, whats in a name?
Our band began calling itself THE PROCESS back in the 80's. Before we recorded, even before we wrote many songs. We Trademarked the name a few years back with the help of our attorneys Jacobson and Colfin P.C. http://www.thefirm.com/ (They just moved uptown to Madison Ave New York by the way). Over the last couple years it seems our name is the one every band from the far flung corners of the world want. The trouble is, IT'S OUR NAME!!
THE PROCESS is listed on every major internet music site and search engine and yet, because we are an indie band some people think that they can use the name if a major label isn't putting product on MTV (as if makes it right somehow). These groups by the way are mostly indie groups also, which makes me struggle to understand the ethics of these bands. We have learned to go to the servers of the bands web providers and have them pull the pages, rather than deal directly with the bands, as they have proven to be very unreasonable. Many of them seem to think there is a difference between PROCESS and THE PROCESS. The truth is PROCESS is a name established in England by a guy, Steve Barnes from Germany. He has several CDs and info on him is easy to spot on the internet. I think on the All Music Guide they have us both listed. It is fairly well known that THE PROCESS are reggae rockers from the USA and PROCESS is electronic music from Europe. So we have had to deal with the punk rockers from Cali and
the nut job from Kansas who wrote a creepy letter to us, the group on the Kill Rock Stars comp and about 10 or so others. I have to send out this legal brief via email and I'm getting good at it. Anyway I just wanted to vent my frustration at this taking up my time. We have tried for a long time to raise our profile and it certainly does no good to have other bands going around using our name. Any thoughts?
David

Blame goes all around for Katrina

It seems theres plenty of Bi-partisan blame to go around with Katrina.
It the interest of "Fair and Balanced" news blogging....

From the right wing blog America Awakes Friday, September 02, 2005
"How come 3 days before the hurricane the mayor didnt Make evacuations Mandatory?
How come during the last 24 hours the mayor didnt use the school buses to evacutate the poor.
How come the democrats and the mayor didnt have the police out in full force?
How come martial law was not declared?
How come the mayor and city officials told everyone to go to the dome where there was NO security?
How come the mayor and city officials didnt ensure enough supplies?
Yet The left and the Black leadership (jesse jackson) and Al Sharp tongue are so busy blaming the president but not a WORD about the Obvious failures of the Mostly Democratic Leadership?
Seems florida which gets hit a lot more every year is a lot more prepared...
Also to move 40,000 troops from peace time missions to an emergency footing takes at least 24 hours and another 12 to get there and setup...
We help the people now (which i dont see too many black leaders opening up) their wallets...
Then we can set the record straight..
By the way not enough buses hmm mayor...
What are ALL THESE DOING in the
Parking LOT you IDIOT!!!"

I don't always agree with this fellow but he sometimes makes darn good arguments. (Then he blows it by tripping out and wants to shoot the Democrats for treason!) It seems the blame over the Katrina fiasco really is shared by both the Republicans, Democrats and many branches of goverment. It's the people who suffer while the blame game goes on.

Quote from Mrs Garvey

"From early history to the present, we learn of men and women who have emerged from their environment and so far outdistanced their contemporaries in thought and action that in their day they were apt to be called 'mad, dangerous or fools'. Long after their death, when the truths were espoused or the experiments they conducted validated... then they who have been convinced by experience are prone to admit that the visionary was right and must have been inspired to be so persevering."
Amy Jacques Garvey

On Katrina, Europeans extend help, criticism

From AP Press
Updated: 9:25 p.m. ET Sept. 2, 2005
VIENNA, Austria - "As the enormity of Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath sinks in, Europeans have been moved to help in ways great and small: from an Austrian university proposing to take in 500 students from New Orleans, to nations agreeing to tap into strategic oil reserves.
Amid the compassion, there was also surprise that America was so vulnerable and unprepared, and dismay the Bush administration plays down the global warming threat that so many Europeans link to the force and frequency of such storms.
Across the continent, the media and governments focused on the tragedy, with newspapers running photos of victims wading chest-deep in water and television screens filled with fires. The French daily Liberation described the scenes of devastation as a cruel spectacle for President Bush, “the champion of security.” Criticizing the disorder in the evacuation of hospitals, the editorial called Hurricane Katrina a “natural disaster with political implications.” Terror mastermind Osama bin Laden “must be dying of laughter,” it said.
Astonishment at ‘anarchy and chaos’In Italy, several newspapers said mounting criticism of Bush’s handling of the relief effort was damaging his credibility. And Germany’s Die Tageszeitung said the world was “seeing scenes otherwise only known in African capitals. The forces of order are absent. Anarchy and chaos reign. Supermarkets are plundered, helicopters shot at.”
Some said perceived U.S. indifference to global warming was coming home to roost.
“What’s absent is a debate over the climate, over Kyoto, over the human-caused warming of the earth,” said an editorial in the Sueddeutsche Zeitung, a Munich-based daily. “But the oil shortage caused by the disaster will hurt Bush more than gaps in climate policy will.”
Concrete offers of help, though, were louder than the criticism. The governments of 26 countries agreed Friday to release the equivalent of 2 million barrels of oil per day from strategic fuel reserves to cope with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the International Energy Agency said. 'No offer ... will be refused'With offers from the four corners of the globe pouring in, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has decided “no offer that can help alleviate the suffering of the people in the afflicted area will be refused,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said Thursday.
However, in Moscow, a Russian official said the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency had rejected a Russian offer to dispatch rescue teams and other aid.
Spurred by images of people huddled on curbs begging for clean water and chaotic rescue efforts from rooftops, Europe also offered brainpower — specialists in coordinating disaster relief, experts in rebuilding devastated communities and rescue workers familiar with risky maneuvers."
This about says it all. I don't think Bush could get elected dogcatcher at this point.