Howdy. I searched to see if anyone had posted something like this - if so, I apologize and I'll delete this diary.
There are dozens of stories that have been linked on Kos, Atrios, TPM, Gilliard's and elsewhere that support the idea that the feds:
a) cut levee funding despite expert warnings
b) failed to respond adequately to the unfolding disaster, despite having been made aware of it, and despite the local authorities' having made appropriate and timely requests for help
c) engaged in a propaganda campaign as their first response to an unfolding disaster in anti-Bush public opinion
The Kossacks need to fight back.
The members of this community are mostly news junkies and political activists. They have proven themselves to be incredibly skilled gatherers of news information during previous events. Democratic members of Congress have realized this, and they now routinely scan Daily Kos for help with information, and to spread news.
This is the biggest disaster to hit the USA since its founding. And the Bush admin, despite its tough cowboy rhetoric, failed to lead as it should. This failure costs thousands their lives.
If they can, the Bush admin will lie their way out of this. They will blame others - anyone - to avoid responsibility. This propaganda war is already going full steam ahead.
The best antidote to these lies are the truth. We need eye witness reports, transcripts of on the scene interviews, pdf files of local government documents requesting aid. Anything that shows the truth should be gathered, set into a search-able timeline and made available open-source.
The stories are out there, as everyone on this site knows. But they're hard to find sometimes, and even a news addict can get confused - there's been so much news to track.
IMO, such a collection should be easily accessible so amateur sleuths can use it. It should remain front-paged for as long as it takes. Maybe have its own link on the sidebar?
I'm not a computer person. All I can do is make the suggestion. I hope somebody takes me up on it.