Galveston Coverup? You Decide.

OK, so what's the coverup.

I cannot believe you asked that.

"cov-er-up [kohv'-er-uhp] - Any action, stratagem, or other means of concealing or preventing investigation or exposure."

1. President Bush issues no-fly zone order. It is enforced.
2. Reporters ask why, and are stonewalled and not given any answers.
3. Governor Rick Perry stumbles over direct questions about the same issue at a press conference. Again, no reasons given.
4. City Manager Steve LeBlanc and Mayor Lyda Thomas block off and restrict access to the West End. It is enforced.
5. Both the Mayor and the City Manager issue a gag order to all city employees. It is enforced.
6. The Mayor and the City Manager state that reporters may only question them, and no one else, then hold a 30-minute news conference (Monday) wherein they only answer 5 questions.
7. Students, doctors, researchers and employees are blocked from entering the UTMB facilities and labs that are their place of work, study and employment (Can you imagine that they would not be concerned?).
8. Those same labs are commandeered by armed military. Reporters are not allowed as well as staff, and the area cordoned off.
9. FEMA turns back relief workers and trucks loaded with ice and water.
10. FEMA commandeers cell phone network and cuts all communication to the islands, thus cutting off the single means of communication for survivors and their frantic loved ones.
11. Judge James Yarbrough issues an order allowing the forceful removal of lawful citizens and property owners from their own properties.
12. Off mike and off camera City Manager LeBlanc asks reporters to focus on other areas more to the north and east (read: not the West End, Bolivar Peninsula, etc.), and refuses to discuss UTMB.
13. UTMB issues and "official" news bulletin that "all is well" and only "minor damage occurred", when other buildings and residences in the same area had seven feet of water from the surge, plus high wind and waves. 14. Incredibly, UTMB then asserts that ALL organisms, pathogens, samples, and living micro-organisms were DESTROYED prior to Ike's landfall. This was done on everything, even though many are rare, exorbitantly expensive, and in some cases, difficult to replace? (At least one student researcher has scoffed at that idea, while pointing out the logistical impossibility given the short time frame.)
15. Local stations have managed some furtive forays to gather forbidden shots and videos, and have been steadily vocal in their complaints about the blackout.
16. National and world-wide media coverage is nil and in the points above, non-existent. Why?

If these points (by no means all of them) do not add up to "...concealing or preventing investigation or exposure" in your mind, then I respectfully suggest therapy for you.

"...until you provide a smoking gun, or a meaningful way for a coverup to propagate itself, I don't see a coverup."

I do not know which lexicon you choose to use, but "smoking guns" are not listed in any definitions I can find. As for "...a meaningful way for a coverup to propagate itself...", well that is the most ludicrous remark I could have imagined anyone to say. I almost wonder if you understand its meaning.

Why in the world would any item of concern have to spread from person to person, or be further disseminated (As in the media, I suppose?) in order for you to see it? I do not have to withhold my dismay at the gang of thugs that attacked the two heroes who were trying to rescue a damsel being assaulted, simply because the news report was not "disseminated far and wide" yet! Nor do I suspend my value and belief system upon learning that the Japanese have patented a revolutionary motor, simply because it was in an obscure scientific journal.

It is the very media you stringently set as condition for your level of acceptance on this that are withholding the story. Why? Well, the local Texas media outlets ALL say because the government asked them to. So here we have a catch-22 for you. How convenient for any who cannot have their psyche challenged.

Do your own due diligence as I and many concerned and thoughtful Americans have already. Check the reports from the local stations, newspapers and magazines carefully, and lo, you will find nuggets of truth. Not 100%, not always, but they are there, if you look.

"...it's an essential part of any coverup, and is covered in chapter 2 of Conspiracy Theory 101."

I am at a loss as to what you read and/or study, but I prescribe to no such course or textbook, and doubt one exists.

Further, don't tell me a remark is ludicrous, especially if it's a remark I myself made, and then wonder if I know it's meaning.

I can, and will say a remark is ludicrous if the remark fits the meaning of the word in the context of the article. It is not an assault on character, or even person, of the one making the remark, but on the appropriateness of it to the subject. That is all.

"...why, are you suggesting you know what I meant more than I do? Or are you so arrogant as to suspect that just because you don't get it, that there must not be a meaning to get?"

No one suggested to "...know what you meant...", least of all me. I have never claimed clairvoyance, and am skeptical of those who do.

I apologise again to have seemingly upset your sensibilities. Frankly, your personal rancor mystifies me.

Perhaps there exist a subset in our culture that I am so far and away from as to be totally ignorant of it. I do not think that the case with you and I. After all, we both love Texas, and that in of itself cannot be all bad.

As far as "smoking guns", I reserve those for Geraldo and the late night talking heads. I don't have the time nor the inclination.

I do have a desire to learn "Why?" when so much is "covered up".

When I was a kid, my family raised German Shepherds profitably and successfully with champions and many "best of show" dogs. But every day I came home from school, it befell to me, the eldest, to go dig the hole in the compound and bury the excrement from the dogs. It had to be covered up, lest it would stink.

Something is being covered up here. I don't presume to be clairvoyant, nor to know what is being covered. I just know it is, but not completely. (For how would I or anyone else know of it?) And now it is starting to stink.

David (see below) actually lists the sites. There are many, and that was one of my points, that the location of these is mind-boggeling, which is saying something in and of itself.

Even a prestigious organization like the NRC has gone on record as voicing alarm at the locations these things have been built at.

Still what is being covered up?

Why in the world would you ask ME that question? The ones who can answer it aren't, and that is the whole point of this article.

That they may be concerned about the safety of the residents based on the severity of the storm and the work done in the lab

"Safety" of the residents? I dare say Judge Yarbrough did not have that in mind when he issued his precedent setting order. "Work done in the lab", it's obvious the type of work done when airlocks and pressure suits are required.

I stand by my contention that for our government to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to build not one, but multiple Level-IV facilities in populated urban areas is derelict at the least, and criminal on a heavily populated barrier island.

But irregardless of "safety" issues, "work done in the lab", the salient point here is the withholding of information, the blocking of access, the stymieing of honest reporting, the subterfuge, and out right lying on the part of officials elected by "we the people". Perhaps you are numb to it and view it as government as usual, but I never will.

The government is not covering up 22000 "missing" people.

You put quotations around 'missing' in reference to 22,000 victims as if to imply that the classification of them as "missing" itself is bogus. It is not. City Manager LeBlanc is on record as stating exactly that, and to use his words, "....we don't know where they are."

the government has been more than helpful...no black helicopters...unlike the picture you want to paint.

No one denies the help given (except the FEMA episodes and incidents that appear like blips on a screen and go unanswered). I personally have done Red Cross work and assessment in damaged areas for the last several weeks, and can tell you of a certainty that the items mentioned in this article are without precedent in a disaster of this magnitude. (No mention was made of "black helicopters", but many photos show black, unmarked SUV's. There are also yellow heavy construction and demo equipment, red emergency vehicles, and gray semi-trucks and trailers, for what it's worth.)

As to "the picture I want to paint", it is simple; we have assumed living in a free society with a "free" press implies certain givens, chief among them is access. Hence every State has "government in the sunshine" type laws requiring open and honest dialog and public information from it's elected officials. The behavior documented is the antithesis of that. I simply ask, "Why?".

Personally, I doubt there was a release of pathogens from the labs because the labs are at the other end of the island from the blocked and denied-media-coverage areas. Airborne problems would have already manifested in casualties based on the prevailing wind directions, and cutting of water and utilities to the area are standard measures to repair the grid and assess the infrastructure.

The "picture I want to paint" is that all Americans should be concerned when a free press is denied access without any sound reason or justification given. All of the common sense reasons and scenarios you or I can imagine do not condone the lack of candor and honesty on the part of elected officials. I contend always that if something is withheld for the common good (i.e., the showing of bodies in the streets before next-of-kin are notified as with Katrina), then the government official should plainly state such reasoning. No one would argue or deny the validity of such a point.

The total questionable activities that are part of our government's response in Galveston bring suspicion on all needlessly. This should be a clarion call to all about U.S. government modus operandi.

As I repeatedly said, it is the Galveston newspaper (and it's heroic editor), and the Houston news stations that have been the most vocal.

I am concerned why "The Vine" has not posted this in "U.S. News" and "Hurricane Ike" as I directed and requested. I even emailed Mark about that, and for the first time in my brief tenure on the Vine, have gotten no response.

The article is still not available in the multiple sections where at the very least lnks to it should be.

This is too important and precedent setting to brush aside and dismiss lightly.

MSNBC is doing the same as FOX and/or any and all of the rest. Nothing.

At least, I can find little or no information on these points from any of them. Evidently the blackout is effective and the majors are abiding by the administration's requests.

The only info I have been able to glean has been from medical colleagues and associates from my years working in that part of Texas, the disaster assistance network and cadre of professionals and volunteers, and the local Houston news stations that have not only NOT abided by the blackout, but have been vociferous in their denouncement of its imposition.

NOT!

Even the displaced home owners of the West end were in the dark. September 13, 2008 it was posted on Houston ABC affiliate Channel 13 (KTRK) reported that "police had banned media coverage of the west end of the island". That was the first disturbing sign.

Then, a resident who is relocated posted that her husband is in the Coast Guard and even HE couldn't get a straight story on the state of the west end.

It was reported September 14, 2008 on Houston local news stations that "FEMA has taken over the cell phone service for the Galveston area".

Only now are residents allowed to check on their homes and belongings. (Check for yourself at khou.com, there is a blog dedicated to this.) FEMA first opened the island yesterday (Tuesday, September 16, 2008) to verifiable residents for six hours (12-6) only, and many were in line for the majority of that time window.

This story stands as news because these are facts, and these facts are being ignored on every major news network. I challenge anyone not in Texas to find a broadcast where these points are mentioned, much less discussed. Does that constitute "cover-up"? Get a dictionary, define the term, then tell me.

The world deserves to know "Why?".

To be fair, spiffie, I do write a lot of satire and tongue-in-cheek bits (The Olympics, Spirits residing in trees, nothing is too sacred for a little jest.) Sorry, I just have an off kilter sense of humor maybe.

But these are real facts in a real disaster.

I have been so busy with disaster management and assessment in Florida (yes, there are hurting people even in the Sunshine State) that I have not even had time to read, much less write. But a seasoned Red Cross veteran expressed dismay at what was transpiring in Galveston, and due diligence revealed all was not as it seemed in OZ. Maddeningly, the only inkling of the truth was from the locals and the Red Cross networks. (Thank God, the Red Cross is still neutral, and are concerned solely with what is true and real.)

0!#1.1 - Wed Sep 17, 2008 4:42 AM EDT:

16. National and world-wide media coverage is nil and in the points above, non-existent. Why?

It is valid to question a concerted blocking of reporting in a free society, and all that pertains to it especially in times of a major disaster where loved ones and family await word of the fate of those victimized.

You should make this satire. It doesn't make any sense otherwise.

I would to God it were remotely satirical. Alas, that is not the case, as you or any will see by perusing the Texas television stations websites and blogs. They alone are standing up for freedom of information and responsibility to the victims families.

The tags you refer to accurately denote the activities of Level-IV Bio-Hazard labs, which incidentally cost hundreds of millions of dollars each to construct, and which there are now FIVE in the United States. At least two are in densely populated urban areas, and the one to be most concerned about is on a barrier island in a hurricane prone area. What "tags" would you limit to assuage your sense of credibility?

Besides that, if you would at all read the threads you would know that I (as others in related disciplines and fields) have dismissed the threat in the last 24 hours because there are no causalities downwind, and the West End is at the opposite end of the island from the lab.

"What about the remaining 26,500?" as though they all keeled over from ebola or something.

That callous statement speaks volumes about your thinking, which as I have already pointed out, is in error.

"...many of the evacuees are unaccounted for because who knows where they sought shelter at, or for all we know were swept out to sea..."

That is exactly the question asked of the City Manager (Did you read the article?). there was no possible way for them to "seek shelter" as the bridges were closed and or the routes out impassable due to water rising faster than anticipated. (Again, these are points not discussed elsewhere or "widely disseminated", but salient and true nonetheless.)

I pray they were not "...swept out to sea..." as you say. And that is one of the points of the article, namely that too much is not answered and open for wild speculation and conjecture.

"It isn't callous to say that I don't expect to find thousands dead from ebola..."

I do not expect the same, and repeatedly have said such in this thread. At the time of the article it was not only I, but many, many concerned and like minded professionals. Our concern now is as always, as was so succinctly stated by the NRC, that these things have no business being even remotely near the general populace.

Too much not answered in the immediate aftermath of a massive and destructive event? Say it ain't so.

Nice touch of sarcasm when reason plays out. But that belies the issue, namely that information is, and has been, purposefully withheld. I am simply the watchman on the tower pointing it out and decrying "Why?".

Why in the world that threatens you is another mystery to me.

Right now it's just speculation - and to no apparent end, at that.

I offer little in the way of speculation, except as a teaser in the article. You should know and recognise that as a ploy to generate thought, to get the reader to ask questions, to think.

And that, after all, is the purpose for most of what we all write, is it not?

Chasing, you really need not be simplistic. Your emotion betrays you.

When we as humans feel "threatened" in any way, in it's most basic terms that something does not in of itself produce the emotion; it cannot produce anything (other than desired effect, but that is a subject for the masterminds on Madison Avenue and at Langley). Rather, it is what we think about that something that in turn generates emotion. Thus, your thinking on something in this thread treads on a raw nerve, so to speak, stimulating the "flight-or-fight" response hardwired into our genetic code. The "flight" response is that it threatens me, and I want to avoid it. (That can be the rattle of a rattlesnake in your backyard or the nagging of an unpleasant neighbor, as example.) The "fight" response is that something threatens you, and you want to attack it. (We see an awful lot of that behavior here on the 'Vine.)

I'm not threatened. Take that to the bank.

The tone of that implies a specific emotion, which as mentioned above, is always specific to a particular response. You or I cannot help it, and in many cases it is automatic. Only by recognizing that our thoughts influence, yea control our emotions, and those emotions influence behavior (even words, spoken or written) can we ever begin to control behavior others may find offensive or inappropriate. (NOTE: No implication on your behavior intended; included for definition only.) Control the thoughts, viola, one controls the behavior.

So I am not "thinking" I know what's on your mind. There is no need. It is deduction based on known responses and reactions, or in your case herein, a short story.

I wish I had more time, as of a truth I enjoy discussing with you (perhaps I am partial to Texas, but by God, I do miss it.). I have to leave to prepare docs for our regional FEMA security Director (they are like the advance or "set-up" crew, if you will). I promise to answer each one when I return, and provide the links (some of which are there if one would look) and/or references.

For those who have the time, or cannot wait, The Galveston Chronicle and KHOU have been a wealth of info re: the "blackout", and the strange restrictions about the West End, which at first blush seems now to have had much less damage than Bolivar, which is no longer a peninsula, but two islands (I think).

You haven't the faintest idea what my emotions are. Honestly, you don't even know that I have any.

More balderdash. Even Bundy and Son-of-Sam had emotions. Unfortunately your maturity (or lack thereof) is showing now.

The Mayor of New Orleans was not that far off. In fact, his estimate was closer than the official tally. Ditto for Andrew in Miami-Dade. For whatever reason, government figures in both were way low, and not in line with the reports from those of us who were eyewitnesses and professionals involved in such tasks as incineration of the bodies, attempts at identification, damage assessment and mold mitigation, etc., etc.

The dead only have themselves to blame.

At first, the callousness of your statement did not deserve a reply, as generally those who deign to make such remarks will not or cannot fathom a reply contrary to their ascribed belief. But for the sake of others, I will try anyway.

As was the case in other disasters of this type (i.e, the two examples given), not much lead time was afforded the victims. There are many reasons for this, and not all are draconian. Many times no official wants to be responsible for a false alarm and be held up to the inevitable derision and ridicule that follows (re: Gustav and the unnecessary evacuations). So they wait to see the exact track of the storm system.

In the case of Galveston, schools were not even closed until the last day before expected landfall, and civil employees even reported for work Friday morning as no "official" word was in as yet. Plus, evidence exists that there may have been bridge closures before the time deadline residents were first told, and thus some were caught unawares. Many did indeed try to get away, but could not.

I would hesitate to blame them for their own demise, as I equally blame FEMA for cutting off cell phone communication that was the only means of communication left to the hapless survivors.

Chasing, I am certain that even in Austin you can access the site for the Boston Globe. On September 14, 2008, they ran a story titled "Fate Unclear of Those Who Stayed" from which I quote:

"We haven't even gotten to the west end, and I know the west end is totally devastated," City Manager Steve LeBlanc said. Two apartment buildings in the eastern part of town collapsed. "We don't know if there are people in there or not," LeBlanc said.

I know that being in Texas, you knew before I did that over 20,000 stayed either because they could not leave from rapidly rising waters that came faster than expected (and predicted), or from bridge and road closings, or both.

I bet most of the "missing" are actually, at this moment, cursing their luck, attempting to get ahold of their insurance agents, and having a BBQ with their relatives in the meantime - or else are being shuttled from shelter to shelter

You earlier said that they were "...swept out to sea....", and now they are in shelters? What, did they swim there? Wait, perhaps you are a "trekky", and believe they were "transported" there a la Gene Roddenberry's creation? Either contention is flippant and a disservice to the victims relatives. I doubt you would be so nonchalant if you had not heard from one of your loved ones, of had cell phone service simply cut in mid-sentence of your last conversation with them, because unknown to you, FEMA pulled the plug on cell phone service for the entire area.

On Tuesday, September 16, 2008 at 10:09 P.M., Lee, a resident fortunate enough to get out before the waters blocked the roads, writes:

"Our home is approximately 150 ft closer to the water than it was. The front row was wiped out and the next home is almost in the water, keep in mind that these home in Acapulco sit at a 45 degree angle so it is not one lot in front of another. All along the beach the piling erosion is pretty severe and any conrete is buckled like there was a severe earthquake. The force of the water must have been absolutely incredible as all our plumbing and water main was sheared off."

And from the Galveston County Daily News:
"The city's priority today is efficiency of operations for those in the recovery effort, which is fine, and a desperate effort to avoid embarrassment for the Republican administration in charge of FEMA. It is, after all, about six weeks from a presidential election. Nobody wants another Katrina at this time. What that means is the focus of those in charge of recovery is to get on with the recovery. That's good, and as it should be. But the other main focus, avoiding embarrassment, leads to disrespect for the news media personnel attempting to cover the story. And it leads officials to be less concerned about the fear and anxiety of those who are away from home than they should be. And it leads them, frankly, to be less than candid. Inside meetings of the people running Galveston's recovery, some joke about shoving the media out of the way. They speak of reporters "infiltrating" meetings of the high muckety-mucks running things. Can't have that. Attendees at those meetings are cautioned they may not speak to anyone, not even family, about what goes on inside the recovery management team."

The editorial succintly expresses the frustration of those living in the area and having to endure the news blackout and other items I already mentioned.

Wow Chasing, we need you at the Red Cross! You have devised a way (at least in your own mind) for tens of thousands to miraculously "get out".

HOWEVER there is no real reason to think that number stayed, and, in fact, evidence points to the contrary - meaning that, yes, they're with family, in hotels, or at shelters. Got it?

This is contrary to what the City Manager said. He is a person of responsibility in authority, and on site. You are in Austin? And you know of one who got out!

And I am telling you I know someone who got off that island even as Ike hit.

I do not doubt your anecdotal story, and in fact, believe there to be many like it as the story unfolds. For unlike you, I do have field and medical experience, and these are expected. But the numbers of such are low, in the range of "tens of" as a multiplier, or in the case of a massive event like this, "hundreds of"....all verifiable, all true, all amazing tales of survival. But not in the thousands, and certainly not in the "tens of thousands" as bespoke by both the Mayor and the City Manager.

Again, the point of the article is the media black out, the cell phone disruption, the no-fly order, and all such things designed to limit the flow of information to the press, which by any dictionary I have seen in the English language is defined as a cover-up.

WHY?

I do suspect there are many dead. But many as in dozens, maybe hundreds. And that's it.

Chasing, if ever there were anything you could possibly formulate into words that I would love to agree with you on, that is it. I do indeed pray it is so, that you are absolutely right.

But in my heart of hearts, I suspect not. For then there would be no sense whatsoever in the blackouts and all the stupid things our government keeps doing. Remember, everyone in government is at least as smart as you (or I), and they do nothing without a reason or purpose. That is true in this case.

My article simply asks, "Why?"

I have not taken a word you said out of context, and ask that you do the same for what I respond to of your queries and/or accusations. What I said was,

"I do not doubt your anecdotal story, and in fact, believe there to be many like it as the story unfolds. For unlike you, I do have field and medical experience, and these are expected. But the numbers of such are low, in the range of "tens of" as a multiplier, or in the case of a massive event like this, "hundreds of"....all verifiable, all true, all amazing tales of survival. But not in the thousands, and certainly not in the "tens of thousands" as bespoke by both the Mayor and the City Manager."

(In 7.9 above, as response to your story of a last minute evacuee. NOTE: I never disputed, refuted, nor cast aspersions on you or your friend, nor the character of either of you. Why now, do you?)

"So stop pretending at faux expertise"

I have never done that. Anything I say, or have said is vouchsafed in the life I live. If you would reign in your rampant emotions long enough to absorb what I actually wrote, you would find the assertion was made only to show that my statement on anecdotals is valid.

And incidentally, I put great stock in anecdotals, unlike many in all of the service arenas. That is unfortunate, but is part and parcel of our current xenophobic society with its emphasis on newer and stronger versions of the current drug stockpiles. (Anecdotals have proven pyruvate to increase fat metabolism, fight free radicals, increase lean muscle mass - with or without rigorous exercise - , and eliminate tissue damage during transport of organs for transplant, just to mention a few of my pet peeves; but that would get us way off topic....as I already have done.)

Martvol, I would gladly buy you a dictionary if I thought you would use it.

And now, because there isn't some sort of upswell of outrage that you perhaps had anticipated, we're all idiots in need of dictionaries?

I did not, nor would not, use those words, nor call people idiots. I have, and often do, doubt their reasoning powers to their face, and even suggest professional help in some cases, but the rest escalates emotions.

And speaking of which, please allow me to publicly apologize to both you and martvol for my "tone". Yes, I see it has "...grown increasingly hostile and insulting...", and that is uncalled for, especially in this a public forum.

Your title asks if there's a coverup - and the consensus on this thread is that no, there isn't one.

I would hardly call that the "consensus" simply because there are two of you and one of me. Logic and reason will hold sway any day. Perhaps you have different ideas and meanings for the word than others. I hold it to mean simply what it is, namely the withholding of information and/or the blocking of access to the same for whatever reason or motive.

That is all. We in a free society should expect and demand nothing less. For a country that prides itself on it's media to the extent that it embeds reporters in the front-line charge of military engagements at risk of life and limb, to turn around and deny them the coverage of an area devastated like Galveston is the dichotomy this article exposes.

If that is not "cover-up", then you truly have a separate language system as Hollywood is often want to portend.

Cover up to me is not just keeping information away from someone.

I stand by my comment about the dictionary.

The expression is usually applied to people in authority who abuse their power to avoid or silence criticism.

Martvol, this is all I have said over and over. It is documented, no matter how much so many would choose to ignore or dismiss it. Mayor Thomas and City Manager LeBlanc are on record for the news "blackout" that reporters from the Galveston paper and the Houston television news stations decried often and loudly. No one yet has addressed the "why", and if it were as simple as not showing the bodies, why not simply say so? All civil and sane people would not object to the logic of that.

But that was, and to date, has never been said. "Why?"

You have been away awhile.

Working, helping hurting people. (Very little time to even read, much less write and comment.) I will try to answer questions, and come back with links, etc.....although this is by now a "dead" thread of interest only to a few argumentative Texans sure of their own opinion in spite of the news stories to the contrary.

Nice. My sister lived there. I was not referring to you, per se, but others. Some respondents seem to be on the government payroll as disinformation planters by the twisting of logic and reason in their responses. Who knows?

Well, David, 118,000 pages and 57,000 images is certainly impressive for "west galveston damage" on any search engine. You said you "looked at" some of them; it is a pity you did not read my article you are so anxious to malign, for if you had you surely would have read paragraph seven:

"And the "no-fly" order? Nary a word on major news outlets: I found it first mentioned on Dr. Jeff Master's weather blog and site in comments by an air traffic controller 11:49 A.M. GMT, September 13, 2008: "Update. All Houston area airports are either closed and/or not providing ATC service. There is an airspace (surface to 5,000 feet) restriction spanning most of Southeast Texas that only allows SAR (Search-and-Rescue) aircraft." This is unprecedented..."

You said,

HINT: Above 5,000 feet is not restricted.....guess you missed that part

As you see from the article, weather underground mentioned it first, as I plainly stated. What part of " There is an airspace (surface to 5,000 feet) restriction..." do you not understand? (Or to quote you, "...guess you missed that part.")

I also found at least 3 examples of aerial video from the west end, from the Coast Guard, KHOU, & KTRK.

The Coast Guard video was incomplete, and stopped before going much past the Bolivar Peninsula. As to the KHOU and KTRK feeds, that merely underscores my point that only the locals were being forthcoming, and in fact were vocal in their disapproval of the government imposed blackout. (Oh, sorry, that was in the last sentences of paragraph seven of the article you didn't read.)

Also, had you bothered to read, you would have seen my comparison photos (wow, pictures!) of Crystal Beach with "before" and "after" views. At the time of the article, there were a half dozen, and for ease of comparisons I used the ones with the little white circles. Of course, now that FEMA has allowed residents with proper I.D. back on for brief stints (Did you miss that as well? Six hour windows, with most waiting in line for the majority of the allocated time.), there are many residents responding with digital images and reports. But, that is the whole point of the article. Why did the world have to wait for residents feedback instead of the media sent there from agencies all over the world? Why the blackout in the first place?

"Maybe they took over cell towers so that search, rescue, & workers can have reliable uncluttered communication."

Interesting hypothesis, but a stretch. Please, try to think for a minute. Everyday, in LARGER cities, thousands of emergency, search, and rescue calls are made HOURLY. Strangely enough, this occurs without disruption to the rescue and emergency effort communications while hundreds of thousands cell phone conversations and text messages fly through the same airspace! Why is that? It is because emergency personnel use a designated frequency (several, actually) that is isolated from the frequencies assigned to cell phones.

Your "speculation" does not hold water in this instance. But even if it did, the salient question would be, "Why would not FEMA say so?". The fact is it was done, as was ALL of the dubious items discussed, with no explanation whatsoever.

Several articles hinted at mass destruction & even parts of the island being completely gone.....along with many "floaters". Do you REALLY want to see that on the news?? I don't.

Your comment is glaring in the obvious; you have never worked in emergency services or counseled the bereaved. I have. In a crisis, human beings need and deserve the truth, and that was withheld for whatever reason(s). (Again, you should have read the article you are critiquing.)

"As far as the bio-lab, ALL pathogens were destroyed there & then the place was sealed & locked down.....several days BEFORE the storm. And this fact was also reported by several sources then. Besides that, the place isn't even ON the west end, but the EAST END!!"

In the same vein, had you bothered to disseminate part of this thread, you would have seen that those of us who were (rightfully) concerned dismissed that after 24-36 hours because there were NO FURTHER CASUALTIES downwind from the UTMB lab that I clearly stated was at the other end of the island.

"YOU need to do the research rather than believe every little piece of conspiracy crap that you can possibly suck in."

Again, if you would spent half as much time reading as you did typing, you would see that it is I who has done the research.

Sorry Box, I have occasion to do a bit of work in the real world, but will be more than glad to pop in on occasion and try to respond.

(I too, love a mystery. But this one is a bit too disconcerting. Maybe I am too close in the field to the action, so to speak.)

I just do not think it is the responsibility of government to "protect us", or whatever excuse is rationalized, by withholding information.

what on earth gives you the idea that the Bush Administration is capable of successfully orchestrating a cover up of this enormity.

The Manhattan Project ranks as the largest industrial and scientific effort in the history of the world, costing more than $2 billion in 1945 dollars and involving more than 175,000 workers. All research and experiments were conducted in almost total secrecy. Only a relatively small number of people knew the exact purpose of the project, which created the most powerful weapon ever used. (~Encarta)

I quote this as an example of what our government is capable, yea, even expert at doing. Your comment only highlights your naivety.

I read on the Houston Chronicle that a mobile mortuary unit was being transported to Galveston.

There were several such units, and they were refrigerated. (I seriously doubt they were to keep equipment cool, nor were they to keep the Budweiser's cold for the crews.)

There has been virtually no news disseminated to the rest of the country. We who are not in Texas must search the web for articles and stories from Houston or Galveston, and even that is sparse. (The Laura site on the missing is helpful...I spoke via telephone to staffers and volunteers, and thankfully the tally is going done as more missing are discovered.)

The biggest problem is that many of the missing may not be reported, and there are various and sundry valid reasons for that. But it doesn't make it less painful.

Have you heard any reports on the cadaver dogs spotting at the large, towering debris piles (some of which are huge)? There were many sites flagged with ribbons that searchers were supposed to go back to after October 20th, but I can find no further info.

I did extensive work at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Ft. Worth, and assure you that Dr. Anderson would not willingly have left any apparatus in your yard. (The "U.T." means University of Texas.)

Likely you have "debris" comprising field testing kits. These often are indeed suitcase or briefcase like for ease of transport and use. By "tubes" I can only assume you to mean test tubes, which again point to field analysis. Nothing to worry about there, especially as they were even in what used to be your yard. For if any teams were conducting readings, sampling, or testing in any way, they most certainly would not abandon the equipment used, but take it and the tests with them to check for results.

What would be more of a concern is how far those items drifted from the University of Texas lab, and which lab was so compromised that the apparatus wound up at your doorstep. Which facility is your property closest to? (Hopefully you can get a map.)

Scan the debris field all around your property, and note the flow patterns. Direction and drift (read: current flow) can be surmised by careful observation, then check an area map and mark the general direction and flows. By tracing backwards, you have a fair chance to find just where this equipment came from. It could have even been Dr. Anderson's personal home, his clinic, or indeed a U.T. lab of some sort.

Good luck with your quest, and our prayers are with you all.

By Rachel Zelkowitz
ScienceNOW Daily News
26 September 2008

"Virologist Scott Weaver set off to survey the damage at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) labs in Galveston just 1 day after the last squalls from Hurricane Ike passed over the island on 13 September.

But the Galveston National Laboratory, a $167 million facility designed for the study of biohazards, suffered minimal damage, says the lab's associate director, James LeDuc. UTMB's biosafety level 4 lab, which holds samples of microbes such as anthrax and plague bacteria, also emerged unscathed.

But back at UTMB, Keiller Building, the school's oldest research facility for virology and microbiology, did not fare as well. The building sits only about 2.5 meters above sea level and experienced more than 1 meter of flooding in its basement, Weaver says.

Meanwhile, Weaver and his assistants made rounds to ensure that freezers stayed on and that animal colonies evacuated from the basement labs survived in their temporary facilities as the campus ran on backup generators. Of particular concern was a colony of Mexican mosquitoes that had taken 2 years to amass."

UTMB's biosafety level 4 lab, which holds samples of microbes such as anthrax and plague bacteria, also emerged unscathed.

"HOLDS" samples???

I thought the reported stories all clamored about all pathogens being destroyed days before?? If indeed they were, then how could Ms. Zelkowitz report them still there?

Check the link for lab photos: http://robinstorm.blogspot.com/2008/10/on-hard-hit-galveston-researchers.html