Puerto Rico: Trump's Katrina

USA Today wrote:Puerto Rico: This artist's sketches show why you should pay attention
USA TODAY NETWORK

Puerto Rico remains entrenched in “a humanitarian crisis,” San Juan’s mayor said, the remote American island left powerless and wrecked after Hurricane Maria.

Clogged roads, closed banks, and no electricity became the norm after the storm’s attack last Wednesday. On Friday, Maryland-based illustrator Richard Johnson flew into the Puerto Rican capital to capture the devastation with a sketchbook and a pen.

“I’m using a human being as a lens instead of a camera as a lens,” Johnson, 51, said in San Juan on Wednesday. “I’ve had to stand there and absorb everything going on around me and translate it onto paper through my eyes. That’s a very human process, and some part of that passes on.”

What follows is a firsthand glimpse at Puerto Rico through his eyes and pen:

I was supposed to be embedding with the military but that fell apart as soon as I got here. I decided I would bug out the next day, but they’ve been canceling flights ever since. I thought since I'm stuck here, I might as well do what I do: Go out and draw and meet people and talk to people.

I’ve never been to San Juan before, or Puerto Rico before. As soon as we got off the plane we knew things were not as they should be.

It’s like a complete social collapse. All the things you take for granted taken away — all at once. It’s a test of human society, whether people can willingly band together.

There are dozens and dozens of streets completely swamped by electrical poles down. Power boxes are off, so there’s no danger from them, but a lot of streets are blocked by fallen trees or fallen power poles.

Garbage is beginning to pile up — people are not just throwing it out windows — so hopefully there is going to be a garbage pick up at some point. Those piles are just getting larger, day by day. Water has come back on in the last little while. For the longest time I think water was spotty for everyone.

More on infrastructure: In isolated Puerto Rican town, a need for water, power — and news

People immediately tried to tidy up afterwards, but the damage is pretty severe on the interior of a lot of buildings. They don’t look too bad outside, the storm entered a lot of buildings and just basically drenched them from the top down. One woman I met had been in a 24-story building. She was on the 18th floor. The storm, when it hit, from her description, it blew the air conditioning unit into the inside of the home.

More from recovery teams: 'It's absolutely devastating'

The people seem pretty resilient. They still feel like it’s teetering a little bit. They’re proudto be Americans. They’re proud to be Puerto Ricans. And they feel quite pleased that they see military planes coming in and out. They think things are being done. They seem, at least, very good hearted and good natured about it so far. People are very patient.

Puerto Ricans: Yes, they are American citizens

Without gasoline, though, lots are not getting to work.

Gasoline is in ludicrously short supply so people are queuing up for gasoline. They’re all starting to bring lawn chairs, so there are these long lines of people with gas cans and lawn chairs just waiting to get to the gas station.

More on gasoline: Why Puerto Rico is being denied shipping deliveries of fuel

There are stores beginning to open, especially if they have their own generator. Many stores that I go into do not have any electricity and they let people in one at a time and follow you with a flashlight while you take what you want off the shelves. At grocery stores, People were just loading up with whatever was non-perishable: canned goods, pasta, rice. There were limits on what people could take — four tins of anything.

More on power:: Puerto Rico's electrical grid 'virtually gone'

Cash is in short supply, so bank machines have huge line-ups. Yesterday I was at one with a queue of a couple hundred people at it. Today, one had probably about 100 to 150 people already queuing to get cash.

The challenge would be when people who normally get paid direct deposit into their bank accounts — when those pensions come up, those Social Security checks — I’m not sure how those people will get their hands on that cash. Nobody’s taking debit or credit cards.

People across a broad spectrum of societal labels are not doing well. Join one of these lines and you’ll see the Gucci handbags in the same line you see homeless people. They’re all queuing together.

Charities and relief groups need donations to help Americans in Puerto Rico. Here’s how you can help.

Follow Josh Hafner on Twitter: @joshhafner

Richard Johnson @newsillustrator
Sketching Daily life in San Juan, Puerto Rico. @USATODAY @urbansketchers @fema @McKinsey @nationalpost @RedCross @PuertoRicoPUR #MariaPR

smelly-bandit wrote:Oh how disappointing

I thought when it's started off with sketches I thought "cool some pictures" but no just more boring words

veya_victaous wrote:http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-puerto-rico-owe-33-million-golf-club-bankrupt-coco-beach-golf-club-a7970201.html

it's worse that just inaction
HE is personally responsible for PR having 33 million dollar tax debt
Cause he's "such a great businessman" he bankrupted his company there.

WhoseYourWolfie wrote:

The truth about Trump's caring side comes to the fore (again..) , has to hurt his support base...

And puts the lie to Smelly's facile claims last week, where he claimed that Trump and Pence were down on the ground, helping  out disaster victims in Florida (more GOP/Tea Party fabrications == staged photo' ops..).

Original Quill wrote:

smelly-bandit wrote:Oh how disappointing

I thought when it's started off with sketches I thought "cool some pictures" but no just more boring words

Yes, the pictures/sketches don't download.

smelly-bandit wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

Yes, the pictures/sketches don't download.

You don't expect me to read your anti trump propaganda do you??

I heard fema has been keeping shipping containers full. Of supplies on the docks for the last week or so

WhoseYourWolfie wrote:

The Navy could and should have been there straight after the storm hit..

They have the resources and manpower  --  why weren't they ready to move  ???

It's the politicians (i.e. Administration..), admirals and generals in Washington that have to wear the blame here.

Original Quill wrote:

smelly-bandit wrote:

You don't expect me to read your anti trump propaganda do you??

I heard fema has been keeping shipping containers full. Of supplies on the docks for the last week or so

Probably dolls and dog bones.     Watching the cable news shows, nothing is getting through but excuses.  They need, first and foremost, water and diesel fuel, for both the dry generators that are the only power on the island, and for transportation to get supplies around the island.  Roads need to be cleared, and trucks need to get stuff moving.

Why wasn't the military involvement pre-planned?  It's not as if the Federal government didn't know the storms were coming.  FFS, there were two of them.  We've got both the military and the WH looking at each other and saying: Donno!     For as much as we pay for the Pentagon, they're acting like oil paintings.

smelly-bandit wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

Probably dolls and dog bones.     Watching the cable news shows, nothing is getting through but excuses.  They need, first and foremost, water and diesel fuel, for both the dry generators that are the only power on the island, and for transportation to get supplies around the island.  Roads need to be cleared, and trucks need to get stuff moving.

Why wasn't the military involvement pre-planned?  It's not as if the Federal government didn't know the storms were coming.  FFS, there were two of them.  We've got both the military and the WH looking at each other and saying: Donno!     For as much as we pay for the Pentagon, they're acting like oil paintings.

no one could have predicted this quill

global warming innit??

the weather is going bat shit crazy, the weatherman cant even predict the weather how do you expect trump to??

Original Quill wrote:It was indeed predicted when both Irma and Maria were off the coast of Cape Verde Africa.  And all of the predictions came true as projected.

WhoseYourWolfie wrote:

Smelly is showing his racist/white supremacist/sophist sides here...

Focussing solely on what the storms were doing when they made landfall on the US mainland..

Totally impervious to the damage across the Caribbean, Cuba, central America.


And still doesn't understand the fundamental differences between climate and weather..

Deliberately ignoring US gov't incompetence..

Clueless twat, he be...

Original Quill wrote:

WhoseYourWolfie wrote:

Smelly is showing his racist/white supremacist/sophist sides here...

Focussing solely on what the storms were doing when they made landfall on the US mainland..

Totally impervious to the damage across the Caribbean, Cuba, central America.


And still doesn't understand the fundamental differences between climate and weather..

Deliberately ignoring US gov't incompetence..

Clueless twat, he be...

He's fishing.  Pay him no mind until he says something significant.

smelly-bandit wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

He's fishing.  Pay him no mind until he says something significant.

not fishing mate, im just alluding to our conversation on global change where you said it was higher than a cat 5

im just saying they predictive skill suck, and everyone was caught off guard, especially since there is no higher catergory therefore there cant be a higher contingency plan

see?? any contingency for a cat 5 would seem inadequate for a higher than cat 5 hurricane, whereas  the plan for cat 5 would seem overkill for a cat 3

its all about perspective quill

WhoseYourWolfie wrote:

FEMA and National Guard units had supplies ready and waiting for Puerto Rico...

And still had to waith days for military command in Washington to make the transport ready..

At this rate, if North Korea attacked South Korea, Japan or Guam next week, El Presidente Herr Trumpf might declare war by Christmas  ?

Original Quill wrote:

smelly-bandit wrote:

not fishing mate, im just alluding to our conversation on global change where you said it was higher than a cat 5

im just saying they predictive skill suck, and everyone was caught off guard, especially since there is no higher catergory therefore there cant be a higher contingency plan

see?? any contingency for a cat 5 would seem inadequate for a higher than cat 5 hurricane, whereas  the plan for cat 5 would seem overkill for a cat 3

its all about perspective quill

But that's about adjusting the category scale to meet reality.  Puerto Rico is about reality, itself.

A thought that came to me this morning...what if Trump makes good on his word and goes to war with North Korea?  Will his mobilization efforts be as bad as he has shown with Puerto Rico?  Is this the MAGA Warterloo?

smelly-bandit wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

But that's about adjusting the category scale to meet reality.  Puerto Rico is about reality, itself.

A thought that came to me this morning...what if Trump makes good on his word and goes to war with North Korea?  Will his mobilization efforts be as bad as he has shown with Puerto Rico?  Is this the MAGA Warterloo?

wont mag dog be in charge of that??

trump is no soldier,and from what ive seen of the man he acknowledges that fact openly, im sure the military mobilization will go just fine because the people running that part of the ship do their job quite well

if there are any problems it will probably be due to the cuts made by obama.  

Original Quill wrote:

smelly-bandit wrote:

wont mag dog be in charge of that??

trump is no soldier,and from what ive seen of the man he acknowledges that fact openly, im sure the military mobilization will go just fine because the people running that part of the ship do their job quite well

if there are any problems it will probably be due to the cuts made by obama.  

I don't think you can delegate the presidency.  Trump will either want to poke a finger in the pie, and fook something up, or he will neglect to dispatch the troop/supply ships to N. Korea.  It's inevitable that something will go wrong.  Let's see: we've had fook-ups in Yemen, minutemen missiles bombed a cornfield in Syria,  lost an aircraft carrier in the Philippine Sea, and somehow managed to lose track of Puerto Rico.

Yep...he'll manage to fook something up.  Remember, he told us he knows more than the generals.

smelly-bandit wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

I don't think you can delegate the presidency.  Trump will either want to poke a finger in the pie, and fook something up, or he will neglect to dispatch the troop/supply ships to N. Korea.  It's inevitable that something will go wrong.  Let's see: we've had fook-ups in Yemen, minutemen missiles bombed a cornfield in Syria,  lost an aircraft carrier in the Philippine Sea, and somehow managed to lose track of Puerto Rico.

Yep...he'll manage to fook something up.  Remember, he told us he knows more than the generals.

We'll Quill, I have to say you Yanks really fucking suck at war.

Have you guys done anything successful since WWII?

If trumps fucks up, which I doubt, he will be joining the BACK of the queue in the line for US military fuck ups

BEHIND  obama

Original Quill wrote:

smelly-bandit wrote:

We'll Quill, I have to say you Yanks really fucking suck at war.

Have you guys done anything successful since WWII?

If trumps fucks up, which I doubt, he will be joining the BACK of the queue in the line for US military fuck ups

BEHIND  obama

Obama never went to war.  One of the reasons why I think the Obama was the wisest president we ever had, if perhaps even the best, is the subtle chess game he had to play with the Republican Congress.  You might say he maneuvered Congress to stay out of war, which was his position in the first place.  They were the rubes in his clever game.

Only Congress can declare war under Art. I of the Constitution.  When Syria happened, Obama put a war bill on Congress' desk, but he knew as the opposition party they would never accept anything written by him.  So he had only to sit back and sooth his pacifist mood...drink Mai Tai's in the Rose Garden.  

You shouldn't be surprised if I absolutely agree with you.  America doesn't do war very well.  But it is because we haven't had any reason to go to war since we were invaded on Attu Island, AlasKa, in 1943.  

A part of doing war is recognizing when to engage in war.  Because of the Redneck mentality of the south, America collectively does not have a high degree of intelligence to figure out the world stage, and how to operate in it.  While I am not a pacifist, I am of the opinion that America should stay out of things that America doesn't have the capacity to understand.

Besides, we're way over here.  It's none of our business.

smelly-bandit wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

I don't think you can delegate the presidency.  Trump will either want to poke a finger in the pie, and fook something up, or he will neglect to dispatch the troop/supply ships to N. Korea.  It's inevitable that something will go wrong.  Let's see: we've had fook-ups in Yemen, minutemen missiles bombed a cornfield in Syria,  lost an aircraft carrier in the Philippine Sea, and somehow managed to lose track of Puerto Rico.

Yep...he'll manage to fook something up.  Remember, he told us he knows more than the generals.

We'll Quill, I have to say you Yanks really fucking suck at war.

Have you guys done anything successful since WWII?


If trumps fucks up, which I doubt, he will be joining the BACK of the queue in the line for US military fuck ups

BEHIND  obama

WhoseYourWolfie wrote:

smelly-bandit wrote:

We'll Quill, I have to say you Yanks really fucking suck at war.

Have you guys done anything successful since WWII?


If trumps fucks up, which I doubt, he will be joining the BACK of the queue in the line for US military fuck ups

BEHIND  obama

You really are a fucking idiot,  Smelly...

Both Bushes, Reagan, Nixon, Johnson  --  ALL were far worse than Obama..

Obama saw bin Laden executed, where GWB failed badly.

smelly-bandit wrote:

WhoseYourWolfie wrote:


You really are a fucking idiot,  Smelly...

Both Bushes, Reagan, Nixon, Johnson  --  ALL were far worse than Obama..

Obama saw bin Laden executed, where GWB failed badly.

I love how you lefties give Obama the credit for bin laden but near enough  trample each other in your haste to get away from any mention of benghazi

"Ben what??"

smelly-bandit wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

Obama never went to war.  One of the reasons why I think the Obama was the wisest president we ever had, if perhaps even the best, is the subtle chess game he had to play with the Republican Congress.  You might say he maneuvered Congress to stay out of war, which was his position in the first place.  They were the rubes in his clever game.

Only Congress can declare war under Art. I of the Constitution.  When Syria happened, Obama put a war bill on Congress' desk, but he knew as the opposition party they would never accept anything written by him.  So he had only to sit back and sooth his pacifist mood...drink Mai Tai's in the Rose Garden.  

You shouldn't be surprised if I absolutely agree with you.  America doesn't do war very well.  But it is because we haven't had any reason to go to war since we were invaded on Attu Island, AlasKa, in 1943.  

A part of doing war is recognizing when to engage in war.  Because of the Redneck mentality of the south, America collectively does not have a high degree of intelligence to figure out the world stage, and how to operate in it.  While I am not a pacifist, I am of the opinion that America should stay out of things that America doesn't have the capacity to understand.

Besides, we're way over here.  It's none of our business.

ever heard of benghazi???

or is that something you don't like to talk about??

libya? yeah i accept that screw up wasn't your dead duck, it was ours but generally speaking nothing happens without US approval.

and the we have Syria, a situation that would never have happened without Obama and his support for ISIS.

Im not sure i agree with your assessment that obama is "wise" for staying out of open war, if the way he screw things up with a spectacular degree of incompetence is anything to go by you best thank god you guys didn't go to war under that Muppet.

of course when i say the US doesn't do war well, im not talking about your servicemen and women, they do their job well, but like the UK, the US is hamstrung by idiot politicians who so do like to play at soldier and thats where it all goes wrong

this half arsed lets be friend pussy footing around while the enemy are fighting war the way it should be fought is what causes our effort to fail so drastically.

i believe that trump is different, i believe that in a war trumps first concern wont be respecting enemy's sensibilities and cultural practices or worrying about their welfare, it will be killing the most of them with the least amount of dead American soldiers.

if the US does go to war under trump, it will probably be very ugly to watch but also will probably be the first time in a long time that American forces waged war the way it should be waged which means a total  victory

Thorin wrote:

smelly-bandit wrote:

I love how you lefties give Obama the credit for bin laden but near enough  trample each other in your haste to get away from any mention of benghazi

"Ben what??"

What about Benghazi?

Obama did rid the world of Bin Laden, surely you must have praise for him for that, even if it make you chokes/throw up doing so?

smelly-bandit wrote:

Thorin wrote:


What about Benghazi?

Obama did rid the world of Bin Laden, surely you must have praise for him for that, even if it make you chokes/throw up doing so?

Thorin wrote:

smelly-bandit wrote:

Did you score a goal?

Good show mate

smelly-bandit wrote:

Thorin wrote:


Did you score a goal?

Good show mate

your goal caught in my net

Thorin wrote:

smelly-bandit wrote:

your goal caught in my net

Oh, so I scored against you....

smelly-bandit wrote:*NEWS FLASH*

CLIMATE GLOBAL WARMING CHANGE IS REAL FOLKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just looked out my window and saw red and yellow leaves, LEAVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

do you know what this fucking means??? it means the climate is changing from summer to Autumn!!!!!!!!!

NOW PAY ME YOUR MONIES

smelly-bandit wrote:CLIMATE WARMING CHANGE IS REAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Original Quill wrote:

smelly-bandit wrote:CLIMATE WARMING CHANGE IS REAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I agree with the cat.  Like...in about three seconds this fat-fuck is going to have deep, bloody claw-marks in his face.

smelly-bandit wrote:

Original Quill wrote:



I agree with the cat.  Like...in about three seconds this fat-fuck is going to have deep, bloody claw-marks in his face.

the cat is reality quill

Original Quill wrote:

smelly-bandit wrote:

the cat is reality quill

And in about three seconds there's going to be a change in the climate.  

smelly-bandit wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

And in about three seconds there's going to be a change in the climate.  

so now you're a skeptic??

Original Quill wrote:

smelly-bandit wrote:

so now you're a skeptic??

Nup...makes me a believer.  

smelly-bandit wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

Nup...makes me a believer.  

north Koreans believe their own propaganda.

smelly-bandit wrote:*NEWS FLASH*

CLIMATE GLOBAL WARMING CHANGE IS REAL FOLKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just looked out my window and saw red and yellow leaves, LEAVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

do you know what this fucking means??? it means the climate is changing from summer to Autumn!!!!!!!!!

NOW PAY ME YOUR MONIES

smelly-bandit wrote:CLIMATE WARMING CHANGE IS REAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!