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Poor Government Planning To Blame For Chaos After Katrina
Newsday ^ | 9/1/2005 | James Pinkerton

Posted on 09/01/2005 8:38:21 AM PDT by SirLinksalot

Government is to blame for the chaos

New Orleans damage, looting might have been less severe if there were better disaster planning

James P. Pinkerton

As we see the devastation from Hurricane Katrina - caused first by nature and now by looters, shooters and carjackers - it's time to state the obvious. We need a larger vision of homeland security, as well as a better focus on the American homeland.

Politicians of both parties have sounded warnings for some time, but true leadership on readying for disaster has been lacking. And so the images from New Orleans this week have recalled not only the panic of 9/11 in New York City but the chaos of April 2003 in Baghdad after the United States ousted Saddam Hussein - and the looters took charge.

There was warning from on high but not much doing. On July 16, Gov. Mike Huckabee, Republican of Arkansas and new chairman of the National Governors Association, took note of heavy deployments of state National Guard units to Iraq. "If we had a major natural disaster, we would be stretched thin," he warned. "All governors right now are worried about the long-term impact of long deployment."

But it doesn't appear that governors did much about these concerns beyond griping to the press. The Louisiana Guard, for example, has about 11,000 members, of whom 3,000 are in Iraq. And yet, of the remaining 8,000 in the Pelican State, fewer than half were on duty the day Katrina struck. Does that look like good leadership from Democratic Gov. Kathleen Blanco?

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TOPICS: Editorial; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: chaos; government; katrina; neworleans; poorgovernment; poorplanning
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And most of all, where were the battalions of law enforcers, including, if need be, troops from around the country? Nowhere.

The comparison to Baghdad two years ago is inescapable. Back then, Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld, in love with his vision of high-tech warfare, was unwilling to commit the "boots on the ground" that might have kept the peace. Instead, Rumsfeld waved away concerns about the collapse of Iraqi civil society with such airy comments as, "Freedom's untidy."

1 posted on 09/01/2005 8:38:22 AM PDT by SirLinksalot
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To: SirLinksalot

Gee, I guess we are just going to have to get out of Iraq.


2 posted on 09/01/2005 8:40:38 AM PDT by doug from upland (The Hillary documentary is coming -- INDICTING HILLARY)
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To: SirLinksalot
Yes, the Hurricane disaster has everything to do with Rumsfeld and IRAQ - Give me a break!


3 posted on 09/01/2005 8:40:55 AM PDT by frogjerk (LIBERALISM - Being miserable for no good reason)
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To: SirLinksalot

It was poor planning but it was poor planning over decades that has made the situation so bad.


4 posted on 09/01/2005 8:41:45 AM PDT by cripplecreek (If you must obey your party, may your chains rest lightly upon your shoulders.)
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To: SirLinksalot
"Poor Journalism Schools to blame for Room Temprature IQ MSM Blather..."
5 posted on 09/01/2005 8:42:09 AM PDT by xcamel (Deep Red, stuck in a "bleu" state.)
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To: SirLinksalot
The State of Louisiana is apparently run by incompetents and New Orleans has a long history of government corruption.
How exactly is that a Federal Government failure?
6 posted on 09/01/2005 8:42:28 AM PDT by msnimje
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To: SirLinksalot

Evil, trashy people are to blame. Stupid, corrupt government is a second-level contributor.


7 posted on 09/01/2005 8:42:52 AM PDT by Tax-chick (How often lofty talk is used to deny others the same rights one claims for oneself. ~ Sowell)
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To: SirLinksalot
And yet, of the remaining 8,000 in the Pelican State, fewer than half were on duty the day Katrina struck. Does that look like good leadership from Democratic Gov. Kathleen Blanco?

Another idiot heard from. Even in the regular Army, not everybody is on duty all the time.

8 posted on 09/01/2005 8:43:37 AM PDT by cowboyway (My heroes have always been cowboys.)
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To: SirLinksalot
And so the images from New Orleans this week have recalled not only the panic of 9/11 in New York City but the chaos of April 2003 in Baghdad after the United States ousted Saddam Hussein - and the looters took charge.
Except for those fleeing the dust cloud when the Towers crashed, I saw no panic in NYC on 9/11. No looting whatsoever. Comparing New York's response to the mayhem when Baghdad fell is obscene.
9 posted on 09/01/2005 8:44:40 AM PDT by eastsider
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To: SirLinksalot

Better title and article would have been, "Poor State Government Leadership To Blame For Chaos After Katrina".


10 posted on 09/01/2005 8:44:46 AM PDT by Rebelbase ("Run Hillary Run" bumper stickers. Liberals place on rear bumper, conservatives put on front bumper)
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To: SirLinksalot
There are 18000 National Guard troops right now in Louisiana and 10000 more will arrive in the next 48 hours. Not to mention the thousands of local and state police, and other emergency workers.

How many more do they need?! The hate of the liberals and their media whores toward President Bush is something that cannot be comprehended by any human with any decent morality.

11 posted on 09/01/2005 8:45:53 AM PDT by jveritas (The Axis of Defeatism: Left wing liberals, Buchananites, and third party voters.)
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To: cripplecreek

So, you're saying that making sure a prisoners "right" to a sex change should take a backseat to keeping up with infrastructure?


12 posted on 09/01/2005 8:46:14 AM PDT by monkeywrench (Deut. 27:17 Cursed be he that removeth his neighbor's landmark)
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To: SirLinksalot
Yep, because it's Bush's fault, New Orleans has become a quagmire. Bring the troops home! It's time to quit New Orleans! No more war for etouffe's!
13 posted on 09/01/2005 8:46:19 AM PDT by colorado tanker (The People Have Spoken)
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To: doug from upland
We should withdraw out troops from the Gulf Coast immediately.
14 posted on 09/01/2005 8:46:53 AM PDT by oyez
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To: cripplecreek
It was poor planning but it was poor planning over decades that has made the situation so bad.

It's an imperfect world. And furthermore, I don't want the government planning every contingency for every possible event that could happen.

First, it would be cost prohibitive and second, it would eliminate what freedom that we have left.

15 posted on 09/01/2005 8:47:40 AM PDT by cowboyway (My heroes have always been cowboys.)
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To: SirLinksalot
gee, it's Rumsfeld's fault... whew!

For a minute I thought it was Bush's fault for failing to sign the Kyoto treaty, for committing money to the fictional war on terror and for the deployment of National Guard troops in Iraq...

gawd, I love the libs, they are so frickin predictable.

Seriously, please tell me which one of the Democrat recruits you are

- kid who picked his nose and all the other kids made fun of.

- kid who played in the band because he was a pussy and couldn't play football

- kid who didn't study but blamed all the smart kids for pushing the good grades further and further away from you

- kid whose momma wiped his rear and told him everyday that his rear end was more different and special than all the other kids' rear ends

- chick with the unibrow, hairy legs, poor social skills that hated the other girls

Go back to the DU underground and whine about the "government" nipple not quite reaching your lips and leave the job of recovery to the men and women who work for a living....you whining little p@ssy.

16 posted on 09/01/2005 8:48:18 AM PDT by Dick Vomer (liberals suck......... but it depends on what your definition of the word "suck" is.)
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To: SirLinksalot
We need a larger vision of homeland security

Umm NO. This was not an attack. This is a FEMA issue. Funny how urgently some "conservatives" are trying to take the focus off the State of Louisiana Govt and it's complete failure to respond adequately to beat their dead hobby horse of Bush hatred. Contrary to the delusions of the Hate Bush crowd, the Feds cannot do what ever they want, where ever they want, when ever they want. The primary response to any such crises has to be local and state. It takes time for the Feds to move in. They have to GET there first, the LOCALS ARE THERE! So lets put the political posturing on hold for a few days OK? The response of the Bush haters does a LOT more damage to THEIR credibility then it does to Bush

17 posted on 09/01/2005 8:49:08 AM PDT by MNJohnnie
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To: SirLinksalot


Ahhhhhhh...that's Poor "State" Government planning..it's their responsibility, but it looks like the feds are taking over...cuz it is clear LA Governor is incompetent...no surprise there.


18 posted on 09/01/2005 8:49:17 AM PDT by in hoc signo vinces ("Houston, TX...a waiting quagmire for jihadis.")
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To: SirLinksalot

And I thought government was the answer to all our problems. How possibly could government let us down?!?! /sarcasm


19 posted on 09/01/2005 8:49:28 AM PDT by FlipWilson
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To: SirLinksalot
You know what else might be helpful? For people to not loot, shoot, and carjack.

Otherwise:

Buah's Fault!

20 posted on 09/01/2005 8:50:10 AM PDT by avg_freeper (Gunga galunga. Gunga, gunga galunga)
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