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Many Evacuated, but Thousands Still Waiting(still no state of emergency in LA)
Washington Post ^ | 9-4-2005 | By Manuel Roig-Franzia and Spencer Hsu

Posted on 09/03/2005 9:07:35 PM PDT by aft_lizard

Behind the scenes, a power struggle emerged, as federal officials tried to wrest authority from Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (D). Shortly before midnight Friday, the Bush administration sent her a proposed legal memorandum asking her to request a federal takeover of the evacuation of New Orleans, a source within the state's emergency operations center said Saturday.

The administration sought unified control over all local police and state National Guard units reporting to the governor. Louisiana officials rejected the request after talks throughout the night, concerned that such a move would be comparable to a federal declaration of martial law. Some officials in the state suspected a political motive behind the request. "Quite frankly, if they'd been able to pull off taking it away from the locals, they then could have blamed everything on the locals," said the source, who does not have the authority to speak publicly.

A senior administration official said that Bush has clear legal authority to federalize National Guard units to quell civil disturbances under the Insurrection Act and will continue to try to unify the chains of command that are split among the president, the Louisiana governor and the New Orleans mayor.

Louisiana did not reach out to a multi-state mutual aid compact for assistance until Wednesday, three state and federal officials said. As of Saturday, Blanco still had not declared a state of emergency, the senior Bush official said.

"The federal government stands ready to work with state and local officials to secure New Orleans and the state of Louisiana," White House spokesman Dan Bartlett said. "The president will not let any form of bureaucracy get in the way of protecting the citizens of Louisiana."

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: blanco; bush; fema; grossincompetence; incompetence; katrina; katrinafailures; nagin; nationalguard
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To: _Jim
05:49 PM CDT on Friday, August 26, 2005

Associated Press

Louisiana kept a close watch on the Gulf of Mexico on Friday, Gov. Kathleen Blanco declared a state of emergency, and a strengthening Hurricane Katrina moved further to the west.

Blanco ordered the state's disaster preparedness offices to start taking precautions, saying Katrina posed an "imminent threat." Meanwhile, emergency preparedness officers in southern Louisiana were mobilizing on their own.

..."We just hope our people are prepared," he said. "It's kind of late in the year to be making disaster plans."

Walter Maestri, the emergency director for Jefferson Parish, said he was concerned about the movement west and how it was intensifying.

New Orleans City Hall spokeswoman Tami Frazier said officials were watching the storm, and had activated what she called the lowest alert level -- monitoring storm movements.

Lowest level alert? The level of stupidity and incompetence would be highly entertaining if this were some sort of disaster/comedy movie. Sadly it's not.

121 posted on 09/03/2005 11:16:08 PM PDT by Dolphy
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To: slyfoxvirden; freepatriot32; Do not dub me shapka broham
"Wake up folks to what is really going on here. The Democratic power structure in Louisiana and New Orleans realizes that the massive evacuation means that New Orleans will not have the population (and the voters) it had a week ago for decades. People evacuated from NO will resettle and put down roots elsewhere. Businesses that get back in business elsewhere is mostly stay there.

New Orleans will be a town of the French Quarter, Garden District, Irish Channel, and Uptown. Gone will be the 9th Ward, Treme, Bywater, Central City, City Park, Lakeview, Bucktown, Gentilly. Give it 150,000 to 200,000 people at most. There just won't be the population there to produce those massive, lop-sided vote totals for the Democrats. There are some members of the Louisiana State Legislative that won't have any constituents to represent or vote in the next election. (How they handle that one will be interesting).

This has the Democrat power structure (of which Harry Connick Jr.'s family is part) scared ****less. That explains the charges of racism, the anti-Bush attacks, the refusal of the Governor to let the feds take over. Their backs are against the levees, and the water is rising."

Good analysis BUMP.

122 posted on 09/03/2005 11:20:46 PM PDT by LibertarianInExile (Kelo, Grutter, Raich and Roe-all them gotta go. Will Roberts change things? We all should know.)
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To: aft_lizard
The following excerpt from August 29 NPR radio on how her (Gov. Blanco) administration reacted to Hurricane Katrina.

NPR: Does this mean the emergency plans are working? Maybe we should go over what the plans were?

Blanco: We have to hold tight, let it happen then pick up the pieces after it's all over.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php? storyId=4821599

If this was Bush he'd be labled a bigot, insensitive and incompetent.

123 posted on 09/03/2005 11:21:17 PM PDT by vivabushchick ("Tour Free Iraq, courtesy USA Armed Forces ")
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To: _Jim
See post 3

Louisiana request for emergency assistance (Seems fishy to me. PDF Format)

124 posted on 09/03/2005 11:23:39 PM PDT by DJ MacWoW (If you think you know what's coming next....You don't know Jack.)
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To: _Jim
Check the letter. It's dated August 28, 2005. Bet it was AFTER Bush called her and she backdated. The letter is dated Aug 28.

Disaster Relief PDF

125 posted on 09/03/2005 11:33:25 PM PDT by DJ MacWoW (If you think you know what's coming next....You don't know Jack.)
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To: montanus

Nagin is incompetent but he did endorse Bush and Jindal. He and Blanco are no friends either. Those state rats in Louisiana lead by Blanco are a disaster.

Oh how I wish Jindal had beat Blanco. I remember that election had happened right before Saddam was captured, another week later Jindal might have won.


126 posted on 09/03/2005 11:35:20 PM PDT by johnmecainrino
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To: kenth
It is looking like she's making every bad decision on purpose, knowing the results they would make.

The dems are so determined to damage Bush that they'll throw Iraq over to Bin Laden. They know full well what the results of their actions will be.

Why would destroying N.O. bother them, if it can help get rid of Bush?

127 posted on 09/03/2005 11:37:16 PM PDT by narby (Democrats are incompetent - just look at New Orleans)
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To: vivabushchick
Blanco: We have to hold tight, let it happen then pick up the pieces after it's all over.

As I just said in an above post...this stuff would be pure comedy if not for the horror that followed.

128 posted on 09/03/2005 11:39:34 PM PDT by Dolphy
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To: pure_capitalist

this is why posters are supposed to use the ACTUAL CAPTION from the paper ... the other threads I saw didn't.


129 posted on 09/03/2005 11:39:51 PM PDT by EDINVA
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To: johnmecainrino
Nagin is incompetent but he did endorse Bush and Jindal.

And Jindal was on Fox last night blasting the federal response. If I were any of these state and local leaders I would go to bed and cover my head for 6 months out of pure embarrassment and shame.

130 posted on 09/03/2005 11:42:57 PM PDT by Dolphy
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To: Grampa Dave
I figured there might be a lot of LA residents that moved out before hand, but I think they represent the creme of the productive segment of society. All in all, this will be a terrible blow to the state in many ways. I also believe that the rat voting relos will be too diluted in other states to really affect the voting outcomes overall. (low population state and all) JMHO

Nam Vet

131 posted on 09/03/2005 11:43:12 PM PDT by Nam Vet (There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.)
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To: Allosaurs_r_us; Abram; AlexandriaDuke; Annie03; Baby Bear; bassmaner; Bernard; BJClinton; ...
Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here
132 posted on 09/03/2005 11:47:41 PM PDT by freepatriot32 (Deep within every dilemma is a solution that involves explosives)
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To: Nam Vet

N O's to La is like Portland Or is to Oregon for the rats re voters legit and illegal. The Rats in both states need the second class voter/slaves to keep them in power.

Imagine a similiar disaster happening in Portland, Or, and most of the Portland population moving to Washington, Idaho, Nevada and even back to California. In 2 to 4 years the rats would lose control of Oregon at the state and congressional level.

The loss would probably be permanent, and as you noted not that big of an impact in the other states.


133 posted on 09/03/2005 11:54:21 PM PDT by Grampa Dave (Jamie Gorelick is responsible for more dead Americans(9-11) than those killed in Iraq.)
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To: vivabushchick
Blanco: We have to hold tight, let it happen then pick up the pieces after it's all over.

Good L-rd!

The pieces were the citizens of your good state!!

134 posted on 09/03/2005 11:55:21 PM PDT by Yaelle
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To: montanus

"But the fact she won't give up control makes me think they're hiding stuff they don't want outsiders seeing."

DING DING DING DING!


135 posted on 09/03/2005 11:58:02 PM PDT by little jeremiah (A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience, are incompatible with freedom. P. Henry)
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To: LibertarianInExile; Lijahsbubbe
I had an English teacher in high school that resembled Harry Connick Jr.

Huge leftie.

136 posted on 09/03/2005 11:59:09 PM PDT by Do not dub me shapka broham ("I'm okay with being unimpressive. It helps me sleep better.")
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To: pure_capitalist

Can ya link me to a few of those threads please.....


137 posted on 09/04/2005 12:01:13 AM PDT by Squantos (Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet. ©)
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To: TAdams8591

IMO President Bush has been too "nice" and not quite pushy enough.

These NOLA criminals need to be smacked down and he isn't doing it. I agree that GWB should have been a little more authoritarian. Of course he would have been viciously criticized. But the MSM and mentally ill liberals will viciously criticize him no matter what he says or does.

(freepmail on the way in a minute.)

Hey! How come you aren't in bed? It's later where you are then here even!


138 posted on 09/04/2005 12:01:35 AM PDT by little jeremiah (A vitiated state of morals, a corrupted public conscience, are incompatible with freedom. P. Henry)
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To: DJ MacWoW

The letter is dated August 27, 2005. She declared an emergency in the State of Louisiana on August 26, 2005 citing state law and homeland security provisions delegated to the states. The letter to President Bush was a formal request that Louisiana be declared a disaster area under federal law. Adjacent states did the same. This is the second time I have recently seen the Washington Compost infest an article with a day, but not a date, just to get readers attention. Keep to the facts and avoid speculation.


139 posted on 09/04/2005 12:01:51 AM PDT by gpapa (Boost FR Traffic! Make FR your home page!)
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To: Grampa Dave
Great minds think alike. 8^)

Nam Vet

140 posted on 09/04/2005 12:01:57 AM PDT by Nam Vet (There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.)
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