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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: Texasforever

Just an idle observation that has nothing to do with this thread...............if you re-arrange the letters in your name you get Taxes Forever!


221 posted on 09/04/2005 6:25:14 PM PDT by Balding_Eagle (God has blessed Republicans with really stupid enemies.)
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To: DJ MacWoW
"Would you be saying this if it was Clinton?"

First of all I am a Bush SUPPORTER. Voted for him TWICE. After Reagan, President George W. Bush is the second BEST president in my lifetime.

Secondly, I couldn't STAND Clinton and my brother and I got BEATEN by TEAMSTER THUGS for protesting him. The last seven years of my life have been HELL because of THAT day and the many UGLY things which have happened since.

I don't care WHO the president is, my opinion would be the same. So obviously yes, I would say the same thing about Clinton only it wouldn't be at all painful.

We are talking about thousands of innocent lives and you want to discuss the legalities? Thousands of innocent people would be alive (who are now dead) if the president had done what he should have done, which I outlined in a previous post. Innocent Life TRUMPS the rule of law, ANYDAY, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE. LIFE is the HIGHER VALUE.

222 posted on 09/04/2005 6:47:36 PM PDT by TAdams8591 (Member since December 1998)
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To: TAdams8591
Thousands of innocent people would be alive (who are now dead) if the president had done what he should have done, which I outlined in a previous post. Innocent Life TRUMPS the rule of law, ANYDAY, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE. LIFE is the HIGHER VALUE.

Hindsight is perfect. If all those people hadn't died, we wouldn't be having this conversation. Instead we'd be discussing what Bush could do to defend himself from overstepping his federal powers. DU and the MSM and the DNC would be yelling about states rights.

I know you're a Bush supporter. I wouldn't question that as I know you. What I meant was that this is becoming partisan VERY quickly. I know myself well enough to know I'd be livid if Clinton, Gore or Kerry were in the same position. I'd be eating them for breakfast no matter what they did.

This from Gov Blanco made me livid:I ask that you direct the assigned Federal Coordinating Officer at the Department of Homeland Security (FEMA) to co-locate with my Homeland Security and Emergency and Preparedness Office at the Federal Joint Task Force headquarters. This would make the Joint Interagency Operations Center a truly integrated operation.

Governor Blanco Announces Executive Orders

Even now, she'll not relinquish any power.

223 posted on 09/04/2005 7:07:02 PM PDT by DJ MacWoW (If you think you know what's coming next....You don't know Jack.)
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To: DJ MacWoW
This is NOT a situation where it was hindsight or a tough call. Sorry. It was as plain as the nose on your face. A NO BRAINER. I was shocked that no one did what needed to be done. Even I, a peon and a nobody, realized someone in authority had to act BEFORE the hurricane hit. When the incompetent boobs in Louisiana failed, the president should have taken control.

People of various professional backgrounds, have been warning for years that a CAT 4 or 5 would cause flooding in NO and there was a several day warning that this storm was going to hit the city. Someone posted on another thread the position of the hurricane several days prior to it's hitting New Orleans as an argument that the Mayor and Governor were well aware the storm was going to hit and had plenty of time to act.

The same arguments holds true for the President (who was in CRAWFORD, TX then), though his time was less as he had to give them an opportunity to act first. When they didn't he should have done what I previously outlined.

This is one occasion when I believe the president really does deserve part of the blame. If you were truly honest with yourself, you would likely believe it as well.

224 posted on 09/04/2005 7:34:10 PM PDT by TAdams8591 (Member since December 1998)
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To: DJ MacWoW
"Even now, she'll not relinquish any power."

In a situation which so threatens the olives of so many innocent people and you are the President of the United States, You don't wait for someone who has failed to act to relinquish their pwoer. You step ina and do what needs to be done to save those lives. Period. Louisina IS not and independent country, separate from the United States, it is PART of the United States.

Defend the the President all you want. He should have stepped in BEFORE the hurricane struck, saved those thousands of innocent lives and to hell with the incompetent Louisiana boobs. That is what a TRUE LEADER does. In this scenario, he failed.

225 posted on 09/04/2005 7:42:43 PM PDT by TAdams8591 (Member since December 1998)
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To: TAdams8591
This is one occasion when I believe the president really does deserve part of the blame. If you were truly honest with yourself, you would likely believe it as well.

I honestly don't believe that he was aware of just how incompetent these people were. Even now, the govenor won't allow what will help her people.

And we are talking about 90,000 square miles, the size of Great Britain. There's only so much even the Feds could have done. There is looting in Miss too. ( Former REC Clergyman Murdered ) But the presses eyes are trained on NO because the majority of those people are black and the NO mayor is an hysterical screamer.

I understand your passion about this but the very magnitude of this catastrophe meant there would be devastation of human life. Miss is no better off than La. Just quieter about it.

226 posted on 09/04/2005 7:46:13 PM PDT by DJ MacWoW (If you think you know what's coming next....You don't know Jack.)
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To: DJ MacWoW

DJ, If I realized at a great distance, how incompetent these LA people were, believe me, so did he.


227 posted on 09/04/2005 7:48:50 PM PDT by TAdams8591 (Member since December 1998)
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To: TAdams8591
Defend the the President all you want.

I will. He's not Superman. No one could have forseen the thorough destruction of 90,000 square miles. Don't focus on just a small area of the massive catastrophe. This disaster is bigger than just NO and La.

228 posted on 09/04/2005 7:51:30 PM PDT by DJ MacWoW (If you think you know what's coming next....You don't know Jack.)
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To: DJ MacWoW

Wow! Those executive orders are so hard-hitting and timely....

What a decisive leader that Gov. Blanco is!

/s


229 posted on 09/04/2005 8:13:29 PM PDT by patriciaruth (They are all Mike Spanns)
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To: DJ MacWoW
To realize NO needed to be evacuated BEFORE the storm does not require SUPERHUMAN ability. Many of us realized it.

The storm was described beforehand as one of the worst and destructive hurricanes to ever have hit the US.

Since the article on the thread was entitled, "Many Evacuated, but Thousands Still Waiting (still no state of emergency in LA)", the discussion centered on LA. No One has forgotten Mississippi and Georgia.

230 posted on 09/04/2005 8:28:20 PM PDT by TAdams8591 (Member since December 1998)
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To: Do not dub me shapka broham
I had an English teacher in high school that resembled Harry Connick Jr.

For some weird reason I used to have a big crush on Harry.

231 posted on 09/04/2005 8:57:19 PM PDT by Lijahsbubbe (To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world)
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To: aft_lizard

I am given to understand that Blanco actually did issue a State of Emergency declaration on 26 or 27 AUG.
I've seen an official LA .gov web page to that effect, but I cannot be absolutely certain it was posted on its dateline.
however...
WaPo may have dropped the ball on this one.


232 posted on 09/04/2005 9:18:18 PM PDT by King Prout (and the Clinton Legacy continues: like Herpes, it is a gift that keeps on giving.)
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To: aft_lizard; Admin Moderator

some kind of Mod addenda to the article at the head of this thread might be warranted, as it seems very possible that WaPo screwed up on this matter:

http://gov.louisiana.gov/Press_Release_detail.asp?id=973

>snip<
Press Release
Date: 8/26/2005
Contact:Denise Bottcher or Roderick Hawkins at 225-342-9037

GOVERNOR BLANCO DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY

BATON ROUGE, LA--Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco today issued Proclamation No. 48 KBB 2005, declaring a state of emergency for the state Louisiana as Hurricane Katrina poses an imminent threat, carrying severe storms, high winds, and torrential rain that may cause flooding and damage to private property and public facilities, and threaten the safety and security of the citizens of the state of Louisiana The state of emergency extends from Friday, August 26, 2005, through Sunday, September 25, 2005, unless terminated sooner.

The full text of Proclamation No. 48 KBB 2005 is as follows:

WHEREAS, the Louisiana Homeland Security and Emergency Assistance and Disaster Act, R.S. 29:721, et seq., confers upon the governor of the state of Louisiana emergency powers to deal with emergencies and disasters...>snip<

FRegards


233 posted on 09/04/2005 9:23:07 PM PDT by King Prout (and the Clinton Legacy continues: like Herpes, it is a gift that keeps on giving.)
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To: Lijahsbubbe
He looked like the creepy, serial killer version of Connick-as a thespian-not the amiable pop singer.

:7)

234 posted on 09/04/2005 10:17:18 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: aft_lizard
Well if not now, then when Governor?


She will do that when all the "sub-marine" school buses is on dry land again!!!
235 posted on 09/05/2005 1:19:28 AM PDT by danamco
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To: Enchante
I have a stored copy of the 'Times-Picayune' web site from before Katrina hit. It's a bit unsetteling to read it knowing the end result.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1477621/posts

Anyway, Here is the post from Fri. Aug 27th, 2005:

Blanco's State of Emergency letter to President Bush

BATON ROUGE-Today Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco forwarded a letter to President Bush requesting that he declare an emergency for the State of Louisiana due to Hurricane Katrina. The full text of the letter follows:

(click link below to read full letter)
August 27, 2005

The President
The White House
Washington, D. C.

Through:
Regional Director
FEMA Region VI
800 North Loop 288
Denton, Texas 76209

Dear Mr. President:

Under the provisions of Section 501 (a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 5121-5206 (Stafford Act)
. . .

236 posted on 09/05/2005 1:47:02 AM PDT by xrhopsiomega
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To: Do not dub me shapka broham
He looked like the creepy, serial killer version of Connick-as a thespian-not the amiable pop singer. :7)

Yep, I saw him on TV. He has lost all of his appeal (somehow, I think he'll make it w/o me though).

His face is getting all blobby, like his bone structure is melting.

237 posted on 09/05/2005 8:40:01 PM PDT by Lijahsbubbe (To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world)
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To: Lijahsbubbe
Ewww.

Creepy thought!

:0)

238 posted on 09/05/2005 9:23:25 PM PDT by Do not dub me shapka broham ("I'm okay with being unimpressive. It helps me sleep better.")
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