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Top federal officials left out of loop (Well wha-da-ya know)
The Washington Times ^ | 09-05-05 | Audrey Hudson

Posted on 09/04/2005 11:39:17 PM PDT by smoothsailing

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To: dr_who_2
The Governor on CNN said that Michael Brown and both LA senators toured the flooding city on Tuesday morning (august 30)... As much as I admire Sect Chertoff, I agree with you. Anyone who had a link to CNN or Fox (or even a sat phone to call a staff member in DC) could have picked up situation reports about what was happening in NO.

This from 30 August CNN transcript of "Larry King Live":

BLANCO:....It's a desperate situation. I was there talking to some of the refugees at the Superdome this afternoon, and they are desperate. They're so worried. So many of them were plucked from their roof tops. Because of the boat capacity, they had to leave relatives behind and they were worrying sick because they had not seen those people yet.

This morning Director Brown, Mike Brown, and our two United States senators went on a tour. The vastness of this situation is unspeakable. We, you know, Haley Barbour and I are just about in the same boat. We lost so many homes. Our problem is the water has covered just literally covered home after home, miles and miles of homes. So we've got thousands of people out of house and home right now, and they won't be able to go back into those homes for quite some time.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0508/30/lkl.01.html
601 posted on 09/06/2005 8:53:27 PM PDT by silverleaf (Fasten your seat belts- it's going to be a BUMPY ride.)
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To: MediaMole

Exactly what I was thinking. They're better off not saying anything then saying something dumb like this.

[i]Doesn't DHS or FEMA have access to CNN or Fox?[/i]


602 posted on 09/06/2005 9:02:15 PM PDT by W Fan in Cali
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To: smoothsailing

You make up your own mind!

In case you aren't familiar with how our government is SUPPOSED to work:
The chain of responsibility for the protection of the citizens in New Orleans is:

1. The Mayor
2. The New Orleans director of Homeland Security (a political appointee of the Governor who reports to the Governor)
3. The Governor
4. The Head of Homeland Security
5. The President

What did each do?

1. The mayor, with 5 days advance, waited until 2 days before he announced a mandatory evacuation (at the behest of the President). The he failed to provide transportation for those without transport even though he had hundreds of buses at his disposal.

2. The New Orleans director of Homeland Security failed to have any plan for a contingency that has been talked about for 50 years. Then he blames the Feds for not doing what he should have done. (So much for political appointees)

3. The Governor, despite a declaration of disaster by the President 2 DAYS BEFORE the storm hit, failed to take advantage of the offer of Federal troops and aid. Until 2 DAYS AFTER the storm hit.

4. The Director of Homeland Security positioned assets in the area to be ready when the Governor called for them

5. The President urged a mandatory evacuation, and even declared a disaster State of Emergency, freeing up millions of dollars of federal assistance, should the Governor decide to use it.

Oh and by the way, the levees that broke were the responsibility of the local landowners and the local levee board to maintain, NOT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

The disaster in New Orleans is what you get after decades of corrupt government going all the way back to Huey Long.

Funds for disaster protection and relief have been flowing into this city for decades, and where has it gone, but into the pockets of the politicos and their friends.

Decades of socialist government in New Orleans has sapped all self reliance from the community, and made them dependent upon government for every little thing.

Political correctness and a lack of will to fight crime have created the single most corrupt police force in the country, and has permitted gang violence to flourish.

The sad thing is that there are many poor folks who have suffered and died needlessly because those that they voted into office failed them.

For those who missed item 5 (where the President's level of accountability is discussed), it is made more clear in a New Orleans Times-Picayune article dated August 28:

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - In the face of a catastrophic Hurricane Katrina, a mandatory evacuation was ordered Sunday for New Orleans by Mayor Ray Nagin.

Acknowledging that large numbers of people, many of them stranded tourists, would be unable to leave, the city set up 10 places of last resort for people to go, including the Superdome.

The mayor called the order unprecedented and said anyone who could leave the city should. He exempted hotels from the evacuation order because airlines had already cancelled all flights.

Gov. Kathleen Blanco, standing beside the mayor at a news conference, said President Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation for the low-lying city, which is prone to flooding. (emphasis mine)

The ball was placed in Mayor Nagin's court to carry out the evacuation order. With a 5-day heads-up, he had the authority to use any and all services to evacuate all residents from the city, as documented in a city emergency preparedness plan. By waiting until the last minute, and failing to make full use of resources available within city limits, Nagin and his administration fouled up.

Mayor Nagin and his emergency sidekick Terry Ebbert have displayed lethal, mind boggling incompetence before, during and after Katrina.


As for Mayor Nagin, he and his profile in pathetic leadership police chief should resign as well. That city's government is incompetent from one end to the other. The people of New Orleans deserve better than this crowd of clowns is capable of giving them.

If you're keeping track, these boobs let 569 buses that could have carried 33,350 people out of New Orleans-in one trip-get ruined in the floods. Whatever plan these guys had, it was a dud. Or it probably would have been if they'd bothered to follow it.

As for all the race-baiting rhetoric and Bush-bashing coming from prominent blacks on the left, don't expect Ray Nagin to be called out on the carpet for falling short. You want to know why? Here's why:

It's more convenient to blame a white president for what went wrong than to hold a black mayor and his administration accountable for gross negligence and failing to fully carry out an established emergency preparedness plan.

To hold Nagin and his administration accountable for dropping the ball amounts to letting loose the shouts and cries of "Racism!". It's sad, it's wrong, but it's standard operating procedure for the media and left-wing black leadership.

Mark my words: you will not hear a word of criticism from Jesse Jackson Sr., Randall Robinson, the Congressional Black Caucus, the NAACP, or Kanye West being directed toward Clarence Ray Nagin Jr. Why? Because he is just another black politician instead of a responsible elected official who happens to be black. In the mindset of more-blacker-than-thou blacks, black politicians who are on their side can do no wrong.


603 posted on 09/07/2005 1:55:25 AM PDT by Aussie Dasher (The Great Ronald Reagan & John Paul II - Heaven's Dream Team!)
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To: Aussie Dasher

This is what the libs are circulating:
"Here is Honore saying very clearly that the Gov asked for the assistance on Fri the 26th like 4 days BEFORE it hit!"

Q: General, Jamie McIntyre from CNN. To what extent is this additional assistance you've outlined today a response to a request from the state governors in Louisiana, Mississippi? And if so, can you tell us when specifically you got that request?

GEN. HONORÉ: Yes, sir. The process starts, sir, in this particular event, with a request Friday of last week, as the approximate date for defense coordinating offices to be established in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana. Those were established in those states over Friday and Saturday.


Q Sir, I'm specifically interested in how soon after the hurricane hit and the extent of the damage became known did the governors request additional assistance above and beyond what they had requested before?

GEN. HONORÉ: Sir, that started to happen on Saturday, as the hurricane was approaching, and was executed with the movement of my headquarters on Sunday to Mississippi, where we established a joint -- JTF headquarters here in Mississippi with a forward cell of the 5th United States Army in Louisiana. And on Sunday we established JTF-Katrina, with myself as the task force commander. "

I am trying to understand this. I was under the impression that no request was made before Sunday after Bush made the call to Blanco.
Any thoughts?


604 posted on 09/07/2005 5:45:28 AM PDT by amutr22 (....not ANOTHER clinton!)
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To: Aussie Dasher

Thank you for your post. Why is it taking an Aussie to be paying attention and understand what's going on? WTG.
susie


605 posted on 09/07/2005 5:58:54 AM PDT by brytlea (All you need as ID to vote in FL is your Costco card...)
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To: Bernard
Susan Collins is in charge of the Homeland Security Committee in the Senate? Is that based on qualification, or seniority?

Uh... Last I heard she was voicing support for Roberts.

Olympia hasn't, though.

606 posted on 09/07/2005 6:58:13 AM PDT by Fido969 ("And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).)
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To: Aussie Dasher

Do you have a link to this?


607 posted on 09/07/2005 7:02:03 AM PDT by amutr22 (....not ANOTHER clinton!)
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To: Aussie Dasher
Thanks for the post AD.
608 posted on 09/07/2005 7:24:14 AM PDT by smoothsailing
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To: MediaMole
Doesn't DHS or FEMA have access to CNN or Fox?

Of course they do but as usual anything that isn't approved by the current DNC spin lie, is spiked as "unnewsworthy

609 posted on 09/07/2005 9:24:58 AM PDT by MNJohnnie (Why did Gov Blanco not ask FEMA for help until Wed Aug 31st, 2005?)
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To: dr_who_2
Doesn't sound very convincing. I don't think there is anyone I trust anymore.

You do realize that their is going to be an investigation on this. If he is lying, it will be painfully clear to the investigators. Think the "News Media" is not frantically digging for "proof" that he is lying? Pity they aren't nearly so interested in finding out what happened to all the Fed Homeland Security money given to the State of LA and the City of NO for 1st Responders and Disaster Contingency planning.

610 posted on 09/07/2005 9:27:22 AM PDT by MNJohnnie (Why did Gov Blanco not ask FEMA for help until Wed Aug 31st, 2005?)
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To: amutr22
am trying to understand this. I was under the impression that no request was made before Sunday after Bush made the call to Blanco. Any thoughts?

You are confusing apples and oranges. The military probably has a contingency plan to invade New York City in case Interstellar Aliens land some day. The Feds PREPARE for helping out when they can see a disaster like this heading their way. However, because of the way the laws are written, the State authorities control the response inside their borders. After all, THEY are there, THEY know what they need. They have to ASK for help since the Feds cannot read their minds. NOW, it is starting to sound as if Gov Blanco did NOT even ask for help until either Wed or THURSDAY! After all she did NOT dispatch ARMED NG troops to NO until Thursday and THEN she only sent 300! So the Hurricane hits on Sun-Monday. The clean up starts on Tuesday. The levee story hits the Press on Tues and nothing is asked for from the Feds until either WED or THUR depending on why you listen to. Then By FRI most of the evacuees are out of NO. So please explain to me how it is the FEDS that were "too little too late????

611 posted on 09/07/2005 9:35:26 AM PDT by MNJohnnie (Why did Gov Blanco not ask FEMA for help until Wed Aug 31st, 2005?)
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To: MediaMole

>> Doesn't DHS or FEMA have access to CNN or Fox? <<

The common belief that the MSM was reporting on the Convention Center 'crisis' a day or before FEMA was notified may be an urban myth. See:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1479002/posts?page=39#39


612 posted on 09/07/2005 9:42:54 AM PDT by PhilipFreneau ("Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." -- James 4:7)
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To: silverleaf
could have picked up situation reports about what was happening in NO

Does NOT matter at ALL. HE cannot do anything until the STATE asks. For all anyone watching TV knew the State of LA had 5000 troops headed in to NO right at that minute. The Feds are managing a crises over 3 states. They cannot assume that what they see on TV is NOT being responded to by the City or the State. The level of expectation being put on the Feds in all this is completely unreasonable. So Lets look at it without the I-Hate-Feds partisanship. You have given billions to the States and Localities since 9-11 to train and prepare and equip to be the 1st and 2nd Responders in case of another terrorist attack. You have plans in place to deal with and event that turns out to be the worst natural disaster in US History. So you are getting SCREAMS for help everywhere. So what you do? Squeaky wheel gets the grease. So why is there this desperate need on the part of far too many Americans to ignore the complete collapse of the 1st and 2nd Responders to have a hissy fit because the the 3rd Responder (The Feds) were NOT clairvoyants?

613 posted on 09/07/2005 9:49:03 AM PDT by MNJohnnie (Blanco says Wed the 31st, FEMA says Thur Sept 1st,. Who is lying?)
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To: PhilipFreneau

When the hoopal dies down and we actually start digging into the facts on this the timeline is going to be awfully embarassing to many on the Hysteric Left.


614 posted on 09/07/2005 9:51:05 AM PDT by MNJohnnie (Blanco says Wed the 31st, FEMA says Thur Sept 1st,. Who is lying?)
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To: MNJohnnie

No, I don't disagree with anything you say. Time will tell.


615 posted on 09/07/2005 10:28:19 PM PDT by dr_who_2
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To: Mark Felton

I wish my independence was a little more rugged, to tell the truth. But not-so-rugged independence is better than nothing.


616 posted on 09/07/2005 10:31:02 PM PDT by dr_who_2
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To: smoothsailing

Hate to say it. Maybe they should consider getting a TV and tuning it to FOX???


617 posted on 09/07/2005 11:52:29 PM PDT by Arizona Carolyn
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To: Howlin

Could be worse. Hillary, Teddy, Landrieu and Kerry could be on the committee.


618 posted on 09/07/2005 11:53:47 PM PDT by Arizona Carolyn
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To: kcvl

How smart is that pulling Chertoff, Brown, etc., back to Washington in the middle of a disaster?


619 posted on 09/07/2005 11:56:01 PM PDT by Arizona Carolyn
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To: Arizona Carolyn

Susan Collins is not very smart, IMO even before this.


620 posted on 09/07/2005 11:58:46 PM PDT by kcvl
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