Posted on 09/05/2005 10:26:53 AM PDT by nj26
As one who has seen these hurricanes up close as a Gulf Coast resident, news reporter and member of Congress — where I got a behind the scenes look at how to run relief operations — I have been trying to connect the dots for those of you who have not been so intimately involved in hurricane recovery efforts.
With so many trying to figure out why so few acted professionally in the first days of this epic crisis, I offer an insider's view of who is to blame for this national disgrace.
We begin with Harry Truman who famously declared that the buck always stops at the president's desk. For those who now define the term conservative as unwavering support for George W. Bush, even this suggestion is maddening.
But the bottom line is that despite the fact the president was strapped with two governors who bungled this crisis badly, in the end it is the president who sends in the National Guard and FEMA relief.
The president's suggestion that the size of this storm caught all by surprise just doesn't get it. His administration was 48 hours late sending in the National Guard and poor Americans got raped and killed because of those mistakes....
Secondly, the first responders in any hurricane are local and state officials. When Florida was struck by four hurricanes last year, Governor Jeb Bush was nothing short of spectacular. Louisiana Governor Blanco was breathtakingly clueless as were other Louisiana officials. The deaths of many lay on their doorsteps.
FEMA’s Michael Brown also shoulders the burden for the suffering in New Orleans. His claim that no one knew of the suffering on the ground until Thursday defies logic. America knew the crescent city was drifting toward chaos on well before Tuesday....
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
I did not lie. I'm telling mommie on you! Cheers.
Paul, thank you for this amazing post. It's the first time I've seen it.
Wondering if there will ever be any follow-up about how Lori died.
Something this suspicious bears further investigation!!
Joe is an UNWATCHABLE POS.
He showed his wife Susan the other night being Florence Nightingale and Clara Barton all roled into one, and he said she did more than Bush did!!!
Katherine Harris has a bigger set than than Joe. She is FEARLESS!!
Are you SERIOUS? He has an enviromental law office with that NUT, RFK, Jr??? egad...he's worse than I thought.
He's trying to out-Bill Bill O'Reilly... he's another friend of Maher's. He probably has dinners with Maher who tells him how much a better lover O'Reilly is...
Buchanan - "Katrina is divine blowback for our support of the Joos"...
Absolutely. He is scum.
"Sounds pretty full of himself. Exposure to camera turned him into a bloviator."
Yep. And being the No 1 seed on MSNBC has really gone to his head! Hah!
Less people watch him than are still stranded in N.O.!
Maybe the Asst Police Chief was reporting what their status was yesterday during his news conference - not during the storm.
Regardless - the department will be a mess for years to come as it was a mess for years prior.
I didn't say cops starting pay was 300$ a week - I was saying out of a department of 1500 (may be 1600) about 1200 were uniformed and on the street and 300 were brass.
I wasn't there and I won't pass judgement right now on the individuals, although the department has been a mess for years. I know there were some bad apples looting with the rest of the thugs and there were those that lost everything and stayed on duty.
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