"Understand something, there were countless people on the ground in the early going doing evacuations and rescues"
No there was NOT! The Convention center had no food or water for 5 days.
And this is while Red Cross Trucks and other non political Relief Organizations were blocked! Yet - the Hollywood and MSM icons get thru?
Homeland blocked the good guys and I guess there are quite a few here that don't care about the Repubs that have to run in 2008.
You're just not paying attention. VOLUNTEERS, people from all around the area brought boats and were locating and taking people out of their homes, businesses, etc. They were doing this at some personal risk wouldn't you say? For that matter, private helicopters were even getting people out.
Now, the Red Cross is a quasi gov't agency, an NGO might be an accurate term. They work in concert with government entities during disasters wouldn't you agree? If the gov't agency tells them it's not safe to take their people into an area, the Red Cross then has decision to make. They could choose to go in on their own initiative. Would you?
As for supplies for the evacuation/assembly areas, the city was responsible for that part of the operation; security and all. The fact that they botched this part of the operation will be to their shame forever; NOT the Red Cross and NOT the federales.
FGS