Posted on 09/09/2005 10:22:02 AM PDT by shhrubbery!
Would somebody please tell me what, specifically, has FEMA director Mike Brown done wrong? Or failed to have done in as timely fashion as humanly possible, under the circumstances?
I've read every article I can find on Brown posted in the last few days. Can't find a single thing written by a knowledgable person that pinpoints what Brown has done wrong.
Yeah, there are lots of grandstanding media types hyperventilating over Brown's "failure" and "incompetence."
There are even some on the right whom Tony Snow is calling "bed-wetters" for their over-reaction to events -- and for jumping into bed with the Left in their panic.
But I'd really like an informed answer to my question.
Anybody jumping on the "fire Brown" bandwagon, please keep in mind that
- FEMA has no police power to quell public disturbances;
- FEMA has no police force to protect its personnel from being shot at;
- FEMA is NOT empowered to be a first responder;
- FEMA must wait for state officials to first call them in, and then direct them to the sites where their aid is most needed.
Clearly, the state and local authorities who were legally charged with the above four functions utterly. So what did was Brown supposed to do? Wave a magic wand?
Also, for anybody who wants Brown fired: Please post links showing the time it took for FEMA to respond in previous disasters.
And let's keep in mind that in previous disasters (which, by all accounts, Brown has managed well as a deputy FEMA official), THUGS WERE NOT SHOOTING AT THE RESCUERS AND AID WORKERS.
I'm open-minded. I really want to know if Brown has done something seriously wrong. If anybody can show me he has, then I'll jump on that bandwagon.
"Governor" Blank-0
Mayor Naggin'
Jesse Jackson
Nancy Pelosi
and Mary "Punch" Landrieu
Just hearing now on Rush that there are some reports Brown is stepping down. Other reports, Rush says, are that he's only being "sent back to Washington."
He sucked on TV !
I'm anxious to see the long list of possible replacements that have multiple hurricane-disasters on their resume.
Do you want facts or BS.
And Krauthammer says he failed to have someone monitoring the tv so he'd have learned of the Superdome problem..
I think one of his critics ought to be forced to take the job.
Day by day night after night,
blinded by the neon lights
Hurry here hustlin' there,
no one's got the time to spare
Money's tight nothin' free,
won't somebody come and rescue me
I am stranded, caught in the crossfire
Stranded, caught in the crossfire
Tooth for tooth eye for an eye,
sell your soul just to buy buy buy
Beggin' a dollar stealin' a dime,
come on can't you see that I
I am stranded, caught in the crossfire
I am stranded, caught in the crossfire
I need some kind of kindness,
some kind of sympathy oh no
We're stranded, caught in the crossfire
Save the strong lose the weak,
never turning the other cheek
Trust nobody don't be no fool,
whatever happened to the golden rule
We got stranded, caught in the crossfire
We got stranded, caught in the crossfire
We got stranded, caught in the crossfire
Stranded, caught in the crossfire
Help me
I don't know that it is so much what he did wrong (compared to what was down for prior hurricanes). However, I think that Katrina was a once in a lifetime type storm. The work that will need to be done to clean-up and repair is a huge job. A job that is too big for most people. I think Bush wants to get the right person in there for the work going forward.
Of course the Dims will say it proves Brown was a failure and it was Bush's fault.
That's about it. I still wonder why the media keeps overstating FEMA's role in this, aside from the MSM giving it's usual Lewinkys to the Democrats.
He relied on corrupt local officals instead of relying on his own guys. As a result, he didn't have his facts straight. He was always behind the news. He should had someone monitor Fox News instead of talking to Blanco et al.
He's a Republican.
And that's the problem with this replacement.
Sounds like he was thrown to the wolves.
scapegoat
A: Nothing. The RATS and their cousins in the MSM have gotten so far ahead on the PR game to bash Bush that it has taken on a life of it's own. It's a shame how political gamesmanship trumps doing the right thing today.
A disaster the size of Katrina demands human sacrifice to salve the people's anger. He was the logical man to be sacrificed first.
He just got taken off hurricane oversight according to FOXNEWS. The Bush Admin is already giving in.
I think a lot of things went wrong on multiple levels with the Katrina response, but the primary criticism I've seen about Brown in particular is that he waited until several hours after landfall before he requested that rescue workers be dispatched, and that he gave two days before they actually had to be on scene. The question I have, however, is whether this is consistent with past hurricanes or not. If it's consistent with past hurricanes, then it doesn't seem as much of a big deal to me.
That being said, everyone knew that a devastating hurricane would flood New Orleans some day and there should've been a disaster preparedness plan specific to that, and separate from the standard operating procedure of dealing with routine hurricanes. I blame everyone involved for not having one, at every level, in past admins as well. There are three exceptional disasters that the U.S. government must be prepared for: a major hurricane hitting New Orleans or Houston, a major earthquake in San Franciso or Los Angeles, a major volcanic eruption near Seattle or Portland.
There is no excuse for not having specific plans to deal with each of these, because they will all happen some day.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.