Posted on 10/28/2005 8:08:44 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
Fed Memos Put Katrina Body Blame on Blanco
By LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press Writer 29 minutes ago
Bodies of people killed by Hurricane Katrina went uncollected for more than a week in the New Orleans area as the federal government waited for Louisiana's governor to decide what to do with them, according to memos released Thursday by a Republican-led House committee.
The 38 pages of e-mail between FEMA representatives and Pentagon officials contradict the contention by Louisiana's Democratic Gov. Kathleen Blanco, two weeks after Katrina hit on Aug. 29, that the federal government was moving too slowly to recover the bodies.
They also underscore ongoing political tensions between the Republican Bush administration and Democratic state and local officials over the botched response to Katrina, which killed more than 1,000 people in Louisiana. They were released by a House panel that many Democrats have shunned, chaired by Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., that is investigating the government's sluggish preparations and reaction to the storm.
The memos indicate that morgues were not ready to receive bodies until Sept. 7 — two days after the first memo complaining about Blanco's inaction, and nine days after Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast.
"Number 1 issue is body collection," Army Col. John J. Jordan, the military assistant to former Federal Emergency Management Agency director Michael Brown, wrote in a Sept. 5 e-mail to various Pentagon officials.
"This issue must be addressed, and frankly, there is operations paralysis at this point," Jordan wrote. "FEMA is pushing state to see what they want to do, and indications are that governor is involved in some of the decisions," especially regarding burial.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
I'm shocked!
Think this will make MSM?
Hoodathunk??? Give us a break -- we knew this from day one. And don't forget the corrupt, stupid liberal mayor, as well.
Ping.
Why is it taking so long for this to come out?
Blanco was probably too busy filling out the absebtee voters card for the deceased.
What's really interesting is that the reporter is trying very hard to make this a political R-vs.-D issue.
Unless the finger is pointed at Bush is what the puke means.
" Unless the finger is pointed at Bush is what the puke means."
Yes, you got the disgrace to America, unfortunately from my city, Cynthia McKinney asking why the head of homeland security shouldn't be charged with murdering black folks and and a peep from the dems about how she shouldn't be pointing fingers.
Don't forget that sleazeball NO mayor Joe Nagin. All those school buses underwater that he could have used to evacuate the people.
I could have told them that from the get go.
I noticed that, too. The reporter wasn't very subtle about it, either.
"Deer-in-headlights Blanco Bump!"
Thanks for the ping. This is the least of the many things she screwed up. Hopefully, this committee will disclose the rest of them.
For the record..... A group of federal Job Corps workers from east Tennessee were dispatched to New Orleans to gather up the bodies.
They were shocked beyond belief at the task and say they were mentally maimed for life.
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.