All My Fault!

[Jerry D]

Thanks Blue! Great Articles on the Keesler and Little Rock Airmen I enjoyed reading about the Couple getting Married at Wolfe Hall!

Here is a series of Questions? If the President Declared a Disaster Area of New Orleans two Days BEFORE the Hurricane landfalled. Why didn't the Mayor use all the City and County Busses at his disposal to Evac the poor and the huddles masses from the Projects of New Orleans?(BTW there are hundreds of School Busses in a flooded parking lot in N.O. at this minute) Why did he have to be Called on the Phone ,while attending a Party, the Saturday before by the Gov of Louisiana to declare a Mandatory evac of the City? Why where the people sent to the Super Dome without any police or security from the City and not provided with Food or Water for enough days while being secured in the shelter,even I know when a Hurricane goes thru town you lose power! If it was to be a Shelter for 25,000 people? Why were their no Pat downs for Guns or Alcohol when entering the Super Dome? Is the Sheltering of citizens for a Hurricane not given the same protection 100,000 fans get watching a 4 hour NFL football game?
It's easy to Blame Bush,for 5 years the opposing party have blamed Bush for everything but Dandruff?? Where were their Ideas? Where were there plans? Like columnist Clarance Paige said in todays paper "Its easy to blame Bush but, hard to come up with a solution" To take a stand other then "Bush stole the election, or "Bush lied about WMD's". So, Whats the Answer?? I don't know but I wish some one with a pair would kindly offer a solution other then "Bush Bad" "We're Good" maybe some of us would vote for that guy but till then who knows the Answer but God.

[BLUEHAWK]

If I got this right from the talking heads corps, the storm hit on Sunday and on Wednesday the Governor of La. asked for Federal assistance.

The way our government works (or doesn't, depending on whether one is a Federalist or not ), the Feds are obliged by the 10th Amendment to wait until specifically asked to intervene.

Take away two more days for the Guard and Eighty Deuce to get in there and lay down some potential for withering fire against domestic terrorists in Big Easy.

So, basically, the Federal effort was knocking at the door since Monday morning, and could not get started in earnest until last Friday... although the Coast Guard and others jumped the line out of compassion for humans.

Today being the following Wednesday, it seems to me, all in all, everyone has done their best and headway is being made in a nearly impossible situation.

Oprah, Jesse Rainbow, and Dr. Phil have weighed in tieless, domestic pets are being rescued, the levees have been spot repaired, filth soup is being pumped out, air dropped provisions are being landed for the stranded in a 400 mile radius, Hollywood has sent its best and brightest, Geraldo has gotten the story, we've been given tents by France, the inevitable blue ribbon commission has been called for, news anchors have shed tears on national prime time TV, oil companies net nut has reached only $34,000,000,000 quarterly, Aruba-Holloway and Camp Casey are temporarily off of page one, tens of thousands of evacuees from the area have been disbursed into loving jurisdictions from Massatwoshits to the Left Coast and Michigander to Jackson, an emergency morgue system has been established, America's "racism" has been re-declared, the free speech circular firing squad has ordered themselves to the front and center... FUBAR sitrep normal?

[Seascamp]

I think the Feds were in on the 27th with rescue helicopters getting people out but had to stand down due to AA incoming weapons fire. Of course the Hollywood and the media glitterati have been in doing the oui vey, renting garments number and of course the race card is every other card in the deck now; money to be made, leverage is on the plate and opportunity calls. Underneath it all, I think real progress is being made by the not so pretty, wealthy or noisy ; the military and civilian ?grunts?, and that is what really matters and is making the difference, but tiz not headliner stuff, ya see.

?Fubar-fubar? is the nesting call of the red breasted sap suckers, most of which were caught in the pants down or in the off condition and that is usual as most have forgotten the concept of ?pants? or where they left them last.

Scamp

[SuperScout]

Soe great questions already presented by JerryD, which hopefully will be asked by the inevitable Blue Ribbon Commission that will have the same beneficial effect as other commissions. Side Note: one of the strongest recommendations to come out of the 9-11 Commish deal was the creation of a new Department of Homeland Security, which in turn, gobbled up FEMA and other agencies. In the perpetual rant of "bigger is better" the Democrats demanded that this super agency be established, but now the same whiners are demanding that it be reconstructed, excising out the FEMA dudes. Turns out that maybe bigger ain't necessarily better. It is the same DHS that does such a splendid job of airport security, thoroughly searching and frisking 80-year old Swedish grandmothers who might just be a potential hijacker.

But the biggest question to ask, if any Commission member can do it without laughing his arse off is, "Mr. Mayor, how can you justify sending some of your police department, at least some of those that you can find, on an all-expense paid trip to Las Vegas when most of your city is still underwater and under the threat of gangs that you never controlled?"

[exlrrp]

Ive been studying the National Response Plan to get the facts straight, I encourage you all to do so and to come to understand it--the Bush Administrations failure to comply with this plan has been a complete disgrace and will be a hallmark of their government.
I've excerpted critical parts of the United States National Response Plan, as published in December 2004. (see it at : http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/interap...orial_0566.xml )
First and foremost, let me stress that this document is essentially a contract with American citizens. "By signing this letter of agreement, Federal departments and agencies" commit to implementing the plan. It is signed by Donald Rumsfeld, Tom Ridge, Tommy Thompson, Porter Goss, John Ashcroft, Colin Powell, Robert Mueller, Michael Powell, and several others. THIS is the real "Contract With America." It is the Federal Government's promise that it will execute the National Response Plan properly.
Reading through it, it becomes abundantly clear that we have witnessed what will become the second largest intelligence failure in American history. (Going to war against Saddams nonexistent WMDs was the first) I say that because I have never, ever seen such slothfulness and skirting of responsibility, as that exhibited by the Federal Government in response to Katrina.
Keep in mind, while listening to the President and his sycophants blame local and state officials, that those state and local officials have had a copy of this National Response Plan, and relied on it during this disaster.
The National Response Plan (NRP) applies 'to all Federal agencies that are requested to provide assistance" or are delegated responsibilities under the plan. The plan itself "establishes a comprehensive national all-hazards approach to domestic incident management across the spectrum of action including prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery."
On August 26, 2005, President Bush declared a "State of Emergency" in Louisiana. A day later he did the same for Mississippi. The hurricane hit on August 29, 2005. THREE DAYS LATER.
His declarations made Hurricane Katrina an "Incident of National Significance." The NRP defines an Incident of National Significance as: ?an actual or potential high-impact event that requires a coordinated and effective response by and appropriate combination of Federal, State, local, tribal, nongovernmental, and/or private-sector entities in order to save lives and minimize damage, and provide the basis for long-term community recovery and mitigation activities.?
This categorization, as you will see, becomes CRITICAL as it imposes upon the President and his administration unique powers and responsibilities under the NRP. During that time, from the instant the Hurricane was labeled an "Incident of National Significance" until the second it made landfall, the President and his administration had THREE DAYS WORTH OF RESPONSIBILITY under the NRP. Their duty under the plan obviously still continues.
The "basic premise of the NRP is that incidents are generally handled at the state and local level." (NRP, 15). However, the plan specifically recognizes the possibility that the FEDERAL government bears primary responsibility:
?When an incident or potential incident is of such severity, magnitude, and/or complexity that it is considered an Incident of National Significance, the Secretary of Homeland Security initiates actions to prepare for, respond to, and recover from the incident." (NHP,
15)
Additionally, the NRP explicitly gives the President a fiduciary duty in the handling of a disaster:
"The President leads the Nation in responding efficiently and ensuring the necessary resources are applied quickly and effectively to all Incidents of National Significance." (NHP, 15)
Read that again?Bush was on his 5th week of vacation when it happened and paid no other attention to the hurricane until days afterward?when he saw it was politically damaging, although it was his DUTY to lead.
While the state and local officials then still have to try and implement their plans and coordinate with the feds, it is crystal clear that the NRP recognizes that when, say, a hurricane comes and wipes your city off the map, it is the President and his administration which MUST respond proactively.
Read that again: it is the President and his administration which MUST respond proactively.
Clearly, he did not?its impossible to say he did when he was on his FIFTH week of vacation. And Cheney was on vacation. And most of Bush?s major aides were on vacation. Do they think terrorists take August off too?
Much has been made of the fact that Governor Blanco refuses to hand over the state National Guard to the President. "Why didn't she request troops earlier" cry out the right wingers. But where does the NRP place the responsibility to request and/or deploy troops?
Deploying troops to a disaster scene, both pre and post incident, is called a "Defense Support of Civil Authorities" (DSCA). When and how is a DSCA authorized?
The cavalry is called up by the Secretary of Defense
?The Secretary of Defense authorizes Defense Support of Civil Authorities (DSCA) for domestic incidents as directed by the President or when consistent with military readiness operations and appropriate under the circumstances and the law.?
Now, generally, the DSCA will be deployed when requested by a Governor. (NRP, 42). But the plan states that the Secretary of Defense can deploy the troops under his imminent response authority. (NRP, 42).
?Imminently serious conditions resulting from any civil emergency may require immediate action to save lives, prevent human suffering, or to mitigate property damage.
When such conditions exist and time does not permit approval from higher headquarters, local military commands and responsible officers from the DOD are authorized by DOD directive and pre-approved by the Secretary of Defense to take necessary action to response to the request of civil authorities. (NPR, 42)?
Again, for three days before the hurricane hit, President Bush had the authority to direct Rumsfeld to deploy troops. Under the NRP, a formal request by the Governor is not necessary in these conditions. For three days before Katrina hit, and for FIVE Days afterwards, the President always had the authority to send in thousands of troops. The sole question that remains is...why didn't he do it earlier?
(Answer?he was on his 5th week of vacation and didn?t want to be disturbed)
If there is one overarching theme of the NRP, it is that the federal response must be swift, efficient, and coordinated. Indeed, there is an ENTIRE SECTION of the NRP entitled "PROACTIVE FEDERAL RESPONSE TO CATASTROPHIC EVENTS." (NRP, 43).
Under that section, the plan provides that:
"Standard procedures regarding requests for assistance may be expedited, or under extreme circumstances, suspended in the immediate aftermath of an event of catastrophic magnitude." (NRP, 44)

Yes, you read that right. This theory that the Federal Government has to sit on its ass and WAIT for Governors and Mayors to tearfully beg for assistance and issue S.O.S is pure fiction. The government has signed off on a promise to be PROACTIVE.
This is what the plan requires from our federal government:
Federal departments and agencies are EXPECTED to provide:
? initial and/or ongoing response, when warranted, under their own authority and funding;
? alert, notification, pre-positioning and timely delivery of resources;
? proactive support for catastrophic or potentially catastrophic incidents using protocols for expedited delivery of resources. (NRP, 6)
There is a lot more in the National Response Plan, page after page describing how the Federal government should have acted. Michael Brown and FEMA failed America. But the incompetence goes much, much higher. Michael Chertoff failed. Donald Rumsfeld failed. George W. Bush failed. It's all there in black and white. Page after page explicitly stating what they SHOULD have done.
What good is a 114-page plan (sans appendices)if the administration doesn't even READ it? It would had better served the victims of Katrina if someone threw it into the water as a lifesaver. .
George Bush and his administration completely failed America during this crisis and they are the ones who won election on claiming that they could keep America safe. It is obvious that if this had been a large scale terrorist threat, such as a suitcase nuclear bomb in a big city that our national ?guardians? would have been caught completely unprepared?AGAIN!.
This is a shame and a disgrace but what is even more of a shame and disgrace is their followers, who obviously haven?t read this plan either, play the Blame Game on everybody but their leader?who SHOULD have been out front, but was on his 5th week of vacation (Making 339 days total of his vacation in 4.5 years)
And all his aides and the Vice President too? People are saying we?re in WWIII?if this is so, taking 5 weeks of vacation along with the Vice President and his major aides is clear dereliction of duty, something Bush knows all about since his days with the TANG.
Stay good
James





.

[Gimpy]

Donald Rumsfeld was sitting in a $100,000 a year 'sky box' at a San Diego Padres baseball game swilling beer and eating cavair while New Orleans was flooding, not even yet offering a response much LESS any military aid! And Fearless Leaders numba two man, Cheney was sitting in a hunting cabin in Wyoming awaiting his chance to shoot farm raised pheasants released into the wild specifically for his shooting 'pleasure".................Just like in the sixtys and Vietnam............he had 'other priorites'!

Real 'efficient' bunch this 'GANG', HUH??????????? :cd: :cd: :cd:

[catman]

Here we go again, the same four or five people have every answer to every single problem that arises.

Still say it is a damn shame we can not get you people to run for office.

Trav

[SuperScout]

According to an intrepid journalist, it can now be reported with virtual certainty that communications of the most sophisticated level do indeed exist even in Crawford, TX. This fact being told, it is further reported that the President was on a "working vacation" where he actually got things done, as opposed to the New Orleans style vacation, where over-stressed policefolks are given tax-paid excursions to Las Vegas, even while their fellow officers are still missing.

And it can also be reported that the President's assistants are also connected to this very same communications network, enabling them to be in instant contact with the boss, irrespective of their actual location. This fact may come as a shock to some people on the Left Coast who are probably unaware of this fact and other trappings of reality.

Incidentally, the second largest intelligence failure was when FDR blew it right before Pearl Harbor. The largest was when a Jamie (gasp! another Democrat operative!) Gorlick-authored policy statement prevented interaction between the CIA/FBI and military. Go back and check out the reports by Able Danger.

As I've written earlier, whomever the shoe fits must wear it. But to place sole blame on the President and his administration is simply another example of the "let's blame Bush for dandruff, starvation in China, flatulence in Minnesota, and idiocy on the Left Coast" crowd. The sheer lunacy of the mayor of NO to dwaddle around in declaring a mandatory evacuation, then fail to provide the means of egress, then fail to adequately secure and supply the rally point, i.e,. the Super Dome, all the while failing to heed the very disaster recovery plan his office helped prepare is being under-reported. The colossal failure of the governor to pre-position any of HER national guard forces or their equipment, for her to dwaddle around waiting to authorize federal assistance, thereby enabling the federal government to respond without violating specific federal law, and her failure to follow the disaster recovery plan that her office helped create is also being under-reported.

Does the National Response Plan have the force of law, or is it just some suggestive document on how the various federal agencies are to respond? Where is the enabling legislation? Why are things going so much smoother and more intelligently in neighboring Mississippi? Are there ever any really perfect wars or recovery operations? Are there any heavily armed patrols in ravished Mississippi towns or cities, or is it just NO? Did the cities in Mississippi empty their jail cells into the general population like NO did? Were rescuers, from whatever source, fired on by the stranded people in Mississippi, or is that simply an NO phenomena?

[BLUEHAWK]

I forgot to mention arsonists and, according to the Big Easy police Chief, the brothers in his town who put their bodies as cordone between the thugs and himself under threat of kidnap (so he said on NPR today), and who also stood their ground against other homey types out for blood of tourists.

The Cane came on the 28th-29th, next day our pre-positioned Coasties (for starters) were out there hangin' off of wires picking people off rooftops at a rapid pace and in a military manner... so I reckon somebody somewhere in the Fed DID give some proper orders, eh?

I thank Sir Scamp for his correction of my naive assumption that there is only one race card in a deck, and for his drawing my attention to the plaintive call of the red-breasted sap muckers, to wit, "fubar-fubar!"

Nooooooooooo, SECDEF Rumsfeld was NOT just sitting in a skybox sipping martini's, and Noooooooooooo, the POTUS was NOT just zipping up after a few minutes with the First Lady (please excuse me, ma'am), and Noooooooooo, Veep Cheney was NOT just sitting around a hunting lodge fingering his 50 cal. sporting rifle, and Nooooooooo, Michael Brown nor FEMA were fumbling around re-reading the legislation... see what is meant here in plain terms, Earl?

Lemme spell it out:
The accusations are improbable, spurious, unrealistic, falacious, slanderous, indecent, cowardly, preposterous, ignominious, unwarranted, insulting, pandering and inadvertently if not purposefully destructive.

Meantime, we also have a Just War to win.

[Gimpy]

you!...............

It appears how-sum-ever that a GREAT majority of American populace is in profound disagreement with you and those who think like you!------ :cd: