FEMA not doing so good in N.O - National Guard never showed up today

[Pallas180]

supposed to be 3500 National Guard there today to help cops keep order, stop looting...no show

reporters saying they haven't seen Red Cross, National Guard, or FEMA

No one in charge telling people where to go or what to do.

14 helicopters that were supposed to drop sand bags saved lives instead.

They sent only 14 helicopters for a disaster of this magnitude?????!!!

Who's in charge here?

Where's Dick Cheney? What, he never liked N.O.?

I'm waiting for Falwell & Robertson to come on and say "Gawd is punishing that sin city...." taking bets right here - :)

[still_one]

1. what do you expect

the same incompentents who let 9/11 happen

[Skwmom]

2. Using the National Guard to stop "looting" should hardly be the first

priority. The "loot" is going to be under water very shortly anyway. I think saving lives should be more important than guarding some junk at Walmart.

[Wilber_Stool]

3. This is what happens when

you hire your friends instead of the capable.

[Pirate Smile]

4. Didn't Bush replace an excellent head of FEMA with a political hack?

A person not trained in this area but a politically buddy of Bush's who needed to be "thanked".

[Divernan]

8. YES ! Joe Albaugh, 1 of Bush's campaign managers & nutcase.

This man has a truly violent temper and short trigger to go with it. At one of his first meetings with career FEMA high level staff, one woman who was called on to make a report started out by introducing herself to Albaugh with her name and title. He went ballistic, screaming and raging - DID SHE THINK HE DIDN'T KNOW WHO SHE WAS?!?!?!? HOW DARE SHE PRESUME SUCH A THING??? . . .yada, yada, yada along the same line for minutes to the dead silence of everyone else in the room who had never seen such a display of temper. In other words, someone following standard business etiquette was screamed at and berated in front of her peers.

This was typical behavior for Albaugh, and one result was that many, many of the top level FEMA people left for other jobs or took early retirement because Albaugh wouldn't allow them to do the jobs they were trained to do. This was a tremendous loss of institutional knowledge for the relatively small federal agency. Albaugh hated being at FEMA and left after about a year. Although he had zip experience with disaster relief or any kind of government/public service before his explosive period with FEMA, when he left there he started a very high priced consulting firm on counter-terrorism.
Bush initially put Albaugh in place to gut FEMA - I mean why should all that federal money go to people in trouble and need through some natural disaster. Bush's attitude was that if you weren't wealthy enough to private pay someone to help you handle a disaster, you deserved whatever befell you. Anyway, when 9/11 occurred, he couldn't outwardly gut FEMA, but he pretty much emasculated it by putting it under DHS.

[wli]

5. It's LIHOP ethnic cleansing, I tell you. n/t

[RedStateRed]

6. GET A LOAD OF THIS: Help from an unexpected source:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0508300139aug30,1,5132447.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

Chavez is a political GENIUS.

[Pallas180]

10. Can you please post a few paras of the Chic Trib - have to register for

it - your link does not give story.

Thanks

[HadItUpToHere]

14. Chi Trib registration is free & easy.

nt

[redacted]

7. Exactly what I was saying. Look here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4519355

BTW, you are not Pallas of Pallas Advertising are you?

[Pallas180]

11. redacted - nope - check

out my sig.

[tjdee]

9. The Pentagon told us they have adequate personnel available.

So you must be wrong.

There are enough boats, enough helicopters, and enough people who know what they're doing.

You must be watching the LIEbrul media.

*snort*

[tkmorris]

12. Didn't the Pentagon say the same about Iraq?

[Beam Me Up]

13. .

[oasis]

15. Bush has turned the U.S. into a third world nation. Our resources have

been stretched to the limit with Bush's wasteful war in Iraq.

[MildyRules]

16. Well the Governor of LA

is in charge of the LA National Guard in LA, not FEMA or anyone else

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

17. where's the pope?

[gate of the sun]

18. what the hell is going on????

That's what I want to know What the hell is going on? We can fight this goddamn war but we can't fucking help our people.....what the hell is going on?????????

[MissMarple]

19. Chaos and anarchy, brought to you by the Republican Party.

I'm sure old Grover Norquist thinks this is just great, just what he has been working for.