Slow FEMA: Lihop or Gross Negligence?

[Bucky]

Poll question: Slow FEMA: Lihop or Gross Negligence?

In another discussion thread we've had a divergence of opinion on the criminally slow responese to the disaster in New Orleans: whether the Bush administration planned out the slow response to Katrina's devastation, forecasting inner city looting that they could use to test out martial law or whether they're just a bunch of incompetant fuck ups who don't care about disasters, people, doing their jobs, or planning ahead.

The choices come down to these:

(1) They deliberately withheld food and water from American citizens, hoping for riots to quell with widespread martial law and new high-tech weapons. Or (2) they are the most incompetent, clueless, uncaring, evil bastards the human species has ever produced.

But I'll allow a couple of other options. (I'm voting for the incompetant evil option rather than the well-planned genocide option)

[Zynx]

1. Morons and political hacks

[Bucky]

3. Are you talkin' about me?

...or my cousin George?

[Minstrel Boy]

2. It's indisputable they have been withholding aid.

Now, the question: did they know their proactive withholding of aid would exacerbate the crisis and result in more deaths, or did they not?

For those who like to cite Occam's Razor, what does it tell you now?

[Bucky]

4. Indisputable that aid hasn't arrived. "Deliberately" is still unproved.

You can believe what you want. But you need to back up "deliberately with proof, which of course you do not have.

[Swamp Rat]

5. If you choose #1, then perhaps #5 is true too.

FEMA did just what Bushler wanted them to do: strategic witholding of resources.

Personally, I chose #2 - they are incompetent and evil.

[stilpist]

6. Both

One doesn't preclude the other.

I voted for incompetent because you included "evil" in that choice and so that was close enough.

IMO, the deliberate part was probably not so tactical. I think rather that the Redthugs deliberatley fuck up the government when they control it so as to lead people not to expect the government to be of any help.

[Bucky]

7. Obviously it's a limited choice - as all polls are.

But yes, Republican contempt for government is probably at the root of Republican poor management of government.

[RandomUser]

8. In between Choice 1 and Choice 2

They're not stupid enough to want to create riots that undermine them, but there's an arguable case that they did withhold help in some cases until they could take advantage of a photo op. Wasn't there a thread about starving people being forced to wait until Laura Bush got there and spoke before they could eat?

[BringEmOn]

9. If they're (FEMA) on the ground in NYC on Sept 10th, 2001

why did it take so long in NOLA?

http://www.makethemaccountable.com/whatwhen/Q02_DidUSKnow.htm