House cancels hearings on Katrina response

[Ioo]

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/09/07/katrina.congress/index.html

"But DeLay countered that assessment later in a news conference by saying that the onus for responding to emergencies fell to local officials.

"It's the local officials trying to handle the problem. When they can't handle the problem, they go to the state, and the state does what they can to, and if they need assistance from FEMA and the federal government they ask for it and it's delivered," DeLay said."

Guys, I do not think this is true at all..

How can a disaster in 3 states be a local thing?

This is the issue we need to pound to the ground, get it to your rep and senate ASAP.

[Lindsay]

1. "they ask for it and it's delivered"

Uh, Tom, there seems to have been a bit of a problem with that "delivered" part, see....

[LeftHander]

2. Gov. And Mayor of NOLA...asked and begged....

Washington....but Bush wouldn't listen.

[Botany]

3. After meeting with the President.

Key phrase.

[in_cog_ni_to]

4. Didn't the idiot declare a state of emergency for the gulf coast on

Aug. 27? If so, it was the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S responsibility, not local, to "handle the problem," Delay can eat shit. Hopefully he will be indicted soon. Also, if a Natural Disaster is TOO BIG FOR A LOCAL GOVERNMENT it then becomes the responsibility of the Federal Government. Sorry Tom. YOU ASSHOLES OWN THIS DISASTER! It's all yours!

[Fleshdancer]

5. what do these people think FEMA is for??

This is what gets me. Sure the local and state governments do what they can, but they knew several days before the storm ever hit that they couldn't handle it alone. This is where FEMA comes in. This is their job. Their purpose. The very POINT OF THEIR EXISTENCE! Why is this SO hard for these idiots to understand?

Imagine your child collapses. You know she needs help but you're not a doctor and you don't know what to do so you frantically call the ambulance. The ambulance is taking longer than you expect but every time you call, the person on the other end of the phone reassures you that they're on their way. Now imagine help arrives hours later but it's too late because your child is dead. Imagine being blamed for the death of your own child. Never mind you didn't have the resources to save her. Never mind you asked for help hours ago. Never mind that everyone told you help was coming. Never mind that the people who are now blaming you would have done the SAME THING had they been in your position.

What would Delay have done differently if he was the mayor? The Governor?

[Bassic]

13. Oh, easy question..

"What do these people think FEMA is for?"

They think its just for show. And they are mostly right.

[Roland99]

6. I say we stick DeLay in the Superdome for a week and seal it shut.

[Fleshdancer]

10. hasn't the Superdome been through enough??!!?!

:evilgrin:

[Roland99]

17. Good point.

[blogslut]

7. that damned snake

That gapped-tooth jerk better stay the hell away from my part of Texas.

[Ioo]

8. From the National Responce Plan

a. Natural Disasters. Natural disasters may include floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, droughts, and epidemics.

(1) In operations related to natural disasters, the special responsibilities of various authorities, agencies, and organizations are as follows:

(a) The Secretary of Homeland Security is responsible for:

i. Gathering information related to disaster preparation, response, and recovery, and providing relevant information to the public, the private sector, local and State authorities, Federal departments and agencies, and the President;

ii. Directing Federal operations to prepare for, respond to, and recover from major disasters;

iii. Designating a PFA to coordinate the activities of SAs within each functional area to prepare for, respond to, and recover from major disasters;

iv. Receiving and making recommendations to the President concerning State requests for Federal assistance; and v. Obtaining, on behalf of Federal agencies, access to additional resources via emergency or disaster declarations.

(b) PFAs are responsible for:

i. Performing missions prior to the declaration of a disaster in accordance with their responsibilities as PFAs. PFAs will use their own funding until additional function resources become available;

ii. Planning specific aspects of a contingency and coordinating Federal multi-agency efforts, as designated by the Secretary; and

iii. Working through the Secretary’s designated representatives to coordinate interagency mission assignments and to monitor their completion.

[baldguy]

9. Texas, Idaho & Utah could disappear from the face on the earth.

If it made Bush & the GOP look bad they would avoid investigating it like the plague.

[TayTay]

11. It's the corruption, baby

This is the issue going forward against Delay and all the Rethugs. It's the corruption and the lack of accountability. These people stink to the high heavens.

So, what's he covering up anyway? You can't trust Rethugs to get anything right, and when things go wrong, they lock themselves away and shift blame to someone else. How long must America be held hostage to their irresponsibility and incompetence.

It's the corruption, greed, cronyism and failure to come clean about their actions. That's what they have to run on from this time forward.

[Ioo]

12. I blogged it, I would hope other do the same

http://www.bushsamerica.com/index.php/2005/09/07/the_house_cancels_hearings_on_the_katrin

If you have a blog, write about it, so we can stop the spin.

[sniffa]

14. how can he do that!?

seriousLy, how can he do that? x(

[justiceischeap]

15. I just emailed Delay--here are the contents

Mr. Delay, I read your comments regarding who was responsible for the horrendous display of ineptitude in the Gulf Coast. I find it amazing you have the audacity to blame the local and state government when President Bush himself issued a statement on Federal Emergency for Louisiana on August 26th, 2005. I've included the link below for your reference so you can stop making erroneous statements in the press about where the responsibility of this matter lies. It is clearly at the doorstep of the President of these divided States. You can attempt to spin this debacle any way you'd like and this makes you just as complicit as the President and his administration. How you defend this man for his actions and place blame elsewhere when the President took the responsibility on himself August 26th is beyond me.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050827-1.html

[Ioo]

16. Perfect, I will update my blog with this as well.

[mattclearing]

18. DeLay is so wrong there it's not even funny.

From the 26th on, when FEMA took control of the situation, FEMA was the command and control center, and had direct authority over all resources.

That is a flat out fucking lie, and DeLay should be tarred and feathered for it.