CNN's Tom Foreman is trashing state and local officials right now.

[Be Brave]

Nothing about the federal response. Nothing. Oh, God, help us.

[Pirate Smile]

1. They said it was the LA Deputy of Homeland Security that wouldn't

let the Red Cross into NO to get to the Convention Center.

[cynatnite]

3. That surprised me. I did not know that. n/t

[Be Brave]

4. There was a DU post saying that guy was going to be on Nightline

tonight. I hope he can clarify things. OMG, I hope it isn't true.

[alcibiades_mystery]

6. Oh calm down

The trick of the right wing is to obfuscate the major issues by focusing on minutia. If you go all Chicken Little every time they pull this nonsense, then you're no good to anybody.

[Be Brave]

11. Propaganda is hardly "minutia." Look who's in the white house right now

because of effective propaganda.

[charlie]

8. Why?

It's a field office of DHS, isn't it? In other words, not a local decision, but a federal one.

[Pirate Smile]

13. That is what I want to know. They made him sound like a state

official. Is he state or a part of DHS?

[charlie]

18. Uh-oh

Louisiana DHS doesn't have a website, but I've just looked at Alabama's and Alaska's. From the Alabama site at least, it's clear that the local DHS is state-created, funded, and operated. The guy might be a state employee.

http://www.dhs.alabama.gov/department.htm

[AlCzervik]

21. he is a state employee, he will be on nightline tonight

and if he were guilty of what they say he do you think he'd show his face on ABC? He is being set up imo.

[charlie]

22. FWIW

Here's a dKos diary entry from a guy who called both federal and state DHS agencies to find out the origin of the policy and who ordered it:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/3/02454/07418

Here's a bit from his conversation with the state DHS:

Me: "Who on your end made this agreement with the red cross?"

He checked with the Operations desk and came back and told me it was probably a decision between the director of their agency, General Landreneau, the Governor, and Mike Brown at FEMA. He said he didn't know the exact groups in these agencies that worked out the agreement, but "ultimately, they're the ones in charge who sign off on it". He said "it's all a coordinated effort and guidelines are established." The point is they "don't want to put anyone at undue risk". (I was thinking "anyone, who? surely not the people of New Orleans!", but I didn't say anything because he was being so cool.)

Here's the kicker. He then told me that this agreement was for any and all disasters, not just the one in Louisiana!

(Note: author's emphasis, not mine)

I asked him how long this policy had been in effect, and he told me, "It's a work in progress; it's always changing."

[Be Brave]

27. So was the Red Cross prevented from going into the other areas

like Biloxi, Gulfport, Mobile, too?

[Pirate Smile]

30. I remember reading last week that NOLA was the only major city the

Red Cross wouldn't enter.

[charlie]

31. Not that I know of

The Chimp mentioned them when he landed in Biloxi, so I presume they were there then.

[Pirate Smile]

25. He needs to contact CNN because they just blamed him for the

water and food problems at the Convention Center.

[Be Brave]

15. The Loiusiana Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedeness

is under the state government. That is my understanding.

[Pirate Smile]

9. Is he supposed to be on along with the FEMA person who has

been critical of Mike Brown?

[AlCzervik]

14. he is the guy thats been blasting the feds, he is a state appointee

and when he started blasting them they started shifting the blame to him.

[Pirate Smile]

20. OK, thanks for connecting those dots. It is much clearer now.

I will definitely have to stay up and watch.

You know him personally or am I thinking of a different thread about someone from FEMA who was going to be on ABC Nightly News and Nightline? I remember seeing that one but you are talking about a different official?

[AlCzervik]

23. no i don't him but i've been following the blame shifting and it seems

to me that when the La DHS guy started yelling about getting no help from the feds the rw started pouncing. And the redcross claims on the web site that the LA state DHS wouldn't let them into the city, that popped up on their site just a few days ago btw.

http://www.redcross.org/faq/0,1096,0_682_4524,00.html
Hurricane Katrina: Why is the Red Cross not in New Orleans?

Acess to New Orleans is controlled by the National Guard and local authorities and while we are in constant contact with them, we simply cannot enter New Orleans against their orders.
The state Homeland Security Department had requested--and continues to request--that the American Red Cross not come back into New Orleans following the hurricane. Our presence would keep people from evacuating and encourage others to come into the city.

[Pirate Smile]

39. Here is the person I heard will be on Nightline - Leo Bosner

"ABC: FEMA Employees Union blames Bush

by MsLibrarian
Thu Sep 8th, 2005 at 18:38:44 PDT

The employees are fighting back. They don't want to be held responsable for what we've witnessed.

""FEMA is not going to hesitate at all in this storm," Brown said. "We are not going to sit back and make this a bureaucratic process. We are going to move fast, we are going to move quickly and we are going to do whatever it takes to help disaster victims."

But inside FEMA, longtime emergency managers were convinced the agency was not ready for Katrina.

"All of us were just shaking our heads and saying, 'This isn't going to be enough, and the director has to know this isn't going to be enough.' But nothing more seemed to be happening," said Leo Bosner, president of the FEMA Headquarters Employees Union.

Bosner has been with FEMA since it began 26 years ago. He says the agency has been systematically dismantled since it became part of the massive Department of Homeland Security.

MsLibrarian's diary :: ::
"""One of the big differences I see," said Bosner, "besides taking away our staff and our budget and our training, is that Homeland Security now, in my view, slows down the process."

The union warned Congress in a detailed letter about FEMA's decline a year ago. State emergency managers also warned Capitol Hill and Homeland Security just weeks ago that DHS was too focused on one thing -- terrorism. ""

This is what we need. Real professionals coming forward and saying, Look...we tried, but they weren't listening.

FEMA Union speaks out


http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/8/213844/3905

[AlCzervik]

10. that was mine, i have to keep kicking it.

[AlCzervik]

7. That guy, the LA DHS chief will be on nightline tonight!!!

[Spazito]

16. Did he say who that deputy reported to?

Was he appointed by the federal Homeland Security to be their point man? Was he appointed by the Governor? Under who's orders was he?

Without any of that detail, CNN report stinks, imo.

[Pirate Smile]

36. They gave no other info. They just called that "explosive" but gave

no additional information.

[KittyWampus]

26. The Red Cross ISN'T FEMA.

[Pirate Smile]

35. I know but what the hell is the Red Cross now. Are they a quasi-

governmental organization?

I just typed what the reporter stated in the segment. I certainly know that doesn't make it the truth. Nightline will be interesting tonight.

[cynatnite]

2. It was contradictory, too

The report said the local officials did not have the resources to get done what was needed. Then a few minutes later, most of it was put on local and state officials.

[shoopnyc]

5. After a state of emergency is declared...

...it is the total responsibility of the feds. That's the part he left out. A state of emergency was declared, and they WAITED FOR THEM.

[Rainscents]

12. You're exactly right! Once Bush declared the Emergency, it is FEDS

responsibility!!!

[Pirate Smile]

17. I've noticed the reporter that did the story. He is from LA. I thought

he had a bit of a RW angle to everything early in the week so I wasn't surprised his story looked like this.

I just want to know the truth.

There were plenty of screw ups at all levels but the primary responsibility for these types of disasters, after the initial response (which is local and state), is the Feds and they were AWOL - to a shocking degree - and it isn't just us saying it. There are Republicans all over shocked and dismayed by the Feds response.

[Be Brave]

19. The WHOLE truth is what we all want. Incomplete reports like the one

Foreman did is not gonna cut it.

[Old and In the Way]

24. The Red Cross story was discussed here a few days ago.

I thought the intent was to make people evacuate NO, not set-up the Red cross and keep people in the city?

[KittyWampus]

28. Exactly, it's not up to the RC to do the job of FEMA

[Be Brave]

32. That's a good point that I think is lost on a lot of people, including the

media.

[Pirate Smile]

29. But the Parish next door wouldn't let people out of NOLA because

they didn't want them in their Parish, isn't that who had the guns and wouldn't let them leave? I still don't think that has all been cleared up. Who was in charge of the friggin checkpoint so people couldn't walk out of NOLA.

[Old and In the Way]

37. Gretta sherriff's department?

Sounds like a rascist operation to keep the poor blacks out of that wealthy white suburb. I have no doubt that was a local, political thing. Given the lack of communication/control....I suspect this was an independent decision by Sherriff 'Buford' requested by his "constituents".

[Gabi Hayes]

41. that was part of Shepard Smith's impassioned exchange with the

schweinhunt Hannititty.

he expressly stated that HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of people were kept on that highway overpass, and NOT allowed to walk out, to Gretna

I heard a LONG clip of that, with him, Geraldo, and Hannity, on AAR, and it was devastating

heartbreaking

I'd like to know who was behind KEEPING those people there, and HOW MANY OF THOSE PEOPLE DIED!!!!!!!

[spuddonna]

43. Yeah, and Nagin mentioned this on the Oprah interview too n/t

[zulchzulu]

33. I'd like to see the transcript...I used to work with Tom at WWL

He is one of the coolest people I knew back then when I worked with him...about as left as you can go but kept the news balanced. He even did many stories/features warning about what EXACTLY happened. He was considered a leftie environmentalist by some of the WWL viewers.

I can't imagine Tom trashing Louisiana officials unless they actually fucked up. And they sure have a history of fucking up...believe me...

[Be Brave]

34. Transcript probably won't appear until tomorrow. Check the CNN

website tomorrow. It was on Aaron Brown's Newsnight.

[Gabi Hayes]

40. I'm pretty sure it was he who did the CNN TV version of their web story

that did a fact check on reality vs. Bush regime's response to the fiasco

here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=4600287

[Pirate Smile]

38. Article is up on CNN now.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x1765498

[applegrove]

42. They announced that in this story they were only going to cover local

& state issues.