<p>Check this out for a view of incompetance in both governmental and journalistic spheres.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.dailyhowler.com/index.shtml[/url]”>http://www.dailyhowler.com/index.shtml</a></p>
<p>It’s probably best that Brown is gone, but I think a fair, root-cause analysis will be much kinder to him than the media has been.</p>
<p>The Truth is, incimpetence ran up and down the chain of command, and there is no one person you can give all the blame, they all deserve their fair share. Had only one of them been on the ball, Brown, Bush or the Mayor of New Orleans, the worst could have been diverted. When it comes to the blame game, they are all losers.</p>
<p>Now if we could only figure out who convinced George W. Bush that he should continue on his vacation while his countrymen drowned.</p>
<p>As this circumstance and that which underlied it continues to be revealed further, the LA times published an article this morning that a plan was in place for a Katrina type scenario, which was essentially no plan.</p>
<p>Apparently, a report/presentation was prepared and dvd/videos of it were about to be distributed. This report which, according to the Times article, was known to local, state and federal officials concluded that the most impoverished residents of New Orleans had no means to evacuate a Katrina type situation and that they were essentially on their own and needed to plan accordingly i.e. to be on their own. Compounded by the acknowledgement that these folks lived in the lowest lying areas, were the most vulnerable and the ones with the least ability to address such an emergency, the “plan” was to provide 72 hours warning of any anticipated event and that by way of the dvd/video they were to be “educated” to know that they had best make their own arrangements, find friends with cars, etc. and that there would be no immediate public/government assistance for them to evacuate or deal with the immediate aftermath.</p>
<p>To help effectuate this “no plan” plan, the Louisiana state legislature attempted to pass a bill relieving a private citizen of liability if an accident took place while they were driving a third party evacuee. The bill was rejected and essentially no other steps were taken to address the “no plan” plan (and the dvd/videos did not get distributed in time).</p>
<p>Again, the Times article makes clear that this report was known to ALL levels of government and while there is certainly, therefore, blame to go all around, by way of analogy to a card game, state trumps local and fed trumps state so…“Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job” -G. Bush.</p>
<p>Fed is not legally allowed to trump local and state unless there is a declaration of what is equal to an insurrection… Sometimes laws are cumbersome things done with good intentions. Can you picture the liberal outcry is the Feds could come in anytime and override a state government?</p>
<p>Actually, under the Patriot Act and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, they CAN trump local and state initiatives. When Blanco declared her state of emergency on Friday the 26th, including a declaration that the emergency exceeded the capacity of state and local governments to deal with it, and when the President acknowledged receipt of the declaration on the 27th, power was in fact ceded to the feds.</p>
<p>But, to be fair, it was a new situation. The new powers that the feds have taken for themselves had never been previously utilized in the context of a disaster, and they have never been tested in court. FEMA’s statutory role is to LEAD in disaster preparedness and response, and to coordinate all local, state, and federal resources in responding. FEMA seemed to recognize that it had such authority when it blocked the delivery goods, services, and manpower to disaster-hit areas.</p>
<p>“liberal outcry”? Barrons, do you ever get tired of name-calling? We’re not talking about “coming in anytime”, we’re talking about responding to a bona fide, declared emergency. Dealing with the immediate consequences of natural disasters is exactly the kind of thing the federal government is better equipped to do than state and local government. </p>
<p>Now, declaring that a perpetual “war on terror” justifies federal intrusion into every sphere of day to day life with no end in sight will get you a “liberal outcry” - is that what you have a problem with?</p>
<p>Mini, where do you get or make up your facts? Please show me where in the Patriot Act that provisions are made to do what you say. Also, it was the governor’s people who blocked the Red Cross and salvation army from delivering supplies to the city. This is not just conservative hype - this is the statement directly from the two agencies. I suppose you maintain that FEMA should have drawn their guns and told the State to “stand down”.</p>
<p>I have already cited the statutory authority on two separate occasions, providing the citations, the references to the citations, the Governor’s allusion to the citation in her declaration, and the President’s acceptance of her declaration.</p>
<p>For the rest - I watch the same Faux Gnus that you do.</p>
<p>kluge, why is it that as of Thursday after the storm that the governor had to have 24 hours to “think” about letting the feds take control. Clearly she still thought that she had that control and was not willing to cede it.</p>
<p>
I think the post mortem will not be kind to any of the involved parties. That said I think FEMA and Mr. Brown trump the others … why? The city and state certainly should have been prepared and should have responded better … among the may things they are supposed to be doing. What is FEMA’s point of existence … to deal with disasters such as this one … and in addition, NO levees failing and NO flooding was at the top of their list of national disasters … years to prepare and work with the local folks and the leadership failed miserably. The post mortems are going to cream FEMA’s senior management.</p>
<p>
shouldn’t that be the conservative cry … states rights and all that. I thought the (somewhat legitimate) complaint about the liberals was that we try to get the federal government to do all sorts of things that should be left to the state and/or local governments.</p>
<p>Politics make strange bedfellows. The liberals control some states and are much more afraid/distrusting of the Republican controlled Fed government than the old conservatives are today. They feel–rightly so–that states like California, New York, Mass, are THEIR power bases.</p>
<p>
agreed … it’s amazing how inconsistent both parties can be to their supposed beliefs when their power/money is in play</p>
<p>Well, whether sincere or simply a brilliant PR move, the President has just announced that he accepts his share of blame for what has taken place re: Katrina. I believe he has scheduled a news conference to expand on this and the related plans to move forward.</p>
<p>I believe the administration realizes this is a turning point for them and they are going to seize the opportunity to move forward in a positive and strong fashion. The direct results will certainly provide benefit to those in need and the side effect will be to quell further criticism as to how we got to this point.</p>
<p>Not a fan, but great move by the President. Maybe this admin is now realizing that it is ok to acknowledge a mistake and ok to change course as circumstances dictate. Maybe a few other issues and policies will now get some review and revision.</p>
<p>Did the Governor and Mayor join in the mea culpa or are they still in the witness protection program? (just a joke–no need to reply) Last I heard the Mayor had moved to Dallas.</p>
<p>He can say it but if he insists on his own commission checking himself and his adminstration out, well, its all just words and hot air
Followup is key</p>
<p>Funding father, mini has posted the information you seek, I have posted the bill references and sponsors memo…The Homeland security act changed all the rules about who is in charge during a regional disater. I heard the President has just taken responsibility for the mess, but I haven’t seen it in print yet. Everyone in office can see what can be done better now…but I am not going to lie down and let people blame Haley Barber for the negilence of our federal government.</p>
<p>Now there is somebody else to blame. According to LSU scientists, environmentalists killed a 1970’s plan to erect floodgates on the lake that would likely have stopped the overflowing of the levee system… The project had funding and was set to go.</p>
<p>Also the new power given to the feds requires a finding that might or might not be applicable in the NO case.</p>
<p>Wow, that’s huge. I’m looking forward to reading about that aspect of the problem in the NYT soon.</p>