GOI: I am watching the "Katrina hearings" this morning and the grilling of Michael Brown.
This guy has as brass set.
He's sitting there basically denying everything and yelling at these Senators.
What a jackass.
This guy has the nuts to sit there and blame everyone else without really taking any responsibility himself at all.
"My biggest mistake was not recognizing by Saturday that Louisiana was dysfunctional," two days before the storm hit, Brown told a special congressional panel set up by House Republican leaders to investigate the catastrophe.
The storm slammed into the Gulf Coast on Monday, Aug. 29.
GOI: This is like an abusive husband blaming their battered wife for being the victim!!
(R) Congressman Christopher Shayes was grilling him and Brownie basically accused Shayes of expecting him to be a "Super Hero."
To that I say, "Well, you are the head of the most important emergency response agency in America. You are supposed to "kind of be a Super Hero." This is why not just anyone (although you appear to be "just anyone") can or should be given this job!
He's like a snotty, little kid who beats up another kid in front of a huge crowd and then denies everything.
Why should I be surprised though? This is the history of people in the Bush administration. The buck only stops with them when it's a dollar "buck." Sure the local and state officials are to blame as well but the ultimate blame rests with FEMA and DHS. Although, at least Bush (however, some what torturedly and conditional) accepted some of the blame for the disaster after the disaster. That's more then can be said forBrownie.
DHS created JUST FOR THIS TYPE OF EVENT!!! Chertoff should not escape blame here either.
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13 comments:
Ugh, what a spineless, useless, coward. I'm incensed that we're still paying this jackass any tax money.
Crimnos:
Yeah, he's getting nearly $150,000 for being a "consultant" with FEMA.
Yes, local and state officials are partly to blame too but the buck does stop with the federal agencies tasked with this kinds of operations. So, Chertoff is to blame as well as the white house.
It is simply unacceptable nearly 5 years after 9/11
Yep. I recognize that state and local authorities do share some blame, but they have a much more limited scope and budget with which to operate. FEMA had run exercises on this kind of thing before, and...argh. My brain!
So now we pay him to tell us what he did wrong. My brain...
What they're doing is changing the subject of conversation. They are giving the impression that it was only about how to move people out of the city.
It wasn't. The real issue was getting people food, water, security, and medical attention. People and supplies were there for that but FEMA prevented them from entering the city.
We can't let them change the subject.
Blake:
You're right.
And paying him now as a consultant is ABSURD and and OUTRAGE!!! This is like burning down your own house and then being paid to find out how you did it!!!
Then he labels the ENTIRE state of Louisiana as "dysfunctional!!"
Your forgetting a few pieces to this putrid puzzle...the state of Louisiana, and the City of New Orleans. They have accepted responsibility as well. When you have the Red Cross and Salvation Army ready to get food and water to the SuperDome and they were prevented by state and local officials from entering..."Houston, we have a problem."
Now we can call it incompetence, or we could call it mass confusion. Let's face it, we armchair experts sitting in dry livingrooms in our lazyboys can talk smart, including myself! We have NEVER had anything like this hit us...ever. So, I'm allowing for the possibility of a learning curve here.
Political opportunists have used this for their petty agendas, whether it's "another damn good reason to impeach Bush" agenda, or "See! We still have racism" agenda, or "Bush sends money to Iraq but he doesn't care for us" agenda. You name it.
Let's face it, politics as usual.
Here's a thought. I wonder if there were any whites looting in New Orleans? Does anybody know? I would imagine there would be, knowing the human condition (since I have one too!) Why would reporters only show blacks looting? Are they racist too? I think whites have just as much vice and blacks, don't you think?
UL:
I'm not forgetting the state and local officials:
"Sure the local and state officials are to blame as well but the ultimate blame rests with FEMA and DHS."
I agree that some Dem's have a political agenda but I hope you include Repub's as well.
As for the looters, I'm positive there were whites involved as well.
you mentioned the super hero quote and i couldn't help but think about the movie that came out a few years ago - volcano. tommy lee jones played a FEMA dept official and during the katrina disaster i kept asking myself, where the f*&^ is tommy lee jones when we need him?????
yeah. i know. totally infantile. but the thought was there.
Andi:
Yeah, I'd take a Tommy Lee Jones over Brownie any day!!
Ultimate blame on FEMA and DHS? Why? They are the first responders? Since when? There wasn't a problem with FEMA last year in Florida? I wonder what's different?
UL:
Yes, they ARE first responders in a state crisis such as this natural disaster. Local police,fire, hospitals, etc. had to ride out the storm too and they were not prepared. They knew that they would not be prepared right after the storm hit them.
That's why, Gov. Blanco saw this storm coming, heard the cry's of the local first-responders and knew that it would out-strip her's states resources and called in the fed's, who failed in showing up quick enough. That is the main reason that ultimate blame rests with FEMA and DHS.
I don't know why Brown and Bush didn't respond quick enough with this storm more then the Florida storms.
You'd have to ask them about that but frankly from Brown's testimony I wouldn't trust him further then I could kick him.
Here's one example why I say that:
Michael Brown lied through his teeth when he told the Katrina hearing that Blanco NEGLECTED to include NOLA and adjacent parishes in the disaster relief request. And then, Rep Stephen Buyer R-IN, repeated it. Boldface Lie!! Here is the proof:
WHAT BLANCO ASKED FOR:SHE INCLUDED ALL PARISHES:
http://gov.louisiana.gov/Disaster%20Relief%20Request.pd...
WHAT BUSH ISSUED: HE LEFT OUT NOLA AND ADJACENTS
Statement on Federal Emergency Assistance for Louisiana
The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of Louisiana and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts in the parishes located in the path of Hurricane Katrina beginning on August 26, 2005, and continuing.
The President's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives, protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the parishes of Allen, Avoyelles, Beauregard, Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Claiborne, Catahoula, Concordia, De Soto, East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Evangeline, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln, Livingston, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Pointe Coupee, Ouachita, Rapides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St. Helena, St. Landry, Tensas, Union, Vernon, Webster, West Carroll, West Feliciana, and Winn.
Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Debris removal and emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding.
Representing FEMA, Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary for Emergency Preparedness and Response, Department of Homeland Security, named William Lokey as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/2005082
And please, PLEASE do not bring up the now "red herring" bus issue!!
Oh and UL, why are you so quiet on all this Delay indictment stuff??
;)
Indictment, inschmitement. Who cares. My son could indict me on false imprisonment, if he finds the right prosecutor to do it. Big deal. I'm not sweating this one.
Gee, a politician is acting like a politician. And I should be shocked? I'm talking about the Texas prosecutor. Same guy who try to nail butter to the wall with his actions against Kay Bailey Hutchinson, which didn't stick by the way.
We'll see. Gotta go.
UL:
How can you take an indictment lightly?! It IS a big deal and I'm not ready to say that he is guilty but it does not look good.
Ronnie Earle has prosecuted WAY more democrats then republicans. I do not think that politics is involved here. I think it is an issue of right and wrong and yes, we will see what happens.
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