A Gathering Storm for the Media

[Ralph 123]

Re: A Gathering Storm for the Media

What do you expect when the Mayor says things like this:<br /><br />New Orleans Mayor: "CIA Will Wipe Me Out"<br /><br />September 3, 2005 10:02 p.m. EST<br /><br /><br />Douglas Maher - All Headline News Staff Reporter<br /><br />New Orleans, Louisiana (AHN) - Apparently suffering from stress and a bit of paranoia, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin tells CNN Saturday night that he believes the CIA will "wipe him out" after his criticism of President Bush and the Federal Government in response to Hurricane Katrina.<br /><br />Mayor Nagin seemed to have calmed down after meeting with President Bush for two hours on Friday but became stressed again over the current situation still unfolding in his city.<br /><br />The Mayor has come under serious scrutiny and criticism in the last 72 hours after photos of parking lots filled with school buses that were sitting in a foot of water were released on the Internet. Many critics of the Mayor and Gov. Blanco say the buses could have saved an estimated 20,000 people if they had been used for emergency evacuations which President Bush had declared two days before Katrina hit.<br /><br />Nine stockpiles of fire-and-rescue equipment strategically placed around the country to be used in the event of a catastrophe still have not been pressed into service in New Orleans, CNN reports Saturday night. Responding to a CNN inquiry, Department of Homeland Security spokesman Marc Short said Friday, "The gear has not been moved because none of the governors in the hurricane-ravaged area has requested it."<br /><br />A federal official says the department's Office for Domestic Preparedness reminded the Louisiana and Mississippi Governors' offices about the stockpiles on Wednesday and Thursday, but neither governor had requested it.<br /><br />As the picture becomes much more clear many in Congress believe that a total collapse of communications on the local and state level contributed to the catastrophic conditions the city of New Orleans has been under.<br /><br />"It has become apparent that after President Bush declared the state of Louisiana a state of emergency a few days before the hurricane hit, communication with the White House and FEMA from city officials in New Orleans and the Governor collapsed," says Senator Dr. Bill Frist, who is currently helping victims with medical needs around the city.<br /><br />"Our priority now is to save as many lives as possible, and things are improving by the hour," adds Frist.<br /><br /> http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7000018155

 

[demsvmejm]

Re: A Gathering Storm for the Media

Originally posted by Ralph:<br /> Many critics of the Mayor and Gov. Blanco say the buses could have saved an estimated 20,000 people if they had been used for emergency evacuations which President Bush had declared two days before Katrina hit.<br /><br />Nine stockpiles of fire-and-rescue equipment strategically placed around the country to be used in the event of a catastrophe still have not been pressed into service in New Orleans, CNN reports Saturday night. Responding to a CNN inquiry, Department of Homeland Security spokesman Marc Short said Friday, "The gear has not been moved because none of the governors in the hurricane-ravaged area has requested it."<br /><br />A federal official says the department's Office for Domestic Preparedness reminded the Louisiana and Mississippi Governors' offices about the stockpiles on Wednesday and Thursday, but neither governor had requested it.<br /><br />"It has become apparent that after President Bush declared the state of Louisiana a state of emergency a few days before the hurricane hit, communication with the White House and FEMA from city officials in New Orleans and the Governor collapsed," says Senator Dr. Bill Frist, who is currently helping victims with medical needs around the city.<br />

I am glad to read this in your post Ralph, it lends more credibility to the article I will excerpt from Capitol Hill Blue<br /><br />"And importantly _ but inaccurately _ a highly placed but anonymous Bush official passed along a dollop of damage control that was published, unfiltered by fact-checking, by The Washington Post: "As of Saturday, Blanco still had not declared a state of emergency, the senior Bush official said." (Newsweek may have been leaked upon by the same high whisperer, as it reported in its Sept. 12 issue: "Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco seemed uncertain and sluggish, hesitant to declare martial law or a state of emergency, which would have opened the door to more Pentagon help.") <br /><br />But wait. One reason the "senior Bush official" sought anonymity was that his damage-control assertion was flat-out false. On Aug. 26, Louisiana's governor signed a declaration of a state of emergency. In response, on Aug. 27, Bush declared officially a state of emergency in Louisiana and his press office announced: "The president's action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster-relief efforts ... to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures ... to save lives, protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe ..." (On Sept. 5, The Washington Post printed a correction, but is still protecting the identity of its apparently intentionally misinforming senior Bush leaker.) Former FEMA officials flatly reject the Bush Team's effort to shift the blame to state and local officials for the federal government's late action and non-action in Louisiana. <br /><br />"They can't do that," Jane Bullock, who had a 22-year career at FEMA, told the Los Angeles Times, referring to Bush administration attempts to shift responsibility to state and local officials. "The moment the president declared a federal disaster, it became a federal responsibility. ... The federal government took ownership over the response." <br /><br />In today's age of global terrorism, Republicans and Democrats alike have begun asking what may be the most important and ominous questions of all. <br /><br />"If this was a terrorist event, is this the kind of response we would have?"<br /><br />Even a life-long, unable to think for themselves without party help republican should have cause to pause and ask, "Why has it come to this?"<br /><br />Perhaps it isn't bush's fault, but then again, who put the DHS in charge of FEMA? Bush had a role in it, if not the primary one. Bush installed idiot in the head position, and that has been proved out in recent days with recent facts.<br /><br />It's just a sad day in Washington when our citizens die due to bureaucratic ineptness. i still don't think bush is directly at fault, but when your subjects are dying, shouldn't you be concerned, involved, taking actions? Not flying off to California? And as for not being able to invade states to help without being invited, I don't recall Saddam inviting us to help his citizens. OK, maybe that was harsh, but bush has shown he doesn't always follow the rules when he thinks he's acting in the "Best interest" of the USA.

 

[Ralph 123]

Re: A Gathering Storm for the Media

 

[POINTER94]

Re: A Gathering Storm for the Media

"If this was a terrorist event, is this the kind of response we would have?"

The answer is no. The Posse Comitatus statute has provisions for immediate federal intradiction in the case of WMD. Not the case for natural disaster.<br /><br />How about an example of good democratic leadership. The mayor called for mandatory evacuation, the governor says no. That is as of today. And who is behind the curve? Duh.<br /><br />Bush's fault, Bush's fault, Bush's fault.....

 

[Ralph 123]

Re: A Gathering Storm for the Media

Here, maybe you'll believe it when it comes from the MSM:<br /><br />Who's to Blame for Delayed Response to Katrina?<br />New Orleans' Emergency Plan Not Followed, Federal Government Slow to Take Lead<br /><br />ABC News' Dan Harris filed this report for "World News Tonight." <br /><br />Sep. 6, 2005 - In New Orleans, those in peril and those in power have pointed the finger squarely at the federal government for the delayed relief effort. <br /><br />But experts say when natural disasters strike, it is the primary responsibility of state and local governments -- not the federal government -- to respond. <br /><br />New Orleans' own comprehensive emergency plan raises the specter of "having large numbers of people ... stranded" and promises "the city ... will utilize all available resources to quickly and safely evacuate threatened areas." <br /><br />"Special arrangements will be made to evacuate persons unable to transport themselves," the plan states. <br /><br />When Hurricane Katrina hit, however, that plan was not followed completely. <br /><br />Instead of sending city buses to evacuate those who could not make it out on their own, people in New Orleans were told to go to the Superdome and the Convention Center, where no one provided sufficient sustenance or security. <br /><br /><br />'Lives Would Have Been Saved'<br />New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said "80 percent" of the city was evacuated before the storm hit, but Bob Williams says that's not good enough. <br /><br />Williams dealt with emergency response issues as a state representative in Washington when his district was forced to deal with the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980. <br /><br />"If the plan were implemented, lives would have been saved," Williams said. <br /><br />There's no question the federal government plays a major role in disaster relief. But federal officials say in order to get involved, they must first be asked to do so by state officials. <br /><br />As one FEMA official told ABC News, Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco failed to submit a request for help in a timely manner. <br /><br />Shortly before Katrina hit, she sent President Bush a request asking for shelter and provisions, but didn't specifically ask for help with evacuations. One aide to the governor told ABC News today Blanco thought city officials were taking care of the evacuation. <br /><br />Nonetheless, some experts argue that the federal government should have been more proactive. <br /><br />"If the city and the state are stumbling or in over their head, then it's FEMA's [Federal Emergency Management Agency's] responsibility to show some leadership," said Jerry Hauer, director of public health preparedness at the Department of Health and Human Services. <br /><br />Both the president and Congress have vowed to investigate questions of blame. It may already be safe to conclude that there will be plenty of it to go around. <br /><br />ABC News' Dan Harris filed this report for "World News Tonight." <br /><br /> http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/print?id=1102467