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September 11, 2005

For leftard f*ckwits who still blame Bush for Katrina

I can keep pointing to Jeff Goldstein and his myriad of articles over the past week, all sourced (imagine that!) but I guess I can't make the Reality Based Community actually read -- all about the cognitive dissonance and all --

Today's most righteous sushi chef moment from Jeff ends with this addressed to the Left acolytes' beloved Kevin Drum:

Note that Kevin's list of FEMA failures are not actually FEMA failures;unsurprising, in that Kevin has shown throughout this ordeal a reluctance to let facts get in the way of partisanship. And sadly, he seems not to care about what FEMA's function is. For instance, FEMA is responsible for coordinating with the Red Cross, who themselves note that they were kept out by the local government; that FEMA isn't in charge of the evacuation plans (and that the Convention Center wasn't included in evacuation plans); that FEMA mobilized buses from outside the region even while those inside remained untouched; that Northcom was on the scene almost immediately via the USS Bataan (which he really should have known, as he posted testimony to that effect from a Northcom spokesman, and news reports confirm that rescue missions were being flown right after the hurricane moved inland).

Conclusion? Kevin must be positioning himself for a gig at Newsweek.

Ouch. That one is going to leave a mark.

Posted by Darleen at September 11, 2005 12:18 PM

Comments

I'm sort of surprised to see you thinking like a bureaucrat, Darleen. The President has the power to rethink FEMA's official function, and should rethink it in a way that makes it as useful as possible in dealing with emergencies. Clinton, in fact, did this when he reformed the agency in 1993, and also happened to start the only 8-year period in its history when it wasn't just a political appointee turkey farm. Bureaucrats can be hemmed in by the stated "official function" of their department. Presidents shouldn't be, and should reorganize functions to make federal agencies as useful as possible.

Posted by: Neil the Ethical Werewolf at September 11, 2005 10:16 PM

Neil

Whatever reform of FEMA you're thinking of doesn't address the hysterical criticism of Bush based on the fact that Bush didn't shred the Constitution and immediately seize power from Blanco and Nagin.

The Feds are not/have not been/are Constitutionally restrained from being in charge of local disaster planning and First Responders.

And frankly, I'm very disturbed by this call TO make Washington DC *THE* place in charge of all disaster planning nationwide.

I realize the Left gets nostalgic remembering the Soviets, but come on!

Posted by: Darleen at September 12, 2005 08:27 AM

Whatever reform of FEMA you're thinking of doesn't address the hysterical criticism of Bush based on the fact that Bush didn't shred the Constitution and immediately seize power from Blanco and Nagin.

hysterical criticism Darleen? The only one who's getting hysterical here is you. You've taken a decidedly shrill tone -- shriller than usual -- by calling anyone who criticizes the Bush administration's approach to a national disaster a "leftard" and a "fuckwit". Thats's hysterical.

This was a national disaster, Darleen. National disasters require appropriate Federal response. And you don't seem to want to think about this in any way that deters from the talking points your beloved Jeff Goldstein and crew are sending out to the faithful.

For example, have you read any of the articles Kevin Drum sourced in the post you linked to?
You obviously didn't bother to read page 43 of the NRP, from the section titled, "Proactive Federal Response to Catastrophic Events" which I sourced. Imagine that -- the Reality based Community is basing their opinions on reality!

Instead, though, you have to jump to a wild and completely ridiculous conclusion that since we "jihadists" -- and not just we liberals but many many others who actually lost their homes-- are actually upset that FEMA didn't do its job -- that therefore we all want a totalitarian state. ?? you've jumped the shark.

Posted by: Brad at September 12, 2005 09:26 AM

Brad, if you can answer the following question honestly then I wouldn't consider YOU a Leftist Jihadist (and will you please stop conflating "left" and "liberal"...liberalism used to be decidedly NON-leftist)

WHO is responsible for developing disaster preparedness plans for New Orleans?

WHO is responsible for implimenting the disaster plan for NO?

WHO is responsible for ordering an evacuation of NO?

WHO is in charge of the NO PD, FD and public transportation?

WHO is in charge of LA National Guard?

WHO is in charge of requesting ANY help from outside of LA?

WHO is in charge of granting permission allowing the Red Cross into NO?

If you answered "Bush" to ANY of those questions, Brad, you are, indeed, in deep denial of even the most basic facts. I was born and live in earthquake country and I have always been told that the primary responsibility of being prepared is MY OWN and that MINIMALLY I should be prepared to take care of myself for 3 to 5 days.

"Jumped the shark?" Nope. Not all liberals have bought the religious meme of dKos, Asstrios and the DU (Michael Kinsley comes to mind), so I just call 'em as I see 'em. This whole Bush is to blame for not making real the Starship Enterprise and beaming all those people out of NO because it's ALL ABOUT HATING BLACK PEOPLE LEFTIST tripe "jumped the shark" long ago.

Posted by: Darleen at September 12, 2005 11:49 AM

Darleen,
I really don't care what your opinion of me is. you can call me a fascist turdblossom if that makes your day.
All of your questions above ignore one crucial factor:
When a disaster of the level of a Katrina is declared a federal emergency, then the Fed Gov is reponsible for taking charge of the reponse. The state of emergency was declared before Katrina hit-- yet the FEMA director waited until 5 hours after it hit to ask his boss to send Fed people to the region.

See if you can answer this question honestly:
why haven't you held Michael Brown accountable for some of this mess? Are you unwilling to criticize anyone appointed by Bush--even after they have been nudged out of the position?

Posted by: Brad at September 12, 2005 01:02 PM

When a disaster of the level of a Katrina is declared a federal emergency, then the Fed Gov is reponsible for taking charge of the reponse.

You're wrong, Brad. You don't seem to understand even the most basic facts. Frankly, I'm amazed.

Why would GW even be ASKING Blanco to PUHLEEZE give her permission to allow the National Guard to be organized under Federal control if Bush had that power when he declared it a national disaster area BEFORE Katrina hit?

BECAUSE THE DECLARATION BUSH gave had to do with clearing the access to Federal FUNDS and getting SUPPORT ready as the local and state people would request it.

Brown has been criticized for saying boneheaded stuff...and he has resigned after being sent home because he became ineffective after being made a political scape goat from those that want a centralized Washington DC response to every sparrow that falls in the forest.

Just as Goldstein as pointed out, every failure attributed to FEMA wasn't something FEMA was in charge of in the first place.

Oh...ok...here is ONE FEMA failure...

That firefighters from outside LA were required to take "Sensativity training" through FEMA before they were deployed to LA.

Let's see now...WHICH party/ideology INSISTS on political correctness and that one must treat certain "protected" classes differently least offense occur?

How 'bout them chickens, Brad?

Posted by: Darleen at September 12, 2005 01:55 PM

Just as Goldstein as pointed out, every failure attributed to FEMA wasn't something FEMA was in charge of in the first place.

I guess Jeff Goldstein knows everything. End of story! No need to read further!

Darleen, like all Bush apologists you are always seeing the trees and not the forest. Your mind is made up, and you seek out information which confirms your mindset.


You can only think of ONE FEMA failure? Frankly, I am amazed!


here's where Goldstein goes astray from the Big Picture: FEMA is "not in charge of" these things like taking primary responsibility for disaster relief, because they were downsized in 2001 under Joe Allbaugh, much of their work privatized--this, despite their own forecast that a hurricane hitting New Orleans was one of the three "likeliest, most catastrophic disasters facing this country."

Yet the DHS's own "Guiding Principles" -- which you have continuously avoided addressing even though I keep mentioning it-- include the following points:

"Notification and full coordination with States will occur, but the coordination process must not delay or impede the rapid deployment and use of critical resources."

Governor Blanco said on August 29: "Mr. President, we need your help. We need everything you've got."

And yet you want to defend the President's inaction with all this BS about forms needing to be signed! That's BS, Darleen. Pure BS.

Think about it. Just stop your blind raging -- your blind hatred for Bush critics-- for thirty seconds, and think about what you are arguing. Do you believe, do you honestly believe, that Blanco would have sued the Federal government for overstepping their bounds by taking control of a disaster of this level -- an unprecedented disaster-- a national disaster-- a disaster in which the governor was begging for help? Legal niceties are what you want to argue?

The legalities here are not the reason Bush didn't act, Darleen. They are an EXCUSE.
Why can't you see that?

(p.s. And if you have a problem with unprecedented Federal intervention -- which seems to be a key issue in your defense of the indefensible --then please explain how you justified the unprecedented Federal intervention in the State of Florida's jurisdiction over the Terri Schiavo case? One life was at stake then. Hundreds of thousands were at stake with Katrina)



Posted by: Brad at September 12, 2005 03:20 PM