Good Bye New Orleans, I Hardly Knew Thee

So, they weakened FEMA from its cabinet-level position, and then forced a slow reaction time, to expand its powers?
 
Graz'zt said:
He should upgrade FEMA and re-examine the wisdom of bundling disaster relief with terrorism prevention.
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I just had the weirdest thought. What if federal government's response was *intentionally* slow and inadequate so they could get public support for further broadening FEMA authorities. Remember, that agency is already granted near-absolute power in areas struck by environmental disasters and "drug crises" (whatever the hell that is). What if Bush and his administration have merely been setting stage for a reform that would give FEMA even more powers and, perhaps more importantly, opportunities to exercise those powers more quickly and decisively... perhaps to the point where they are no longer obliged to relinquish them?

Hmmm... something to ponder.
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Ratty, you aren't the only one who thought this as well. (Yes I played Deus Ex) I was speaking to several friends of mine on campus that I would not be surprised at all if the federal government used this an excuse to grant furthur powers from the states to groups such as FEMA, ostensibly in order to 'improve' response time. FEMA has had a very large jurisdiction since the late 70's and the tendency for all buraeucracies is to seek to create more power for the buraeucracy.


Here is a good link I found a while ago about FEMA. Granted, take it with a grain of salt:


http://www.meta-religion.com/Secret_societies/Groups/FEMA/fema.htm
 
Except that is was the Bush Administration, citing federalism, that contracted FEMAs abilities and budget in the first place. :eyebrow:
 
I have to speak with my uncle, I'm sure he will be amused to find out that he has been working for THE MOST POWERFUL ORGANIZATION IN THE UNITED STATES for most of his professional career.

Is incompetence so hard to believe in?
 
I thought the FEMA had been disassembled when the Department of Homeland Security was established?
 
Ashmo said:
I thought the FEMA had been disassembled when the Department of Homeland Security was established?
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FEMA was absorbed by homeland security, of which the FEMA director is an undersecretary too.

I'm pretty sure INS is too. :help:
 
True. From what I understand FEMA's cabinet post was replaced by Homeland Security. Its mandates and programs were stripped and undone by the reorganization by the tool of a governor and adminstrator Tom Ridge.
 
Ill wind may not blow to the White House

By Newton Emerson

As the full horror of Hurricane Katrina sinks in, thousands of desperate columnists are asking if this is the end of George Bush's presidency. The answer is almost certainly yes, provided that every copy of the US Constitution was destroyed in the storm. Otherwise President Bush will remain in office until noon on January 20th, 2009, as required by the 20th Amendment, after which he is barred from seeking a third term anyway under the 22nd Amendment.

As the full horror of this sinks in, thousands of desperate columnists are asking if the entire political agenda of George Bush's second term will not still be damaged in some terribly satisfying way.

The answer is almost certainly yes, provided that the entire political agenda of George Bush's second term consists of repealing the 22nd Amendment. Otherwise, with a clear Republican majority in both Houses of Congress, he can carry on doing pretty much whatever he likes.

As the full horror of this sinks in, thousands of desperate columnists are asking if the Republican Party itself will now suffer a setback at the congressional mid-term elections next November.

The answer is almost certainly yes, provided that people outside the disaster zone punish their local representatives for events elsewhere a year previously, both beyond their control and outside their remit, while people inside the disaster zone reward their local representatives for an ongoing calamity they were supposed to prevent. Otherwise, the Democratic Party will suffer a setback at the next congressional election.

As the full horror of this sinks in, thousands of desperate columnists are asking if an official inquiry will shift the blame for poor planning and inadequate flood defences on to the White House. The answer is almost certainly yes, provided nobody admits that emergency planning is largely the responsibility of city and state agencies, and nobody notices that the main levee which broke was the only levee recently modernised with federal funds. Otherwise, an official inquiry will pin most of the blame on the notoriously corrupt and incompetent local governments of New Orleans and Louisiana.

As the full horror of this sinks in, thousands of desperate columnists are asking if George Bush contributed to the death toll by sending so many national guard units to Iraq.

The answer is almost certainly yes, provided nobody recalls that those same columnists have spent the past two years blaming George Bush for another death toll by not sending enough national guard units to Iraq. Otherwise, people might wonder why they have never previously read a single article advocating large-scale military redeployment during the Caribbean hurricane season.

As the full horror of this sinks in, thousands of desperate columnist are asking how a civilised city can descend into anarchy.

The answer is that only a civilised city can descend into anarchy.

As the full horror of this sinks in, thousands of desperate columnists are asking if George Bush should be held responsible for the terrible poverty in the southern states revealed by the flooding.

The answer is almost certainly yes, provided nobody holds Bill Clinton responsible for making Mississippi the poorest state in the union throughout his entire term as president, or for making Arkansas the second-poorest state in the union throughout his entire term as governor. Otherwise, people might suspect that it is a bit more complicated than that.

As the full horror of this sinks in, thousands of desperate columnists are asking if George Bush should not be concerned by accusations of racism against the federal government.

The answer is almost certainly yes, provided nobody remembers that Jesse Jackson once called New York "Hymietown" and everybody thinks Condoleezza Rice went shopping for shoes when the hurricane struck because she cannot stand black people.

Otherwise sensible Americans of all races will be more concerned by trite, cynical and dangerous political opportunism.

As the full horror of that sinks in, this columnist is simply glad that everybody cares.
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Genius.
 
Name Three

Name Three


Newton Emerson's essay.

John, heard Rush talk along these lines.

The REAL political pay off maybe the busting of a Democratic voting stronghold. Blame will stick to local Democrats as well as to FEMA, and the Commander In Chief. With suitable "image" damage control, aide from the Fed's might be a win - win for the Future Republican Permanent Majority.
The 'mean spirited' exploitation may lie there, gerrymander via hurricane, and not in the suffering of people in the Gulf States.


Could the editorialist above "name three" of these politicized doom-sayers? Cite chapter and verse of their abominations?

I've heard nonsense from both flavors of political spin masters.

There comes a point when they stretch beyond their essay premise, and paint their targets with broad strokes. The talons of Sweeping Generalities flash and smoke out of thin air. The finer points of the truth get lost when each side calls the other either a c'cks'cker or a m'therf'cker. Sorry, this game of h'rse-sh'es is just another sh't-f'ght.

I'd prefer the supporters of Bush, error towards being supporters of truth and nail down the most outrageous political spin in the propaganda seeking to exploit the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The true picture might focus sooner if there is less smoke.

The above repetitive style is dramatic, and does make a point, at least to me, that we all 'could' stick to the facts of all events. The other sides' truth squad will still smear and muddy the political waters, a good habitat for all the bottom feeders. If we stick to the facts we may at least be sure of one thing in this political swamp.

Until this, and other, editorializing names these 'names', I can only 'assume' these are broad statements meant to smear the established, and newly [Katrina] minted critics of the Administration.

Just another round in the ""Blame Game"".

Listening to those with PROFESSIONAL political agendas. the third party hired character assassins, I can only conclude that spin, and lying, have never been SO in fashion.

May we trust that such editorial essays, truth squad sallies, will shut the traps of the least compassionate opportunists.



4too
 
Whew!

Well I have a friend who lived in New Orleans that I kept in touch with online. I hadnt spoken to her in two weeks since what happened, but awhile ago she contacted me and she's fine. She was staying with some relatives in Houston. Apparently her (And most of the people of the city.) didnt take the hurricane seriously until it was close and predicted to hit directly. She left the day before in her car with basically all her important documents and some irreplacable sentimental items.

Her apartment was right in the middle of New Orleans, but on a third floor so she suspects nothing was destroyed since apparently the water didnt get that high. Also she was already leaving for college less than a month after the hurricane and she's already in Chicago attending Loyola as you read this.

I'm so relieved. Though the idea of a born and raised southerner in an urban jungle of the north scares me. Not that I particularly like the south or fear the north, just that I know she's probably not accustomed to it.

Sincerely,
The Vault Dweller
 
The_Vault_Dweller said:
Also she was already leaving for college less than a month after the hurricane and she's already in Chicago attending Loyola as you read this.

Sincerely,
The Vault Dweller
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Glad to hear she's ok. On a side note, my girlfriend goes to Loyola. I was there visiting her this last weekend. She said Loyola has accepted like 350 students from the south in response to Katrina.
 
No offense to anyone, but N'Awlins was nothing but a big concentration of people, and therefore it gets more help. Great, fine, but that doesn't remove the rest of the coast that needs help.

Anyone else see where the entire state of Mississippi went missing? Those satellite shots are just unbelievable. I should Fed-Ex them to FEMA so they can know that some people need help.
 
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