Louisiana Governor Learns; Exonerates President Bush
by Big Dog on Aug 19, 2007 at 09:40 Uncategorized
During Hurricane Katrina and her aftermath much ado was made about the response of the federal government. The blame for the disaster was lain squarely at the feet of President Bush and FEMA while the elected leaders of Louisiana were absolved of any blame by the liberal media and the Democrats who were anxious to pin the pain and suffering caused by liberal policies on the back of the Republican in office. There were a number of posts on this blog dealing with FEMA, the disaster process and how there was plenty of blame to go around especially with regard to the poor performances of Ray Nagin who failed to evacuate his people and Governor Blanco who failed to issue states of emergency and request federal assistance, necessary steps to get federal help (state’s rights and all). No one in the media ever pointed these little tidbits out. None of them faulted state politicians for failing to do their parts. Instead, it was all placed on George Bush who the liberals felt should have put on a red cape and swooped in to save the day.
Hurricane Dean is barreling toward the US/Mexico border and is likely to pack a wallop. Computer modeling shows that Dean is extremely unlikely to hit Louisiana, could hit Texas but will probably slam Mexico. However, the Governor’s of both US states have begun preparing for the worst. Governor Blanco of Louisiana declared a state of emergency:
Gov. Kathleen Blanco took the precautionary step of declaring a state of emergency at 6 p.m. Friday, and also asked federal officials for a Presidential Emergency Declaration to ensure federal assets are available to Louisiana in advance of a possible landfall.
“These declarations are a necessary step that allows the state to move quickly if need be,” Blanco said. “I urge all citizens to be personally prepared, listen to your local officials and monitor your local media as this storm progresses. Please make sure your plans to get to safety should evacuation be in order. Be prepared for the worst and hope for the best.”
Consider the fact that Katrina was headed directly for New Orleans and that there was no doubt she was going to beat hell out of that area. Now consider that Blanco did not issue such an order then (despite pleas from the President for her to do so) and instead waited until it was too late. Remember that all of New Orleans and Louisiana’s leaders were expressing relief after the storm passed because they believed they had dodged a bullet. At that time FEMA was not needed and the people there were safe. Then the levees broke and that is when people expected George Bush and FEMA to swoop in and save them. Since Blanco failed to prepare there was a delayed response and since the level of alert had lowered (after the storm passed but before the levees broke) everyone felt safe and that they DID THE RIGHT THINGS.
We all know how this turned out. President Bush was the fall guy for years of liberal ineffectiveness and policy that bred generations of people who could not do for themselves and for the ineffective local government that could not lead. It was all Bush’s fault and none in the media or Democratic Party would see it any other way because they needed something to blame on anyone besides themselves. Blanco would not acknowledge that she should have issued the SOE and requested help. Instead, she followed in the lead of others who saw this as solely a federal failure.
Blanco’s current statement shows us two things. The first is that she learned from Katrina. Dean is not likely to hit Louisiana unless something drastically changes (which it could) but she has declared an SOE and asked the President to declare the emergency to get federal agencies in gear to respond, should it be necessary. Her statement also exonerates President Bush from the Katrina debacle. Notice how Blanco admits that these things (what she has declared and asked of the President) are a NECESSARY step that allows them to move quickly. The declaration by the Texas governor and the White House response shows how things are supposed to work:
U.S. President George W. Bush on Saturday approved a pre-landfall emergency declaration for Texas to provide federal help if the state is hit by Hurricane Dean, White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.
The emergency declaration, which was requested by the governor of Texas, allows the federal government to move in emergency personnel, equipment and supplies now in the event the state is struck by the storm, he said. [my emphasis]
By making her statement, Governor Blanco admitted that they did not take a necessary step when Katrina was on her way and that doing so would have allowed a quicker response. She also told everyone that it was necessary for her to ask the President for federal help. Interestingly, she also asked people to get prepared and to be ready to evacuate if ordered to do so, a bit of personal responsibility that was sorely lacking during Katrina.
I have a feeling that Hurricane Dean will be well south and west and will miss Louisiana and most of Texas but I am happy to see that Blanco learned from her past failures.
Big Dog Salute to Gulf Coast Hurricane Tracker (quotes from that site via NOLA.com and Reuters respectively).
Tags: Political Commentary
Leave it to stupid ass liberals to scream bloody murder in the middle of a crisis about how President Bush is to blame for everything, even as their own constituents are suffering and dying. That was what was so unbelievable about Katrina. All they did was flap their gums, and all those people needed so much help. Liberals stood around pointing and accusing, while Republicans in the Federal Government came in and took charge. Another Democratic total pooch screw blamed on Republicans. (Sorry for the canine reference, Big Dog)
Big dog, your right on the button. I live in Texas, watch every second as that storm approached. I wondered myself , how their Governor and Mayor could just basically sit there and not do nothing, but they did. Houston suffered and is still suffering from the stupidity of that governor and Mayor. Then they turn right around and elect him again, amazing ignorance.
I have pasted a copy of Blancos Aug. 27, 2005 State of Emergency letter to President Bush below. Note that she is both requesting federal assistance AND she has declared a state of emergency prior to Katrina’s landfall. How does this square with your post above? It looks to me like it completely contradicts your assertions, but I’d be interested in hearing you split the hairs so that all blame can be assigned to Nagin and Blanco.
**************** Text of State of Emergency Letter to Bush, 8/27/05 **************
August 27, 2005
The President
The White House
Washington, D. C.
Through:
Regional Director
FEMA Region VI
800 North Loop 288
Denton, Texas 76209
Dear Mr. President:
Under the provisions of Section 501 (a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 5121-5206 (Stafford Act), and implemented by 44 CFR § 206.35, I request that you declare an emergency for the State of Louisiana due to Hurricane Katrina for the time period
beginning August 26, 2005, and continuing. The affected areas are all the southeastern parishes including the New Orleans Metropolitan area and the mid state Interstate I-49 corridor and northern parishes along the I-20 corridor that are accepting the thousands of citizens evacuating from the areas expecting to be flooded as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
In response to the situation I have taken appropriate action under State law and directed the execution of the State Emergency Plan on August 26, 2005 in accordance with Section 501 (a) of the Stafford Act. A State of
Emergency has been issued for the State in order to support the evacuations of the coastal areas in accordance with our State Evacuation Plan and the remainder of the state to support the State Special Needs and Sheltering Plan.
Pursuant to 44 CFR § 206.35, I have determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the
capabilities of the State and affected local governments, and that supplementary Federal assistance is necessary to save lives, protect
property, public health, and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a disaster. I am specifically requesting emergency protective measures, direct Federal Assistance, Individual and Household Program (IHP)
assistance, Special Needs Program assistance, and debris removal.
Preliminary estimates of the types and amount of emergency assistance needed under the Stafford Act, and emergency assistance from certain Federal agencies under other statutory authorities are tabulated in Enclosure A.
The following information is furnished on the nature and amount of State and local resources that have been or will be used to alleviate the
conditions of this emergency:
. Department of Social Services (DSS): Opening (3) Special Need Shelters
(SNS) and establishing (3) on Standby.
. Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH): Opening (3) Shelters and establishing (3) on Standby.
. Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness (OHSEP): Providing generators and support staff for SNS and Public Shelters.
. Louisiana State Police (LSP): Providing support for the phased evacuation of the coastal areas.
. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (WLF): Supporting the evacuation of the affected population and preparing for Search and Rescue Missions.
. Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD):
Coordinating traffic flow and management of the evacuations routes with local officials and the State of Mississippi.
The following information is furnished on efforts and resources of other Federal agencies, which have been or will be used in responding to this incident:
. FEMA ERT-A Team en-route.
I certify that for this emergency, the State and local governments will assume all applicable non-Federal share of costs required by the Stafford Act.
I request Direct Federal assistance for work and services to save lives and protect property.
(a) List any reasons State and local government cannot perform or contract
for performance, (if applicable).
(b) Specify the type of assistance requested.
In accordance with 44 CFR § 206.208, the State of Louisiana agrees that it will, with respect to Direct Federal assistance:
1. Provide without cost to the United States all lands, easement, and rights-of-ways necessary to accomplish the approved work.
2. Hold and save the United States free from damages due to the requested work, and shall indemnify the Federal Government against any claims arising from such work;
3. Provide reimbursement to FEMA for the non-Federal share of the cost of such work in accordance with the provisions of the FEMA-State Agreement; and
4. Assist the performing Federal agency in all support and local jurisdictional matters.
In addition, I anticipate the need for debris removal, which poses an immediate threat to lives, public health, and safety.
Pursuant to Sections 502 and 407 of the Stafford Act, 42 U.S.C. §§ 5192 & 5173, the State agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the United States of America for any claims arising from the removal of debris or wreckage for this disaster. The State agrees that debris removal from public and private
property will not occur until the landowner signs an unconditional authorization for the removal of debris.
I have designated Mr. Art Jones as the State Coordinating Officer for this request. He will work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in damage assessments and may provide further information or justification on
my behalf.
Sincerely,
Kathleen Babineaux Blanco
Governor
******************* End of Letter **********************
Hea Righty.Your doing a heck of a job there!Goood thing Righty does not write the history books’
What I should have said, and neglected to do so, was that she failed to issue them early as was requested by the president. The feds wanted an early declaration and she waited until the 27th. The hurricane struck early on the 29th. This is hardly enough time and is certainly less time than she allowed for now.
While it was easier to preposition the Coast Guard and other entities, it was nearly impossible to establish anything after the storm. Communications were knocked out and access was delayed by damage.
Blanco issued this, finally, after the president begged her to do so.
You might read this to let me know how on the ball the LA gov was.
Hey Bleech, I don’t have to write a history book. Anyone with some sense can see what happened. As usual though, you and the troll excuse the stupidity of the local government because they are Democrats.
Note that Blanco finally wrote this at the urging of the president and she initially made her evacuation order a voluntary one. She was reluctant to even write this and if you read the time line of events at the earlier link you will see she was hopeless.
I have pointed out a number of times that things could have been improved across the board but it is true that it all starts at the local level and they botched that. They knew this was coming and should have listened earlier.
As for my post, I gave the impression that she did not ask at all when I should have indicated that she finally asked after being urged by the president and that she waited too long to be effective.
Are you seriously trying to say that 36 hours was enough notice and that she did this on her own?
BD,
Don’t you think you should edit your post to reflect your glaring mistake rather than bury your admission of error in the comments? Maybe you could even point out the FACTS completely undermined the basis of your original post? That seems like it would be the intellectually honest thing to do. Bush certainly wasn’t ‘exonerated’ by anything, as you scream in your post title.
Don’t make the changes just yet though! Here comes more evidence like a wrecking ball for your entire post:
Bob Riley (Alabama) didn’t declare a state of Emergency until 8/28:
http://www.brook.edu/fp/projects/homeland/katrinatimeline.pdf
And, here’s a copy of Haley Barbour’s state of Emergency declaration from 8/26. If we assume that he issued it 24 hours before Blanco, am I to then assume that the President never bothered to include pre-emptive *planning* for Louisiana (or Alabama?), even though Bush also knew Katrina was coming and had been briefed that the levees, including federal levees (the ones that were actually breached) might be topped? I know he was on vacation and all, but really! It’s worth remembering that Mississippi was without federal assistance for as long as New Orleans: no food, no water, looting (they called it ‘finding’ in the case of Mississippi), etc.
************* Text of Haley Barbor State of Emergency Declaration *********
WHEREAS, the current predictions of the National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center demonstrate the potential for the entire State of Mississippi to be severely affected by Hurricane Katrina, beginning on August 27, 2005, which may include sheltering of evacuees from other states, hurricane and tropical storm force winds, severe thunderstorms, flooding, and possible tornadoes; and
WHEREAS, this storm system is expected to cause personal injuries, damage to homes, businesses, public property, and threaten the safety of the citizens and property throughout the State of Mississippi; and
WHEREAS, in consideration of the health and safety of the residents and the protection of their property within the affected areas, and in the public interest, all steps should be taken to protect people and property:
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Haley Barbour, Governor of the State of Mississippi, pursuant to the authority vested in me under the Constitution of the State of Mississippi and Section 33-15-11-(b) (17), Mississippi Code of 1972, as amended, and in the public interest and for the general welfare, do hereby proclaim a State of Emergency to exist in the areas of the State of Mississippi affected by this tropical severe weather system. The provisions of this proclamation shall exist and remain in effect until such time as this threat to public safety shall cease to exist as prescribed in Section 33-15-11(b)(17), Mississippi Code of 1972, as amended.
FURTHER, all agencies of the State of Mississippi shall discharge their emergency responsibilities as deemed necessary as set forth in the State of Mississippi Emergency Operations Plan and Executive Order No. 653, dated November 16, 1990 (LINK).
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Mississippi to be affixed.
DONE in the City of Jackson, on the twenty sixth day of August in the year of our Lord, two thousand and five, and of the Independence of the United States of America, the two hundred and thirtieth.
HALEY BARBOUR
GOVERNOR
************** End of declaration *******************
I thought you were always right, Big Dog? You’re slipping and I didn’t see the timeline you referred to, either.
No Troll, I do not. Number one, I failed to mention she wrote one when in fact she did at the arm twisting of the feds.
By declaring an SOE very early in this one she did exonerate Bush by admitting that the federal government needs a big lead time.
The fact is that FEMA had to call assets from all over the country and they could not enter until AFTER the storm passed.
One day I will be happy to explain to you how all this works because i doubt you have any response experience and i doubt you have ever worked with FEMA.
In case I was not clear before YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN (as a state and as indiciduals) FOR 72 HOURS AFTER AN INCIDENT. The SOE declaration was nice and it gave lead time but the real benefit to it is to get resources the state has (like NG) and to evacuate people. Other than notifying the feds thereby allowing them to get ready to respond, the SOE does little to help in federal response. The SOE does not make them come before an event, it does not make them send stuff sooner, it allows them to get stuff ready to deploy so that after the incident then can respond and coordinate resources.
The true value to the SOE is that people can evacuate (Blanco issued a voluntary). I think you can see from what you presented that Mississippi had more time to evacuate because the people were told to leave earlier. Blanco waited and people were caught short. Perhaps a mandatory evacuation when the feds wanted it would have allowed Nagin to get those buses out and start getting people out. Maybe those folks in the nursing home and hospital could have been moved to safety. The time to do it is before the incident, not when it is bearing down on you.
If all had been evacuated the city would have been empty (except those who REFUSED (like some in MS) and when the levees broke there would have been few folks affected. MS had to wait for assistance because protecting and saving lives takes top priority. because of LA’s failures, many assets were forced to conduct rescue operations there and had to put other operations on the back burner. It is dangerous and tedious work flying helicopters in to rescue people (something else I bet you have not done) and this was all because they waited to declare the SOE and issue the evac order which was voluntary.
You can spin it how you want but if I were in charge there this would not have happened. Fewer people would have been affected and the only buses left on that lot would be ones that did not run.
This whole thread about Hurricane Katrina, with the typical liberal trolls’ ludicrous defenses of incompetent Democrats who failed their constituents and then blamed it on the Republican President, is just disgusting. I have a sugesstion, Big Dog. Just forget it. You are wasting your intelligence and knowledge on these poor souls. They are incapable of rational thought and understanding the world around them. Give it up, they are a lost cause.
Patsy, you are right, just like bigdog. I have learn how to ignore the leftist trolls. I live less than 75 miles from Louisiana and I know what really happened, as for as Billy Boy, he is just a troll trouble maker, kinda like his favorite Mayor and Governor in Louisiana. I just ignore him, not worth my time.
I believe you are correct, these dolts will never understand. I also reread what I wrote and I clearly indicated that she did not issue the order until it was too late. Therefore, I did not say that she did not do it, only that she waited until it was too late. I had to reread it because I was sure that I had said it and then did not see it after the troll showed that she wrote one, which as I indicated, was too late.
The troll plays the race card in the “it was finding” in Mississippi as if only black folks were called looters. I guess I missed the part where folks in MS were stealing TVs and other items that were not needed for survival.
The fact is Barbour made an early declaration and had to wait because the rescuers were busy taking care of the people in Louisiana. Tell me why it is that AL and MS did not have as many people on house roofs as LA? Certainly AL could wait to issue orders because it would be hit LATER than either of the other coastal states because it was much farther away from the storm track.
Troll also tries to put the blame on the feds for the levees. The COE clearly indicated that the levees would not withstand a storm of that magnitude. Bush spent more money on those levees than Clinton did but what people have yet to bring fully to light is where the money went once the state got it. They have a board for each levee and no levee’s board can decide about another levee’s problems. The money was usually diverted to gambling interests instead of used to shore up levees. Corruption at the local level.
The kinds of things that the Troll and Bleech write are what you get when people regurgitate talking points rather than fact. When people have little life experience in such matters it makes it more difficult for them to understand how they work. This is why people think that FEMA just sits in a building ready to jump at a moment’s notice. This is why people think the feds can get there in an instant and this is why people think that it is the job of the feds to handle all this.
Why do we need state and local governments if the feds are supposed to handle it all? The problem, lack of knowledge in the Constitution and lack of knowledge about leadership.
My stepdaughter & son-in-law lost their home and business. Both owned for more than 15 years, insured for both hurricane and flood damage. They have relocated to Mississippi.
They knew the levees weren’t going to hold when they saw the size of the storm heading straight for them and they knew they were about to lose everything. They packed up their vehicles and kids and what they could carry and headed for cover.
The reason the levees weren’t going to hold is just as you said, Big Dog. The massive amounts of money our Federal Government has allocated to New Orleans for upgrading the levees was NEVER spent on the levees. The funds went into someone’s pockets or into gambling establishments or God knows what else. And we’re talking in the billions of tax dollars over the course of the last 40 years, not millions, but billions.
To have those corrupt, disgusting pieces of excrement, who left their own people their to drown — YES THEY LEFT THEIR OWN POOR THERE TO DIE — to then get on national TV and scream and cry about President Bush being to blame, makes me want to beat the … out of them. I know first hand what slimeballs Louisiana’s Democratic politicians are.
How dare they NOT do their duty to their folks after they’ve robbed them all blind. That was the least they could have done for them. There should be ongoing criminal investigations into this and charges filed. Look at the people who died, needlessly had those in responsible positions of authority, i.e., the governor and the mayor acted responsibly.
Everyone:
It would be very helpful if you provided EVIDENCE to back up your many assertions.
BD,
You say the gov’t requires localities to fend for themselves for 72 hours AFTER an event. You may recall, with the exception of the Coast Guard (which broke the bureaucratic rules that you’re clinging to like a bureaucratic robot), basically didn’t respond AT ALL until 5 days (approx. 120 hours) after the hurricane.
BD also said:
“Tell me why it is that AL and MS did not have as many people on house roofs as LA?”
The reason people were on roofs, in case this fact escapes you, is because New Orleans became an urban lake. The storm surge in MS & AL went back into the gulf of Mexico after the storm. You know MS & AL are above sea level so water, if it’s not blocked, tends to return to the sea.
I don’t understand your point about Alabama and it’s declaration of 8/28 (the day before the storm hit). It’s only about 50 miles from Biloxi so the storm hit at the same time.
Let me simply emphasize one more time… I am not saying the local and state officials did everything right. However, I don’t pay local and state taxes down there. Nor do I elect their local & state officials. I do, however, pay for the federal response. Katrina was a slow motion attack on the ‘homeland’ and as a test of DHS’ emergency response, I’d say they fell flat on their face. If someone cares to dispute this assertion ON ITS MERITS, I welcome your attempt to do so. I’d be most intersted in hearing why I should not hold the federal government accountable considering the fact that after 9/11 they created a huge new bureaucracy (DHS) to deal with disasters and that DHS is funded with OUR tax dollars. Any insight on this matter from the right would be most appreciated.
Terrorist attacks, earthquakes, tornados, etc. do not normally provide advance warning as Hurricanes do. As a test of our national preparedness, the Federal government’s response to Katrina was an abject failure.
Do any of your understand this or is your loyalty to the man who swore that he alone could protect us so great that you’re blinded to the facts?
I’ll also add that the fact that this Administration appointed a former lawyer for the Arabian Horse Association to run the FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY doesn’t inspire confidence in me, either. Maybe you feel differently. BD has already assured me that he is comfortable appointing people who, by their own admission, don’t believe government can do anything well. I’m sure in his capacity as emergency planner (or whatever he does), he happily hires candidates who tell him in job interviews “This organization is doomed to fail by definition. Please hire me to help run this organization.”
I can see why Patsy and Virgina would prefer to ignore me. They can’t debate facts and would rather throw out a bunch of unsupported assertions. I invite them though, to provide evidence if they’re so sure of their case against my points.
Same for you BD. I did find the link you provided after I posted my previous comment. I’m not sure how authoritative the ‘Enter Stage Right’ blog is, but surely there are more authoritative sources to back up your assertions, aren’t there?
I’m reminded of the time that BD made an assertion about rampant Democratic voter fraud and then, when pressed for evidence, directed me to a front group, American Center for Voting Rights (ACVR, an organization that after a few months of operation simply disappeared off the face of the earth) as his sole source of evidence that there is rampant Democratic voter fraud.
One must be reasonable and troll is unable to do that. The Coast Guard actually prepositioned assets BEFORE the storm. However, ships are unable to move into stormy waters. In case you missed it, there were helicopters in the air as soon as it was safe for them to fly. They can not come in when you would like to see them, they must come is when it is safe. They were there as soon as it was safe and many of them were Coast Guard helicopters so do you still maintain that Coast Guard assets were not there for 5 says?
The Coast Guard was set up in other states to direct from there. They were the Incident Command for this and ran it from outside the impact area.
We can play games all day about who appoints whom. Remember, Clinton appointed a rodeo clown to one of the FEMA positions. You can call the response a failure but it was not. It certainly had its problems and there were many things that needed to be addressed but there are many things that went well. The problem is, you expect this to be some perfect thing and you are negating the impact of inadequate state and local response on the federal response by saying that you pay no taxes there. However, that does not negate the fact that the feds can not be totally successful or as swift as you would like without satisfactory performance from the state and local government.
I am tired of arguing this point. There are numerous sources for information and when you are presented with any you find fault with the source. If I sent you a FEMA report you would ridicule it. The only thing you accept is a source that supports your positions and you deem all others as not accurate. As for the election items, the source quoted had a baord that consisted of people who worked in the Democratic party as well as the Republican party.
You can deny the arrests and convictions of Democrats and the fines of groups like ACORN. However, I will say this, people like you were certainly ready to accuse Republicans of fraud in 2000 and again in 2004 with NO EVIDENCE of fraud. Some guy claimed he was disenfranchised and that was proof enough. Study after study negated the claims and yet the left still holds it as true.
That is another topic and I am actually tired of answering your silly assertions and cherry picking of information.
And no, I do not accept mediocrity. That is why I hold the feds accountable for their mistakes. The difference is, you are not willing to hold anyone EXCEPT Bush accountable and there was blame everywhere. I am merely saying that the fed response was not a total failure. I would not hire someone who espoused failure and my many awards and decorations are a testament to my commitment to excellence. I would not hire such a person as you described even though your liberal policies would damn near require me to do so.
This topic is closed. We can agree to disagree.
BD,
For someone who accuses me of not being able to read, maybe you should learn yourself. I said the Coast Guard responded well. It was the rest of the Federal government that didn’t arrive until Friday, 5 days after the storm hit. They were running around in the bureaucratic circles that you’re defending. You might recall that help finally started arriving on the day Bush got around to visiting the region. Hmmmm… coincidence?
In a previous spasm of Blame-Clintonism, you’ve said this before and I have no idea what you’re talking about:
“Remember, Clinton appointed a rodeo clown to one of the FEMA positions.”
If you could just tell me who you’re referring to, I’d appreciate it. Preferably from at least a semi-authoritative source.
Is the line below unintentional irony? I’d say this describes you far better than me.
“The only thing you accept is a source that supports your positions and you deem all others as not accurate.”
At least I have the balls to visit websites and view contrary sources and engage people that I do not even remotely agree with. I don’t think we can say the same of you, can we? You barricade yourself in your right-wing bubble world and that’s the extent of your interaction with people who don’t share your violent, authoritarian, ends-justify-the-means tendencies.
I don’t mind ending this topic. I just wanted to point out that your original post was completely wrong as were the conclusions you drew. I thought you should fix it instead of leaving it up as it was. I still think you should.
Let me just say in response to your last comment, I’d be very interested in hearing about your ‘many awards and decorations’ and why you received them. Simply telling me that you have rec’d some unspecified awards and decorations isn’t very meaningful, is it? I’m assuming they weren’t things like “Perfect Attendence, 2nd Grade, Such-and-Such Elementary School”, right?
I’ve also been wanting to ask you about your August 15th event that you referred to previously (when you asked me if I’d be attending). What was it? Did thousands of people turn out? You should post your photos and tell us what it was all about.
Perhaps it is because the sentence in which you mention the Coast Guard is incomplete and does not say to whom you refer when you claim did not respond for 5 days.
It is not a matter of holding to anything like a robot, it is a matter of practicality. Have you ever amassed anything to respond to a disaster? It is not as easy as getting in your car and driving to the store.
Look on whatever source you want for Raymond Buddy Young. He was in the Arkansas State Police and was a rodeo clown. Clinton appointed him to FEMA after he “ttok care of” the troopers who were exposing the Clinton problems, esp with women.
I visit many websites with contrary views. I also do not have to read about emergency response to learn about it.
My awards and decorations are not for perfect attendance (though I have not missed a day of work since 1983). I have a bunch of military awards, awards for successfully resuscitating a cardiac arrest victim in the field, awards for being the Non Commissioned Officer of the month (several), of the quarter (several) and of the Year (one). I have been quoted in military publications on leadership and have had articles published on leading soldiers.
That is as specific as I care to get.
I made no mistakes with regard to this. It is your OPINION that I was wrong and should change it. Since I pointed out that when i reread it I indicated that she issued it too late, I was not factually incorrect. I have not changed my opinion on this since Katrina happened and I will not just because you, with your vast experience, think I should.
I feel sorry for the people affected by this and I donated quite a bit to help them. The fact is Katrina was a failure in many levels of government but I also know there were successes, something you fail to see. The real failures started long before Katrina when people in NO were indoctrinated into the liberal life where they were brainwashed into believing that the government can and will (and should) solve all their problems. When it came time their government failed them and they had no ability to fend for themselves.
Why do you suppose that the Midwest is doing better than NO even though the flooding is just as bad and affects more states? It is because people there know how to take care of themselves and they are helping each other. Sure, there is a need for the government to help but there was no need expectation that they would be there instantly. There is also no coverage of politicians bashing the administration and no racist jackasses like Kanye West saying that Bush hates Midwestern White people. Perhaps it is because that does not play well politically…
The event is September 15th. You can see the banner at the top of my home page.
Forgot this
Link
I provided you the information the last time you asked.
BD, don’t you have anything more authoritative than some tin-foil hat wearing Clinton-haters personal web page? A man who’s links lead to other links on his own page, no less?
Look… here’s Snopes debunking the the ‘Clinton bodycount’ urban legend:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/clintons/bodycount.asp
There is brief mention of Young but I don’t really find anything that looks authoritative about him being a rodeo clown and then being promoted directly to #2 at FEMA ala Michael Brown. Maybe he was a rodeo clown when he was a young man? If there’s anything more substantive, please feel free to send it over.
I sure hope you’re a more thorough emergency manager than you are when it comes to general fact checking and intelligence.
I don’t know what link you are talking about.
Perhaps you can see the irony in not mentioning a zillion people who died because of Clinton and it not being mentioned and spouting off about 3 people who were found dead and about which little else is known.
As for the debunking, there were certainly murders and they are suspicious. People with gunshot wounds in the back of their heads should not be ruled suicide.
I would not agree that all have been “debunked” However, you could make the same kinds of connections for many politicians so this threesome is laughable.
There are several places where it was mentoioned that he was a former rodeo clown. He was also a police officer. How this qualifies him I would like to know. Except that he mopped up the Clinton problems in AK. I know you find it hard to believe but Clinton was involved in a lot of stuff besides the rape and adulterous affairs. Funny how people dismissed Flowers because she was a “tramp” and it turned out she was telling the truth and Billy had to admit to it after lying about it during his first run.
BTW, I am not saying that Clinton had anything to do with this. I am just saying that all is not as it seems with regard to some of the deaths. The manner does not match the stated cause.
What of the person who found Vince Foster and said there was no gun and there were drag marks? Why did his office get locked down by Hillary intil she could scrub it (a violation of the law)?
This is documented in a number f books (those things you libs are supposed to read more of than we Conservatives).
Oh yeah, that idiot Bush has read nearly 100 in the last year and his brain Rove over 100 in the same time span…