I drop tears when I finish watching that. Man, I wish I could do something physically. Fuk, where is the accountabilty? The guy work at FEMA should fire as well as those who selected him to run the show.
Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken
There's no doubt Brown should be given the hatchet for not only his failure to respond properly, but the moronic statements he made about the situation as well that in no way, shape, or form aligned with the reality on the ground. Brown is one of many who deserves that hatchet, starting from local authorities on up.
Originally posted by: tommywishbone
But the sad truth is, nobody is getting fired. Bush somehow sees that as a personal attack or something and he will not do it. All the incredible failure in the Iraq debacle and he fires nobody. The Rove mess.... nobody fired. He'll thank them for all their hard work, but he won't fire them.
Originally posted by: musicc
I drop tears when I finish watching that. Man, I wish I could do something physically. Fuk, where is the accountabilty? The guy work at FEMA should fire as well as those who selected him to run the show.
Originally posted by: tommywishbone
But the sad truth is, nobody is getting fired. Bush somehow sees that as a personal attack or something and he will not do it. All the incredible failure in the Iraq debacle and he fires nobody. The Rove mess.... nobody fired. He'll thank them for all their hard work, but he won't fire them.
It's the tip of the iceberg. We're the Titanic, and Bush is at the helm drunk (on power, if nothing else).Originally posted by: rchiu
Okay, here is the question to all Bush apologist.
If a guy who ran a horse association get to be the head of the agency that is directly responsible for the life and death of American during disasters, just by being the colleage roommate of Joe Allbaugh, Bush's 2000 campaign manager and previous head of FEMA, who else is being put into powerful, lurcrative position just by being somehow link to this administration?
What about those that are really close friends of Bush, Cheaney and the rest of the powerful people in this admin, what kind of powerful and money making position do they have now. If this administration can put the life and death of American people in the hand of a person like Michael Brown, it is so hard to imaging that the administration put the life and death of Iraqi people in the hand of their big oil pal back in Texas, or Halliburton?
Do you think Michael Brown's nomination is an isolated incident or just the tip of iceberg surfaced because of this unfortunate tragedy in New Orleans?
Originally posted by: conjur
Another crony of the Propagandist and his business buddies/donors is safe in his job despite being responsible for the deaths of HUNDREDS, if not THOUSANDS.
Originally posted by: DonVito
Originally posted by: conjur
Another crony of the Propagandist and his business buddies/donors is safe in his job despite being responsible for the deaths of HUNDREDS, if not THOUSANDS.
I always took issue with President Clinton for his lack of loyalty. He always seemed willing to cut loose his underlings where it was politically expedient.
By contrast, I respect President Bush's loyalty, but only to a point. It seems he is unwilling, under any circumstances, to even allow his subordinates to take reasonable responsibility for their actions.
In particular, I felt strongly that, following the release of information related to the Abu Ghraib abuse, he should compel Rumsfeld to resign (because, even if he had nothing whatsoever to do with directing or condoning the abuse - which I frankly doubt - he had done a piss-poor job of keeping the President updated, leading to the embarrassing situation of President Bush supposedly seeing the images of abuse for the first time on ABC News). Rumsfeld now claims he has submitted his resignation to President Bush on two separate occasions, and it hasn't been accepted.
At some point, where we have a clear failure to discharge one's responsibilities (as, in my opinion, we presently have in regard to Mike Brown), it seems to me the President has to hold people accountable, but he seems unwilling or unable to do so.
"cut loose"...some possibly in rather dire manners? :QOriginally posted by: DonVito
I always took issue with President Clinton for his lack of loyalty. He always seemed willing to cut loose his underlings where it was politically expedient.Originally posted by: conjur
Another crony of the Propagandist and his business buddies/donors is safe in his job despite being responsible for the deaths of HUNDREDS, if not THOUSANDS.
The corruption now hitting the Republican Governor of Kentucky reminds me so much of what we've seen this administration do for 4 1/2 years. Party loyalty comes first before merit/competence. The lack of thought and debate that is pervasive in the White House is hurting this country. We're on a one-track mind of ideology.By contrast, I respect President Bush's loyalty, but only to a point. It seems he is unwilling, under any circumstances, to even allow his subordinates to take reasonable responsibility for their actions.
In particular, I felt strongly that, following the release of information related to the Abu Ghraib abuse, he should compel Rumsfeld to resign (because, even if he had nothing whatsoever to do with directing or condoning the abuse - which I frankly doubt - he had done a piss-poor job of keeping the President updated, leading to the embarrassing situation of President Bush supposedly seeing the images of abuse for the first time on ABC News). Rumsfeld now claims he has submitted his resignation to President Bush on two separate occasions, and it hasn't been accepted.
At some point, where we have a clear failure to discharge one's responsibilities (as, in my opinion, we presently have in regard to Mike Brown), it seems to me the President has to hold people accountable, but he seems unwilling or unable to do so.
If Bush were to fire FEMA director Mike Brown the agency would be run by the Chief of Staff and the Deputy Chief of Staff. (See the FEMA organizational chart).
The Chief of Staff is a guy named Patrick Rhode. He planned events for President Bush?s campaign. Rhode has no emergency management experience whatsoever. From Rhode?s official bio:His first position with the Bush Administration was as special assistant to the President and deputy director of National Advance Operations, a position he assumed in January 2001. Previously, Mr. Rhode served as deputy director of National Advance Operations for the George W. Bush Presidential Campaign, in Austin, Texas.
The Deputy Chief of Staff is Scott Morris. He was a press flak for Bush?s presidential campaign. Previously, he worked for the company that produced Bush?s campaign commercials. He also has no emergency management experience. From Morris?s official bio:
Mr. Morris was also the marketing director for the world?s leading provider of e-business applications software in California, and worked for Maverick Media in Austin, Texas as a media strategist for the George W. Bush for President primary campaign and the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign.
Originally posted by: conjur
Yikes! If they *do* fire Brown, it will only get worse. They need to fire ALL of the heads of FEMA:
http://thinkprogress.org/2005/09/06/fema-deputies/If Bush were to fire FEMA director Mike Brown the agency would be run by the Chief of Staff and the Deputy Chief of Staff. (See the FEMA organizational chart).
The Chief of Staff is a guy named Patrick Rhode. He planned events for President Bush?s campaign. Rhode has no emergency management experience whatsoever. From Rhode?s official bio:His first position with the Bush Administration was as special assistant to the President and deputy director of National Advance Operations, a position he assumed in January 2001. Previously, Mr. Rhode served as deputy director of National Advance Operations for the George W. Bush Presidential Campaign, in Austin, Texas.
The Deputy Chief of Staff is Scott Morris. He was a press flak for Bush?s presidential campaign. Previously, he worked for the company that produced Bush?s campaign commercials. He also has no emergency management experience. From Morris?s official bio:
Mr. Morris was also the marketing director for the world?s leading provider of e-business applications software in California, and worked for Maverick Media in Austin, Texas as a media strategist for the George W. Bush for President primary campaign and the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign.
Clinton fixed it, Bush broke it.Until 1979, the federal government had no one agency responsible for dealing with disaster.
But that year, President Jimmy Carter created FEMA out of a patchwork of smaller agencies. Born at the tail end of the Cold War, FEMA had a mission largely defined as nuclear fallout shelters and other civil defense measures, though in reality it dealt with "hurricane after hurricane," as Jane Bullock, a 22-year agency veteran who was FEMA chief of staff in President Bill Clinton's administration, noted.
After Hurricane Hugo hit in 1989 and Hurricane Andrew in 1992, federal response was panned, and FEMA was due for an overhaul. It got it in 1993, when Clinton brought in James Lee Witt, a veteran emergency manager and political ally, to take over, granted the agency Cabinet-level status and gave it a highly visible role it had not previously had. Its response to crises such as the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing received high marks, though some Republicans complained that it was used as a pot of money doled out to bolster Clinton's political standing.
But after 9/11, FEMA lost out in the massive bureaucratic shuffle.
Not only did its Cabinet status disappear, but it became one of 22 government agencies to be consolidated into Homeland Security. For a time, recalled Ervin, even its name was slated to vanish and become simply the directorate of emergency preparedness and response until then-DHS Secretary Tom Ridge relented.
On Capitol Hill, lawmakers from hurricane-prone states fought a rear-guard action against FEMA's absorption. "What we were afraid of, and what is coming to pass, is that FEMA has basically been destroyed as a coherent, fast-on-its-feet, independent agency," said Rep. David E. Price (D-N.C.). In creating DHS, "people were thinking about the possibility of terrorism," said Walter Gillis Peacock, director of the Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center at Texas A&M University. "They weren't thinking about the reality of a hurricane."
WASHINGTON - The government's disaster chief waited until hours after Hurricane Katrina had already struck the Gulf Coast before asking his boss to dispatch 1,000 Homeland Security employees to the region ? and gave them two days to arrive, according to internal documents.
Michael Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, sought the approval from Homeland Security Secretary Mike Chertoff roughly five hours after Katrina made landfall on Aug. 29. Brown said that among duties of these employees was to "convey a positive image" about the government's response for victims.
Before then, FEMA had positioned smaller rescue and communications teams across the Gulf Coast. But officials acknowledged Tuesday the first department-wide appeal for help came only as the storm raged.
Brown's memo to Chertoff described Katrina as "this near catastrophic event" but otherwise lacked any urgent language. The memo politely ended, "Thank you for your consideration in helping us to meet our responsibilities."
The initial responses of the government and Brown came under escalating criticism as the breadth of destruction and death grew.
President Bush and Congress on Tuesday pledged separate investigations into the federal response to Katrina. "Governments at all levels failed," said Sen. Susan Collins (news, bio, voting record), R-Maine.
Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke said Brown had positioned front-line rescue teams and Coast Guard helicopters before the storm. Brown's memo on Aug. 29 aimed to assemble the necessary federal work force to support the rescues, establish communications and coordinate with victims and community groups, Knocke said.
Instead of rescuing people or recovering bodies, these employees would focus on helping victims find the help they needed, he said.
"There will be plenty of time to assess what worked and what didn't work," Knocke said. "Clearly there will be time for blame to be assigned and to learn from some of the successful efforts."
Brown's memo told employees that among their duties, they would be expected to "convey a positive image of disaster operations to government officials, community organizations and the general public."
"FEMA response and recovery operations are a top priority of the department and as we know, one of yours," Brown wrote Chertoff. He proposed sending 1,000 Homeland Security Department employees within 48 hours and 2,000 within seven days.
Knocke said the 48-hour period suggested for the Homeland employees was to ensure they had adequate training. "They were training to help the life-savers," Knocke said.
Employees required a supervisor's approval and at least 24 hours of disaster training in Maryland, Florida or Georgia. "You must be physically able to work in a disaster area without refrigeration for medications and have the ability to work in the outdoors all day," Brown wrote.
The same day Brown wrote Chertoff, Brown also urged local fire and rescue departments outside Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi not to send trucks or emergency workers into disaster areas without an explicit request for help from state or local governments. Brown said it was vital to coordinate fire and rescue efforts.
Sen. Barbara Mikulski (news, bio, voting record), D-Md., said Tuesday that Brown should step down.
After a senators-only briefing by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and other Cabinet members, Sen. Charles E. Schumer (news, bio, voting record) said lawmakers weren't getting their questions answered.
"What people up there want to know, Democrats and Republicans, is what is the challenge ahead, how are you handling that and what did you do wrong in the past," said Schumer, D-N.Y.
Sen. Ted Stevens (news, bio, voting record), R-Alaska, said the administration is "getting a bad rap" for the emergency response.
"This is the largest disaster in the history of the United States, over an area twice the size of Europe," Stevens said. "People have to understand this is a big, big problem."
Meanwhile, the airline industry said the government's request for help evacuating storm victims didn't come until late Thursday afternoon. The president of the Air Transport Association, James May, said the Homeland Security Department called then to ask if the group could participate in an airlift for refugees.