Re: FEMA was NOT the biggest screw up
They did about as expected - 5 to six days after the disaster. The biggest screw up was on the part of the PC mayor on NOLA. He is doing a very succesful redirect indeed, not without your help.
The 5 to 6 days was a huge screw up itself. Part of the major goal of an emergency response organization has to be the ability to respond quickly to a disaster with little or no warning. In this case they had days to prepare ahead of time and still blew it.
Nor did they respond as expected. In fact, their attempts at cordination where so poor they had the effect of blocking aid from reaching the city. Many aid groups reported being kept from getting to the disaster area by FEMA. Some groups where told to wait until notified by FEMA, and then simply forgotten, others where told to go home. Help really only began reaching NOLA when the bigger groups simply started ignoring FEMA.
The two solutions available to this problem would be to sweep the incompetent bastard out of office, or to give the job to the Feds. You folks asked for the Feds. The only federal agency with the manpower to do what local police and firefighter should be doing, and do it across the country, all at the same time, now, and not in 10 years - yes, that the military. "Brother, you asked for it".
And you know what. FEMA already has the authority to use the national guard in disaster areas. But their management was so messed up they couldn't get the guard called up correctly, let alone get them out in the field doing anything when they should have.
Bush's proposed changes will not make the country better prepared to deal with a disaster, but they would make the military better prepared to implement martial law.
Jay
