[Rhodes22-list] Blame the

[Herb Parsons]

Bill,

You again make the mistake of egoism. Not "Virtually everyone else things he is doing a poor job". Maybe "virtually everyone" YOU come in contact with, but you are not "everyone." I WAS THERE. I personally spoke with a Lt Commander with the Coast Guard in Alexandria. Lt. Commander Gilbreath. HE didn't think FEMA was doing a bad job. 

You also mis-state my position that "it is not the President's fault because the person he appointed is doing a bad job."

You are begging the question. I don't know if Brown is doing a bad job, or a good job. You don't either. However, I know that everyone I spoke to out there in the field, doing THEIR jobs, had no complaints about FEMA.

I spoke with officials in the Coast Guard, in the Air National Guard, parks and wildlife officials from Louisiana, Texas, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Sheriff officials from Texas and Louisiana. Oh yea, almost forgot, a bomb squad from Indiana (they were checking troubled cars on the highway). None of them had complaints about FEMA. Of course, that may just be their amazing professionalism kicking in. I saw lots of that, everywhere I went.

Were you aware that, as far as search and rescue goes, the feds deferred to the state? At least, that was my understanding from the CG commander I spoke with. It was 3am, and I was pretty tired, so I may be remembering wrong, but the way he explained it to me was that they (the CG) was in place before the storm hit with a command center set up in Alexandria, but that the state had moved in almost immediately in Jefferson county (in NO) after the storm hit. So the CG and other federal agencies were asked to leave the state officials heading the command.

Think about that, a game warden was now thrust in the position of being in charge of the largest search and rescue operation in this country's history. I don't think that's the job he signed up for.

The mayor of New Orleans was elected largely because of his "connection" to his constituency, and because of his handling of race relations. He was NOT elected because of his ability to handle the largest disaster is US history. But, that's the job he's got now.

The Governor of LA was not elected because of her disaster recovery abilities, but that's her job now.

FEMA was never tasked with job they are doing now, but they're handling it.

Now, maybe none of these people are performing to your satisfaction. Maybe they all are except FEMA. I don't know. I DO know this though, you didn't do anything to put the FEMA director in place. You voted for the guy that lost. The person that will ultimately decide on Brown's performance is the guy who DID get elected, and that's the guy that you claim said he was doing a "fine job." You don't like it? Too bad. Work harder to get your idiot of choice elected next time.

In the mean time, MY PERSONAL experience was that I saw people doing amazing things in spite of the demands placed on them. The disaster that they are dealing with right now is NOT the hurricane, it's the flood. That happened just a few short days ago, and my observation is that they folks there are doing a great job. Yes, there are area's for improvement, there always are. However, people spewing forth their political agenda out of absolute ignorance of the facts are not doing anything to help, other than revealing those people for what they are.

I'm pretty much done on this topic, I think.

Herb Parsons

S/V O'Jure
  1976 O'Day 25
  Lake Grapevine, N TX

S/V Reve de Papa
  1971 Coronado 35
  Lake Pontchartrain, Louisiana Coast

>>> bill at effros.com 9/9/2005 4:00:36 PM >>>
Herb,

Sorry.  It's a peculiarity of the English language.  I know you didn't 
say "Brownie, you're doin' a heck of a job."  W. said that last Friday.  
You said "Why is it 'Bush's fault'".  What I meant to say was that I 
think that when someone says a person he has appointed is doing a good 
job, when virtually everyone else thinks he is doing a poor job, that 
the person who appointed the person doing the poor job must get some of 
the responsibility for the poor performance.  It is that person's fault 
that a bad job is being done.  Apparently, you disagree, and think that 
it is not the President's fault because the person he appointed is doing 
a bad job, nor is it the President's fault if he commends the person 
doing the bad job, and says he thinks that person is doing a good job.  
It would seem that the President is now waffling on that point.  How 
about you?  Sorry about the confusion.  I will try to be more careful in 
the future.

Bill Effros