[Rhodes22-list] Horse shit and drinking.

[Herb Parsons]

You're leaving out one major factor in the comparison. The FAA has jurisdiction over flights. The Mayor of New Orleans has jurisdiction over the city, the Governor over the state of Louisiana. I'm going to repeat this, from what I heard at the scene, the Coast Guard in Alexandria was ready BEFORE the storm hit. Their services were offered to the state, the state declined, putting their game wardens in charge. Once the feds were released to act, they acted.

It's a popular misconception for folks to talk about "not answering the phone" when the President is on "vacation." He has a phone when he's on vacation. He has an office when he's on vacation. It's that type of hyperbole that diminishes credibility for those that employ it.

BTW, I was on "vacation" when I was in New Orleans. I've got the pay stubs to prove it. 

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 9/20/2005 8:09:56 AM >>>
Herb,

In early 2001 FEMA identified the 3 most catastrophic situations it 
might some day have to address.  They were:

1.  A terrorist attack on NYC.
2.  A major earthquake in San Francisco.
3.  A levee break in New Orleans.

On September 11, 2001, 37 minutes after the take-off of the first 
hijacked airplane, the FAA requested that military aircraft scramble to 
help deal with the known hijacking.  Within 9 minutes there were 
military aircraft in the sky.  4 minutes later, the military received 
notice that the airplane they were trying to find had just hit the World 
Trade Center.  The President of the United States, on his way to a 
"Photo Op" in a school in Florida, was immediately informed.  He told 
reporters before entering the school that he was aware of the fact that 
a plane had smashed into the World Trade Center.  3 minutes later the 
FAA determined that a second aircraft had been hijacked, and immediately 
the FAA began contacting and diverting airplanes.  7 minutes later a 
different FAA flight controller called a different military installation 
to request help.  A minute later, another FAA flight controller, in yet 
another part of the country called another military unit to request 
aircraft be scrambled.  None of these flight controllers knew that the 
others had acted.  The military did not know that it had received 
multiple requests.  8 minutes later there were multiple military fighter 
jets over Long Island.  5 minutes later the fighters were moved over 
Manhattan.  A minute later jets were scrambled from Langly AFB in 
Virginia and sent up to NYC because the fighters over NYC were running 
low on fuel.  8 minutes later the FAA closed all NYC airports.  4 
minutes later the Port Authority of NYC closed all bridges and tunnels.  
1 minute later the FAA told Dulles air controllers to watch for incoming 
hijacked aircraft.  4 minutes later the military established a combat 
air patrol over Manhattan, and, at the same time, the FAA grounded all 
aircraft all over the country.  5 minutes later, the President of the 
United States went on National TV to announce that the country had 
suffered "an apparent terrorist attack".  15 minutes later the White 
House was evacuated.  12 minutes later the President left Florida for an 
Air Force Base in Louisiana.  9 minutes later the South Tower of the 
World Trade Center collapsed.  5 minutes later part of the Pentagon 
collapsed.  9 minutes later the UN building was evacuated.  15 minutes 
later the North Tower of the World Trade Center collapsed.  17 minutes 
later all Federal buildings in Washington DC were evacuated.  7 minutes 
later, all DC area airports were closed.  10 minutes later the Mayor of 
NYC ordered the evacuation of everyone south of the World Trade Center. 
2 hours and 2 minutes later, the President of the United States, 
speaking from Barksdale AFB in Louisiana, said the US military has been 
put on high alert world wide.  44 minutes later the President of the 
United States flew to an Air Force base in Nebraska.  4 hours and 53 
minutes later, Defense Secretary Rumsfeld announced that the Pentagon 
had re-opened and was conducting business.  13 minutes later the 
President returned to the White House from Omaha, Nebraska.  By this 
time, FEMA was on the ground, inside both New York City and Washington 
DC coordinating the nation's response to the disaster.

Now let's compare that response to the Federal Government's response to 
Hurricane Katrina.

On Friday, August 26 the State of Louisiana declared a state of 
emergency because it was clear that hurricane Katrina was going to 
strike somewhere on the Louisiana coast.  FEMA was automatically notified.

On Saturday, August 27, FEMA took no action to mitigate what was sure to 
be a major disaster somewhere on the Gulf Coast.

On Sunday, August 28, the National Weather Service posted this warning 
under the headline :

''Hurricane Katrina. A most powerful hurricane with unprecedented 
strength.".

"Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks, perhaps 
longer...Power outages will last for weeks...Water shortages will make 
human suffering incredible by modern standards.''

The warning had been written years earlier.  Only the name of the 
hurricane was inserted at the last minute.  There was no question that 
the hurricane would strike somewhere along the Gulf Coast of the United 
States, resulting in massive loss of life.

The President of the United States immediately issued a declaration of 
emergency for the Gulf Coast region.  He also found time to cut a cake 
for John McCain, play a guitar for Mark Wills, deliver an address about 
V-J day, and stay at his ranch to continue his vacation.

The Mayor of New Orleans issued a mandatory evacuation order for the 
entire city.

On Monday, August 29, the hurricane hit, at 6:10 am narrowly missing New 
Orleans, but flattening several cities to the East.  The loss of life in 
one small town in Mississippi was immediately known to be greater than 
the total loss of life resulting from 3 hurricanes that hit Florida the 
previous year which resulted in a massive and immediate federal disaster 
relief response just prior to a Presidential election in a state with 25 
electoral votes. 

10,000 people who were unable to leave New Orleans were already being 
sheltered in the Superdome as part of the emergency evacuation procedure 
devised by disaster mitigation experts from FEMA.  It was known that 
they had no food or water, and that it was the responsibility of FEMA to 
provide everything they would need to safely evacuate the victims.

The President remained on vacation.  The head of FEMA went to Baton 
Rouge.  The Vice President remained on vacation.  The Head of Homeland 
security remained on vacation.  The Secretary of State remained on 
vacation.  Congress remained on vacation. 

Local officials on the ground knew that their resources had been 
overwhelmed, and they knew they needed massive and immediate Federal 
assistance.  Federal aid was the primary component of disaster response 
to a tragedy of this magnitude.  But the Federal Government simply was 
not answering the phone.  They were on vacation, and too busy.

Then the levee broke in New Orleans.

Bill Effros


Herb Parsons wrote:

>Actually Rummy, I don't live in another country, nor am I basing what I say on watching "the news much". I spoke personally with the commander on duty at the Coast Guard staging area in Alexandria. He had the resources in place, waiting in Alexandria. He was waiting for permission FROM THE STATE to send them in. The STATE chose to have their resources in place, namely the Louisiana Fish and Wildlife Department (yep, that's right Governor Blanco chose to put her state's game wardens in charge of recovery, instead of the feds, who are trained to do that.)
>
>I was there friend, I saw it first hand. I saw the news cameras on site at the barricades, in their air conditioned portables studios. On the other hand, out in the streets, there were a few print media folks, but very few. The only video crew I saw "out in the field" was with the Air National Guard. The rest of the folks didn't want to stray far from their portable studios. And, in spite of your absolute belief that it was the news media that brought about change is as misguided and misinformed as the rest of the nonsense you seem to be subscribing to.
>
>But, that wasn't the point of what I was saying at all. My point was folks can stand around pointing fingers at others all they want, but that gets NOTHING done. Before anyone complains about what someone else did or did not do, they should ask themselves what THEY did. 
>
>I view the governments role to fill in where the individuals can't (I can't personally build a highway, or field an army), but that does NOT relieve the individual of their duty when the need arises. I went to NO because I couldn't be me and NOT go. My boss instructed me to stop thanking him for letting me take off, that he did so because it's what he had to do. My wife and children told me to stop apologizing for missing my wife's 50 birthday party, that they missed me, but that what I was doing was more important.
>
>Everywhere I went, and this isn't hearing it from a television reporter looking for ratings, or an ex-first lady trying to position herself for the next presidential vacancy, EVERYWHERE I went, I saw people first hand doing what they could do; whether it was giving me some gas cans so we can put gas in our DUKW, or handing a baby to our crew on the boat.
>
>THAT my friend, is what "we" are. We AREN'T the whimpering whining media, or the jostling politicians looking to gain ratings numbers on the Neilson or the latest poll on the backs of those that lost everything.
>
>Oh, and for whatever it's worth, I'm still getting in boat time too. Mast going up got delayed by a few days because of the trip, but it went up today. It had to, our sail club is taking a group of handicapped kids out sailing this weekend, and I committed and need to be ready.
>
>THAT's the country I live in, since you asked.
>
>Now, go have your drink, and watch your game.
>
>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
>
>  
>
>>>>R22RumRunner at aol.com 9/19/2005 8:54:09 PM >>>
>>>>        
>>>>
>Herb,
>You either live in a different country or don't watch the news much. Our  
>gov't sat on their collective hands and did nothing for the people of NO for  
>five, yes count them, five days. And then it was only after the news media made  
>them look as stupid as they collectively are that they decided to finally do  
>something.
>The governments own weather person said this was going to be a devastating  
>storm 24 hours before it struck. It certainly had time to react, but no, those  
>idiots in FEMA (not trained in emergency management) didn't know what to do.  
>Hell, I could go on and on and rehash the same shit, but I won't. There's 
>more  important things to attend to tonight, like watching football and drinking. 
> Remember, a shot in the glass is better than one in the ass.
> 
>Rummy
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