(no subject)
FEMA - The Federal Emergency Management Agency. Formally, FEMA was an independent agency working in cooperation with the government. An agency which had the power to essentially take total control of the entire United States, if needed in times of emergency. That actually sounds kinda scary and extreme and I am glad that never happened. Now FEMA is a sect of the new Department of Homeland Security, and run by Undersecretary of Homeland Security Michael D. Brown. So now it is completely enveloped in the bureaucracy of the Bush Administration, created under their power. The role of FEMA is to respond to emergencies with the support of the federal government to aid in the timely assessment, action towards, and recovery from all emergencies within the United States, terrorist, natural, or otherwise.
August 29, 2005 - Hurricane Katrina hits the Gulf Coast of the United States. Katrina was a Level 5 hurricane, which had already devastated Miami and spent at least 2 days in the Gulf of Mexico gearing up for another landfall. The effects of Hurricane, we are all familiar with by now. We have all watched the news. I sit idly by not knowing what to do, what to think about this horrible tragedy. I do what most other Americans do, give money to the Red Cross, hoping that I gave enough, or at least a little bit more than my friends, cause I would hate to have that guilt on my conscience. What other help can one offer from Southern California?
Well, I wonder if President Bush had that very same thought when he was flying into San Diego on August 30, 2005, a day after the hurricane hit. W. was still on his five week vacation and had taken some valuable time away from Crawford and avoiding Mrs. Sheehan, by coming to San Diego on the 50th anniversary of VJ day to honor both the fallen of WWII and of Iraq. Mr. Bush left the next day on order to take care of hurricane arrangements, not before stopping by Crawford for a night and then on to D.C. So Hurricane Katrina arrived on the Gulf Coast on August 29, President Bush stormed D.C. on September 1. Well, why is this a problem? Shouldn’t FEMA already be on the ball, supplying federal relief through their own means and ways. An emergency management agency should jump right on top of the largest hurricane to hit the region in decades. What really held up any serious relief effort, aside from what the Red Cross had already launched for the area, (or at least the areas it could get to) was that FEMA waited for the President to make any decisions before proceeding. An area of the government whose sole purpose is to take control of an emergency situation, waited 3 days for Mr. Bush to come home and tell them what to do. Even then it took another 3 days to actually send in any troops, due to the serious lack of any troops available on domestic soil. In total there was 6 days in between the meteorological event and FEMAs reaction. (If you took your car into a quickie oil change and the mechanic took 6 days talking about how he will change your oil, I’d hope that mechanic was fired.) FEMAs sole existence is to manage emergencies on American soil. 6 days to begin the management of Hurricane Katrina is a failure.
Now, I am not claiming the hurricane is in any way the fault of the government, that would be ridiculous. (If Bush would have had any hand in it, I suppose it wouldn’t be Katrina, but more likely Kenny Boy.) I believe it is pretty obvious that fault of the government is the failure to react in an efficient and timely manner as they claim to have done. Hurricane Katrina caused hundreds of deaths. As we find out more I think we will discover that the lack of response by the Bush Administration, namely FEMA, will have caused thousands. How is it that more Americans are not more outraged by this. FEMA is now claiming that they were far too surprised by the magnitude of the disaster to be able to organize a more expedient recovery and rescue mission. Not only were there at least 2 days from the time Katrina hit Miami to when it hit the Gulf Coast, there were predictions it would gain strength and most likely hit New Orleans. There had been studies saying that New Orleans is extremely at risk due to the exact situation that occurred. What could FEMA have done to respond earlier to the tragedy? The answer is… ANYTHING! In the days before the hurricane, knowing it will hit major areas, they could have gather resources for the aftermath. In the days following, organize rescue efforts with the Coast Guard, National Guard, honestly anything.
Why was the reaction and organization of the National Guard not organized earlier? Most of the active National Guard is in Iraq, spread thin as it is. For the people who have experienced this tragedy, they may have suffered or died because of the efforts in a war that I would imagine many of them didn’t want or agree with. The Bush Administration is so narrowly focused on controlling the oil fields in the Middle East, thinly veiled in the name of freedom and Homeland Security, that they have forgotten to actually protect us.
What can we do as American citizens to change this? Anything. Honestly. Sometimes I get sick of hearing about “Our Founding Fathers” and all the great minds that created this country. I already have a father, thanks. His name is Larry. The men who created the United States were very intelligent and very organized. But they were revolutionaries and, at the end of the day, they were real people. We have heard innumerable tall tales of their accomplishments and greatness, we hear a little bit about their shortcomings (infidelities, alcoholism, illegitimate children, etc.), but I do know we don’t hear anything of them as human beings. No history book will write about when Thomas Jefferson had the shits. When Benjamin Franklin stubbed a toe on the table he’d been meaning to move for two weeks. George Washington forgetting the name of the girl he is dating, only knowing that it rhymes with a part of the female anatomy. Guessing it might be Mulva, but no it’s Dolores….Oh Shit that was Seinfeld. The point is we have put these men on high, but they had assholes to wipe too. They achieved something great in the face of adversity, now what are we going to do. I’m spreading this letter. I’m telling all my friends. I think on Tuesday I’m gonna dump a bunch of tea out of a boat in the harbor.
August 29, 2005 - Hurricane Katrina hits the Gulf Coast of the United States. Katrina was a Level 5 hurricane, which had already devastated Miami and spent at least 2 days in the Gulf of Mexico gearing up for another landfall. The effects of Hurricane, we are all familiar with by now. We have all watched the news. I sit idly by not knowing what to do, what to think about this horrible tragedy. I do what most other Americans do, give money to the Red Cross, hoping that I gave enough, or at least a little bit more than my friends, cause I would hate to have that guilt on my conscience. What other help can one offer from Southern California?
Well, I wonder if President Bush had that very same thought when he was flying into San Diego on August 30, 2005, a day after the hurricane hit. W. was still on his five week vacation and had taken some valuable time away from Crawford and avoiding Mrs. Sheehan, by coming to San Diego on the 50th anniversary of VJ day to honor both the fallen of WWII and of Iraq. Mr. Bush left the next day on order to take care of hurricane arrangements, not before stopping by Crawford for a night and then on to D.C. So Hurricane Katrina arrived on the Gulf Coast on August 29, President Bush stormed D.C. on September 1. Well, why is this a problem? Shouldn’t FEMA already be on the ball, supplying federal relief through their own means and ways. An emergency management agency should jump right on top of the largest hurricane to hit the region in decades. What really held up any serious relief effort, aside from what the Red Cross had already launched for the area, (or at least the areas it could get to) was that FEMA waited for the President to make any decisions before proceeding. An area of the government whose sole purpose is to take control of an emergency situation, waited 3 days for Mr. Bush to come home and tell them what to do. Even then it took another 3 days to actually send in any troops, due to the serious lack of any troops available on domestic soil. In total there was 6 days in between the meteorological event and FEMAs reaction. (If you took your car into a quickie oil change and the mechanic took 6 days talking about how he will change your oil, I’d hope that mechanic was fired.) FEMAs sole existence is to manage emergencies on American soil. 6 days to begin the management of Hurricane Katrina is a failure.
Now, I am not claiming the hurricane is in any way the fault of the government, that would be ridiculous. (If Bush would have had any hand in it, I suppose it wouldn’t be Katrina, but more likely Kenny Boy.) I believe it is pretty obvious that fault of the government is the failure to react in an efficient and timely manner as they claim to have done. Hurricane Katrina caused hundreds of deaths. As we find out more I think we will discover that the lack of response by the Bush Administration, namely FEMA, will have caused thousands. How is it that more Americans are not more outraged by this. FEMA is now claiming that they were far too surprised by the magnitude of the disaster to be able to organize a more expedient recovery and rescue mission. Not only were there at least 2 days from the time Katrina hit Miami to when it hit the Gulf Coast, there were predictions it would gain strength and most likely hit New Orleans. There had been studies saying that New Orleans is extremely at risk due to the exact situation that occurred. What could FEMA have done to respond earlier to the tragedy? The answer is… ANYTHING! In the days before the hurricane, knowing it will hit major areas, they could have gather resources for the aftermath. In the days following, organize rescue efforts with the Coast Guard, National Guard, honestly anything.
Why was the reaction and organization of the National Guard not organized earlier? Most of the active National Guard is in Iraq, spread thin as it is. For the people who have experienced this tragedy, they may have suffered or died because of the efforts in a war that I would imagine many of them didn’t want or agree with. The Bush Administration is so narrowly focused on controlling the oil fields in the Middle East, thinly veiled in the name of freedom and Homeland Security, that they have forgotten to actually protect us.
What can we do as American citizens to change this? Anything. Honestly. Sometimes I get sick of hearing about “Our Founding Fathers” and all the great minds that created this country. I already have a father, thanks. His name is Larry. The men who created the United States were very intelligent and very organized. But they were revolutionaries and, at the end of the day, they were real people. We have heard innumerable tall tales of their accomplishments and greatness, we hear a little bit about their shortcomings (infidelities, alcoholism, illegitimate children, etc.), but I do know we don’t hear anything of them as human beings. No history book will write about when Thomas Jefferson had the shits. When Benjamin Franklin stubbed a toe on the table he’d been meaning to move for two weeks. George Washington forgetting the name of the girl he is dating, only knowing that it rhymes with a part of the female anatomy. Guessing it might be Mulva, but no it’s Dolores….Oh Shit that was Seinfeld. The point is we have put these men on high, but they had assholes to wipe too. They achieved something great in the face of adversity, now what are we going to do. I’m spreading this letter. I’m telling all my friends. I think on Tuesday I’m gonna dump a bunch of tea out of a boat in the harbor.