to a guy at another table try to explain how it's possible for the U.S. to have 5 - 6 cargo flights per day into Tblisi loaded with emergency relief provisions w/n 24 hours of announcing our help, but impossible for the U.S. to have supplied the first band-aid any sooner than the 4 days it took for the govt. to react after Katrina. Sad thing is, he's serious....his friends are trying disappear; myself and one of them were at the bar at the same time, I smiled, he shook his head, and said he "means well, but he's a dime store millionaire who hasn't worked a day in his life...he hasn't been there." Ahhh....he's a charter capt. Daddy's a multi-mil., and he gets to fish Daddy's friends and customers. He's also on his 3rd hull in 5 years. I wouldn't hire this bag of blood to empty a colon bag....he couldn't pour piss out of a boot with instructions on the heel. Anyway, discuss his proclamation regarding NOLA vs. Tblisi.
It helps a lot that Georgia is a.) above water and b.) populated with people who are actually coming to pick the supplies up.
zzzz, your smartassed reply does nothing to explain the situation in Slidell, where my friend with Mobile Loaves and Fishes (a freaking private group out of AUSTIN, for chrissakes) was in the FIRST TRUCK TO HIT TOWN WITH RELIEF SUPPLIES, 3 days after the storm hit. Whether or not you believe the stories of what went on in N.O., Slidell sure as hell didn't have gangs running around shooting, etc. When our folks pulled into Slidell, they were greeted by some deputies. When they explained that they were here to help with supplies, the deputies broke down in tears, saying thank you, you're the first folks to come help us. They found a scene of devastation, desperation, and perseverence. Shooting at relief workers my ***. We botched the response to Katrina, and there's no f'n way to get around that fact. Blame it on all the uppity and unruly "those people" in N.O. all you want . . . but you'll be wrong.
can we get proof first that the supplies that are landing in Tibilisi are making to every corner of Georgia and no one is in need?
I will take a stab.. Georgia.... the US Federal government has cargo planes under its authourity and can load and order them to take off and land... Katrina... FEMA is not a first responder. FEMA is not responsible for providing emergency supplies to disaster victims... yet still gets blamed for not doing so. Under the structure at the time of Katrina it was the responsibility of local and state agencies and officials to do so........hmmmm. Georgia also asked and welcomed specific supply help. Blanco failed to identify what was needed and keep putting off FEMA and the feds on how and what and where to supply the state....
It was bungled. But the bungling is somewhat understandable. The thing hit land on the morning of August 29, and for awhile, it seemed like everything was going to be okay. I remember the evening news from that night saying that NOLA had dodged a bullet. So everyone whipped their brows and went to bed. And then while everybody slept, the Industrial Canal was breached. And everything went to **** in a hurry before anybody even woke up and figured out what was happening. That doesn't explain a lot of the ensuing f**k up. And there was a pretty huge f**k up that ensued. Part of that was due to the incompetence of FEMA. A lot of it was due to the incompetence of state and local officials. But regardless of where the blame lies, it's fairly easy to see why everyone was initially caught flat-footed.
Did the Mexican disaster relief forces who responded before FEMA also bungle it? The shooting stories are apocryphal at best, but the absence of any sort of local effort (in terms of local government, population, local conditions, etc.) was decisive in creating that disaster. Just because FEMA did a crummy job does not mean that the federal response was the major factor.
oh, don't get me wrong -- if Katrina was a war, Nagin and Blanco would be on trial for war crimes. To me, it was NOT a partisan issue -- the NO and La Democratic admins bear as much or more blame as the Repub US admin and FEMA. Hell, for that matter, I can sling some **** at the Red Cross, which told the Mobile Loaves and Fishes folks they couldn't go into Slidell. Fortunately, they politely told the Red Cross to go to hell. And I ahve nothing but praise for the men and women of the USCG, who flew missions far beyond what the regs allowed -- when ordered to stand down, they essentially refused the order. I looked at it this way -- if an enemy force landed on Galveston and started an invasion, how long would it take us to drop in the 101st? 12 hours? Maybe 18? We had an invader come in that killed over a thousand folks, and during CRUCIAL hours and days where we could/should have been mobilizing a response, some important folks had their thumbs up their asses. Hell, I am no Rick Perry fan, but the dude's strength seems to be rapid and authoritative disaster response -- he was on the ball well before Blanco, Nagin and Bush were. That's pretty embarrasing for those three, I should think. When Rick Perry puts you to shame . . . . wow.
I agree that Louisiana has some blame, but half their population was displaced. The Feds needed to step up and they didn't. The National Guard was on the ground in a timely manner. Supplies just didn't get there. I don't see anyone complaining about Georgia's failure to get those supplies airlifted by itself. I also think we are better positioned to aid and defend other countries than we are the continental USA.
It also helps that Georgia is d) of strategic value to the neocons who dominate the Bush foreign policy apparatus and fantasize about a global U.S. empire.
And Blanco pushed the federalism issue - at the expense of those in peril. "Brownie" was a boob - no question. But Blanco's actions were inexcusable.
Forget all of the above. Here is the answer: Tblisi - relief would be provided by the US military, NOLA - relief would be provided by some other inept branch of the government.
Just to add a few words... I wasn't trying to say that FEMA acted great or anything. I was more trying to point out that the complexity and the number of 'moving parts' to respond to Katrina were many more than in the military. There was NOT a good chain of command for Katrina, and there is in the military. Also, declaring a state of emergency is NOT the same as telling FEMA where supplies need to be staged.. AND certainly not distributing said supplies. The distribution of supplies, as I understand it, is NOT FEMA's job. That timeline doesn't talk aout the complex coordination that needed to take plac for actual relief to get there. The Link I just want to add one thing. Maybe I am just adding this for Ryan, who seems to think that Christians don't do much good. UMCOR is STILL there, and I was told recently that the United Methodist Church is the single largest rebuilder of homes in NOLA.
Long Island -- my point was that that nitwit Blanco should have been strong-armed into giving consent, thus avoiding the federalism problem altogether. And yeah, it bothers me that we don't have a national disaster/terrorism/war "rapid response" plan in place. What if what hit NO was a small nuke? What if it was a massive earthquake? What if it was a series of large bombs, followed by 50-100 AQ operatives taking to the streets with AKs? I would have thought that post-9/11, we had "gamed" some rapid response scenarios. Apparently, the only thing we "gamed" was the system, and the taxpayers. Lesson -- if big bad **** happens to your town, you best have a shitload of bottled water and some ammo, because you are on your own, and for an extended period of time.
