(NBR) ***** POLITICAL CONTENT ***** DELETE AT WILL ***** New Orleans

[The Gammons]

I was in Port Charlotte 2 days after Charlie hit. It was much smaller, but
its peak winds were as strong. It also moved much faster, thank god.

FEMA's help was pretty much limited to providing low interest loans (to
those who qualified, they might eventually be forgiven). When you asked for
aid, you were given a loan application.

I am not kidding.

It was State and Local people who did all the real work. The National Guard
helped clear the roads, then provided security.

JimG

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Curtis Jenkins" <curtis_j@pacbell.net>
To: "MIG JimG" <migcruisers@autox.team.net>
Sent: Saturday, September 10, 2005 2:36 PM
Subject: Fwd: (NBR) ***** POLITICAL CONTENT ***** DELETE AT WILL ***** New
Orleans


> In case you aren't familiar with how our government is SUPPOSED to work:
The chain of responsibility for the protection of the citizens in New
Orleans is:
> 1. The Mayor
> 2. The New Orleans director of Homeland Security (a political appointee of
the Governor who reports to the Governor)
> 3. The Governor
> 4. The Head of Homeland Security
> 5. The President
>
> What did each do?
>
> 1. The mayor, with 5 days advance, waited until 2 days before he announced
a
> mandatory evacuation (at the behest of the President). Then he failed to
provide transportation for those without transport even though he had
hundreds of buses at his disposal.
>
>
> 2. The New Orleans director of Homeland Security failed to have any plan
for a contingency that has been talked about for 50 years. Then he blames
the Feds for not doing what he should have done. (So much for political
appointees)
>
> 3. The Governor, despite a declaration of disaster by the President 2 DAYS
BEFORE the storm hit, failed to take advantage of the offer of Federal
troops and aid until 2 DAYS AFTER the storm hit.
>
> 4. The Director of Homeland Security positioned assets in the area to be
ready when the Governor called for them
>
> 5. The President urged a mandatory evacuation, and even declared a
disaster State of Emergency, freeing up millions of dollars of federal
assistance, should the Governor decide to use it.
>
> Oh and by the way, the levees that broke were the responsibility of the
local landowners and the local levee board to maintain, NOT THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT.
>
> The disaster in New Orleans is what you get after decades of corrupt
(democrat) (emphasis author) government going all the way back to Huey Long.
>
> Funds for disaster protection and relief have been flowing into this city
for decades, and where has it gone, but into the pockets of the politicos
and their friends.
>
> Decades of socialist government in New Orleans has sapped all self
reliance from the community, and made them dependent upon government for
every little thing.
>
> Political correctness and a lack of will to fight crime have created the
single most corrupt police force in the country, and has permitted gang
violence to flourish.
>
> The sad thing is that there are many poor folks who have suffered and died
needlessly because those that they voted into office failed them.
>
> For those who missed item 5 (where the President's level of accountability
is discussed), it is made more clear in a New Orleans Times-Picayune article
dated August 28:
>
> NEW ORLEANS (AP) - In the face of a catastrophic Hurricane Katrina, a
mandatory evacuation was ordered Sunday for New Orleans by Mayor Ray Nagin.
>
> Acknowledging that large numbers of people, many of them stranded
tourists, would be unable to leave, the city set up 10 places of last resort
for people to go, including the Superdome.
>
> The mayor called the order unprecedented and said anyone who could leave
the city should. He exempted hotels from the evacuation order because
airlines had already cancelled all flights.
>
> Gov. Kathleen Blanco, standing beside the mayor at a news conference, said
President Bush called and personally appealed for a mandatory evacuation for
the low-lying city, which is prone to flooding. (emphasis mine)
>
> The ball was placed in Mayor Nagin's court to carry out the evacuation
order.
>
> With a 5-day heads-up, he had the authority to use any and all services to
evacuate all residents from the city, as documented in a city emergency
preparedness plan. By waiting until the last minute, and failing to make
full use of resources available within city limits, Nagin and his
administration messed up.
>
> Mayor Nagin and his emergency sidekick Terry Ebbert have displayed lethal,
mind boggling incompetence before, during and after Katrina
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