How to evacuate a city....NOT

Zuruck · Post by **Zuruck** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 10:02 pm

Funny enough, Dennis Hastert was my congressional nomination to the United States Military Academy, I've had lunch with the chap, and yes, we did argue a little bit

I'd slap Bush in the face, but the only person that deserves to be fired is Michael Brown. The guy ran the Internation Arabia Horse Association before hooking up with Bush's NG record cleaner Joe Albaugh(sp?). He had/has no idea what he is doing even to this day.

Skyalmian · Post by **Skyalmian** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 7:28 am

They'll make those pesky people in N.O. leave alright.

MASS CONFISCATION BEGINS. And even the New York Times notices.

NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 8 - Waters were receding across this flood-beaten city today as police officers began confiscating weapons, including legally registered firearms, from civilians in preparation for a mass forced evacuation of the residents still living here.

No civilians in New Orleans will be allowed to carry pistols, shotguns or other firearms, said P. Edwin Compass III, the superintendent of police. "Only law enforcement are allowed to have weapons," he said.

But that order apparently does not apply to hundreds of security guards hired by businesses and some wealthy individuals to protect property. The guards, employees of private security companies like Blackwater, openly carry M-16's and other assault rifles. Mr. Compass said that he was aware of the private guards, but that the police had no plans to make them give up their weapons.

These are the lead paragraphs of the article -- which never again even mentions the subject and certainly never explains under what authority governments can disarm the poor and middle class while leaving the wealthy and government classes armed.

Oh, so angry are the 2Aers about removing forbidding the precious right (and the martial law thingy)! But pity. Our malbenevolent Masters have not been following The Document that the people have wanted them to follow since eighteen sixty-eight.

Lew Rockwell wrote:Red Dawn
Posted by Lew Rockwell at 04:18 PM

A friend with high-level Pentagon connections tells me that they are delighted with the lack of opposition to the gun confiscation now going on in NO, and if and when they can make martial law nationwide, they want guns only in the hands of government employees and "security contractors."

Freakin' sweet.

On another note, FEMA loves Internet Explorer so much that it makes it the *only* browser capable of accessing their aid site. Rock on!

dissent · Post by **dissent** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 10:41 am

This blog makes for interesting reading.

Sirian · Post by **Sirian** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 12:20 pm

Mike Brown has been "reassigned back to Washington" -- polite and not so gentle way of shuffling him out of the way. Coast Guard Admiral is taking over the relief effort.

- Sirian

Palzon · Post by **Palzon** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 12:31 pm

Sirian wrote:Mike Brown has been "reassigned back to Washington" -- polite and not so gentle way of shuffling him out of the way. Coast Guard Admiral is taking over the relief effort.

- Sirian

He's being shuffled to Washington so he can be fitted for a medal and unavaible for any more press conference boners

Birdseye · Post by **Birdseye** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 12:52 pm

Sirian wrote:Mike Brown has been "reassigned back to Washington" -- polite and not so gentle way of shuffling him out of the way. Coast Guard Admiral is taking over the relief effort.

- Sirian

OUCH! I guess Bush didn't expect him to actually HANDLE a disaster. And like the Iraq war, the democrats were weak enough to go along with it and approve it. Sad. Another reason why "anybody but bush" makes no sense when the democrats are equally as culpable for not making the proper confirmation (in this case, no confirmation).

I agree with vander it's a bi partisan failure, much like the Iraq war was to me. I know a lot of "pragmatists" who vote for democrats thinking they made any difference at all. More proof they didn't is the confirmation of an arabian horse expert to head FEMA, only to have him step down when an actual disaster hits. PAthetic, our government is. Demand more, vote your conscience not fake "pragmatism." VOTE THESE BUMS OUT

Vander · Post by **Vander** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 1:23 pm

Aww, but Brownie's done a heck of a job. I wonder how long before he resigns or gets promoted.

Sirian · Post by **Sirian** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 1:43 pm

Palzon wrote:
Sirian wrote:Mike Brown has been "reassigned back to Washington" -- polite and not so gentle way of shuffling him out of the way. Coast Guard Admiral is taking over the relief effort.

- Sirian
He's being shuffled to Washington so he can be fitted for a medal and unavaible for any more press conference boners

The Bush people are not going to allow him to be embarrassed or badgered. And why seek to punish or humiliate him? He wasn't up to the job of Katrina. He's been shunted aside. Sharks and pirranhas: back off. If what matters is getting the right people in to the job, then things are moving in the direction you wanted, so be graceful winners and move on to the next problem or issue. Thanks.

As for "Arabian Horse Expert"... You can't judge a book by its cover. He could have performed. He did not, so he's out, and it's the responsibility of those who put him there, but... the failure is one of leadership, and that could have occurred even if he had a more compelling resume. There are others in this crisis who have displayed similar ineptitude.

By the way, it was not conservatives who were chiefly in favor of "solving" the terrorist threat by adding a whole new layer of bureaucracy to the federal government. Liberals pushed it, then Bush finally "triangulated" on the issue in Clintonian fashion, and now it's here. ... OK, so now what? Should we dismantle DHS? Trim it back down? Go with some of the alternatives that conservatives favored in the first place? Probably, and the sooner the better. But will it happen? Probably not.

The Coast Guard, out of ALL the organizations responding, got the most good done here. They more or less worked outside the bureaucracy and under efficient military leadership, focused on the mission, and ran nonstop helicopter rescue from day one -- more or less without taking orders from the local Louisianna authorities, but just getting in there and getting stuff done. That the Coast Guard Admiral is the new head of disaster relief is the most encouraging part of the news.

Bureaucracy sucks. Anybody who doesn't grok this has never had contact with one.

We STILL will need new laws to streamline this process and establish clear and deconflicted chain of command.

- Sirian

Vander · Post by **Vander** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 2:18 pm

I don't know if shuffling the org chart will help FEMA be more responsive. Bad leadership is bad leadership. If FEMA did a bad job partly because they were folded into DHS, why did the Coast Guard do a good job? They're part of DHS, too, aren't they?

And DHS's early champion, Joe Lieberman, was also the chairman of the committee that basically rubberstamped Brown with a 'favorable' rating to the Senate for confirmation. It's sort of ironic that Lieberman is one of the Dem's conservatives seem to like.

will_kill · Post by **will_kill** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 4:34 pm

Looks like ol' Mikey's head's on that trash can at the end o' the gallery.....when they roll the doors for chow, everyones gunna' walk past and see it

Vander · Post by **Vander** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 1:23 pm

"I wonder how long before he resigns or gets promoted."

Three days!

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9315184/

Ferno · Post by **Ferno** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 1:51 pm

Sky, it looks like FEMA did a 180.

woodchip · Post by **woodchip** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 7:01 pm

So if the police were confiscating civvies firearms, why is there a pic of Shean Penn carrying a shotgun? What a racist pic!!! Tells me only rich and famous white people are allowed to carry guns.

Vander · Post by **Vander** » Mon Sep 12, 2005 8:00 pm

Obviously Penn beat up a looter and took his shotgun.

woodchip · Post by **woodchip** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 5:56 am

Heh

dissent · Post by **dissent** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 12:17 pm

And some more interesting points are made here

Iceman · Post by **Iceman** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 12:25 pm

A little late but it is progress ...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/#omfghellhasfrozenover

Ferno · Post by **Ferno** » Tue Sep 13, 2005 1:46 pm

I keep looking for the word 'satire' on that page Ice...