Their solution for the thorny and complex issues facing the nation after the horrible destruction and loss of human life wreaked by Katrina? Fire Michael Brown, the head of FEMA. While I am not a fan of Michael Brown, I don't think getting rid of him will do the trick.
And here is their reasoning....
FEMA used to give local communities grants to combat natural disasters - money Homeland Security subsumed mostly for grants to fight terrorism. The administration slashed FEMA's staff by 500 positions, to 4,735, reports the Los Angeles Times. The Wall Street Journal chimes in that morale at the agency has plummeted and its executives are stretched thin.
So....
Having insisted after 9/11 on the establishment of a giant homeland security bureaucracy, they (the Democrats) now are shocked to find that FEMA, having been placed within that bureaucracy, is too bureaucratic. So now some Democrats are demanding that FEMA be removed from the giant bureaucracy. Lacking anything serious to say about national security, the Democrats are treating us to the spectacle of chasing their tail while spewing venom against the president.(from Powerline)
So, this is Michael Brown's fault? Well, not really, the editorial goes on to say:
No, Brown can't shoulder most of the blame for the agency's downgrading. President Bush and Chertoff must answer for that. But even with his diminished power, he could have acted in a more decisive and timely manner. He failed to do so.
For instance, the agency left thousands of people stranded in the New Orleans Convention Center for days, local officials and others say FEMA refused many offers of help that could have saved lives and many victims complained of getting the bureaucratic cold shoulder from the agency.
Here's the problem. The editorial makes it sound as though FEMA refused to help people, resulting in the death and discomfort of thousands. But during that timeframe, the Red Cross and Salvation Army were denied access to New Orleans by state officials because they were told they would interfere with rescue and evacuation efforts. Red Cross officials say they were told that aiding the people in New Orleans would discourage them from evacuating. Who are the 'local officials and others' quoted by the MJS?
Here is the transcript from the Hugh Hewitt interview with Major Garrett, who spoke with the heads of the Red Cross and Salvation Army (from Powerline):
I was watching up on the corner television in my studio, and it's headlined that the Red Cross was blocked from delivering supplies to the Superdome, Major Garrett. Tell us what you found out.
MG: Well, the Red Cross, Hugh, had pre-positioned a literal vanguard of trucks with water, food, blankets and hygiene items. They're not really big into medical response items, but those are the three biggies that we saw people at the New Orleans Superdom, and the convention center, needing most accutely. And all of us in America, I think, reasonably asked ourselves, geez. You know, I watch hurricanes all the time. And I see correspondents standing among rubble and refugees and evacuaees. But I always either see that Red Cross or Salvation Army truck nearby. Why don't I see that?
HH: And the answer is?
MG: The answer is the Louisiana Department of Homeland Security, that is the state agency responsible for that state's homeland security, told the Red Cross explicitly, you cannot come.
HH: Now Major Garrett, on what day did they block the delivery? Do you know specifically?
MG: I am told by the Red Cross, immediately after the storm passed.
HH: Okay, so that would be on Monday afternoon.
MG: That would have been Monday or Tuesday.
***
HH: I also have to conclude from what you're telling me, Major Garrett, is that had they been allowed to deliver when they wanted to deliver, which is at least a little bit prior to the levee, or at least prior to the waters rising, the supplies would have been pre-positioned, and the relief...you know, the people in the Superdome, and possibly at the convention center, I want to come back to that, would have been spared the worst of their misery.
MG: They would have been spared the lack of food, water and hygiene. I don't think there's any doubt that they would not have been spared the indignity of having nor workable bathrooms in short order.
HH: Now Major Garrett, let's turn to the convention center, because this will be, in the aftermath...did the Red Cross have ready to go into the convention center the supplies that we're talking about as well?
MG: Sure. They could have gone to any location, provided that the water wasn't too high, and they got some assistance.
So, here is the solution to the problem:
After all, if the nation bungles its response to an anticipated disaster, how can it be prepared to handle a surprise disaster, such as a terrorist attack? FEMA needs restored clout and a new director - which the Republican Congress, in the past an enabler of Bush's penchant for non-accountability, should insist on.
I think the issue is that we have a form of government in which the local and state government serve as the first responders in the case of disaster, natural or otherwise. When they need assistance from the federal government, they ask for it. If the federal government offers help and they refuse it, what does MJS suggest that the federal government do? March in like stormtroopers? (I thought we put that approach to rest when we got rid of Janet Reno).
Unfortunately, in this case, state and local officials responsible for New Orleans knew that there were major issues with their evacuation plans and hurricane response capabilities. And yet they did nothing. Read this article from the Wall Street Journal.
So, why aren't Democrats screaming "Who knew what, when?"
So, this is another complex issue that deserves honest debate and creativity. What an opportunity for the media to educate its readers/viewers/listeners on the roles of federal, state and local governments. In this 'perfect storm', a combination of natural disaster and poor decision-making by officials led to disaster. The only way to have REALLY averted disaster was for the mayor to have called for full evacuation of the city and to provide needed assistance to those who could not evacuate on their own (which he was told to do in numerous reports, studies and policies issued BEFORE the Hurricane struck).
Instead, the media and politicians are using the death of thousands of hurricane victims to advance their own political causes. This is only compounding this national tragedy.
Typical and disappointing.
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