Friday, September 09, 2005
Finger Pointing Crises: Ken Mehlman Is On The Case
And the case he is on is the one about keeping as much information about what really happened in the Katrina catastrophe away from the American people.
Honest to God:
As reported in the Washington Post:
The question is not who is pointing fingers, it is who is pointing fingers where and at whom and for what purpose.
As we used a few or our own fingers to point out yesterday, there is no lack of finger-pointing on behalf of this administration.
I'd like to add an addendum to that post. Both the state of LA and the New Orleans authorities, from the Mayor on down, have much to answer for. Exactly what is the issue. And we have insufficient information as of now to know. I am unable to vindicate anyone's decision not to allow the Red Cross to come into the city, but to lay the responsibility on a particular state official is to overlook the fact, as acknowledged by the Red Cross itself, that it is unable to provide its own logistics to enter a flooded city, nor is it able to provide its own security on the ground.
There are questions to be asked of the Red Cross as well. They work with FEMA, why didn't they request help air-lifting in water and supplies?
There may well be acceptable answers to these questions and others: why was the security so bad; how much looting was actually going on; what can one make of this persuasive and horrifying description of how local law enforcement interacted with hurricane survivors within the city? (sorry, don't remember where I got the link; Buzzflash, perhaps)
One aspect of the whole mess that has gone relatively unremarked upon is the complete breakdown in the system of communications between local, state, and Federal officials and first responders on the ground. This was a key area identified as problematic for national security after 9/11. On the basis of what we've seen for the last two weeks, nothing, I repeat, nothing, nada, niente, rien, zero, zede, bupkus, has been done in the way of solving that self-same communication problem. I'll have more on this subject over he weekend.
Also, come back later, or on the weekend for a preview of one coming Corrente attraction we think will be of interest, or to put it another way, you better damn well have an interest in this subject if you have any interest in taking your country back from the government-hating dolts who are presenting running every branch of it.
Honest to God:
As reported in the Washington Post:
The Republican National Committee sent allies a list of "talking points," including: "It's disappointing that while President Bush has focused his administration's entire efforts towards saving lives and helping the victims of Katrina, there are those who are using this tragedy to score cheap political points." (Link)We kid you not.
The question is not who is pointing fingers, it is who is pointing fingers where and at whom and for what purpose.
As we used a few or our own fingers to point out yesterday, there is no lack of finger-pointing on behalf of this administration.
I'd like to add an addendum to that post. Both the state of LA and the New Orleans authorities, from the Mayor on down, have much to answer for. Exactly what is the issue. And we have insufficient information as of now to know. I am unable to vindicate anyone's decision not to allow the Red Cross to come into the city, but to lay the responsibility on a particular state official is to overlook the fact, as acknowledged by the Red Cross itself, that it is unable to provide its own logistics to enter a flooded city, nor is it able to provide its own security on the ground.
There are questions to be asked of the Red Cross as well. They work with FEMA, why didn't they request help air-lifting in water and supplies?
There may well be acceptable answers to these questions and others: why was the security so bad; how much looting was actually going on; what can one make of this persuasive and horrifying description of how local law enforcement interacted with hurricane survivors within the city? (sorry, don't remember where I got the link; Buzzflash, perhaps)
One aspect of the whole mess that has gone relatively unremarked upon is the complete breakdown in the system of communications between local, state, and Federal officials and first responders on the ground. This was a key area identified as problematic for national security after 9/11. On the basis of what we've seen for the last two weeks, nothing, I repeat, nothing, nada, niente, rien, zero, zede, bupkus, has been done in the way of solving that self-same communication problem. I'll have more on this subject over he weekend.
Also, come back later, or on the weekend for a preview of one coming Corrente attraction we think will be of interest, or to put it another way, you better damn well have an interest in this subject if you have any interest in taking your country back from the government-hating dolts who are presenting running every branch of it.
