Blame the victim

CNN.com - FEMA chief:�Victims bear some responsibility - Sep 1, 2005:

(CNN) -- The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Thursday those New Orleans residents who chose not to heed warnings to evacuate before Hurricane Katrina bear some responsibility for their fates.

Michael Brown also agreed with other public officials that the death toll in the city could reach into the thousands.

'Unfortunately, that's going to be attributable a lot to people who did not heed the advance warnings,' Brown told CNN.

Earth to Michael Brown. Not everyone has a $50,000 SUV and the means to fill it up with gas so that they can evacuate. Why wasn't FEMA there with busses to assist those who lacked the means to evacuate before the storm? Did you not realize that the airlines had stopped flying in and out of Louis B Armstrong airport, and the car rental agencies were sold out so stranding thousands of tourists? Why was there no medical evacuation of the hospitals and the most infirm?

"And to find people still there is just heart-wrenching to me because, you know, the mayor did everything he could to get them out of there.

"So, we've got to figure out some way to convince people that whenever warnings go out it's for their own good," Brown said. "Now, I don't want to second guess why they did that. My job now is to get relief to them."

Wrong, asshole! The job isn't to convince them, the job is to assist them. He is right about one thing, the Mayor did everything he could. However, you did nothing to help.

For this clown to be continually amazed at the people coming out of the woodwork is frankly criminal incompetence. He should resign in disgrace. Instead, Dubya will probably annoint him with the Medal of Freedom or something.

The Bush clown show continues...

The AP is reporting that the Houston Astrodome is now turning away busses of refugees from the Superdome because they can't hold 25-30,000... only 11,000. Had no one figured this out beforehand?

Five days after the dimensions of the disaster were already being described as the worst in U.S. history, the Pentagon is finally mobilizing National Guard troops from around the nation to secure the peace. Five days.

It took the Pentagon two days to give the order to dispatch its hospital ship from Baltimore and a (small) fleet of swift boats to the area. After an extra day to actually get the ship moving, it was estimated that it would take four more days to actually get there. That's seven days after the storm had passed.

This administration was simply unprepared to respond to a disaster that was telegraphed more than 36 hours in advance.

Then, finally, we have Scott McClellan claiming that Bush acted in advance by declaring the affected areas a federal disaster area. Turns out, that's a lie. Yes, Bush did declare a federal disaster area, but not in anticipation of Katrina, but in response to tropical storm Cindy.

Worst. administration. ever.