Huuumm, just can't trust Educators at all.

Well If the Bush Administration had done their jobs there would not be all those refugees in Atlanta and Houston.

Now come on Sodbuster, that's horse baloney and you know it. While the federal governments response to Katrina was less then desired, so was that of the state led by a democratic governor and the city led by a democratic mayor so they both share in the blame as well.

And that doesn’t begin to take into account the failures of personal responsibility by private citizens who failed to evacuate despite days and days of warnings.

But even that is not what created the huge refugee problem and you know that as well. That problem was created by the failure of levies across the city and those problems were well known and documented long before George W. Bush soundly whipped Al Gore in 2000.

You're not a farmer so quit spreading the manure my good man. You're much too smart to think there's anyone actually believes statements like that so I fail to see why you post them.

And besides, Brownie was doing a heck of a job.

As was Kathy and Ray Ray.

Hurricane Katrina

[edit] Actions in advance of Katrina
On August 27, 2005, Governor Blanco, speaking about Hurricane Katrina , told the media in Jefferson Parish, "I believe we are prepared. That's the one thing that I've always been able to brag about." Later that day she issued a request for federal assistance and USD $9 million in aid to President George W. Bush, which stated, "...I have determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the State and affected local governments, and that supplementary Federal assistance is necessary to save lives, protect property, public health, and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a disaster. I am specifically requesting emergency protective measures, direct Federal Assistance, Individual and Household Program (IHP) assistance, Special Needs Program assistance, and debris removal." Also in the requesting letter, the governor stated: "In response to the situation I have taken appropriate action under State law and directed the execution of the State Emergency Plan on August 26, 2005 in accordance with Section 501 (a) of the Stafford Act. A State of Emergency has been issued for the State in order to support the evacuations of the coastal areas in accordance with our State Evacuation Plan.

FEMA issued a statement dated August 27, that President Bush authorized the allocation of federal resources, "following a review of FEMA's analysis of the state's request for federal assistance. A White House statement of the same date also acknowledges this authorization of aid by President Bush. On August 28, Governor Blanco sent a letter to President Bush, which increased the amount of aid requested to US $130 million.


[edit] Actions following Katrina and Rita

On September 1, 2005, Governor Blanco authorized United States National Guard troops to "shoot and kill" rioters and looters[1], which followed President Bush's statement that looters in New Orleans and elsewhere in the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina should be treated with "zero tolerance"[2]. The attitude toward looters, and the perception that police and national guard resources were diverted to deal with looters, were sources of controversy and criticism. Governor Blanco was also criticized for allegedly having only a minor subset of her available National Guard troops standing by on ready[citation needed], and for not being able to provide relief supplies and standby medical or other first responder personnel to New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin for the victims of the hurricane[citation needed]. A Newsday article by Jim Pinkerton, for example, states "The Louisiana Guard has about 11,000 members, of whom 3,000 are in Iraq War[citation needed]. And yet, of the remaining 8,000 in the Pelican State[citation needed], fewer than half were on duty the day Katrina struck[citation needed]. Louisiana did indeed have only 3,500 ready out of 6,500 national guards available according to a different article in the Chicago Tribune; in comparison, the state of Mississippi had 850 guards on duty, and Alabama had 350 as of August 30.[citation needed]

In addition, Governor Blanco had accepted an offer of National Guard reinforcements from New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. Although this agreement was made on August 28, the day before Katrina struck, the paperwork required to deploy troops did not arrive from the federal government until September 1[citation needed]. The specific cause of the delay is unclear. An article in the Washington Post cites three state and federal officials as stating collectively that "Louisiana did not reach out to a multi-state mutual aid compact for assistance until August 31."[citation needed] It also quotes one as saying erroneously that as of September 3, Governor Blanco had not declared a state of emergency in Louisiana.[citation needed]



Controversy has continued to circle the issue of the National Guard[citation needed]. According to an article in Newsweek , President Bush and Governor Blanco met on Air Force One on Friday, September 2, 2005 while it sat on the tarmac at the New Orleans airport. Echoing requests submitted by President Bush to Governor Blanco in a memo prior to the meeting, Mayor Nagin suggested federalizing the National Guard to improve the command structure. According to both Sen. David Vitter, a Republican, and Mayor Ray Nagin, the Democratic Mayor of New Orleans, Bush turned to Governor Blanco and said, "Well, what do you think of that, Governor?" Blanco told Bush, "I’d rather talk to you about that privately."[citation needed] To which Nagin responded, "Well, why don’t you do that now?".[citation needed] Immediately following that private meeting, according to a September 7, 2005 Washington Times article , Mayor Nagin said that "He (Bush) called [Nagin] in that office, and he said, 'Mr. Mayor, I offered two options to the governor.' I was ready to move. The governor said she needed 24 hours to make a decision."[citation needed]

Governor Blanco subsequently rejected the proposal.[citation needed] President Bush continued to press the offer so Governor Blanco rejected it in writing on September 6, citing the need for flexibility in National Guard operations, particularly the need for Guard in areas other than New Orleans where the military is not currently operating. Governor Haley Barbour of Mississippi reportedly declined a similar offer from the President. Had either state's National Guard been federalized, they would not have been able to directly enforce Louisiana state law (i.e., control looting) under the provisions of the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act. It has not previously been a policy during natural disasters to combine the command of National Guard and military operations under the authority of the President. President Bush has the power to take command of National Guard brigades under the Insurrection Act without the agreement of a state Governor, but no President has done this since Lyndon Johnson in the 1960s and President Bush has so far also declined to do so. However, Governor Blanco and Major General Bennett Landreneau, commander of Louisiana's National Guard, have co-operated closely with Lieutenant General Russel L. Honoré, who was then commanding military operations under Joint Task Force Katrina.

CNN and Fox News reported the Louisiana Homeland Security Department (which operates under the authority of Governor Blanco) refused to allow the American Red Cross to enter the city of New Orleans. [1], [2] The [3] American Red Cross confirms that the organization had not been allowed to enter the city to provide aid but also states that it is providing relief at the evacuation centers: "As the remaining people are evacuated from New Orleans, the most appropriate role for the Red Cross is to provide a safe place for people to stay and to see that their emergency needs are met. We are fully staffed and equipped to handle these individuals once they are evacuated." The deputy director of Louisiana's Homeland Security Department, Colonel Jay Mayeaux, has stated that he asked the Red Cross to delay relief operations for 24 hours for logistical reasons, and by the time that was up the evacuations had already begun.

On September 14, after President Bush had accepted responsibility for all problems that occurred at the federal level, Governor Blanco accepted responsibility for all problems that occurred at the state level. Blanco stated, "At the state level, we must take a careful look at what went wrong and make sure it never happens again. The buck stops here, and as your governor, I take full responsibility." In 2006, a Congressional report later stated that the "National Response Plan did not adequately provide a way for federal assets to quickly supplement or, if necessary, supplant first responders."[3]

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