Criminal Insanity

Sometimes it's hard to weed out what is true and what is not, or to get both sides of a story, but here are some of the stories I hear coming out of New Orleans. If true, our Federal Emergency response has gone from inept to criminally negligent in my eyes.

Jefferson Parrish President Aaron Broussard has the following quotes reportedly from today's Meet the Press (I missed the airing, but have set up to TiVo tonight's repeat and will correct if the reports are wrong). It's apparently a very powerful thing to watch, and he breaks down on national television in the middle of it.

Sir, they were told like me. Every single day. The cavalry is coming. On the federal level. The cavalry is coming. The cavalry is coming. The cavalry is coming. I have just begun to hear the hooves of the cavalry. The cavalry is still not here yet, but I have begun to hear the hooves and were almost a week out.

Three quick examples. We had Wal-mart deliver three trucks of water. Trailer trucks of water. Fema turned them back, said we didn't need them. This was a week go. We had 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel on a coast guard vessel docked in my parish. The coast guard said come get the fuel right way. When we got there with our trucks, they got a word, FEMA says don't give you the fuel. Yesterday, yesterday, fema comes in and cuts all our emergency communications lines. They cut them without notice. Our sheriff, Harry Lee, goes back in. he reconnects the line. He posts armed guards said no one is getting near these lines.

And later...

The guy who runs this building I'm in. Emergency management. He's responsible for everything. His mother was trapped in St. Bernard nursing home and every day she called him and said. Are you coming. Son? Is somebody coming? And he said yeah. Mama. Somebody's coming to get you.. Somebody's coming to get you on Tuesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Wednesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Thursday. Somebody's coming to get you on Friday. And she drowned Friday night. And she drowned Friday night. Nobody's coming to get us. Nobody's coming to get us. The Secretary has promised. Everybody's promised. They've had press conferences. I'm sick of the press conferences. For god's sakes, just shut up and send us somebody.

This, while the Administration is already positioning themselves to point the finger of blame for the failures at local and state authorities. This post on Huffington Post by Bob Cesca shows that the Department of Homeland Securities website clearly shows that they hold primary responsibility. Remember that, as you hear people begin to point fingers at Governor Blanco and Mayer Nagin. Also remember that Mayer Nagin took the risky step of stepping up the evacuation recommendation to a full out mandated evacuation, something which would have cost him politically had the storm NOT done this sort of damage, but which undoubtedly saved countless lives.

My wife, this morning, made an observation. I've been trying to convince her to write it up for the blog, but what it comes down to is this: Americans should be in abject terror right now at the state of our country's readiness for disaster (man made or natural). If the events of 9/11 didn't make us beef up agencies like FEMA and really get 'em ready, what will?

We have just clearly and plainly sent a message to the entire world that we are criminally under prepared to deal with major attacks. Don't think those among our enemies who traffic in terror aren't watching. And this time, we can't declare war on Cuba and try to convince the American public that we're fighting the weather down there so that we won't have to fight it here.

When it comes (and right now, with this evidence of ineptitude, "when" seems more appropriate than "if"), will FEMA be turning away much needed supplies from the radiation-sick residents of one American city or the fevered, tortured citizens of another biologically attacked city?

What of the Avian Flu or Equine Encephalitis pandemics we keep being warned may be coming. Given the criminally bungled response in New Orleans, shouldn't we right now be stepping up and saying to Director Chertoff, "I'm sorry if you believe your department is in charge of a disease outbreak, but we have faith in the CDC. We have none in you. Go back and play with your toy soldiers, but let the doctors handle our national health."

Liam.