stafford doesn’t preclude hiring a horse fluffer

7 Responses to “stafford doesn’t preclude hiring a horse fluffer”

1. Emma Says:
   September 9th, 2005 at 1:58 pm

   i think we all would agree that none of us wants the ability to send a massive federal intervention into a locality under the control of just one man.

   Well, I don’t have much of a problem with it, as long as it’s something part of a federally approved plan of action. Consider this a battle–against time, the elements, whatever. You need a commander who can make thing move.

   The problem with the Federal response to Katrina is that there was NO federal response to Katrina. I kept thinking: Jesus, we gave this people four years and several billion dollars and they couldn’t even airlift food and water to a trapped population for five days? What happens if there’s a nuclear event? A dirty bomb detonated somewhere in say, the port of Miami, where less than 5% of all incoming containers are actually inspected? And that is, say, less than 20 miles from where I live? Or even better, the local nuclear power plant, less than 5 miles from where I live?

   Think of Katrina as a nuclear bomb detonated by Mother Nature. Let me ask you a question in return, Mr. Simmins. What would YOU expect your government to do at that time?

   But let me end with the question as asked:

   in the event of a major natural disaster, the federal government should nove immediately to protect the lives of its citizens, whatever that may entail.

2. Emma Says:
   September 9th, 2005 at 1:59 pm

   “Move” darn it. ‘MOVE”.

3. Bagley Says:
   September 9th, 2005 at 5:56 pm

   “…….”

   So, can I take it that “fill in the blank” is the campaign slogan for the Democratic Party.

   The left is just so, so, so…..proactive and original.

4. DavidByron Says:
   September 9th, 2005 at 6:16 pm

   in the event of a major natural disaster, the president should …….

   …react as if it was an election year.

   …react as if it was a swing state.

   …react as if their brother was the governor.

   …react as if they had a scintilla of compassion and common human feeling.

   …react as if they would be held accountable.

5. Bagley Says:
   September 9th, 2005 at 6:24 pm

   I apologise for the length of this post. Mod please delete if to long.

   This has been making rounds on the other side of the blogosphere. You folks might find it instructive when contemplating what test should replace the elipses (original article here — http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/opinion/2005/0908/2132634993OP08NEWTON.html):

   By Newton Emerson
   As the full horror of Hurricane Katrina sinks in, thousands of desperate columnists are asking if this is the end of George Bush’s presidency.

   The answer is almost certainly yes, provided that every copy of the US Constitution was destroyed in the storm. Otherwise President Bush will remain in office until noon on January 20th, 2009, as required by the 20th Amendment, after which he is barred from seeking a third term anyway under the 22nd Amendment.

   As the full horror of this sinks in, thousands of desperate columnists are asking if the entire political agenda of George Bush’s second term will not still be damaged in some terribly satisfying way.

   The answer is almost certainly yes, provided that the entire political agenda of George Bush’s second term consists of repealing the 22nd Amendment. Otherwise, with a clear Republican majority in both Houses of Congress, he can carry on doing pretty much whatever he likes.

   As the full horror of this sinks in, thousands of desperate columnists are asking if the Republican Party itself will now suffer a setback at the congressional mid-term elections next November.

   The answer is almost certainly yes, provided that people outside the disaster zone punish their local representatives for events elsewhere a year previously, both beyond their control and outside their remit, while people inside the disaster zone reward their local representatives for an ongoing calamity they were supposed to prevent. Otherwise, the Democratic Party will suffer a setback at the next congressional election.

   As the full horror of this sinks in, thousands of desperate columnists are asking if an official inquiry will shift the blame for poor planning and inadequate flood defences on to the White House.

   The answer is almost certainly yes, provided nobody admits that emergency planning is largely the responsibility of city and state agencies, and nobody notices that the main levee which broke was the only levee recently modernised with federal funds. Otherwise, an official inquiry will pin most of the blame on the notoriously corrupt and incompetent local governments of New Orleans and Louisiana.

   As the full horror of this sinks in, thousands of desperate columnists are asking if George Bush contributed to the death toll by sending so many national guard units to Iraq.

   The answer is almost certainly yes, provided nobody recalls that those same columnists have spent the past two years blaming George Bush for another death toll by not sending enough national guard units to Iraq. Otherwise, people might wonder why they have never previously read a single article advocating large-scale military redeployment during the Caribbean hurricane season.

   As the full horror of this sinks in, thousands of desperate columnist are asking how a civilised city can descend into anarchy.

   The answer is that only a civilised city can descend into anarchy.

   As the full horror of this sinks in, thousands of desperate columnists are asking if George Bush should be held responsible for the terrible poverty in the southern states revealed by the flooding.

   The answer is almost certainly yes, provided nobody holds Bill Clinton responsible for making Mississippi the poorest state in the union throughout his entire term as president, or for making Arkansas the second-poorest state in the union throughout his entire term as governor. Otherwise, people might suspect that it is a bit more complicated than that.

   As the full horror of this sinks in, thousands of desperate columnists are asking if George Bush should not be concerned by accusations of racism against the federal government.

   The answer is almost certainly yes, provided nobody remembers that Jesse Jackson once called New York “Hymietown” and everybody thinks Condoleezza Rice went shopping for shoes when the hurricane struck because she cannot stand black people. Otherwise sensible Americans of all races will be more concerned by trite, cynical and dangerous political opportunism.

   As the full horror of that sinks in, this columnist is simply glad that everybody cares.

6. 38% Says:
   September 11th, 2005 at 12:43 am

   Bagley, try to pay attention. No one’s buying “blame the Clenis” this time.
   Can you blame them?

7. essbee Says:
   September 11th, 2005 at 7:50 am

   It’s the State’s fault!

   The answer is almost certainly yes, provided nobody admits that emergency planning is largely the responsibility of city and state agencies, and nobody notices that the main levee which broke was the only levee recently modernised with federal funds. Otherwise, an official inquiry will pin most of the blame on the notoriously corrupt and incompetent local governments of New Orleans and Louisiana.

   It’s the President’s fault!

   The answer is almost certainly yes, provided nobody holds Bill Clinton responsible for making Mississippi the poorest state in the union throughout his entire term as president

   …what a difference a clenis makes