[Vision2020] Homeland Security Dept. Failure!

[Tbertruss at aol.com]

Phil et. al.

I filed this under "partisan politically biased spin:"

Phil wrote:

"So even if there were no troops in Iraq, the National Guard even from
Louisiana would have been arriving on late Thursday and Early Friday, which
is when the first asset actually did arrive."

Are you implying the National Guard troops from Mississippi and Louisiana 
that were in Iraq, if they were in their home states and not on foreign soil, 
could not have helped more quickly, with greater numbers, to assist the needs of 
this disaster, than having to reposition National Guard troops and equipment 
from other states?  

The simple fact that National Guard troops that were based in Mississippi and 
Louisiana know their own state and cities better than troops from other 
states would increase their effectiveness in dealing with a disaster like this, 
compared to repositioning National Guard assets from other states, even 
dismissing the time issue of repositioning assets.

If the full number of National Guard troops that were based in Mississippi or 
Louisiana close to the disaster area were in those states, the travel time to 
get to the hurricane damaged areas would be shorter than to reposition 
National Guard troops from other states, regardless of when the "official" orders 
were issued for the National Guard to be deployed.

People were/are dying every hour in this disaster and a matter of hours could 
make the difference between life and death!

Andreas is correct about the new Homeland Security Dept. not responding as it 
should. This is exactly the sort of national emergency, similar in some ways 
to a major terrorist attack, that the Homeland Security Dept. in theory would 
be responding to before the hurricane even hit.  So the mayor of New Orleans 
and the Louisiana governor made bad decisions? Does this excuse failures of the 
Federal government?

What do you think the point was of establishing this massive reorganization 
of the federal agencies involved that are now under the new Homeland Security 
Dept?  It was to both provide more efficient coordination of intelligence and 
law enforcement assets, and to respond more quickly, effectively and 
efficiently to national disasters.

Anyone looking at the facts of the size and power of this hurricane, with the 
absence of meteorological forces to alter its path, knew that New Orleans 
area was likely to be hit by a category 5 or 4 hurricane, with hurricane force 
winds over a 200 mile wide diameter, increasing the length of time the hurricane 
force winds would blow, a major factor in the extent of the devastation 
inflicted by Katrina.  The Feds. and everyone else inquiring knew this, no doubt, 
as I did, watching The Weather Channel last Sunday night.

Come on, Phil!  Quit being a knee jerk defender of your political ideology 
and call a spade a spade!

Just admit that the Homeland Security Dept. and FEMA, which was placed under 
the authority of the Homeland Security Dept., did not respond as quickly or 
forcefully as required.  And that the fantastic war costs and repositioning of 
assets involved in the war in Iraq was a factor in the lack of funding and 
domestic response to this horrendous and cruel disaster.

Ted Moffett

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