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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>When I read this site I don't see that Washington
is the problem I see that the state gov was supposed to do the calling and
didn't. In any office a request would take a certain amount of time. But then
like I've said...nothing would make you happy. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><A
href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050903/ap_on_re_us/katrina_national_guard">http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050903/ap_on_re_us/katrina_national_guard</A></FONT></DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=Tbertruss@aol.com
href="mailto:Tbertruss@aol.com">Tbertruss@aol.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=vision2020@moscow.com
href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">vision2020@moscow.com</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Monday, September 05, 2005 1:14
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [Vision2020] Governor Blanco
Begs Bush For Help Before Katrina Hit!</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT face=arial,helvetica><FONT lang=0 face=Arial size=2
FAMILY="SANSSERIF" PTSIZE="10">All:<BR><BR>There has been some flat out false
nonsense presented on this list by people who apparently can't type
appropriate search terms into Google... or perhaps they just can't see beyond
their biases.<BR><BR>I wrote comments below except where I indicate the source
is quoted:<BR><BR>Please carefully review the following FACTS:<A
href="http://gov.louisiana.gov/Press_Release_detail.asp?id=973">
http://gov.louisiana.gov/Press_Release_detail.asp?id=973</A><BR><BR>Friday,
August 26 declaration of State of Emergency by Louisiana Governor
Blanco. This declaration did activate some Louisiana National
Guard.<BR><BR>In fact, some Louisiana National Guard were in New Orleans on
Sunday before Hurricane Katrina
hit.<BR>------------------------------------<BR><A
href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/03/AR2005090301680.html">http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/03/AR2005090301680.html</A><BR><BR>Senior
Bush official erroneously declares Louisiana Governor Blanco had not declared
a State of Emergency as of Saturday. This lie is being repeated by
various sources.<BR>------------------------------------<BR>Governor Blanco
sends letter to President Bush requesting that he declare a state of emergency
Sat. August 27, 2005. This letter makes it very clear that Governor
Blanco wants federal help, that the pending disaster may be more than state
and local resources can cope with, and it even contains details on sharing
funding, granting right of way, and release from damages to do requested
work!<BR><BR><A
href="http://www.gov.state.la.us/Press_Release_detail.asp?id=976">http://www.gov.state.la.us/Press_Release_detail.asp?id=976</A><BR><BR>------------------------------------<BR><A
href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050903/ap_on_re_us/katrina_national_guard">http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050903/ap_on_re_us/katrina_national_guard</A><BR><BR>National
Guard from other states were already being offered as help before Katrina hit,
according to this source. But rather than the slow deployment being
Governor Blanco's fault, this source asserts Washington was the bottle
neck.<BR><BR>I quote from the above source:<BR><BR>New Mexico Gov. Bill
Richardson offered Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco help from his state's
National Guard last Sunday, the day before Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana.
Blanco accepted, but paperwork needed to get the troops en route didn't come
from Washington until late Thursday.<BR><BR>One factor that may have further
complicated post-Katrina deployment arose when Louisiana discovered it needed
Guardsmen to do more law enforcement duty because a large portion of the New
Orleans police force was not functioning, according to Lt. Gen. Steven H.
Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau at the
Pentagon.<BR><BR>--------------------------------------<BR><BR>The fact a
large number of Louisiana and Mississippi National Guard and associated
equipment are in Iraq is mentioned as a negative factor in the response to
Hurricane Katrina by several knowledgeable sources quoted below:<BR><BR>PM
Thursday, September 1, 2005 <BR><BR>New Orleans Disaster: Where’s the National
Guard? <BR><BR>NANCY LESSIN, <BR><BR><A
href="http://by106fd.bay106.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?curmbox=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&a=a7e5a3abeb5b6a0625bb45e354a7149a28f23d809928c8561c13bb3cff1229bd&mailto=1&to=mfso@mfso.org&msg=DD6AE9EC-0DD1-44B0-BB9B-44D17E8CE82C&start=0&len=6763&src=&type=x">mfso@mfso.org</A>
<BR><BR><A href="http://www.mfso.org">http://www.mfso.org</A><BR><BR>Lessin is
a founder of Military Families Speak Out. She said today: <BR><BR>"The numbers
we have are that there are 11,000 National Guard personnel <BR>from Louisiana,
of whom about 3,000 are in Iraq with most of the heavy <BR>equipment. This
included generators and high-water and other vehicles <BR>which could assist
with the rescue effort." <BR><BR>She added: "My daughter is in New Orleans in
a hotel with no plumbing <BR>and no electricity. Meanwhile, the residents of
New Orleans -- <BR>particularly working and/or poor people -- do not appear to
be having <BR>the rescue attempts that they desperately need right now."
<BR>---------------------------------------------- <BR>PHILIP CROWLEY
<BR><BR><A
href="http://by106fd.bay106.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?curmbox=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&a=a7e5a3abeb5b6a0625bb45e354a7149a28f23d809928c8561c13bb3cff1229bd&mailto=1&to=pjcrowley@americanprogress.org&msg=DD6AE9EC-0DD1-44B0-BB9B-44D17E8CE82C&start=0&len=6763&src=&type=x">pjcrowley@americanprogress.org</A>,
<BR><BR>or via Jay Heidbrink<BR><BR><A
href="http://by106fd.bay106.hotmail.msn.com/cgi-bin/compose?curmbox=00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000001&a=a7e5a3abeb5b6a0625bb45e354a7149a28f23d809928c8561c13bb3cff1229bd&mailto=1&to=jheidbrink@americanprogress.org&msg=DD6AE9EC-0DD1-44B0-BB9B-44D17E8CE82C&start=0&len=6763&src=&type=x">jheidbrink@americanprogress.org</A>]
<BR> <BR>Senior fellow and director of national defense and
homeland security <BR>at the Center for American Progress, Crowley organized
the conference <BR>"Transforming the Reserve Component for the 21st Century"
in September <BR>2004.<BR><BR><A
href="javascript:ol('http://www.kintera.org/htmlcontent.asp%3Fcid=40075');">http://www.kintera.org/htmlcontent.asp?cid=40075</A>
<BR> <BR>He said today: "What Katrina brings home is the reality
we are <BR>pulling the Guard in several directions. ... Given the additional
<BR>strains of Iraq and Afghanistan, right now, the National Guard [at home]
<BR>only has about half the equipment it normally would."
<BR>-----------------------------------<BR><BR>Vision2020 Post by Ted
Moffett</FONT>
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