[W126 Coupe] [Fwd: Fwd: This about summs it up.]

[Paul Samarin]

On Sep 13, 2005, at 8:05 AM, David Fatovic wrote:

> Talk about BS allegations! First of all I never once
> appoligized for anything the President has done.
> Secondly I have never tried (like you) to put all the
> blame for everything on his shoulders.

No, David, no-one, not me, not any person I've heard or read, has tried 
to put the blame for everything--or even everything that happened in 
N.O.--on Bush's shoulders.  That's the spin you're hearing from the 
Mighty Wurlitzer of the GOP--talk radio.  They are trying to throw you 
off the scent.  Focus.  What I have asked, repeatedly and with not one 
suggested answer, is very simple:  What responsibility does Bush have 
in a national disaster in general, and in this disaster specifically 
since he proclaimed that he was rushing back to D.C.?

Answer the question and then maybe we can have a discussion.  
Otherwise, you're just pointing fingers and name calling.

> Are you not
> exactly sure how our government is setup?  Do you not
> realize that not one man has absolute power?  I would
> like to see that FEMA piece that states the President
> is to blame for lunatics running planes in to the
> Trade Center Towers, and how the President is to blame
> for levees breaking in New Orleans.  (I would also
> like to see that it states that in 2001, and how is it
> not local governments duty to fix problems in their
> own back yard) I would also like to see how it would
> be the President's fault for an earthquake to hit S.F.
>  Explain that one to me.

I'll explain it all to you, but only in bullet points.  You've got to 
do some reading.

1) The FEMA report should be available somewhere; it's been reported 
widely--other than on FOX or talk radio.
2) On Aug 9, 2001, the President--again on vacation in Crawford, as it 
happens--received a Presidential Daily Briefing entitled:
"Bin Laden Determined to Attack on US soil."  He did nothing--just like 
after N.O., by the way.  Also prior to 9/11/01 (although I don't now 
recall whether it was before or after the 8/9/01 PDB) he was informed 
that the FBI had 75 active investigations on al Queada cells within the 
US.  He did nothing.  He SHOULD HAVE immediately called all the brains 
together and asked:  "What are our 75 investigations telling us about 
bin Laden's ability to attack us on US soil?"  If he had, he would've 
found the FBI memo from the field officer who ID'd the "20th hijacker" 
BEFORE 9/11/01--not AFTER, just like N.O., by the way.
3) I've already explained the funding issue re: shoring-up the 
levees--also a matter widely reported, and reported repeatedly all 
throughout 2004 (but, not on FOX or talk radio.)  Meanwhile, even if 
the levee money had been spent as planned, a larger hurricane strike 
might have breached them anyway--preparation is only part of the 
failure.  The more important part of the failure was the delay in 
action after the levees were breached.  After the Pres praised Brownie 
for the great job, he's now been fired.  You do the math.
>
> Was it not Bush that first came out and said the
> government was not doing enough.  Was it the not Bush
> who pushed for the Emergency Aid money to get through
> congress and get to the people in that area?

No, and no.
>
> I ask you, please enlighten me.  Since you are
> "spotting us" that local government is the appropriate
> first responder.  What, in your opinion should have
> been the appropriate actions taken by the President,
> Congress, and FEMA?
>
> David

I've been to N.O. exactly once--twenty years ago.  Took two tours while 
there.  They told me then that if the levee breaks, N.O. is doomed.  I 
knew the minute the levees broke (whichever day that was), that the 
catastrophe had started; I knew b/c the tour guides told me 20 years 
ago.  FEMA knew; the locals knew; they both said b/4 Katrina that they 
had a plan.

The President should have immediately ordered every available National 
Guardsman, Marine, Soldier and Sailor into N.O. with water, food and 
medicine (esp. antibiotics) on trucks and boats which would be used to 
then take the people out--supplies in, stranded people out.  It ain't 
rocket science.

OK, I went first--despite asking several times for opinions from Bush 
apologists and getting ZERO response--now, you go.  Besides hiding from 
the grieving mother of a fallen war hero, what do you think Bush was 
doing and what do you think he should have been doing?  It's time to 
put up or shut up (on this topic only, of course--I certainly 
appreciate your MB knowledge no matter your politics.)

Paul
>
> --- Paul Samarin <pauls at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
>> More BS allegations.  What was the President doing,
>> David, when he said
>> he was flying to DC to handle things?  So far,
>> despite asking the
>> simple question several times, not one of you
>> apologists for the most
>> failed President in history has even attempted to
>> answer the question.
>>
>> In 2001, FEMA identified the 3 biggest potential
>> catastrophes that
>> might strike the U.S.-->
>>
>> A terrorist attack on NYC;
>> A failure of the levees protecting New Orleans;
>> Another major quake in San Francisco.
>>
>> Bush is now 2 for 3.
>>
>> If I spot you that local government is the
>> appropriate First Responder
>> to most major events, why do you find FEMA's
>> Non-Response acceptable.
>> Why are you so afraid to say that the President's
>> response was
>> inadequate?
>>
>> Does your "common sense" tell you that the President
>> has zero
>> responsibility?
>>
>> Paul
>>
>> On Sep 13, 2005, at 6:57 AM, David Fatovic wrote:
>>
>>> It must be horrible to be so far to the left that
>> your
>>> common sense has no place in your thinking.
>>>
>>> David
>>>
>>> --- Paul Samarin <pauls at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Where'd you get all that?  B/4 Katrina, their
>>>> website touted them as
>>>> the lead agency for national disasters. All
>> that's
>>>> changed now, of
>>>> course.
>>>>
>>>> I note you didn't get around to answering the
>> second
>>>> question:
>>>>
>>>> What was the President doing?  Was he just
>> waiting
>>>> by the phone?  Why'd
>>>> he leave Crawford?  Oh sure, I know he snuck out
>> of
>>>> town under the
>>>> cover of Katrina so he wouldn't have to face
>>>> headlines that read:
>>>> "Bush Refuses to Meet with Cindy Sheehan and
>> Returns
>>>> to Washington",
>>>> but what is the party line reason for his return?
>>>> Does he have a
>>>> better TV in DC to watch New Orleans fill up with
>>>> water while he does
>>>> nothing?
>>>>
>>>> On Sep 12, 2005, at 6:54 PM, Dick Spellman wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Hi Paul:
>>>>>
>>>>> Let's start with the following:
>>>>>
>>>>> FEMA has no authority to do anything until they
>>>> are asked and directed
>>>>> by
>>>>> local government.
>>>>
>>>> Directed by local government?  The Governor of LA
>>>> asked and Bush sent
>>>> an agreement for her to sign ceding all authority
>> to
>>>> the Feds.  That
>>>> doesn't sound like the locals are directing
>>>> anything.  The Gov refused
>>>> to surrender absolute authority to Bush and
>> Brownie.
>>>>  (I sure hope we
>>>> get to see that proposed agreement someday.)
>>>>
>>>> Look, this is all about money, power and
>> influence.
>>>> The Bush Admin
>>>> refused to provide the funds the shore-up the
>> levees
>>>> because they
>>>> didn't want the local Democrats doling out the
>>>> patronage; they wanted
>>>> to dole it out where they wanted to dole it out:
>>>> Translation:  Energy
>>>> Bill Pork Special
>>>>
>>>> Watch what happens next:  the Party Line will be
>>>> that the locals cannot
>>>> handle the rebuilding of N.O., so *now* the Feds
>>>> will try to step to
>>>> the front and take over.  *Their* cronies will
>> get
>>>> the patronage.
>>>>
>>>> Meanwhile, as just one example of why we need a
>>>> FEMA--Federal Emergency
>>>> Management Agency--to take the lead (as they said
>>>> they would, as they'd
>>>> promised to do, as the President at least implied
>>>> that he would when he
>>>> flew back to DC) was the incident where folks
>> tried
>>>> to walk out of N.O.
>>>> by crossing a bridge over the Mississippi.  The
>>>> local cops on the other
>>>> side forced them back at gunpoint.  The Police
>> Chief
>>>> over there said,
>>>> essentially, "We aren't gonna let those looters
>> into
>>>> our town."  Now,
>>>> that's a very harsh position, but taken from his
>>>> point of view, he was
>>>> protecting his evacuated city.  The question of
>>>> who's in charge is
>>>> *always* a problem in a major event.
>>>>
>>>> That's why we're supposed to have a Federal
>>>> Response.  We're going to
>>>> learn about many, many instances of "the left
>> hand
>>>> not knowing what the
>>>> right hand was doing."   One bureaucrat telling
>>>> another to do the wrong
>>>> thing or not to do the right thing...b/c in a big
>>>> event things get
>>>> confused.  You need one guy at the top to be in
>>>> charge--when that guy
>>>> is an idiot, you get chaos.
>>>>
>>>> So, tell me why President Vacation returned to
>> DC.
>>>> BTW, I didn't hear
>>>> him say, "The Gov hasn't called and asked for
>> help,
>>>> so I'm gonna finish
>>>> this round of golf."
>>>>
>>>> Paul
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> They will provide...
>>>>> To individuals:
>>>>> Provide temporary FREE housing
>>>>> Provide short term funds 'capped' and FREE
>>>>>
>>>>> To local government:
>>>>> Provide additional personnel to beef up existing
>>>> security, fire and
>>>>> rescue
>>>>> personnel
>>>>> Provide restoration resources (men, equipment
>> and
>>>> materials) to restore
>>>>> municipal power, water, and basic services
>>>>> Provide grants to local and state counties to
>>>> rebuild local government
>>>>> Provide grants to rebuild the school systems
>>>>>
>>>>> Local emergency planning and communications is
>>>> provided by the local
>>>>> authority.
>>>>>
>>>>> Dick
>>>>
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