scribblings from a deist transhumanist libertarian minarchist citizen soldier

For all the morons blaming Bush for the Katrina debacle

Posted by Trevor in under other on Sep 6th, 2005 | View Comments |

Many of the Bush haters out there are blaming the war in Iraq for the slow response by the National Guard to the disaster in New Orleans. There has been lots of shrillness, lots of accusations that the Guard is stretched too thin, and plenty of calling for the head of Bush on a platter. Here are the facts.

Not hardly. According to Lieutenant General H. Steven Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau, 75 percent of the Army and Air National Guard are available nationwide. In addition, the federal government has agreed since the conflict in Iraq started not to mobilize more than 50 percent of Guard assets in any given state, in order to leave sufficient resources for governors to respond to emergencies.

In Louisiana only about a third of Guard personnel are deployed, and they will be returning in about a week as part of their normal rotation. The Mississippi Guard has 40 percent overseas. But Louisiana and Mississippi are not alone in this effort â€” under terms of Emergency Management Assistance Compacts (EMACs) between the states, Guard personnel are heading to the area from West Virginia, D.C., New Mexico, Utah, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Alabama, Washington, Indiana, Georgia, Kentucky, and Michigan. Thousands have already arrived, and more will over the next day or so.”

I know we’re all having fun playing the blame game while people continue to die, but those of you who blame Bush and Iraq for any of the lackluster response that caused people to die may now have a big, tasty glass of STFU while you seek out others reasons to spew your silly and non-productive brand of pissing and moaning with no real goals in mind.

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Lonnie B Hodge

Only takes ten secongs to write and sign an executive order changing all that.

Even here in Communist China the troops were mobilzed immediately wen flooding claimed several lives in Southern China.

Perhaps if we were not killing so many young men for oil we would have better resources avaialble.

Kitanis

I stayed out of this thread because of the anger I sometimes find myself feeling when I read the mayors comments in other circles.

He actually wants all federal troops to start being a police force for his city and is in a bickering contest with the state governor over it. The problem is.. Active Duty personnel can not be used in that role under the several laws. The guard can be used in that role but they do fall under the jurisdiction of the governor not the Mayor.

Its actually starting to be very very intertaining.. maybe I will watch the news tonight and pop some popcorn....

Trevor

Kevin,

The State of Georgia has conducted exercises to prepare for similar possible terrorist actions, long before the current tragedy. I don't konw what Louisiana had done prior to Katrina, but they should have been preparing. We should all try to be as prepared as possible for disasters that are caused by humans or nature.

James

Hey Trevor, I've been having this same debate over at Jay's One Way Or Another

Actually, I can't call it a debate since all he does is call names, insult and delete all the evidence that proves him wrong. He insists that Bush is commander of all the state's Nat. Guard units. Here's my most recently deleted comment.
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Jay, here's another source for you:
"The Army National Guard (ARNG) is one branch of the U.S. Total Army, which consists of the regular Army, the National Guard, and the Army Reserve. Each state and territory has its own ARNG, and it is the only branch of the Total Army that can be controlled by both the state and the federal government. During peacetime the governor commands the Guard forces of his or her state. He or she can call them into action during local or statewide emergencies like storms, drought, and civil disturbances. The President of the United States can activate the National Guard as a whole to participate in federal missions."

And another source:
"The Guard has a unique dual mission, with both Federal and State responsibilities. During peacetime, the Governor through the State Adjutant General commands Guard forces. The Governor can call the Guard into action during local or statewide emergencies, such as storms, drought, and civil disturbances, to name a few. In addition, the President of the United States can activate the National Guard to participate in Federal missions. Examples of this are the many Guard units that have deployed to support operations in Bosnia. When federalized, Guard units are commanded by the Commander in Chief of the theatre in which they are operating."this?
"(AP) - Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco has refused to sign over National Guard control to the federal government and has turned to a Clinton administration official, former Federal Emergency Management Agency chief James Lee Witt, to help run relief efforts."

Or this?
"(AP) - A senior administration official said that Bush has clear legal authority to federalize National Guard units to quell civil disturbances under the Insurrection Act and will continue to try to unify the chains of command that are split among the president, the Louisiana governor and the New Orleans mayor."

If Bush already has control of the Louisiana National Guard then why would he need to federalize them, Jay?
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Liberals can be entertaining in a somewhat annoying way.

Kevin

What if... it had been terrorist that blew the levees in NOLA instead of the hurricane?

ticklebug

No, there are actually quite a few Republicans pointing the blame on the Mayor/local/state government saying that if they had their "stuff" together, that Katrina wouldn't have been the disaster it is.

Read Ken from Oblogitory Anecdotes said it best.