BUSH IS DISMANTLING FEMA

[Coastie for Truth]

The dismantling has actually begun--

In the days to come, as the nation and the people along the Gulf Coast work to cope with the disastrous aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, we will be reminded anew how important it is to have a federal agency capable of dealing with natural catastrophes of this sort. This is an immense human tragedy, one that will work hardship on millions of people. It is beyond the capabilities of state and local government to deal with. It requires a national response.

Which makes it all the more difficult to understand why, at this moment, the country's premier agency for dealing with such events -- FEMA -- is being, in effect, systematically downgraded and all but dismantled by the Department of Homeland Security.


...<edit>...

The advent of the Bush administration in January 2001 signaled the beginning of the end for FEMA. The newly appointed leadership of the agency showed little interest in its work or in the missions pursued by the departed Witt. Then came the Sept. 11 attacks and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. Soon FEMA was being absorbed into the "homeland security borg."

This year it was announced that FEMA is to ``officially'' lose the disaster-preparedness function that it has had since its creation. The move is a death blow to an agency that was already on life support. In fact, FEMA employees have been directed not to become involved in disaster-preparedness functions, since a new directorate (yet to be established) will have that mission.

FEMA will be survived by state and local emergency-management offices, which are confused about how they fit into the national picture. That's because the focus of the national effort remains terrorism, even if the Department of Homeland Security still talks about "all-hazards preparedness." Those of us in the business of dealing with emergencies find ourselves with no national leadership and no mentors. We are being forced to fend for ourselves, making do with the "homeland security" mission. Our "all hazard"' approaches have been decimated by the administration's preoccupation with terrorism.

ERIC HOLDEMAN is director of the King County, Wash., Office of Emergency Management. He wrote this article for the Washington Post.

FEMA Director Michael Brown's Experience?

After 9/11-- Prior to joining FEMA (which was after 9/11), Mr. Brown practiced law in Colorado and Oklahoma, where he served as a bar examiner on ethics and professional responsibility for the Oklahoma Supreme Court and as a hearing examiner for the Colorado Supreme Court. He had been appointed as a special prosecutor in police disciplinary matters. While attending law school he was appointed by the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee of the Oklahoma Legislature as the Finance Committee Staff Director, where he oversaw state fiscal issues. His background in state and local government also includes serving as an assistant city manager with emergency services oversight and as a city councilman.

FEMA Deputy Director Pat Rhode's experience?

Before joining FEMA, Mr. Rhode was associate administrator at the U.S. Small Business Administration and White House liaison for the Department of Commerce. His first position with the Bush Administration was as special assistant to the President and deputy director of National Advance Operations, a position he assumed in January 2001.

Previously, Mr. Rhode served as deputy director of National Advance Operations for the George W. Bush Presidential Campaign, in Austin, Texas. His other professional credits include serving in communications and public affairs roles in the Texas Department of Agriculture, the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, and Entergy Corporation. Earlier in his career, Mr. Rhode was an anchor/reporter with network affiliated television stations in Alabama and Arkansas.

A native of Hot Springs, Ark., Mr. Rhode holds a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Arkansas, in Fayetteville.

I am a Red Cross Disaster Assistance Team Captain and Mass Shelter Supervisor, a Community Emergency Response Team Leader, and a Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (Ham Radio) Operator; I am a former United States Coast Officer (Hazardous Materials Specialist, served at Coast Guard Captain of the Port New Orleans, LA.) -- In my opinion this is CRIMINAL

[abluelady]

1. We Saw Some of this in 2003

My husband is active in the Red Cross and when Isabelle hit Virginia, he worked with both the Red Cross and the Emergency Management Office of the State. Isabelle was the first disaster that FEMA responded to after they came under the direction of Homeland Security. My husband thought they did a great job. But of course anything that works, Mr. Bush destroys. What else is new.

[rodeodance]

2. "the administration's preoccupation with terrorism"

from the mercury article:

FEMA will be survived by state and local emergency-management offices, which are confused about how they fit into the national picture. That's because the focus of the national effort remains terrorism, even if the Department of Homeland Security still talks about ``all-hazards preparedness.'' Those of us in the business of dealing with emergencies find ourselves with no national leadership and no mentors. We are being forced to fend for ourselves, making do with the ``homeland security'' mission. Our ``all hazards'' approaches have been decimated by the administration's preoccupation with terrorism.

To be sure, America may well be hit by another major terrorist attack, and we must be prepared for such an event. But I can guarantee you that hurricanes like the one that ripped into Louisiana and Mississippi on Monday, along with tornadoes, earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, floods, windstorms, mudslides, power outages, fires and perhaps a pandemic flu, will have to be dealt with on a weekly and daily basis throughout this country. They are coming,sooner or later, even as we are, to an unconscionable degree, weakening our ability to respond to them.

ERIC HOLDEMAN is director of the King County, Wash., Office of Emergency Management. He wrote this article for the Washington Post.

[rodeodance]

3. great to see editorials begining to appear on the Bush and FEMA

from you first post:

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/opinion/12521521.htm
Posted on Wed, Aug. 31, 2005

Political winds shatter federal disaster agency

FEMA, ABSORBED BY HOMELAND SECURITY, LOSES RESPONSIBILITIES

By Eric Holdeman

In the days to come, as the nation and the people along the Gulf Coast work to cope with the disastrous aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, we will be reminded anew how important it is to have a federal agency capable of dealing with natural catastrophes of this sort. This is an immense human tragedy, one that will work hardship on millions of people. It is beyond the capabilities of state and local government to deal with. It requires a national response.

[rodeodance]

4. Kick

[flordehinojos]

5. is the director of HOMELAND SECURITY MICHAEL SHIRTOFF?

he is a sinister looking character--and he works well with bush's sinister plans for these U.S.A.

[Eloriel]

9. CHERTOFF

Another lawyer with (probably) no relevent experience.

[flordehinojos]

11. actually,

Actually, I wanted to call him Michael shitoff but thought shirtoff might look better.

[flordehinojos]

12. actually,

i wanted to call him SHITOFF but thought SHIRTOFF might sound better.

[cascadiance]

6. Other threads discuss this as well too!

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4520303&mesg_id=4520303
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4520414&mesg_id=4520414

They discuss how FEMA and the federal government have chosen not to fund requests for emergency aid, which have lead to a number of recent disasters being worse than they might have been:

1) The request for shoring up and making higher the levees surrounding New Orleans was turned down to address Homeland Security issues and funding for the Iraq War which has made the situation in New Orleans infinitely worse than it might have been.
2) Turning down an emergency request from California to clean up fire hazard infestation of bark beetles in California federal parklands after sitting on the request for months. The denial was received by California the week before the wildfires started that were made a lot worse because of this fire hazard not being dealt with.
3) FEMA's refusal to buy backup generators for emergency support facilities in Ashville, NC where a dam got busted near Canton, amongst underfunding other programs there.

There's a pattern of criminal negligence which the American people should see and should realize is the price we are paying for conducting this illegal and costly war!

[moodforaday]

7. Good riddance?

If Bush is indeed dismantling FEMA, it could be the first sensible thing he's done. They are rescuers on the surface, but depper they're much more than that. Google "FEMA labor camps". Also google FEMA and terror alerts on 9-11 and recently.

[Coastie for Truth]

8. So what do you propose

1. Turn the reconstruction over to All State and State Farm etc - and Quackenbush's corruption ridden California Earthquake Authority (we went through that with Northridge).

2. Turn it over to Donald Rumsfield and Paul Wolfowitz and Dr. Steve Cambone and General Richard Myers at DOD.

3. Turn it over to us hypercholesteric, hyperglycemic, hypertensive, geriatric, statin and metformin popping old farts from the Red Cross, Southern Baptist Brotherhood, Salvation Army, Civil Air Patrol, Coast Guard Auxiliary, Ham Radio (remember - no FEMA means NO Urban Search and Rescue, not Community Emergency Response Teams, and the Volunteer Fire fighters have no insurance and have to buy their own turn out gear) in the NGO community.

By the way - did you that those Coast Guard helo pilots and rescue divers are LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS as are Fire fighters. I made an arrest as a Coastie -- and I have seen fire fighters make arrests.

[Demeter]

10. Why? Because IT WORKED!!!

Bush is systematically dismantling everything that ever worked in this country. It doesn't matter what it was or who benefitted from it. Even the rich will find that he has pissed on their lunch...although it may take them a few years, since they have more resources to tide them over (they think).