There's NOT enough National Guard...They came for the photo-op and left...

[Junkdrawer]

They did the same damn thing after Hurricane Charley last year. They marched the few guardsmen they had for photo-ops, and then published pictures of them from different angles. The on-the-ground reports in Florida were that no one saw the National Guard in anything like the numbers that were being reported.

Think about it: if the guard were split 50-50 between Iraq and home, they'd be cycling folks 6 months in Iraq, 6 months home. But is that what we're hearing? I'm hearing a year in Iraq, a few weeks home, a year in Iraq etc. etc.

Look: Every military organization has a 7/1 ratio of "support personnel" versus "on the ground personnel". I submit the 50% of the National Guard that is still here has a WAY larger ratio of "tooth to tail" and they can't find anything like a sufficient number of TRAINED Guardsmen with weapons or medical training to do what's need in the Gulf States.

Here's the Truth: They got caught with their pants down. Bush and Rumsfeld sent every National Guard asset they could get their hands on to Iraq. What's left here are a few new trainees, some troops on leave, and a whole lot of clerks. They spun the dice hoping that no natural disaster would hit. Well the biggest natural disaster ever in our country's history hit, and there's no National Guard to help.

So what do they do? Gather what Guard they can put their hands on from all over the South and march them with the President in a photo-op. It's what they do: they use the power of the media to create a pseudo reality 180 degrees away from the truth.

Bring the National Guard home. Bring them home NOW.

[William769]

1. As someone that went through Hurricane Charley

The Guard stayed till they were not needed.

ON EDIT: thats a first hand account.

[Junkdrawer]

3. From the DU archives:

DoYouEverWonder (1000+ posts) Mon Aug-16-04 08:23 AM

Response to Original message

3. People down in Punta Gorda

are saying that no one has come to help them as of Sunday. I have seen no evidence of their presence in any of the news reports. I think Jeb sent 1000 - 2000 NG but that's not anywhere near enough NG to do much good.

For right now people are coping as best they can and helping each other.

I was over in Daytona Beach and the local police were the only officials that I saw. The electric is out all over the place and a lot of major intersections don't have working traffic lights, so that's mostly where you see the police.

It is amazing but I saw many stores with glass fronts that had been completely blown out and yet there was absolutely no looting. It is great to see everyone doing what they can to help each other. It is obvious that Jeb and George aren't going to do much to help us, except to use us for their photo ops. Just like on 9-11 and the 2003 black-out, we are on our own.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=2220657#2220686

[William769]

4. DU archives are nice but...

I was there. NG helped me out alot.

[SpaceCatMeetsMars]

2. On New England Cable News yesterday afternoon

they reported that 50 NG had left New Hampshire to go to NO, 100 from Connecticut, and I think, 100 from western Massachusetts. That doesn't sound like much at all.

I heard yesterday evening that there were still patients in some hospitals and a reporter said that the nurses were giving each other IVs to keep themselves going. Wouldn't they be a first priority? It made me wonder if they do not have enough helicopters. Why would they not have evacuated the people from hospitals by now?

[Junkdrawer]

6. Yeah: 40,000 National Guard are on the way to Lousianna alone...

Here's what Mayor Nagin said:

Don't tell me 40,000 people are coming here. They're not here. It's too doggone late. Now get off your asses and do something, and let's fix the biggest goddamn crisis in the history of this country.


http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/02/nagin.transcript/index.html

[radfringe]

5. she could have offered them some cake.....

Evacuees at Cajundome wait for first lady, and for lunch
Jan Risher -- Friday, September 2, 2005
[e-mail]

As the first lady toured the Red Cross shelter at the Cajundome this morning, a line of evacuees waiting to eat their lunch trickled out the door of the Dome.

First lady Laura Bush arrived about midday to tour the shelter and meet evacuees.

By 12:50 p.m., the trays of food were still covered and hungry evacuees stood in line, holding empty plates. Rice, beans and jambalaya were on the menu. About that time, volunteers began rolling the carts of food into position to serve.

[HereSince1628]

7. _Fat?_ to muscle ratio, I'd say that is pretty misinformed.

Most of those fat support people are on the ground, providing service that keeps the operations on line.

Besides that support people are needed a lot more than the fucking guns.

[Junkdrawer]

8. Thanks. I changed it to "tooth to tail"...

In part this is the price the United States pays for global reach; deploying all around the world takes up more resources and man hours than staying at home. (During the Gulf War, according to one estimate, there were more signal troops and truck drivers in Saudi Arabia than there were combat soldiers.) And in part, it's the military's increasing reliance on high-tech equipment, which speeds up the tempo of battle by allowing forces to operate under nearly any conditions and requires a longer logistical "tail" when deployed. Today, the military's overall "tooth to tail" ratio is about 1 to 7--one of the lowest in the world, and getting lower.


http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2003/0303.confessore.html

:hi:

[Junkdrawer]

9. .