More spin: "FEMA: We Are Still Fully Engaged." (USA Today Op/Ed)

[VolcanoJen]

This piece of wisdom from the "beautiful mind" of Ken Burris, FEMA's Director of Operations, and the new "Brownie."

My favorite part is where Burris reminds Americans that FEMA employees are "moms, dads, sisters and brothers" who have "swallowed their emotions and have not stopped working since."

FEMA has met Katrina head on (USA Today's title from their Op/Ed title page)

Excerpt... enjoy debunking!

Hurricane Katrina offered us our largest challenge ever. And we've met her head on. Katrina is on track to become the United States' worst disaster and certainly is the largest. In an area of 90,000 square miles, Katrina unleashed her fury and devastated an untold number of lives. The people at the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grieve with the victims, their families and the nation.
As Katrina crossed Florida on Aug. 25, FEMA had already deployed assets in the region. We began moving those search-and-rescue and medical-response teams to forward locations for a Gulf Coast landfall, in anticipation of requests for help from the governors in the Gulf Coast region. Before the storm's second landfall, President Bush responded to the requests of Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi's governors and declared emergencies in the three states — opening the federal assistance pipeline.

The National Response Coordination Center in Washington, D.C., and Regional Response Coordination Centers in Atlanta and near Dallas were activated. FEMA's emergency management experts worked hand-in-hand with professionals from all levels of government and the private sector. FEMA staff was positioned and ready to respond to any requests from the state. By the time the storm made landfall along the Gulf Coast, food and water had been pushed all the way into Camp Beauregard in Louisiana, and hundreds of FEMA personnel were on the ground across the gulf states, positioned as closely as possible so as not to become victims themselves.

Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on the infrastructure of the gulf states. Rescue routes and communications systems were destroyed. The devastation was immense, like nothing ever seen by the men and women of FEMA with lifelong experience in emergency response. The national operations center of 24-7 hour coordination in Washington, D.C., was a room full of moms, dads, sisters and brothers cognizant of the catastrophic blow Mother Nature had just dealt to their fellow citizens, or in some cases their own family members. They swallowed their emotions and have not stopped working since.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

1. Wow.

Talk about digging your own grave. After this, they'll have to dismantle FEMA and start over from scratch.

[VolcanoJen]

2. Yep. And not a word about the Superdome or the Convention Center.

Isn't it obvious, from the White House damage control team, that they expect us to forget those scenes?

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

3. It's very obvious in their press releases.

Simply count the number of times you see phrases like "moving forward" or "towards a better." All about the future, not the past.

[ClintonTyree]

4. "We've met her head on"????????

"Hurricane Katrina offered us our largest challenge ever. And we've met her head on."
I wouldn't call a response 3 days after the fact a "head on" response. :eyes: Maybe they were talking about Katrina's track up into Pennsylvania, maybe they met her "head on" there!
The glacial pace at which they moved was FAR from "head on". :puke:

[DELUSIONAL]

5. this is what THEY say -- and what I SAW was people dying

from lack of water.

And I saw dead bodies -- people who couldn't get out for whatever reason.

Someone can read this script while the video of what was really happening in the Gulf States runs.

D.C. is on another frickin planet.

[VolcanoJen]

6. I think sometimes that this country is on another frickin' planet.

How soon we forget. How soon we forget.

One week ago today... we saw the victims at the Convention Center chanting, begging for help.

A week later? No mention of them. Just more back-slapping.

I just.... I just don't understand anymore. I really don't.

[DoYouEverWonder]

7. I am sure there are a lot of good people in FEMA

but Bush has done everything he can to get rid of them and replace them with freepers who would rather see black people drown then try to help them.

[DELUSIONAL]

8. Yes one of the DUers here -- his wife is with FEMA

and I'm sure she is trying to do her best -- but all of her efforts and those of the others who are hold overs from the Clinton era have to deal with incompetence from the management -- From the top down.

I suspect that the competent FEMA people will be moving on after this mess and they probably weren't used effectively.

Its really sad because the concept of FEMA is a good one but the execution of the ideal has been a nightmare for the people this agency was created to serve -- victims.

[VolcanoJen]

9. I certainly didn't intend to minimize the contribution of the FEMA staff.

I did, however, intend to minimize the obvious spinning and exploitation thereof, by the Bush Administration.

[DELUSIONAL]

10. You didn't -- I am just feeling empathy for the people who

are honest and decent -- surrounded by creeps who are looting the tax payer's money. Meanwhile bushie wants people shot for looting water and food in New Orleans.