'Can I quit now?' FEMA chief wrote as Katrina raged

[Sequoia]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As Hurricane Katrina ripped into the Gulf Coast, the government's emergency management chief was making flippant remarks about his responsibilities, e-mails show.

"Can I quit now? Can I come home?" former Federal Emergency Management Director Michael Brown wrote to Cindy Taylor, FEMA's deputy director of public affairs, the morning of the hurricane.

A few days later, Brown wrote to an acquaintance, "I'm trapped now, please rescue me."

As employees looked for direction and support on the ravaged Gulf Coast, Brown offered to "tweak" the federal response.


<snip>

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/11/03/brown.fema.emails/index.html

Horsefeathers!! He needs to be held accountable for the deaths that could've been prevented. This is one deranged fool.

[oregonindy]

1. this waste of carbon should be charged with manslaughter

[whatever4]

4. Criminal negligence, in the extreme, I agree nm

[LuCifer]

7. I 3rd the motion

Motion passes! Off to GitMo!

Lu Cifer
http://www.LU13.TK

[whatever4]

10. :) yes, that's how it should work

be as good as what they're doing about it right now.

Can you imagine how many desperate, horrified, hurt people he must have dealt with, and still to be so callous? I can't imagine, I just can't.

[Squatch]

2. Which demonstrates the #1 rule in a bureaucracy:

Never, ever write anything down. Dumbass.

[Cha]

3. What amazes me is how

we get a hold of these very telling emails?

[whatever4]

5. ...you know, I'd like to know the answer to that too nm

[SteppingRazor]

6. Leaks, of course...

Brown's the fall guy at FEMA, which means every other FEMA employee who could be held culpable is desperate to blame everything on him. Which means every god-awful thing he did during Katrina will be leaked to the press.

Not that he doesn't deserve it :evilgrin:

[TriMetFan]

24. Yes but not every one at FEMA

is a bad person. FEMA has done a lot of good with the right people running it. I'm just hope that who ever is leaking his e-mail doesn't stop.

[SteppingRazor]

26. I certainly wouldn't suggest that at all...

Living as I do in South Florida, I'm appreciative of everything FEMA manages to do -- all of the water and ice htat was handed out after Wilma recently, for example.

FEMA does plenty of good, and it's a very important part of the government.

I'm just pointing out that, in this instance, these e-mails are making their way to the public because Brown is being scapegoated by other FEMA officials -- not that Brown doesn't bare a large part of the responsibility, but this is the way Washington works. Or any bureaucracy, for that matter. The press takes a few nips at someone (Brown had no experience, etc.) and then the others at the organization, seeing an opportunity to shift more blame to that one person and save their own skins, piles on the blame.

It's not as though Brown is the only example of this. The examples, not just from our government but throughout the world, are legion.

[Squatch]

9. "Use of this system constitutes consent to monitor..."

Before you long in to any Gov't computer, you have to give consent to monitor all usage, including e-mails.

[Cha]

15. So brownie(heck of a job) knew

his emails could be monitered? I guess never thinking, though, that they would make national news?

Thanks, that answers something I've wondered for a while now.

[tanyev]

8. "I'm trapped now, please rescue me."

How ironic. That's exactly what the people at the Superdome and the Convention Center were saying.

[whatever4]

11. I think that's why he said it, his own sick irony nm

[waiting for hope]

13. Also shows the total lack

of professionalism, I thought only adults held full time jobs....

[lutefisk]

19. Reminds me of "Please don't kill me."

"...this anecdote from conservative columnist Tucker Carlson. While riding in a car with then-presidential candidate Bush, Carlson asked about the Karla Faye Tucker case. Bush admitted to watching Larry King's interview with Karla Faye. King asked what she would say to Bush if she had the chance. Carlson asked Bush what her response was. According to Carlson, Bush pursed his lips in mock desperation, squinted his eyes, and in a squeaky voice said, "Please don't kill me."

That told me all I wanted or needed to know about the real character and religious conviction of George W. Bush."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/articles/04/01/20_gospel.html

[Catfight]

12. I say send him to clean up the mess by hand, side by side the

folks he screwed.

[Dora]

14. After the reading the emails on Smoking Gun...

I have to say that it's crystal clear to me that this job was nothing to Brown except for an opportunity at prestige that horse shows could not provide.

The emails revealed that Brown and his cohorts were playing at sophomoric hijinks when they should have been pulling their fucking hair out figuring out how to get help to New Orleans.

He had to be told to roll up his sleeves in order to make it look like he's working... For pete's sake, if you don't even know how to FAKE the job you're doing, then let me tell you, you will be caught, and you will be canned.

Because the first rule in FAKERY is to always maintain the illusion of doing your job: NEVER STOP THE FAKERY.

(Jeebus - these were federal computers they were using - did they think there was no chance that their emails may be made public? Fucking morans.)

[Skidmore]

16. I just want to know who he's blackmailing to keep his job?

And with what?

[pacalo]

21. I bet you've hit the nail on the head -- this admin. is all about payoffs.

[pacalo]

17. I couldn't think of a better example to illustrate how dangerous

this administration's hiring practices are. Political contributions & party affiliation don't equate into effective leadership.

The fashion god deserves this exposure, & he should serve as a warning about what kind of idiots are running this country.

[Skidmore]

18. Every R congressperson and Senator should be asked if

they support keeping this creep in his job. Hang NO around their necks.

[Jara sang]

28. He is still on the Federal payroll.

What the hell is up with that?:grr:

[cassiepriam]

20. Fitz, can you also investigate this pile of Horse Manure?

[nickyt]

22. It was good to see Cindy Taylor and Sharon Worthy emanating so

much caring and compassion, too, don't you think? From the top down, this murderous "organization" is comprised of self-consumed robots and ghouls, and if I live to be 1000 years old, I'll never understand them...

[VolcanoJen]

23. In the .pdf files, I found this email to be the most staggering.

In response to Marty Bahamonde's email pleas for help (hotels are kicking people out, hospital patients are dying, we are running out of food and water at the Dome), "Drownie" responded thusly:

"Thanks for the update. Anything specific I need to do or tweak?"

When Mr. Bahamonde first told Congress about his emails a few weeks ago, I thought I'd heard the worst. In fact, the worst was to come when Drownie responded to those emails.

I'm absolutely sickened by this.

[Metta]

25. Shooting himself in the head. Is there no end to their lack of morals?

And heart? This is just chickens come home to roost for him, *, Cheney and Rove.

[Shredr]

27. That makes me so angry!

Thousands of people are suffering and dying -- because of his incompetance -- and he's cracking jokes?

Jail is too good for him.

[underpants]

29. Brown strikes me as a bit of a Girlie Man

sorry I just had to say it.