Yoo hoo, Charlie Crist....look what they are doing to Kathleen Sebelius

[madfloridian]

Bet your bottom dollar they will do the same thing to you, even if you are a Republican. Why the heck aren't you saying anything? Why aren't all the governors yelling.

Bill Nelson spoke up once, but haven't heard a peep out of him since then.

You guys need to get on the ball. Too much of our equipment for emergencies is in Iraq. And you, Charlie, are silent. Adam Opie Putnam has not squeaked a word either. Neither has Mel Martinez.

Governors need to speak out

U.S. senator says the state National Guard will be ill-equipped to face hurricanes

Nelson: War Sapping Fla. Of Supplies

JACKSONVILLE - The war in Iraq has depleted the equipment inventory of the Florida National Guard, fueling U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson's concerns that citizen soldiers won't have enough equipment to deal with a predicted heavy hurricane season.

A recent analysis by the Government Accountability Office found the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have depleted tools from the Florida National Guard, leaving it with 53 percent of the dual-use equipment it once had for responding to a storm or domestic disturbance.

Lt. Col. Ron Tittle, a spokesman for the Florida Guard, told Nelson that it had sufficient manpower and equipment to respond to a major hurricane in Florida. However, Tittle said the Guard was down 500 Humvees, 600 trucks, short 4,000 pairs of night vision goggle and needed 30 more wreckers.

More about this issue. Not a word from Charlie Crist. Maybe it will be like it was when 3 hurricanes hit Central Florida...and Ivan hit North Florida. Jeb was praised to the skies when he really did very little.

Guard's Fla. Situation Dire

Troops of the Florida National Guard, at least for the moment, have apparently avoided participating in President Bush's planned "surge" in Iraq, although almost half - about 13,000 - of the 30,000 U.S. troops slated for that mission will be Guardsmen from Arkansas, Indiana, Ohio and Oklahoma, reports the Pentagon.

But the Bush administration's decision to rely so heavily on these, in normal circumstances, part-time soldiers has raised questions about the preparedness of the Guard for its duties closer to home, including in Florida.

As if plucking these cogs of our communities away from their families and jobs for service in Iraq wasn't stressful enough - many Guard members will be entering their second tour of duty in Iraq when the surge reaches high tide later this year - National Guard units are woefully lacking in supplies.

Gulley said it's too early in the budget process to try to fix the Guard's financial problems, although Nelson, a member of the Armed Services Committee, will advocate for that. In the interim, however, Nelson is hoping to broker an agreement between the state and the Defense Department that would allow the Florida Guard to use the equipment stockpiled around the state by the U.S. Army Reserve units, which are commanded by the Pentagon

The Palm Beach Post recognizes the problem. They ask Crist to work with Nelson in getting something done.

Florida: Think Kansas

And may I add after today really "think Kansas" because they are blaming the governor of that state.

Tuesday, May 08, 2007

President Bush and the Pentagon have promised the nation's governors that extended duty in Iraq and Afghanistan won't prevent the National Guard from responding capably to disasters at home.

But Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius learned firsthand on Saturday what Washington's promise is worth. She tried to mobilize Guard troops after the tornado that all but wiped the town of Greensburg off the map. The Guard had only 40 percent of its equipment allocation on hand; the rest was in Iraq. Gov. Sebelius said the Guard's depleted resources are "really going to handicap this effort to rebuild." A government study has found the Guard's readiness nationally at a 35-year low, with 88 percent of units "not ready" to deploy.

Gov. Crist and U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., have implored the Bush administration to shore up the Guard in Florida before hurricane season. The Florida Guard began the year with only about 25 percent of its equipment on hand, but has raised its stockpiles to about 50 percent of authorized levels.

As Gov. Sebelius would agree, Sen. Nelson is right to believe that's not good enough. He wants the Pentagon to allow the state to open federal military storehouses at Army bases so the Guard and first responders can get what they need quickly if storms hit. Florida would have to sign an agreement with the Defense Department to get access to the federal equipment. Gov. Crist runs the unacceptable risk of leaving Florida vulnerable if he doesn't learn from Kansas' problems and work with Sen. Nelson to pressure the administration to back promises with real commitments.

Crist should not just assume that he will be judged blameless just because he is a Republican. That bunch in the WH has no scruples at all.

[ChiciB1]

1. I Don't Know WHERE YOU Live In Florida... But Where I'm At WE

have had NO RAIN in such a long long time and come June it will be HURRICANE SEASON!! We HAD NO WINTER here either, weather has been truly crazy and I'm really really almost into "anxiety attack" when I think about what MAY happen this season!!

It's been much too mild, no RAIN and we are running out of water! Today, I couldn't work outside because we got covered with SMOKE from the fires in Georgia. On top of that, a brush fire started up locally and jumped across I-75. My eyes are still burning and it was a cool day and I didn't want to run my air-conditioner. Couldn't open my windows because the visibility was so bad and smoke was EVERYWHERE!

All I can do now is "keep my fingers crossed!" I lowered my insurance coverage for the contents in my house because it was much too expensive, and I know people who just didn't insure at all!!

I tried to insure for the balance of my mortgage but they MADE me insure for what it would cost to replace my home!! I guess I'll be happy IF we get a BIG one, but I paid through the nose or some other body part!!!

[madfloridian]

2. We could not even go outside today except for minutes..

literally could not breath. We would head to the car, into a building, then back to the car and home. You can't even see across the lake. I would say we are at 100 miles from the nearest fire. But today has been the worst yet.
We were lucky to get rain this week-end, but we are so far behind.

[ChiciB1]

3. I Shouldn't Say This... But I Sneak o "Water" My Plants.

I grow a lot of plants from clippings etc., and then have a sale to make a little money. So I have a system worked out. I actually mark my calendar when it rains now.

It rained on Christmas Day... and it rained on April 10th. That's it for us this past 6 months!! I live about a mile from the Intra-Coastal waterway, and then there's the Gulf. Something about that combination keeps rain away!

THE PITS!!

[madfloridian]

8. You are in good company about the watering on the sly.

We have definitely had more rain than you have. That's a long time to go without rain in Florida. That's too bad.

[Cha]

4. You poor things!~ That sounds

not so good!

It will be happening to Florida and any other State that happens to get zapped by Nature's fierce weather. It seems our extreme weather patterns are only getting more so. Al Gore explained it pretty well to his audience the other week here in New York.

And, Murphy's Law..What happens if freak extreme storms like Katrina continue plaguing our country and a certain cretin has lied us into War On Iraq and is throwing Trillions of $$$$ down the hellhole and won't let the National Guard come home?

What Happens? tony snow continually stands there and says he's "not aware"? Is that what it's going to take for America to Storm the Bastille? Mother Nature's reaction to Global Climate Change?

[ChiciB1]

5. As A Person Who Never Used Profanity Very Much... I Have To Say

there is one word that has become MUCH TOO COMMON! And that word is FUCK! And we are and have been getting done so on a regular basis!!

[Cha]

6. Oh yeah..that's the only thing

they're good at. The neofascists can't govern, they can't tell the truth..but they can stab you in back and twist it.

[ChiciB1]

7. Is the Pot Ready To Boil Over?? Is Bubble Going To Burst??

Will we ever see JUST-ICE?? I have only questions and NO answers. But as a PROUD Boomer I have a "hinky" feeling that the sky will soon fall. Not literally of course... but I feel we are on the edge of "something" and it ain't gonna be GOOD!

We The People, who Fight The Fight are going to have to get it together and "take it back!"

Remember Peter, Paul & Mary & Bob Dylan... When Will THEY EVER LEARN????

[madfloridian]

9. Well, I hate to tell you....just wait until you find out more about the election changes.

They really loaded stuff into it.

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/05/08/Columns/This_bill_does_a_lot_.shtml

"The big elections law just passed by our Legislature, known as House Bill 537, is supposed to return Florida to a "paper trail" for elections. No more touch screen machines, just like Gov. Charlie Crist wanted.

But I gotta tell you, the Legislature tacked so much extra junk onto this sucker that it looks like a frat-house refrigerator door - and the contents are just about as unknown and dangerous.

Let's put it this way: Just the title sentence of the bill, which describes its contents by saying, "An act to do so-and-so, " is 154 lines long."

Here are 4 of the things it includes.

Changes the "resign to run" law, so that Florida politicians can keep their state jobs and run for federal office at the same time.

- Cracks down further on citizen petitions, and creates a mischievous counterprocess in which opponents can get petition signatures revoked.

- Restricts complaints to the already-puny Florida Elections Commission to the point that rule breakers just about have to turn themselves in.

- Stacks the executive committees of political parties, and gives the state party bosses absolute power to remove local party officers.

Did you see the last two? Now you can say it loudly.

:wtf:

[ChiciB1]

14. For Crying Out LOUD!! Sorry For THIS Late Reply... I Couldn't Log

back into DU last night for some reason. Could have been Comcast, but I don't know. Seems okay now.

We already had a problem with our local Supervisor of Elections when we gathered petitions to get a paper trail here. Kindra Muntz stood strong and we got the measure on the ballot and the voters passed it. This witch is still screaming and WE still have a "so-called" undecided race with Christine Jennings! Florida just seems to be getting worse and worse.

I THOUGHT Crist was going to do something about insurance, but that thing is pretty lame too! It surely makes you wonder. I was asked to get involved with "state" politics but not so sure I want to, especially now!

Yeah, you said it :wtf: AND

my feelings.... :nuke:

[Maraya1969]

13. Can you run just the fan on your AC? At least that will filter it....I think.

And when I drive I keep the air on with it circulating just inside the car so it doesn't keep taking air from outside. But then I have asthma so I am very concerned about these things.

[ChiciB1]

15. I Basically Shut My Windows And Ran My Ceiling Fans....

Today is much better, no smoke to speak of but RAIN would be a "blessing!!!

As I said in my post below, couldn't log back into DU last night, so I'm replying late.

Now, I need to get my butt outside and work on re-potting some plants!

[madfloridian]

10. I saw a crawl in CNN saying Sebellius backed down from blaming Iraq war

for not having enough equipment. Is that true? Blanco did back down a lot also.

Had anyone heard?

[annabanana]

17. Maybe it's a "shut up or you get NOTHING" situation. . .

She's over a very uncomfortable barrel.

[Maraya1969]

11. Over 100 forest fires burning since yesterday in south Florida.

The sky was so full of smoke yesterday it felt like the end of the world. And there seems no end in sight unless we get rain.

[madfloridian]

12. It's worse in central Florida today.

Gagging us.

[ChiciB1]

16. Much Better Today... I'm In The Middle & The West Coast!

Hey, I don't make any bones about it... it's Sarasota County, but I live in Nokomis... just further south. Home of the original Supervisor of Elections WITCH, Cruella herself!!

We now have her "underling" who seems even worse!!

[kcass1954]

18. We have your smoke on the southeast coast. Last night was heavy, worse in Miami

than in Broward. My first trip outside this morning was about 7 - the sun was totally red. It didn't look bad in the yard, but you could really see it looking down the block. There's enough smoke today that I didn't let my son ride his bike to school - I took him, and I'm getting ready to leave work to go pick him up.