My rant on HuffPo thread re Katrina. Locals to blame? BULL!

[Brotherjohn]

So this poster (Louis XIX) kept claiming (in a thread actually about an Anderson Cooper-Jon Stewart exchange) that local govt in NOLA deserved the lion's share of the blame, that troops could not come until asked, and that locals were stupid to ever build there, etc. etc.

Well, I'm sick of hearing that S*&#. I couldn't help but let him have it. Here's what I shot back:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2006/03/01/jon-stewart-is-anderso_n_16584.html?p=3

LouisXIX:
First of all, read this (http://www.thinkprogress.org/katrina-timeline). I don't have time to respond to you on a point by point basis, as you still have a lot of catching up to do. Okay, I'm sure you'll say Think Progress is a "liberal" thinktank (note that most of the links are to government documents and mainstream media reports). But at least it's something to counter the apparent heaping spoonfuls of "locals are to blame" breakfast cereal you've been so eagerly ingesting.

There ARE reasons, and ways, in which federal troops may be called in immediately if the need arises. Let's look at one, shall we?

When DHS declares an incident one "of national significance", that gives the federal authorities the legal right to call in whatever resources are needed, including the marines. The previous year's "Hurricane Pam" exercise, as well as the just-released tapes, prove that FEMA and DHS were WELL aware that this storm could likely overwhelm state and local authorities' ability to respond.

Michael Chertoff waited until September 1, TWO FULL DAYS after the levees were already breeched and people were drowning en masse, to classify Katrina as an "incident of national significance". I myself knew people were drowning en masse the night of the storm, just from watching the news. Meanwhile, LOCAL rescue crews (police, fire, and DWF) and a few Coast Guard and NG troops were busting their asses with limited resources to rescue the few people they could (sans communication, sans electricity... some sans homes, as they were destroyed). The delay in this pronouncement alone, and the cavalry it would have brought in two days earlier, cost hundreds of lives.

Ironic that you should mention the marines going in as "the sort of thing that happens in thrid world countries, like Pakistan". OUR troops showed up in Pakistan 2 DAYS after the quake, to deliver food and water. They cut their N.O. response time in HALF, and for a country halfway around the world (oh, I forgot, we have more National Guard over there).

FEMA, DHS, and Bush were, quite simply, asleep at the wheel.

Or more properly, vacationing at the wheel.

Then, when he finally accepted that there was a need for additional military support (or realized that, politically, he had to act), Bush tried to strongarm Blanco into ceding control of the NG to him. Now, this is something you would seem to be against from your posts above. Blanco rightfully declined. As both the head of Louisiana's NG and the commander of active-duty forces in North America have both stated, Federal control over NG troops in N.O. would not have made one whit of difference in their ability to respond.

The slow federal response (troops and otherwise) wasn't due "chain of command" and constitutional issues. It was due to incompetence at the federal level (followed by partisan ass-covering).

You posted the following:
"New Orleans in underwater. You can't tame it, just as you can't tame the Mississipi, or Lake Michigan, or the Colorado River, no matter how many canals and berms you build. Even the best built levees can't control mother nature. Mama will always, always win, always."

Well, then, I guess we should all just go back to living in caves.

You live in a highrise, I assume, in NYC (or for arguments sake, let's assume you do). If that building one day just topples and falls, and many of your neighbors are killed and injured... well, that would be horrible. But you can't stop gravity! Mama always wins! (And NO, I'm not invoking 9-11)

Of course that's ridiculous. Everything we do comes with risks, but we as humans use our brains to build and create things that make our lives easier. In N.O., it's draining the swamps and building the levees so we can keep one of the largest ports in the world operating (to all of our benefit). In NY, we build what seems like millions of tall buildings so we can keep... well, whatever it is you keep going in NYC. Water can destroy low-lying cities, and gravity can wreak havoc on buildings. The nature of flooding simply means the worst would happen to large numbers of people at once, though less frequently (I'd venture to say the number of people that die in building collapses every year - highrise and otherwise - is similar to the death toll from Katrina).

My point is that we also have this thing called government. I know you hate to admit it, but we do. And that government (like buildings and levees) is one of the things that we have created with our human brains that has made it easier for us to live in a world full of violent natural forces. It has particularly allowed us to live in large numbers together in a way that we don't all kill each other. Part of what government does is regulate things like buildings and levees, so that we are all safe living our everyday lives. You rely on these regulations every day to ensure that your building doesn't fall down. The people of N.O. relied on those regulations every day to ensure that their levees didn't burst. In many cases, the Corps' guarantee was even required to allow building in areas (Insurance companies aren't fools).

Now, however, we know that levees (actually, mostly flood walls) designed by the Corps to withstand storm surges reaching their height failed well before that. We know that the Army Corp of Engineers took lunch breaks instead of properly inspecting the levees. And as stated above, we know that the federal government failed miserably in their response to a catastrophe that clearly overwhelmed state and local authoritities.

You see, this thing called government DOES have a purpose. That purpose, first and foremost, is to protect us. We DO pay taxes for a reason, and we DO enter into an agreement with our government to do certain things for us... such as go to war with someone who has attacked us, or provide massive relief efforts when a disaster CLEARLY is beyond the abilities of the most self-sufficient neighborhood, or city, or state, to respond to.

And in this most solemn of responsibilities, we expect them to perform with at least a minimum of competence.

The FEDERAL GOVERNMENT failed miserably in this respect with regards to Katrina. Forget lawsuits. They should all be kicked out on their asses (or impeached) for clear and flagrant incompetence.