Katrina

Oh, here we go, it's already started.

You had to figure that the commissions were going to start playing the "Cover My Ass" game — sooner or later.

Michael Chertoff, secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has been arguing for days now that no one foresaw this disaster, which is patently false, and in this writer's opinion, an obvious lie. Chertoff is obviouosly playing the "if you repeat a falsehood often enough, it eventually becomes the truth." (Via boingboing.)

Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, is waffling on the issue, at first demanding a congressional review, and later blaming local and regional officials, pointing out that Alabama and Mississippi responded better with their Republican governors than Louisiana did with their Democrat governor.

Now, before you say that I'm spinning this, read the article again; that's exactly what he's saying: Democrats failed us with Katrina. More fingerpointing, and this time it's political. Wow.

What amazed me most about the entire Katrina event was how quickly and efficiently the news media infiltrated the area — they knew what was coming. The media has consistently moved assets into and around the area, broadcasting all the while.

The recovery agencies, however, are reporting: 1) they are stunned by the devastation; 2) their lines of communication are down; 3) the agencies aren't communicating with each other; 4) Michael Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is incompetent and unqualified for the job he holds; 5) people are shooting at them.

Here's what I know about organizations: generally, when you see something going on at the bottom, it's also going on at the top. If the response teams are overwhelmed, disorganized, and miscommunicating (or refusing to communicate) then the top of the chain (the US Congress, the President, state and local governments) are just as overwhelmed, disorganized, and miscommunicating (or refusing to communicate). Blame at the bottom, blame at the top, and vice versa.

Meanwhile, they are still struggling to evacuate the city. It's filled with rotten, vile and poisonous water. And the blame game continues.

Interestingly, the American public is not in as much denial as our government (with a few notable exceptions).

So why do we elect these asshats, anyway?

(Cross-posted at www.collisionbend.com)

ed: JH

Article Author: Will Kessel

Will Kessel is a writer, blogger and free-lance web designer/developer living in Cleveland, Ohio.

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