NationStates Jolt Archive

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,193305,00.html

This is an interesting twist to the whole FEMA thing. Should FEMA be abolished?

Frankly, I do not know if it should. what do you all think?

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,193305,00.html

This is an interesting twist to the whole FEMA thing. Should FEMA be abolished?

Frankly, I do not know if it should. what do you all think?


Hahah :) , I don't know mate, this is a pretty shocking proposal isn't it?


/is trying to keep his happy high
//Didn't read the link

I think it should. FEMA was both too powerful to be trusted and too centralized to be effective - every decision had to come through Washington (or wherever the FEMA HQ was - Maryland, I think).
It was designed to be a coordination organization for the various disaster relief agencies in the US, but instead it came to control them outright. Incompetently. FEMA is something we can well do without.

If this is true, it means we have beaten the extra-terrestrials.

Yay!

Not a bad idea really. Starting from scratch sounds fine. But the problem I see is the cost to abolish one major government agency and create a new one. Is it really worth it? Why the hell can they not fix FEMA?

FEMA worked pretty well when James Lee Witt was in charge of it. Maybe, instead of destroying it, we could just get some competent people to run it and we could fund it properly.

Oh wait. Republicans are in charge. My bad.

FEMA worked pretty well when James Lee Witt was in charge of it. Maybe, instead of destroying it, we could just get some competent people to run it and we could fund it properly.

Oh wait. Republicans are in charge. My bad.

Oh wait, this was a bi-partisan report.

Oh wait, this was a bi-partisan report.
Oh wait--what the fuck difference does that make? That the report was signed off by both parties doesn't change the facts, namely that 1) FEMA worked well under a Democratic administration because there was a person who knew what the hell he was doing in charge and 2) that practically nothing has worked as well under a Republican administration. The report doesn't change that, Corny, bipartisan or not.

Oh wait--what the fuck difference does that make? That the report was signed off by both parties doesn't change the facts, namely that 1) FEMA worked well under a Democratic administration because there was a person who knew what the hell he was doing in charge and 2) that practically nothing has worked as well under a Republican administration. The report doesn't change that, Corny, bipartisan or not.

Nice of you to brush off the fact that the Democrats and Republicans investigated this TOGETHER and THEY BOTH agreed that this should be done.

Nice of you to brush off the fact that the Democrats and Republicans investigated this TOGETHER and THEY BOTH agreed that this should be done.
And why? Because in its current state--not the state it was in under Clinton--it's a goddamn mess. I know you have trouble understanding the basic use of the English language at times, Corny, but try to follow me.

Under Poppy Bush, FEMA was a disaster, staffed by party hacks as a patronage gig. There's some talk that FEMA's response to Hurricane Andrew cost Poppy Florida.

Under Clinton, James Lee Witt was made head of FEMA, and was made a Cabinet member. They made FEMA into a world class response team.

Under Dubya, after 9/11, FEMA was folded into Homeland Security, and was staffed with party hacks as a patronage gig (See a pattern? Me either :rolleyes: ). It went to hell, and during Katrina, we saw the result. Fortunately for Dubya, it happened after his re-election bid, and he didn't pay for it.

Now, given that brief history, I might agree that we would be better off tearing down the whole thing and making a new one--if I thought there would be any actual change. But any new program will be staffed by party hacks as a patronage gig, so I'm not as sanguine about the change as the bipartisan panel is.

FEMA can be repaired, but it takes competent people to repair it, and the political will to see it happen. Bush has neither of those.

Nazz,

You seem to be subtly implying that motivated professionals with adequate resources can do amazing things, and provide first class services in the face of normally insurmountable challenges. My head likes this idea, it thinks that ideas like this are candy. However my gut tells me that we should pray harder because if we can get people to vote against gay marrige then baby Jesus will fly down from heaven and magic everything ok, or as least the good people to the naked VIP party in the sky. As you can see, I have a conflict I'm unable to resolve. How can a person, such as myself, possibly choose the correct course of action when merely conversing with a Satanist such as yourself might be giving into temptation, which is grounds for not getting magiced to the naked VIP party in the sky? Better to just go with the gut on this one, after all it's the thought, not the inevitable result, that counts.

Nazz,

You seem to be subtly implying that motivated professionals with adequate resources can do amazing things, and provide first class services in the face of normally insurmountable challenges. My head likes this idea, it thinks that ideas like this are candy. However my gut tells me that we should pray harder because if we can get people to vote against gay marrige then baby Jesus will fly down from heaven and magic everything ok, or as least the good people to the naked VIP party in the sky. As you can see, I have a conflict I'm unable to resolve. How can a person, such as myself, possibly choose the correct course of action when merely conversing with a Satanist such as yourself might be giving into temptation, which is grounds for not getting magiced to the naked VIP party in the sky? Better to just go with the gut on this one, after all it's the thought, not the inevitable result, that counts.
:D I love you dude.

I think the report shows how badly FEMA can get fucked up by incompetence and proposes replacing it with something harder to fuck up. :p

what do you all think?

FEMA .... great. I am, as some people here may know, a victim of FEMA. I know first hand the slow bureaucracy and cluster fuck that is FEMA.

Abolish it? No. It is necessary. Reform it? Yes.

Frankly, they should abolish the entire thing and leave it abolished. It is not the Federal government's job to provide aid to disaster areas. It is supposed to keep the peace and regulate the process at the most.

Name some major disasters under Clinton handled by FEMA that were done well and then you can make the claim that it was a world class response team.

Not to downplay that Bush had a large part in the Katrina fiasco, but you do need to look in the direction of the governors. They are numero uno when it comes to having to have their ducks in a row. Also in order to receive any federal aid of any kind, the governor is required to jump through all the necessary hoops, which means that he needs the city/counties to jump through all their hoops in order for the governor to jump through their hoops. When it comes to Katrina, I fault Bush for not seeing that something needing to be done and overriding everything to make it happen (Since large numbers of people are under the delusion that they are entitled to federal aid and there are laws to that effect, it should be made to work).

Usually when you get the two opposing parties in bed together, they end up screwing the citizen.

Frankly, they should abolish the entire thing and leave it abolished. It is not the Federal government's job to provide aid to disaster areas.

Then propose something different to your Congressman. As it stands now, this sort of thing doesn't fall under State's Rights.

Frankly, they should abolish the entire thing and leave it abolished. It is not the Federal government's job to provide aid to disaster areas. It is supposed to keep the peace and regulate the process at the most.

Name some major disasters under Clinton handled by FEMA that were done well and then you can make the claim that it was a world class response team.

Not to downplay that Bush had a large part in the Katrina fiasco, but you do need to look in the direction of the governors. They are numero uno when it comes to having to have their ducks in a row. Also in order to receive any federal aid of any kind, the governor is required to jump through all the necessary hoops, which means that he needs the city/counties to jump through all their hoops in order for the governor to jump through their hoops. When it comes to Katrina, I fault Bush for not seeing that something needing to be done and overriding everything to make it happen (Since large numbers of people are under the delusion that they are entitled to federal aid and there are laws to that effect, it should be made to work).

Usually when you get the two opposing parties in bed together, they end up screwing the citizen.


Very good post here. Points out the first group here at fault. The local officials! The governer of Louisiana and that idiot of a mayor in New Orleans itself. First people I would boot if I were a voter down there. The federal government had to clean up after these lame asses. Did they do everything right? No, I think that the fed's could have done better cleaning up after the massive screw up the locals had laid out for them.

Name some major disasters under Clinton handled by FEMA that were done well and then you can make the claim that it was a world class response team.
How about Iowa in the summer of 1993--huge flooding along the Mississippi River? Their response to the Oklahoma City bombing (yes, they were the lead group on the aid end)? And then, of course, there's this beauty of a quote from then Governor George W. Bush:
You know, as governor, one of the things you have to deal with is catastrophe. I can remember the fires that swept Parker County, Texas. I remember the floods that swept our state. I remember going down to Del Rio, Texas. I have to pay the administration a compliment. James Lee Witt of FEMA has done a really good job of working with governors during times of crisis. It was a world class response team, till Dubya came in and fucked it up.

Not to downplay that Bush had a large part in the Katrina fiasco, but you do need to look in the direction of the governors. They are numero uno when it comes to having to have their ducks in a row. Also in order to receive any federal aid of any kind, the governor is required to jump through all the necessary hoops, which means that he needs the city/counties to jump through all their hoops in order for the governor to jump through their hoops. When it comes to Katrina, I fault Bush for not seeing that something needing to be done and overriding everything to make it happen (Since large numbers of people are under the delusion that they are entitled to federal aid and there are laws to that effect, it should be made to work).
And if you look at the records, you see that the governors did indeed jump through the requisite hoops--both the Democratic governor of Louisiana and the Republican governor of Mississippi. They did what they were required to do, and the feds fell down on the job. Could they have done more? Maybe. But they did what they were required to do to get government assistance.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,193305,00.html

This is an interesting twist to the whole FEMA thing. Should FEMA be abolished?

Frankly, I do not know if it should. what do you all think?


You left out the critical fact that the recommendation was that FEMA be replaced.

The idea is not abolishment of any FEMA-type agency per se, but starting from scratch rather than reforming the existing bureaucracy.

There is a rather larger difference. The later idea is worthy of consideration, the former is not.

Very good post here. Points out the first group here at fault. The local officials! The governer of Louisiana and that idiot of a mayor in New Orleans itself. First people I would boot if I were a voter down there. The federal government had to clean up after these lame asses. Did they do everything right? No, I think that the fed's could have done better cleaning up after the massive screw up the locals had laid out for them.

I'm still wondering how that mayor got re-elected after he screwed everyone.

Very good post here. Points out the first group here at fault. The local officials! The governer of Louisiana and that idiot of a mayor in New Orleans itself. First people I would boot if I were a voter down there. The federal government had to clean up after these lame asses. Did they do everything right? No, I think that the fed's could have done better cleaning up after the massive screw up the locals had laid out for them.

Do you actually know what you're talking about here, or are you just spinning CNN talking points?

I was there. Mayor Nagin did what he could when he could. People bitch about him not using those buses, but those buses were already under 6 feet of water by the time he was allowed to make that decision.

I sat on a boat and pulled people out of their homes. I have 3 families living with me right now who I have charitably given my home space to on this issue. I think if anyone on these forums have the right to speak on this, I do.

Nagin did what he could with the resources he had at his disposal. Yeah we've all seen the Greyhound buses under water on CNN, but the fact of it is that those buses don't run *after* they're under water. CNN failed to tell you that. You try starting a bus when it's 6 feet under water.

This failure was on a multi-government level. Nagin did what he could when he could, but I see this as a typical US "brown" issue. The people in New Orleans were "brown" and just like every issue with the US under GW Bush, Brown people don't matter.

Period.

Do you actually know what you're talking about here, or are you just spinning CNN talking points?

I was there. Mayor Nagin did what he could when he could. People bitch about him not using those buses, but those buses were already under 6 feet of water by the time he was allowed to make that decision.

I sat on a boat and pulled people out of their homes. I have 3 families living with me right now who I have charitably given my home space to on this issue. I think if anyone on these forums have the right to speak on this, I do.

Nagin did what he could with the resources he had at his disposal. Yeah we've all seen the Greyhound buses under water on CNN, but the fact of it is that those buses don't run *after* they're under water. CNN failed to tell you that. You try starting a bus when it's 6 feet under water.

This failure was on a multi-government level. Nagin did what he could when he could, but I see this as a typical US "brown" issue. The people in New Orleans were "brown" and just like every issue with the US under GW Bush, Brown people don't matter.

Period.

What you don't know is that they could've been used LONG BEFORE THE HURRICANE HIT!

I'm still wondering how that mayor got re-elected after he screwed everyone.
He hasn't been--yet. He's in a runoff with the son of a former mayor and brother of a Senator--Mitch Landrieu. But hey, way to keep up and slam a guy you obviously don't follow.

What you don't know is that they could've been used LONG BEFORE THE HURRICANE HIT!You do NOT want to get into this with Keruvalia. He was there. You were not. I suggest you back the fuck off right now.

What you don't know is that they could've been used LONG BEFORE THE HURRICANE HIT!

Yeah ... that's why I have these families living with me.

Maybe it's the slow response on maps to the POOR areas on how they should rebuild.

Sorry, Corn, but you live in a nation that says if you're poor, you don't count.

I'm sorry that I can provide proof of that.

I'm still wondering how that mayor got re-elected after he screwed everyone.

Almost every part of that sentence is untrue. The "I'm still wondering" part is the only part that is true.

No doubt you are wondering about false premises.

I suggest you back the fuck off right now.

Neocon money barons never do. I bet Corneliu has all the money he could ever want for the rest of his life.

You do NOT want to get into this with Keruvalia. He was there. You were not. I suggest you back the fuck off right now.

I suggest you stop your swearing for it does nothing for your arguement.

Neocon money barons never do. I bet Corneliu has all the money he could ever want for the rest of his life.

HAHA!! Oh brother. I am not rich by any stretches of the imagination.

Yeah ... that's why I have these families living with me.

Maybe it's the slow response on maps to the POOR areas on how they should rebuild.

Sorry, Corn, but you live in a nation that says if you're poor, you don't count.

I'm sorry that I can provide proof of that.

I already know this which is why I do what I can for the poor. Frankly you just brushed off the fact that the bus drivers ditched and that the N.O. evac plan was not even remotely followed. The plans calling for the use of those buses that didn't have bus drivers because they all fled.

I suggest you stop your swearing for it does nothing for your arguement.

One is tempted to draw the same conclusion about your typing.

Rather than make glib suggestions yourself, you should take The Nazz's suggestion seriously.

One is tempted to draw the same conclusion about your typing.

Rather than make glib suggestions yourself, you should take The Nazz's suggestion seriously.

I haven't uttered one swear word in this thread Cat-Tribe.

I suggest you stop your swearing for it does nothing for your arguement.
:rolleyes: My cursing alone defeats your pitiful excuse for an argument. When you add in my actual argument, then it's not even close. You want to know why?

Because your argument is for shit.

I already know this which is why I do what I can for the poor. Frankly you just brushed off the fact that the bus drivers ditched and that the N.O. evac plan was not even remotely followed. The plans calling for the use of those buses that didn't have bus drivers because they all fled.
The best case scenario plans had New Orleans being 50% evacuated, and the city got nearly 80% out. How exactly is that a failure?

HAHA!! Oh brother. I am not rich by any stretches of the imagination.

Really?

Who is paying for your education?

I am sure there is a large portion of the world that would consider you very rich indeed.

Yeah ... that's why I have these families living with me.

Maybe it's the slow response on maps to the POOR areas on how they should rebuild.

Sorry, Corn, but you live in a nation that says if you're poor, you don't count.

I'm sorry that I can provide proof of that.

Yeah, I've heard that there has been a lot of friction about rebuilding.

Mind you, I'm not convinced that they should try and put it back where it was.

I suggest you stop your swearing for it does nothing for your arguement.

Who cares? You've missed the point.

Maybe you were absent, but I was there. I floated out on row boats and pulled bodies from houses. I fished bodies of people's grandmothers from their houses.

I'm sorry they were brown people and, thus, did not fit into your "righteous outrage", but the fact is, they were brown people. These same "brown people" who want to re-elect Nagin.

You will lose this fight with me, boy. I suggest giving up now.

Washington DC voted for a crackhead for mayor.

The United States voted a failure as President. Twice.

I think it's safe to assume that New Orleans will vote for the most palatable evil to suit their needs. Voters always do. *sigh*

I haven't uttered one swear word in this thread Cat-Tribe.

Nor have you presented a worthwhile thought.

Way to miss the point.

Do you actually know what you're talking about here, or are you just spinning CNN talking points?

I was there. Mayor Nagin did what he could when he could. People bitch about him not using those buses, but those buses were already under 6 feet of water by the time he was allowed to make that decision.

I sat on a boat and pulled people out of their homes. I have 3 families living with me right now who I have charitably given my home space to on this issue. I think if anyone on these forums have the right to speak on this, I do.

Nagin did what he could with the resources he had at his disposal. Yeah we've all seen the Greyhound buses under water on CNN, but the fact of it is that those buses don't run *after* they're under water. CNN failed to tell you that. You try starting a bus when it's 6 feet under water.

This failure was on a multi-government level. Nagin did what he could when he could, but I see this as a typical US "brown" issue. The people in New Orleans were "brown" and just like every issue with the US under GW Bush, Brown people don't matter.

Period.

I actually watched this on BBC from Morocco. Was there when this all went down. However I can and will speak on this matter. If you were there then let's here what you have to say. That does not make my opinion not count on this issue. I have seen enough and heard enough to know a bit about it.

Mayor Nagin is a piece of crap. That is just my opinion. I have heard enough of his bullcrap to last a lifetime.

The bus issue. Those were not underwater before the hurricane hit. That is of course when they should have been used to get the poor and sick out that couldnt drive out on there own. The people that refused to leave.... Well do I pity there suffering? Yes I do. However I can only pity so much and have to lay blame on them.

Will have to agree with the last part of your statement. It was a failure at multi-levels of government. Which includes all the way to the top. However the majority of it sets with the local governments.

Mind you, I'm not convinced that they should try and put it back where it was.

Pride is an amazing and terrible thing.

That's all I have to say about that.

The United States voted a failure as President. Twice.

Once. Maybe.

Really?

Who is paying for your education?

I am sure there is a large portion of the world that would consider you very rich indeed.

How about Student Loans?

:rolleyes: My cursing alone defeats your pitiful excuse for an argument. When you add in my actual argument, then it's not even close. You want to know why?

Because your argument is for shit.

The more you swear, the more your point goes out the window. First rule of debate is that when you swear, it makes you look unintelligent.

Really?

Who is paying for your education?

I am sure there is a large portion of the world that would consider you very rich indeed.


There is a large portion of the world that thinks all Americans are rich. Alot of our poor folks still have a car, a home with electricity, and damn i'm sure either a sat or cable tv. That in alot of the world is rich.

I actually watched this on BBC from Morocco. Was there when this all went down. However I can and will speak on this matter. If you were there then let's here what you have to say. That does not make my opinion not count on this issue. I have seen enough and heard enough to know a bit about it.

Aye ... and I respect your opinion. You know, as well as I do, that this is an emotional issue for me. Yet I value your opinion. Sure, we disagree politically, but I know this particular issue is 110% emotional for me.

How about Student Loans?

What about them?

You do not worry about where your next meal is coming from. And you never have.

That you do not recognize your privilege only makes it more grotesque.

Who cares? You've missed the point.

Maybe you were absent, but I was there. I floated out on row boats and pulled bodies from houses. I fished bodies of people's grandmothers from their houses.

I'm sorry they were brown people and, thus, did not fit into your "righteous outrage", but the fact is, they were brown people. These same "brown people" who want to re-elect Nagin.

You will lose this fight with me, boy. I suggest giving up now.

Here's a thought. Why don't you ask those white people who suffered worse than the african-american people did! yea that's right. Whites suffered worse. Do you here them complaining? Not really. The only ones doing most of the complaining is the Black community.

Aye ... and I respect your opinion. You know, as well as I do, that this is an emotional issue for me. Yet I value your opinion. Sure, we disagree politically, but I know this particular issue is 110% emotional for me.


Absolutely I can see what position your coming from. That is why you should tell your part. It does add greatly to the topic.

Here's a thought. Why don't you ask those white people who suffered worse than the african-american people did! yea that's right. Whites suffered worse. Do you here them complaining? Not really. The only ones doing most of the complaining is the Black community.

I have only one response to this ...

"oy vey"

Yes, you aryan fuck, the white community is complaining.

You dumb shit ... I AM WHITE!

Get out of this issue, little boy. You know nothing.

What about them?

You do not worry about where your next meal is coming from. And you never have.

That you do not recognize your privilege only makes it more grotesque.

Don't tell me what I do and do not recognize.

Here's a thought. Why don't you ask those white people who suffered worse than the african-american people did! yea that's right. Whites suffered worse. Do you here them complaining? Not really. The only ones doing most of the complaining is the Black community.

That's because the whites hire lawyers to complain for them. :p

Here's a thought. Why don't you ask those white people who suffered worse than the african-american people did! yea that's right. Whites suffered worse. Do you here them complaining? Not really. The only ones doing most of the complaining is the Black community.

Just when I thought you couldn't be more clueless ...

Prove those statements are backed my anything other than your prejudice.

Better yet, stop before you dig yourself a deeper hole.

I have only one response to this ...

"oy vey"

Yes, you aryan fuck, the white community is complaining.

You dumb shit ... I AM WHITE!

Get out of this issue, little boy. You know nothing.

Now you have just lost this debate by 1) swearing and 2) using a redicoulous flamebait word such as aryan. I am not racist in anyway dude. I have many african-american friends as well as friends who are not of the same religion as me.

Just when I thought you couldn't be more clueless ...

Prove those statements are backed my anything other than your prejudice.

Better yet, stop before you dig yourself a deeper hole.

Better yet, why dn't you just actually follow the news and not parrot whatever the media spouts that agrees with your ideology.

The more you swear, the more your point goes out the window. First rule of debate is that when you swear, it makes you look unintelligent.
No--first rule of debate is make sure you have an argument. Let me ask you something Corny--who do you think gets more respect around this place? Me with my foul mouth or you with your non-arguments and refusal to face reality? Hmmmm?

Now you have just lost this debate

Oh I'm sorry ... was this a debate?

No--first rule of debate is make sure you have an argument. Let me ask you something Corny--who do you think gets more respect around this place? Me with my foul mouth or you with your non-arguments and refusal to face reality? Hmmmm?

Fuckin' A. :D

Better yet, why dn't you just actually follow the news and not parrot whatever the media spouts that agrees with your ideology.

As I guessed, you have no proof. You simply spouted off some racist tripe.

See, if you had proof, you could pwn me. But you won't because you can't.

No--first rule of debate is make sure you have an argument. Let me ask you something Corny--who do you think gets more respect around this place? Me with my foul mouth or you with your non-arguments and refusal to face reality? Hmmmm?

Here's another question. Ask me if I really care.

Fuckin' A. :D

Aye ... but infortunately, this isn't a debate.

There are still people alive who have been harmed by this.

This is like debating the merits of the Holocaust with Jews in 1950.

Here's another question. Ask me if I really care.
I'm sure you don't. Reality has never matered to you before--why should it start now?

Here's another question. Ask me if I really care.

Where's the question?

Aye ... but infortunately, this isn't a debate.

There are still people alive who have been harmed by this.

This is like debating the merits of the Holocaust with Jews in 1950.

If those Jews would just stop complaining ....

Aye ... but infortunately, this isn't a debate.

There are still people alive who have been harmed by this.

This is like debating the merits of the Holocaust with Jews in 1950.
No kidding--my ex just finished remodeling her house (which survived, thankfully) and is going to rent it out and live in a camper while they remodel yet another house. It's ugly there, still, and hurricane season starts in about a month.

Here's another question. Ask me if I really care.

You care. You care more than you are willing to admit.

Now either back up your racist tripe or retract it. Try to salvage what dignity you might have left.

hurricane season starts in about a month.


*sigh*

But we will prevail. We got some voodoo hold on God. ;)

Better yet, why dn't you just actually follow the news and not parrot whatever the media spouts that agrees with your ideology.
And if anybody knows about "parroting whatever the media spouts that agrees with your ideology," it would be you. Hi, Corneliu, how ya been?

Aye ... but infortunately, this isn't a debate.

There are still people alive who have been harmed by this.

This is like debating the merits of the Holocaust with Jews in 1950.

YOu know it happened, "Excuse me mister Berstein; Not that I doubt your story, but are you sure it was your niece's body you were forced to throw into the furnace?"

Some people are convinced that if they talk about a problem long enough, it'll go away. Just imagine if those mouths were connected to bandsaws to cut lumber for new houses. New Orleans would be rebuilt by now. :p

If those Jews would just stop complaining ....

Yes! Damnit Jews! Stop whining about the slaughter of your entire people! :p

New Orleans would be rebuilt by now. :p

You are awesome and scarey all at the same time. :D

*sigh*

But we will prevail. We got some voodoo hold on God. ;)
I sure as hell hope so. I still see a good bit of damage from Wilma around here, and that was nothing compared to the big bitch.

Yes! Damnit Jews! Stop whining about the slaughter of your entire people! :p

And for gods sake, just for once, take the first table that is offered to you in a restaurant.

*sigh*

But we will prevail. We got some voodoo hold on God. ;)
But this time, when it won't stop raining, don't wait for a bus to show up -- go steal them yourselves. It's an "ownership" society Bush is building -- aka a do-it-yourself society -- apparently.

You are awesome and scarey all at the same time. :D

That is, of course, where I'm aiming.

Bullseye! :D

If this is true, it means we have beaten the extra-terrestrials.

Yay!
No, it means we have beaten their recovery operation cover.

HAHA!! Oh brother. I am not rich by any stretches of the imagination.
Wrong. You're rich in appreciation for masochism (as evidenced here on NS) quite a magnitude beyond fathomable stretches of my imagination.

Wrong. You're rich in appreciation for masochism (as evidenced here on NS) quite a magnitude beyond fathomable stretches of my imagination.

A SM session requires at least two willing participants however........


;)

No--first rule of debate is make sure you have an argument. Let me ask you something Corny--who do you think gets more respect around this place? Me with my foul mouth or you with your non-arguments and refusal to face reality? Hmmmm?
Well, Corny DOES have a maneuver named after him. :)

Fema was doing pretty well until the noveau regime decided to make its directorship a political-patronage sinecure.

Maybe they should abolish the party responsible for its failure in november.

A SM session requires at least two willing participants however........


;)
...and that would appear to be The Nazz, The Cat-Tribe, and Keruvalia at this point ... although i'm relatively sure they don't want to be associated much with "Corneliu" + "SM session" + "willing participants" ... :D

Fema was doing pretty well until the noveau regime decided to make its directorship a political-patronage sinecure.

Maybe they should abolish the party responsible for its failure in november.
RA-f*cking-MEN!
*bows*
*repeats self*

...and that would appear to be The Nazz, The Cat-Tribe, and Keruvalia at this point ... although i'm relatively sure they don't want to be associated much with "Corneliu" + "SM session" + "willing participants" ... :D

Someone should give him a safety word.

I sure as hell hope so. I still see a good bit of damage from Wilma around here, and that was nothing compared to the big bitch.
And now it's 2006. The season doth approacheth, verily.
And it's an El Nino year. :eek:

Someone should give him a safety word.
"Banana"?


There's one that suits him i'm sure ... perhaps a worthwhile thread?

"Banana"?


LOL

LOL
Of all the stupid things i'll remember from that show, that one is pretty well cemented in there the strongest. I loved it. :D

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,193305,00.html

This is an interesting twist to the whole FEMA thing. Should FEMA be abolished?

Frankly, I do not know if it should. what do you all think?
Of course FEMA should be abolished. Anyone who disagrees is just a radical FEMAnist.

I find it amusing that Keruvalia has said numerous times in this thread that FEMA left the "brown people" out to dry, but when Corneliu says something about whites being damaged more by the hurricane but blacks complaining more, you rip his throat out for being a racist. lol.


You don't actually agree with Kanye, do you? "George Bush doesn't care about black people."

I'm sure you don't. Reality has never matered to you before--why should it start now?

Reality has always mattered to me. That is why I'm actually questioning what these people are going to replace FEMA with.

You care. You care more than you are willing to admit.

Now either back up your racist tripe or retract it. Try to salvage what dignity you might have left.

I have many african american friends who know I'm not a racist.

And if anybody knows about "parroting whatever the media spouts that agrees with your ideology," it would be you. Hi, Corneliu, how ya been?

Actually I don't. I question everything. I just take one side here because this board is to the left.

Fema was doing pretty well until the noveau regime decided to make its directorship a political-patronage sinecure.

Maybe they should abolish the party responsible for its failure in november.

Actually, FEMA got wacked by to many natural disasters all at the sametime. They were not equipped to handle it all. FEMA was stretched to the limit and it utterly failed.

Of course FEMA should be abolished. Anyone who disagrees is just a radical FEMAnist.

Now this is funny :D

Personally, I think FEMA can be fixed, nothing is unfixable. But I also think It needs new leadership, but abolishing FEMA Completely is just foolish to me any way.

Not only will we lose our Federal response agency to disaster or emergency, it might take months to get another up and running, mean while what will we do if another hurricane hits with in the few months the new “Replacement” for FEMA is tied up in red tape?


Just my Two Cents ..

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,193305,00.html

This is an interesting twist to the whole FEMA thing. Should FEMA be abolished?

Frankly, I do not know if it should. what do you all think?
Okay, THIS is what we do with FEMA:

Keep the main organization, but turn it into merely a central base, who only gets directly involved when it's something really major, like a 1906 San Francisco or a devestated New Orleans.

You split the country into regions, then deem a central organization point for each region. Then split each region into areas, and set up a central organization point for each of those areas. Then split into subregions, and those handle local conflicts.

In essence, this allows for each area to worry about itself and have back up to call in if necessary. A system that makes a lot more sense than trying to run every disaster relief program out of one place in one part of the country.

I have many african american friends who know I'm not a racist.
I'm sure, in time, you'll have a baby Eagle named after you too.

I find it amusing that Keruvalia has said numerous times in this thread that FEMA left the "brown people" out to dry, but when Corneliu says something about whites being damaged more by the hurricane but blacks complaining more, you rip his throat out for being a racist. lol.


You don't actually agree with Kanye, do you? "George Bush doesn't care about black people."

Kanye West should concentrate his angst on Ray Nagin, who had ACCESS TO BUSES to GET (some of) them out.

Some people didn't want to leave... hey, i'm sorry, but if you wanted to stay, then don't bitch.

If you wanted to leave but couldn't, you can blame yourself for not owning a car, or blame the government for not giving you a car (depending on your views on government vs. personal responsibility), etc... or Nagin for not putting you on one of the New Orleans buses that sat there while people suffered because they weren't Grayhounds (or Greyhounds).

FEMA can take some of the blame too... plenty to go around.

...and hind-sight is 20/20. I don't think anyone knew it would be that bad.

as for FEMA, why not abolish it? -- put the states completely in charge of their own disaster protection. It would allow the federal tax rates to be lowered a bit (state taxes would be raised commensurately, moreso in some states than in others).

This could turn into a great state/federal rights debate.

you can blame yourself for not owning a car

I am speechless.

For the love of peace, stop using FOX!

Hurricane Katrina: A Nation Still Unprepared (http://hsgac.senate.gov/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Links.Katrina)

Excerpts as reported by the Houston Chronicle (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/politics/3825029.html):


_ On the White House:

"The White House failed to grasp the gravity of the situation as it unfolded." Concerns "appear to have gone unheeded by the White House and the Department of Homeland Security in the period prior to Katrina."

_ On Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff:

As the storm approached, "Leadership _ direction, encouragement, a sense of purpose and urgency _ was needed. Secretary Chertoff did not provide it. ... Despite knowledge that Katrina was a looming 'nightmare scenario,' DHS Secretary Chertoff failed to adequately prepare the federal government for what became one of the most destructive natural disasters in the nation's history."

_ On the Federal Emergency Management Agency:

"FEMA went to war without enough troops. ... FEMA was unprepared for a catastrophic event on the scale of Katrina. Well before Katrina, FEMA's relationships with state and local officials, once a strength, had been eroded in part because certain preparedness grant programs were transferred elsewhere in the Department of Homeland Security."

_ On the Department of Defense waiting to act:

"The lack of situational awareness during this phase appears to have been a major reason for DoD's belated adoption of the forward-looking posture necessary in a catastrophic incident."

_ On then-FEMA chief Michael Brown:

"FEMA's director, Michael Brown, lacked the leadership skills that were needed for his critical position. Before landfall, Brown did not direct the adequate prepositioning of critical personnel and equipment, and willfully failed to communicate with Secretary Chertoff, to whom he was supposed to report."

_ On Louisiana's preparedness:

"The seeds of Louisiana's failure to prepare were sown long before Hurricane Katrina approached the state. ... Louisiana had been on notice of its vulnerability to catastrophic hurricanes for decades, but over the long term had never fully upgraded its emergency response systems to the level necessary to protect its citizens from those events."

_ On levee construction:

"The committee found deeply disturbing evidence of flaws in the design and construction of the levees. ... Equally troubling was the revelation of serious disagreement _ still unresolved months after Katrina _ among officials of several government entities over who had responsibility, and when, for key levee issues including emergency response and levee repair."

_ On overall government preparedness:

"Top officials at every level of government _ despite strongly worded advisories _ did not appear to truly grasp the magnitude of the storm's potential for destruction before it made landfall. ... Almost exactly four years after 9/11, Katrina showed that the nation is still unprepared to respond to a catastrophe."

...and hind-sight is 20/20. I don't think anyone knew it would be that bad.

I knew it was gonna be that bad as soon as I saw Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico. The Grand-Design of that hurricane was perfect in almost every way. There was no way that Katrina could NOT be bad.

I think the report shows how badly FEMA can get fucked up by incompetence and proposes replacing it with something harder to fuck up. :p

Created by the folks who effed it up. Why am I not hopeful?

Leave FEMA alone at least until someone competent comes along to fix it.

FEMA worked pretty well when James Lee Witt was in charge of it. Maybe, instead of destroying it, we could just get some competent people to run it and we could fund it properly.

Oh wait. Republicans are in charge. My bad.



Oh, damn, you're right. Back to the drawing board...

Okay, THIS is what we do with FEMA:

Keep the main organization, but turn it into merely a central base, who only gets directly involved when it's something really major, like a 1906 San Francisco or a devastated New Orleans.

You split the country into regions, then deem a central organization point for each region. Then split each region into areas, and set up a central organization point for each of those areas. Then split into subregions, and those handle local conflicts.

In essence, this allows for each area to worry about itself and have back up to call in if necessary. A system that makes a lot more sense than trying to run every disaster relief program out of one place in one part of the country.

It sounds like it should be, a state run disaster system with the feds coming in only when multiple states or states not being able to handle the disasters. Unfortunately, if your idea were implemented (which will never happen because everything has to be done by the feds) it would turn into the same bureaucratic mess that plagues everything that the federal government gets involved with.

It sounds like it should be, a state run disaster system with the feds coming in only when multiple states or states not being able to handle the disasters. Unfortunately, if your idea were implemented (which will never happen because everything has to be done by the feds) it would turn into the same bureaucratic mess that plagues everything that the federal government gets involved with.
The point of the federal level headquarters is simply to allow for a federal level organization of disaster relief and the like. Day to day operations would really just be report collecting and all that jazz, probably.

That said, you're right, but what else could we do? It has to be governmentally run, as otherwise it won't be funded properly, won't have the right equipment, and generally just won't work well.

FEMA .... great. I am, as some people here may know, a victim of FEMA. I know first hand the slow bureaucracy and cluster fuck that is FEMA.

Abolish it? No. It is necessary. Reform it? Yes.

I agree totally. FEMA doesn't need to be abolished as much as it needs an overhauling to make it more responsive to regional emergencies and efficient in dealing with the aftermath. It would also help if after this overhauling, it were staffed with people who were qualified to perform such work.

I feel most liberals are unjustified in many of their attacks against Bush. This, however, is an area where Bush's penchant for cronyism resulted in a slow and inadquate reaction to Katrina, arguably one of the worst natural disasters to strikethis country in history and he should be bar-b-qued over a slow fire for this. I'd even help to light the fire.

As long as Kathleen Blanco and Ray Nagin accept their fair share of the blame, which is formidable. They both had contributions towards making a pretty bad situation even worse.

I'm sure, in time, you'll have a baby Eagle named after you too.
Did you see the Bill Kristol episode? He f*cking NAILED HIM! Repeatedly! It was BEAUUUUUUUUUTIFUL!

*dances his weasel dance*

Federal
Employees
Missing
Again

Good, any organization that has the power to Martial law the country awt to be destroyed. And the sad part is, It has been like 8 months, and STILL, people are homeless, displaced, waiting for money and the likes.