The incompetence of FEMA and BushCo

GratisNet: "Ted Koppel ripped FEMA Director Michael Brown, in full CYA mode, a new asshole on Nightline. Some people think that FEMA and BushCo in general, should be given a temporary pass because the primary job now is to keep people from dying and not injecting politics into the catastrophe, as if we are not capable of doing both simutaneously.

People are dying due to lack of water and medical assistance, as a direct result of the incompetence of this administration and we are being cautioned not to go 'political' on this disaster? Bush says he didn't think anybody anticipated the levees being breached? Would that be like Condi Rice saying after 9/11, 'Who would have ever thought terrorists would use airplanes to crash into buildings?' Truth is this sorry excuse for a president, administration and indeed the Republican Party in general (see Denny Hastert's comments regarding rebuilding New Orleans and the Gulf Coast areas devastated by Katrina), have proven once again, to be glaringly unsuited for the task of leadership.

I for one am glad that the media has finally, FINALLY, begun to take off the gloves when dealing with the utterly clueless and incompetent reponse to the damage, both to people and property, caused by Katrina. Much has been said about the looting that is going on, but think back, how much looting was happening on Tuesday or Wednesday? The fact that rescue efforts were not underway the second day after the storm hit, that could be somewhat understandable but what cannot be fathomed or forgiven is the lack of any effort to drop food and water to those trapped within the city as well as elsewhere on the Gulf Coast. If we can drop supplies of food and water to the people in Afghanistan surely we can do as much for our own citizens in circumstances much more desparate then that faced by the people of Afghanistan.

Let those people who say, 'Shoot looters on sight' try lasting two or three days without food or water, with no relief efforts in sight, without taking water and food from whatever store is nearby. If ever such holier than thou, clueless fools are faced with a choice of dying or stealing food and water to survive, perhaps then they will change their tune and leaven their outrage with a little bit of reality and compassion for those unfortunates who find themselves caught up in a catastrophe of almost Biblical proportions. Perhaps but I doubt it for they will simply say 'It's different' and not give a thought to their hypocrisy.

Ultimately it comes down to a question of how many people must die because of Bush's callous indifference before it becomes acceptable to skewer him and his 'I've got mine, the hell with you' band of republicans? How much suffering must the victims of Katrina endure before it becomes not just acceptable but IMPERATIVE to call him on the monstrous unpreparedness for this calamity? How much suffering must the unfortunate souls in New Orleans and on the Gulf Coast endure before THEIR government does as much for them as they say they are doing for Iraqis and the people of Afghanistan?

I am so tired of the apologists who would absolve this worthless bastard of the responsibility of: a) Not being prepared for the consequences of Katrina and b) Showing that he couldn't care less about those caught up in the disaster.

It is time for action. Is gross incompetence and a dearth of compassion in the face of a calamity the magnitude of which has never been seen in America an impeachable offense? If it isn't, it should be!"