Just Who Is Running FEMA ?

[LoungeMachine]

Campaign pros get top jobs

By KENNETH R. BAZINET
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON - The three top jobs at the Federal Emergency Management Agency under President Bush went to political cronies with no apparent experience coping with catastrophes, the Daily News has learned.
Even if Bush were to fire embattled and suddenly invisible FEMA Director Michael Brown over his handling of Hurricane Katrina, the bureaucrat immediately below him is no disaster professional, either.

While Brown ran horse shows in his last private-sector job, FEMA's No. 2 man, deputy director and chief of staff Patrick Rhode, was an advance man for the Bush-Cheney campaign and White House. He also did short stints at the Commerce Department and Small Business Administration.

Rhode's biography posted on FEMA's Web site doesn't indicate he has any real experience in emergency response.

In addition, the agency's former third-ranking official, deputy chief of staff Scott Morris, was a PR expert who worked for Maverick Media, the Texas outfit that produced TV and radio spots for the Bush-Cheney campaign. In June, Morris moved to Florida to become FEMA's long-term recovery director.

"The Bush administration has apparently transformed FEMA from a professional, world-class emergency responder into a dumping ground for former campaign staff and political hacks," said Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan).

FEMA also is hampered by several midlevel and regional director's jobs currently held by acting directors.

"Just like our military, FEMA should be immune to this kind of political staffing. It should be run by career emergency response professionals," Maloney added.

Traditionally, the Commerce and Labor departments have long been Washington's dumping ground for presidential pals and campaign operatives - not the disaster relief agency.

Government sources blame Bush's first FEMA director, Joe Allbaugh, with turning FEMA into a patronage shop.

He was chief of staff when Bush was Texas' governor and later headed the 2000 Bush-Cheney campaign.

"He stacked the deck with political appointees," a knowledgeable source said of Allbaugh, who had a reputation for running an efficient FEMA operation until he left the job in March 2003.

FEMA is overseen by the Department of Homeland Security. Officials at both agencies did not return phone calls or E-mails yesterday.

Originally published on September 7, 2005

[LoungeMachine]

September 7, 2005


FEMA chief waited to rally help
Official's memo said workers would need 24 hours of training before being sent.
Ted Bridis
Associated Press


WASHINGTON -- The government's disaster chief waited until hours after Hurricane Katrina had struck the Gulf Coast before asking his boss to dispatch 1,000 Homeland Security workers to support rescuers in the region -- and gave them two days to arrive, internal documents reveal.

Michael Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, sought approval from Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff about five hours after Katrina made landfall Aug. 29.

Brown's memo to Chertoff described Katrina as "this near catastrophic event" but otherwise lacked any urgent language. The memo politely ended, "Thank you for your consideration in helping us to meet our responsibilities."

Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke said Brown had positioned front-line rescue teams and Coast Guard helicopters before the storm. Brown's memo on Aug. 29 aimed to assemble the necessary federal work force to support the rescues, establish communications and coordinate with victims and community groups, Knocke said.

He proposed sending 1,000 Homeland Security Department employees within 48 hours and 2,000 within seven days. Employees required a supervisor's approval and at least 24 hours of disaster training. "You must be physically able to work in a disaster area without refrigeration for medications and . . . to work in the outdoors all day," Brown wrote.

Brown also urged fire and rescue departments outside Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi not to send trucks or emergency workers into disaster areas without an explicit request for help. Brown said it was vital to coordinate fire and rescue efforts.

Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., said Tuesday that Brown should step down.

Also, the airline industry said the government's request for help evacuating victims didn't come until late Thursday afternoon.

[Nitro Express]

It's the typical business as usual, buddies giving buddies jobs. The old classic saying,"It's not what you know but who you know" comes into play.

What I find infuriating is these aren't normal times. FEMA falls under the Dept. of Homeland Security. A new govt. dept. set up to supossedly make emergency response more efficient after the horrible Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The nation is at war, terrorists still want to attack us, and we are filling key positions in The Dept. of Homeland Security with Bush good ol' boys who are unqualified.

Bush has also undermined our consititutional rights with the Patriot Act. Did you know if you are suspected of being a terrorist by the US Govt. you have no due process anymore? They can come and arrest you and haul you off and jail you forever without a trial without notifying anyone. The Patriot Act reads like something Adolf Hitler would put into law. It's a bad piece of legislation.

In my oppinion, Bush was a spoiled rich kid who grew up in a priveleged life style. Like his father, he's out of touch with the average American. I don't know about the conspiracy theories I read in here but I will admit Bush is incompetant. We might as well have the mayor of New Orleans as president. Heck, he might actually do a better job. LOL!

Anyways, the damage is done. Bush will make some more John Wayne speeches and run his presidency as usual. The next president will inherit a tottal mess. What George W. Bush has done is destabalized the middle east, killed lots of Americans, and made it way easier for our govt. to fall into tyranny because of the Patriot Act.