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Who is this incompetent doofus running FEMA?
by Rachel R., Sept. 2, 2005 [Day 5]
I don't understand the lack of response as thousands die in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Or maybe I do understand.
Several years of always-and-only politically-motivated appointments by the Bush administration has left nobody in high-ranking positions who's competent to handle any response to an emergency. I mean, who is this incompetent doofus running FEMA?
What America's official non-response to Katrina is doing to New Orleans, and Louisiana, and Mississippi and environs, is shameful. I mean, goodness, we had warnings a few days before the hurricane hit, there was enough time for people to get out of town, at least people who had cars and hotel money.
Why was there no official response before the hurricane to help people who lacked cars and hotel money? And why have there been no airlifts of people out and supplies in? It's been five days since the hurricane hit, clearly thousands and thousands of people are dead, the city is under 20 feet of water ... and when will the good guys arrive? Where's the rescue? Where's the help for New Orleans and the Gulf Coast?
Who the hell is in charge of the federal government? It sure as hell isn't Bush ...
Rachel R.
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Well, last night I watched FEMA Director Michael Brown sidestep questions on the news, and for the life of me ... for the lives of thousands, he reminded me only of Chief Wiggum on THE SIMPSONS.
So I looked up his résumé, to find that, as expected, he was appointed by Bush. But what about his credentials?
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"Previously, Mr. Brown served as FEMA's Deputy Director and the agency's General Counsel. Shortly after the September 11th terrorist attacks, Mr. Brown served on the President's Consequence Management Principal's Committee, which acted as the White House's policy coordination group for the federal domestic response to the attacks. Later, the President asked him to head the Consequence Management Working Group to identify and resolve key issues regarding the federal response plan. In August 2002, President Bush appointed him to the Transition Planning Office for the new Department of Homeland Security, serving as the transition leader for the EP&R Division. |
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"Prior to joining FEMA, Mr. Brown practiced law in Colorado and Oklahoma, where he served as a bar examiner on ethics and professional responsibility for the Oklahoma Supreme Court and as a hearing examiner for the Colorado Supreme Court. He had been appointed as a special prosecutor in police disciplinary matters. While attending law school he was appointed by the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee of the Oklahoma Legislature as the Finance Committee Staff Director, where he oversaw state fiscal issues. His background in state and local government also includes serving as an assistant city manager with emergency services oversight and as a city councilman.
"Mr. Brown was also an adjunct professor of law for the Oklahoma City University. ...
So ... he's a lawyer. And he used to be General Counsel -- head lawyer -- for FEMA. And he was part of a committee that advised Bush on his ill-conceived responses to 9/11, and another "working group" whose mission I can't quite translate into English. And he did "transition planning" for the newfangled Department of Homeland Security.
And it's not mentioned on his résumé, but apparently he was fired as "an unmitigated, total fucking disaster" from his previous job ... working for the International Arabian Horse Association.
This guy sounded like a clueless wanker on the news, and his résumé instills no confidence. Nothing suggests he knows squat about coordinating complex rescue operations, and his job performance proves that negative. And he's the guy you're looking for, Rachel. He's the doofus in charge.=H&HH=
There's much more than this at Unknown News.
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