Congress Likely to Probe Guard Response

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlates...253757,00.html
Congress Likely to Probe Guard Response

Saturday September 3, 2005 9:46 PM

AP Photo LAEG113
By SHARON THEIMER
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - Another 10,000 National Guard troops are being sent to
the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast, raising their number to about 40,000,
but questions linger about the speed with which troops were deployed.
Several states ready and willing to send National Guard troops to the
rescue in New Orleans didn't get the go-ahead until days after the storm
struck - a delay nearly certain to be investigated by Congress.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson offered Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco
help from his state's National Guard last Sunday, the day before
Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana. Blanco accepted, but paperwork needed
to get the troops en route didn't come from Washington until late
Thursday.
California troops just began arriving in Louisiana on Friday, three days
after flood waters devastated New Orleans and chaos broke out.
In fact, when New Orleans' levees gave way to deadly flooding on
Tuesday, Louisiana's National Guard had received help from troops in
only three other states: Ohio, which had nine people in Louisiana then;
Oklahoma, 89; and Texas, 625, figures provided by the National Guard
show.
Maj. Gen. Thomas Cutler, who leads the Michigan National Guard, said he
anticipated a call for police units and started preparing them, but
couldn't go until states in the hurricane zone asked them to come.
``We could have had people on the road Tuesday,'' Cutler said. ``We have
to wait and respond to their need.''
The Michigan National Guard was asked for military police by Mississippi
late Tuesday and by Louisiana officials late Wednesday. The state sent
182 MPs to Mississippi on Friday and had 242 headed to Louisiana on
Saturday.
Typically, the authority to use the National Guard in a state role lies
with the governor, who tells his or her adjutant general to order
individual Guard units to begin duty. Turnaround time varies depending
on the number of troops involved, their location and their assigned
missions.
One factor that may have further complicated post-Katrina deployment
arose when Louisiana discovered it needed Guardsmen to do more law
enforcement duty because a large portion of the New Orleans police force
was not functioning, according to Lt. Gen. Steven H. Blum, chief of the
National Guard Bureau at the Pentagon.
Because the agreement that was already in existence for states to
contribute Guard troops to Louisiana did not include a provision on
their use in law enforcement, Blum said, Gov. Blanco had to get separate
written agreements authorizing Guardsmen to do police-type duty.
Still, Blum said, this took only minutes to execute.
With many states' Guard units depleted by deployments to Iraq, Katrina's
aftermath was almost certain from the beginning to require help from
faraway states.
Republicans and Democrats alike in Congress are just beginning to ask
why one of the National Guard's most trusted roles - disaster relief -
was so uneven, delayed and chaotic this time around.
Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., said the situation has shown major breakdowns
in the nation's emergency response capabilities. ``There must be some
accountability in this process after the crisis is addressed,'' he said.
Democrat Ben Nelson, Nebraska's other senator, said he now questions
National Guard leaders' earlier assertions that they had enough
resources to respond to natural disasters even with the Iraq war.
``I'm going to ask that question again,'' Nelson said. ``Do we have
enough (troops), and if we do, why were they not deployed sooner?''
President Bush was asked that question Friday as he toured the
hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast area and said he disagrees with criticism
the military is stretched too thin.
``We've got a job to defend this country in the war on terror, and we've
got a job to bring aid and comfort to the people of the Gulf Coast, and
we'll do both,'' he said.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner, R-Va., plans to
make oversight of the Defense Department, the National Guard and their
assistance his top priority when he returns to Washington next week from
an overseas trips, spokesman John Ullyot said Friday.
Bush had the legal authority to order the National Guard to the disaster
area himself, as he did after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks . But the
troops four years ago were deployed for national security protection,
and presidents of both parties traditionally defer to governors to
deploy their own National Guardsmen and request help from other states
when it comes to natural disasters.
In addition to Guard help, the federal government could have activated,
but did not, a major air support plan under a pre-existing contract with
airlines. The program, called Civilian Reserve Air Fleet, lets the
government quickly put private cargo and passenger planes into service.
The CRAF provision has been activated twice, once for the Persian Gulf
War and again for the Iraq war.

Heh Bob, while they're probing, here's a good place to start. Remember
all those poor people that are supposed to have stayed in NO only
because they were too poor to have any means out? Well, here's a nice
pic for you of 1000 school busses, filled with gas, ready to go. Or at
least they were before the hurricane hit. Now they are sitting in a
lot right where they were before the storm. Only now they are under
water.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...lpc21109012015


Funny the crybaby mayor of New Orleans, who, unlike the president,
cares sooo much for the poor, didn't use these busses to give the poor
folks a ride out of town. And in the process, the busses would have
been saved too.

But like everything else that goes wrong, I suppose that's all
President Bush's fault too, right?

Heh Bob, while they are probing the response of the National Guard,
they should start with who has authority to mobilize the guard, because
people like you who are quick to blame President Bush for everythings
are ignorant of how it works:


"The Guard has a unique dual mission, with both Federal and State
responsibilities. During peacetime, the Governor through the State
Adjutant General commands Guard forces. The Governor can call the Guard
into action during local or statewide emergencies, such as storms,
drought, and civil disturbances, to name a few. In addition, the
President of the United States can activate the National Guard to
participate in Federal missions. Examples of this are the many Guard
units that have deployed to support operations in Bosnia. When
federalized, Guard units are commanded by the Commander in Chief of the
theatre in which they are operating. "

So, if you want to investigate a slow response by the NAtional Guard,
let's take a look at when the Governor of Louisiana mobilized them,
because it's the GOVERNOR that mobilizes them for state emergencies,
not the president.

wrote:
Heh Bob, while they're probing, here's a good place to start. Remember
all those poor people that are supposed to have stayed in NO only
because they were too poor to have any means out? Well, here's a nice
pic for you of 1000 school busses, filled with gas, ready to go.

Is it that you can only spin, distort and lie? This is the second tiem
you've posted this same picture and claimed it's 1000 buses when it's
more like 100. You have no idea if they're fueled or not.

Or at
least they were before the hurricane hit. Now they are sitting in a
lot right where they were before the storm. Only now they are under
water.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...lpc21109012015

Funny the crybaby mayor of New Orleans,

Crybaby. hudreds of thousands of poeple within the city without food,
water or elctricity while emergency efforts are letting people die. ANd
this makes him a crybaby.

I widsh there were more crybabies like him.

And I wish you lived in New Orleans.

who, unlike the president,
cares sooo much for the poor, didn't use these busses to give the poor
folks a ride out of town. And in the process, the busses would have
been saved too.

But like everything else that goes wrong, I suppose that's all
President Bush's fault too, right?

Idiot.

No emergency relief for the better part of a week from the federal
government and you're compatring that with the possibility of moving
5000 or 6000 people of the millions displaced? And you can't see the
difference?

Idiot.

Pastorio

wrote:

Heh Bob, while they are probing the response of the National Guard,
they should start with who has authority to mobilize the guard, because
people like you who are quick to blame President Bush for everythings

I blame the president for things he screws up. Nothing else.

are ignorant of how it works:


"The Guard has a unique dual mission, with both Federal and State
responsibilities. During peacetime, the Governor through the State
Adjutant General commands Guard forces.

Um, is it "peacetime?" I bet you didn't notice that little
unpleasantness in Iraq. And Afghanistan. Where lots of guard folk are.

Peacetime. What an idea.

The Governor can call the Guard
into action during local or statewide emergencies, such as storms,
drought, and civil disturbances, to name a few. In addition, the
President of the United States can activate the National Guard to
participate in Federal missions. Examples of this are the many Guard
units that have deployed to support operations in Bosnia.

And a bunch of other places.

When
federalized, Guard units are commanded by the Commander in Chief of the
theatre in which they are operating. "

So, if you want to investigate a slow response by the NAtional Guard,
let's take a look at when the Governor of Louisiana mobilized them,
because it's the GOVERNOR that mobilizes them for state emergencies,
not the president.

LOL Perhaps you missed the fact that we're in an undeclared war - that
means it's not "peacetime." It was in all the newspapers and I think I
saw it on tv. The president did federalize the best of the guard so they
could go overseas to protect Halliburton's future. I'm sure you were
having your small brain dry-cleaned that day and missed it.

If only life were so rose-colored and filled with butterflies and
absolute clarity like you think.

http://tinyurl.com/9ws5g
http://tinyurl.com/az2vt
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/12545876.htm

Do note all the future tense verbs in this official information...
http://www.ngb.army.mil/

Lotsa stuff gonna happen. Gonna.
"The U.S. military *Tuesday started to move* ships and helicopters to
the region at the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to
aid in rescue and medical needs, military officials said. (Full story)"
[emphasis added]
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WEATHER/08/30/katrina/?section=cnn_topstories

Pastorio

"LOL Perhaps you missed the fact that we're in an undeclared war -
that
means it's not "peacetime." It was in all the newspapers and I think I
saw it on tv. The president did federalize the best of the guard so
they
could go overseas to protect Halliburton's future. I'm sure you were
having your small brain dry-cleaned that day and missed it. "

Yes, sure I figured Iraq was coming next. Try to pay attention, Bob.
Louisiana is not part of Iraq and it is not at war. For a state
emergency, under law, the GOVERNOR of the state mobilizes the national
guard. There are Constitutional issues here, that apparently you don't
understand. Little things like a President trying to assert control
over rights reserved for the states. Let's see exactly when the
Governor of Louisiana issued the order to mobilize the National Guard.
Did she do it before the Cat 5 hurricane hit or after the looting had
started? But, why bother, it's all Bush's fault, right?

"Crybaby. hudreds of thousands of poeple within the city without food,
water or elctricity while emergency efforts are letting people die. ANd

this makes him a crybaby. I widsh there were more crybabies like him. "

Yes, Mayor Nagin is a whining loser, much like you Bob. He went on TV
to whine and cry, bitch about lack of response, when as I've pointed
out, he is one of the people directly responsible for not doing enough
to correctly evacuate the city in the first place. Contrast that to
what Mayor Guliani did in NYC on 9/11. He was in control, giving
orders, organizing, telling people what to do, how to help. He was a
leader, not a crybaby. And his police force didn't quit in the face of
crisis either did they?

wrote:
"Crybaby. hudreds of thousands of poeple within the city without food,
water or elctricity while emergency efforts are letting people die. ANd
this makes him a crybaby. I widsh there were more crybabies like him. "

Yes, Mayor Nagin is a whining loser, much like you Bob. He went on TV
to whine and cry, bitch about lack of response, when as I've pointed
out, he is one of the people directly responsible for not doing enough
to correctly evacuate the city in the first place.

You know, this is the last note of yours I think I ought to reply to.
You're such an extremist and so beyond any human consideration that the
lessons you'll teach people have already been given.

Maybe the mayor should have done other things. But that doesn't make the
fact that - literally - millions of people are in desperate straits with
help coming in very slowly and inadequately. Bush is to blame for not
expediting it.

So forget New Orleans. Talk about Alabama where buildings were simply
blown away and washed away and farms are utterly destroyed. And help is
just now getting there. No water to wade through. No looters to capture
while others starve and die from dehydration. Why so slow there?

What about the - literally - millions who have nothing left but their
clothing? No homes, no work, no money? The wonderful new bankruptcy laws
from this administration designed to protect credit card companies to
the detriment of the public will make sure that - literally - millions
will be declaring bankruptcy and still be liable. No fault of theirs.
Homeless, unemployed, debt-ridden. When the president declares it a
disaster area, it means that the residents may be eligible for low-cost
loans. And with few jobs now and in the coming months, life will be very
difficult for - literally - millions of people.

I understand that it's not government's job to provide for people in
normal times. These aren't normal times.

Contrast that to
what Mayor Guliani did in NYC on 9/11. He was in control, giving
orders, organizing, telling people what to do, how to help. He was a
leader, not a crybaby. And his police force didn't quit in the face of
crisis either did they?

What a shallow, shallow, deliberately evasive understanding you bring.
Were there millions displaced? Were millions unemployed? The only
evacuations were within a few blocks of the towers. The president was
there the next day and federal actions were taken immediately. 9/11
happened in 16 *ACRES* of one city, not 90,000 square *MILES* of
different states.

9/11 was a surprise that took a couple hours to unfold. The hurricane
was visible for a long time - many days - before it hit. The feds who
control the purse strings and FEMA and military and almost all the
resources for such emergencies sat on their asses and watched it come.

You can't really be this stupid.

Pastorio

wrote:

"LOL Perhaps you missed the fact that we're in an undeclared war -
that means it's not "peacetime." It was in all the newspapers and I think I
saw it on tv. The president did federalize the best of the guard so
they could go overseas to protect Halliburton's future. I'm sure you were
having your small brain dry-cleaned that day and missed it. "

Yes, sure I figured Iraq was coming next. Try to pay attention, Bob.
Louisiana is not part of Iraq and it is not at war.

True but meaningless. The administration took the best of the Louisiana
guard and its equipment far, far away. So they can't help. And their
trucks and tents and training are useless for the people back home.

For a state
emergency, under law, the GOVERNOR of the state mobilizes the national
guard.

The governor mobilized *what's left* of the national guard. There was
less than 60% of the guard available and the best units were in Iraq.
With the best equipment, including machines capable of operating in water.

Even when the governor says to mobilize, the guard is still answerable
to its chain of command. Do note that the name isn't "State Guard" -
it's "National Guard."

There are Constitutional issues here, that apparently you don't
understand. Little things like a President trying to assert control
over rights reserved for the states.

The president can declare a state of emergency and federalize the guard
with no consultation with anyone. It's his authority that sent them to
Iraq. The rights for national guard usage are the states' as long as the
president lets them be.

Let's see exactly when the
Governor of Louisiana issued the order to mobilize the National Guard.
Did she do it before the Cat 5 hurricane hit or after the looting had
started?

Can it be that you don't know?

Straw men, Bozo. She called them up on the Thursday before the storm
hit. But since they lack equipment because so much of it is in Iraq,
there wasn't much rapid deployment possible. Or do you think the
soldiers drive their own cars to their destinations? Maybe take buses or
taxis?

But, why bother, it's all Bush's fault, right?

Nope. Not all or even most. But it is his fault that he went to play in
California while the Gulf Coast was being smashed by the storm that
everyone - including him - knew to be the worst in American history. He
let the bureaucracy do what they do best. Not much. Instead of cutting
through all the bull**** and making stuff happen. He waited and then was
critical of what was going on. Like he wasn't where the buck is supposed
to stop.

Pastorio

On Sun, 04 Sep 2005 11:46:22 -0400, Bob (this one) wrote:



So forget New Orleans. Talk about Alabama where buildings were simply
blown away and washed away and farms are utterly destroyed. And help is
just now getting there. No water to wade through. No looters to capture
while others starve and die from dehydration. Why so slow there?

Bob I live in Fairhope Alabama, across the bay from Mobile.
I personally was blessed in that I have relatively little damage and
was only without power for two days.

The Alabama National Guard was in the affected coastal area within one
day of the storm hitting. They are passing out water and food to those
who need it.

The evening of the storm, my self and my neighbors were out in the
street, with chain saws, clearing the street. We checked on other
neighbors to see if they were safe. Those in the more rural areas did
the same, the farmers came out with their tractors, and used them to
clear roads.
I have heard of roving bands of area young people with chain saw
removing trees from roofs, of those who could not help themselves.
There was no looting, raping nor murder during this period.

Its call neighbor help neighbor.

By local planing, forethought by local politicians, we will survive
this. And I think it was very nice of the President to stop by for a
visit, but If he could get out of the way, we have work to do.



Pan Ohco