Katie Doyle, Girl About Town

Saturday, Sept. 03, 2005 - 9:31 p.m.

My view of this country has drastically skewed, post-Katrina.

I also never want to hear the word "disconnect" again. It's a disconnect when I tell you I'll meet you for dinner at 8 and then fail to show up until 8:30 because I felt like window shopping first. It's a disconnect when a guy sitting across from me wipes his mouth on his sleeve at a black tie dinner. When George Bush continues his vacation for 2 full days while hundreds or thousands of people die, and the federal government can't be bothered to react to what it is itself calling the worst natural disaster in the history of America, that is not a disconnect. That is the federal government telling all of us it does *not care*.

How long before people finally get that?

Federal Emergency ManagementAgency
I used to think FEMA knew what the fuck it was doing and could be depended on. That was before they sat on their hands for 5 fucking days and watched people die. It was also before I discovered that FEMA Director (and Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response) Michael Brown had absolutely zero experience that in any way prepared or suited him for his job. Prior to becoming FEMA's director, he was its legal counsel. When is the last time you met a lawyer who was capable of handling disaster on a mass scale?

But that's not the best part. Know what Mr. Brown did before becoming FEMA's legal counsel? What - besides lawyering, of course - he did for a living?

He raised Arabian thoroughbreds.

No shit. I couldn't make something like that up. I mean, I could, but I'd have to be seriously frigging deranged.

The man in charge of the nation's sole natural disaster preparedness and relief program, the agency in charge of coordinating relief efforts on a massive scale after an entire region is wiped out or off the map, raised horses. Actually, what he did was serve as Judges and Stewards Commissioner for the (now-defunct) International Arabian Horse Association. And was fired. Or rather, euphemistically asked to resign for financially ruining the organization. Either way, I suppose it's entirely possible the man has never even been near a horse. This is, after all, Washington. One needn't actually know anything about horses to work for them. Or, you know, disaster preparedness.

Somehow that whole horse thing didn't make it into his FEMA bio, which makes him sound fairly disaster-ready. I wonder why?

If you really want to know how incredibly fucked up FEMA is these days, and believe me, I totally get it if you don't, read the New York Times article, Leader of Federal Effort Feels the Heat, detailing the change in FEMA leadership and attitude since Bush took office and placed it under the umbrella of DHS. If that link stops working, email and ask me to mail you a copy of the article. I would be happy to, because I think it's really important this mess be straightened out. The American public needs an agency it can depend on to move in and provide aid when something big like this happens. There's a reason Jimmy Carter created FEMA in 1979, and we really need to address what has gone wrong with it since, in order to avoid another replay of the current scandal. And yes, it is a scandal.

Homeland "Security"
I used to have no real feelings about Michael Chertoff, one way or the other. I figured whatever else, the man must be reasonably capable of handling disasters and law enforcement, or he would not be head of the one agency in the country designated specifically for co-ordinating the efforts of law enforcement and disaster response.

That was before the man told Robert Siegel in an interview on NPR four days into the nightmare New Orleans had become, that the thousands of people gathered at the New Orleans Convention Center were only a rumour and hearsay, and that we really shouldn't pay any attention to stuff like that. Dude, it was a designated shelter. There were upwards of 20,000 people there. They were plastered across the television screen every 5 minutes on CNN. Jesus God, does the man not know how to turn on a fucking television? How is it that television reporters were there interviewing them, there were mass arial shots of the throng swelling the streets outside the convention center, any person who had turned on a tv set knew they were there, but Michael fucking Chertoff can call them a "rumour"? When pressed by Mr. Siegel, Chertoff said "I have not heard a report of thousands of people in the convention center who don't have food or water."

Holy God. This is the guy responsible for "protecting" us from a terrorist attack and for responding to it after it happens. If he can't get his shit together for a disaster he had 3 - 5 days to prepare for, how the hell is he going to cope with something unexpected? Say, a very large explosion (or series of explosions) in a large metropolitan city? He also refuses to believe looting, raping or gunfire has occurred, calling such reports erroneous and hearsay.

We are so utterly fucked.

(I am not exaggerating in the slightest when I tell you that as soon as I am working again, I'm going to spend a good $500 on a sizable disaster kit. My old earthquake kit lapsed and needs to be replenished, and man, am I going to build that baby up with enough food and water to last 3 weeks, not 3 measley days.)

Random Bits of WTF
The dumbfounded shocks just don't stop coming. The Red Cross has actually been banned from entering New Orleans. And in case you think I'm making that up or got it off of some harebrained left-wing conspiracist blog, you can read it with your very own eyes, on the Red Cross' own website.

WOW. Geraldo Rivera and Shepard Smith are so fired. Video at Crooks & Liars.

Who knew Geraldo had a soul and could genuinely feel? I thought he sold it to the devil for ratings 20 years ago. And Shep Smith looks like he wants to hurt somebody if he doesn't see some results real frickin' quick. I didn't even know there were hundreds of people on the interstate just above the convention center. I'd seen still photos that mentioned the people in them were under an overpass near the convention center, but I had no idea there were people sitting high and dry on an interstate who also weren't being provided food and water, despite the many vehicles driving past them all day long every day. I just found out today that people who tried to leave were being turned back and ordered back into the city, even if they were trying to get medication for people inside. I got that from CNN *and* a friend of mine who called to vent because she has a friend there who is in dire need of his insulin, and when his roommates tried to go get him some, they were ordered back, no ifs, ands or buts allowed. I can't imagine what it must be like to go without something as fundamentally necessary as insulin for 6 days. To quote Geraldo (and lap it up, coz it will *never* happen again), "What the hell???"

The entire time Bush was in the devastated area on Friday, all relief helicopter flights were grounded. Three tons of ready-to-go food alone sat on the ground and baked in the sun on the Crescent City Connection bridge, and stayed there until Bush left the area Friday night. That particular food had been arranged for by U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-Napoleonville, and state Agriculture Commissioner Bob Odom, who co-ordinated and gathered donations and delivery on their own. They were, needless to say, very unhappy when the military grounded flights at the last minute for the president's visit. I'm sure people who still need help are just so happy the president is returning again on Monday.

Members of the administration and Republican party continue to slyly blame state and local governments for the slow response to the disaster. I have also heard them blame the victims for staying. It's enough to warm the cockles of my heart.

Lousiana authorities requested Vancouver Urban Search and Rescue send a team to help in the search for victims and bodies. The 45-person team has badly-needed experience, having provided tsunami aid, and is equipped to provide emergency room doctors, building engineers and swift water rescue personnel. They are ideal, and British Columbia was only too happy to send the team, but when Canada contacted the US, Department of Homeland Security told them no and the flight was grounded. In point of fact, this government has turned down aid from several other countries, as well, telling them "The United States Government is not yet requesting international assistance at this time." Kursk, anyone?

Never an administration to let a chance for propaganda pass it by, Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez has posted a message to all Commerce employees that they'd really better be present for the Bush's little Freedom March on September 11. And that they have to sign up by name to attend. Yeah. No pressure there.

Also in his interview on All Things Considered, Michael Chertoff blamed the "limiting factor" of response in New Orleans on the "double catastrophe" of a hurricane and flooding. Which begs the question what the hell does he think happens when a hurricane hits a coastal flood plain? Or, you know, a *bowl* in the ground.

My favorite Chertoff quote thus far has been this, also from Day 4: "The limitation here on getting food and water to people is the condition on the ground. As soon as we can physically move through the ground with these assets, we're going to do that." Michael, they're called boats. They float. You put things - or, I don't know, people - in them and then actually travel on top of the water. I also love how the news crews could get in and the state and local authorities were able to use plain old normal yellow school busses to move people out of the Superdome, but somehow the federally-controlled military vehicles were utterly crippled by the raging flood waters they used as the excuse for not being able to move supplies in. Riiiiiight.

Of course, Mike Brown of FEMA blamed the looters and "snipers" for the reason the relief effort could not be carried out, but according to Chertoff, there were no looters or snipers, and "more than adequate law enforcement presence in New Orleans." Those two guys really should talk to each other more often.

Chertoff did complain to CNN's Soledad O'Brien that one of the biggest problems with co-ordination is that the cell phones the relief officials are using for communications have failed.

No shit, Sherlock. The area was hit by a Cat4 HURRICANE. What part of cell phone towers need to be standing and functional don't you get about how cell phones work??? Have you guys ever heard of radios??? Satellite communications??? Even *I* know what satcom is, and I'm just a frigging girl who lives in LA and drives a damned Honda with no air conditioning. For the love of all that is holy, you went in with nothing more than cell phones? Idiots are running the country. This can not be said forcefully or often enough.

Michael Brown is touting his boss' claim of ignorance about the people at the convention center. I was watching CNN and was so flabbergasted by the quote that I actually backed up to hear it again and then wrote it down. With a completely straight face, the director of FEMA actually told Paula Zahn on Thursday night: "The federal government did not even know about the convention center people until today." Again I say, "holy God." And note that they might have discovered them Thursday, which is laughable at best and terrifyingly inept otherwise, but they didn't get them food, water, or attention until Friday...the same day the Moron in the White House praised Mr. Brown for his response to the disaster.

I have to love Bush after his tour on Friday, surrounded by relief helicopters and Guardsmen at attention, declaring "I'm satisfied with the response. I'm not satisfied with all the results." What fucking response, Dude? You shouldn't be satisfied with ANY of the results. That is, of course, assuming you can actually say there are been results stemming from government action. Then again, Bush also said this after his tour: "We got a lot of rebuilding to do. The good news is � and it�s hard for some to see it now � but out of this chaos is going to come a fantastic Gulf Coast. Out of the rubbles of Trent Lott�s house � the guy lost his entire house � there�s going to be a fantastic house. I look forward to sitting on the porch."

Yeah. "Disconnect."

I've never really liked Anderson Cooper. He really comes across as rather priggish, with all the depth of about 3 layers of dermis. But I have to say he lost it in fine form on 360 this week, interviewing Mary Landrieu, who must surely be the most useless politician EVER, and that's saying something, especially considering I come from Dallas, where John Wiley Price was a self-annoited king for quite some time in my adult life. That's twice Anderson has made me like him now. If I'm not careful, he might win me over. If the videolink gives you trouble, which it may, seein' as poor C&L is getting mauled for it, the transcript can be found on Think Progress. It's also in the CNN transcript for 360 on Sept. 1, the link to which I seem to have misplaced, and since I have over a dozen windows open right now, don't want to look for. Sorry. I can only do so much. I really recommend the video, anyway. Cooper stutters all over himself, he's so not happy. I guess watching rats munch down on a bloated body lying on the sidewalk in suburban America while politicians hem and haw and make excuses without actually doing anything will do that to ya.

I find it interesting that once FEMA finally got its ass in gear, the first thing it really did was lock down the city so that reporters could no longer get in to show the survivers. As of 10am Friday morning, the feds had "shut down" the city and reporters had to have police escort or they were not allowed in.

I can't fucking believe they loaded 700 Hyatt hotel guests and employees on busses, drove them over to the Superdome (or the CC, I forget which now), put them at the head of the line, and got them out on the next transport, ahead of the people who had been suffering at the Superdome for days. In case you don't know it, the people at the Hyatt had had food and water and were clean and dry. Explain that craziness to me. If you can do it, you are seriously lacking in something fundamental in your psychological makeup.

Apparently, though FEMA can't be bothered to come and get you itself during a state of emergency, it also objects to you getting out under your own power. When guests and employees at the NO Marriott and nearby Ritz-Carlton pooled their money and chartered motorcoaches to come and get them, FEMA stopped the vehicles on the way out of New Orleans with some of the survivers, commandeered at least one of the busses, and prevented the arrival of any more, despite the hotel having run out of rations.

Some people seem to think that because you stayed at a Marriot hotel, you are "rich". If that is the kind of blindly judgmental conclusion being leapt to by the people of this country, it's no wonder anyone who disagrees with Bush and has a college education and sizable vocabulary gets labelled a liberal elitist snob.

I wonder how badly it freaked Mike Myers out when Kanye West went off book? (video link on the upper right of that page)

It's a good thing the US isn't so far accepting international help for the disaster victims, since presumably the person co-ordinating that would be Condoleezza Rice. In fact, several media outlets have reported she is "coordinating offers of help from more than 60 nations." They all say that exact quote. I think that's a neat trick for Ms. Rice to manage, since until some point in the day today, she was in New York, taking in a Broadway Show (the Monty Python lollapalooza "Spamalot", where she was booed by theatre goers), hitting the showrooms on 7th Avenue (fall is just around the corner, you know), playing tennis (practicing her backhand?) with Monica Seles, and shoe shopping like Imelda Marcos at Ferragamo on 5th Ave. I guess she found an hour or two to sort thru emails between her NY vacation and leaving for Alabama, where she will attend church tomorrow. I have to love the Ferragamo patron who, appalled by a seeming lack of attention (or concern) regarding the disaster in Nawlins, saw fit to scold La Rice for shoe shopping while others were dying. Until, that is, someone (Secret Service?) had the woman removed from the store. Who says the wealthy don't have sole--er, souls?

And as a sidenote, you know, I realize the people in Washington are people too. And that people shop and play tennis and go on vacation, and are entitled to do so. Just not generally while the country and people entrusted to their care go to hell in a handbasket. Honestly ask yourself what you'd think of the CEO of a company who sat on a beach and wandered through the shops in Barbados while nearly 700 of his employees slowly dropped dead over the course of a week, from heat exhaustion, dehydration, or having been cut off from their medication because oh, maybe someone flew a jet into their building. How about another world leader who sat on vacation while his people starved and the rest of the world was clamoring just let us help? I think if you're truly honest with yourself, you have to say there's a seriously fucked up little "disconnect" involved there. How severe a disconnect, and how you think it should be dealt with probably depends on the degree of compassion with which you view the world. For me, it's a pretty frigging huge disconnect, and one which I think adequately showcases either the terrifying ineptitude of this administration or its chilling disregard for the welfare and well-being of the people of this country. Either way, these people should not be in office, and I don't think that could be any more clear than it should be to every common citizen of this country now.

Peace out,
Katie

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