...or is FEMA in serious need of emergency management?

You would have thought that the Bush administration might have learned something/anything from that little rainstorm in New Orleans in Aug. 2005. The disaster photos from Louisiana and Mississippi, the deaths of 1,800 people, the trailers that never arrived, the attempt to prevent black people from crossing the Crescent City Connection by the Gretna, Louisiana police, all should have caused a serious reevaluation of how federal agencies respond to a disaster. Dream on, children.



Last week, Southern California lived through the worst series of fires in recent memory. 500,000 people were evacuated and 17 people died. Almost 800 square miles of forests and neighborhoods were scorched. Once again the Bush administration leapt into action. This time George's plane actually landed near the disaster site (as opposed to the fly-over in New Orleans). The President was quick to offer support although he stopped short of, "Arnold, you're doing a heck of a job".



The President might have complimented his current administrator of FEMA but he can be forgiven for not knowing his name. Who does? Actually it's R. David Paulison who, interestingly enough, is a career firefighter.



FEMA rushed in and immediately sprung to action... by holding a bogus press conference. Taking a page from the White House Communications Office playbook, FEMA announced a press conference at its Southwest Washington, D.C. headquarters about 15 minutes before it was to begin, making it unlikely that reporters could attend. They set up a telephone conference line so real reporters could listen (but not ask questions). The actual press conference was peopled with shills from FEMA who proceeded to ask softball questions designed to highlight FEMA's jackrabbit response to the California disaster. Naturally, none of the questioners were identified as FEMA employees.This sham was presided over by Vice Admiral Harvey E. Johnson, deputy administrator at FEMA. Having been outed, the Admiral has apologized. Presumably he's sorry he got caught.



And so we continue to live under the most inept, tone-deaf, duplicitous gang of administrators since The Gang Who Couldn't Shoot Straight. They lied about Saddam, they lie about the death toll in Iraq (if you're shot in the chest, you're not a war casualty), they ignored the victims of Katrina and they refuse to listen to the deafening shouts of Americans to bring the troops home. I guess it's tough to hear anything over the applause from your own employees. George, you're doing a heck of a (snow)job.