Let's Play Katrina, The Blaming Game

The accusations of failure and deliction of duty on behalf of the federal government that are oozing out of the goo left by Katrina would be hilarious if not for the fact that too many people are not checking the facts and are believing them. There have been many articles in the media dealing with the proper order of responsibility and the dismal failures on the local level. The article,

The Left's False Assault on President Bush by Peter Ferrara, Posted Sep 8, 2005 in Human Events is the most concise to date dealing with the actual facts.

Mr. Ferrara makes several important points,

1. The federal government is not the first responder
2. FEMA is a financial institution and has no law enforcement authority or personel
3. The resources of FEMA are designed to restore the communities after the fact
4. The National Guard are not under the direction of the President, but the Govenor
5. It is illegal for federal troops to be used against United States Citizens.

These restrictions were set in place to protect the rights of the citizens from being trampled by a dictator minded President. It is ironic that the very people that have complained that President Bush is taking away our freedoms, liberties and setting up a dictatorship, complained when he did not take control and overpower the State and Local officials.

When we understand the way the country is supposed to be run, it is easy to see that the failures to protect and preserve the people of New Orleans lies directly in the laps of the Mayor first, and then the Govenor. I am also amazed that Mayor Nagin and Govenor Blanco are the only ones that are screaming that they were abandoned. Why aren't the Govenors and Mayors of Mississippi and Alabama making the same statements? They have expressed a desire for aid to have come sooner, but they are not blaming the problems they have on President Bush. They are digging in and fixing the mess themselves.

There was little that could have been done to avert the havoc that Katrina unleashed on the city. We do not have the ability to build strong enough to withstand the intense winds and tidal surges that came with this storm. We didn't even know what 145 mph winds would do to the buildings. The tragedy here is the mismanagement of resources, the failure to learn from previous experiences and the paltry partisan politics on the part of the local officials that costs the lives of hundreds of people in New Orleans. If these people are not held accountable for involuntary manslaughter, they should at least be booted from office. If the citizens of Louisiana are unwilling to do this, then they will have made their own bed and will have to sleep in it.