Placing the Blame

[DRZinn]

MULLINGS
®
An American Cyber-Column
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It's All My Fault

Rich Galen

Friday September 2, 2005

[NOTE: This is an additional MULLINGS for Friday, Sept. 2. To see the orginal column click on this link: The Armies of Compassion]

Let me make this clear: Everything which has happened as the result of Hurricane Katrina is my fault. Mine. Alone. No one else's. Stop wasting energy pointing fingers and put your hands to work helping out. It was me. Got it?

I was a United States Senator from Louisiana in 2001 when the levee at Lake Pontchartrain was declared unsafe and I didn't have enough clout with my Senatorial brethren to get sufficient money appropriated to fix it. It was my fault.

Notwithstanding my failure on that front, according to wire services:
"In a telephone interview with reporters, corps officials said that … the levees near Lake Pontchartrain that gave way … were completed and in good condition before the hurricane.
"However, they noted that the levees were designed for a Category 3 hurricane and couldn't handle the ferocious winds and raging waters from Hurricane Katrina, a Category 4 storm when it hit the coastline. The decision to build levees for a Category 3 hurricane was made based on a cost-benefit analysis in the 1960s. "


Oh. I almost forgot. I was the Commander-in-Chief of all United States Armed Forces in the 1960s which includes the Corps of Engineers. The cost-benefit analysis? My fault.

It is my fault that, as the Governor of Louisiana, I didn't foresee the need to have enough Louisiana National Guard troops - the vast majority of whom are NOT currently in Iraq, or Afghanistan or, for that matter, Indiana - pre-positioned and ready to preserve order.

I, frankly, forgot that there is a portion of the population which will steal anything from anyone given any opportunity and then will blame it on me because I didn't - in spite of ample warnings by sociologists from large Eastern Universities - foresee the need to have 27" flat-screen television sets available to every family in the New Orleans city limits as soon as the electricity went out. That one WAS my bad.

It is my fault that, as Mayor of New Orleans, I was boogying down Bourbon Street the night before the hurricane hit rather than being where I should have been - on the roof of the Superdome pounding in extra nails to hold the roof on.

As the architect of the Superdome, it was my fault for claiming that the Dome could survive 200 mile-per-hour winds. It couldn't even handle a relatively gentle160 mile-per-hour zephyr. Strap me to my drafting table and set me adrift.

Global warming? My fault. Despite the fact that nearly every serious climatologist in America has stated over and over again that there is no clear evidence tying human-generated greenhouse gasses to global warming, and even if there were, there is no evidence tying global warming to hurricanes in the Atlantic basin, I was opposed to the Kyoto treaty and so it is my fault.

It is also my fault that during the administration of Bill Clinton the US Senate rejected the terms of the Kyoto protocols by a vote of 95-0. That would be zero, zilch, nada, nil, bupkis.

As the Grand Poohbah in Charge of all TV Coverage, it is my fault that there is constant video of looters and almost none of humanitarian activities. I am the person who issued the statement: "No more rescue footage UNLESS the person rescued complains about how long they had to wait or, if he shoots at the rescuers."

And, finally, as Chairman of the National Association of Gasoline Producers it is my fault that I had the bad judgment to put so much of my drilling, refining and transportation assets in a hurricane-prone area like the Caribbean basin. What…was…I…thinking?

If I could re-do that whole thing, I would have put all that equipment in Lake Erie and Lake Michigan. There may not be any oil there, but hurricanes are very rare.

So. There you have it. Everything that has happened is my fault.

Now. Shut up and help.

-- END --

Copyright ©2005 Richard A. Galen

 

[MDG1976]

I'm glad you finally 'fessed up.

 

[Henry Bowman]

Don't stop there. There are lots more thing that are also your fault.

 

[Coronach]

The sad part is, there is a lot of blame to go around.

1. Those who stayed behind. Why? If you were able to leave (not all were) and you chose to stay, enough of this "save me" nonsense. OK? Thanks. You knew what you were getting into when you heard "Category 5" and had to look up to see the ocean. Just becuase you didn't believe it would happen doesn't mean it couldn't. Well, buckle down. It's gonna be a while. They will get to you when they can.

2. Everyone in New Orleans. People, you lived in tomb (should a storm come along) for years. And you knew it. Or should have. No politician (left, right, middle) made much headway in getting a comprehensive, adequate renovation of your levees and floodwalls and pumping systems funded and underway. Why not? Because you didn't make them. Oh, they were hoping for federal funding? Sorry. At the end of the day it's still your town that's 12 feet underwater. Your responsibility.

3. Everyone else. We knew that NOLA was doomed if it got tagged. We didn't exactly put pressure on the Feds, the LA or the NO gov't to fix the problem, either. Well, we're all paying for it, one way or another.

Mike

 

[Aguila Blanca]

I'm actually somewhat on the fence about this, but I nonetheless find it ironic that even those who scream the Federal government is too big and that the original intention of the United States of America was to delegate most powers, duties and authority to the individual states are now moaning that, since the State of Lousiana was obviously both unprepared for this and also under-resourced for it no matter how hard they might have tired, it's now all the fault of the Federal government.

That same Federal government we all say shouldn't be meddling in state affairs.

 

[scout26]

Just ask my wife, she'll tell you who's to blame for everything.....










And it sure ain't Rich Galen.

 

[rangeruger]

That same Federal government we all say shouldn't be meddling in state affairs.

I'm with you on that!

 

[Coronach]

it's now all the fault of the Federal government.

Hawkmoon, I'm generally with you on this, and don't misconstrue my wording to say that the levee system around NOLA should have been federalized. All I'm saying is that no one, at any level, was putting any thought into making NOLA stormproof. And now we will all pay for it, either directly (taxes) or indirectly (giant sucking sound in the economy). That is, however, a dangerous path to tread. "Well, if something bad happened, we could all suffer, so you must do X by federal mandate."

But, as wonderful as the Feds are about handing out money with strings attached, you'd think if they were really concerned, they could hand it out for "free", with no concessions of power, authority, or states rights involved. Still, it was their city. Their fault.

Mike

 

[Aguila Blanca]

Actually, the reason I'm on the fence is that I think the Feds should stay out of state affairs. But I also recognize that New Orleans is a MAJOR port of entry for the entire U.S. and thus "interstate commerce" very much comes into the picture. Also, the Mississippi River is (duh) an interstate waterway and thus falls under the purview of the Coast Guard and the Army Corps or Engineers.

But all those conflicting thoughts aside, I am left shaking my head in wonderment at the absolute folly of building a major city with 75% or more of it MANY feet below sea level, on a coastline known to be in "hurricane alley."

How many ways are there to spell S-T-U-P-I-D?

 

[Old NFO]

the State of Lousiana was obviously both unprepared for this and also under-resourced for it no matter how hard they might have tired, it's now all the fault of the Federal government.

You hit the nail on the head Hawkmoon- Not only was there not adequate pre-planning by the NOLA city management (ensuring a viable EOC/TOC, no emergency evac plans, no continuity plans, no medical support plans), the Governor did not ask for Federal help (as required by law) after the declaration of emergency (nor did she ask for Federalization of forces) prior to the disaster. She also never declared Martial Law to give the NG adequate powers to deal with the situation. Also, she only mobilized 5000 guard and 1000 troopers, not nearly enough! And it also appears there was NO mobilization of ANY mash units or requests for assistance from any ajoining states.

I lived through Camille down there, we left August 15th ahead of the storm when the reports pretty much indicated the area was going to get hit. The people that didn't leave had the opportunity and chose not to go, of course NOW they are blaming the Gov't et al for not carrying them out... :banghead:

My cousin was a Col. in the NG at the time. He was mobilized three days ahead, sitting in the armory, and they rolled before the storm had finished moving through. They IMMEDIATELY took control of the city and held it.

If you compare the performance of Louisiana to the Mississippi response, there is a significant difference in actions, attitudes and responses by both the governments, the respective National Guards and the people. I can only admire the Miss. folks who took the direct hit and are coming back already.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Naaagh! It was all Bush's fault.

 

[El Rojo]

Someone on the news just made a brilliant point (an interviewee, obviously not a newscaster). They said the feds have largely been absent, but private organizations were there from the get go and have been the most help so far.

Prior to Roosevelt’s welfare state, that was the state of the nation. The feds didn't tax us out the wazzoo and private, charitable organizations took care of our citizen's needs. Now we expect the feds to take care of us. And like any good bureaucracy, they are inefficient and wasteful. How nice would it be if the feds stopped taxing us as much as they do so we could all afford to give more money to the charitable organizations that do such a good job of providing help and relief?

The sad part is only a few good liberty minded citizens are going to get this. The rest of America is going to wonder why the feds failed and try to give them more power and money so they can fail again in the future. They won't make the obvious connection that a large bureaucracy such as the federal government is going to be slow and wasteful. Yet organizations like the Red Cross and Salvation Army have no problems mobilizing and providing immediate aid because they are the true reflection of a free society.

Being a high school teacher who has to teach current events next week, I think we just might start with this topic. The nice thing about being a high school teacher at a continuation high school, no one cares what I teach, so this exact point I just made will be in the curriculum. They get my conservative agenda and I sleep just fine at night knowing that I have no problems teaching them right from wrong. They still get to make the choice, but I sure am going to influence them our way.

I even had a conservative teacher tell me today that she thinks Bush should stay out of the area because it just stops the real aide work. She isn't too politically bright. It might slow down some efforts because the security and the hype, but any politician or political minded citizen knows if Bush doesn't make an appearence, he will suffer more at the hands of those people who critisize him for not coming down for himself. Some people just don't understand politics too much, but they sure act like they do.

 

[SIGarmed]

I'm saving this for another thead.

 

[afasano]

George Bush whipped up this storm at the GOP secret lab so he could distract everyone and rush through some pro-life and pro-gun judges.

 

[magsnubby]

Ahh yes the infamous "Where's the guv'ment? Why ain't they here helpin' us"? cry. Why is it always the same people that lambaste the government at every opportunity while anxiously awaiting the arrival of their welfare checks always the ones that scream the loudest? I realize some like the elderly and disabled couldn't evacuate. But what about all the able bodied people you see screaming "Where's the guv'ment"? No car? No problem. Walk your lazy ass out of there. The had ample warning. They had ample time to evacuate.

People on this board and others do the same thing. They preach the guv'ment is corrupt, they can't protect you, they want to disarm you, they just want to keep you down and on welfare. When a natural disaster hits they're the ones standing in the streets screaming "Where's the guv'ment? Why ain't they here helpin' us"? People better wake up and realize it's not the governments job to protect you. They can't protect you.

I have realitives in Pikayun Ms. and Slidell,La. that were affected by the storm. One cousin was lucky. No damage to his home just some downed trees. His parents and sister can't get to their homes because of downed trees. They don't know if their houses are still standing or what condition they are in. One cousin's husband is a firefighter in NO. He evacuated his family and reported for duty. As of late yesterday there was still no word from him.

It wasn't just the poor people in NO that was affected by the storm. Thousand of other people were, and still are, deeply affected by it.

 

[JohnBT]

"I nonetheless find it ironic that even those who scream the Federal government is too big and that the original intention of the United States of America was to delegate most powers, duties and authority to the individual states are now moaning that, since the State of Lousiana was obviously both unprepared for this and also under-resourced for it no matter how hard they might have tired, it's now all the fault of the Federal government."

I'm beyond finding it ironic, I'm infuriated with that kind of mush-minded thinking.

John

 

[cracked butt]

I build my house on a flood plain.

The so-called 100 year storm hits.

My house washes away.

Whaaaa! Why didn't The federal government build some dams/levees, drainage to save my house?


:banghead:

 

[GT]

+1 snubby... and john... er.. and butt

G

 

[magsnubby]

Just got an update earlier today. My cousin's husband made it through okay.

 

[riverdog]

I know whose fault it was and the CIA's out to get him

Really, the state and city had an Evacuation Plan that looks like a good document, if the mayor of NO and governor of LA had bothered to read it. They didn't follow the plan. Buses sat idle during and after the mandatory evacuation order was issued. Now those buses are useless.