P.S. I would like to know the real story, BTW.
There is a lot to tell about Katrina, and frankly when everything comes out in the laundry a lot of folks will look really, really bad.
Just a sample..
Federal levelThe Feds assumed, as it turns out in a tragically incorrect way, that substantial local infrastructure in terms of communications, and "social order" (police, etc) would always be there. They were utterly unprepared for the breaddown of social order, the lack of communications. When the looters started shooting at the helicopters and the Red Cross, the Feds had literally had never thought about what to do, and didn't do anything for 36 hours or so....
The Feds got into what can only be discribed as a petty turf war with the Governor of Louisiana over issues that seem pretty trivial as in who would directly control National Guard units, etc... - There is not enough evidence to say definitively who is to blame on this one, but when the water recedes and this thing gets investigated, this is the rotten fish that will really stink up the joint.
State levelBlanko seemed to want to control everything - she actually specifically refusedd to let the Red CRoss in after only 24 hours because she felt logistics were not in place... Um.. It's the Red Cross... I think you give them the benefit of the doubt and let them in...
The Governor of Louisiana got into what can only be discribed as a petty turnfwar with FEMA over issues that seem pretty trivial - To early to lay the blame here, but it REALLY stinks one way or the other...
Local levelMore the 600 buses under direct municipal control/access (350 from the City, hundred more from the schools) of the City were simply never deployed to help the poor get out.. Not only was this in violation of simple common sense, but also in direct violation of the City's own evacuation plans.... yikes...
Something is really deeply wrong with the New Orleans police department when basically a 1/3rd of the force went AWOL when needed most.
In a time of war if 2 soldiers go AWOL, you Court Marshall those two soldiers... if a third of the unit abandons their posts, you Court Marshal the General in charge... The screening, hiring, training, etc in the NOPD really needs a hard look...
Louisiana's Congressional DelegationThere have been $Billions of earmarked pork over the years to do everything from dredge canals for non-existant barge traffic to tourist attractions nobody goes to. - while relatively little went to shore up the Levys.
Pork barrel over common sense to a lethal degree....
