It was the responsibility of the federal government to help New Orleans reinforce those levees, since the city of New Orleans certainly couldn't afford it.

 

I really would like an explanation as to why it took so long for the National Guard to get into Louisiana (about 4 days after the storm).

It was the responsibility of the federal government to help New Orleans reinforce those levees, since the city of New Orleans certainly couldn't afford it.

 

I really would like an explanation as to why it took so long for the National Guard to get into Louisiana (about 4 days after the storm).

926672[/snapback]

 

So does everyone else.

Stop attacking everyone who criticizes Bush by insulting liberals. Newt Gingrich was critical of Bush too. He is a huge liberal.

It was the responsibility of the federal government to help New Orleans reinforce those levees, since the city of New Orleans certainly couldn't afford it.

 

I really would like an explanation as to why it took so long for the National Guard to get into Louisiana (about 4 days after the storm).

926672[/snapback]

 

 

why was the national guard ready to go in mississippi before the storm hit land?

 

 

oh ya cause mississippi has a clue and made preparations.

Stop attacking everyone who criticizes Bush by insulting liberals. Newt Gingrich was critical of Bush too. He is a huge liberal.

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Do you know what exactly he said about Bush?

 

I've been trying to find his comments on google news, but the extent of the finger-pointing I can get is this:

 

Even Republicans were criticizing Bush and his administration for the sluggish relief effort. ?I think it puts into question all of the Homeland Security and Northern Command planning for the last four years, because if we can?t respond faster than this to an event we saw coming across the Gulf for days, then why do we think we?re prepared to respond to a nuclear or biological attack?? said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

 

He urged Bush to name former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani as the White House point person for relief efforts. ?We need to get the job done now, and I don?t think anybody is better prepared to do that psychologically and otherwise than Rudy Giuliani,? Gingrich told The Associated Press.

which is akin to the interpretation-injected "Bush admits fault" headlines. Certainly the criticism of the federal government is there, but I think I'm missing the whole, "see, republicans think Bush = teh evil, too; it's not just the kool-aid talking," argument.

 

I've been watching TV for the past four hours and I still can't intelligently discern if the president dropped the ball in his response to the hurricane. About the only thing that's obvious is that help didn't come quick enough and those people responsible for planning--at least in LA--really didn't do a very good job.

Stop attacking everyone who criticizes Bush by insulting liberals. Newt Gingrich was critical of Bush too. He is a huge liberal.

926935[/snapback]

Do you know what exactly he said about Bush?

 

I've been trying to find his comments on google news, but the extent of the finger-pointing I can get is this:

 

Even Republicans were criticizing Bush and his administration for the sluggish relief effort. ?I think it puts into question all of the Homeland Security and Northern Command planning for the last four years, because if we can?t respond faster than this to an event we saw coming across the Gulf for days, then why do we think we?re prepared to respond to a nuclear or biological attack?? said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

 

He urged Bush to name former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani as the White House point person for relief efforts. ?We need to get the job done now, and I don?t think anybody is better prepared to do that psychologically and otherwise than Rudy Giuliani,? Gingrich told The Associated Press.

which is akin to the interpretation-injected "Bush admits fault" headlines. Certainly the criticism of the federal government is there, but I think I'm missing the whole, "see, republicans think Bush = teh evil, too; it's not just the kool-aid talking," argument.

 

I've been watching TV for the past four hours and I still can't intelligently discern if the president dropped the ball in his response to the hurricane. About the only thing that's obvious is that help didn't come quick enough and those people responsible for planning--at least in LA--really didn't do a very good job.

927140[/snapback]

 

 

I just saw the headline on a political wire. It just irritates me that anytime someone does something people dont like(here criticizing Bush, perhaps falsely and early), they get labeled as liberal, usually as an insult. Whatever. Bash away at liberals all you want if thats your desire.

WWRD

 

What would Rudy do?

OMG, AMERICA IS SO STUPID. You can't blame the president for everything. The people should have evacuated like they were told. It isn't Bush's fault that people care more about not getting their TV's looted than saving their own lives.

 

I swear that some day people will blame the president if the Yankees win 3 World Series in a row.

It was the responsibility of the federal government to help New Orleans reinforce those levees, since the city of New Orleans certainly couldn't afford it.

 

I really would like an explanation as to why it took so long for the National Guard to get into Louisiana (about 4 days after the storm).

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Louisiana must have a crappy governor because the Louisiana National Guard was already in the state.

The people should have evacuated like they were told.

 

You make it sound so easy and simple. If only life was this simple.

 

Louisiana must have a crappy governor because the Louisiana National Guard was already in the state.

 

No, its an extremely poor state that had very limited resources. These are Americans for goodness sake. I cant believe anyone outside of this state would tell their fellow Americans that its their own problem and the federal entity is not responsible. Its good to see that people who are proud to be Americans are only proud to a certain extent.

The people should have evacuated like they were told.

 

You make it sound so easy and simple. If only life was this simple.

 

Louisiana must have a crappy governor because the Louisiana National Guard was already in the state.

 

No, its an extremely poor state that had very limited resources. These are Americans for goodness sake. I cant believe anyone outside of this state would tell their fellow Americans that its their own problem and the federal entity is not responsible. Its good to see that people who are proud to be Americans are only proud to a certain extent.

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It just seems odd that it took the NG so long to act. There are even rumors that some of Michigan's guard might be going down to help out.

 

And yes, given an evacuation warning a few days in advance should have prompted better results. I think part of it was the fact that every other time NO got these kinds of warnings, they turned out to be false alarms. So people probably expected the same thing.

The people should have evacuated like they were told.

 

You make it sound so easy and simple. If only life was this simple.

 

Louisiana must have a crappy governor because the Louisiana National Guard was already in the state.

 

No, its an extremely poor state that had very limited resources. These are Americans for goodness sake. I cant believe anyone outside of this state would tell their fellow Americans that its their own problem and the federal entity is not responsible. Its good to see that people who are proud to be Americans are only proud to a certain extent.

927478[/snapback]

It just seems odd that it took the NG so long to act. There are even rumors that some of Michigan's guard might be going down to help out.

 

And yes, given an evacuation warning a few days in advance should have prompted better results. I think part of it was the fact that every other time NO got these kinds of warnings, they turned out to be false alarms. So people probably expected the same thing.

927483[/snapback]

 

 

The Hurricane came very early Monday morning. The mandatory evacuation came around 10 AM Sunday, less then 24 hours before its arrival(this only after Bush urged Blanco to urge Nagin, I give Bush a lot of credit for this). I had already left at 9AM and heard it on the radio. I was on I-10 in bumper to bumper. There was a voluntary evacuation sometime Saturday. The first time I heard of the hurricane was late Friday night and I didnt take it seriously. Now imagine the limited resources of the poor, the fact that they cant nor should be expected to understand what a category 5 hurricane is, that they might not have tvs and radios on all the time, that its a large city, that they have nowhere to evacuate to, that they dont have cars, that these are their homes, that they have no support network outside of NOLA, and that the people who went to the Superdome went through hell and are still be criticized.

Anyone know what % of the National Guard is in Iraq?

Anyone know what % of the National Guard is in Iraq?

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no clue, but i heard on the news that 30% of the troops in iraq are from the NG.

 

we could probably figure it out.

 

cape, fire up the google.

Anyone know what % of the National Guard is in Iraq?

927544[/snapback]

no clue, but i heard on the news that 30% of the troops in iraq are from the NG.

 

we could probably figure it out.

 

cape, fire up the google.

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The question is, what percentage of the Louisiana State National Guard is in Iraq?

 

If it's more than 50-60 percent, it would likely explain some things.

According to the Washington Post, 3,700 Guardsmen from Louisiana are in Iraq. I'm not sure what the total number of Guardsmen in the Louisiana National Guard is.

 

However, more interesting articles:

LA National Guard Wants Equipment to Come Back From Iraq

http://abc26.trb.com/news/natguard08012005...oll=wgno-news-1

 

"In no state have those deaths registered more than in Louisiana. Louisiana, along with New York, has lost more guardsmen and reservists - 23 as of July 24 - than any state in the nation, and all but one of those deaths have come in the last eight months."

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisob...on/12275037.htm

Shreveport Times says 64 percent are available, but I'm trying to track down a more precise number.

http://www.shreveporttimes.com/apps/pbcs.d...00352/1002/NEWS

 

EDIT: MSNBC is also saying 35% (the aforementioned 3,700) are deployed in Iraq.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9117367/

 

ANOTHER EDIT: LA Times reports gross underestimation of needed Guardsmen

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/na...ack=1&cset=true

It just seems odd that it took the NG so long to act. There are even rumors that some of Michigan's guard might be going down to help out.

 

And yes, given an evacuation warning a few days in advance should have prompted better results. I think part of it was the fact that every other time NO got these kinds of warnings, they turned out to be false alarms. So people probably expected the same thing.

927483[/snapback]

Yes, quite odd indeed. link

 

WASHINGTON - Another 10,000 National Guard troops are being sent to the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast, raising their number to about 40,000, but questions linger about the speed with which troops were deployed.

 

Several states ready and willing to send National Guard troops to the rescue in New Orleans didn't get the go-ahead until days after the storm struck ? a delay nearly certain to be investigated by Congress.

 

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson offered Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco help from his state's National Guard last Sunday, the day before Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana. Blanco accepted, but paperwork needed to get the troops en route didn't come from Washington until late Thursday.

 

California troops just began arriving in Louisiana on Friday, three days after flood waters devastated New Orleans and chaos broke out.

 

In fact, when New Orleans' levees gave way to deadly flooding on Tuesday, Louisiana's National Guard had received help from troops in only three other states: Ohio, which had nine people in Louisiana then; Oklahoma, 89; and Texas, 625, figures provided by the National Guard show.

 

Maj. Gen. Thomas Cutler, who leads the Michigan National Guard, said he anticipated a call for police units and started preparing them, but couldn't go until states in the hurricane zone asked them to come.

 

"We could have had people on the road Tuesday," Cutler said. "We have to wait and respond to their need."

 

The Michigan National Guard was asked for military police by Mississippi late Tuesday and by Louisiana officials late Wednesday. The state sent 182 MPs to Mississippi on Friday and had 242 headed to Louisiana on Saturday.

 

Typically, the authority to use the National Guard in a state role lies with the governor, who tells his or her adjutant general to order individual Guard units to begin duty. Turnaround time varies depending on the number of troops involved, their location and their assigned missions.

 

One factor that may have further complicated post-Katrina deployment arose when Louisiana discovered it needed Guardsmen to do more law enforcement duty because a large portion of the New Orleans police force was not functioning, according to Lt. Gen. Steven H. Blum, chief of the National Guard Bureau at the

Pentagon.

 

Because the agreement that was already in existence for states to contribute Guard troops to Louisiana did not include a provision on their use in law enforcement, Blum said, Gov. Blanco had to get separate written agreements authorizing Guardsmen to do police-type duty.

 

Still, Blum said, this took only minutes to execute....