NOYB wrote:
FEMA doesn't have near enough people to handle a crisis that reaches the
magnitude of katrina...

So why bother having the agency at all?
You are saying that without taking control of the National
Guard, President Bush does not have enough resources to
commit to any rescue and relief effort.

FEMA provided such an effort, only they got started a week late.

In other words, your basic premise is shown to be incorrect
by your own statements.



So now answer the question:
Who are these imaginary people you would send?


I guess the whole range of federal agencies and bureaus from
the VA to the FDA are imaginary?


Let me remind you that the U.S. Navy was quite prominent in sending ships,
including a hospital ship, to the relief of disaster victims. But they
didn't get orders until the Friday after Katrina had hit... a full working
week.


The U.S. Navy wasn't providing law enforcement,

Exactly. Thanks for agreeing with my point.

President Bush did *not* need to request control of the
Louisiana National Guard, since he could (and later did)
send the U.S. military to provide rescue & relief services.


.... If you remember, there were two issue preventing assistance
from reaching the area:

1) a destroyed infrastructure (flooded roads, unsafe bridges, etc)


Are you saying that the Feds might as well not send anybody,
or are you saying the state has more & better resources to
overcome this problem?


2) hoodlums rioting and firing at rescue workers


That was a problem, yes. Was Bush's control of the National
Guard necessary to solve it? Since they were already moving
in that direction, and did just as much or more than any
federal agency & did it sooner, I'd suggest the answer to
that is 'no.'




Did they get orders via Homeland Security?


Of course!


THen why did no other Homeland Security agency provide aid &
rescue *during* the storm itself, much less immediately after?



If so, why weren't some of the other branches of Homeland Security on the
spot?



Which branches are you speaking of? Homeland Security doesn't have it's own
branch to handle law enforcement issues in times of crisis.

I suggest you take a look at the number of agencies under
the umbrella of Homeland Security.


... Perhaps the
answer is to assign to DHS the authority over a portion of each state's
National Guard or Reserve troops to handle law enforcement issues in times
of crisis.


Perhaps the answer is NOT have a President and an executive
administration that thinks it's fine & dandy to have large
numbers of Democrats drowned & their homes & cities blasted.

Maybe the Posse Comitatus act is a good thing, if it occured
to Karl Rove then Bush might have ordered the U.S. military
to attack Democrat controlled areas in the absence of any
disaster.

DSK