We should have known

[ClimbingPanther]

from the Washington Post

linkie

"San Diego. (AP) Fires have burned over 500,000 acres in southern California. More than 1,400 homes have been destroyed, and today President Bush signed a disaster order freeing up funds to help the rebuilding effort. FEMA was mobilized quickly, as the government showed its ability to learn from past mistakes during Katrina.

 

President Bush has dealt quickly and effectively with the situation, which is likely to help him and the Republican party in the polls. Good publicity is exactly what the administration needs during a time of record low opinions.

 

Multiple sources have revealed a disturbing picture. Southern California is the most densely populated area that is susceptible to wildfires. Memos leaked from the White House show that Bush may have ordered arson in order to create a problem that he could solve. Requests for comment have been repeatedly denied, and the AP is currently suing the administration for access to more documents.

 

We will continue to update this page upon new developments."

[kevino]

wtf?

[joblo7]

isn't that where white rich folks live?? gotta help those!!!

[Off_White]

 

Did you know that "gullible" is not in the dictionary?

[kevbone]

Memos leaked from the White House show that Bush may have ordered arson in order to create a problem that he could solve.

 

 

That is crazy but I would not put it past this administration.

 

 

[archenemy]

I am sick of the comparisons between the fire and Katrina. The magnitude of Katrina was so much bigger that it is on a whole different scale.

How can FEMA, the President, et al be so proud of themselves for their quick response to this fire when so many places still sit fallow and people are still without homes in the wake of Katrina? Shamefull.

[No. 13 Baby]

No comparison at all to Katrina.

There are wealthy white people in peril, for christ's sake!

[KaskadskyjKozak]

I am sick of the comparisons between the fire and Katrina. The magnitude of Katrina was so much bigger that it is on a whole different scale.

How can FEMA, the President, et al be so proud of themselves for their quick response to this fire when so many places still sit fallow and people are still without homes in the wake of Katrina? Shamefull.

 

damned if you do, damned if you don't.

blame is always dished out; credit is never given

 

 

 

[ericb]

folks, click on the link

[underworld]

fake, but accurate... duh!

[archenemy]

I am sick of the comparisons between the fire and Katrina. The magnitude of Katrina was so much bigger that it is on a whole different scale.

How can FEMA, the President, et al be so proud of themselves for their quick response to this fire when so many places still sit fallow and people are still without homes in the wake of Katrina? Shamefull.

 

damned if you do, damned if you don't.

blame is always dished out; credit is never given

 

 

Not how I see it. This is my view:

Damned: insisting on comparing this disaster to Katrina

Not Damned: recognizing that this is it's own case.

 

You want to compare the two? Then compare the system. People still have to wait in line to fill out a piece of paper and then wait on a 1-800 line forever to be told they may or may not get help. Nothing has changed since Katrina--except that people are more aware of bad publicity.

Thank God we live in a weathy and generous society (go ahead and make barbs here; but I honestly believe this). People will donate money, time, clothing, etc to the victims of this disaster who just lost everything.

[KaskadskyjKozak]

I am sick of the comparisons between the fire and Katrina. The magnitude of Katrina was so much bigger that it is on a whole different scale.

How can FEMA, the President, et al be so proud of themselves for their quick response to this fire when so many places still sit fallow and people are still without homes in the wake of Katrina? Shamefull.

 

damned if you do, damned if you don't.

blame is always dished out; credit is never given

 

 

Not how I see it. This is my view:

Damned: insisting on comparing this disaster to Katrina

Not Damned: recognizing that this is it's own case.

 

You want to compare the two? Then compare the system. People still have to wait in line to fill out a piece of paper and then wait on a 1-800 line forever to be told they may or may not get help. Nothing has changed since Katrina--except that people are more aware of bad publicity.

Thank God we live in a weathy and generous society (go ahead and make barbs here; but I honestly believe this). People will donate money, time, clothing, etc to the victims of this disaster who just lost everything.

 

there have been many hurricanes, and adequate relief for the victims. Katrina was different: it was unprecedented in its destruction and unforeseen. Yet, Bush was supposed to react perfectly to it.

 

there have been many wildfires in SoCal - for as long as I remember (I lived in Cali 23 years). This seems to be unprecedented in its destruction and impact - and the response is well above average.

 

[archenemy]

Katrina was different: it was unprecedented in its destruction and unforeseen.

Bingo.

[No. 13 Baby]

Yer doing a heckuva job, KKK!

[KaskadskyjKozak]

Katrina was different: it was unprecedented in its destruction and unforeseen.

Bingo.

 

so are the wildfires. look at the number of evacuees.

 

as for the quoted point above, you can't expect a perfect response to an unprecedented event.

 

No. 13: fuck off

 

 

[olyclimber]

Katrina was different: it was unprecedented in its destruction and unforeseen. Yet, Bush was supposed to react perfectly to it.

 

 

Actually, I don't think that was the expectation...the expectation was that he run the country in a responsible manner...i.e appointing people who actually knew what the fuck they where doing ("YOU'RE DOING A HECKOFAJOB BROWNIE"), and responding in a timely manner. He didn't do it. It is expected if you're going to be President that you can pull that off. Bush failed miserably.

[archenemy]

What on earth makes you think I expect a perfect response? What I expect is improvement over time--just as every company is expected to provide.

 

And I don't see this as a Bush incident. This is an issue we need to face as a country. We need to improve this system.

 

After the flood at Index, I was actually asked for my resume to work for FEMA (the dude I worked with from FEMA was great). Their response time and processing time was so slow, I'd already rec'd a job offer from the company I am with now. Everything with the agency was so slow it was painful. This has to change.

[lI1|1!]

guilible is what this country is about

[archenemy]

That's great. I love this:

 

“The real story — how well the response and recovery elements are working in this disaster — should not be lost because of how we tried to meet the needs of the media in distributing facts.”

 

Meeting the needs of the media? That's a FEMA goal?

[KaskadskyjKozak]

 

Meeting the needs of the media? That's a FEMA goal?

 

of course. the media has a rapacious apetite that must be fed.

 

[Dechristo]

 

Meeting the needs of the media? That's a FEMA goal?

 

of course.

 

the media has a rapacious apetite that must be Fed.

[No. 13 Baby]

 

Meeting the needs of the media? That's a FEMA goal?

 

of course.

 

the media has a rapacious appetite that must be Fed.

[Dechristo]

I wasn't stooping to correcting spelling, pedantic peon.

[No. 13 Baby]

Someone has to help the resident Very Special Phi Beta Kappa, puerile pissant.

[KaskadskyjKozak]

I wasn't stooping to correcting spelling, pedantic peon.

 

an apropos answer acknowledging an ape's assinine attempts at ankle-biting.