Re: From my best friend in Houston

Eliyahu Rooff wrote:

"Marsha" <mas@xxxxxxx> wrote in message news:j6qdnZ2dnZ156oP4nZ2dneKcht6dnZ2dRVn-zJ2dnZ0@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Eliyahu Rooff wrote:

There is a time for formality, adherence to protocol and sticking to the rules, and there's a time to bypass all of it in the interests of the country and the people. This is one of those times.



I disagree. The president isn't supposed to be a micromanager, or babysitter, for every single state. He has to rely on information from those closest to the situation, who hopefully have the presence of mind to have some kind of plan.


You're assuming that no one on his staff would have mentioned to him the situation or the certain results of a disaster of this magnitude. The fact is, as President, he has a responsibility to be aware of major threats to the country and the economy, and this one has the potential for a ripple effect that could put the economy in a tailspin. The office of President isn't just a figurehead position for ceremonial purposes. We elect him to do a job and to exercise good judgment about what's in the interest of the country when deciding to take action. The leaders who we respect in our history are those who took decisive action in time of crisis; not those who waited for someone to ask them to get started.

And you're assuming anyone on his staff had accurate information, which of course they would have gotten from those closest to it, the governor, mayor, etc. Lots of assuming, which doesn't get us anywhere.

This is what former President Clinton had to
say when appearing on CNN:

MALVEAUX: Let me ask you this: There are some people at the New Orleans Convention Center who say that they have been living like animals -- no food, no water, no power. And they are the ones who are saying: Where are the buses? Where are the planes? Why did it take three days to see a real federal response here?

CLINTON: Let me answer this. The people in the Superdome are in a special position. They went into the Superdome, not because of the flooding, but because we thought the hurricane was going to hit New Orleans smack dab and they'd be safe in there if they didn't leave town. When the levee broke and the town flooded, it knocked out the electricity and it knocked out the sewage. They're living in hellacious conditions. So I understand why they're so anxiety-ridden. But they have to
understand, by the time it became obvious that they were in the fix they were in, there were a lot of other problems, too. They were worried about people drowning that had to be taken off roofs.

MALVEAUX: So you two believe that the federal response was fast enough?

CLINTON: All I'm saying is what I know the facts are today. There are hundreds of buses now engaged in the act of taking people from New
Orleans to the Astrodome in Houston. And you and I are not in a position to make any judgment because we weren't there. All I'm saying is the way they got stuck there, I see why they feel the way they do. But the people that put them there did it because they thought they were saving their lives. And then when the problems showed up, they had a lot of other people to save. Now they've got hundreds of buses. We just need to get them out. I think that's important to point out. Because when
you say that they should have done this, that or the other thing first, you can look at that problem in isolation, and you can say that. But look at all the other things they had to deal with. But what happened here is they escaped -- New Orleans escaped Katrina. But it brought all the water up the Mississippi River and all in the
lake Pontchartrain, and then when it started running and that levee broke, they had problems they never could have foreseen. And so I just think that we need to recognize right now there's a confident effort under way. People are doing the best they can."


So, here we have Clinton, who has direct experience, explaining the sequence of events, the magnitude of the disaster, and what realistic
expectations are in a situation like this.



What's incredible is NO has ignored the possibility of this kind of disaster for too long. They were not prepared, turning a blind eye and thinking it could never happen to them. So instead of the citizens and local government taking responsibility for their own safety, blame gets misplaced after the fact.


And on this point, we are in agreement. If a city is built in an untenable location, people need to be taught how to survive when it falls apart.

Do you think NO should be rebuilt to its former state? I'm somewhat inclined to think no, but that opens a whole 'nother can of worms.

Marsha/Ohio

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