On tv today (Tuesday December 30) Governor Blanco was again defending herself, basically saying her response to Katrina was portrayed as worse than it was. I thought she did a good job as Lt. Governor, and as governor before Katrina I was happy with the job she was doing. I voted for her. I do not know the lady personally, but she seems like a very nice person, and I know someone that has known her since the 1960's, and they say she is a top notch person. But boys and girls, let us be true to ourselves, her response to Katrina was unbelievably bad. To be fair, any and all government oraganizations, from top to bottom did a bad job. FEMA always does a poor job. The average time it takes FEMA to get things happening in the hurricane ravaged areas is ALWAYS about 5 days.  This has been the case for many years. Remember a few years back when Florida was hit with 4 hurricane in one year? Why was the aftermath not a catastrophe like the storm itself? Many like to say it is because the President's brother is Governor there so FEMA "did the right thing." The problem with that theory is that FEMA was as slow to get moving for that first hurricane as they were for Katrina. Then, when the other 3 hurricanes hit there, FEMA had already set up shop, and supplies, aid, etc. were already there, and things were rolling. But for the first hurricane, when FEMA was as slow as usual, the state and local government, and the citizens were getting things done. Look at the response to Katrina by the Governor of Mississippi. Some say it is because he is a Republican, so Bush and FEMA did a great job there. Riiiiiight!!!  The Governor there rolled up his sleeves and got moving. A report on CNN by reporter Tom Foreman summed up the disaster that was New Orleans by saying "the state and local government suffered from decisional paralysis." This is CNN, not FOXNEWS. The hurricane plans for New Orleans that were in place at the time of Katrina called for every state vehicle, every city vehicle, every city bus, etc. be used to drive people out of the city who did not have means to get out. Only a few city buses were used to bring people to the Superdome. Although a teenager was able to hotwire a bus and get some people out of Dodge. Why were people left at the Superdome so long without food and water? I saw an interview with a director for the Red Cross and he said that they had food and water one and a half miles from the Superdome, but were told not to bring it there. The next day a news report said that the Governor's office was worried that if food was brought there the people there would not want to leave when the buses arrived?  You are in a building with no electricity, no water, sewage over flowing, and someone brings you food and you're content? There was an interview with a preacher from north Louisiana who arranged a caravan of buses to come evacuate people from New Orleans. He was stopped by the Louisiana State Police and told to turn around and go home, supposedly on orders by the Governor. I know someone from here who was part of a caravan of boaters who went to rescue people from rooftops. They were stopped by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. they also were told to turn around and go home. Anyone see a pattern here? Of course, that did not stop them. They turned around as if they were going home, but found a different place to get in. (A true Cajun does not go anywhere that he does not know a different way in and a different way out.) Governor Blanco tried to make us believe that she had asked the President on day one to send troops. The storm landed early on Monday morning, and Wednesday CNN had a camera that caught the Governor talking to her press secretary Denise Bottcher. The governor whispered that she really should have asked for troops on day one, to which Denise said yes, you should have. Blanco then said the reason she did not ask for troops was that she did not want to put good people in harms way. Any of you reading this who pay attention to the news, I am sure you know that many cities, in the aftermath of disasters have serious looting. Who could not foresee that a city like New Orleans, where on the best of days has a crime rate that is unbelievably horrible, was not going to have looting on a massive scale?  Many say we could not have the Guard because they were all in Iraq. When Governor Blanco testified before congress she was asked about that. Fact is, 70 per cent of the Louisiana National Guard was here in Louisiana after Katrina hit. The Thursday after the storm there was a big meeting in New Orleans on Air Force One. In the group was General Honore, the man Mayor Nagin referred to as being like John Wayne. Nagin pointed at General Honore and said "Mr. President, this is the only person getting things done, can we put him in charge?"  Well, as spelled out in the Constitution, that call is not the President's to make, it is the Governor's. So the President says "well, what about it Governor?"  Now remember, this was three days after the storm hit, and people are still on rooftops. The Governor's response was "I need 24 hours to decide." Of course, I was not there, but three people on the plane told that same story, and the Governor's office never disputed it. While Rome was burning, what was the Governor's staff doing? Sending emails to each other describing the type of clothes she should be wearing that would make her look like she was in charge. These emails came to light a few months after the storm. Am I trying to put all the blame on the Governor? No. As I stated at the beginning, every government organization, FEMA, the President, Homeland Security, NOPD, Nagin (and all the school buses that could have been used to evacuate people before or after the storm, that is if he would have had them parked on high ground to avoid being flooded), everyone did a substandard job. It is just that some did more of a substandard job than others. I have felt this way for a long time, but my thoughts were that it is over, let us put it behind us. I thought the Governor would try to put it behind us as well.  However, every single time I see her on the news it is the same as the interview today. One point I believe she needs to see, however people want to assess blame to the different parties, even her supporters must know she did a bad job, even if they think Bush is more to blame. So everytime she goes on tv and brings up the topic we are reminded of it. How does the old saying go, when you are pointing your finger at someone you have three more pointing directly at you. Instead of continuing to bring up a topic that is three and a half years old, do something along the lines of Presidents Clinton and Bush The Elder, such as their relief work. When we see her in the media we will think of all the people she is helping, instead of hearing her talk about Katrina and who is to blame.

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