It Ain't My Fault

For all of you who know the song by Mystikal (It Ain't My Fault), it should be playing in your head right now. Former FEMA director Micheal Brown's testimony to the Congressional Committee invesitgating the government failure in response to Hurricane Katrina said that all members involved in the response should share the blame... except himself of course. His arguments ranged from his requisitions for improved response equipment being sent to the chopping block by Homeland Security down to Gov. Blanco and Mayor Nagin's inability to sit down at a table together and talk despite their "differences" to blaming the President himself for ignoring his "concerns that this was going to be a big one."
In that case, for all intensive purposes, I suppose he was vacationing in Tahiti when Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast. It seems to me, from his standpoint, that he wasn't even there.

Well, he does admit one personal failing. "My biggest mistake was not realizing by Saturday night that Louisiana was dysfunctional." Ummmm... ok... so what? True, Louisiana may have been dysfunctional. Perhaps their commmunication and evacuation plans were not up to snuff. That their disaster security protocols were a little ill prepared. Then isn't it the governement's role to shore up those areas so that people don't die? Not according to Brown. "Those aren't FEMA roles." I guess that's the kind of response you would expect from someone who LIED on his resume and used CRONYISM to get his job. Why should he know what FEMA is supposed to do if he's never done the job before.

And by the way, let's not talk about saying he did his job last year during hurrican season. Let us not forget 3 things:

1. It was an election year.
2. Florida belongs to the President's baby brother Jeb, and
3. Many people whose homes were damaged by hurricanes are to this day being low-balled by FEMA for funds to repair their homes.

But I digress...

Pardon me, but I thought FEMA stood for Federal Emergency MANAGEMENT Agency. All of those responsbilities that he said should not have deferred to FEMA are part of EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. If they failed at the local level, government should be able to step in with a plan, developed AHEAD OF TIME to prevent complete and total chaos. Otherwise, what the heck do they do over there all the time? Play Tiddly- Winks? Or maybe its the $1,300 lunches on our tax money... *shrug* who knows?

Governement did screw up on all levels... this is true. But placing blame instead of placing resources, arguments over "juris-my-DICtion" bulls**t, and at the end of the day saying "but it was a HURRICANE!" is not going to save lives or prevent the same thing from happening again.
A responsible ADULT and LEADER would have said "Yes, its true, there were screw ups all over and we had our fair share. For that, I sincerely apologize and we are working to make it right." The American people deserve at least that.

Micheal Brown... you should be ashamed yourself.