Michael Brown's (Director of FEMA) impeccable credentials

[vitoprimo]

Not even fiction is this rich.

 

[conjur]

He also sent people,who had records of fraud and embezzlement, down to Florida last year to do damage assessment. $30 million was found to have been given to people who suffered NO harm nor damage in the hurricanes.


Nice.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Jesus - this is crazy. I had heard he had no background in emergency management, but I had no idea he'd spent ten years running an equestrian association prior to taking the job. Even if he were brilliant in that capacity (and it sounds like he was anything but), he appears to have had no qualifications whatsoever.

 

[yllus]

Come on, horses and disasters are exactly the same sort of...um. :Q

What the hell were they thinking appointing a guy like that to a post this important?

 

[Engineer]

Shakes head!

WOW!

 

[Darkhawk28]

Originally posted by: yllus
Come on, horses and disasters are exactly the same sort of...um. :Q

What the hell were they thinking appointing a guy like that to a post this important?

Maybe if New Orleans was built on San Juan Hill or something..... ummm... definitely very weird.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

I just sent the following to both of my Senators:

Dear Senator Xxxxxxxxx:

I, like all Americans, am in a state of shock and mourning as we progress through the painfully slow recovery efforts following Hurricane Katrina. I know Minnesota will extend a helping hand to the victims to the extent possible.

I am writing because I am frankly horrified by the pace and apparently haphazard, piecemeal strategy for alleviating the suffering in the Gulf.

I know Louisiana hardly has a distinguished history of governance, and much of the disaster-relief effort is planned as a local and state enterprise. That said, it appears to me that the relief effort is as slow and poorly-thought-out as it would likely be in, say, Haiti, or Guatemala.

That brings me to my concern. I've become aware that Michael Brown, the Director of FEMA, came to that job after being forced out of, of all things, the American Arabian Horse Association. He had no background in emergency management whatsover.

He was appointed by President Bush and approved without a word of protest in Congress.

Sir, I am deeply disappointed, and I hope this experience causes you and your colleagues to take appointments like this seriously. It appears to me that for all of our appropriations to the Department of Homeland Security, we have done little to make Americans safer.

Very Truly Yours,

DV

 

[Lanyap]

Originally posted by: DonVito
I just sent the following to both of my Senators:

Dear Senator Xxxxxxxxx:

I, like all Americans, am in a state of shock and mourning as we progress through the painfully slow recovery efforts following Hurricane Katrina. I know Minnesota will extend a helping hand to the victims to the extent possible.

I am writing because I am frankly horrified by the pace and apparently haphazard, piecemeal strategy for alleviating the suffering in the Gulf.

I know Louisiana hardly has a distinguished history of governance, and much of the disaster-relief effort is planned as a local and state enterprise. That said, it appears to me that the relief effort is as slow and poorly-thought-out as it would likely be in, say, Haiti, or Guatemala.

That brings me to my concern. I've become aware that Michael Brown, the Director of FEMA, came to that job after being forced out of, of all things, the American Arabian Horse Association. He had no background in emergency management whatsover.

He was appointed by President Bush and approved without a word of protest in Congress.

Sir, I am deeply disappointed, and I hope this experience causes you and your colleagues to take appointments like this seriously. It appears to me that for all of our appropriations to the Department of Homeland Security, we have done little to make Americans safer.

Very Truly Yours,

DV

:thumbsup:

I saw an interview with Brown and he came across as a real @ss.

 

[BBond]

This is the useless prick who was "fascinated" -- HIS WORD -- that people "appeared" -- HIS WORD -- in New Orleans after Katrina. The complete administration LACKEY who claimed that the U.S. government had NO IDEA there were people in the Convention Center in New Orleans AFTER THE NEWS MEDIA REPORTED ON IT FOR DAYS!

The U.S. government apparently doesn't have a fvcking TV set.

 

[Engineer]

:thumbsup: to DonVito. I may do the same.

Did Bush tap Brown on the shoulder yesterday during the press conference from Mobile and say that he was doing a "hell of a job"? (real question as I thought that I heard that)

 

[BBond]

Originally posted by: Engineer
:thumbsup: to DonVito. I may do the same.

Did Bush tap Brown on the shoulder yesterday during the press conference from Mobile and say that he was doing a "hell of a job"? (real question as I thought that I heard that)

I watched as Bush tapped Brown on the shoulder and congratulated him on doing a "Hell of a job". I almost puked. The only hell of a job that either of those sons-of-bitches are doing is lying themselves out of the biggest fvck up in U.S. history.

 

[jahawkin]

This is the what happens when conservatives and their view on government come to power. The whole limited government, leave it to the private sector, and distrust in government agencies leads to this. When you don't believe in government you don't put competent leaders in charge of agencies like FEMA, you put in your political cronies and "pioneer" fundraisers like this Brown moron.

 

[arsbanned]

Originally posted by: BBond

Originally posted by: Engineer
:thumbsup: to DonVito. I may do the same.

Did Bush tap Brown on the shoulder yesterday during the press conference from Mobile and say that he was doing a "hell of a job"? (real question as I thought that I heard that)

I watched as Bush tapped Brown on the shoulder and congratulated him on doing a "Hell of a job". I almost puked. The only hell of a job that either of those sons-of-bitches are doing is lying themselves out of the biggest fvck up in U.S. history.

Yep. It's a sad time in the U.S.

 

[tcsenter]

That's the problem with believing everything you read without questioning or fact checking:

Prior to joining FEMA, Mr. Brown practiced law in Colorado and Oklahoma, where he served as a bar examiner on ethics and professional responsibility for the Oklahoma Supreme Court and as a hearing examiner for the Colorado Supreme Court. He had been appointed as a special prosecutor in police disciplinary matters. While attending law school he was appointed by the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee of the Oklahoma Legislature as the Finance Committee Staff Director, where he oversaw state fiscal issues. His background in state and local government also includes serving as an assistant city manager with emergency services oversight and as a city councilman.

Mr. Brown was also an adjunct professor of law for the Oklahoma City University.

A native of Oklahoma, Mr. Brown holds a bachelor's degree in Public Administration/Political Science from Central State University, Oklahoma. He received his J.D. from Oklahoma City University?s School of Law.

Brown was not fired from IAHA, he resigned due to a barrage of nasty lawsuits resulting from a split and in-fighting between the community that had nothing to do with him directly. In fact, it seems Brown had "full support" of the Executive Committe, it is even said they felt fortunate to have him for as long as they did. The full story:

Interview with IAHA Secretary Gary Dearth

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: tcsenter
That's the problem with believing everything you read without questioning or fact checking:

Prior to joining FEMA, Mr. Brown practiced law in Colorado and Oklahoma, where he served as a bar examiner on ethics and professional responsibility for the Oklahoma Supreme Court and as a hearing examiner for the Colorado Supreme Court. He had been appointed as a special prosecutor in police disciplinary matters. While attending law school he was appointed by the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee of the Oklahoma Legislature as the Finance Committee Staff Director, where he oversaw state fiscal issues. His background in state and local government also includes serving as an assistant city manager with emergency services oversight and as a city councilman.

Mr. Brown was also an adjunct professor of law for the Oklahoma City University.

A native of Oklahoma, Mr. Brown holds a bachelor's degree in Public Administration/Political Science from Central State University, Oklahoma. He received his J.D. from Oklahoma City University?s School of Law.

Brown was not fired from IAHA, he resigned due to a barrage of nasty lawsuits resulting from a split and in-fighting between the community that had nothing to do with him directly. In fact, it seems Brown had "full support" of the Executive Committe, it is even said they felt fortunate to have him for as long as they did. The full story:

Interview with IAHA Secretary Gary Dearth

So how exactly is the IAHA related to the IOC? How exactly did the IAHA go bankrupt while Brown was at the helm?

A WHAT THE FLYING FVCK does being head of IAHA have to do with FEMA?

 

[1EZduzit]

Originally posted by: tcsenter
That's the problem with believing everything you read without questioning or fact checking:

Prior to joining FEMA, Mr. Brown practiced law in Colorado and Oklahoma, where he served as a bar examiner on ethics and professional responsibility for the Oklahoma Supreme Court and as a hearing examiner for the Colorado Supreme Court. He had been appointed as a special prosecutor in police disciplinary matters. While attending law school he was appointed by the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee of the Oklahoma Legislature as the Finance Committee Staff Director, where he oversaw state fiscal issues. His background in state and local government also includes serving as an assistant city manager with emergency services oversight and as a city councilman.

Mr. Brown was also an adjunct professor of law for the Oklahoma City University.

A native of Oklahoma, Mr. Brown holds a bachelor's degree in Public Administration/Political Science from Central State University, Oklahoma. He received his J.D. from Oklahoma City University?s School of Law.

Brown was not fired from IAHA, he resigned due to a barrage of nasty lawsuits resulting from a split and in-fighting between the community that had nothing to do with him directly. In fact, it seems Brown had "full support" of the Executive Committe, it is even said they felt fortunate to have him for as long as they did. The full story:

Interview with IAHA Secretary Gary Dearth

"Q: Why do you feel that prior to his resignation, Mr. Brown repeatedly stated that he does ?not have the support of the Executive Committee??
A: This talk of lack of support for Mike Brown has become rather tiresome. The Executive Committee, approximately a year and a half ago, gave Mike Brown a three-year contract rather than annual contract extensions which had been the tradition in the past. When you look at concrete support and not just talk, there is no stronger support than a three-year contract. However, information that came to light at the August Board meeting ? the revelation that Brown had set up his own legal defense fund ? severely eroded that support. This revelation created the appearance of impropriety, especially when he?d been saying that he had commitments of a great deal of money for IAHA?s Legal Defense Fund which never materialized, and then it turned out he?d been out soliciting funds for his own, personal, legal defense fund."

That's as far as I bothered to read.

 

[Bowfinger]

Originally posted by: DonVito
I just sent the following to both of my Senators:

Dear Senator Xxxxxxxxx:

I, like all Americans, am in a state of shock and mourning as we progress through the painfully slow recovery efforts following Hurricane Katrina. I know Minnesota will extend a helping hand to the victims to the extent possible.

I am writing because I am frankly horrified by the pace and apparently haphazard, piecemeal strategy for alleviating the suffering in the Gulf.

I know Louisiana hardly has a distinguished history of governance, and much of the disaster-relief effort is planned as a local and state enterprise. That said, it appears to me that the relief effort is as slow and poorly-thought-out as it would likely be in, say, Haiti, or Guatemala.

That brings me to my concern. I've become aware that Michael Brown, the Director of FEMA, came to that job after being forced out of, of all things, the American Arabian Horse Association. He had no background in emergency management whatsover.

He was appointed by President Bush and approved without a word of protest in Congress.

Sir, I am deeply disappointed, and I hope this experience causes you and your colleagues to take appointments like this seriously. It appears to me that for all of our appropriations to the Department of Homeland Security, we have done little to make Americans safer.

Very Truly Yours,

DV

:beer:

Kudos to you, sir.

 

[tcsenter]

So how exactly is the IAHA related to the IOC? How exactly did the IAHA go bankrupt while Brown was at the helm?

The IAHA was litigated (sued) out of existance by some guy name David Boggs and at least one other litigant. The underlying basis appears to have been a turf battle, or something:

Q: Can you remember a time during your experience with the breed that there?ve been so many legal challenges facing IAHA?

A: I can?t remember a time in my thirty-plus years of involvement with the breed, and my family?s long involvement with the breed, that even remotely resembles this. It?s not just legal challenges. There?s a general level of viciousness out there that I?ve never seen nor experienced before, and I think it?s unfortunate.

Clearly the Executive Committee of IAHA, the Board of IAHA and IAHA as a whole has made a strong step forward in trying to maintain a level playing field of competition and we are now having to pay for the litigation that has resulted from that. It?s been a very difficult couple of years for the organization, particularly for the Executive Committee because we?re attacked for doing too much, and we?re attacked for doing too little.

 

[tommywishbone]

Well I did notice in some of the video from the NO area, that the huge horse racing track is half underwater; maybe that Brown guy can go over there and judge some horses or something.

 

[BlueWeasel]

Originally posted by: BBond

Originally posted by: Engineer
:thumbsup: to DonVito. I may do the same.

Did Bush tap Brown on the shoulder yesterday during the press conference from Mobile and say that he was doing a "hell of a job"? (real question as I thought that I heard that)

I watched as Bush tapped Brown on the shoulder and congratulated him on doing a "Hell of a job". I almost puked. The only hell of a job that either of those sons-of-bitches are doing is lying themselves out of the biggest fvck up in U.S. history.

Yup, absolutely disgusting. :disgust:

 

[BaliBabyDoc]

Only partisan hacks would defend Brown or Allbaugh . . . particularly in comparison to their predecessor.

Brown will have plenty of time to play with his horses. He's toast . . . and deservedly so. Congress (despite being largely tardy in oversight) will hopefully use this opportunity to end cronyism that kills.

Michael Brown and his predecessor (Joe Allbaugh) were woefully unqualified to head FEMA. Granted, Bush is unqualified to be President so I guess the appointment of comparable incompetence shouldn't be surprising.

 

[conjur]

And look at the wonderful way FEMA is being run by this buffoon:

Just to give you a sense of just how badly FEMA has f*cked up.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/3/171718/0826

This is beyond my comprehension and after spending two frustrating days trying to just get someone to let us help we've FINNALLY been told we can conduct "renegade" boat rescues via the just concluded press conference that Gov. Blanco just held.

Why is this JUST NOW being allowed? Well let's start from the very beginning.

On Wednesday morning a group of approximately 1,000 citizens pulling 500 boats left the Acadiana Mall in Lafayette in the early morning and headed to New Orleans with a police escort from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Department. The flotillia of trucks pulling boats stretched over FIVE miles. This citizen rescue group was organized by La. State Senator, Nick Gautreaux from Vermilion Parish. The group was comprised of experienced boaters, licensed fishermen and hunters, people who have spent their entire adult life and teenage years on the waterways of Louisiana.

The State Police waved the flotillia of trucks/boats through the barricades in LaPlace and we sped into New Orleans via I-10 until past the airport and near the Clearview exit. At that time we were stopped by agents of the FEMA controlled La. Dept. of Wildlife & Fisheries. A young DWF agent strolled through the boats and told approximately half of the citizens that their boats were too large because the water had dropped during the night and that they should turn around and go home.

They were pulling a large (24ft) shallow draft aluminum boat that can safely carry 12 passengers and had ramp access which would allow the elderly and infirm to have easier access to the boat. They then politely informed the DWF agent that the local and national media had consistently reported that the water level had risen during the night which contradicted his statement to them that the water was dropping and no boat over 16ft. in length would be allowed to participate in rescue operations.

They then specifically asked the DWF agent that they (and other citizens in the flotillia) be allowed to go to the hospitals and help evacuate the sick and the doctors and nurses stranded there. They offered to bring these people back to Lafayette, in our own vehicles, in order to ensure that they received proper and prompt medical care.

The DWF agent did not want to hear this and ordered them home -- ALL FIVE HUNDRED BOATS. They complied with the DWF agent's orders, turned around and headed back to Lafayette along with half of the flotillia. However, two friends were pulling a smaller 15ft alumaweld with a 25 hp. The DWF agents let them through to proceed to the rescue operation launch site.

They were allowed to drive to the launch site where the FEMA controlled La. Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries were launching their rescue operations (via boat). They reported to me that there were over 200 DWF agents just standing around and doing nothing. They were kept there for approximately 3 hours. During that time they observed a large number of DWF agents doing absolutely nothing. Why? Because FEMA would not let them HELP! After three hours had passed they were told that they were not needed and should go home. They complied with the DWF's orders and turned around and went home to Lafayette.

Watching CNN later that night, there was a telephone interview with a Nurse trapped in Charity Hospital in New Orleans. She said that there were over 1,000 people trapped inside of the hospital and that the doctors and nurses had zero medical supplies, no diesel to run the generators and that only three people had been rescued from the hospital since the Hurricane hit!

I can't come up with one logical reason why the DWF sent this large group of 500 boats/1000 men home when we surely could have rescued most, if not all, of the people trapped in Charity Hospital. Further, we had the means to immediately transport these people to hospitals in Southwest Louisiana.

On Tuesday afternoon, August 30, Jefferson Parish Sheriff Harry Lee asked for all citizens with boats to come to the aid of Jefferson Parish. A short time later Dwight Landreneau, the head of the La. Depart. of Wildlife and Fisheries, got on television and remarked that his agency had things under control and citizen help was not needed. Apparently, Sheriff Lee did not agree with that assessment and had one of his deputies provide the Lafayette flotillia with an escort into Jefferson Parish.

Sheriff Lee and Senator Gautreaux - 1000 of Louisiana's citizens responded to the public's pleas for help. They were prevented from helping by Dwight Landreneau's agency, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries which had been taken over by FEMA. When I learned that Charity Hospital has not been evacuated and that no one has been there to attempt a rescue, I became angry.

It was because of this that my friend and I have been trying launch boats both yesterday and today but to no avail. It looks like FINALLY the Governor has just said SCREW FEMA, get those boats in the water and help save my citizens.

So I think we'll be in the water tomorrow to help but for now I'm immensely frustrated.

If there is anyone on the CCN that is in the Baton Rouge area we are meeting today at the LA State Dem Party HQ at 2pm CST to game out tomorrow.

Fvcking
Egregiously
Mismanaged
AAgency

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Originally posted by: tcsenter
That's the problem with believing everything you read without questioning or fact checking:

Prior to joining FEMA, Mr. Brown practiced law in Colorado and Oklahoma, where he served as a bar examiner on ethics and professional responsibility for the Oklahoma Supreme Court and as a hearing examiner for the Colorado Supreme Court. He had been appointed as a special prosecutor in police disciplinary matters. While attending law school he was appointed by the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee of the Oklahoma Legislature as the Finance Committee Staff Director, where he oversaw state fiscal issues. His background in state and local government also includes serving as an assistant city manager with emergency services oversight and as a city councilman.

Mr. Brown was also an adjunct professor of law for the Oklahoma City University.

The problem is, none of these things relates even remotely to emergency management. I am dumbfounded as to how anyone would have regarded him as qualified to be the head of FEMA. Even if he had a prior background in the field of disaster relief or something similar, spending ten years as an attorney for an equestrian association would have mooted the experience by rendering it too stale to be useful. I gather he had some political connection, or they would have picked someone with at least SOME relevant experience.

 

[Zebo]

FEMA's main purpose is building long term nuclear fallout shelters for the elite who we are allowed to elect. Maybe they want thier horses and other pets surviving in there with them when nuclear amagedden comes? Seems like a perfect choice.

 

[tcsenter]

And look at the wonderful way FEMA is being run by this buffoon:

Just to give you a sense of just how badly FEMA has f*cked up.
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/3/171718/0826

I am seriously beginning to question whether you are even able to read. Throughout the personal account you cited, "DWF" is repeated and exclusively credited with mishandling the rescue and relief effort, or worse, doing nothing, not FEMA. DWF stands for the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, as in the LOUISIANA Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.

This is now, what, the third time in as many hours that you offered articles, letters, and accounts that did not support your partisan hand-wringing? Cripe!

The problem is, none of these things relates even remotely to emergency management. I am dumbfounded as to how anyone would have regarded him as qualified to be the head of FEMA. Even if he had a prior background in the field of disaster relief or something similar...

Ah, so now the justification has went from "he has no experience" to "he has old experience". And all that public administration stuff just isn't useful for...umm...public administration stuff. Carry on!