A blazing lack of sense

Texas Mayors Say FEMA Didn't Deliver on Promise to Do Better

I keep trying, but this comment from David Passey, FEMA spokesman in Texas, has me utterly baffled:

"We recognize that every mayor would like to have a point of distribution in their community, but it's just not possible given a system that's designed to be supportive of state and local governments."

The system designed to be supportive of state and local governments can't be supportive of local governments? I've read it at least a dozen times, and that's all I can get out of that statement!

Other mayor's stories:

The day after Hurricane Rita battered his town, Nederland Mayor Dick Nugent called the Federal Emergency Management Agency with a simple plea: Bring us two generators.

Instead, FEMA showed up with a four-stall temporary shower. No generators.

Throughout Jefferson County, where Rita downed power lines and trees, knocked out communications and damaged homes and oil refineries, mayors and local officials this week voiced similar complaints. They said FEMA failed to keep its promise to deliver emergency aid and avoid making some of the same mistakes that followed Hurricane Katrina.
...
The mayors of Nederland, Port Arthur and Port Neches, all in Jefferson County, said they had encountered too much bureaucracy while trying to get basic supplies from FEMA in Rita's immediate aftermath.
...
Port Arthur Mayor Oscar Ortiz, who escorted Gov. Rick Perry and the president around his city, said he was upset at the lackluster federal response.

"FEMA has once again dropped the ball," Ortiz said. "They make a lot of promises that they cannot deliver, and then you have to go through so much bureaucracy."

Ortiz said he made personal requests for emergency resources, but his appeals were answered with demands for paperwork. He was told his town would get a "point of distribution," where FEMA would provide military meals, water and ice. Port Neches Mayor Glenn Johnson said he expected the same.

But the distribution points never opened, the mayors said.
...
"It's baffling," said Port Neches' Johnson, who also asked FEMA for generators that never showed up. "They want you to fax requests to them for the things that you need, and it's like faxing it to a black hole.

Hunh? "We have no power at all, please send generators!" "Sorry, you'll have to fax that request to us." Phone (land lines and many cell towers) and power lines are down, but the people in the area without power or phone service have to fax a request for emergency generators? Who the hell came up with THIS as a logical plan?

War is Peace! Lies are Truth!

Bush 'encouraged' despite report on Iraqi troops (discussion)

Bush: "I'm encouraged by the increasing size and capability of the Iraqi security forces. Today they have more than 100 battalions operating throughout the country, and our commanders report that the Iraqi forces are serving with increasing effectiveness," Bush said in his weekly radio address.

Reality: One of the few measures the Pentagon has offered the public to judge the capabilities of Iraqi security forces has been the number of battalions that can go into combat with insurgents without the help of the U.S. military.

During congressional testimony on Thursday, Gen. George Casey, top U.S. commander in Iraq, and Gen. John Abizaid, top U.S. commander in the Middle East, said the number of such battalions had dropped since July to one from three, out of the roughly 100 Iraqi battalions.

Rumsfeld: Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld sought to play down the new estimate on Friday, saying, "Its relevance is minimal."


Bush says 100 are capable, reality is 1. Yes, one. Hey, he's only off by 99. That's only 99% wrong. That can't possibly affect anything, right?

(no subject)

Open letter to the Kansas School Board (and others)

"I am writing you with much concern after having read of your hearing to decide whether the alternative theory of Intelligent Design should be taught along with the theory of Evolution. I think we can all agree that it is important for students to hear multiple viewpoints so they can choose for themselves the theory that makes the most sense to them. I am concerned, however, that students will only hear one theory of Intelligent Design.

"Let us remember that there are multiple theories of Intelligent Design. I and many others around the world are of the strong belief that the universe was created by a Flying Spaghetti Monster. It was He who created all that we see and all that we feel. We feel strongly that the overwhelming scientific evidence pointing towards evolutionary processes is nothing but a coincidence, put in place by Him."


(It just gets better after that.)