I can't believe this! Where are the military?

[guest]

Watching the news, I just can't believe that it has been 3 days and there are NO MILITARY at or near the Superdome. We can fight wars and send thousands of soliders overseas in a blink of an eye, we can execute undercover dangerous missions elsewhere - WHERE ARE THE SOLIDERS TO HELP THESE PEOPLE IN OUR OWN COUNTRY???

I am heartbroken....This is unbelievable!

 

[Dan Cook]

U.S Army can't operate on it's own soil I don't think.

 

[Jeff Snyder]

My bewilderment lies with the fact that FEMA TRAINED for this. We all knew this was going to be a catastrophe, and yet, one the THIRD DAY after the hurricane struck, we're just starting to see water and food being delivered to folks in New Orleans. THREE DAYS after the hurricane and we're just starting to see this come in. I understand that this is a HUGE operation, but it was very evident by Saturday evening that this was going to be a huge catastrophe. We knew that there were going to be 100,000+ in the city. If you want to plan for hurricane disasters, you realize that you aren't going to have 5-7 days of preparation. I'm just baffled that, 72 hours afters the hurricane, we're still hearing that more Nat'l Guard are being deployed. It is VERY obvious to me that this event was drastically underestimated, which tells me that there were planning problems of epic proportions. And I'm not even going to mention my feelings about our response halfway across the world versus the response we've seen up to now on Gulf coast citizens. Congress will convene to give FEMA another $10 billion for this disaster.

 

[Anonymous]

Originally posted by Dan Cook
U.S Army can't operate on it's own soil I don't think.

http://www.northcom.mil/

This division of the army was created specifically to tackle Homeland Security issues. Unfortunately, you have the federal politicians citing the Posse Cometatis act and concerns of Federalism, stressing the importance of not using the army as a police force.

Now is NOT the time for a constitutional debate. I'm an attorney and I can distinguish when the time is for a nice little chat on constitutional vagueries and when it's time to TAKE ACTION.

 

[Chris Sokol]

The last 3 days I have been watching military vehicles drive up and down the ramps. Before the hurricane, Guard troops were helping to search the people going into the dome. Less than an hour ago, Special Forces troops were dispatched to a hospital that looters were attempting to break into. So, with this information being factual and verifiable, I would ask you to qualify your statement please.

 

[Rob_Davis]

Before you freak out, you should know that there are a LOT more resources at work than what you see from the dozen news crews on the scene. C-9's, C-17's, and C-130's are flying constantly between New Orleans and military bases all over the country, including here in Fort Worth. They are going in with tons of supplies and coming out with hundreds of sick and injured victims on each sortie. Active duty resources from all four branches of the military, plus the coast guard, are all actively engaged in relief efforts, and more are being added by the moment. People at Fort Hood right now can't even get a lunch break because they have been working non-stop for 72 hours dispatching supplies and resources. The skies of Florida are so full of military traffic headed to and from LA right now that it's dangerous to even enter the airspace.

The problem is, airplanes coming and going from the airport doesn't make for sexy video like people wading through water and looting. Plus, if you want to move up from a reporter to an anchor, you don't do it by standing around in an airport. You have to file sensationalized reports from the battleground. Therefore, we are left with a wholly inadequate picture of the enormous effort that is currently taking place.

Don't get me wrong. I am not saying that things are peachy and that this is a beautifully executed plan or response. Far from it. It's a charlie foxtrot. But it's really foolish to assume that you know what is being done just because you watch CNN for a few hours.

 

[Amos Magliocco]

The doctors are calling the news media for rescue from hospitals without power.

The Mayor is issuing statements with the language "desperate S.O.S." He sent 15,000 marching despite their not having had food or water since MONDAY.

People are dying in the hospitals and shelters. We can see the corpses and no police or military.

CNN is not making this up. This isn't a conspiracy.

 

[Anonymous]

I agree that through the media we are not seeing the "whole picture" but watching those hundreds and hundreds of people beg and plead for water and food or a direction to go.......you just wonder, if you were there wouldn't you expect more of a response by now? 3 days later?

 

[Anonymous]

Maybe I am being too naive about this, but it's not like this is a far away country or a place where it takes more than 3 days to reach. Help should of been there yesterday.

 

[Kevin Bowman]

Originally posted by Amos Magliocco
The doctors are calling the news media for rescue from hospitals without power.

The Mayor is issuing statements with the language \"desperate S.O.S.\" He sent 15,000 marching despite their not having had food or water since MONDAY.

People are dying in the hospitals and shelters. We can see the corpses and no police or military.

CNN is not making this up. This isn't a conspiracy.

i am begining to question CNN's motives, they are taking every chance they can get to jab at the President and wether or not its true, this is surely not the time to play on your political bias

 

[Rob_Davis]

The President can do no more than authorize requested resources, which he has done. After that, it is up to the incident managers to deploy them effectively.

The problem is that all we are seeing are the few thousand people standing around waiting for evacuation, and that we are not being shown the hundreds of thousands who have already been evacuated to centers all across the south. Consequently, some leap to the conclusion that "nothing" is being done.

A slanted picture results in a slanted perception.

 

[Kevin Bowman]

Originally posted by Rob_Davis
The President can do no more than authorize requested resources, which he has done. After that, it is up to the incident managers to deploy them effectively.

The problem is that all we are seeing are the few thousand people standing around waiting for evacuation, and that we are not being shown the hundreds of thousands who have already been evacuated to centers all across the south.

A slanted picture results in a slanted perception.

exactly, i have yet to see any video of the astrodome with the 6k there ect

 

[John Farley]

The President deserves every bit of criticism he is getting, and probably more. Instead of speaking platitudes, he could have mobilized the military on a full scale yesterday that could have made air drops of food possible today. We've done it all over the world; why can't we do it here. Moreover, he could have kept the forces needed to deal with homeland security crises here in the homeland rather than sending them halfway around the world so they are not here when we need them. Half of the forces in Iraq are National Guard and reserves, which could have been available for this effort if they were here. Of course, he still would have had to send them in on a scale sufficient to make a difference. 15,000 people left at risk of death at the New Orleans Convention Center is unacceptable.

 

[Kevin Bowman]

Originally posted by John Farley
The President deserves every bit of criticism he is getting, and probably more. Instead of speaking platitudes, he could have mobilized the military on a full scale yesterday that could have made air drops of food possible today. We've done it all over the world; why can't we do it here. Moreover, he could have kept the forces needed to deal with homeland security crises here in the homeland rather than sending them halfway around the world so they are not here when we need them. Half of the forces in Iraq are National Guard and reserves, which could have been available for this effort if they were here. Of course, he still would have had to send them in on a scale sufficient to make a difference. 15,000 people left at risk of death at the New Orleans Convention Center is unacceptable.

What more can the president do? he declared the areas disaster areas before the storm even hit. he has done everything in his power. there are flights coming into the airport on the west side of the city. he has done everything he can, its not his fault the 100k didnt leave a city that was about to be flooded

 

[Rob_Davis]

Originally posted by John Farley
Instead of speaking platitudes, he could have mobilized the military on a full scale yesterday that could have made air drops of food possible today.

He authorized full cooperation and participation. Again, that is all he can do. He cannot personally fly or load the planes or trucks himself. It is up to those managing the situation on scene to get it done. You're just spouting politics.

 

[Anonymous]

The president can also declare a war and deploy thousands of troops to be on the ground of any country at any time and they would be there within a couple hours.....it seems tackling a federal disaster is much more than he can handle. SAD!

 

[Jeff Snyder]

The only thing I think Bush could have done regards funding. I've stated my opinion in another thread, so I won't repeat it. All I'll say is that there is a finite amount of money to work with. You can't spend billions oversees and not see an effect on funding here at "home". City officials seem to be telling a completely different tale than what federal officials are saying in terms of funding cuts for the levee program, etc. Again, billions and billions for operations across the oceans means less money for planning, execution, etc, for gov't agencies here.

 

[John Farley]

He could give an order this morning or yesterday that "I want food dropped to those people TODAY. You figure out how to do it." He's supposedly famous for that kind of thing. He could have shifted troops and equipment from all over the country into the Gulf area the minute he knew that southern Mississippi was swamped and the eastern part of NO was under water, i.e. Monday evening, while he was still on vacation. Unfortunately, there is a great deal he could have done. Harry Truman used to have a sign on his desk that said "The buck stops here." Very appropriate to this situation.

 

[Kevin Bowman]

Originally posted by Jeff Snyder
The only thing I think Bush could have done regards funding. I've stated my opinion in another thread, so I won't repeat it. All I'll say is that there is a finite amount of money to work with. You can't spend billions oversees and not see an effect on funding here at \"home\". City officials seem to be telling a completely different tale than what federal officials are saying in terms of funding cuts for the levee program, etc.

he said today that the federal government is going to take on the full 100 percent of the relief costs

 

[Kevin Bowman]

Originally posted by Anonymous
The president can also declare a war and deploy thousands of troops to be on the ground of any country at any time and they would be there within a couple hours.....it seems tackling a federal disaster is much more than he can handle. SAD!

what president has ever faced a natural disaster on the scale of this? Andrew wasant even this big and people are saying this was worse than camille

 

[Jeff Snyder]

Originally posted by Kevin Bowman+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Kevin Bowman)</div>

<!--QuoteBegin-Jeff Snyder

The only thing I think Bush could have done regards funding. I've stated my opinion in another thread, so I won't repeat it. All I'll say is that there is a finite amount of money to work with. You can't spend billions oversees and not see an effect on funding here at \"home\". City officials seem to be telling a completely different tale than what federal officials are saying in terms of funding cuts for the levee program, etc.

he said today that the federal government is going to take on the full 100 percent of the relief costs[/b]

OF COURSE HE IS! This isn't about spending money NOW. It's about changing our priorities from the countless billions spent oversees and in helping other countries with the huge cuts taken on our own land. Heck, I'd rather have more research money to the science of meteorology than knowing that we're spending millions and millions everyday in other places of the world. I'm gonna stop now because this is very much bordering on becoming a political discussion.

 

[Kevin Bowman]

Originally posted by Jeff Snyder+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jeff Snyder)</div>

Originally posted by Kevin Bowman@
<!--QuoteBegin-Jeff Snyder

The only thing I think Bush could have done regards funding. I've stated my opinion in another thread, so I won't repeat it. All I'll say is that there is a finite amount of money to work with. You can't spend billions oversees and not see an effect on funding here at \"home\". City officials seem to be telling a completely different tale than what federal officials are saying in terms of funding cuts for the levee program, etc.

he said today that the federal government is going to take on the full 100 percent of the relief costs

OF COURSE HE IS! This isn't about spending money NOW. It's about changing our priorities from the countless billions spent oversees and in helping other countries with the huge cuts taken on our own land. Heck, I'd rather have more research money to the science of meteorology than knowing that we're spending millions and millions everyday in other places of the world. I'm gonna stop now because this is very much bordering on becoming a political discussion.[/b]

blaming this on Bush though is dumb mainly because this is a event known for years and the money couldve been freed up by a number of presidents to reenforce the levis, build new ones ect but nothing was taken seriously untill something like this actually happened. that how we are, we only take things seriously untill we see what can happen

 

[Will Tinder]

The bottom line, regardless of whether we blame the president, the local officials, state government, or whoever...

The situation is absolute chaos. The more I see, the more I watch, the more I wonder if even the most prepared government in the world could deal with a disaster of this magnitude. Part of the problem, I think, is exactly that this disaster wasn't instantaneous... it was slow, it crept up, and because it was slow, because people thought the levees were fine, they didn't act. Then, when the situation did spiral out of control, everyone... Federal, State, and Local, were caught with their pants down.

 

[Kiel Ortega]

A thread I think got ignored (it's on the second page with only 79 hits), though had a great article on spending for disaster relief, etc. related to N.O.

http://stormtrack.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8250

 

[Kevin Bowman]

Originally posted by Will Tinder
The bottom line, regardless of whether we blame the president, the local officials, state government, or whoever...

The situation is absolute chaos. The more I see, the more I watch, the more I wonder if even the most prepared government in the world could deal with a disaster of this magnitude. Part of the problem, I think, is exactly that this disaster wasn't instantaneous... it was slow, it crept up, and because it was slow, because people thought the levees were fine, they didn't act. Then, when the situation did spiral out of control, everyone... Federal, State, and Local, were caught with their pants down.

well the National Weather Service was not caught with their pants down. They were making it perfectly clear what was about to happen. Too bad everyone acted to late