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"Brownie" not doing a "heck of a job" - removed by Chertoff Judy Stillson | 9/09/05
Michael Brown, the FEMA honcho who has been under fire for mishandling the Hurricane Katrina aftermath, has been given the heave ho by Homeland Security Czar Michael Chertoff.
Chertoff, who probably should be shouldering at least as much of the blame as Brown for the thousands of deaths caused by FEMA's lack of appropriate response, declined to fire Brown, opting instead to take him off the charge of directing the Katrina efforts and send him back to Washington... "to prepare for future disasters."
One wonders what those future disasters might be (and whether Brown is planning new ones) and whether Brown will have any authority should there be another recovery effort by FEMA. Brown is suitably unqualified for the position, but in keeping with the Bush administration mantra of never admitting mistakes, Brown remains as head of FEMA, Chertoff as Head of DHS and all's well with the world... or so the President would have us believe.
Elsewhere, spread out all over the nation are survivors of Katrina, clinging to what little human dignity they have left. Those who were not killed by the storm or the slow, inadequate relief effort are now being shuffled from shelter to shelter, processed, administer and mutilated by a bureaucracy gone wild that never had a plan and hasn't yet found the wherewithal to develop one which can cope with the gargantuan tasks it faces.
While the mainstream media is loathe to report it, not only were efforts to save lives repelled by FEMA, but now efforts to reconnect and/or relocate people are being blunted by the federal bureaucratic machinery who's sole mission in life seems to be the endless shuffling of paperwork to the detriment of American citizens.
Replacing Brown is one Chad Allen, a Coast Guard Vice Admiral, whose responsibilities will now include not only organizing the massive relief effort underway in Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, but undoing the damage done by his predecessor. On the surface, Allen, a career military man, has the requisite background to finally get the job done, both in terms of physically moving people and structures, repairing infrastructure and handling the public relations involved.
His prior duties with the Coast Guard include directing all Coast Guard operations in South Carolina, Georgia, most of Florida and throughout the Caribbean, so he is familiar with the terrain and territory.
Since May, 2002, Allen has served as Chief of Staff, U.S. Coast Guard and Commanding Officer, Coast Guard Headquarters, Washington, DC.
Prior to that he served as Commander, Coast Guard Atlantic Area, Fifth Coast Guard District; and U.S. maritime Defense Zone, Atlantic, where he was the operational commander for all Coast Guard activities for five Coast Guard Districts, involving 26,000 military and civilian employees, and 27,900 auxiliarists. He served concurrently as Commander, Fifth Coast Guard District, and Commander U.S. Maritime Defense Zone Atlantic.
In response to terrorist events in September 2001, Allen helped establish critical command and control capability through the Atlantic Area. He served as the Executive agent for the Coast Guard in operations in support of Commander Fleet Forces Command, Joint Forces Command and NORAD, developing the interim Homeland Security campaign plan and joint Anti-terrorism and Force Protection procedures.
While all of this paints a picture of Allen as more of a military anti-terrorist strategist, he holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the George Washington University. It would be hard to believe that anyone could possibly do a worse job than "Brownie", so we all hope and pray that Allen's position will not be severely politicized and his authority compromised. Since he is, after all, a Bush appointee now, hoping for the best may not be a wise course of action.
As I stated earlier, as much as the media, various politicians and pundits would like to see Brown crucified, Chertoff, who's office superseded FEMA, and the President, who appointed both Chertoff and Brown, should also be held accountable for the miserable handling and bungling of New Orleans and elsewhere.
In real terms, however, this is a pipe dream. The President has consistently distanced himself from subordinates, giving him the blessing of "plausible deniability" from any civil or criminal prosecution. It's truly a shame that so much effort goes into protecting the American president from responsibility in a day and age in which America is sorely in need of leaders who can take charge and shoulder appropriate burdens. For reasons not readily apparent, this administration seems content to shield the President from any kind of controversy, any kind of culpability, while at the same time vesting him with the ultimate authority.
Elsewhere on the ground - or on the water, as the case may be - in New Orleans, the forced evacuation of residents and seizure of their weapons continues to rankle locals. Quite a few holdouts in the affected area are refusing to leave their homes even though they have no power, water or means of employment. While home-owners are well within their rights in resisting evacuation, the reservists tasked with door-to-door searches and seizures are in an administrative no-man's land, without distinct authority to forcibly remove residents.
That may change as whoever is ultimately pulling the strings on the quiet imposition of Martial Law in the region may issue orders to "use all appropriate measures" to depopulate the area, possibly as early as this weekend.
Stay tuned. The battle for New Orleans is just now only beginning.
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