Nic
+1y
Edited: 9/4/2005 12:48:01 PM by Nic
Ok I'll explain myself alittle better. Re-read my posts which I was extremely pissed at the time, alot of what I said could have easily be misread. For one about the bush assasination comment, meaning that with the 'blacks' in america pulling their 'racist cards' I'm sure they'll rise up (example: Jesse Jackson is doing a good job of pissing off the blacks). That's what I'm meaning, everyone is looking at Bush for help and he misread que cards on Wednesday and isn't really the best speaker (no emotion rather then the little smile smeark), didn't say "I am taking over command and mobilizing all our military to get them to the gulf NOW"... On Wednesday he didn't say ANYTIHNG to that effect. He just said cheer up and look to the future. The mayor can only do so much, but this is out of his hands and the governor's, I'm sure he went thru his proper procedure to get marshal law instated, but he only had like around 1,200 national guard troops to assist because the rest is in Iraq and afganistan. Which I agree is good they're there, but they WOULDN'T BE THERE if the damn U.N. would assist the U.S. in the middle east, but that's a completely different discussion.
Finally on Saturday I finally smiled and felt like an American when the troops started arriving in force, and Saturday when all the aircraft was in and evacuated 10,000+ people!!! That was America at it's finest hour. That SHOULD have happened within days, not a week. Helicopters and planes within our own country can be there within HOURS. It's not like the gulf coast is around the planet and takes a week to get there. I didn't say yank our troops from Iraq, I just said they should have left allready due to the U.N. turned their backs on Terrorism. I SUPPORT 110% the troops.
My MOS was 1300 maintenace. I was in the rear with the gear with the beans and the bullets. Yet also was up front with fuel trucks to keep the caravans and helicopters fueled up to keep going and push on. Someone with some stars on their shoulders yells GO!!! You shove your foot to the floor and go. With this Huricane no one with any stars on their shoulders yelled GO!!!! Ya we didn't "train for huricane relief", and we're NOT at war with new orleans, I agree. But FEMA don't have enough staff to handle this, as well as the coast guard. They was there within the first days, but that's it. Military is not all about guns and shooting and taking over. In order to do that you have to have supplies (beans and the bullets), which is where the military would do and IS NOW DOING!!!! Military has Doctors and field medical. With being in Maintenance MOS we setup water purifing stations dropped in by helicopters, fuel stations, electrical generators to setup camps, do all kinds of stuff within hours!!! Ok a day to pack, a day to get there, but within hours to setup. That's 2 days. But it don't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the U.S. government has a SHIT LOAD OF HELICOPTERS!!!! And we have a shit load of military bases all over the U.S. with them. Like that one letter asking Bush if he lost his keys to the helicopters? From Oklahoma and Kansas to mississippi is roughly 10-16 hour drive to the ocean. Helicopters I'm sure takes half that time. Not 6 days.
I'm disappointed with the leadership. The breakdown was somewhere? FEMA, Mayor, Governor, congress, Bush??? If it wasn't for the NEWS to get in there and report this mess I bet the reaction time would probably be MORE. Yes the huricane was HUGE, and rescue wasn't sitting and waitting ready to go immediately. But 2 days notice. To evacuated 1.5 million people in 2 days is practically impossible. The poverty is not going to move which is a good percentage of the gulf coast. Alot of us Mini-truckers see what the thugs do when we go to Showfest in Greenville mississippi. That's a good example, the town of G'ville loves us to come and bring in $$$, but alot of us are NOT going back due to the thugs, hit and runs, fights, etc... That's what's going on with the inner city of N.O. The thugs, druggies, and gang bangers. They don't have drugs and that's all they know so they was shooting at hospitals and people helping. They're un-educated, which they're blaming the government for the 'free ride' welfare. Alot are kids and children, fuck their parents for putting their kids in that situation, THAT IS THE SAD PART!!!! Screw the parents that can't help themselves or SUPPORT them damn selves, yet they think they can bring into this world 2 or 3 or 4 kids!!! That's just NOT RIGHT!!!! Then they blame the government for their own non-educated actions. Again this is another discussion.
This entire situation is really 2 rescues. 1 was huricane, and 2nd is the flood due to the levees. If New Orleans was designed correctly this mess would not be here. I wouldn't blame bush 100% for not reinforsing the levees, Clinton or bush sr. could have reinforsed it years ago. So what have I done since I'm here creating this BOOK? I'm donating and helping where I can. If I was single I would load up, grab a boat and head to the gulf and help out; however, I have a family and we're helping by donating and teaching my kids how to help.My main concern was NO LEADERSHIP!!! The U.S. has the CIA, we have satalites, cell and satelite phones, all the aircraft we can use, the worlds largest military, NASA, we can go to the moon and mars and back, yet can't get help from the government within a week. General Honore is doing an excellent JOB!!! Why? He has BALLS, and is saying how it is... He's not worrying about it in some committee. HE HAS THE POWER and is USING IT FULLY to do GOOD!!!!!! That's what it TAKES!!!!! Someone to put their FOOT DOWN AND FRIGGEN DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AWESOME!!!! But it took 6 days to get there