Free Republic

The US military has categories of stupidity. The highest is “gross public dumb.” But a higher category is needed for moments like the “bus interview” by Louisiana Governor Blanco. It is spectacularly stupid. You’ve got to see this to believe it. Interview of Governor Blanco by John Hill of Louisiana Gannett News, 19 September, 2005 “GANNETT: In hindsight, what would you have done differently in the first response? “BLANCO: Well, I would have placed less confidence in a structure elsewhere (the Federal Emergency Management Association) and depended more on ourselves. As an example, when buses were not delivered in a...

Democrats led by Sen. Hillary Clinton are blaming the Federal Emergency Management Agency for failing to respond adequately to the Hurricane Katrina disaster. But FEMA didn't do much better under much less taxing conditions, when the floods that followed Hurricane Floyd left tens of thousands stranded up and down the Eastern seaboard, wondering what happened to federal rescuers. New Jersey, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida were hit hard when Floyd slammed the coast on Sept. 16, 1999. It was the worst storm to hit the U.S. in 25 years - yet it killed only 61 people. That death toll expected...

Endless lease at parks?Rocky Mount Telegram There are two reasons why the flood victims still living in FEMA trailer parks have not been evicted. They range from the emotional to the political. Who wants to tell someone who has lost a home that he must leave, even 21/2 years after Hurricane Floyd? Who wants to bear the political baggage that comes with making such a decision? Unfortunately, residents of the parks are taking advantage of the situation. Some people may protest otherwise, including Hazel Mack-Hilliard, director of Eastern Carolina Legal Services. But how else to explain the lack of effort...