My sister and mother both lived in Slidell, LA., and both lost their entire homes and all contents to Hurricane Katrina. Luckily, they fled on the Saturday before to the relative safety of my home in Northern Mississippi. But, sadly, they are now both renting houses and about to start having to make their mortage payments again. And then yesterday FEMA comes out with the news that they are out of money and are telling their underwriters to not pay on flood policies. When I read this news, I was horrified and called my sister immediately. She then promptly called her insurance company (the company from which she purchased her flood policy through) and was told that they were in NO WAY going to listen to what FEMA said and they assured her that they would pay her claim...

My thing is that how on earth can FEMA be responsible for flood insurance policies and then just "not have the money" to pay them. Anyhow, it got me wondering and since I am a complete news junkie I started digging around on the internet and I found this FACINATING article. If you have the time, please, please read it. It astounded me and has prompted me to search more. I will update as I find more information.

Here's the link: http://www.sonic.net/sentinel/gvcon6.html

Let me know what you think, does this scare the poo out of anyone besides myself?

--Left

Well, that is exciting reading, isn't it.

Another PR failure for W, showing Bush country that he'll screw us Southerners as happily as anyone else.

What have I learned about the US gov't since Katrina? FEMA is the biggest (and saddest) joke ever.

Why are you surprised that a Connecticut cowboy will screw Southerners?

Sadly, being from the South, I see that most people REFUSE to accept that Bush or any other repug for that matter could ever do anything bad. It's like the refusal to admit that your kid just maybe doing things wrong when she's basically screaming it in your face. So, while the repugs scream in the face of us Southerners, we (um, excluding me FOR SURE) just say "Oh, he's just having a hard time, give him a chance..." Hillarious and sad at the same time.

Off topic...I have a poster in my office that says "When maliciously leaking secrets is outlawed...only outlaws will maliciously leak secrets while fabricating bogus pretexts for wars." One of my fellow Southern peers came in the other day and said "oh but she wasn't a classified agent, she was just dealing with weapons..." As if this excused the whole thing and told me I watch CNN too much.

Hardy-har-har.

--Left

The FEMA Exec Orders are not the worst orders. Read them all.

I wish you were right.
_____________________________________________

What is the Federal Emergency Management Agency? Simply put, it is the "secret government". This agency has powers and authority that go well beyond any other agency in the nation. What can FEMA do? It can suspend laws. It can move entire populations. It can arrest and detain citizens without a warrant and can hold them without a trial. It can seize property, food supplies, and transportation systems. And it can even suspend the Constitution of the United States.

When the first concept had been presented, its original mission was to assure the survivability of the United States Government in the event of a nuclear attack. It's secondary function was to be a Federal coordinating body during times of domestic disasters. These disasters consisted of earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes.

The "secret" black helicopters that are reported throughout the US, mainly in the West California, Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Colorado areas are flown by FEMA personnel. It has been given the responsibility for many new national disasters such as forest fires, home heating emergencies, refugee situations, riots, and emergency planning for nuclear and toxic incidents. It works together with the Sixth Army in the West.

A series of Executive Orders (EO) was used to create FEMA. It does not matter whether an EO is Constitutional or not, it becomes a law simply by being published in the Federal Registry. These orders go around Congress.

List of Executive Orders

Executive Order Number

Meaning

10900

Allows the government to take control over all modes of transportation, highways, and seaports.

10995

Allows the government to seize and control the communication media.

10997

Allows the government to take over all electrical power, gas, petroleum, fuels, and minerals.

10998

Allows the government to take over all food resources and farms.

11000

Allows the government to mobilize civilians into work brigades under government supervision.

11001

Allows the government to take over all health, education, and welfare functions.

11002

Designates the Postmaster General to operate national registration of all persons.

11003

Allows the government to take over all airports and aircraft, including commercial aircraft.

11004

Allows the Housing and Finance Authority to relocate communities, build new housing with public funds, designate areas to be abandoned, and establish new locations for populations.

11005

Allows the government to take over railroads, inland waterways, and public storage facilities.

11051

Specifies the responsibility of the Office of Emergency Planning and gives authorization to put all Executive Orders into effect in times of increased international tensions and economic or financial crisis.

11310

Grants authority to the Department of Justice to enforce the plans set out in Executive Orders, to institute industrial support, to establish judicial and legislative liaison, to control all aliens, to operate penal and correctional institutions, and to advise and assist the President.

11049

Assigns emergency preparedness function to federal departments and agencies, consolidating 21 operative Executive Orders issued over a fifteen year period.

11921

Allows the Federal Emergency Preparedness Agency to develop plans to establish control over the mechanisms of production and distribution, of energy sources, wages, salaries, credit and flow of money in the U.S.A. financial institution in any undefined national emergency. It also provides that when a state of emergency is declared by the President, Congress cannot review the action for six months.

http://tinyurl.com/9b467

Exactly! Alot of these folks, I think W could shoot their mother right in front of them, and they would still support him.

So I was trying to point out what DUMB PR this is!

I'm sorry. All of the Fema money was spent a long time ago when it was diverted to the Iraq "black hole". I suggest you contact the media, both local and national and let them know about this. Complain loud and hard. Get all your friends and family to complain. Generate some appropriate and righteous Outrage over this complete and total bullshit. Ask where the money went to?

The country is going to hell in a handbasket under Bush and the Republicans. Is anyone surprised?

and now we also have this:

Ex-FEMA Head Starts Disaster Planning Firm

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051125/ap_on_...HNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

Yeah, like it says - disaster planning. He's going to plan disasters, like a wedding planner plans weddings! Get it!

I would think it quite interesting to see Browns Resume'