Archive for Thursday, October 25, 2007
Contrasting responses
October 25, 2007
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The way California has faced its wildfire challenge stands in stark contrast to the response in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
Reporters who covered both the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans and the current wildfires in California say there is no comparison between the manner and effectiveness of those supervising and organizing relief efforts in the two catastrophes.
Time and time again, those covering the two situations say the emergency responses are as different as night and day.
The New Orleans mayor and Louisiana governor could not get their act together. They blamed each other, other politicians and the federal government for not acting in a timely and effective manner. The opposite seems to be true in California.
California officials, at both the local and state levels, use every opportunity to point out the excellent manner in which the fires have been confronted. Mayors, firefighting officials, law enforcement officers, the National Guard, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein all are congratulating the state and its citizens for the way they have responded to the unprecedented fire conditions.
The planning to meet such disasters was solid, and when the time came to execute the various contingency plans, they worked. There wasn’t any of the procrastination, fingerpointing, blame game, ineptness or raw politics that the nation witnessed in New Orleans.
In California, there has been a well-designed, smooth-functioning effort with local, state and national officials coordinating their efforts and resources to battle the flames. The governor is receiving high marks for his leadership, and he and his top aides already are talking about how to be even more effective if and when the state faces other similar challenges.
Leadership and vision does mean a great deal. California has it; New Orleans and Louisiana didn’t. Politics didn’t get in the way in California. How would Kansas measure up if faced with a natural disaster similar to the fires in California or the flooding in New Orleans?
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25 October 2007 at 12:17 a.m.
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Ragingbear (Anonymous) says…
The big difference? All the places being burnt to the ground belong to the rich elites.
25 October 2007 at 7:38 a.m.
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just_another_bozo_on_this_bus (Anonymous) says…
This is a really stupid editorial, trying to compare two very different situations, with the obvious and possibly sole intent to give BushCo a free pass on their miserable performance in the Katrina disaster.
25 October 2007 at 7:45 a.m.
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geekin_topekan (Anonymous) says…
I must keel botmun.
25 October 2007 at 8:12 a.m.
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cowboy (Anonymous) says…
Fair Minded like O'Reilly
To quote Marion Lynn
Jesus Christ on a raft what are you talking about…
I suppose you are also on board with Fake News morning hosts who intimated it was Al Qaeda's fault
25 October 2007 at 8:33 a.m.
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Godot (Anonymous) says…
The positive, can do atmosphere at the evacuee camps was astounding. I watched the news coverage last night, and it wasn't just Schwarzenegger standing up to the reporters who wanted to focus on the negative, it was the every day people who were asked to comment in interviews. There were several occasions last night where anchors cut short the interviews because the “victims” were speaking about how good the support was from volunteers and government, and, though it was tough to lose their “things,” that they were thankful for their lives and how they looked forward to the future; then the anchors would finish up with a “but, its is really bad…..”
I would love to see a video comparison of Sebelius at Greenburg vs Schwarzenegger at Qualcom: Complete Loser vs Ultimate Leader.
25 October 2007 at 8:37 a.m.
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Oracle_of_Rhode (Anonymous) says…
Aw yeah, New Orleans would have been tons better off with the guy from Jingle All Duh Vay in charge! The pathetic, slow, strange Federal response had nothing to do with thousands of people stranded at the convention center without food or water. Bush and Brownie were just awesome dude! The only problem — no Ahnold.
25 October 2007 at 11:09 a.m.
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Confrontation (Anonymous) says…
How long before Pitts blames race for the smooth evacuation?
25 October 2007 at 8:06 p.m.
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bisky1 (Anonymous) says…
rightthinker, sure didn't take bozo long to go away after your response, just another victim of our “free press”