Katrina Politics --
Some Photos
Jerry
jerry-VA@speakeasy removethistext dot net
Rev 11Sept05; 22Aug06
CHENEY
GO HOME!! NO HALIBURTON!! CONTRACTS HERE
!!
St. Paul's Church in the French
Quarter.
I have reviewed hundreds of media
photos (AFP, Reuters, AP, Getty Images) made available jointly by SBC
Communications and Yahoo.
I only noticed 2 political protest
photos. One is above (the other was a White House
picketer).
As for "no Haliburton, contracts
here"....
HALIBURTON &
the SHAW GROUP ARE ALEADY IN (again)
Haliburton (dvsn of Kellogg, Brown
& Root; and the the Shaw Group) already has the lead
contract for reconstruction of all military bases in the
area.
"Companies with ties to the
Bush White House and the former head of FEMA are clinching some of the
administration's first disaster relief and reconstruction contracts in
the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina." more
in USA Today. If link goes dead,
search on above text.
The funnel for Federal funds runs
through Joe M Allbaugh, who was the Bush-Cheney 2000 campaign
manager, working with Karl Rove and Karen Hughes. In a familiar
Washington career trajectory, helping with the startup business (the
election) was rewarded by patronage. In January 2001, Bush put
Allbaugh in charge of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA). In a familiar Washington revolving-door career
trajectory, Allbaugh resigned from FEMA on 1 March 2003, and worked to
get war-related contracts and now FEMA's Katrina-related contracts to
companies with Bush White House ties.
THE 1931
DAVIS-BACON ACT IS SUSPENDED
If the scattered New Orleans
citizens return, they do not have to be paid the normal prevailing
wage. See:
"Bush lifts wage rules for Katrina --
President signs executive order allowing contractors to pay below
prevailing wage in affected areas". (more). Other White House
goals are to give displaced students school vouchers to attend
religious schools, and to channel Federal funds to faith-based relief
organizaitons. I think Saudi Arabia works this way . .
. at least say
that they are "relief organizations" and "charities".
TURMOIL AT FEMA
The turmoil of musical-chair
directors at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is clear:
Joe Allbaugh, Michael Brown, Vice Adm. Thad W. Allen, the Coast Guard's
third in command. The signiflcant move was none of this, but instead
the appointment of someone to gut the agency. That was Mitch
Daniels, appointed to run the Office of Management and Budget.
Daniels believed
"Many are concerned that federal disaster assistance may have evolved
into an oversized entitlement program. . . expectations of when the
federal government should be involved, and the degree of involvement,
may have ballooned beyond what is an appropriate level," as
reviewed elsewhere on this site ("FEMA
hands out entitlements. Let's fix it"). (Use browser
BACK button to return). FEMA was stipped of its Cabinet-level
position and placed under the Secretary of Homeland Security, a job no
one wanted to fill.
The FEMA tragedy is not gutting the budget. A budget can be
restored with the stroke of a pen.
The FEMA tragedy is that Presidential distain for the agency and
slashed budgets made it clear to many throughout the Agency what they
must do: quit. If you read of droves of FEMA officials in
so many States quitting and wondered what could make so many people all
decide the same thing at the same time . . .
(left)
President Bush and Michael Brown in Mobile, Alabama on Bush's first
visit, Friday, 2 September.
"Again, I want to thank you all for
-- and, Brownie, you're doing a heck
of a job.
The FEMA Director is working 24 -- (applause) -- they're working 24
hours a day."
Full
text at the White House Website.
(right
photo) Michael Brown, FEMA is relieved from active duty by
Michael Chertoff,
Secretary of Homeland Security.
Standing right is Thad Allen, US
Coast Guard Vice Admiral,
who took over Katrina relief
efforts.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Friday, 9
September.
Brown was ordered back to
Washington, where he may continue to collect his $162,100/year salary.
However, victims may not continue to collect $2,000 in emergency
cash, as FEMA was abruptly told to scrap plans to give $2,000 debit
cards to displaced storm victims. Brown resigned the following
Monday.
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