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View Full Version : e-mail remarks from mike brown, head of the FEMA.


Biggy
11-03-2005, 05:07 PM
From: http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/11/03/brown.fema.emails/index.html

1. Two days after Katrina hit, Marty Bahamonde, one of the only FEMA employees in New Orleans, wrote to Brown that "the situation is past critical" and listed problems including many people near death and food and water running out at the Superdome. Brown's entire response was: "Thanks for the update. Anything specific I need to do or tweak?"

2. "Can I quit now? Can I come home?" Brown wrote to Cindy Taylor, FEMA's deputy director of public affairs, the morning of the hurricane. A few days later, Brown wrote to an acquaintance, "I'm trapped now, please rescue me."

And my personal favorite...

3. On August 26, just days before Katrina made landfall, Brown e-mailed his press secretary, Sharon Worthy, about his attire, asking: "Tie or not for tonight? Button-down blue shirt?" A few days later, Worthy advised Brown: "Please roll up the sleeves of your shirt, all shirts. Even the president rolled his sleeves to just below the elbow. In this [crisis] and on TV you just need to look more hard-working." On August 29, the day of the storm, Brown exchanged e-mails about his attire with Taylor, Melancon said. She told him, "You look fabulous," and Brown replied, "I got it at Nordstroms. ... Are you proud of me?" An hour later, Brown added: "If you'll look at my lovely FEMA attire, you'll really vomit. I am a fashion god," according to the congressman.


So who was in charge that a guy like this was able to get into office? Accountability, I'm not going to blame the monkey who got promoted and took the job, I am going to blame the guy who decided it was a good idea to put this monkey in charge.

TheEnforcer
11-03-2005, 05:09 PM
Amazing isn't it....

MorganGrayson
11-03-2005, 05:22 PM
:blink:

DollarManSteve
11-03-2005, 05:43 PM
Oh my god, you mean he's a regular person who deals with stress through humour and not a government android?!??!? The horror!

MorganGrayson
11-03-2005, 06:08 PM
This is an object lesson for just about everyone. Never put anything in print that you aren't willing to see taken out of context for someone else's agenda.


(I've had a chance to think about this one, you see.)


None of this actually makes any kind of legitimate comment about Brown or his abilities or lack of abilities. Lines taken out of context never do.


Video doesn't either. Many of the famous "cop abuse caught on tape by bystander" videos are edited to show the cop's response but leave out what the "alleged" individual did to trigger the response. Watching the entire video puts the response in context.


My two cents. :)

Biggy
11-03-2005, 07:48 PM
"Roll your sleeves up, so it makes it look like you are working harder"
"Do you need me to tweak the situation"
"I got this at Nordstrom, doesn't look fabulous." (i didnt take these verbatim)

I think its shows his lax attitude, which correlates directly with lax aid. I cant see someone working their ass off in the middle of a crisis and find time to fuck around with a public affairs assistant "i got this at nordstrom, doesnt it look fabulous?" the emails make him sound like a 20 year old college drop out. i know people who may flirt and mess around, but they aren't sending gay little emails like that around, they're probably smart enough to realize its documented. Smart people don't need to worry about pettyness, they worry about getting the job done. If this was taken on an ordinary day where nothing was going on, I'd say "ok, no big deal." Some of these comments were the days leading up to, the day of, and the day after..

Biggy
11-03-2005, 07:49 PM
Oh my god, you mean he's a regular person who deals with stress through humour and not a government android?!??!? The horror!

the problem is he IS a normal person, not someone of exceptional intelligence or leadership ability which was required by the job. you don't put a normal joe schmo as head of a government agency, you put someone who is talented.

Dravyk
11-03-2005, 08:30 PM
Oh my god, you mean he's a regular person who deals with stress through humour and not a government android?!??!? The horror!There is a certain level of stupidity that smart minds cannot accept and therefore substitutes that the person is actually very smart and has a sense of humor.

Steve, uh, there was no sense of humor there.

The man is a fucking idiot!

Ok? Got that? Good.

Btw, I'm not joking. http://oprano.com/msgboard/images/smilies/smile.gif

Red
11-03-2005, 10:11 PM
There is a certain level of stupidity that smart minds cannot accept and therefore substitutes that the person is actually very smart and has a sense of humor.

Steve, uh, there was no sense of humor there.

The man is a fucking idiot!

Ok? Got that? Good.

Btw, I'm not joking. http://oprano.com/msgboard/images/smilies/smile.gif

You beat me to this one.
This makes us even. :)