I'll Stop Calling This Crew "Orwellian" When They Stop Using "1984" as an Operations Manual

I'll stop calling this crew "Orwellian" when they stop using 1984 as an operations manual. Making Light http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/ directs us to China Mievelle.

He writes:

The politics of weather 3: the shyness of experts: Remember my earlier point that disaster management in New Orleans had been privatised, the 'catastrophic hurricane disaster plan' having been handed over to Baton Rouge-based Innovative Emergency Management last year? Watching this nightmare unfold, I've been wondering... what exactly IEM got paid for. It's turning out to be very hard to find out.... In my first post on this, I quoted their original press release: "IEM, Inc., the Baton Rouge-based emergency management and homeland security consultant, will lead the development of a catastrophic hurricane disaster plan for Southeast Louisiana and the City of New Orleans under a more than half a million dollar contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)." Don't bother trying the link to that release on the original post. It doesn't work any more....

[Y]ou'll see IEM's page of press releases. Below is what it looked like at 3am on Friday 2nd September... a release on May 25, 2004 and the next one's on July 14, 2004. But... just before Katrina started, y'know, destroying New Orleans... [t]here used to be another press release, between May and July, dated June 3, announcing that 'IEM Team to Develop Catastrophic Hurricane Disaster Plan for New Orleans & Southeast Louisiana'. That's right. The evidence that hurricane-management was privatised and handed over to IEM has been eradicated from the IEM website. It's almost as if someone was trying to evade responsibility for incompetence that's resulted in the deaths of thousands, or something.

For those interested... [y]ou can still find the verbatim copy from the press release in the Insurance Journal... where we learn from IEM Director of Homeland Security Wayne Thomas that his company's 'approach to catastrophic planning meets the challenges associated with integrating multi-jurisdictional needs and capabilities into an effective plan for addressing catastrophic hurricane strikes'. Right. So, the IEM team's approach isn't to siphon off tax money, spout management shit, provide a demonstrably catastrophically inadequate plan, then f--- off like craven f------ caveworms and hide the evidence when the fucking corpses start piling up?

More intriguing information here (pdf), in the Spring newsletter of the Louisiana Emergency Preparedness Association, where we hear all about an exciting hurricane planning workshop organised by IEM. Relevant extract: '[S]ustaining winds of 120mph... destroyed over 75% of the structures in its path, and left the majority of New Orleans under 15-20 feet of water'. That's impressively accurate. '[S]heltering, temporary housing, and temporary medical care' were chosen as areas to focus on, 'functional plans' were put in place, that can be 'implemented immediately'. Result? 'Louisiana is much better prepared for a catastrophic hurricane'....

[B]e proud, IEM! Why so coy? Why so shy of having won this prestigious contract? I think we should help IEM out by telling everyone we can their involvement in this, and bringing to people's attention the company's sudden inadvertent mislaying of its press release...

Impeach George W. Bush., Impeach him now.

Comments

[section321]

I'm speechless.... this crew never ceases to amaze me.

I work in international trade and I've seen the feeding frenzy that is our nation's effort to protect its supply chains (Customs/Trade Partnership Against Terrorism, Container Security Initiative, gamma ray screening). There has been a frenzy with much money spent. Some are more realistic than others. The gamma ray machine, for instance are set off by false alerts (frequently cat litter) and yet they can't detect a lead sheilded chunk of uranium (thank you ABC news). How is this money helping?

It always seems the case throughout history that times of danger provide numerous opportunities for profiteering and this one is no different.

[Michael Foley]

Just give Mike Brown his Medal of Freedom and get him out of there! Paging Mr. James Lee Witt..

[David W.]

The responsibility for ordering an evacuation is not with any consultant, but with elected officials. Mayor Nagin in my opinion was grossly negligent in not ordering an evacuation at least 24 hours earlier than he did, given the signficant chance that a Category Five hurricane would strike New Orleans.

[section321]

The price to purchase this contract was pretty cheap:

Madhu Beriwal - President & CEO
$2500 dontain to the RNC on 4/12/2004 (about 2 months before the contract)

Dontations to Rep Mike Rogers (AL-R)$2000. (Mike is on the Homeland Security Subcommitte on Mgmt, Integration and Oversight

Total dontains over the last three elections $11,500.

Charles Kelly - VP Defense Operations
$550 to Mike Rogers

Opensecrets.org lists various other donations by IEM personnel.....

The bazaar is open...

[Sharon]

Must pick jaw up from floor...

[Thomas L]

Actually, thanks to the web archive project (http://www.archive.org/web/web.php) you can track back to IEM's old press release (just enter http://www.ieminc.com/Whats_New/Press_Releases/release.htm and press take me back) - it's actually incredible to see the old press release and makes you wonder why they took it off their current page recently ...

[bob mcmanus]

Reference John in a previous thread, I like Brad for deleting comments, I have had several deleted, and would not be surprised to find this one gone.

But the "Impeach Bush" is getting tiresome. With this Congress, or any plausible forthcoming Congress, it is not going to happen. Yet Bush is so bad for the country, and the world, including being at best indirectly responsible for thousands of deaths, and pursuing perhaps irrevocable catastrophic policies, that removing him from office is necessary.

A serious person might explore alternatives, tho always legal or moral as in civil disobedience, to achieving this goal. A respectable professor switching from "incompetent" to "evil" in public analysis, and in general increasing stridency, could help.

[degustibus]

Damn, blogs are good for something after all.

"So America, once famous for its can-do attitude, now has a can't-do government that makes excuses instead of doing its job" Paul Krugman, NYT

(Not so much a can't-do government, but a sold-out, won't-do government.)

[mds]

"The responsibility for ordering an evacuation is not with any consultant, but with elected officials. Mayor Nagin in my opinion was grossly negligent in not ordering an evacuation at least 24 hours earlier than he did, given the signficant chance that a Category Five hurricane would strike New Orleans."

It has been noted elsewhere that emergency response for anything above Category 3 is explicitly the province of the federal government. But do keep bullhorning away about how it's primarily the fault of the least powerful politician with the fewest resources at his disposal. The blameshift talking points seem to be getting good distribution, though even I am fascinated at the administration going one step further and blaming poor elderly people in wheelchairs for not evacuating themselves.

Despite my dissatisfaction with much of her performance, I will also grudgingly give Governor Blanco some credit---she did not take time away from the crisis to fly to a photo-op with the President, as Governor Barbour did. Of course, since she's not Republican, I doubt she was invited to "brief" the President anyway.

[P O'Neill]

While this private company is fair game, even if handing over to the private sector was truly more efficient for these particular services, they can't operate when there's no security. Bush's government has failed to meet even the minimal Hobbesian state functions. So bash stupid private firms all we want, but keep sight on who's ultimately responsible. Yes indeed, impeach George W. Bush now.

[Larry Y.]

I agree; impeachment is not a plan or a policy. And if the call to save America from Bush is to succeed, there must be a plan or policy.

I see a spread of possible possibilities.

Democrats align with grown-up Republicans to force resignation of Bush/Cheney, to be replaced by McCain/Guliani, or another Republican duo. It makes Republican presidential victory in '08 more likely, but increases the odds that country will survive until then.

Democrats play role of opposition party. Every single policy is debated. Investigations into every government agency get under way. Not a single Democratic vote is cast for a bill introduced by Republicans. The issue becomes laser-focused on Republican corruption, greed and incompetence. The focus is placed on Bush and his enablers, until swing-state Republicans bolt from lame-duck loser leader.

I am not a fan of McCain or Guliani, but we Democrats must admit that we have totally failed to elevate any of our politicans to the role of opposition or shadow government. Al Gore's silence, Kerry's listlessness, and Clinton's pandering are all fatal. I think the best case scenario is a McCain/Guliani presidency by late this year, followed by at least a partial shift on Congressional control in Jan. '07.

I'm going on at length here (and in Daily Kos) because a change can only happen if there is a vision of the possible. An impeachment trial is not enough, if we don't think President Cheney would be any better (or if we don't think Cheney is currently alive). I'd like to see a consideration of possible replacements for Cheney & Bush begin percolating here in the lefty blogosphere, so when the anger of America rises, there will be a plausible alternative, acceptable to the middle 60% of the political spectrum.

[monkyboy]

It's too late for a Democrat like Harry Reid to get to NO ahead of Bush to highlight the corruption and incompetence of the Republicans, but it isn't too late to make sure the refugees are settled in areas where their votes can make a difference(60,00 votes in Ohio).

There is an election in Texas on November 8th. Last day to register is October 11th...

[alkali]

I dunno. I like this impeachment thing more and more.

[a different chris]

Larry Y, how is that "realistic"? HTH does Mc/G take over the WH?? The only way is for Cheney to resign, Bush to appoint McCain VP, then Bush resigns, McCain assumes the Presidency and appoints Guliani VP.

This would require the acquiesense of the entire Republican Party. A party who is top-heavy with Fundies (or pretend Fundies, whatever) and the right-wing religious base hate McCain and anybody from New York, especially a divorcee and serial adulturer. As for the politicos themsleves, yeah, they're gonna let those two step on their faces right to the top of the party. Not.

[a different chris]

I kin spel, I just choos not two.

[J Thomas]

Larry Y, what if democrats act like a real opposition party and the media doesn't report them, but only reports about them that they are totally obstructionist and worthless?

It's hard to believe that there isn't a single democratic legislator who'd want to take the (risky) strategy of leading the dissent. But there isn't.

Is it that the FBI has blackmail material on all of them?

Is it that they know the media won't play with them?

I don't know why it's happening, but it just doesn't seem plausible that none of them would speak up. And yet none of them have.

[pebird]

Impeach George W. Bush., Impeach him now.

Brad - I suggest a little more specificity as to what you may want readers to do. May I suggest:

Elect a Democratic House in 2006 with a mandate to Impeach George W. Bush.

[bob mcmanus]

I like this thread. I am serious. Nancy Pelosi this afternoon said many good things but was "saddened" by the President's performance. Unacceptable.

I am not sure what the consequences might be, or how it would play in the media. But it is the right thing to do. How do we get Bush to resign now? The more this is an acceptable and widespread topic and focus the more he will be unable to govern and forced to resign.

I would accept Cheney. The man has a brain, character, and has held positions of responsibility. And doesn't giggle during national tragedies.

[save_the_rustbelt]

Great story from N.O.

An 18 year-old found a bus sitting abandoned in the street running.

Loaded it with 100 people and drove it straight to Houston, although he had never driven a bus before. Surprised the folks at the Astrodome.

HE deserves a Medal of Freedom. And a job at FEMA.

[bertram]

IEM also has on the website a FEMA press release about a hurricane exercise in New Orleans.
http://www.ieminc.com/Whats_New/Hurricane_Pam_Concludes_NR.pdf
The exercise was referenced by a reuters article questioning the slow response http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-weather-katrina-criticism.html

While IEM apparently doesn't want to be associated with the catastrophe, it appears to me that FEMA has simply forgotten about the plan rather than having paid for a blank piece of paper.

[viacondotti]

J. Thomas,

This simple fact is that with a very few exceptions, Democrats strong enough to mount a loud and effective opposition are bought off by the same lobbyists and their clients that buy off the Republicans. Check the vote on invasion of Iraq, just to start. They support the same policies that the Republicans do, because they benefit from them just as the Republicans do. If you're examining ideology or bravery or sentiment or voting constituencies to find the answer to your question, you're wasting your time.

[J Thomas]

Viacondotti, you present a reasonable hypothesis. How would we check it? Would we look at the official campaign contribution lists and see who got large donations from the same companies?

What would you suggest we (as individuals who want good government) do about it? There's no point in swapping republicans for democrats if they're owned by the same masters. Like the cliche about swapping deck chairs on the Titanic....

It makes further sense, that if you find a few heroes who won't be bought off, a rich ruthless organisation would have them killed. Poisons that look like heart attacks, assassinations that look like deranged loners, airplanes that crash like pilot error or blow up like terrorists.

The more I imagine it, the more hopeless it seems. But that's no way to win.

Do you know who these lohbyists and their clients are? It occurs to me, I have nothing to lose by contacting them and seeing if they're open to persuasion. Wouldn't they rather own a rich country than a poor one? Wouldn't they rather own a healthy workforce than a sick one? Maybe I could appeal to thelr self-interest to help rebuild this nation.

[liberal]

I think Joe Conason summed things up perfectly:

"We are likely to face still more fearsome challenges, from natural disasters and human enemies, in the months and years to come. The governing style and habitual dishonesty of the Bush Republicans represent a severe danger to our future well-being. Nobody should be afraid to say so."

http://www.salon.com/opinion/conason/2005/09/02/criticizing_bush/index.html

[Maynard Handley]

"The responsibility for ordering an evacuation is not with any consultant, but with elected officials. Mayor Nagin in my opinion was grossly negligent in not ordering an evacuation at least 24 hours earlier than he did, given the signficant chance that a Category Five hurricane would strike New Orleans."

And the relevance of this is what, exactly? When a terrorist strike, or earthquake, next occur in the US, should we expect it to take over five days for the federal government to respond?
Mayor Nagin may be the biggest tool in the world, but the inadequacies you claim he has have nothing to do with the gross failure of the federal government.

[P.M.Lawrence]

The practical problem with the impeachment idea is the same as the problem with the Nihilist scheme for reforming the system by assassinations. It only causes a replacement, on the old principle that no matter who you vote for a politician will always get in. What is more, the idea that despotism can be tempered by assassination might affect individuals considering the government job descriptions on offer, but not all of them all the time because - in the other old saying - there's one born every minute.

And, of course, every successful reform or revolution merely creates more human material that will decay soon enough in its turn (which is why you can't elect a non-politician).

[Silicon-DNA]

For all of those O'reilly types out there who posit that "Those who stayed behind deserved what they got!' I have a question for you: If those people should have known to get out because they would have died as a result of Hurricane Katrina, then why weren't the feds prepared for this disaster? If the locals 'should have known better', then why didn't the government know that they should get ready for the worst possible scenario?

If the locals are supposed to take responsibility for their actions, then why isn't the government taking responsibilty for their inactions?

I can respond to why people stayed home. I've lived through many 'Mandatory Evacuations'. Unfortunately, human nature has a short memory, if nothing bad has happened in the past, then nothing bad will happen in the future. Hurricane Camille happened a long time ago and when you have been told to evacuate one or two times a year for the last 20 years with no consequenses, you will continue to not evacuate.

It's easy for someone on the outside to say that these people should have known better, but when everything that they know has been that 'nothing will happen to them' they will continue to think that way. It is the responsibilty of government to come to the rescue when something does happen to them.

On 9/11, the National Guard showed up in NYC the same day and on every day for a week following (with no notice). The entire air transportation system was shut down within hours. It took the government four days to get the National Guard into NoLa after Hurricane Katrina and it had a week's notice! Not only did have a week's notice, but it had over a decade's worth of studies showing exactly what would happen in a worse case scenario!

The Federal Government even contracted out services to company to model how to handle this exact situation should it ever occur after the consolidation of FEMA into the Department of Homeland Security.

[liberal]

bob mcmanus wrote, "The man [Cheney] has a brain, character, and has held positions of responsibility."

Cheney's definitely smart.

Character? The man is pure evil.

Held positions of responsibility? And how has he executed that responsibility?

[bob mcmanus]

"Character? The man is pure evil."

But smart evil; and I think Bush makes more decisions than most of us would like to think.

"Held positions of responsibility? And how has he executed that responsibility?"

CEO of Halliburton;to my knowledge and in my opinion not very well;but opinions vary

Cheney approaches my next to last choice, but for a variety of reasons, if he was all I had to get rid of Bush, I would take it.

[J Thomas]

PM Lawrence, what solution do you suggest?

I have not heard anyone publicly suggest assassination yet. I can understand that you'd feel the need to argue against it.

I agree it wouldn't work. Even if someone did kill Rove, for all the talk about his genius he's still only the head of the organisation. His organisation would almost certainly keep running smoothly without him, just like al qaeda has been just as effective without bin Ladin.

So what would you suggest?

I expect people had this same conversation in 1400. "It's no use getting rid of a king. As soon as you get rid of one king another one takes over, and no matter what you do they're all aristocrats. They're all the same."

And yet they weren't all the same. Some of them were worth getting rid of.

[anciano]

I agree with Viacondotti- stop the childish drivel about impeachment. Our system DOES NOT WORK- Presidents are only impeached if the opposition party controls Congress. Corporations rule. We lecture the world about human rights, but Mexico City newspapers rightly point out that our human rights record is on a par with Haiti's. The City of New Orleans knew that 112,000 adults had no transportation and that many of the elderly could not evacuate themselves. At the very least they should have had a five-day supply of water and MREs for 100,000 people pre-positioned in the City. New Orleans has a long tradition of lawlessness, drug abuse and corruption – that’s why Memphis has grown and NO has lost population. It's predictable that looting would be a problem, especially without food or water. The same would happen in Watts or Miami. It is Governor Blanco and the LA National Guard who are to blame for not putting the National Guard into the city on Monday by air- hurricane scientists told them that the city would be underwater but they were planning to drive in at a convenient time.

The IEM people should be sued by all victims. President Bush should stop smirking and joking with the FEMA head. Nagin, Blanco, and the heads of FEMA and the LA national guard should resign in disgrace- they have blood on their hands. As in 9/11 inability of governmental agencies to work together cost thousands of lives. The difference is that the giant New Orleans hurricane was predictable and was even mentioned by FEMA in 2004 as one of the big worries. Yet no plans were made for the poor and elderly who just happen to be black. The UN should call a human rights investigation.

[Lis Riba]

I found more. A 2001 post-9/11 National Journal article about security companies show they hired former LA Rep Bob Livingston as their lobbyist.

Also, congressional hearings in 2000 show IEM has a record of producing inadequate guidelines.

[J Thomas]

Anciano, I somewhat agree with you. Our system DOES NOT WORK.

Brown (head of FEMA), Cheney, and Bush should all resign. That would spare us the trauma of impeachment. They owe us that.

[Charles]

I have called for Bush to be removed from office on the last day of his term.

As a practical matter, he will not be impeached during this session. Furthermore, if impeached, he would be replaced by Cheney. Impeach Cheney and you get Dennis "Bulldoze New Orleans" Hastert. Condoleeza Rice. Bill Frist. Not one is fit to hold the office they have, much less be president.

But remove Bush from office on the last day of his term, and it will send a message to every future president, "Screw our country, and we will make sure that people remember *forever*"

[ent lord]

The most surreal image to arise out of this whole mess, is the photo of the president strumming on his guitar and the White House's hurried response that the photo had to be understood in context: The president had just given a speech celebrating VJ Day, the guitar had just been presented to him as a gift, and he was idly strumming it, not actually playing it.
Sorry but the image has struck a chord with me and forever more, Mr. Bush will remain in my mind as "Nero" Bush.

[J Thomas]

Charles, if Bush/Cheney were replaced by a caretaker government like that of Jerry Ford the nation would be far better off. Spending 2 years on autopilot would be far better than those last 2 years with Bush actually doing things.

[P.M.Lawrence]

J.Thomas, if you look at the kings who were indeed got rid of, you will see that some weren't that culpable and in no case was there any particular improvement as a result (apart from in the minds of those who declared it all over straight away, of course). There may have been kings here and there that getting rid of would have helped, but those were pretty capable and survived.

As for better suggestions, all I can suggest is working towards replacing both system and those running it, with as clean a reforming transition as possible to avoid anybody getting caught in the works. My role here is as a critic, not as someone whose criticisms become falas if I don't have specifics to hand. If I had specifics, they would relate to my own time and place anyway, things like improving the Australian Defence Force.

If we had a better ADF, we could send in our marines to rescue our own people, instead of having your lot bar our consular assistance from reaching Australians trapped in the disaster zone. Or at least use the leverage to get our consular assistance in there. WE aren't looters, for crying out loud.

[J Thomas]

PM Lawrence, what is "falas"? Did you mean "false"? A quick google search gave me links to tolkien elves and ethiopian jews. Assuming you meant false, that isn't my concern.

I'm looking for "useful" just now, more than "true". Some way to create an adequate government in the USA while minimising violence during the transition.

If you're right that politicians are an insoluble problem then we would need to find a way to do it without politicians.

I'm not sure how to judge how good a given king was. The impression I have is that for example england had a big variety of kings. Some reasonable, some extravagant, some insane, etc. And the results they got seemed to have little correlation with their character. I'm not sure what to make of that. But there are very few kings today. Nowadays when a new king gets established we call him a dictator and usually the line doesn't reach its second generation. There has been some change that made kings less important. If we can do without kings maybe we can do without politicians too.

So yes, I agree with your suggested goal. Replace the people and the system smoothly. It had sounded like you were saying it was hopeless. Which I want to reject, since if I accept it's hopeless then I lose interest in testing that claim.

[Auros]

Just in case it hasn't been noticed: The outsourcing of NOLA's disaster plan occurred under Foster, the Republican who preceded Blanco (the current Democratic gov who brought in Witt over the weekend).