OP/ED: Michael Brown? This is your life!

This is insane. The person running FEMA should be someone experienced in you know...actually managing emergencies. This whole thing represents a ttoal failure of the system at all levels and it alos reveals how the poor in ths country have been forgotten. Most of the people in NO are poor. IF the system gave a damn about them, they would have been helped out of the city before Katrina hit. Every Plane, Bus, Truck, Train, and Rental Car, in New Orleans should have been filled with people the day before Katrina hit. The Military should have been their before it hit. This is a total colossal failure. This idiot running FEMA is really just icing on this giant cake of failure.

Originally posted by Nerdling
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His public biography is listed on the FEMA site here and prior to his high level FEMA appointment it lists no significant job experience before the appointment to his post.
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Well, thanks to the member redhat we know that the above is not true.

Background
Brown holds a B.A. in Public Administration/Political Science from Central State University. He received his J.D. from Oklahoma City University's School of Law. While attending law school Brown was appointed by the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee of the Oklahoma Legislature as the Finance Committee Staff Director, where he oversaw state fiscal issues.

During the 1980s he lived in Enid and practiced law there. He also taught at OCU law school as an adjunct.

In the 1970s he served as an assistant city manager with emergency services oversight in Edmund, Oklahoma, and as a city councilman, although most of his career was spent in private practice. He ran for Congress in 1988 and lost decisively to Democratic incumbent Glenn English.

Then we can continue reading the following.

After President Bush entered office in January 2001, Brown joined FEMA as Deputy Director and the agency's General Counsel. He was an old friend and former college roommate[6] of Joe Allbaugh,

If you continue reading the information wikipedia provides, you will find more useful information as to why he was asked to resign.

Before joining DHS/FEMA, Brown was Judges and Stewards Commissioner for the International Arabian Horse Association from 1999-2001, a position from which he resigned under duress after an onslaught of lawsuits over suspensions he dished out to those accused of cheating at horse shows.

So it seems he did have former experience on the job he performed. He did not just take over the job from scratch.

However there were other allegations which even include the following.

In a September 3, 2005 editorial, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd called Brown a "blithering idiot" for not being aware that 15,000 hurricane victims were stranded in the New Orleans Convention Center, after this had been widely reported.

On September 4, 2005, the New Orleans Times-Picayune called for Brown to be fired in an open letter to the President, citing his "bald-faced" lies about food provided to refugees. They expressed incredulity that Bush told Brown, "You're doing a heck of a job."

Now are those accussations real, or are they just more political propaganda used by some people?

We all know by now that several helicopters that were sent with provisions and to take people out were shot at by criminals who continue to take advantage of the situation. We can safely assume by this that not everyone got food, water or the provisions needed.

Now, if it is true and it was possible for help to have arrived earlier, despite what the criminals were doing, then this matter should be persued. But I get tired of people trying to use such a disaster to further their own political propaganda.

This is a time for all the people in the US to stand together instead of concentrating on bickering and whinning that their political side would have done things better and faster....

There will be more than enough time later on, after all the people that need help are safe and sound, to find wether or not these charges are true and whether or not Brown and the Mayors should be fired from their jobs for not doing the job faster.




[edit on 4-9-2005 by Muaddib]

Originally posted by Muaddib

Well, thanks to the member redhat we know that the above is not true.

In the 1970s he served as an assistant city manager with emergency services oversight in Edmund, Oklahoma, and as a city councilman, although most of his career was spent in private practice. He ran for Congress in 1988 and lost decisively to Democratic incumbent Glenn English.

Just Barely. I looked up Edmund,Oklahoma and I only came up with Edmond, Oklahoma on a Google Search. I looked up their current demographics and Edmond OK, assuming they are the same place mentioned above, had a 2004 Estimated Population of only 72,002. It was likely even lower when he served there. I would expect the FEMA Director to either be a Former Police/Fire Chief/EMS director of a Major City or maybe a Former Military officer in charge of the National Guard's Disaster Relief operations. Putting this guy in charge of FEMA is like making a small town sheriff the head of the FBI. The scale of operations is vastly different.

source for demograhics:

www.eeda.com...


[edit on 4-9-2005 by Delta 38]

Originally posted by Muaddib I get tired of people trying to use such a disaster to further their own political propaganda...

I don't disagree, however the use of disasters for political purposes is not limited to one political party. It appears to me that you are much more vocal in your criticism of one political party and less vocal in your criticism of the other. IMHO you are one of the most partisan posters of political propoganda on ATS, so excuse my laughter at seeing you make this criticism.

Now to topic at hand.

Given Michael Brown's employment history, do you believe that in an open hiring competition based on qualifications that he would even rank in the top 100 candidates for the job of director of FEMA? My review indicates that this guy would be lucky to rank in the top 500 candidates for this job.

Now tell me more about politically based motivations.
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Originally posted by DeusEx
So...he couldn't take care of horses, so they put him in charge of starving, desperate refugees?

Brilliant. Utterly brilliant.

DE

Good work Nerdling - thanks.

Hate to see the guy scapegoated without bringing down his cronies too, though.

Originally posted by df1
I don't disagree, however the use of disasters for political purposes is not limited to one political party. It appears to me that you are much more vocal in your criticism of one political party and less vocal in your criticism of the other. IMHO you are one of the most partisan posters of political propoganda on ATS, so excuse my laughter at seeing you make this criticism.

And can you be so kind as to point to me where have I claim that democrats and liberals are to blame for this?.....

In fact I have even said that if some of the rumors I have heard around are true, about Brown saying he didn't know people needed help in NO and some of the other rumors, then this matter should be pursued, if not it is just a political propaganda.

Originally posted by df1
My review indicates that this guy would be lucky to rank in the top 500 candidates for this job.

And what kind of experience do you have having under your management over 72,000 people that gives you the experience to rank Brown?......

Originally posted by df1
Now tell me more about politically based motivations.
.

I think you know that job well enough.

[edit on 8-9-2005 by Muaddib]

Hey Nerdling you can see why he was tossed from the IAHA. At this url.

His "supervisors" were giving cosmetic surgery to horses.

Originally posted by rancid1
Hey Nerdling you can see why he was tossed from the IAHA. At this url.

His "supervisors" were giving cosmetic surgery to horses.

You can give cosmetic surgery to horses?!

Ohh Naomi! Look at me, my haunches are so fat! *mopes*

He got the position because he was college roomates with another Bush buddy. Who dropped the ball in hiring him? How much taxpayer money had he received in salary before his incompetence cost a few thousand people their lives?