A NY Times report, about the details of what happened at the Department of Homeland Security on that Monday when the New Orleans levees broke, starts off promising. The title reads…
Disaster Response: Watch TV, Go Home
But then Eric Lipton, as most corporate media news writers do these days — simply tells one side of the story. The government side.
“It is our job at the H.S.O.C. to distill and confirm reports,” General Broderick told investigators. “We should not help spread rumors or innuendo, nor should we rely on speculation or hype, and we should not react to initial or unconfirmed reports which are almost invariably lacking or incomplete.”
So instead of placing a call to Mr. Chertoff or the White House, General Broderick waited. And then the television report came in.
“In the French Quarter, on television, they were dancing and drinking beer and seemed to be having a party in the French Quarter of New Orleans that evening,” General Broderick told the Senate. “It led us to believe that the flooding may have been just in isolated incidents. It was being handled and it was being properly addressed.”
Without critically reporting that Michael Chertoff and the whole DHS team had been acutely aware that a Cat 3+ hurricane could breach the levees, the Times let Chertoff off the hook. Without critically reporting that Chertoff and the whole DHS team had been acutely aware that Katrina was making a direct path towards NO (since September 26th), the Times prints this lovely little line:
Looking back, General Broderick may have had some reasons for his hesitation.
“May have had some reasons”? They had multiple emails and photographic evidence that their was severe flooding occurring in New Orleans ON MONDAY MORNING!!! Now, it’s time to ask, “What would you have done?”
What would you have done if you knew of the risk of Hurricane Katrina breaching the levees and you received multiple reports of extensive flooding? Would you have “waited to confirm” these reports?! What possible reason would make you want to “wait to confirm” these reports?!!! Were they distracted with another disaster in the U.S.? Was there a good Oprah show on?!
Every reasonable person knows that you EXPECT THE WORSE in this situation, given the risks involved. Again, what reason was there to wait for confirmation? WHY DID THEY NOT TELL CHERTOFF (If that’s what, in fact, happened)?! It’s not exactly rocket science!
Now, back to Eric Lipton’s piece.
Looking back, General Broderick may have had some reasons for his hesitation.
At this point in the article, Lipton scapegoats Brown.
Michael D. Brown, FEMA’s director, frustrated that his agency was under Homeland Security, unilaterally decided not to work with the department and didn’t tell General Broderick directly what FEMA had witnessed on Monday, as the storm hit home.
One little detail Lipton left out…
MICHAEL BROWN TOLD THIS GUY:
