...Jim, the first part of your post I agree with totally...the second part comes from ignorance of the facts so I won't flame you for it.
Mayor Nagin should probably be slow roasted, I can't speak for the Gov of Mississippi but I will for Gov Blanco. On Fri, Sat, Sun, she pulled out all thestops and was prepared...then FEMA and more importantly the true villians showed...Dept of Homeland Security(excuse me while I wash my mouthout).
DHS showed up and told EVERYONE...Hi we're from the goverment and we are here to help you. This is our show and we will take care of all your problems...unfortunately we believed them. When the Governor asked about evacuating the people(on Mon. evening), DHS, said don't worry we have a fleet of 500 buses, they said the same thing on Tuesday...they're on the way, They said the same thing on Wednesday...don't worry they are on the way. When they didn't show up Wednesday, the Gov commandered all state school buses and their drivers and directed them to the area.
When DHS couldn't provide the buses on Tuesday, the Gov said, well lets send in the supplies we have sitting on the ground waiting to go in, DHS, said OK we will send 'em right in...as soon as we get 'em organized. Apparently unable to "organize" DHS and FEMA left the supplies to sit...about 10 miles from the Superdome until General Honore showed up on Wednesday and said WTF, and some Colonel, said well sir, DHS won't approve their movement...The Gen said load 'em up and have 'em in there in the morning or be shuffling supplies in Greenland...and they went in.
There is plenty of blame to go around...the press for reporting on a war zone(that didn't exist) that had DHS scared of their own shadow.
Mayor Nagin should have stayed on the ground in N.O. and directed police personel from there instead of sending half them out on the initial evac(along with himself).
Everyone in the know, knew the levies would not hold and that a mass evactuation was inevitable. An evacuation that was ordered and promptly ignored by 1% of the people for whatever reason...that 1% is the faces we have seen at the Dome and Convention center. The Super dome was designated as a shelter of LAST RESORT as was the Convention center because they were on the highest ground available. The Dome had supplies for 3 days for 25,000 people...the people who ignored the warnings, started showing up on Sunday...a day early, which meant by tuesday, they were running out of supplies...there were no emergency supplies at the Convention center worth note which is question for Nagin to answer.
Mayor Nagin is directly resposible for those 2 occurences and what happened at the hospitals in the area which was inexcusable.
DHS, which I thought was a bad idea when Georgie peoposed it, is responsible for all of the bad stuff that happened after Monday afternoon, proving what a hot air, stuffed shirt bureaucracy they are...wake up people this is the group that is supposed to be protecting us.
Remember that armchair quaterbacking on the day after is always easy and hindsight is always 20/20
Jack
p.s. as to the Governors of La & Ms doing nothing untill the "waves washed in" is incorrect...both Governors had declared a State of Emergency on Sunday...Which is why DHS and FEMA were on site (Baton Rouge/Jackson) Monday and claiming to be in charge...as far Goergie goes, well DHS is his(and the troika's)brainchild...as Harry Truman said "the buck stops here"
...I have come to believe that, conflict resolution, through violence, is never acceptable.....................mj