1. Deke on September 3rd, 2005 at 6:34 pm
   

   As a member of the Texas guard we were called in for the floods in Houston in 2000. We were not prepared. We have been called on to help with security in Dallas with the evacs and we are not prepared.

   Why? We train, but not for this. It is but a blip on our readiness radar. We could not see this thing. And that is also on command level. But then, they are not told as well.

   Trust me when I say Guard troops are so pissed that we were not in NO next day. We train and stand to serve. We are MP’s. To hell with supply convoys. We were chomping at the bit. Many of us are former Kuwait and Iraq. We know how to deal with looters. And it ain’t pretty. But they ain’t dead.

   “Paperwork” is what we heard. We know how to make three day rations go six days. We don’t know how to get paper pushed through. Signature authority was on vacation in Montana and could not be reached. Second in command was afraid to sign the order. Gov Perry could have had us rolling on Sunday. He balked as well. We were standing by our phones.

   We can’t feed or help you without a signature. And this is how the disconnect happend up and down the line. This is a major FUBAR.

   I hope in this exercise we see what needs to be done in the future for a catastrophe of this magnitude that could be man made.

   We were ready to roll on Sunday. Paperwork and politics shut that down.

   We got orders signed on Tuesday. No deployment till Thursday because of “paperwork.”

   Just thought you should know.

   Deke
2. Walter S. Fuller on September 3rd, 2005 at 10:38 pm
   

   http://www.give.org/reports/

   This page lists the current BBB Wise Giving Alliance reports on charities and other solicting organizations that solicit nationally.

   PLEASE NOTE: Reports on local charities that solicit regionally are produced by local Better Business Bureaus and are available at

   http://search.bbb.org/
3. Tim on September 4th, 2005 at 10:10 am
   

   To those who were loudly complaining that other countries around the world were unwilling to offer aid to the US…information that even those countries still reeling from the Tsunami have given what they could.

   http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/03/katrina.world.aid/index.html

   Other offers of aid and assistance have come in from countries around the world — including from India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia, the four countries hardest-hit by the December 26 Asian tsunami.

   The State Department said offers of help had been received from more than 50 countries, including:

   Australia, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, China, Columbia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Germany, Guatemala, Greece, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Philippines, Portugal, South Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela.
4. stan c. hallmark on September 6th, 2005 at 1:09 am
   

   Tim, with his laudible listing of over 50 countries offering assistance missed the inclusion of one, Qatar, that by all accounts have offered the most, $100 million in assistance.

   Stan C. Hallmark
   Tokyo, Japan
   Qatar Gas

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