You want to know why the Federal Government didn't react quickly enough? It's because they decided to call up National Guard troops instead of using the military.
By deciding to call up the National Guard, the Bush Administration made a decision that costs days. Those days directly led to people dying. More specifically, these deaths could have been prevented.
Troops are located at military bases all over the country. Thousands of them could have been immediately flown in or even parachuted in.
Instead, we mobilized the National Guard. The calls went out. Guardsmen notified their families. They told their bosses. And 2 or 3 days later, they showed up at their collection centers ready to be sent to help the people of New Orleans.
When you add the 2 or 3 days of mobilization to the 2 or 3 days that were wasted by the government, hoping and praying that they wouldn't have to call up the military or the Guard, you suddenly have the 4 to 6 days that it has actually taken for help to arrive.
How will they excuse this decision? Will they say you can't use the military on U.S. soil? Well … I think New Orleans qualifies as an emergency.
Will they admit that they didn't want to use the military because of its impact on already stretched armed forces? I think Hades will freeze over first.
