Re: Department of Homeland Security?

Dave Buckles (Dave Buckles <dbuckles@xxxxxxxxxxx>) in hoc locus scripsit:
> ... Y'all /do/ know that the Feds can't do much of
> anything without a formal request from the states, right?

David Cameron Staples <staples@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>That does not seem to be the case.
>http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/20050827-1.html

This press release doesn't really contridict what Dave Buckles said.
It says the that President "ordered Federal aid to supplement state
and local response efforts", and that FEMA is authorized "to provide
appropriate assistance for required emergency measures." FEMA job is only
to supplement and assist, it can't do much on it's own. While it does
say that FEMA is authorized "to coordinate all disaster relief efforts",
this doesn't give FEMA any power over any agency or organization that's
not part of the Federal goverment. The US President simply doesn't have
the authority to give FEMA control of anything else.

The press release goes on to make it pretty clear how limitted FEMA's
ability to act is: "Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify,
mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources".
It can make all sort of stuff available to other agencies, but it's not
authorized to go beyond that do anything with that stuff itself.

>(with liberally-biased commentary here:
>http://www.thismodernworld.com/weblog/mtarchives/week_2005_09_04.html#002439
>)

Well, I'm liberally-biased, even anti-Bush biased, but that fact
is almost all the "lines of authority" that matter go the Governor.
She's the one that can issue emergency orders that can do more than just
provide support. One thing that many people don't realize that it's
the Governor, not the President that has control of National Guard.
There really isn't much the President or the US Goverment can do
unilaterally. The Coast Guard doesn't need the Governor's permission
to rescue anyone in danger, but the FBI and DEA can only arrest people
who commit federal crimes, there's little they can do to stop looting.
It was a sign of the President's desperation to act in any way he could
that he sent federal law enforcement agencies like the DEA to patrol
the streets of New Orleans. The regular armed forces can do even less,
they can't be used for law enforcement at all. They're patrolling the
streets with unloaded weapons.

Ross Ridge

--
l/ // Ross Ridge -- The Great HTMU
[oo][oo] rridge@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
-()-/()/ http://www.csclub.uwaterloo.ca/u/rridge/
db //
.

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