Re: NBC: An open letter to the President


Jimmy the Saint wrote:
> http://www.nola.com/newslogs/tporleans/index.ssf?/mtlogs/nola_tporleans/archives/2005_09.html
>
>
> OUR OPINIONS: An open letter to the President
>
> Dear Mr. President:
>
> We heard you loud and clear Friday when you visited our devastated city and
> the Gulf Coast and said, "What is not working, we're going to make it
> right."

Hey Jim...
Things must be much better now. Obviously the crisis is past. Mayor
Nagin is sending half his PD on vacation to Las Vegas and other cities,
starting immediately. He wanted FEMA to pay for the airfare and Vegas
hotels, but FEMA said no. Now, I got no problem with giving the cops
and firemen a break, but a 5 day vacation? In the midst of one of the
worst natural disasters in US history? Can't that wait till they at
least get a death count? Is this guy for real?


City to Offer Free Trips to Las Vegas for Officers
By JOSEPH B. TREASTER and CHRISTOPHER DREW
NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 4 - A day after two police suicides and the abrupt
resignations or desertions of up to 200 police officers, defiant city
officials on Sunday began offering five-day vacations - and even trips
to Las Vegas - to the police, firefighters and city emergency workers
and their families.

The idea of paid vacations was raised by both Mayor C. Ray Nagin and
senior police officials who said that their forces were exhausted and
traumatized and that the arrival of the National Guard had made way for
the officers to be relieved.

"I'm very concerned about individuals who have been here, particularly
since the first few days, and have been through a lot of hardship," Mr.
Nagin said in an interview.

He said most of the police officers, firefighters and emergency medical
workers "are starting to show signs of very, very serious stress, and
this is a way to give them time to reunite with their families."

Mr. Nagin, who has been demanding more federal assistance for days as
his city struggled with despair, death and flooding, said he had asked
the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pay for the trips but the
agency said it could not. He said the city, therefore, would pay the
costs.

He said he believed there were now enough National Guard members in the
city to allow the police to take a break and still keep the city
secure, and he brushed off questions about whether such a trip might
look like a dereliction of duty.

"I'll take the heat on that," Mr. Nagin said. "We want to cater to
them."

His words were seconded by the police superintendent, P. Edwin Compass
III, in a separate interview. "When you go through something this
devastating and traumatic," Mr. Compass said, "you've got to do
something dramatic to jump-start the healing process."

The officials were planning to send 1,500 workers out in two shifts for
five days each. They are sending them to Las Vegas because of the
availability of hotel rooms and to Atlanta because many of them had
relatives there.

They said that they were trying to get the first officers on their way
on Monday and that the first stop would be Baton Rouge, about 75 miles
from here.

There the officers will be given physical examinations and inoculations
against possible infection from the polluted floodwaters, said Col.
Terry Ebbert, the director of homeland security for the city, who has
authority over the police and fire departments and other emergency
services.

Then, Colonel Ebbert and other officials said, those who want to go to
Las Vegas or Atlanta will be given air transportation and a hotel room.
The city is reserving hotel rooms in Baton Rouge, they said, adding
that the officers and firefighters may also be given the choice of
flying to other cities.

Colonel Ebbert, the senior official running the recovery and rescue
operation, and Mr. Compass both said that they planned to take a break
as well, but probably for less than five days, and that they would
continue to direct the recovery by telephone.

Officials said they expected the military, with much greater resources,
to expand rescue work, begin cleaning up the city and take the first
steps toward reconstruction.

W. J. Riley, the deputy superintendent of police, said that by late
Sunday afternoon more than 2,900 National Guard members and law
enforcement officers from around the country were operating in New
Orleans. By early evening, Mr. Riley said, the advance units of a
2,200-person force from the 82nd Airborne Division had landed.

Several thousand more soldiers were expected, including members of the
First Cavalry Division.

Reinforcements are also expected for the fire department. Senior
firefighters, who have been forced to ignore some fires and to try
merely to keep the worst blazes from spreading, said that several
hundred firefighters with fire engines and radio equipment were heading
for New Orleans from departments around the country.

New Orleans officials said they would remain in charge. Mr. Riley, who
has been on the police force for 24 years, will oversee the police
department in the superintendent's absence.

"We haven't turned over control of the city," Colonel Ebbert said.

Mr. Riley said that 40 percent of the city's force of about 1,200
officers would remain at their posts while the others were on leave.
When the first group returns, Mr. Riley said, those who stayed behind
will get a break.

Deputy Fire Chief Joseph Matthews, who is also the director of the
city's Office of Emergency Preparedness, said officials viewed the time
off for their security forces as essential. "We've been at this six
days and we need to give our people a break," he said.

.

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