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I was wondering when somebody would finally print this!

Iraq disrupts tornado recovery effort

Reuters

Overland Park, Kansas: A shortage of trucks, helicopters and other equipment - all sent to the war in Iraq - has hampered recovery in a US town obliterated by a tornado, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius said on Monday.

"There is no doubt at all that this will slow down and hamper the recovery," Sebelius, a Democrat, told Reuters in Kansas, where officials said the statewide death toll had risen to 12 on Monday.

Huge handicap

"Not having this equipment in place all over the state is a huge handicap," Sebelius said.

The tornado that devastated Greensburg, 175 km west of Wichita, started a weekend of violent weather in Kansas, a state in the heart of the United States also known as "Tornado Alley."

"We're getting pounded in Kansas. We have the need for National Guard in two different parts of our state now. This is really going to be a problem."

Sebelius and other Democratic governors earlier this year assailed the Bush administration for the strains they said the war had placed on their states' National Guardsmen, frequently mobilised for state emergencies.

Adverse impact

On Monday, anti-war groups, including the National Security Network and Americans Against Escalation in Iraq cited the shortage of equipment to deal with the Kansas disaster as the latest example of what they see as the war's detrimental impact on domestic security.

Same old crap from the White House. This is from http://thinkprogress.org/2007/05/08/snow-sebelius/:

Quote:

White House Blames Gov. Sebelius For National Guard Shortages
Kansas is currently missing approximately 60 percent of its National Guard equipment because of the war in Iraq, hampering its ability to respond to the recent tornadoes.

In a “spat reminiscent of White House finger-pointing at Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco after the federal government’s botched response to Hurricane Katrina,” White House Press Secretary Tony Snow this morning blamed Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (D) for the shortages, saying he was “not aware of any prior complaints” by the governor about the equipment:

If you don’t request it, you’re not going to get it. … As far as we know, the only thing the governor has requested are FM radios. There have been no requests to the National Guard for heavy equipment. … We are eager to provide what Kansas needs. But again there are also - you also have to go through the process of making the request first.

Snow’s statements are incorrect. On repeated occasions, Sebelius made clear to the White House that Kansas was dangerously low on National Guard equipment:

– Dec. 30, 2005: Sebelius writes to Rumsfeld requesting new equipment. “The Guard was critical to responding to recent blizzards and floods in Kansas, yet its ability to respond to similar situations is being diminished by a lack of equipment,” wrote Sebelius. Included with her letter was a list of equipment Kansas had lost to the Iraq war. [Kansas City Star, 1/21/06; Topeka Capital-Journal, 6/29/06]

– Jan. 23, 2006: Sebelius personally urges Bush to increase National Guard funding. In an one-hour motorcade ride in Kansas with Bush, Sebelius expressed concern about “a reduction of National Guard troop strength in its next budget.” Bush assured her he was “dealing” with the shortages. [Topeka Capital-Journal, 1/24/06; Kansas City Star, 3/11/06]

– June 28, 2006: Sebelius sends Army Secretary list of equipment lost in war. In a meeting with Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey, Sebelius told Harvey that the state had lost about $140 million in National Guard equipment to the Iraq war. Her office then sent him a list of the lost equipment. [Topeka Capital-Journal, 6/29/06]

– Sept. 2006: Sebelius lobbies for replacement of National Guard equipment sent to Iraq. “Kansas’ congressional delegation, Sebelius and governors from around the country have been lobbying the Pentagon for increased funding to replace National Guard equipment that has been left in Iraq or damaged beyond repair after repeated use in war.” [AP, 9/5/06]

– Feb. 27, 2007: Sebelius pushes White House and Congress for more funding. “Now the Guard needs Washington’s help,” Sebelius said in press conference on Capitol Hill. “The President and Congress need to step up to the plate and give our Guard members the support they deserve.” [Press Release, 2/27/07]

At today’s White House press briefing, a reporter confronted Snow about Sebelius’s past requests. Snow simply replied, “And what happened was, she actually did get — there was not a formal request. But they’d had conversations.” He also admitted that Sebelius did request more than FM Radios.

The Mahablog has more.

Why anyone would expect anything else from the federal gubmint is beyond me, regardless of who is in office.

From an Angry Soldier

The 82nd Airborne division should have been parachuting in minutes after the tornado struck the small town and few Delta's to do some covert clean up. :rolleyes:

I am sure there are plenty of bulldozers and other heavy equipment in Kansas and pull some people off the unemployment line for clean-up. When Katrina hit every tree cutter in Michigan went down south to make some cha chang...until the migrant workers took over.

Quote:

Snow recounted a phone conversation on Tuesday between Sebelius and Bush's White House-based homeland security adviser, Fran Townsend, in which the governor said she was pleased with the federal performance on the tornado and had everything she needed.

About the same time, Sebelius was doing her own backpedal from across the country.

Her spokeswoman, Nicole Corcoran, said the governor didn't mean to imply that the state was ill-equipped to deal with this storm. Sebelius' comments about National Guard equipment were, instead, meant as a warning about the state's inability to handle additional disasters, such as another tornado or severe flooding, she said.

"We are doing absolutely fine right now," Corcoran said. "What the governor is talking about is down the road."

Always read the entire article.

Quote:

Originally Posted by SwampYankee (Post 1502051)

Why anyone would expect anything else from the federal gubmint is beyond me, regardless of who is in office.

Agreed. But then what are we paying for?

Quote:

Originally Posted by GottaDiesel (Post 1502124)

Agreed. But then what are we paying for?

Beats the hell out of me! :mad: And I suspect that you and I have very different political views.;)

There are newer schools in Baghdad than there are in Washington DC.

That's too much of a sacrifice to make for people who hate us and have no intention of changing their hate regardless of the circumstances.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken300D (Post 1502205)

Some might say the same for Washington, DC.:cool:

Quote:

Originally Posted by SwampYankee (Post 1502214)

Some might say the same for Washington, DC.:cool:

;) They are part of our country. Iraq... is not.

Quote:

Originally Posted by guage (Post 1502065)

Yes, we are fighting wars in two countries!

Maybe some one forgot that! Like the Magic Negro & 10,000 dead.

I'm gwine to assume you are referencing Barracks Osama?????

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whiskeydan (Post 1502079)

http://www.craigslist.org/about/best/sfo/309485032.html

Yep!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kuan (Post 1502043)

Very soon we're gonna have to create our own armed militia for protection. :D

Oh, we already HAVE one, all right. (All those people like Mr MikeMover running around with their guns.)

Only thing is, it's not WELL ORGANIZED as the 2nd amendment mentioned.