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POLITICS: Senate Kills Attempt to Establish Independent Katrina Commission

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posted on Sep, 14 2005 @ 04:19 PM
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Attempts to institute an independent commission to investigate what went wrong with the response to Hurricane Katrina was foiled by members of the Senate today.
 



clarionledger.com
Senate Republicans on Wednesday scuttled an attempt by Sen. Hillary Clinton to establish an independent, bipartisan panel patterned after the 9/11 Commission to investigate what went wrong with federal, state and local governments' response to Hurricane Katrina.

The New York Democrat's bid to establish the panel - which would have also made recommendations on how to improve the government's disaster response apparatus - failed to win the two-thirds majority needed to overcome procedural hurdles. Clinton got only 44 votes, all from Democrats and independent Sen. Jim Jeffords of Vermont. Fifty-four Republicans all voted no.

"Just as with 9/11, we did not get to the point where we believed we understood what happened until an independent investigation was conducted," Clinton said.


Please visit the link provided for the complete story.


I my humble opinion, ALL commissions should be independant. Asking the government to set up a panel to investigate the government is like asking Enron to set up a panel to investigate Enron.

I certainly hope that an independant panel is set up to investigate the response of all levels of government to Hurricane Katrina.

After all, since 2001, since all of the changes in Government have occured, we would have expected a much quicker response to Hurricane Katrina from all levels of the government. Instead, we witnessed what seemed to be a sluggish response.

On an added note, the article also stated that a bill was passed that "provides liability protections for people and groups providing volunteer aid for Hurricane Katrina victims."

Related News Links:
ap.tbo.com
www.wdsu.com
www.tucsoncitizen.com

Edit: Corrected URL link to original story.

[edit on 14-9-2005 by elderban]



posted on Sep, 14 2005 @ 04:21 PM
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9/11 anyone?

God this is getting old fast..

It is really starting to piss me off..



posted on Sep, 14 2005 @ 04:23 PM
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I disagree. One of the most important duties of Congress is oversight of the Federal government, I don't think these "independent" commissions are very helpful, the 9/11 one was basically a disaster and is partly responsible for the FEMA difficulties in responding to Katrina. Congress should do its job and hold its own hearings to investigate the matter.



posted on Sep, 14 2005 @ 04:29 PM
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According to a report that will be issued by the 9/11 Commission, the Government failed to enact a lot of the suggestions, thus possibly hindering the response to Katrina.


Four years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the federal government has failed to enact crucial homeland security reforms that could have saved lives and improved the sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina, according to a new report to be issued today by former members of the Sept. 11 commission.

Local emergency officials are still unable to reliably communicate with one another during disasters, the federal government has no clear system of command and control for responding to a crisis, and authorities have faltered in enacting basic border controls designed to keep out terrorists, according to the report’s findings, which commission members outlined in interviews.

Republican Thomas Kean, the former New Jersey governor who headed the panel that investigated the terrorist attacks, said the bungled response to Katrina laid bare how unprepared the nation remains for a catastrophic event, whether it is another terrorist strike or a natural disaster.


Full Story:
www.fortwayne.com...

And how can Congress be the oversight of the Federal Government when they are part OF the Federal Government? Like I said, it's like asking Enron to investigate Enron.

[edit on 14-9-2005 by elderban]



posted on Sep, 14 2005 @ 04:32 PM
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In a democratic society, independent inquiry into govermental actions is fundamentaly required; it's an inherent check and balance. This simply negated any attempt for an objective inquiry into this disaster brought upon poor goverment response time. No soul wants to be accountable, and they are assuring this through what we have just seen.

Luxifero



posted on Sep, 14 2005 @ 05:02 PM
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"IN a democratic society"

But when congress and house are the majority ruling along with the president you very well know how the balance is going to lean on.

It will be no justice just like 9/11, perhaps a pay out to keep the "Families quiet" and empty promises, but not justice what so ever.



posted on Sep, 14 2005 @ 06:46 PM
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Now, the Republican members of Congress want to set up a congressional committee of 20 to investigate, but they want 11 of the 20 to be Republican, and only 9 of the 20 to be Democrat, which would give them a "GOP majority — reflecting their dominance of Congress.", according to one Senator.


How can a Republican controlled committe be unbiased?

This is why we need independant committees to investigate these matters.



posted on Sep, 14 2005 @ 07:41 PM
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This is why we need independant committees to investigate these matters.


I agree keep the politicians out of the process let people who have nothing to do with the government do the assessing. That is the most unbiased way to go about getting at the real truth.

No doubt the reason they turned it down was because they (the politicians) could not get their two cents in on the matter



posted on Sep, 14 2005 @ 09:38 PM
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Slightly off-topic, but related...

We've all seen the changes in the way things are run in the post 9/11 world. So many things have been done to make us "safer." Then, Katrina comes along - not a new threat to the region - something we've known of the possibility for years - and all of a sudden the nation is crippled again, and hundreds, if not thousands, are dying, and hundreds of thousands are displaced. I think this is a perfect illustration of WHY a nonpartisan panel needs to be established. The government has done a million things to make us safer, and it did all of NOTHING. If there were to be a panel established, it doesn't necessarily need to focus specifically on Katrina, but emergency management in general. Katrina proved it didn't work.

I wonder if this motion had gone to vote after Bush accepted responsibility, if it would have made any difference...



posted on Sep, 15 2005 @ 12:07 AM
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Why don't someone here put out a call for a research project and have
ATS put together thier own commission. If done properely and submited properely to the right people it might just open the door for a more official commissions.

We already seen that there is some interest in ATS from the Government thanks to Valhal. Unfortunaley for some screwballs making threats(which probably didn't even come from this site) we might have lost the chance of getting a good reputation. But if done properely this might get ATS on better standings.

When I say done properely what I mean is that it needs to be kept neutral. Keep the paranoid conspiracy theories at bay and only invite members that do not lean more one way than the other. At this point it would be hard to find a person who hasn't formulated an opinion about this disaster, but I have seen some very professional members on this board that could do this with little or no bias. No matter which way they tend to lean. There are plenty of members that have done some outstanding work in the past and am sure are up to the challenge.

This is just a thought. It doesn't need to taken seriously and if this ATS commission already exists, then I appologise for posting this.



posted on Sep, 15 2005 @ 12:20 AM
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I can't believe that so many of you still don't get it! Bipartisan!? That simply means politicians (liars by profession in my opinion) from both parties will be working to push agendas (defending their party, attempting to incriminate the other, etc.) and to ignore any faults of the government as a whole.


Originally posted by djohnsto77
I disagree. One of the most important duties of Congress is oversight of the Federal government, ....


Congress is a part of the federal government - this may not have been the original intention, but as things stand today, they are part of the 'machine' that is our federal government.


Originally posted by elderban
Asking the government to set up a panel to investigate the government is like asking Enron to set up a panel to investigate Enron.


Excellent analogy.



posted on Sep, 15 2005 @ 08:00 AM
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Originally posted by jmilici
Why don't someone here put out a call for a research project and have
ATS put together thier own commission. If done properely and submited properely to the right people it might just open the door for a more official commissions.


The government won't even listen to REAL scientists, so what makes you think they're going to listen to a board of ATS members?



posted on Sep, 15 2005 @ 08:25 AM
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Originally posted by jmilici
Why don't someone here put out a call for a research project and have
ATS put together thier own commission.


I like the idea however. it too would turn biased, since most members of ATS are closet politicians



posted on Sep, 15 2005 @ 09:12 AM
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So much for transparency in government. Many of our so-called leaders on top refuse to get dirty diving into the muck to investigate why their fellow life-loving Americans are now bloated corpses rotting in the murky dire straits below - wouldn't want any abyssmal & self-incriminating voting records on collapsed budgets & misdirected priorites surfacing. Really doesn't resemble a justice-seeking government anymore, but more like a hermetically sealed coverment.



posted on Sep, 15 2005 @ 09:20 AM
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shots & elderban, I 100% agree with both of you about my idea. I was thinking that atleast this board can work to expose the truth. It would definately be hard to keep people from being biased but I would like to think that it can be done. After all most here(not all) do deny ignorance. And to me to deny ignorance means that if you believe one thing, you keep an open enough mind where if found to be false you admit being wrong and you dig to discover the truth. Even if it goes against your beliefs.



posted on Sep, 15 2005 @ 09:46 AM
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Scientists have predicted four major disasters as 'imminent' - radical weather from climate change, like Katrina; geophysical changes like the Indonesian tsunami, and massive earthquakes in North America; widespread fresh water depletion; and the appearance of virulent new disease mutations, like bird flu and community-acquired MRSA, for example.

The US response to Katrina establishes legal precedents for government policy to deal with such disasters - and should be evaluated as such.

By the people, if not the Senate.

[edit on 15-9-2005 by soficrow]



posted on Sep, 15 2005 @ 02:07 PM
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Uh, what was the excuse? That the republicans could do a better job of finding out how they screwed up then someone who wasn't biased/paid off? Sad that they have so much power, but 06 is coming up, and finally in 08 I can vote! Until then according to republicans I have no voice, even afterwards since I'm not buying them golf games/houses(Bob Taft) or illegally funding their campaign(Tom Noe) I don't count.

Go Green, and Libertarian, and Constitution, and any third party since the republican party has 100 members in the senate, 9 SC judges, and every House seat since there is no such thing as a Democrat, just a poorer republican.



posted on Sep, 15 2005 @ 03:05 PM
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I'd settle for an objective commission, unfortunately, I'd have better luck winning the Powerball, capturing Bigfoot and having lunch at Area 51. If ATS is going to do anything on this subject I'd like to be included. We would have to have one hell of a set of ground rules though.



posted on Sep, 15 2005 @ 03:16 PM
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But how to choose an objective commission? The republicans are corrupt and will either plant people or buy people who are originally objective. The democrats will do the same to go after the republicans.



posted on Sep, 15 2005 @ 03:57 PM
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Originally posted by Full Metal
But how to choose an objective commission? The republicans are corrupt and will either plant people or buy people who are originally objective. The democrats will do the same to go after the republicans.


You're exactly right. I've said for years that there is no such thing as a good political party. The Democrats will do anything to get ahead of the Republicans and the Republicans will do anything to get ahead of the Democrats. They both don't give a damn about the people! This is why we have most of the problems that we do. I firmly believe that the governor of LA didn't request Federal help until it was too late because she wanted the credit for dealing with Katrina to go to her party.




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