Quote Originally Posted by ironchef
I agree with most of your points, but the hypothetical situation you outlined is a bit out there.

That situation in no way can be compared with what happened during Katrina and whats occuring now in China/Myanmar.
I understand that the analogy is overly simplified... by the same token, aid got to Katrina WAY faster than US aid got to Myanmar (and is still *trying* to get).


Let's not forget, also... the delay in aid to New Orleans was the mayor's fault first and the governor's fault second. At the time, federal guidelines for DHS/FEMA mandated that the federal govt could not intervene in any way without a direct request from the governor (who was basing her initial decisions on the mayor's ****ty word). The president actually BEGGED them to let the feds send aid in...

Yes, there were problems with the relief effort, but FEMA was never meant to be a relief organization. It was created as a means for emergency preparation.

I say all this because we can't lump the issues of Katrina into a discussion about US humanitarian aid/intervention. Those two issues couldn't have any less to do with one another.