Sometimes HCR's letters give me a pit in my stomach. This is one of those times. The school where my mom was principal for 15+ years burned down in Altadena this past week - a school where I painted the Kinder classrooms for a few summers -- and today's letter managed to make me further worried. UGH. Exhausted in SoCal.
Sometimes HCR's letters give me a pit in my stomach. This is one of those times. The school where my mom was principal for 15+ years burned down in Altadena this past week - a school where I painted the Kinder classrooms for a few summers -- and today's letter managed to make me further worried. UGH. Exhausted in SoCal.
I am so sorry for the overwhelming losses you are going through. You must be completely weary, and the news just adds to your exhaustion. I don't know that it will help, but please know there are many of us who care very much. Many of us who will contribute and assist in any way we can.
That has been my experience in every community no matter where it is across the US. Whether it's hurricanes in FL, tornados in NE, or Noreasters in ME neighbors help each other.
And when the job is too big for friends and neighbors to handle, that's when FEMA and the Red Cross are there to help.
Gary, and, it's people all over the country who support FEMA with taxes and the Red Cross with donations. We really are one nation. I just wish more people believed it instead of a sad, angry old man who cares for nothing and no one but money, power, and all of that for himself.
I don't trust FEMA. Back when Hurricane Irene hit NJ, FEMA let me down. I didn't have flood insurance because I wasn't in a flood zone. My house became an island and the walls sucked up the water like a dry sponge. I had it tested and found there were over 10 different kinds of mold including fecal coliforms, yes shit. I applied to FEMA and they kept turning me down. I finally found out there was no line item for that particular disaster for mold or mildew damage. I had to leave my house after a month with respiratory problems and finally had to do a short sale on my house to get rid of it. I know this is way different for the people of California and I pray FEMA works real hard for them. I just lost faith in them. I pray for everyone involved with these terrible fires everyday.
James Lee Witt was the best director of FEMA according to the emergency responders I knew in California back in the 1990s after he stepped in following Hurricane Andrews Response during the late Bush 41 Administration. He headed FEMA in what I think of as their golden years, especially compared to what Appointees before and after him did. The California Emergency Responders I knew said none of the best in the country would accept the position the way the Bush 43 Administration wanted it to be run.
"...First, тАЬPeople.тАЭ When Witt took over at FEMA in 1993, employee morale could only be described as being at rock bottom. The agency had often been held up to public ridicule during the heyday of nuclear civil defense and now was an object of contempt following its seeming indifference to the plight of Hurricane Andrew's many victims.
But the employees of FEMA felt they were getting a bad rap. Why should they be blamed for the mistakes and failures of their bosses? FEMA employees wanted to support the agency's mission, but found themselves pushed aside or ignored when they tried to do so. Moreover, many of the staff believed that their own bosses lacked management skills, knowledge of disasters or just plain human empathy, and were themselves part of the problem.
On April 14, 1993, after barely two weeks in office, Witt issued a succinct, one-page memo to all FEMA employees. The title of the memo was тАЬOpen Door Policy,тАЭ and it stated in plain language that any FEMA employee who could not get a problem resolved within his or her normal chain of command was welcome to meet face to face, one on one, with Director Witt. No forms to fill out, no permission required from your boss, no minimum grade level тАж just dial up Witt's executive assistant and make an appointment. Staff began to meet with Witt and he began to hear firsthand how disorganized things were within the agency.
He was told, for example, that most FEMA employees were neither trained nor rostered ahead of time for disaster duty, meaning that sending FEMA employees to work at a disaster was a bit like a game of pickup basketball. (Immediately after the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, for example, when FEMA staff were desperately needed in California, a FEMA supervisor was seen running breathlessly from one employee's desk to the next тАж тАЬCan you go to California тАж Can you тАж How about you?тАЭ Any staffer who evenly hesitantly nodded yes was told, тАЬQuick, go home and pack and fly to San Francisco. Someone will tell you what to do when you get there.тАЭ)
Witt also heard endless tales of supervisors who abused and mistreated their staff. In one office, ten of the 11 staff members met with Witt, begging to be transferred to a different office and away from their current boss.
As Witt learned more about his people, his people were learning more about him. Witt was businesslike and decisive, but he was also plainspoken and unpretentious. Any staffer running into Witt standing in line at the local deli was free to talk with him, in fact, was expected to. When meeting with employees in his office, Witt would listen intently, often while chewing tobacco and spitting the juice into a foam cup he held in his hand. (One long-time Washington staffer came away from such a meeting much taken aback, believing that Witt had been spitting into his coffee.)
Witt soon made staff understand that FEMA was a team, that team members were expected to do their jobs, that team members were to respect each other and that he, Witt, was not an outsider тАж he was the team captain..."
I'd really recommend reading the whole article, another sample of appointing competent people and building the best support for the employees with the most experience and passion for the work:
"...Morale was visibly improving within the agency, but strengthening the тАЬPeopleтАЭ factor at FEMA would not be enough. тАЬProgramsтАЭ were next. Flip charts of blank paper began appearing next to the elevators, with FEMA employees invited to write their own ideas for strengthening the agency. How can we respond better to disasters? How can we better serve the American people? How can we make FEMA a better agency?
Bit by bit, changes began to appear. For example, the тАЬFederal Response PlanтАЭ already existed, but was considered by most to be a тАЬpaper planтАЭ only. That is, FEMA offices as well as other federal agencies might make numerous commitments within the plan for what they would do in a disaster, but in reality, would not have sufficient staff or resources to actually carry out those promises. Under Witt, the plan would become real тАУ any and all commitments or promises for disaster response must be backed up by the necessary staff, funds and legal authorities to actually do the job if and when called upon to do so.
The Federal Response Plan, or FRP, would remain the key to FEMA's successful disaster responses for the next eight years. The backbone of the FRP consisted of 12 тАЬEmergency Support Functions,тАЭ or ESFs. The ESFs were simply a list of the 12 main types of jobs the federal government might have to perform during a disaster response:
Transportation -
Communications -
Public Works and Engineering -
Firefighting -
Information and Planning -
Mass Care -
Resource Support -
Health and Medical Services -
Urban Search and Rescue -
Hazardous Materials -
Food -
Energy -
From there, each ESF would be assigned a lead federal department or agency having the most expertise in that particular field and disaster response planners within that agency would focus only on that ESF. So, for example, ESF number 1, тАЬTransportation,тАЭ would be assigned to the US Department of Transportation (USDOT). Disaster planners at USDOT would be told to plan for all the transportation-related aspects of disaster response, how to transport federal responders to and from the disaster site, how to prioritize the repair of damaged transportation infrastructure in the disaster area, and so forth. But don't worry about medical care, food or electrical power; another agency with another ESF will take care of each of those tasks.
The concept was simple, but it worked. Each federal agency would focus on its own specialty in disasters and FEMA would orchestrate the entire effort like a traffic cop directing traffic to avoid gridlock. In addition to making things better organized, an added benefit was that FEMA would actually economize disaster response by drawing on existing resources of the federal government wherever possible. (A foreign visitor to FEMA, who had seen news reports of the federal government's disaster relief efforts, asked where FEMA kept the airplanes it used to carry in relief supplies after a disaster. The answer: We don't have airplanes at FEMA; we know where to get them.)
At the same time as the FRP was being brought into the real world, FEMA staff themselves were at long last being trained and rostered for disaster duty, so that in the event of a major incident, everyone would know what he or she was expected to do. There would be no more тАЬpaper plansтАЭ at FEMA and disaster response would no longer be a game of pickup basketball.
I am sorry for what you had to suffer thru, but I wonder sometimes if we donтАЩt expect too much from government. From what I am hearing from CA, people are expecting to come out whole, with little to nothing coming out of their own pockets. Unfortunately, things donтАЩt work that way. ЁЯШвЁЯШвЁЯШв Life sucks and then we die. I feel so badly for them.
I see the Supreme Court has rejected a bid by oil companies to toss Honolulu's climate suit. Maybe this will be how we fight back for property in the face of natural forces we simply canтАЩt contend with.
I take some of it with a particularly large grain of salt and suggest a wider view in some places such as:
"...Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, Congress passed the Homeland Security Act of 2002, which created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to better coordinate among the different federal agencies that deal with law enforcement, disaster preparedness and recovery, border protection and civil defense. FEMA was absorbed into DHS effective March 1, 2003.[18] As a result, FEMA became part of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate of Department of Homeland Security, employing more than 2,600 full-time employees. It became Federal Emergency Management Agency again on March 31, 2007, but remained in DHS.[19]
President Bush appointed Michael D. Brown as FEMA's director in January 2003. Brown warned in September 2003 that FEMA's absorption into DHS would make a mockery of FEMA's new motto, "A Nation Prepared", and would "fundamentally sever FEMA from its core functions", "shatter agency morale" and "break longstanding, effective and tested relationships with states and first responder stakeholders". The inevitable result of the reorganization of 2003, warned Brown, would be "an ineffective and uncoordinated response" to a terrorist attack or a natural disaster.[20]..."
Whatever his real qualifications were compared to James Lee Witt, I think the mess was the tangled mix of too many layers where legislators could try to micromanage situations that were best handled by the way Witt organized it, motivated and kept competent and dedicated employees, prepared as much as possible in advance, and quickly responding to the anticipated and new real needs effectively.
"...Hurricane Katrina in 2005 demonstrated that the vision of further unification of functions and another reorganization could not address the problems FEMA had previously faced. The "Final Report of the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina", released February 15, 2006, by the U.S. Government Printing Office, revealed that federal funding to states for "all hazards" disaster preparedness needs was not awarded unless the local agencies made the purposes for the funding a "just terrorism" function.[21] Emergency management professionals testified that funds for preparedness for natural hazards were given less priority than preparations for counter-terrorism measures..."
I would wonder how any FEMA administrators could function as well under such a monstrous administrative organization as DHS seemed to have become. It would seem to require many James Lee Witts working together with each others and their agencies (like a well oiled civil service with experienced, competent and dedicated non-partisan civil service version of "deep bench state" (as compared to a more realistic smaller and more malicious deep state of Trump enablers).
I have zero expectation of Trump installing a crippling cesspool of incompetent loyalists that will streamline the structure in any "better" way other than to make him more irresponsibly powerful.
Thank you, Jim. I live in Helene territory, and the local news highlights FEMA, but with little but opinion, the vast majority unfavorable. I have wondered what the real story was. I share your expectations regarding Trump, but I'll be glad to write a letter to our local newspaper quoting Brown's words to Bush.
Melinda, my local Public Broadcasting station, WHYY has a program called "Good Souls" that celebrates community and the ways people in communities in the area work together to make life better. I would love to see a concept like that in communities across the country. Maybe it would let more people see the value of community and actively participating to make one's community better rather than just complaining about how bad things are.
"...One of TenaVel T. ThomasтАЩ childhood heroes growing up in the U.S. Virgin Islands was Neil Armstrong. Now, they share something in common. Both are recipients of the Arthur S. Flemming award, which has honored outstanding federal employees for 75 years.
тАЬThe thought that my name is now on a list with his was extremely overwhelming,тАЭ she said. тАЬWhen I called my dad, and I told him about the award and started to tell him about previous recipients, I mentioned Neil Armstrong, and he said, тАШOh my God, my daughter's walking on the moon!тАЩ ItтАЩs like, daddy not quite, but I guess thatтАЩs a good association.тАЭ
Armstrong received the Flemming award in 1969, the same year that he became the first person to walk on the moon. Thomas, who works for Customs and Border Protection, is the first employee from the Homeland Security Department to be given the honor.
She has led a specialized human trafficking unit and spearheaded the establishment of a center at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City that can process thousands of asylum seekers. Despite the partisan acrimony associated with immigration issues, she said that CBP officers rise above the fray.
тАЬWe serve the American people. We serve the government regardless of what the administration is. We take an oath to perform our duties every single day, and all of the CBP employees do it so valiantly,тАЭ she said. тАЬWe're able to block out the noise, if you will.тАЭ
Cool! I knew Gordon when he was a garden designer -- attended conferences together, heard him speak on occasion, and I still have one or 2 of his books on garden design. He was always very much a gentleman; I'm glad to see him actively doing other interesting things in retirement.
Rickey, yeah, pretty stupid isn't it! That private charity thing is BS. They can help in some ways, but not with the kinds of disasters we are facing now. Republicans/Libertarians are so self-centered they can't see beyond whatever Fox Not Nearly News broadcast they just watched or stupid post they read online. However, FEMA is only as good as the president and congress in power. They will not do well for the next 4 years, that is unless Trump's palace/golfcourse is endangered. Then, they will cover any losses plus some on top to show Trump their loyalty. Ugh!!
Herbert Hoover was an anomaly to me with his thoughts on self-reliance (but often helping disaster relief efforts around the world as far as I can remember) He started the infrastructure projects like Hoover/Boulder Dam, putting many to work with government contractors but I think the FDR projects like the TVA were better managed and far more socially beneficial in the long term.
There are many good links to TVA history but I'll just point out that one with a meaningful map of an 8 state area where they helped control floods, with high country dams, helped river navigation with low dams and locks, generated power in a far wider area and at half the price of private profit would be monopolizers. They saved soil for farmers and other infrastructure that could have washed away in the climate and flood risks of the worst climate they could imagine.
I wish they had anticipated the climate neglect that let so much of Asheville be damaged, though I don't know how they could have since even the most conscientious climate scientists under estimated how risky it is becoming (despite a lot more work than most realize in flood control). They underestimated the worst dangers, and face severe criticism of updating the estimates based on new evidence.
Anyways just look at the map and consider looking for other sites based on where you are interested in the successes and few failures to prepare .
Wondering if Biden announce a major funding for rebuilding SCal. This might prevent Trump ordering major tax cut for wealthy - a totally inappropriate action now when there are so many citizens suffering.
Please don't conflate the name of the worst president ever with a secondary sex characteristic that is celebrated in paintings and sculpture, and admired by people of both genders, which evolved among our hunter-gatherer ancestors along with body hairlessness, the achilles tendon, the nuchal ligament (holds the head steady when humans run), and other adaptations so that they could pursue prey animals over long distances, eventually tiring them out. And, yes, both women and men pursued prey animals, and both now participate in marathons. Harvard Universities Daniel Lieberman has written extensively about these adaptations.
I feel so sorry for everyone in LA going through these fires. Altadena is a gem. I hope thereтАЩs a way people can recoup their losses. Sending love your way.
It's not just government workers who are making a difference. There are crews from many states, neighboring states, yes, but also from my state, MA. And let's not forget to thank the Canadian and Mexican governments which have sent fire-fighting planes and personnel. Strength and resilience are evident in the face of unthinkable disaster.
It takes a pretty empty soul to lay on burdens to others suffering in a disaster zone. And that appeals to so many claiming to be Christian? The likes of Trump and Musk would be driving the nails.
My daughter just posted on Instagram that it has been Dems who have laid the fires in Lahaina and LA to "promote our case for climate change". Upon my questioning her sanity, she blew me off with, first, a tirade of invective about trying to control her communications and "freedom of speech" and said: "her comment was mostly satire anyways". As if that is Okay! Who uses other people's tragedy for satire and spreading falsehoods...??? My daughter, I guess. I commented that I supposed her definition of "freedom" and mine were diametrically opposed. It is a truly lost cause. I hope you folks don't have to experience the like. Sleep becomes difficult. I'm a pretty tough, rational thinker (I hope), but this is beyond the pale, for me.
Ah, it must be so hard to hear your child under such terrible illusions. My mother fell under the spell of Rush Limbaugh (and of the wealth of her second husband and his "fiscal conservatism") and is now a frightened, vindictive Fox zombie. There are So many topics we have to avoid that I barely speak to her for more than 5 minutes at a time. She used to be such a happy person. I hope the spell will lift for her and for your daughter.
Rupert is still spewing bullschittery. Apparently, nobody can stop him. He has his Russian fifth wife (I think) and his connections with Vlad and their billionaire cronies are all set to rule all of us. Remember you are dealing with a cult. It takes deprogramming or Ike to break the spell.
I am so sorry. My father-in-law was already a racist Adam Henry when I first met him 40+ years ago. He became a full-blown MAGA (minus the hat) in the 5 years before he died.
(Adam Henry is police code for the letters "a" and "h" and used to reference a part of the human anatomy generally in charge of the exit of fecal matter from the human body. For a time, we had to go "in service" with our badge number and our initials. Every morning at 0540 hours, I would go in service with "C540 in service, Adam Adam Henry, 540". My dispatchers could barely respond the first couple times they heard that.)
Lol. That daughter is learning the correct lessons even if sheтАЩs got a few details wrong. All statewide office holders in California are Dems. And basically all LA office holders with relevant responsibilities are Dems. The catastrophe in LA and near surrounds is not that Dems тАЬhave laid the fires in Lahaina and LAтАЭ, as a matter of intention. Nor as a protest about climate change. It is because they are fatally incompetent AND that incompetence derives from an infantile romance with the false prophet of climate change dogma and wokeness that blinds them to the mundane reality of public preparedness to create and maintain sufficient water supplies and remedial land use practices (periodic clearing of deadwood and underbrush) to fight disastrous wildfires. Look in the mirror folks. AinтАЩt nobody to blame but Dems.
The last national election shows 10-12 previously blue counties in California turning red. This latest utter catastrophe will turn the state red. ThatтАЩs my prediction. And IтАЩm most certainly correct. It isnтАЩt only handover twice the size of Manhattan thatтАЩs burned to a crisp along with entire communities of residential and commercial buildings and wealth. The reputations of Newsom and LAтАЩs socialist/communist mayor and the statewide political party with it.
I am sorry about the discord in your family and hope that it improves. A woman in my extended family, who I liked, turned raging MAGA and hostile. I think there is a difference between those who get snared in the lies, and those who knowingly concoct them. Especially those who lie who accept positions of public trust.
Of course, cults must have a leader. What is different here is that chump has all kinds of money and power glom onto him like he has a magnetic field. So hope I live to see the pin prick the blimp and see the air deflate the whole mess. Since Ike is gone, itтАЩs about all we haveтАж
The pain of losing a family member to the MAGA cult of lies is hard. I am sorry for your troubles. My late mother's last vote was for T**** in 2016, and I'm still trying to deal with it.
it is tough, James. Maybe reject any anger or guilt as not being yours. Push it aside mentally and let your Neurons learn to do so automatically. Just a thought from what helps me.
Bruce, I don't know if this will help, or applies to your situation, and IтАЩm probably going to regret saying anything at all, but itтАЩs worth a try.
As I've said here, many times, IтАЩve maintained strong and close relationships with relatives and friends who happen to be Trump supporters. With very few exceptions, dependency, not politics, is the dividing line between us.
I was 17 when I started my business. While I worked for other companies through college, I kept my business going. Fifty years later, I closed my business and retired.
Very early on, I had to confront the fact, that my employeeтАЩs dependency on me creating work for them, was killing my business. Simply put, my company sold creative work which depends, entirely, on independent thinkers. Since dependent people cannot think creatively, I had to let them go. And so I askтАж
Is your daughter dependent on other people, for work, income, and/or direction? If so, that might explain her attraction to Trump. Does she see in Trump, the traditional male role of provider in her life? This is a patriarchal society issue, not a daddy issue.
If you expect her to be an independent woman, and she wants to be dependent, she might feel attracted to Trump who promises to take care of her. If your daughter really likes being dependent, she is probably fighting to remain dependent. If she wants dependency enough, she will even fight you to get it.
Good points. None of my family MAGAts are dependent . They worked hard but are fearful that some undeserving person will get a crumb that should be theirs.
Very interesting Raffey. If you can find it, read my post later on in the stack about my experience in my business...we had the same instincts. I was able to implement some guidelines that made sense to some, but never enough.
To your comment: "Is your daughter dependent on other people?" That is an interesting question. Yes she is in a quasi Pyramid organization, and she works from home as the kids go to a coalition of home schooled ...schools. She has a trad marital relationship, and is in a very co-dependent relationship with her husband.
Yes, I agree with your assessment, and understand it. That doesn't mean I won't continue to remind her even while we are able to establish boundaries of behavior when I am with them. It is the only way that I can visit with my grandchildren. Just by being there, someone who is quite different in their lives, living 13 hours away by airplane, telling them about the strange, different history of their family. My "Leib" is with them, without breaking boundaries which would cut off access to them, even if it hurts to not try to teach them my truth.
Pretty simple, they're sucking eggs. And, when the eggs run out God will rescue them.. Their minds are made up. You're the one confused by 'facts'.. not them! Yupp.., just 'believe'. Need an example? How about the plane crash in S.Korea. Was that not an "act of God"? Huricane Helene? The Palisades? These jerks are "dependent" upon Trump, who, to them is an "act of god". Gag me!
I had children that went wild after their mother died. People deal with situations uniquely/differently. Mine were just MAD at the universe and had no one but me to take it out on. It took over twenty years of non-stop interventions on my part to reach any resolution at all. Now, things are coming together. We are speaking the same language. We all have to decide if we are in it for the long run. If we want truth and justice to prevail, we have to put in the work.
There is a lot of truth to what you say, Craig. My daughter's and Son's issues although very different had a similar nexus. Their mother left us to live with another man and his family, very abruptly. That has also been a long haul issue. And, I made several mistakes, which both hold me accountable to and will not forgive. With constant work, I have at least been able to visit with my grandkids, and my daughter with some degree of muzzling agreed to all round. My son, my best friend for so long, is a different story which I will not accost y'all with. At least he is not MAGA.
That's interesting Craig. First, so sorry for your loss and what happened with your children. My brothers both went a little crazy when our mother died. One a total q anon trumper the other just depressed and isolated but dependent on the trumper emotionally. Both have attacked me several times and now I'm just done...a very sad state of affairs I tried to avoid.
I'm so sorry to know you're going through this, Bruce. As parents, worry never really leaves our side and patience always seems to be in shorter supply when the worry pops to the forefront. Be good to yourself, please.
Accurate 1st Amendment "FreeSpeech" constitutional law is even misunderstood even by cops & many others.
See, anything by Professor Lawrence Tribe. See, also Ari Melber analyses. Ari handled the "1st Amendment" common confusion for SDNY in his earlier role as a federal Prosecutor. ЁЯСН
So much in so many ways, Kathy. That is an impossible question for me to answer satisfactorily. However, she does say, on Medical and health science issues, for example. That she has far more expertise than any doctor or scientist because of her amazing abilities as a researcher. Says the woman who flunked out of first year undergrad after a 4.0+ GPA throughout high School, providing entrance into one of our best and (I'll say it) most expensive Universities. Not that the money really matters, it's the general lack of respect for ones own future that I don't understand, and the coincident lack of respect for others, who have driven themselves to achieve their goals.
Unfortunately her attitude toward "Freedom from" distorts her views on many many subjects, where she gets her information, and how she applies it.
My eldest voted for trump not because he believes his bullsh*tтАж heтАЩs a successful authoritarian who doesnтАЩt care about the common good. When I said Republicans will raise the retirement age, he replied, тАЬYou can work.тАЭ I have quit talking to him.
bruce, I am very sorry that your daughter has become a conspiracy theorist. Fortunately, all the family here on the west coast are sane. I am not going to vouch for my family in the midwest being the same. I do not think they pay too much attention to politics and are in some kind of dismal swamp where those who have little education and scut jobs (if they have a job) dwell. They are very good, however, at producing children. I am about to become a great great aunt again and I think this makes it over a dozen.
"beyond the pale".., it certainly is Bruce. Trouble is, it's impossible for you and I or the rest of our fellow 48 percenters, to walk in the shoes of your daughter or any one else, in order to see things as they see em. And, to think that posting the 10 commandments all over the place is going to have some profound effect. While we're at that.., lets plaster Trumps puss on buildings along with the caption: E pluribus Unum.
If youтАЩre not being called an anti-semite NAZI, youтАЩre doing better than me. So sorry for your situation. Grown adults get to make their own choices I suppose. That doesnтАЩt make it any easier
J L, already we have at least one House member who wants to withhold help from CA until the pols there have policies that are the same ugly propositions and laws that Rs inflict on people elsewhere.
As a Topangan I say we are always grateful for the fire crews. In awe of them, really. Our own at Station 69, and those who leave their faraway homes to join the battle, as well as the prisoners on the front lines.
They are a part of the government that dates back to Ben Franklin in our country, and I believe to thousands of years ago in Imperial Rome and China? And our government has forged international agreements not just with our neighbors, but with with countries as far away as Australia, where fires are also a major natural threat, made so much more deadly and unnatural by human waste and inaction.
May these catastrophes serve to break across boundaries of create a global resistance to the Oiligarchs and their new Plutocracy - the United States of America.
...And we won't copy Benjamin to go and secure our own allies in the upcoming fight. They have already sent out Elon. But he has been making mistakes, so the time is ripe for one of ours to go out. Were are they, WTF is going on, there seems to be a stunned silence. The Canadians and Danes and Mexicans are raising their voices. Let's allign with the Europeans, and get funding, alliance people. We have to get a coordinated hard edge going before he is inaugurated and the shit really starts coming down. Where is the Offensive coordinator for the DNC????
I'm a lot more familiar with the Altadena, Pasadena, Sierra Madre, and Arcadia areas, having worked there for a dozen years. Checking on the fires that are burning further than ever below the mountains (from near JPL to Sierra Madre in the east), I see some of the evacuation points where ordinary people put in so much extra help or the outside fire agencies stage to respond all along the fire lines.
As expected, the Santa Anita Horse Race Track is providing a spacious facility to operate in or from for fire crews and citizens helping each other.
Who in the world can teach us better practices in emergency preparedness and prevention?
I avoided it except passing it to get to a friend's house in Arcadia, mostly because I had no interest in something that close to gambling (my father was a gambling addict enough to nearly get him killed 50 years ago). Another reason was of its use to process 90,000 Japanese internees like George Takei and his family, before they were sent off to a longer term camp in Arkansas.
I'm glad to see it still being available for such good use, though.
P.S. I cheat a bit on my mostly vegetarian diet, justifying it as supporting fire fighters. I can't afford to do much but I still can't resist donating a bit when eating at Firehouse Subs. See their shift in donations from 99.06% R, 0.94% D in 2012, to 66.52% D, 33.48% R in 2020 at https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/firehouse-subs/totals?id=D000033667
Betsy, several people have mentioned in particular the crews from other countries as well as inmates fighting the fire. I did see one meme where it was apparent it was addressing false info put out by Rs. Very disgusting to see the attempts to divide and yet to take heart from the help that is coming from many places. We have family in Burbank and are glad they are OK, but they did post pictures of the sky, smoke, etc.
So sick. Here we are, in a real-time crisis dealing with Mother-nature, with a convicted mofo about to take charge.And, that incoming train is already off-the-rails. And, you know.., who'se gonna take (be given by MSN) the blame for the pile-up, right? God? Uh uh. Mother-nature be screwed, DEI's and Democrats are to blame! Oh yeah..., so sick!
Mark Elias did an interview with Allison Riggs (elected to the N.C. Supreme Court) about the GOP trying to throw out 60,000 votes to prevent her from taking her seat on the bench. Below is a link to the interview and info for those who would like to help with her legal costs. This is an IMPORTANT case because if the GOP is successful in N.C. they will try it in other states too.
There are 15 judges on the NC Court of Appeals; only 3 are Democrats. Allison RiggsтАЩs re-election maintains the current makeup of the court. The Republicans changed judicial elections from nonpartisan to partisan. That automatically gives the NC courts the appearance of bias.
The Republicans have been grabbing power since 2011. Redistricting was only one of their power grabs, but it is the foundation that all their other power grabs are based on. It is all about personal power and lining their pockets and the pockets of those they favor. Public education at all levels has been one of their biggest targets.
For context, David R. Lewis (R-Harnett County) who was quoted in HCRтАЩs post today as saying that he thought it was better to elect Republicans rather than Democrats. It was better for the country. Lewis was convicted of campaign finance violations because he tried to siphon money from his campaign to his family farm, his business. Such action is a form of fraud. He resigned from his legislative seat. He received probation. Of course, he did! The Republicans in NC are out for themselves, and they will use any means necessary to get and keep power. Google Phil Berger, who is the leader of the NC Senate. A disgusting person.
I hate what NC has turned into, but itтАЩs not the only backward facing state at this point.
Yes, I donated because Justice Riggs has to pay court costs and this fight has dragged on and on. Please donate to help her: https://www.riggsforourcourts.com/
When justice and truth are in plain sight to even your average Joe without a law degree, how can courts rule in favour of corruption and be allowed to get away with it?
Sometimes HCRтАЩs letters give me a pit in my stomach, too. And this is one of those times. I feel so disheartened at my fellow Americans. And frustrated that thereтАЩs so little than I can do. IтАЩm so sorry, Lauren, at what you and other Californians are going through. It is just heart-wrenching, devastating to watch the devastation. I hope youтАЩll be able to stay safe where you are.
Lincoln was right; Mass public opinion even shifts the earth under SCOTUS. But that is exactly the tricky part JL, especially under the current circumstances wherein much of the MSM is complicit due to their business models.
Yes! Join your local Indivisible group or start one. The focus is totally on what we can do to protect our freedoms, our families, and our futures. This national movement is a rock star at getting support to the grassroots.
As a 48%'er, our strongest suite is going to be non-violent. A violent crowd will be met with overwhelming 'enforcement'.., resulting in arrests and confinement in many separate locations rendering the resistance neutered. Call it divide and conquer. I don't see 'the 48 percenters' capable of conducting a violent crusade. A massive movement.., shutdown.., refusal to co-operate, etc.., is possible though. Drowning out MSN being part of it. It's got to be solid - no tea-party. The night-time may be the right-time.
In 2016 we worked with people like the current head of the California Sierra Club, volunteers for Willie Velasquez's (non-partisan, enough for Rick Perry to declare May 9th "тАЬWillie Vel├бsquez DayтАЭ in Texas), Southwest Voter Registration and Education Project, and former ACORN community help organizations. Most I knew were obviously inclined to follow Martin Luther King Jr's non-violent principles (and work with members of both parties such as the Republicans who helped pass the Civil Rights and voting acts).
I was determined to leave if they ever accepted any volunteers that advocated fighting as dirty as a Republican fundraiser asked some of us to, "Fight dirtier than Democrats." I left the party because of that request. I sat back and just watched the first time a young couple came in to volunteer suggesting we should fight fire with fire. The leaders listened until they finished then told them we didn't accept any who would use such tactics (don't become the monsters you are fighting, in effect). They did stay and seemed willing to stick to our principles.
The former ACORN volunteers seemed particularly good at spotting provocateurs after their organization was split up by the likes of James O'Keefe. Many continued the good fight in splinter groups even more dedicated and focused after O'Keefe's treachery.
We are more dedicated than ever to the high road, ourselves, if for no other reason than any stooping to their level is massively counter-productive to winning public support.
I am very sorry for your losses. While we moved to Sacramento 10 years ago to be closer to our growing grandchildren, I spent the entirety of my life before that in SoCal, first as a child adjacent to the Palisades, then as an adult raising our family adjacent to Altadena. We are gutted by all of the losses, all of the suffering. These communities have lost so much. Our oldest friends lost their family home, and every day either we, or our children, hear of someone else we know, or know of, who have suffered same. It is so exhausting, and now with the regime change about to take place, not sure where I will find the energy to get through the next four years.
I am borrowing a quote by Ram Dass: Whether tomorrow brings the apocalypse or not, our work is the same: Love one another and alleviate suffering for all. This helps me so much. I hope it helps you, too. There are many examples of support and selflessness during the fires while our so-called leaders-to-be throw foul-mouthed invectives. This is a battle of love vs. hatred.
Last night's 60 Minutes from Altadena and Pacific Palisades was just heart breaking. I thought of every little square viewed from above as unit of sorrow, each family bearing its burden of loss. We simply must find ways to support these Americans, even as the president-elect casts derision on elected California officials. Just as those poor people in North Carolina lost their communities to flooding and, later political plundering, we must make sure their voices are heard and their needs addressed.
I would like to see so much emphasis by our government (present administration!!) to provide unprecedented (expenditure$$, manpower, equipment, resources) to assist these two recent natural disasters that it eclipses the inauguration. These people need much more than "community cohesiveness". This is an American disaster in the making.
Compare Clinton's competent , dedicated and fully supported FEMA director James Lee Witt's clean up of the Hurricane Andrew mess after August of Bush 41's administration and early Clinton administration, then the Republican trashing the reforms at FEMA back to the "Turkey Farm" model as Senator Fritz Hollings called it, in the Bush 43 years. The incompetence and lack of support showed how disastrous that could be in the Hurricane Katrina "response."
Thank God Altadena and the Palisades areas are receiving the Democratic version of FEMA aid (which also responded to all disasters in Red states with the best they had, no political games in infrastructure improvements and disaster response).
There was a photo that broke through my protected approach to all the horror and moved me to understand the power and strength of the people who are suffering but not ever giving up. It was one of the photos of the evacuation of a care home for the elderly. The evacuation order only gave them minutes to get everyone out so they came up with a plan to move everyone to a parking lot a block away where others were organizing transport to get them to safety. It was all being done on a wing and a prayer, trusting that the transportation would be there when they reached the parking lot.
The photo was of a very old woman hunched in a wheeled chair, gripping the arms of the chair and hanging on for dear life.The wheels were the small ones put on a rattan patio chair so you can move it around your deck... not an actual wheel chair. Pushing the chair was another woman, not young, gripping the back of the chair, leaning into the push to add every ounce of her strength. Behind them was an advancing wall of flame and smoke and death.... but they were not deterred. They were grim but they were moving. They were going to get to that parking lot. The elderly woman would be whisked away to safety. The other woman would wheel that chair back and get another resident who needed to take that ride. The strength, the determination, the courage were all there and they were inspiring, fighting through the fire, the smoke and the heat, saving lives. It was the worst of times. It was the best of humanity.
I was concerned about the MonteCedro Retirement Community a block away from the Eliot school where I used to attend Pasadena IBM User Group (PIBMUG) evening meetings. It seems to have been evacuated the 1st day but eventually almost completely surrounded by fire and partially burnt down by midnight last night.
I suspect the picture you saw might have been evacuation from The Terraces at Park Marino, less than a mile and a half from where I worked in the Hastings Ranch portion of Pasadena and about a half mile from the Pasadena High School and Victory Park area where the Rose Parade Floats park before the Floatfest is expanded to be displayed along East Washington Blvd and Sierra Madre Blvd for a day or two. Since a number of our employees were volunteers, they would take guests to see the Floats parked there later in the day of the parade. Seeing the Floats after the parade was easier than trying to get a good spot to watch it, especially when the engineers could describe the features of the floats that could shrink them to fit under the freeway overpass and other ways of adding motion of features.
Memories like that make me think about why so much of the public isn't as concerned about global warming as I am. It seems too personal to me and other people who think about how such areas are immune to climate change (at least before the catastrophes). I've traveled much of the areas devastated by these particular fires so, to me, these are at least a hint of large urban areas usually only destroyed in wars in other countries.
It feels inexcusable to not have tried to prevent as much of it as possible, at least somewhat like we did during WWII with blackouts and Civil Defense preparations. We were somewhat prepared but spared the worst of the needs compared to so much of the rest of the world where the fighting and bombings created such greater need.
Better to be prepared relative to the real risks and not need it than to not be prepared. Better to do the real work of lowering the risk by ding the greater attention to rational long term climate warming prevention than too late attempts at adaptation.
Does it have to happen in their neighborhoods to make it real to them (way too late)?
A good number of years ago when my own daughter was in elementary school, I had a part time job in a bank branch. Another of us had a very young child who was diagnosed with cancer. A customer was tacky enough to ask my colleague how she was able to cope. She managed to say, тАЬOne day at a time, one hour at a time, sometimes one minute at a timeтАЭ while the rest of us sat in stunned silence. We are in that situation now, and will get through in the same way: one day, one hour, one minute. We can also take heart that with Letters like this, a bright light shines on the tactics being used to disenfranchise voters as NC is trying to do, information that was not so available 200 years ago. I am convinced that Washington, where I live, has one of the best, if not *the* best election system in the country, implemented by a Republican Secretary of State, Kim Wyman тАжwho now has a job in election security in the Biden administration (can you even imagine P-E Trump, CF, having such an office?). We started with ballot drop boxes, though not that many at first. Every year more were added. We could mail ballots via USPS for the cost of a stamp, but that wasnтАЩt quite so easy for many voters. Every year more drop boxes were added; a few years ago the King County Executive announced that the county would make its ballots postage-paid. That way, people who didnтАЩt have a drop box near them - yet - would have an easier time voting. More conservative counties erupted that it was unfair to them; the Governor, a Democrat, agreed and said that the state would make ALL ballots postage paid. Our processing systems are secure, unconnected to the internet. Secretary Wyman also wanted to register automatically all young residents on their 18th birthday. So: we can do this: we can emulate Mrs. Pence, we can buoy our spirits with the Full Frontal episode titled тАЬTrump in ScotlandтАЭ, and think of new and creative ways to mock him. As the farmer said, тАЬHeтАЩll crack up.тАЭ Join the League of Women Voters, any group that can create links with other statesтАж
I miss mutual greetings from election workers, and the polling place, but mail-in voting works and leaves a physical paper trail. Wyman is one of the very few Republicans I ever voted for.
I mentioned it before, but I find much to admire in books by Edith Eger.
Indeed, this was one of the best changes in our political processes that we have made here in Washington State. Now if only we could rewrite our constitution and make it a legal framework instead of the disastrous list of elevated and amended laws that it is; or maybe we could straighten out our state's horrible tax system which has to be one of the most regressive in the country. And oh, the ferry system is short five much needed boats, and way understaffed. Oh well - one battle at a time. We are making progress slowly but surely. And yeah, I have to confess that I broke my usual rule of not voting for any R's and consistently voted for Kim. She did a fantastic job.
So deeply sorry for the losses in Southern California, and your town in particular. What a horrid tragedy. I can only imagine how overwhelmed you are with the chaos in the country, let alone suffering through the fires' losses. Concentrate on what little you can control right now and know that the majority of us across our country are with you in spirit.
Lauren, itтАЩs no wonder you feel the way you do. You are witnessing and living in trauma. You rightly feel grief and loss. Give yourself time to process all of this. Seek out supportive friends, and be kind to yourself. We will be here when youтАЩre ready to re-join the fight.
''...when a Republican candidate calls for throwing out the votes of 60,000 voters to declare victory in an election he lost, they have abandoned the principles of democracy in favor of a one-party state that will operate in their favor alone...''
My stomach hurts, too. From this letter, sadly. And from a friend's son in Altadena who told his mom across the country, "Don't worry. The fire is 35 miles away." Then, within the hour, they escaped with only the clothes on their backs and their lives. Everything turned to ash. Your sorrows are my sorrows.
I am sorry for your family's loss in California. While I can understand nature's flames of destruction, I am at a loss in understanding Maga's desire to burn down our democracy. Sadness overwhelms me.
Lauren, I almost hate to say I тАЬlikeтАЭ your post. Please take the heart тЭдя╕П as a hug, to you and your neighbors. DonтАЩt worry about our foolishness here in NC. We stand with you and there are people in our state who stand ready to help our friends in Cali.
I taught in Altadena and to see the devastation is life-rattling as it truly is for so many friends and colleagues; I keep wondering how my former students are fairing. And I, too, had that gut punch feeling after reading this letter. To see how quickly the fires have been blamed on everyone and everything except science and geography is sickening. Indeed, exhausted in SoCal.
I am so sorry for the devastation in LA - parts appear to have been vaporized. Words can't express how tragic it is or how my heart aches for you all. Our son was born in LA and, while we haven't lived there for many, many years, I still feel that connection.
Sometimes HCR's letters give me a pit in my stomach. This is one of those times. The school where my mom was principal for 15+ years burned down in Altadena this past week - a school where I painted the Kinder classrooms for a few summers -- and today's letter managed to make me further worried. UGH. Exhausted in SoCal.
I am so sorry for the overwhelming losses you are going through. You must be completely weary, and the news just adds to your exhaustion. I don't know that it will help, but please know there are many of us who care very much. Many of us who will contribute and assist in any way we can.
The outpouring of community has been incredible - Community gets sh!t done - even if tRumpf's "gov" wont.
That has been my experience in every community no matter where it is across the US. Whether it's hurricanes in FL, tornados in NE, or Noreasters in ME neighbors help each other.
And when the job is too big for friends and neighbors to handle, that's when FEMA and the Red Cross are there to help.
Gary, and, it's people all over the country who support FEMA with taxes and the Red Cross with donations. We really are one nation. I just wish more people believed it instead of a sad, angry old man who cares for nothing and no one but money, power, and all of that for himself.
I don't trust FEMA. Back when Hurricane Irene hit NJ, FEMA let me down. I didn't have flood insurance because I wasn't in a flood zone. My house became an island and the walls sucked up the water like a dry sponge. I had it tested and found there were over 10 different kinds of mold including fecal coliforms, yes shit. I applied to FEMA and they kept turning me down. I finally found out there was no line item for that particular disaster for mold or mildew damage. I had to leave my house after a month with respiratory problems and finally had to do a short sale on my house to get rid of it. I know this is way different for the people of California and I pray FEMA works real hard for them. I just lost faith in them. I pray for everyone involved with these terrible fires everyday.
That is terrible. Just always remember, republicans set things in motion to make sure the government agencies don't work
true but Irene was well into the Obama era. There may have been a real problem at FEMA that isn't partisan
Jeanne, IтАЩm SO sorry. ThatтАЩs just terrible.
James Lee Witt was the best director of FEMA according to the emergency responders I knew in California back in the 1990s after he stepped in following Hurricane Andrews Response during the late Bush 41 Administration. He headed FEMA in what I think of as their golden years, especially compared to what Appointees before and after him did. The California Emergency Responders I knew said none of the best in the country would accept the position the way the Bush 43 Administration wanted it to be run.
See https://truthout.org/articles/part-two-fema-and-disaster-a-look-at-what-worked-and-what-didn-t-from-a-fema-insider-1993-2000/
A sample:
"...First, тАЬPeople.тАЭ When Witt took over at FEMA in 1993, employee morale could only be described as being at rock bottom. The agency had often been held up to public ridicule during the heyday of nuclear civil defense and now was an object of contempt following its seeming indifference to the plight of Hurricane Andrew's many victims.
But the employees of FEMA felt they were getting a bad rap. Why should they be blamed for the mistakes and failures of their bosses? FEMA employees wanted to support the agency's mission, but found themselves pushed aside or ignored when they tried to do so. Moreover, many of the staff believed that their own bosses lacked management skills, knowledge of disasters or just plain human empathy, and were themselves part of the problem.
On April 14, 1993, after barely two weeks in office, Witt issued a succinct, one-page memo to all FEMA employees. The title of the memo was тАЬOpen Door Policy,тАЭ and it stated in plain language that any FEMA employee who could not get a problem resolved within his or her normal chain of command was welcome to meet face to face, one on one, with Director Witt. No forms to fill out, no permission required from your boss, no minimum grade level тАж just dial up Witt's executive assistant and make an appointment. Staff began to meet with Witt and he began to hear firsthand how disorganized things were within the agency.
He was told, for example, that most FEMA employees were neither trained nor rostered ahead of time for disaster duty, meaning that sending FEMA employees to work at a disaster was a bit like a game of pickup basketball. (Immediately after the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, for example, when FEMA staff were desperately needed in California, a FEMA supervisor was seen running breathlessly from one employee's desk to the next тАж тАЬCan you go to California тАж Can you тАж How about you?тАЭ Any staffer who evenly hesitantly nodded yes was told, тАЬQuick, go home and pack and fly to San Francisco. Someone will tell you what to do when you get there.тАЭ)
Witt also heard endless tales of supervisors who abused and mistreated their staff. In one office, ten of the 11 staff members met with Witt, begging to be transferred to a different office and away from their current boss.
As Witt learned more about his people, his people were learning more about him. Witt was businesslike and decisive, but he was also plainspoken and unpretentious. Any staffer running into Witt standing in line at the local deli was free to talk with him, in fact, was expected to. When meeting with employees in his office, Witt would listen intently, often while chewing tobacco and spitting the juice into a foam cup he held in his hand. (One long-time Washington staffer came away from such a meeting much taken aback, believing that Witt had been spitting into his coffee.)
Witt soon made staff understand that FEMA was a team, that team members were expected to do their jobs, that team members were to respect each other and that he, Witt, was not an outsider тАж he was the team captain..."
I'd really recommend reading the whole article, another sample of appointing competent people and building the best support for the employees with the most experience and passion for the work:
"...Morale was visibly improving within the agency, but strengthening the тАЬPeopleтАЭ factor at FEMA would not be enough. тАЬProgramsтАЭ were next. Flip charts of blank paper began appearing next to the elevators, with FEMA employees invited to write their own ideas for strengthening the agency. How can we respond better to disasters? How can we better serve the American people? How can we make FEMA a better agency?
Bit by bit, changes began to appear. For example, the тАЬFederal Response PlanтАЭ already existed, but was considered by most to be a тАЬpaper planтАЭ only. That is, FEMA offices as well as other federal agencies might make numerous commitments within the plan for what they would do in a disaster, but in reality, would not have sufficient staff or resources to actually carry out those promises. Under Witt, the plan would become real тАУ any and all commitments or promises for disaster response must be backed up by the necessary staff, funds and legal authorities to actually do the job if and when called upon to do so.
The Federal Response Plan, or FRP, would remain the key to FEMA's successful disaster responses for the next eight years. The backbone of the FRP consisted of 12 тАЬEmergency Support Functions,тАЭ or ESFs. The ESFs were simply a list of the 12 main types of jobs the federal government might have to perform during a disaster response:
Transportation -
Communications -
Public Works and Engineering -
Firefighting -
Information and Planning -
Mass Care -
Resource Support -
Health and Medical Services -
Urban Search and Rescue -
Hazardous Materials -
Food -
Energy -
From there, each ESF would be assigned a lead federal department or agency having the most expertise in that particular field and disaster response planners within that agency would focus only on that ESF. So, for example, ESF number 1, тАЬTransportation,тАЭ would be assigned to the US Department of Transportation (USDOT). Disaster planners at USDOT would be told to plan for all the transportation-related aspects of disaster response, how to transport federal responders to and from the disaster site, how to prioritize the repair of damaged transportation infrastructure in the disaster area, and so forth. But don't worry about medical care, food or electrical power; another agency with another ESF will take care of each of those tasks.
The concept was simple, but it worked. Each federal agency would focus on its own specialty in disasters and FEMA would orchestrate the entire effort like a traffic cop directing traffic to avoid gridlock. In addition to making things better organized, an added benefit was that FEMA would actually economize disaster response by drawing on existing resources of the federal government wherever possible. (A foreign visitor to FEMA, who had seen news reports of the federal government's disaster relief efforts, asked where FEMA kept the airplanes it used to carry in relief supplies after a disaster. The answer: We don't have airplanes at FEMA; we know where to get them.)
At the same time as the FRP was being brought into the real world, FEMA staff themselves were at long last being trained and rostered for disaster duty, so that in the event of a major incident, everyone would know what he or she was expected to do. There would be no more тАЬpaper plansтАЭ at FEMA and disaster response would no longer be a game of pickup basketball.
I am sorry for what you had to suffer thru, but I wonder sometimes if we donтАЩt expect too much from government. From what I am hearing from CA, people are expecting to come out whole, with little to nothing coming out of their own pockets. Unfortunately, things donтАЩt work that way. ЁЯШвЁЯШвЁЯШв Life sucks and then we die. I feel so badly for them.
I see the Supreme Court has rejected a bid by oil companies to toss Honolulu's climate suit. Maybe this will be how we fight back for property in the face of natural forces we simply canтАЩt contend with.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna186164
I do wonder what Witt thought of how FEMA was swept into the Department of Homeland Security. Wikipedia has an interesting history of FEMA at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Emergency_Management_Agency
I take some of it with a particularly large grain of salt and suggest a wider view in some places such as:
"...Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, Congress passed the Homeland Security Act of 2002, which created the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to better coordinate among the different federal agencies that deal with law enforcement, disaster preparedness and recovery, border protection and civil defense. FEMA was absorbed into DHS effective March 1, 2003.[18] As a result, FEMA became part of the Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate of Department of Homeland Security, employing more than 2,600 full-time employees. It became Federal Emergency Management Agency again on March 31, 2007, but remained in DHS.[19]
President Bush appointed Michael D. Brown as FEMA's director in January 2003. Brown warned in September 2003 that FEMA's absorption into DHS would make a mockery of FEMA's new motto, "A Nation Prepared", and would "fundamentally sever FEMA from its core functions", "shatter agency morale" and "break longstanding, effective and tested relationships with states and first responder stakeholders". The inevitable result of the reorganization of 2003, warned Brown, would be "an ineffective and uncoordinated response" to a terrorist attack or a natural disaster.[20]..."
Whatever his real qualifications were compared to James Lee Witt, I think the mess was the tangled mix of too many layers where legislators could try to micromanage situations that were best handled by the way Witt organized it, motivated and kept competent and dedicated employees, prepared as much as possible in advance, and quickly responding to the anticipated and new real needs effectively.
"...Hurricane Katrina in 2005 demonstrated that the vision of further unification of functions and another reorganization could not address the problems FEMA had previously faced. The "Final Report of the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina", released February 15, 2006, by the U.S. Government Printing Office, revealed that federal funding to states for "all hazards" disaster preparedness needs was not awarded unless the local agencies made the purposes for the funding a "just terrorism" function.[21] Emergency management professionals testified that funds for preparedness for natural hazards were given less priority than preparations for counter-terrorism measures..."
I would wonder how any FEMA administrators could function as well under such a monstrous administrative organization as DHS seemed to have become. It would seem to require many James Lee Witts working together with each others and their agencies (like a well oiled civil service with experienced, competent and dedicated non-partisan civil service version of "deep bench state" (as compared to a more realistic smaller and more malicious deep state of Trump enablers).
I have zero expectation of Trump installing a crippling cesspool of incompetent loyalists that will streamline the structure in any "better" way other than to make him more irresponsibly powerful.
Thank you, Jim. I live in Helene territory, and the local news highlights FEMA, but with little but opinion, the vast majority unfavorable. I have wondered what the real story was. I share your expectations regarding Trump, but I'll be glad to write a letter to our local newspaper quoting Brown's words to Bush.
Why would muskrat care about FEMA?
Lauren, here's to community, a concept foreign to Trump, Musk, and their whole disgusting crew.
In the midst of endless bad news, journalist Gordon Hayward of southern Vermont has turned his ear and his pen to reminding me of unsung neighbors:
https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2025-01-13/good-news-gordon-hayward-story-share
Melinda, my local Public Broadcasting station, WHYY has a program called "Good Souls" that celebrates community and the ways people in communities in the area work together to make life better. I would love to see a concept like that in communities across the country. Maybe it would let more people see the value of community and actively participating to make one's community better rather than just complaining about how bad things are.
I'd add https://www.govexec.com/workforce/2024/11/awards-program-spotlights-federal-governments-unsung-heroes-critical-time-public-service/400942/
"...One of TenaVel T. ThomasтАЩ childhood heroes growing up in the U.S. Virgin Islands was Neil Armstrong. Now, they share something in common. Both are recipients of the Arthur S. Flemming award, which has honored outstanding federal employees for 75 years.
тАЬThe thought that my name is now on a list with his was extremely overwhelming,тАЭ she said. тАЬWhen I called my dad, and I told him about the award and started to tell him about previous recipients, I mentioned Neil Armstrong, and he said, тАШOh my God, my daughter's walking on the moon!тАЩ ItтАЩs like, daddy not quite, but I guess thatтАЩs a good association.тАЭ
Armstrong received the Flemming award in 1969, the same year that he became the first person to walk on the moon. Thomas, who works for Customs and Border Protection, is the first employee from the Homeland Security Department to be given the honor.
She has led a specialized human trafficking unit and spearheaded the establishment of a center at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City that can process thousands of asylum seekers. Despite the partisan acrimony associated with immigration issues, she said that CBP officers rise above the fray.
тАЬWe serve the American people. We serve the government regardless of what the administration is. We take an oath to perform our duties every single day, and all of the CBP employees do it so valiantly,тАЭ she said. тАЬWe're able to block out the noise, if you will.тАЭ
Actually there is a website called тАЬNice NewsтАЭ!
Monday afternoon UPDATE: Cool Marlene; I will check it out.
But, Marc Elias' platform, Democracy Docket has nice news too. Marc's afternoon Headline: "NC Judge denies R's case to Toss 60,000 NC Voters' Ballots".
The case is captioned, TEILA KIVETT, et al vs. North Carolina Board of Elections is case: #24CV041789-910.
Good job Teila & Friends. One down & the other is being "attacked on the pleadings".
Good riddance.
Cool! I knew Gordon when he was a garden designer -- attended conferences together, heard him speak on occasion, and I still have one or 2 of his books on garden design. He was always very much a gentleman; I'm glad to see him actively doing other interesting things in retirement.
Actually, that is what they want. Read the libertarian party platform. No government, only private charity.
Rickey, yeah, pretty stupid isn't it! That private charity thing is BS. They can help in some ways, but not with the kinds of disasters we are facing now. Republicans/Libertarians are so self-centered they can't see beyond whatever Fox Not Nearly News broadcast they just watched or stupid post they read online. However, FEMA is only as good as the president and congress in power. They will not do well for the next 4 years, that is unless Trump's palace/golfcourse is endangered. Then, they will cover any losses plus some on top to show Trump their loyalty. Ugh!!
So sad!
Herbert Hoover was an anomaly to me with his thoughts on self-reliance (but often helping disaster relief efforts around the world as far as I can remember) He started the infrastructure projects like Hoover/Boulder Dam, putting many to work with government contractors but I think the FDR projects like the TVA were better managed and far more socially beneficial in the long term.
See https://www.tva.com/environment/environmental-stewardship/water-quality/tva-regional-contacts
There are many good links to TVA history but I'll just point out that one with a meaningful map of an 8 state area where they helped control floods, with high country dams, helped river navigation with low dams and locks, generated power in a far wider area and at half the price of private profit would be monopolizers. They saved soil for farmers and other infrastructure that could have washed away in the climate and flood risks of the worst climate they could imagine.
I wish they had anticipated the climate neglect that let so much of Asheville be damaged, though I don't know how they could have since even the most conscientious climate scientists under estimated how risky it is becoming (despite a lot more work than most realize in flood control). They underestimated the worst dangers, and face severe criticism of updating the estimates based on new evidence.
Anyways just look at the map and consider looking for other sites based on where you are interested in the successes and few failures to prepare .
Do you remember Hooverville? Great lead up to Trump's help with the unfortunate!
Wondering if Biden announce a major funding for rebuilding SCal. This might prevent Trump ordering major tax cut for wealthy - a totally inappropriate action now when there are so many citizens suffering.
I love it...tRumpf's...haven't read that before! Lynda Greer, Atlanta, GA.
Ha! its the only way my fingers will type its name...the disdain over here for that soulless wonder is palpable. Take care Lynda and thanks
Please don't conflate the name of the worst president ever with a secondary sex characteristic that is celebrated in paintings and sculpture, and admired by people of both genders, which evolved among our hunter-gatherer ancestors along with body hairlessness, the achilles tendon, the nuchal ligament (holds the head steady when humans run), and other adaptations so that they could pursue prey animals over long distances, eventually tiring them out. And, yes, both women and men pursued prey animals, and both now participate in marathons. Harvard Universities Daniel Lieberman has written extensively about these adaptations.
I feel so sorry for everyone in LA going through these fires. Altadena is a gem. I hope thereтАЩs a way people can recoup their losses. Sending love your way.
Take heart that government workers are working tirelessly to help. We will rebuild SoCal with a focus on equity and undermine TrumpтАЩs MAGAts in DC. North Carolina is making progress towards becoming deep blue like California! https://democracydefender2025.substack.com/p/resisting-project-2025-from-within-government
It's not just government workers who are making a difference. There are crews from many states, neighboring states, yes, but also from my state, MA. And let's not forget to thank the Canadian and Mexican governments which have sent fire-fighting planes and personnel. Strength and resilience are evident in the face of unthinkable disaster.
It takes a pretty empty soul to lay on burdens to others suffering in a disaster zone. And that appeals to so many claiming to be Christian? The likes of Trump and Musk would be driving the nails.
My daughter just posted on Instagram that it has been Dems who have laid the fires in Lahaina and LA to "promote our case for climate change". Upon my questioning her sanity, she blew me off with, first, a tirade of invective about trying to control her communications and "freedom of speech" and said: "her comment was mostly satire anyways". As if that is Okay! Who uses other people's tragedy for satire and spreading falsehoods...??? My daughter, I guess. I commented that I supposed her definition of "freedom" and mine were diametrically opposed. It is a truly lost cause. I hope you folks don't have to experience the like. Sleep becomes difficult. I'm a pretty tough, rational thinker (I hope), but this is beyond the pale, for me.
Ah, it must be so hard to hear your child under such terrible illusions. My mother fell under the spell of Rush Limbaugh (and of the wealth of her second husband and his "fiscal conservatism") and is now a frightened, vindictive Fox zombie. There are So many topics we have to avoid that I barely speak to her for more than 5 minutes at a time. She used to be such a happy person. I hope the spell will lift for her and for your daughter.
Rupert is still spewing bullschittery. Apparently, nobody can stop him. He has his Russian fifth wife (I think) and his connections with Vlad and their billionaire cronies are all set to rule all of us. Remember you are dealing with a cult. It takes deprogramming or Ike to break the spell.
Oh Patrice, we know, and I feel for you too. Nevertheless I find great humor in "Fox Zombie".
I am so sorry. My father-in-law was already a racist Adam Henry when I first met him 40+ years ago. He became a full-blown MAGA (minus the hat) in the 5 years before he died.
(Adam Henry is police code for the letters "a" and "h" and used to reference a part of the human anatomy generally in charge of the exit of fecal matter from the human body. For a time, we had to go "in service" with our badge number and our initials. Every morning at 0540 hours, I would go in service with "C540 in service, Adam Adam Henry, 540". My dispatchers could barely respond the first couple times they heard that.)
It is terrible for this kind of political split within families and neighbors. There was a time when it didn't matter. But now it is scarry.
IтАЩm so very sorry. It must be so hard to have one of your children go MAGA.
Lol. That daughter is learning the correct lessons even if sheтАЩs got a few details wrong. All statewide office holders in California are Dems. And basically all LA office holders with relevant responsibilities are Dems. The catastrophe in LA and near surrounds is not that Dems тАЬhave laid the fires in Lahaina and LAтАЭ, as a matter of intention. Nor as a protest about climate change. It is because they are fatally incompetent AND that incompetence derives from an infantile romance with the false prophet of climate change dogma and wokeness that blinds them to the mundane reality of public preparedness to create and maintain sufficient water supplies and remedial land use practices (periodic clearing of deadwood and underbrush) to fight disastrous wildfires. Look in the mirror folks. AinтАЩt nobody to blame but Dems.
The last national election shows 10-12 previously blue counties in California turning red. This latest utter catastrophe will turn the state red. ThatтАЩs my prediction. And IтАЩm most certainly correct. It isnтАЩt only handover twice the size of Manhattan thatтАЩs burned to a crisp along with entire communities of residential and commercial buildings and wealth. The reputations of Newsom and LAтАЩs socialist/communist mayor and the statewide political party with it.
I am sorry about the discord in your family and hope that it improves. A woman in my extended family, who I liked, turned raging MAGA and hostile. I think there is a difference between those who get snared in the lies, and those who knowingly concoct them. Especially those who lie who accept positions of public trust.
Of course, cults must have a leader. What is different here is that chump has all kinds of money and power glom onto him like he has a magnetic field. So hope I live to see the pin prick the blimp and see the air deflate the whole mess. Since Ike is gone, itтАЩs about all we haveтАж
Ain't that the truth, JL
The pain of losing a family member to the MAGA cult of lies is hard. I am sorry for your troubles. My late mother's last vote was for T**** in 2016, and I'm still trying to deal with it.
it is tough, James. Maybe reject any anger or guilt as not being yours. Push it aside mentally and let your Neurons learn to do so automatically. Just a thought from what helps me.
Bruce, I don't know if this will help, or applies to your situation, and IтАЩm probably going to regret saying anything at all, but itтАЩs worth a try.
As I've said here, many times, IтАЩve maintained strong and close relationships with relatives and friends who happen to be Trump supporters. With very few exceptions, dependency, not politics, is the dividing line between us.
I was 17 when I started my business. While I worked for other companies through college, I kept my business going. Fifty years later, I closed my business and retired.
Very early on, I had to confront the fact, that my employeeтАЩs dependency on me creating work for them, was killing my business. Simply put, my company sold creative work which depends, entirely, on independent thinkers. Since dependent people cannot think creatively, I had to let them go. And so I askтАж
Is your daughter dependent on other people, for work, income, and/or direction? If so, that might explain her attraction to Trump. Does she see in Trump, the traditional male role of provider in her life? This is a patriarchal society issue, not a daddy issue.
If you expect her to be an independent woman, and she wants to be dependent, she might feel attracted to Trump who promises to take care of her. If your daughter really likes being dependent, she is probably fighting to remain dependent. If she wants dependency enough, she will even fight you to get it.
Good points. None of my family MAGAts are dependent . They worked hard but are fearful that some undeserving person will get a crumb that should be theirs.
Very interesting Raffey. If you can find it, read my post later on in the stack about my experience in my business...we had the same instincts. I was able to implement some guidelines that made sense to some, but never enough.
To your comment: "Is your daughter dependent on other people?" That is an interesting question. Yes she is in a quasi Pyramid organization, and she works from home as the kids go to a coalition of home schooled ...schools. She has a trad marital relationship, and is in a very co-dependent relationship with her husband.
Yes, I agree with your assessment, and understand it. That doesn't mean I won't continue to remind her even while we are able to establish boundaries of behavior when I am with them. It is the only way that I can visit with my grandchildren. Just by being there, someone who is quite different in their lives, living 13 hours away by airplane, telling them about the strange, different history of their family. My "Leib" is with them, without breaking boundaries which would cut off access to them, even if it hurts to not try to teach them my truth.
Pretty simple, they're sucking eggs. And, when the eggs run out God will rescue them.. Their minds are made up. You're the one confused by 'facts'.. not them! Yupp.., just 'believe'. Need an example? How about the plane crash in S.Korea. Was that not an "act of God"? Huricane Helene? The Palisades? These jerks are "dependent" upon Trump, who, to them is an "act of god". Gag me!
I had children that went wild after their mother died. People deal with situations uniquely/differently. Mine were just MAD at the universe and had no one but me to take it out on. It took over twenty years of non-stop interventions on my part to reach any resolution at all. Now, things are coming together. We are speaking the same language. We all have to decide if we are in it for the long run. If we want truth and justice to prevail, we have to put in the work.
There is a lot of truth to what you say, Craig. My daughter's and Son's issues although very different had a similar nexus. Their mother left us to live with another man and his family, very abruptly. That has also been a long haul issue. And, I made several mistakes, which both hold me accountable to and will not forgive. With constant work, I have at least been able to visit with my grandkids, and my daughter with some degree of muzzling agreed to all round. My son, my best friend for so long, is a different story which I will not accost y'all with. At least he is not MAGA.
That's interesting Craig. First, so sorry for your loss and what happened with your children. My brothers both went a little crazy when our mother died. One a total q anon trumper the other just depressed and isolated but dependent on the trumper emotionally. Both have attacked me several times and now I'm just done...a very sad state of affairs I tried to avoid.
Sorry for your loss Craig
I love some MAGAts as well. The challenge of my life. I have lost them in ways that are hard to explain.
I'm so sorry to know you're going through this, Bruce. As parents, worry never really leaves our side and patience always seems to be in shorter supply when the worry pops to the forefront. Be good to yourself, please.
Oh lordy - I'm so sorry.
Accurate 1st Amendment "FreeSpeech" constitutional law is even misunderstood even by cops & many others.
See, anything by Professor Lawrence Tribe. See, also Ari Melber analyses. Ari handled the "1st Amendment" common confusion for SDNY in his earlier role as a federal Prosecutor. ЁЯСН
What misinformation is she getting?
So much in so many ways, Kathy. That is an impossible question for me to answer satisfactorily. However, she does say, on Medical and health science issues, for example. That she has far more expertise than any doctor or scientist because of her amazing abilities as a researcher. Says the woman who flunked out of first year undergrad after a 4.0+ GPA throughout high School, providing entrance into one of our best and (I'll say it) most expensive Universities. Not that the money really matters, it's the general lack of respect for ones own future that I don't understand, and the coincident lack of respect for others, who have driven themselves to achieve their goals.
Unfortunately her attitude toward "Freedom from" distorts her views on many many subjects, where she gets her information, and how she applies it.
My eldest voted for trump not because he believes his bullsh*tтАж heтАЩs a successful authoritarian who doesnтАЩt care about the common good. When I said Republicans will raise the retirement age, he replied, тАЬYou can work.тАЭ I have quit talking to him.
several of us seem to have fam woes. Just remember you did what you could, even your best. It is no longer your responsibility. Still hurts.
bruce, I am very sorry that your daughter has become a conspiracy theorist. Fortunately, all the family here on the west coast are sane. I am not going to vouch for my family in the midwest being the same. I do not think they pay too much attention to politics and are in some kind of dismal swamp where those who have little education and scut jobs (if they have a job) dwell. They are very good, however, at producing children. I am about to become a great great aunt again and I think this makes it over a dozen.
Oh they can procreate, such and act of critical thinking and research.
"beyond the pale".., it certainly is Bruce. Trouble is, it's impossible for you and I or the rest of our fellow 48 percenters, to walk in the shoes of your daughter or any one else, in order to see things as they see em. And, to think that posting the 10 commandments all over the place is going to have some profound effect. While we're at that.., lets plaster Trumps puss on buildings along with the caption: E pluribus Unum.
If youтАЩre not being called an anti-semite NAZI, youтАЩre doing better than me. So sorry for your situation. Grown adults get to make their own choices I suppose. That doesnтАЩt make it any easier
No, I have not. That sucks. Yes they do. I think I just wrote a similar not to Tracy above. Birds of a feather?
I'm so sorry you have to deal with that Bruce. It's so disheartening.
J L, already we have at least one House member who wants to withhold help from CA until the pols there have policies that are the same ugly propositions and laws that Rs inflict on people elsewhere.
As a Topangan I say we are always grateful for the fire crews. In awe of them, really. Our own at Station 69, and those who leave their faraway homes to join the battle, as well as the prisoners on the front lines.
They are a part of the government that dates back to Ben Franklin in our country, and I believe to thousands of years ago in Imperial Rome and China? And our government has forged international agreements not just with our neighbors, but with with countries as far away as Australia, where fires are also a major natural threat, made so much more deadly and unnatural by human waste and inaction.
May these catastrophes serve to break across boundaries of create a global resistance to the Oiligarchs and their new Plutocracy - the United States of America.
They reject everything that Ben Franklin saw as necessary for our fledgling country. That is the ultimate crime against our founders
What stupidity!
...And we won't copy Benjamin to go and secure our own allies in the upcoming fight. They have already sent out Elon. But he has been making mistakes, so the time is ripe for one of ours to go out. Were are they, WTF is going on, there seems to be a stunned silence. The Canadians and Danes and Mexicans are raising their voices. Let's allign with the Europeans, and get funding, alliance people. We have to get a coordinated hard edge going before he is inaugurated and the shit really starts coming down. Where is the Offensive coordinator for the DNC????
Smirk all you want, personally I think we should believe their awful promises. The good promises, not so muchтАж
I'm a lot more familiar with the Altadena, Pasadena, Sierra Madre, and Arcadia areas, having worked there for a dozen years. Checking on the fires that are burning further than ever below the mountains (from near JPL to Sierra Madre in the east), I see some of the evacuation points where ordinary people put in so much extra help or the outside fire agencies stage to respond all along the fire lines.
As expected, the Santa Anita Horse Race Track is providing a spacious facility to operate in or from for fire crews and citizens helping each other.
Who in the world can teach us better practices in emergency preparedness and prevention?
I avoided it except passing it to get to a friend's house in Arcadia, mostly because I had no interest in something that close to gambling (my father was a gambling addict enough to nearly get him killed 50 years ago). Another reason was of its use to process 90,000 Japanese internees like George Takei and his family, before they were sent off to a longer term camp in Arkansas.
I'm glad to see it still being available for such good use, though.
P.S. I cheat a bit on my mostly vegetarian diet, justifying it as supporting fire fighters. I can't afford to do much but I still can't resist donating a bit when eating at Firehouse Subs. See their shift in donations from 99.06% R, 0.94% D in 2012, to 66.52% D, 33.48% R in 2020 at https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/firehouse-subs/totals?id=D000033667
And Ukraine is sending Fire Fighters!
And IтАЩm afraid the Orange Menace will turn around and stab the Ukrainians in the back at PutinтАЩs wishes.
So I see at https://www.politico.eu/article/ukraine-volodymyr-zelenskyy-offers-send-150-firefighters-help-california-battle-wildfires/
And, "becoming blue" particularly in the "Triangle" zone spreading throughout the state of NC. HCR's analysis on LFAA is Spot On ... as usual.
Betsy, several people have mentioned in particular the crews from other countries as well as inmates fighting the fire. I did see one meme where it was apparent it was addressing false info put out by Rs. Very disgusting to see the attempts to divide and yet to take heart from the help that is coming from many places. We have family in Burbank and are glad they are OK, but they did post pictures of the sky, smoke, etc.
So sick. Here we are, in a real-time crisis dealing with Mother-nature, with a convicted mofo about to take charge.And, that incoming train is already off-the-rails. And, you know.., who'se gonna take (be given by MSN) the blame for the pile-up, right? God? Uh uh. Mother-nature be screwed, DEI's and Democrats are to blame! Oh yeah..., so sick!
тАЬ
There is a certain creative beauty in the synonyms you create in the US.
It should be appreciated. Flamboyant words like gerrymandering and filibuster to replace a good hardworking Anglo Saxon word like "cheat".
Exactly
Well said! I totally agree!!!
Mark Elias did an interview with Allison Riggs (elected to the N.C. Supreme Court) about the GOP trying to throw out 60,000 votes to prevent her from taking her seat on the bench. Below is a link to the interview and info for those who would like to help with her legal costs. This is an IMPORTANT case because if the GOP is successful in N.C. they will try it in other states too.
https://youtu.be/Xzh1904ujRI?si=4v7U86KxndHnw-Nd
There are 15 judges on the NC Court of Appeals; only 3 are Democrats. Allison RiggsтАЩs re-election maintains the current makeup of the court. The Republicans changed judicial elections from nonpartisan to partisan. That automatically gives the NC courts the appearance of bias.
The Republicans have been grabbing power since 2011. Redistricting was only one of their power grabs, but it is the foundation that all their other power grabs are based on. It is all about personal power and lining their pockets and the pockets of those they favor. Public education at all levels has been one of their biggest targets.
For context, David R. Lewis (R-Harnett County) who was quoted in HCRтАЩs post today as saying that he thought it was better to elect Republicans rather than Democrats. It was better for the country. Lewis was convicted of campaign finance violations because he tried to siphon money from his campaign to his family farm, his business. Such action is a form of fraud. He resigned from his legislative seat. He received probation. Of course, he did! The Republicans in NC are out for themselves, and they will use any means necessary to get and keep power. Google Phil Berger, who is the leader of the NC Senate. A disgusting person.
I hate what NC has turned into, but itтАЩs not the only backward facing state at this point.
Despicable!
Thanks for posting the link. The relentless attacks on our democracy are exhausting but also enragingтАж we must persevere!
Yes, exhausting and enraging.
Yes, I donated because Justice Riggs has to pay court costs and this fight has dragged on and on. Please donate to help her: https://www.riggsforourcourts.com/
When justice and truth are in plain sight to even your average Joe without a law degree, how can courts rule in favour of corruption and be allowed to get away with it?
Corruption is the means by which they plan to rule
ItтАЩs also inherently unstable and we may wind up with a dictatorship.
As he promised
Public Servant, thank you and your buddies for your tireless work.
Thank you for the link. It gives me a bit of hope. We have to have hope.
I dream, but not with the MAGAts I know there.
Possibly rebuild in adobe fireproof and reduce AC needs.
And we have to remember how important blue states are in our total economy. They subsidize the red states. https://substack.com/home/post/p-154682655
Sometimes HCRтАЩs letters give me a pit in my stomach, too. And this is one of those times. I feel so disheartened at my fellow Americans. And frustrated that thereтАЩs so little than I can do. IтАЩm so sorry, Lauren, at what you and other Californians are going through. It is just heart-wrenching, devastating to watch the devastation. I hope youтАЩll be able to stay safe where you are.
Lincoln claimed that public sentiment is everything. Are there effective ways we can influence that? Organize?
Lincoln was right; Mass public opinion even shifts the earth under SCOTUS. But that is exactly the tricky part JL, especially under the current circumstances wherein much of the MSM is complicit due to their business models.
Yes! Join your local Indivisible group or start one. The focus is totally on what we can do to protect our freedoms, our families, and our futures. This national movement is a rock star at getting support to the grassroots.
As a 48%'er, our strongest suite is going to be non-violent. A violent crowd will be met with overwhelming 'enforcement'.., resulting in arrests and confinement in many separate locations rendering the resistance neutered. Call it divide and conquer. I don't see 'the 48 percenters' capable of conducting a violent crusade. A massive movement.., shutdown.., refusal to co-operate, etc.., is possible though. Drowning out MSN being part of it. It's got to be solid - no tea-party. The night-time may be the right-time.
In 2016 we worked with people like the current head of the California Sierra Club, volunteers for Willie Velasquez's (non-partisan, enough for Rick Perry to declare May 9th "тАЬWillie Vel├бsquez DayтАЭ in Texas), Southwest Voter Registration and Education Project, and former ACORN community help organizations. Most I knew were obviously inclined to follow Martin Luther King Jr's non-violent principles (and work with members of both parties such as the Republicans who helped pass the Civil Rights and voting acts).
See https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/hispanic-heritage-month-2016/pbs-showcases-willie-vel-squez-latino-voting-rights-hero-n657556
I was determined to leave if they ever accepted any volunteers that advocated fighting as dirty as a Republican fundraiser asked some of us to, "Fight dirtier than Democrats." I left the party because of that request. I sat back and just watched the first time a young couple came in to volunteer suggesting we should fight fire with fire. The leaders listened until they finished then told them we didn't accept any who would use such tactics (don't become the monsters you are fighting, in effect). They did stay and seemed willing to stick to our principles.
The former ACORN volunteers seemed particularly good at spotting provocateurs after their organization was split up by the likes of James O'Keefe. Many continued the good fight in splinter groups even more dedicated and focused after O'Keefe's treachery.
We are more dedicated than ever to the high road, ourselves, if for no other reason than any stooping to their level is massively counter-productive to winning public support.
I am very sorry for your losses. While we moved to Sacramento 10 years ago to be closer to our growing grandchildren, I spent the entirety of my life before that in SoCal, first as a child adjacent to the Palisades, then as an adult raising our family adjacent to Altadena. We are gutted by all of the losses, all of the suffering. These communities have lost so much. Our oldest friends lost their family home, and every day either we, or our children, hear of someone else we know, or know of, who have suffered same. It is so exhausting, and now with the regime change about to take place, not sure where I will find the energy to get through the next four years.
I am borrowing a quote by Ram Dass: Whether tomorrow brings the apocalypse or not, our work is the same: Love one another and alleviate suffering for all. This helps me so much. I hope it helps you, too. There are many examples of support and selflessness during the fires while our so-called leaders-to-be throw foul-mouthed invectives. This is a battle of love vs. hatred.
What the world needs now...
Always has.
Last night's 60 Minutes from Altadena and Pacific Palisades was just heart breaking. I thought of every little square viewed from above as unit of sorrow, each family bearing its burden of loss. We simply must find ways to support these Americans, even as the president-elect casts derision on elected California officials. Just as those poor people in North Carolina lost their communities to flooding and, later political plundering, we must make sure their voices are heard and their needs addressed.
What is hard is that those who need our love and support value it less than their community of hatred.
I would like to see so much emphasis by our government (present administration!!) to provide unprecedented (expenditure$$, manpower, equipment, resources) to assist these two recent natural disasters that it eclipses the inauguration. These people need much more than "community cohesiveness". This is an American disaster in the making.
Compare Clinton's competent , dedicated and fully supported FEMA director James Lee Witt's clean up of the Hurricane Andrew mess after August of Bush 41's administration and early Clinton administration, then the Republican trashing the reforms at FEMA back to the "Turkey Farm" model as Senator Fritz Hollings called it, in the Bush 43 years. The incompetence and lack of support showed how disastrous that could be in the Hurricane Katrina "response."
Thank God Altadena and the Palisades areas are receiving the Democratic version of FEMA aid (which also responded to all disasters in Red states with the best they had, no political games in infrastructure improvements and disaster response).
See https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/storm/interviews/witt.html
Who would Trump voters or supporters want taking care of their infrastructure and emergency relief?
There was a photo that broke through my protected approach to all the horror and moved me to understand the power and strength of the people who are suffering but not ever giving up. It was one of the photos of the evacuation of a care home for the elderly. The evacuation order only gave them minutes to get everyone out so they came up with a plan to move everyone to a parking lot a block away where others were organizing transport to get them to safety. It was all being done on a wing and a prayer, trusting that the transportation would be there when they reached the parking lot.
The photo was of a very old woman hunched in a wheeled chair, gripping the arms of the chair and hanging on for dear life.The wheels were the small ones put on a rattan patio chair so you can move it around your deck... not an actual wheel chair. Pushing the chair was another woman, not young, gripping the back of the chair, leaning into the push to add every ounce of her strength. Behind them was an advancing wall of flame and smoke and death.... but they were not deterred. They were grim but they were moving. They were going to get to that parking lot. The elderly woman would be whisked away to safety. The other woman would wheel that chair back and get another resident who needed to take that ride. The strength, the determination, the courage were all there and they were inspiring, fighting through the fire, the smoke and the heat, saving lives. It was the worst of times. It was the best of humanity.
What an image.
I was concerned about the MonteCedro Retirement Community a block away from the Eliot school where I used to attend Pasadena IBM User Group (PIBMUG) evening meetings. It seems to have been evacuated the 1st day but eventually almost completely surrounded by fire and partially burnt down by midnight last night.
I suspect the picture you saw might have been evacuation from The Terraces at Park Marino, less than a mile and a half from where I worked in the Hastings Ranch portion of Pasadena and about a half mile from the Pasadena High School and Victory Park area where the Rose Parade Floats park before the Floatfest is expanded to be displayed along East Washington Blvd and Sierra Madre Blvd for a day or two. Since a number of our employees were volunteers, they would take guests to see the Floats parked there later in the day of the parade. Seeing the Floats after the parade was easier than trying to get a good spot to watch it, especially when the engineers could describe the features of the floats that could shrink them to fit under the freeway overpass and other ways of adding motion of features.
Memories like that make me think about why so much of the public isn't as concerned about global warming as I am. It seems too personal to me and other people who think about how such areas are immune to climate change (at least before the catastrophes). I've traveled much of the areas devastated by these particular fires so, to me, these are at least a hint of large urban areas usually only destroyed in wars in other countries.
It feels inexcusable to not have tried to prevent as much of it as possible, at least somewhat like we did during WWII with blackouts and Civil Defense preparations. We were somewhat prepared but spared the worst of the needs compared to so much of the rest of the world where the fighting and bombings created such greater need.
Better to be prepared relative to the real risks and not need it than to not be prepared. Better to do the real work of lowering the risk by ding the greater attention to rational long term climate warming prevention than too late attempts at adaptation.
Does it have to happen in their neighborhoods to make it real to them (way too late)?
Yes it is! And to borrow from Wonder Woman, тАЬOnly love can truly save the world.тАЭ
Thank you for sharing the wisdom of Ram Dass.
ThatтАЩs a good one. Quite consistent withJesusтАЩs teaching too.
A good number of years ago when my own daughter was in elementary school, I had a part time job in a bank branch. Another of us had a very young child who was diagnosed with cancer. A customer was tacky enough to ask my colleague how she was able to cope. She managed to say, тАЬOne day at a time, one hour at a time, sometimes one minute at a timeтАЭ while the rest of us sat in stunned silence. We are in that situation now, and will get through in the same way: one day, one hour, one minute. We can also take heart that with Letters like this, a bright light shines on the tactics being used to disenfranchise voters as NC is trying to do, information that was not so available 200 years ago. I am convinced that Washington, where I live, has one of the best, if not *the* best election system in the country, implemented by a Republican Secretary of State, Kim Wyman тАжwho now has a job in election security in the Biden administration (can you even imagine P-E Trump, CF, having such an office?). We started with ballot drop boxes, though not that many at first. Every year more were added. We could mail ballots via USPS for the cost of a stamp, but that wasnтАЩt quite so easy for many voters. Every year more drop boxes were added; a few years ago the King County Executive announced that the county would make its ballots postage-paid. That way, people who didnтАЩt have a drop box near them - yet - would have an easier time voting. More conservative counties erupted that it was unfair to them; the Governor, a Democrat, agreed and said that the state would make ALL ballots postage paid. Our processing systems are secure, unconnected to the internet. Secretary Wyman also wanted to register automatically all young residents on their 18th birthday. So: we can do this: we can emulate Mrs. Pence, we can buoy our spirits with the Full Frontal episode titled тАЬTrump in ScotlandтАЭ, and think of new and creative ways to mock him. As the farmer said, тАЬHeтАЩll crack up.тАЭ Join the League of Women Voters, any group that can create links with other statesтАж
I miss mutual greetings from election workers, and the polling place, but mail-in voting works and leaves a physical paper trail. Wyman is one of the very few Republicans I ever voted for.
I mentioned it before, but I find much to admire in books by Edith Eger.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Eger
J L, thanks for the link to Edith Eger's story. She has an indomitable spirit.
Indeed, this was one of the best changes in our political processes that we have made here in Washington State. Now if only we could rewrite our constitution and make it a legal framework instead of the disastrous list of elevated and amended laws that it is; or maybe we could straighten out our state's horrible tax system which has to be one of the most regressive in the country. And oh, the ferry system is short five much needed boats, and way understaffed. Oh well - one battle at a time. We are making progress slowly but surely. And yeah, I have to confess that I broke my usual rule of not voting for any R's and consistently voted for Kim. She did a fantastic job.
It's all harrowing and disgusting that honor, truth mean so little. It's hard to accept.
So deeply sorry for the losses in Southern California, and your town in particular. What a horrid tragedy. I can only imagine how overwhelmed you are with the chaos in the country, let alone suffering through the fires' losses. Concentrate on what little you can control right now and know that the majority of us across our country are with you in spirit.
Lauren, itтАЩs no wonder you feel the way you do. You are witnessing and living in trauma. You rightly feel grief and loss. Give yourself time to process all of this. Seek out supportive friends, and be kind to yourself. We will be here when youтАЩre ready to re-join the fight.
Beyhan, you are a wise and generous soul.
- Pulled Quote -
''...when a Republican candidate calls for throwing out the votes of 60,000 voters to declare victory in an election he lost, they have abandoned the principles of democracy in favor of a one-party state that will operate in their favor alone...''
No comment today.
My stomach hurts, too. From this letter, sadly. And from a friend's son in Altadena who told his mom across the country, "Don't worry. The fire is 35 miles away." Then, within the hour, they escaped with only the clothes on their backs and their lives. Everything turned to ash. Your sorrows are my sorrows.
I am sorry for your family's loss in California. While I can understand nature's flames of destruction, I am at a loss in understanding Maga's desire to burn down our democracy. Sadness overwhelms me.
My fellow SoCal heart goes out to you, Lauren. Stay strong!
Lauren, I almost hate to say I тАЬlikeтАЭ your post. Please take the heart тЭдя╕П as a hug, to you and your neighbors. DonтАЩt worry about our foolishness here in NC. We stand with you and there are people in our state who stand ready to help our friends in Cali.
Prayer your way via FedEx, Lauren. Let us all hang tough together; the madness will burn out, if we remain vigilant.
LAUREN & All SoCal: All Evacuation orders and/or "Red Flag Warnings" have been rescinded as of late Sunday night.
LA winds as of 3 AM Monday: 3 mph NNE. Double check from your trusted official source.
I taught in Altadena and to see the devastation is life-rattling as it truly is for so many friends and colleagues; I keep wondering how my former students are fairing. And I, too, had that gut punch feeling after reading this letter. To see how quickly the fires have been blamed on everyone and everything except science and geography is sickening. Indeed, exhausted in SoCal.
I am so sorry for the devastation in LA - parts appear to have been vaporized. Words can't express how tragic it is or how my heart aches for you all. Our son was born in LA and, while we haven't lived there for many, many years, I still feel that connection.
My heart goes out to you, your mom, the school, and the thousands who lost their communities.