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The Case Against Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
and Communitarian Homeland Security

by Niki Raapana and Nordica Friedrich, September 9, 2005, Updated October 8, 2005 at 6:42 am

FEMA was created by Executive Order 11051 PRESCRIBING RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE OFFICE OF EMERGENCY PLANNING IN THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT (JFK-1962), full copy of the order online at disastercenter.com.

"One medical assessment team — veterans of 31 disasters — can treat hundreds of patients a day, but for 11 days, it’s been repeatedly redirected by FEMA from Alabama to Biloxi to Dallas to Galveston. So far, they’ve treated one small cut." Relief chaos in Katrina's wake-Indecision prevented aid from reaching those who needed it most By Lisa Myers & the NBC Investigative Unit, Updated: 7:46 p.m. ET Sept. 8, 2005.

"WASHINGTON - Former FEMA director Michael Brown aggressively defended his role in responding to Hurricane Katrina on Tuesday and blamed most coordination failures on Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin." Ex-FEMA chief slams 'dysfunctional' Louisiana Associated Press, Sept. 27, 2005.

From Metroblogging New Orleans on Oct 7, 2005:

I was informed this morning that I do not qualify for FEMA help because my house didn't suffer appreciable damage from Hurricane Katrina. Since my business was inundated in Mid-City, I may qualify for one or more SBA loans. But, being a new business, more debt is the last thing it needs, regardless of how low the interest rate might be. And, though we have a good place to stay until we can go back, I will not be reimbursed for any of the gasoline, food and other expenses we have incurred in nearly six weeks on the road. FEMA says I can submit copies of my hotel bills (totaling $150), but that will be all they will cover.

I called Sen. Mary Landrieu's office this morning and was told there is little they can do so far to move the FEMA bureaucracy off dead-center. I was additionally told FEMA is moving away from the $2K emergency assistance grants (which we have not seen) into what amount to vouchers to pay for housing assistance, which we do not need. In the words of the sympathetic guy on othe phone, "I wish I could tell you your situation was unique, but I've heard it over and over. There are hundreds or thousands in your same situation."

In other words, lots of us are being penalized for being honest, for being self-employed, for trying to play within the rules and for generally trying to get our lives back in order in as self-sufficient a manner as possible. We're sorry we're not dirt poor. We're sorry we're not filthy rich. We're sorry for just trying to keep our heads low and be gracious and patient. We're sorry we're not trying to work the system. We don't know how because we've never been here before. Dumb damn us.

Believe me -- this is not a plea for sympathy. But it IS a confirmation that we've been lied to, manipulated, misled and otherwise bamboozled. This is the type of thing revolutions are made of. And I, for one, will be among the first to scale the wall.

Posted by Craig Giesecke at 09:09 AM | Comments (14)
Permalink | Send to a Friend | Author's Website | Technorati Cosmos

"CHRIS MATTHEWS: Eighty percent of the $1.5 billion that's been let out in contracts for recovery efforts down in the Gulf has gone to no-bid contracts." Debating FEMA's no-bid contracts Congressmen King and Thompson play Hardball with MSNBC's Matthews MSNBC, Updated: 10:28 a.m. ET Sept. 27, 2005.

"Top officials of the Federal Emergency Management Agency have strong political connections to President Bush, but they also share at least one other trait: They had little or no experience in disaster management before landing in top FEMA posts." Top FEMA leaders short on experience By Andrew Zajac and Andrew Martin Washington Bureau Chicago Tribune, Wed Sep 7, 9:40 AM ET.

"2008 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said Tuesday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was better organized to deal with disasters like Hurricane Katrina while her husband was president - an approach, she said, that was "rejected" by President Bush."Hillary Clinton: Bush Ruined Bill's FEMA Newsmax.com September 6, 2005. [Hilary has not announced her bid for 2008, but you'd never guess from this statement, and she is assuredly being groomed for her grand historical entrance into U.S.-U.K. Imperial history as the first woman president. That she is a communitarian too will never be an "issue" because so is Bush. God save the constitution, not the queen. ~Ed.]

"The environment journalists are working in has shifted from one of a post-storm rescue and recovery to one that's more akin to urban warfare." Photojournalists Covering Katrina Fall Victim To Growing Violence, Chaos National Press Photographer's Association, updated September 8, 2005.

Foundations are in place for martial law in the US By Ritt Goldstein, July 27 2002, Sidney Morning Herald. "From 1982-84 Colonel Oliver North assisted FEMA in drafting its civil defence preparations. Details of these plans emerged during the 1987 Iran-Contra scandal./ They included executive orders providing for suspension of the constitution, the imposition of martial law, internment camps, and the turning over of government to the president and FEMA./ A Miami Herald article on July 5, 1987, reported that the former FEMA director Louis Guiffrida's deputy, John Brinkerhoff, handled the martial law portion of the planning. The plan was said to be similar to one Mr Giuffrida had developed earlier to combat "a national uprising by black militants". It provided for the detention "of at least 21million American Negroes"' in "assembly centres or relocation camps"./ Today Mr Brinkerhoff is with the highly influential Anser Institute for Homeland Security. Following a request by the Pentagon in January that the US military be allowed the option of deploying troops on American streets, the institute in February published a paper by Mr Brinkerhoff arguing the legality of this."

Recent News

NASA transfers space station control to Russia- Agency’s Houston center evacuated as Hurricane Rita approaches MSNBC staff and news service reports Updated: 12:52 p.m. ET Sept. 22, 2005. [Russia? ~ed.]
Staying? Better write your SS# on your body... From one mayor, a sobering message in attempt to get die-hards to leave. By Ron Blome, Correspondent, NBC News Updated: 2:19 p.m. ET Sept. 22, 2005.

The "Black Curtain" around FEMA's Operations by Kurt Nimmo, September 11, 2005, kurtnimmo.com.

Create your own digital medical record- How to make sure your vital information isn't lost By Michael Rogers, Columnist, Special to MSNBC Updated: 3:46 p.m. ET Sept. 21, 2005. "The ultimate solution may be that provided by a service called VeriMed. As do the other providers, VeriMed stores your PHR online — but then also provides a tiny chip that is implanted, usually under the skin of your upper arm, containing a unique 16 digit number."

Authorities hunt for criminals among survivors Background checks yield rap sheets; some say checks have racial element. Associated Press, Updated: 5:23 p.m. ET Sept. 22, 2005. "State police did criminal background checks on every evacuee and found that more than half had a criminal arrest record — a third for felonies. Murph was the only one with an outstanding arrest warrant, for larceny and other crimes."

"It’s a balancing act," said Kyle Smith, deputy director of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. "We don’t want to treat them like criminals after they have been traumatized, but we want to make sure they are in no danger nor the families they are housed with." ["Balancing" is a communitarian tactic that justifies unconstitutional acts by new government agencies. ~ed.]

Yesterday's News: The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of New Hampshire September 19, 2005 in a White House Press Release:

Statement on Federal Assistance for New Hampshire

The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of New Hampshire and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts to assist evacuees from the area struck by Hurricane Katrina and to provide emergency assistance to those areas beginning on August 29, 2005, and continuing.

The President's action makes Federal funding available to the State and all 10 counties of the State of New Hampshire.

Specifically, assistance is available to State and eligible local governments for emergency protective measures that are undertaken to save lives and protect public health and safety. Emergency protective measures, including direct Federal assistance, will be provided at 100 percent Federal funding.

Representing FEMA, R. David Paulison, Acting Under Secretary for Emergency Preparedness and Response, Department of Homeland Security, named Kenneth L. Horak as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: FEMA (202) 646-4600.

Tuesday the 20th- My already hyper neighbor just told me she saw the "general" on the news who told Bush and FEMA to "f**k off" on national television. She thought it was great that a general has taken over the forced evacuation of New Orleans, even though she also thinks it's possible the storms are man-made [insert insane laughter here like on a Saturday morning cartoon, or the Avengers. Oh no--it's The Penguin! "who ya gonna call?" Not 911...] She's all hyped up with anticipation for what's coming. She says troops are picking people up and carrying them off to waiting buses. Can't find anything online yet. First time I've wished I had a TV in my house in many years, even though watching this go down on TV won't make a difference in the suffering to come. We just spent all night studying the pedophocracy. Ever heard of that?

The exquisite authors of 9-11 has shown the face of the New World Order also explain the pedophocracy.

Gee, what a suprise. The good people of the City of New Orleans don't agree that the same government officials who stopped aid to them and made sure their neighbors died and drowned should be the same ones who keep them "safe." It looks like a few more Americans understand the Communitarian meaning of the word "safe." It's also increasingly apparent that New Orleans residents are learning a lot about what "rebuilding" really means to this new federalized-UN government.

"Bars, restaurants and shops had just begun showing signs of life when the mayor once again ordered everyone to leave town as a new tropical storm headed toward the Gulf of Mexico, bringing the threat of more flooding... Mayor Ray Nagin did not offer any specifics about how he plans to enforce the renewed evacuation order, and some business owners who started selling cleaning supplies and serving po' boys wanted to stay put." New Orleans Suspends Reopening of City By MICHAEL RUBINKAM, AP September 20, 2005:

"New Orleans will have to be abandoned for at least nine months, and many of its people will remain homeless for up to two years, the US government believes." New Orleans a 'ghost town' for 9 months By Geoffrey Lean and Andrew Gumbel, Independent 04 September 2005.

THE US GOVERNMENT DID NOT FAIL ITS MISSION IN THE WAKE OF HURRICANE KATRINA by G. Edward Griffin, 2005 September 19: "The primary job of the military, FEMA, and Homeland Security is not to protect the American people in times of emergency but to protect the government in times of emergency and keep it functioning. Their primary assignment is, not to rescue people, but to control them. Their directive is to relocate families and businesses, confiscate property, commandeer goods, direct labor and services, and establish martial law. The reason FEMA and Homeland security failed to carry out an effective rescue operation is that this was not their primary mission, and the reason they blocked others from doing so is that any operations not controlled by the central authority are contrary to their directives. Their objective was to bring the entire area under the control of the federal government - and this they succeeded in doing very well. They did not fail in New Orleans. They were a huge success. Once this simple fact is understood, everything that happened in the wake of Katrina becomes understandable and logical."

"Mayor Ray Nagin suspends his ambitious plan to reopen parts of New Orleans. He said he was concerned about the threat from Tropical Storm Rita, now moving west toward the Gulf of Mexico. The mayor was also under pressure from federal officials, including President Bush, who say the city is still unsafe." New Orleans Mayor Halts Evacuees' Return to City by Robert Smith, NPR All Things Considered, September 19, 2005.

"No one will be able to be armed. We are going to take all the weapons." Deputy Police Chief Warren Riley. The militarization of New Orleans is proceeding as planned. The mainstream media confirms the presence of U.S. 82nd Airborne troops, Mexican Navy, Canadian Navy, private-corporate former special forces and intelligence mercenaries. 10,000 National Guardsmen have left, leaving New Orleans with about 62,000 "other" troops patrolling the streets. Mayor Nagin wants to reopen the city to residents against the wishes of military and federal advisers. Clash over when to return to New Orleans-Federal official questions mayor's plan to let residents back in this week: "Many residents lined up at military checkpoints around the city on Saturday to get a first look at their ravaged homes after the mayor and city officials laid out plans to let them return." (We have been unable to locate one picture of the new military checkpoints in New Orleans. One added above on 9-20.) New Orleans City Re-Entry Info.

"After combing through Louisiana law, we cannot find any authority for gun confiscation from law-abiding citizens by state officials including the declaration of martial law necessitated by a natural disaster. This utter disregard for state and federal law by state or federal officials acting on their behalf cannot be tolerated." Gun Confiscation In New Orleans at gunowners.org.

"Unfortunately, our sinking feeling (along with the sinking City) was correct. Just as dusk set in, a Gretna Sheriff showed up, jumped out of his patrol vehicle, aimed his gun at our faces, screaming, "Get off the fucking freeway". A helicopter arrived and used the wind from its blades to blow away our flimsy structures. As we retreated, the sheriff loaded up his truck with our food and water." A forwarded copy of paramedics blog that no longer exists re-posted at http://daniellasmisadventures.com/ (Bradshaw and Slonsky are paramedics from California that were attending the EMS conference in New Orleans. Larry Bradsahw is the chief shop steward, Paramedic Chapter, SEIU Local 790; and Lorrie Beth Slonsky is steward, Paramedic Chapter, SEIU Local 790.[California])

"Telling a lie is easy. Maintaining a lie is almost impossible. Slowly, sometimes abruptly, truth emerges and the lie is exposed. Through the Office of Domestic Preparedness headed by Dick Cheney FEMA had scheduled an emergency preparedness exercise for September 12, 2001. Therefore FEMA had personnel and equipment in place for 9-11. This "fortunate" coincidence was covered up by FEMA. The cover-up is evidence for a knowledge of guilt which thereby reveals the intent of the exercise and Cheney's plans. The plans were hinted at in a publication of Project for a New American Century that stated that only a disaster on a par with Pearl Harbor would suffice to drive their project to fruition. This FEMA exercise named Operation TriPOD was one of several planned for September 11 and reveals a growing pattern that cannot be simple coincidence."Ethel's blog.

"Hundreds of mercenaries have descended on New Orleans to guard the property of the city's millionaires from looters./ The heavily armed men, employed by private military companies including Blackwater and ISI, are part of the militarisation of a city which had a reputation for being one of the most relaxed and easy-going in America." Mercenaries guard homes of the rich in New Orleans Jamie Wilson in New Orleans, Monday September 12, 2005, The Guardian. What's ISI? The Role of Pakistan's Military Intelligence (ISI) in the September 11 Attacks by Michel Chossudovsky, Professor of Economics, University of Ottawa.

"Blackwater swooped into New Orleans shortly after Hurricane Katrina struck, first offering use of a helicopter to rescue stranded residents, said William Mathews, the executive vice president of the Moyock, N.C.-based firm. Now the security company has a $400,000 contract from the Office of Homeland Security to protect federal buildings, he said." Firms head for New Orleans to profit from cleanup, restoration BY LOLLY BOWEAN AND DEBORAH HORAN, Chicago Tribune September 18, 2005. "Blackwater employs only the most highly motivated and professional operators, all drawn from various U.S. and international Special Operations Forces, Intelligence and Law Enforcement organizations." About Blackwater is a short five paragraph synopsis of what Blackwater is. They use the phrase "to support freedom and democracy everywhere" three times, (as if repeating it will give this meaningless propaganda more substance?)

Here's the direct link to FEMA assistance:
FEMA: The Disaster Assistance Process for Individuals

Communitarians are "rebuilding" the world. The world is made up of "communities" now. The United States no longer exists. Homeland Security is a Communitarian invention. It includes all law enforcement officers, all U.S. military and even the Mexican and Canadian Navies. Global Communitarians advocate for a powerful, central government that will rule America via local communitarian thinkers and subserviant community "leaders." The only nation in the history of the world where the people were the law is dead.

"A communitarian ethic increasingly governs health care in the U.S. It places a greater value on the health of the community, on society as a whole, than on the health of particular individuals. Public health officials have put together a vaccination schedule designed to eliminate infectious diseases to which the population is prey./ Officials recognize that these vaccines will harm a small percentage of (genetically susceptible) individuals, but it is for the common good. The communitarian code posits that it is morally acceptable, if necessary, to sacrifice a few for the good of the many. Or as one observer more bluntly puts it, "Individual sheep can be sheared and slaughtered if it is for the welfare of their flock." This information is provided by Mercola.com, the world's most visited and trusted natural health website.

Business owners re-enter New Orleans AP 9-17-05: "Security will be tight in the reopened neighborhoods, with Nagin and others vowing never again to let New Orleans slip into the lawlessness that gripped the city in the days after the storm. This week, he warned potential looters that soldiers carry M-16 rifles "and they might have a few bazookas we're saving for special people."

There's a new "law" in town; the old law only exists in the memories of some silly American conspiracy theorists. The Internationalists have brought us their modern Hegelian version of a Supra-national order (this isn't the New World Order anymore... now it's a supra-national global order). It's a new dawn for America, and we all need to adjust to the many changes that are sure to come. The global government is building a safer world while "wiping out" poverty and injustice. As with all things Hegelian, sometimes the policies and procedures don't make a lot of sense. The key is remebering that it's the END result that matters most (ends justify the means), and sometimes a few people have to be sacrificed to keep the world safe. Sorry, but individual rights and constitutional law are barriers to global peace and justice. Soldiers are peacekeepers now... and our troops train and work with advisers from all over the world.

"That land was just too valuable to have poor people on it," said community leader Isaac Thomas. FEMA's city of anxiety in Florida Many Hurricane Charley victims still unsure of next step, By Marc Kaufman, Sept. 17, 2005. "Young people regularly call FEMA City a prison."

Critics Fear Trailer 'Ghettos' Right, Left Target FEMA Initiative By Jonathan Weisman, Washington Post Staff Writer, Friday, September 16, 2005

Bush: Rebuilding Must Address Inequality By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer, September 16, 2005:

"WASHINGTON - President Bush said Friday the Gulf Coast must be rebuilt with an eye toward wiping out the persistent poverty and racial injustice plain to all in the suffering of the black and the poor in Hurricane Katrina's wake. "As we clear away the debris of a hurricane, let us also clear away the legacy of inequality," Bush said during a national prayer service with other political leaders and religious figures from the affected region at the National Cathedral.

"Disaster planning must be a "national security priority," he said, while ordering the Homeland Security Department to undertake an immediate review of emergency plans in every major American city and asking all Cabinet secretaries to join in a comprehensive review of the faulty response. He said the disaster revealed the need for greater federal authority and a broader role for the armed forces." [Emphasis added]

This is exactly what we knew Bush would do with this whole fiasco. Now every major American city can look forward to a HS-FEMA fiasco of even bigger proportions? The lesson learned, Mr. President, is that federal authority is best left to its assigned position in the chain of command, as was determined by the original agreement between the states in 1789. This disaster more than revealed that the new central USSR styled Office of Homeland Security can never compete with accountable, knowledgeable and wise AMERICAN locals who think on their feet. And how much of a broader role for the armed forces in our nation's cities were you thinking of? As big a role as the armed citizens played in defending their homes and businesses? And does that broader role include the use of foreign troops?

Official website for FEMA
(See also Freedom-The Cold Hard Facts by Nancy Levant.)
Department of Homeland Security

Homeland Security actually means merging the U.S. with the British Empire and Mexico, minus our constitution.

Here's Bush shaking hands with a Mexican marine, but the AP only explains that the Mexican Navy is assisting." In this image provided by the U.S. Navy, President Bush shakes hands with a marine from the Federal Republic of Mexico, Monday, Sept. 12, 2005, in Biloxi, Miss. The Mexican Navy is assisting the U.S. Navy in providing humanitarian assistance to victims of Hurricane Katrina." (AP Photo/ U.S. Navy, Thomas Coffelt). These are foreign troops on U.S. soil. What is wrong with this picture?

Are we building a North American Community? "Sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations in association with the Canadian Council of Chief Executives and the Consejo Mexicano de Asuntos Internacionales./ North America is vulnerable on several fronts: the region faces terrorist and criminal security threats, increased economic competition from abroad, and uneven economic development at home. In response to these challenges, a trinational, Independent Task Force on the Future of North America has developed a roadmap to promote North American security and advance the well-being of citizens of all three countries./ When the leaders of Canada, Mexico, and the United States met in Texas recently they underscored the deep ties and shared principles of the three countries. The Council-sponsored Task Force applauds the announced "Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America," but proposes a more ambitious vision of a new community by 2010 and specific recommendations on how to achieve it." How ambitious is this "vision?" Deep ties and shared principles? Who wrote this crap?Ah yes, the CFR. Okay.

What part of the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution allows for this new "vision" for North America? We already know that gone are the days when strong local leaders can arise and take charge. Today the people "in charge" of the U.S. need the Canadian and Mexican Navy to clean up after our disasters. (pictures on left and right). It's obvious these foreign soldiers are "helping" and we think that's very nice of them.

But as Americans we have to ask: what other kinds of help can they be asked to give the federal government? For instance, do these foreign soldiers have ANY power what-so-ever over our private citizens who were illegally disarmed? Are they under orders, if so, whose? Who is in command of these troops? Why didn't they come as civilian volunteers? What is the real definition of humanitarian aid? Isn't that a Third world country term? (See: Humanitarian aid: introduction by the EU.) Is this what Bush's communitarian agreement with Canada and Mexico produced for America? How exactly does a nation of free people protected by national constitutional law merge with the British Empire (Canada) and Mexico, two foreign countries with very different legal systems? More importantly, were our free people ever asked to give their consent for such a RADICAL change to their nation?

Obviously, high-level Communitarians don't know how to handle local emergencies by using familiar local neighbors or willing American volunteers as resources. Today, because we are now a Communitarian sub-nation of subordinates, our people are required to wait for directions from incompetent federal appointees. The ultimate result of this transition will be when our best local people are required to wait for directions from incompetent supra-national U.N. appointees.

And this morgue stuff is just so sickening it shouldn't be real... but it is.

Company Hired to Handle Katrina's Dead Has Tainted History at WAFB, Louisiana's News Channel, Sep 15, 2005. More here: FEMA, La. outsource Katrina body count to firm implicated in body-dumping scandals by Miriam Raftery at rawstory.com.

Average Americans discussing Katrina, Haliburton contracts and conspiracy theorists at The Conversation Cafe. It's so weird to read Americans defending corporate-govt. nepotism, no-bid contracts and shady business practices while accusing thoughful people of being conspiracy theorists just for citing alternative news sources.

Shelter evacuees are being interviewed for jobs and filling out Red Cross and related government paperwork, some of which is designed by the IRS. Some shelter evacuees got special "new" ID cards. Why are some people still living in giant drafty sports arenas or left dragging their new belongings around with their sleeping cots? Are these the poorest of the poor, or what? We can't figure it out and so far we can find nothing that addresses it specifically. We'll keep looking because we need to know. What were/are the determining factors for getting into a liitle better situation than sleeping with a bunch of people on an indoor football field? Are these the folks who didn't have cars? What about the ones remaining in New Orleans (the "holdouts" as the media calls them)? The ACL is getting quite a few hits now from people searching for information about what kinds of information the feds are gathering.

'People making decisions hesitated'- More officials' jobs may fall to Katrina response criticism CNN, September 13, 2005.

Louisiana Sen. David Vitter, a Republican, said he initially was impressed by how quickly federal authorities mobilized before the storm. But after it hit, nothing happened for days.

"There was absolutely no execution," Vitter told CNN.

"I was very happy with how quickly the president had signed his first emergency order," he said. "The FEMA director was on the ground before the storm. FEMA teams were on the ground. But then Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, absolutely no execution. I don't know what they were doing."

"Then there's perhaps the most alarming question of all: Is the Department of Homeland Security too big a bureaucracy to be effective in its mission?"

"As of Saturday, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Virginia, which is tracking the whereabouts of the youngest victims of the storm, had received reports of 1,831 missing kids from Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Of those, 360 cases had been resolved, the center says, either by reuniting families or locating the children. The fate of the rest was still unclear." Some Are Found, All Are Lost Newsweek September 19, 2005 at MSNBC.com.

U.S. Code Title 18 § 241. Conspiracy against rights, Release date: 2005-08-03

If two or more persons conspire to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or because of his having so exercised the same; or.... http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sec_18_00000241----000-.html

"every engineer i have spoken with believes that most of the city will have to be plowed into fields and that rebuilding what is left will take decades. it will NEVER be the same. never. ever." On the Front Lines, a letter from Hemant H. Vankawala, M.D., September 10, 2005.

9-12-05 update: FEMA Director Michael Brown resigns- Chief steps down following removal from role in New Orleans aid effort AP on MSNBC.com.

New Homeland Security Secretary Highlights Risk Management March 16, 2005, By Greg Licamele: Michael Chertoff, the newly christened secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, discussed risk management and its relevance to the future of his department in an address today sponsored by GW’s Homeland Security Policy Institute in the Media and Public Affairs Building.

(George Washington University is also home to another communitarian Israeli-U.S. program called Institute for Communitarian Policy Studies. Notice Chertoff wasn't just appointed secretary, he was "christened.")

"Risk management is fundamental to managing the threat, while retaining our quality of life and living in freedom," Chertoff said. "Risk management must guide our decision making as we examine how we can best organize to prevent, respond, and recover from an attack. For that reason, the Department of Homeland Security is working with state, local, and private sector partners on a national preparedness plan to target resources where the risk is greatest."

Over the next 60 to 90 days, Chertoff will examine the department in order to drive its structure and operations based on this threat, vulnerability, and consequence matrix instead of old turf battles and tradition. Chertoff also called upon the private sector to expand its partnerships in meeting homeland security needs by bearing a part of the security burden and becoming part of the solution. To read Chertoff’s prepared remarks, visit http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/display?content=4391

Some background on Chertoff from Americans:

CHERTOFF CREATED TERROR PRETEXTS FOR US POLICE STATE by Patrick Briley, February 21, 2005 at NewsWithViews.com.

"Smarts and passion are in Chertoff's blood. A rabbi's son, he was born in blue-collar Elizabeth, N.J. Worshipers from Elizabeth's former Congregation Bnai Israel remember Chertoff's father, Gershon Chertoff, as a man with a vast collection of books and a keen interest in current events. Michael's grandfather Paul Chertoff, also a rabbi, was a professor of the Talmud, the collected writings that constitute Jewish civil and religious law." A New Sheriff in Town U.S. News and World Report on 7-18-05. (For more information on Talmudic Law go to ACL: Talmudic Law.)

Chertoff Okays Torture at globalresearch.ca.myforums.net

Michael Chertoff, Homeland Nominee Aided a 911 Terrorist August 13, 2005 at the Military Family Network Community Connections.

Here's a few examples of FEMA-HS "coordinated" efforts:

WASHINGTON D.C. -- Michael D. Brown, Under Secretary of Homeland Security for Emergency Preparedness and Response and head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), today urged all fire and emergency services departments not to respond to counties and states affected by Hurricane Katrina without being requested and lawfully dispatched by state and local authorities under mutual aid agreements and the Emergency Management Assistance Compact. "The response to Hurricane Katrina must be well coordinated between federal, state and local officials to most effectively protect life and property," Brown said. "We appreciate the willingness and generosity of our Nation's first responders to deploy during disasters. But such efforts must be coordinated so that fire-rescue efforts are the most effective possible." http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18470 August 29, 2005.

"A group of approximately 1,000 citizens pulling 500 boats left the Acadiana Mall in Lafayette this morning (Weds.) and headed to New Orleans with a police escort from the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Department. The "flotillia" of trucks pulling boats stretched over five miles. This citizen rescue group was organized by La. State Senator, Gautreaux from Vermilion Parish. The group was comprised of experienced boaters, licensed fishermen and hunters, people who have spent their entire adult life and teenage years on the waterways of Louisiana./ The State Police waved the flotillia of trucks/boats through the barricades in LaPlace and we sped into New Orleans via I-10 until past the airport and near the Clearview exit. At that time we were stopped by agents of the La. Dept. of Wildlife & Fisheries. A young DWF agent strolled through the boats and told approximately half of the citizens that their boats were "too large" because the water had "dropped during the night" and that they should turn around and go home." LAWYER: WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES DID NOTHING WHILE PEOPLE SUFFERED by Jason Robideaux, an attorney from Lafayette Louisiana at deadpelican.com.

FEMA to stop giving out debit cards Hurricane victims will have to apply for aid through traditional methods AP, September 9, 2005.

"Police fearing deadly confrontations with jittery residents enforced a new order that bars homeowners from owning guns. That order apparently does not apply to the hundreds of M-16-toting private security guards hired to protect businesses and wealthy property owners."Signs of much lower New Orleans death toll MSNBC.com, September 9, 2005.

"Local authorities are signatories to the National Response Plan. Some of them are well seasoned politicians who know the truth about the structure of government in this country. Others such as the Mayor are still discovering the system they have become part of. In all cases, they either knew or believed that the National Response Plan. meant both national and response, and they believed the "Plan" would work./ Under the arrangement of Homeland Security and the Patriot acts I and II, no one but the public asking these questions believes that the post Civil War Posse Commitatus Act which prevents the military from entering a state is still relevant. In this setting, everyone believed that a truly National effort was in motion. When they discovered otherwise, they were as shocked as the disaster victims, and confusion set in at the local level./ Nothing moved until the Chief issued the order. Whether or not the President knew it was his turn at the bat, may be arguable, but you can bet that everyone else in the chain of command knew. They don't get into those positions by not following orders. "Implementing the "National Response Plan" by Bobby Garner, September 5, 2005.

No good ideas allowed. FEMA Nixes Grassroots Radio Station for Hurricane Evacuees- Bureaucracy KO's info source at the Astrodome by Sarah Ferguson, September 8th, 2005, Villagevoice.com

"WASHINGTON (AP) - Congress will investigate the "flagrant abuse" of a federal loan program designed to help businesses recover from the Sept. 11 attacks and make sure such problems don't occur with Hurricane Katrina relief, a key Senate Republican announced Friday."Congress to Investigate 9/11 Loan Abuses September 10, 2005, By FRANK BASS and DIRK LAMMERS, Associated Press Writers.

FEMA turns away generators
http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/WWLBLOG.ac3fcea.html


FEMA-Homeland Security Talk

WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 (HalliburtonWatch.org) -- The former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Joseph Allbaugh, now a lobbyist for Halliburton, is in Louisiana helping his clients obtain disaster relief contracts, the Washington Post reported today. But Allbaugh insisted he's not in Louisiana seeking contracts for clients. "I don't do government contracts," he told the Post from Louisiana. Instead, he says he's "just trying to lend my shoulder to the wheel, trying to coordinate some private-sector support that the government always asks for." But that's not the same thing as seeking government contracts for clients, says Allbaugh. Former FEMA head and Halliburton lobbyist visits Louisiana for deals 8 Sept. 2005 at haliburtonwatch.org.
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Chertoff did not allow reporters to ask Brown questions directly and would not respond to the Time magazine report Friday that Brown's official biography overstated his emergency-management experience. FEMA chief relieved of Katrina duties Move follows controversy over Brown's qualifications, agency's response MSNBC.com September 9, 2005.
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The number of US military forces in storm-ravaged Gulf Coast states swelled to more than 50,000 Monday as ground troops and naval vessels continued to stream into Louisiana and Mississippi, military officials said. "I think we're going to be there a relatively long time. I see it in months, and not weeks," said Admiral Timothy Keating, commander of the US Northern Command. Ground forces from active duty units continued to build up over the weekend with the arrival of troops from the 82nd Airborne Division from North Carolina, the 1st Cavalry Division from Texas, and Marines from Marine Expeditionary Forces in California and North Carolina. "Coming about this time tomorrow that force will number about 7,200-7,500 soldiers and marines who will be on the ground assisting the national guard with search and rescue and humanitarian assistance," Keating said. Force In Storm-Hit Areas Exceeds 50,000: Officials by Jim Mannion, Washington (AFP) Sep 05 2005
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The House of Representatives approved the extra funding 410 to 11, with Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wisc., chairman of the Judiciary Committee, among those opposed to the bill. "I voted against the emergency supplemental bill to provide FEMA with $52 billion for Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts because this legislation lacks accountability," Sensenbrenner said. "While the people of New Orleans and other affected areas clearly need help, I am not convinced that this legislation will provide it." He added that the $62 billion Congress has now allocated to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for Katrina averages to approximately $119,000 per person in Louisiana and Mississippi. Some follow, others hide from evacuation order- New Orleans still dealing with holdouts; state has 25,000 body bags ready September 8, 2005, MSNBC.com
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"Bureaucracy has murdered people in the greater New Orleans area," he said on CBS' "Early Show." "Take whatever idiot they have at the top of whatever agency and give me a better idiot. Give me a caring idiot. Give me a sensitive idiot. Just don't give me the same idiot." Jefferson Parish president Aaron Broussard quoted in USA Today September 7, 2005. (Emphasis added. Broussard is also quoted saying on Meet the Press: "Three quick examples. We had Wal-mart deliver three trucks of water. Trailer trucks of water. FEMA turned them back, said we didn't need them. This was a week ago. We had 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel on a coast guard vessel docked in my parish. The coast guard said come get the fuel right away. When we got there with our trucks, they got a word, FEMA says don't give you the fuel. Yesterday, yesterday, FEMA comes in and cuts all our emergency communications lines. They cut them without notice. Our sheriff, Harry Lee, goes back in. he reconnects the line. He posts armed guards said no one is getting near these lines.")

FEMA won't let Red Cross deliver food
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05246/565143.stm

FEMA fails to utilize Navy ship with 600-bed hospital on board
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0509..

FEMA to Chicago: Send just one truck
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-050902dale..

Aaron Broussard, president of Jefferson Parish on Meet the Press: (posted at antiwar.com via Atrios, Wonkette)

"Sir, they were told like me. Every single day. The cavalry is coming. On the federal level. The cavalry is coming. The cavalry is coming. The cavalry is coming. I have just begun to hear the hooves of the cavalry. The cavalry is still not here yet, but I have begun to hear the hooves and were almost a week out.

Three quick examples. We had Wal-mart deliver three trucks of water. Trailer trucks of water. FEMA turned them back, said we didn't need them. This was a week ago. We had 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel on a coast guard vessel docked in my parish. The coast guard said come get the fuel right away. When we got there with our trucks, they got a word, FEMA says don't give you the fuel. Yesterday, yesterday, FEMA comes in and cuts all our emergency communications lines. They cut them without notice. Our sheriff, Harry Lee, goes back in. he reconnects the line. He posts armed guards said no one is getting near these lines. {I LOVE elected American law officers who do their jobs! Right on Harry. ~ed.}

[...] The guy who runs this building I'm in. Emergency management. He's responsible for everything. His mother was trapped in St. Bernard nursing home and every day she called him and said. Are you coming. Son? Is somebody coming? And he said yeah. Mama. Somebody's coming to get you.. Somebody's coming to get you on Tuesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Wednesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Thursday. Somebody's coming to get you on Friday. And she drowned Friday night. And she drowned Friday night. Nobody's coming to get us. Nobody's coming to get us. The Secretary has promised. Everybody's promised. They've had press conferences. I'm sick of the press conferences. For god's sakes, just shut up and send us somebody.
And from the Australian's Washington correspondent, Geoff Elliott, we learn:

"The mishandling of the crisis is evident particularly in the public comments from Michael Brown, the head of the administration's Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Live on CNN late last week he admitted he had only just been told that 20,000 people were waiting to be rescued outside New Orleans's convention centre, which had already featured prominently on the cable networks with harrowing images of refugees screaming for food and water along with footage of corpses and children suffering from extreme dehydration."
Katrina evacuees streaming into south Alabama shelters Mobile Register, September 3, 2005. "Gov. Bob Riley announced Friday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had approved housing evacuees at Fort McClellan, a former military base in Anniston. Contractors have begun repairs to the former military police dormitories, which are expected to accommodate 1,000 people. "Riley wants to find housing for 10,000 evacuees in Alabama. He has said that campsite and cabin space in Alabama's 22 state parks would be made available to evacuees."

Riley is coordinating the entire effort for using state parks through FEMA. Bummer. Governor Riley Offers Rooms and Trailer Spaces at Alabama State Parks to Hurricane Evacuees State Press Release August 31, 2005. He says there's 1500 spaces available and that FEMA "will be able to provide trailers..."

FEMA promised a few other things last week too. Govenor Riley also said in a press release on August 28, 2005 that he had Supplies Ready to Assist Hurricane Victims and ""Selma is serving as FEMA's supply staging area for Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, and we've pre-positioned other supplies at Maxwell Air Force Base," said Governor Riley. "I've spoken with President Bush and Homeland Security Secretary Chertoff, both of whom have assured me they will offer any assistance we may need to recover from this devastating storm." Governor Riley said the state already has 290,000 bags of ice, more than 250,000 gallons of water, 652,000 MREs (meals ready to eat), and 110,000 tarps measuring 20 feet by 25 feet."" Wow. They were that prepared, eh? According to retakingamerica.com , a Christian site in Mobile, Alabama, "the Selma Airport Authority entered into a multi-year lease with FEMA for storage of approximately 7000 travel trailers." In Maryland, Steve Kanstoroom, whose Talbot County home was damaged during Isabel, "described a "nightmarish" scenario of cramped FEMA trailers, low-balled insurance reimbursement and uncertain futures."

"FEMA prepares the nation for all hazards and manages federal response and recovery efforts following any national incident. FEMA also initiates mitigation activities, trains first responders, works with state and local emergency managers, and manages the National Flood Insurance Program and the U.S. Fire Administration. FEMA became part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on March 1, 2003." FEMA Individual Assistance includes cash grants up to $26,200. You can sure get a nice yurt for that!

Why are we taught to depend on govt. agencies? Are we absolutely SURE we want communitarians at Homeland Security-FEMA to take "care of" our evacuees? If evacuees knew all the facts maybe they wouldn't choose to "apply for assistance" from expert FEMA-State agencies and NGO faith-based "teams," or choose to live in FEMA trailer parks. Close to 10,000 people were still living in FEMA trailers as of 6-22-05, reported in the Sun-Herald. [Thanks to commonreader at livejournal.com for clarifying the joke about FEMA shutting down craigslist.]

Our prayers go out to the dead, the victim's families, the survivors and the local police who are suffering in unimaginable ways.

From the Guardian Sept 5, 2005: "Besides the lawlessness, civilian deaths and uncertainty about their families, New Orleans' police have had to deal with suicides in their ranks. Two officers took their lives, including the department spokesman, Paul Accardo, who died Saturday, according to Riley. Both shot themselves in the head, he said."

"The death toll across the Gulf Coast was not known. But bodies were everywhere: floating in canals, slumped in wheelchairs, abandoned on highways and medians and hidden in attics.

``I think it's evident it's in the thousands,'' Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt said Sunday on CNN, echoing predictions by city and state officials last week.

The Times-Picayune, in an open letter to President Bush, called for the firing of every official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, saying they failed to rescue thousands of citizens stranded by Katrina.

``We're angry, Mr. President, and we'll be angry long after our beloved city and surrounding parishes have been pumped dry,'' the editorial said. ``Our people deserved rescuing. Many who could have been were not. That's to the government's shame.''

``Every official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency should be fired, Director Michael Brown especially,'' the letter said. ``No expense should have been spared. No excuses should have been voiced.''

Eyewittnesses claim FEMA interfered with relief efforts. FEMA is taking control over all privatly offered housing assistance. As many as 10,000 New Orleans residents told to leave the City for a "better place." With the recent Kelo decision changing property laws for "urban blight," (and a drowned house could just be classified as such) the fact that the government can seize private property may be affecting some homeowner's choice to stay. New Orleans Mayor Nagin claims to understand their reluctance to leave, assures residents it's OK. Now FEMA just took over state evacuee operations and delayed Texas' plans without explanation.

Why does FEMA, a non-elected, appointed agency have more power than an elected state (or Parish) official? Maybe the whole idea of one big central agency controlling every agency isn't so great after all. Maybe we should have domestic seperation of power again, like the old days when we had sheriffs and deputies rather than federal community SWAT police and airborne troops policing our neighborhoods.

New Orleans mayor OKs forced evacuations
NEW ORLEANS (AP) September 7, 2005

"As flood waters receded inch by inch Tuesday, New Orleans Mayor C. Ray Nagin authorized law enforcement officers and the U.S. military to force the evacuation of all residents who refuse to heed orders to leave the dark, dangerous city."

"This is not a safe environment," Nagin said. "I understand the spirit that's basically, 'I don't want to abandon my city.' It's OK. Leave for a little while. Let us get you to a better place. Let us clean the city up." To that end, the Pentagon began sending 5,000 paratroopers from the Army's storied 82nd Airborne Division to use small boats, including inflatable Zodiac craft, to launch a new search-and-rescue effort in flooded sections of the city.

Troops begin combat operations in New Orleans
By Joseph R. Chenelly, Army Times staff writer, September 2, 2005.

NEW ORLEANS- Combat operations are underway on the streets "to take this city back" in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. "This place is going to look like Little Somalia," Brig. Gen. Gary Jones, commander of the Louisiana National Guard's Joint Task Force told Army Times Friday as hundreds of armed troops under his charge prepared to launch a massive citywide security mission from a staging area outside the Louisiana Superdome. "We're going to go out and take this city back. This will be a combat operation to get this city under control."

Plan to Move Astrodome Evacuees on Hold
By JIM VERTUNO, Associated Press Writer Tue Sep 6, 3:42 PM ET

Gov. Rick Perry had said Sunday that Texas needs other states to help manage the refugee crisis. Officials at Texas relief centers say they are simply running out of room.

An airlift to other states had been expected to begin under the direction of the Texas National Guard.

However, the Federal Emergency Management Agency took over the operation on Sunday and planes never took off.

It was unclear when any flights might actually leave and there was no explanation for the delay. There was no immediate response Tuesday morning to a call seeking comment from FEMA's Public Affairs Office in Washington.

FEMA spokesman Dean Cushman said Monday: "We are not coordinating it as of right now."

The state airlift plans were still in place and could be executed if needed, the governor said.

"We're ready when they are," Perry said.

For Many Evacuees, There's No Going Home, So They Plan to Stay
By Tony Perry, Times Staff Writer, September 6, 2005.

"There's help finding jobs and housing for Astrodome-dwellers. Two former presidents are there to launch a fundraising effort." With more than 220,000 evacuees already spread throughout Texas, Gov. Rick Perry ordered state health officials Monday to develop plans to meet the short- and long-term medical needs./ "The threat of an epidemic breaking out in shelters across the state is real," he said./ The plan to airlift some evacuees out of Texas has been put on hold, while the Federal Emergency Management Agency develops a multi-state strategy, Perry said.

All the above and many more good news links found at www.amerikanexpose.com.
Subject: Fw: On the Front Lines, from Peter Myers' elist

Date: Sat, 10 Sep 2005

Please pass on this letter on to your family and friends. This e-mail came from one of our members here. She is an emergency room doctor.

A letter from a physician on the front lines at New Orleans airport: Hemant H. Vankawala, M.D.

greetings from the new orleans airport

for those of you who dont know i am a member of the texas-4 disaster medical assistence team (DMAT). we are a part of FEMA. i joined a couple of months ago and my team was activated 11 days ago. for the past 8 days i have been living and working at the new orleans airport delivering medical care to the katrina hurricane survirors.

let me start by saying that i am safe and after a very rough first week am now better rested and fed

out team was the first to arrive at the airport and set up our field hospital. we watched our population grow from 30 dmat personal taking care of 6 patients and 2 security guards well to around 10,000 people in the first 15 hours. these people had had no food or water or security for several days and were tired, furstrated, sick, wet, and heart broken. people were brought in by trucks, busses, ambulances, school busses, cars, and helicopters

we recieved patients from hospitals, schools, homes, the entire remaining population of new orleans funneled through our doors. our little civilian team along with a couple of other dmat teams set up and ran THE biggest evacuation this country has ever seen

the numbers are absolutely staggering

in hind site its seems silly that a bunch of civilian yahoo's came in and took over the airport and had it up and running exceeding its normal operating load of passengers with an untrained skeleton crew and generator partial power. but we did what we had to do and i think we did it well

our team has been working the flight line off loading helo's. overnight we turned new orleans airport into the busiest helicopter base in the entire world. at any given time there were at least 8-10 helo's off loading on the tarmac, filled with 10-40 survivors at a time, with 10 circling to land, it was a non-stop never ending process 24 hour a day operation. the cnn footage does not even begin to do it justice. the roar of rotar blades, the smell of jet A and the thousands of eyes looking at us for answers, for hope. our busiest day we off loaded just under 15,000 patients by air and ground. at that time we had about 30 medical providers and 100 ancillary staff. ALL we could do was provide the barest ammount of comfort care. we watched many, many people die. we practiced medical traige at its most basic, black tagging the sickest people and culling them from the masses so that they could die in a separate area. i can not even begin to describe to transformation in my own sensibilities from my normal practice of medicine to the reality of the operation here. we were SO short on wheel chairs and litters we had to stack patients in airport chairs and lay them on the floor. they reamined there for hours too tired to be frigthened, too weak to be care about their urine and stool soaked clothing, to desperate to even ask what was going to happend next. imaging trading your single patient use latex gloves for a pair of thick leather work gloves that never came off your hands and you can begin to imagin what it was like.

we did not practice medicine

there was nothing sexy or glamerous or routine about what we did we moved hundreds of patients an hour, thousands of patients a day off the flight line and into the terminal and baggage area patients were loaded onto baggage carts and trucked to the baggage area, like, well, baggage. and there was no time to talk, no time to cry, no time to think, because they kept on comming. our only salvation was when the beurocratic washington machine was able to ramp up and stream line the exodus of patients out of here

our team work a couple of shifts in the medcal tent as well. imagine people so despeate, so sick, so like the 5-10 "true" emergencies you may get on a shift comming through the door non stop that is all that you take care of. no imagine having not beds, no O2, no nothing except some nitro, aspirin and all the good intentions in the world. we did everything from delivering babies to simply providing morphine and a blanket to septic and critical patients and allowing them to die.

during the days that it took for that exodue to occur, we filled the airport to its bursting point. there was a time when there were 16,000 angry, tired, frustrated people here, there were stabbings, rapes, and people on the verge of mobbing. the flight line, lined with 2 parallel rows of dauphins, sea kings, hueys, chinooks and every other kind of helocopter imanigable, was a dangerous place. but we were much more frightened when ever we entered the sea of displaced humanity that had filled every nook and cranny of the airport. only now that the thousands of survivors had been evacuated, and the floors soaked in bleach, the putrid air allowed to exchange for fresh, the number or soldiers allowed to outnumber the patients, that we feel safe

i have meet so many people while down here. people who were at ground zero at 9-11, people who have done tusanmi relief, tours in iraq and every one of them has said this is the worst thing they have ever seen. its unaminous and these are some battle worn veterans of every kind of disaster you can imagine.

watching the new reports trickle back to us has been frustrating and heart braking. there is NOTHING anyone could have done to prepare for this. it was TOO huge, even now its so big its almost impossible to comprehend. the leaders needed to see first hand the damage but did not because their safety could be guarenteed. its a war zone in new orleans. it is covered in raw sewage with no infrastructure. every engineer i have spoken with believes that most of the city will have to be plowed into fields and that rebuilding what is left will take decades. it will NEVER be the same. never. ever.

for those of you who want to help the next step is to help those who arrive in your local area. the only real medcial care these survivors will recieve is once they land in safe, clean area far from here. for the 50,000 people we ran through this airport over the last couple of days, if they were able to survive and make it somewhere else, their care will begin only when providers in dallas and houston and chicago and baton rouge (etc) volunteer at the shelters and provide care. and yes there are many, many more on their way

many of the sickest simply died while here at the airport, many have been stressed beyond measure and will die shortly even though they were evacuated. if you are not medcial then go the shelters, hold hands, give hugs and prayers. if nothing else it will remind you how much you have and how grateful we all should be. these people have nothing.

not only have they lost their material posessions and homes, many have lost their children, spouses, parents, arms, legs, vision, everything that is important.

talk to these survivors, hear their stories and what they have been through, look into their eyes

you will never think of america the same way you will never look at your family the same way you will never look at your home the same way and i promise it will forever change the way you practice medicine

many, many stories to tell when i get back looking forward to seeing you all again

we are VERY safe down here (now thank god) and we shall be home soon

Hemant H. Vankawala, M.D.

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