FEMA Head Brown: A Fraud and A Looter

Bit by bit, we seem to be getting to the bottom of why FEMA - and its head Michael Brown - was so incompetent in responding to the Hurricane Katrina catastrophe. As TIME magazine reports today in an exclusive investigation of Brown's background, the man responsible for managing the federal disaster response to Katrina had fabricated numerous portions of his official resume.

All I can say is: WOW! In light of what happened in this country almost exactly four years ago, how does someone with such a stunning lack of experience - not to mention credibility - get put in charge of this country's top emergency response agency? It's unconscionable!

Earlier today, Brown was relieved of his role overseeing relief efforts along the Gulf and was sent back to Washington. No doubt, this is just the first step down the path to firing Brown from his position at FEMA. And, perhaps, there will be some other heads that roll along with Brown's. The enormity of this debacle - and disgrace - can NOT be overstated. People DIED.

In spite of Bush's best attempts to smooth over this scandal, which I think is a more than appropriate word to describe what's happened, one can only hope that the ignorati in this country will finally wise up to the literal DANGER that this administration poses to all of us. They're incompetent. They're ignorant. They're dangerous.

Finally, in light of the incidents of looting that took place in New Orleans last week, can Brown's falsified credentials be considered anything other than de facto looting of the American people? He lied in order to get a federal job and receive a pretty substantial paycheck. In my book, that's as bad - or worse - than anything we saw last week. And most of the "looters" in New Orleans were simply trying to survive. Brown perpetrated a fraud for financial and political gain. How shameful...and, perhaps, criminal.