FEMA fakes press conference

[RevDisk]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-102507-femabriefing,1,5269686,print.story?ctrack=2&cset=true

FEMA sorry for fake news briefing
By Spencer S. Hsu

Washington Post

6:33 PM CDT, October 26, 2007

WASHINGTON

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's No. 2 official apologized Friday for leading a staged news conference Tuesday in which FEMA employees posed as reporters while real reporters listened on a telephone conference line and were barred from asking questions.

"We are reviewing our press procedures and will make the changes necessary to ensure that all of our communications are straight forward and transparent," Vice Adm. Harvey E. Johnson Jr., FEMA's deputy administrator, said in a four-paragraph statement.

"We can and must do better, and apologize for this error in judgment," Johnson said, a view repeated Friday by press officers at the White House and the Department of Homeland Security, who criticized the event.

FEMA announced the news conference at its headquarters here about 15 minutes before it was to begin Tuesday afternoon, making it unlikely that reporters could attend. Instead, FEMA set up a telephone conference line so reporters could listen.

In the briefing, parts of which were televised live by cable news channels, Johnson stood behind a lectern, called on questioners who did not disclose that they were FEMA employees, and gave replies emphasizing that his agency's response to this week's California wildfires was far better than its response to Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.

"It was absolutely a bad decision. I regret it happened. Certainly ... I should have stopped it," said John "Pat" Philbin, FEMA's director of external affairs. "I hope readers understand we're working very hard to establish credibility and integrity, and I would hope this does not undermine it."

White House press secretary Dana Perino said Friday that "it is not a practice that we would employ here at the White House. We certainly don't condone it. We didn't know about it beforehand. ... They, I'm sure, will not do it again."

Department of Homeland Security spokesman Russ Knocke called the staged briefing "totally unacceptable," adding, "While it is an isolated incident, that does not make it any more tolerable." He said reprimands are "very probable." FEMA is part of DHS.

"Trying to manipulate the press and the public will only tarnish their (FEMA's) current success," House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said.

Philbin's last scheduled day at FEMA was Thursday. He has been named as the new head of public affairs at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, ODNI spokeswoman Vanee Vines said.

Copyright ? 2007, Chicago Tribune

[Paddy]

Typical, and not surprising from this administration.

[Sergeant Bob]

I guess thats the only way they can get good press.

[K Frame]

Typical, and not surprising from this administration.

Yep, George Bush personally told them to do it.

In fact, he even asked questions 1, 7, and 11... 

[Len Budney]

Typical, and not surprising from this administration.

I never miss a chance to blame the administration for its doings, but in this case it was undoubtedly lifetime bureaucrats to blame. It's extremely doubtful that the Bush appointee at the top came up with such a retarded idea. Sounds like the work of mid-level pencil-pushers.

I hate to wave a red-flag in front of a bull here, but the problem isn't who's at the top. The problem is that bureaucracy breeds this sort of problem. The rot is inherent in the concept of government itself, and getting rid of it is impossible. We could switch to a monarchy, or socialism, or direct democracy, or rearrange the org charts in Washington forever, and the problem will remain unchanged. Mid-level bureaucrats would disregard ethics and abuse power to protect their jobs and advance their careers.

--Len.

[Ned Hamford]

It boggles my mind that they thought they could get away with this. 
Obviously every single person in that org needs to be fired.  Start anew, or better yet, don't start at all.

[ilbob]

It boggles my mind that they thought they could get away with this. 
Obviously every single person in that org needs to be fired.  Start anew, or better yet, don't start at all.

FEMA has a long history of incompetence and sheer stupidity. I agree it is time to dismantle it. We would be no worse off without it.

[Tallpine]

"I hope readers understand we're working very hard to establish credibility and integrity, and I would hope this does not undermine it."

LOL 

[HankB]

I never miss a chance to blame the administration for its doings, but in this case it was undoubtedly lifetime bureaucrats to blame. It's extremely doubtful that the Bush appointee at the top came up with such a retarded idea. Sounds like the work of mid-level pencil-pushers.

I hate to wave a red-flag in front of a bull here, but the problem isn't who's at the top. The problem is that bureaucracy breeds this sort of problem.

Len, I take issue with this - when you're dealing with the Executive Branch, Bush is at the top - the buck stops there. HE and his appointees tolerate this sort of thing. This kind of garbage goes on, and there's no housecleaning.

If a person with that much authority isn't part of the solution, he's part of the problem. He can't personally manage all the personnel in the Executive branch, but if his appointees don't, either, he can sure as heck replace them.

But he hasn't, and won't.

[ilbob]

I never miss a chance to blame the administration for its doings, but in this case it was undoubtedly lifetime bureaucrats to blame. It's extremely doubtful that the Bush appointee at the top came up with such a retarded idea. Sounds like the work of mid-level pencil-pushers.

I hate to wave a red-flag in front of a bull here, but the problem isn't who's at the top. The problem is that bureaucracy breeds this sort of problem.

Len, I take issue with this - when you're dealing with the Executive Branch, Bush is at the top - the buck stops there. HE and his appointees tolerate this sort of thing. This kind of garbage goes on, and there's no housecleaning.

If a person with that much authority isn't part of the solution, he's part of the problem. He can't personally manage all the personnel in the Executive branch, but if his appointees don't, either, he can sure as heck replace them.

But he hasn't, and won't.

do you have any idea how hard it is to change horses in mid-stream as you are suggesting? these are huge agencies. it takes a week just to figure out where the men's room and coffee pot are.

human beings are imperfect. no crime was committed, no one was harmed. i am not excusing poor behavior, but previous administrations have flat out lied on a regular basis. a minor deception is not going to bother me all that much.

[HankB]

. . . do you have any idea how hard it is to change horses in mid-stream as you are suggesting? . . .

It's really, really hard when neither you nor your own flunkies make any attempt to do so.

[Len Budney]

Len, I take issue with this - when you're dealing with the Executive Branch, Bush is at the top - the buck stops there. HE and his appointees tolerate this sort of thing. This kind of garbage goes on, and there's no housecleaning.

OK, I can't argue with that. I guess the reason I didn't look at it that way is my conviction that "housecleaning" won't, and ultimately can't, make a difference. The problem is inherent in bureaucracy itself, and the only "cleaning" that would really make a difference is to empty out the house and knock it down.

BTW, that's not an inherently anarchist view. Abolishing FEMA is the right thing to do, not only from an anarchist perspective, but also from a constitutionalist perspective. The Constitution doesn't authorize the federal government to "manage emergencies" in the first place.

--Len.

[HankB]

Len, I'm not an anarchist, either . . . but IMHO a good portion of the Federal government - as well as state and local governments - actually could be eliminated.

Some years back, when I lived in MN, there was a strike of state employees. Except for some students at U of MN who had to stand in line longer, virtually nobody noticed. Lights stayed on, water flowed from taps, sewers worked, schools stayed open, police, fire, and EMS continued, doctors kept doctoring, private businesses continued as usual . . . once people started asking "Who NEEDS these strikers, anyway?" the strike was settled.

I think the same would apply to a lot of the Federal government.

[MechAg94]

I tend to agree that this is just an inherent nature of an over-funded bureaucracy.  They don't care about service, just keeping their job.  The only way to keep a lid on that is to keep it small, keep it spread out, and keep a choke hold on the money flow. 

[thebaldguy]

Even worse than the fake press conference, is the general lack of coverage and concern. I'm surprised that more citizens aren't more upset. Or maybe we're not suprised; If I remember correctly, Bush had a semi-fake reporter asking softball questions that may have been a male escort at one time. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_Gannon

In all fairness, I'm guessing that this planted reporter kind of thing has been going on for a while; it's been rumored that reporters that ask "bad" questions don't get invited back.

[RevDisk]

human beings are imperfect. no crime was committed, no one was harmed. i am not excusing poor behavior, but previous administrations have flat out lied on a regular basis. a minor deception is not going to bother me all that much.

No crime committed?  Uh, far as I can recall, government funded covert propaganda is illegal here in the US unless specifically ok'd by Congress (eg, DOD, CIA, etc).  Might want to notify Congress and the GAO.

http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20050222093810-51492.pdf

[LAK]

Anyone going to get fired over this?  

My guess is no; if the Pentagon can "lose" $2.7 trillion - and no one get fired - I suppose a mere "fake news conference" by a Federal agency is not going to send anyone packing.

Perhaps that's why international organized crime and our federal gov get along so well together; you can get away with just about anything as long as it does not disrupt the status quo.

-----------------------------------------

http://searchronpaul.com
http://ussliberty.org
http://ssunitedstates.org

[MechAg94]

Didn't you post that 2.7 trillion number before?  Where are you getting that? 

...after some searching, I found a link to a copied story that mentions maybe 1 trillion, but never really says how they came to that number.  That is almost 3 years of annual budgets.  Someone would miss that, and many in the media would love to slam the military.  Of course the site that was one was also full of 9/11 Conspiracy information as well.

[Len Budney]

Didn't you post that 2.7 trillion number before?  Where are you getting that? 

I haven't the faintest where he's getting it, but Iraq is certainly a feeding frenzy. The government has sent some $12B to Iraq in cash--pallets of cash--and most of that money has simply vanished.

--Len.

[MechAg94]

I agree there is/was waste over there, but 2.7 trillion is a hell of a lot more than 12 billion.  I think our current annual budget for the entire govt is 2.7 trillion.  Defense spending is $400 billion plus Iraq and Afgan.  Even 1 trillion would have to be waste added up over many years. 

[Tallpine]

Even 1 trillion would have to be waste added up over many years. 

Well, you know ... a hundred billion here and a couple hundred billion there, pretty soon that could add up to real money. 

[LAK]

Google has a habit of hiding things as time goes by. Yes, hiding things.

And pardon me; it was two point six trillion. Yes. Rumsfeld admitted this fact on camera. It was a certain contraversial lady by the name of Cynthia McKinney that had Rumsfeld stuttering and in facial contortions over this and another subject.

I know Dr. Zakheim's been trying to hire CPAs because the financial systems of the department are so snarled up that we can't account for some $2.6 trillion in transactions that exist, if that's believable - Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense, Testimony before the House Appropriations Committee, July 16, 2001

See:

http://www.defenselink.mil/speeches/speech.aspx?speechid=408

Yet another "trivial" matter that has just slid on by as "the war" marches on.

... And on.

[RevDisk]

Didn't you post that 2.7 trillion number before?  Where are you getting that? 

I haven't the faintest where he's getting it, but Iraq is certainly a feeding frenzy. The government has sent some $12B to Iraq in cash--pallets of cash--and most of that money has simply vanished.

--Len.

See the thread on military pay.   

Seriously, if you were staring at PALLETS of untraceable cash, millions upon millions...  If no one noticed 12 bil in cash, and a cumulative 2.x tril go missing...  I did hear rumors over the amount of 'missing money', I wouldn't be surprised if it was even larger.

[Paddy]

What about the thieves who stole the cash from the U.S. Treasury in the first place?  $12bn is more than enough to justify trials for treason followed by mass public executions, in my book.

[Tecumseh]

The scariest thing is the lack of concern as others have mentioned.  The fact that the employees of our government have the audacity to do this and nobody seems to care.  We need to hold our government accountable for this.  Will there be any arrests for illegal proganda?  What about the fact that they used taxpayer funds to do this?  Could this be an act of treason in a sense that they are lying to the American people?