Something is wrong with homeland security.
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, residents of New Orleans and surrounding areas have lost practically everything. Supplies intended for the hurricane victims have not been delivered or have been turned away. Many residents who've returned to assess the damage to their homes found possessions that had withstood the flooding had been stolen. The death toll is still unknown and hundreds remain missing.
Despite what should be the most pressing issues on the minds of politicians - federal, state and local governments are squabbling about who is to blame for not responding quickly to the tragedy.
None of these governments know who the boss is, which the federal government says has caused delays for relief efforts and law enforcement.
President Bush has been criticized as having racist motives to delay the relief effort. These criticisms were expressed by rapper Kanye West in an NBC News-sponsored telethon. Similar critics said the area, which is mostly populated with blacks, might have received more attention if there were more white Americans in danger.
It might just be a coincidence that the government failed to act quickly in an emergency involving a mostly black-populated area. The focus right now shouldn't be on pointing fingers but providing services to the devastated area as soon as possible.
Local and state governments say that the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, overseen by the Department of Homeland Security, not only failed to send needed supplies, but impeded the attempts of organizations.
FEMA allegedly turned away three trucks full of water from Wal-Mart and about 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel from the Coast Guard.
Aid from other countries and within other states such as Texas and Arizona are making more headway than those lead by the nation. Sri Lanka, Cuba and Great Britain have offered volunteers and supplies to help the flooded southern states.
Amid several major tragedies in the last few years, it's hard to believe the American government doesn't have it together. It's proof that bureaucracy not only doesn't make the government more efficient, it also slows it down.
This fact has Democrats, such as New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, calling for the FEMA to be removed from the Department of Homeland Security and have it stand as an agency with cabinet-level status.
Clinton has also suggested the appointment of an independent commission to review the actions taken during the emergency.
Figuring out what went wrong and who did it is invaluable information and should be done right now.
All governments need to have a policies and protocols for future situations.
