Since Katrina hit the Gulf Coast the subject on TV and in the news has been the slow response by FEMA. This may be deliberate on the part of the Bushies. They used 9/11 as a pretext for curtailing the civil rights of many citizens and to legitimize spying on domestic protesters on the groups that they presented a "security risk." We have had calls for more and more forms of ID "Papers, please?" and people have gotten used to being stopped and searched.

Now Katrina has given them the excuse to implement the next step. They purposely slowed the response of the Federal resources knowing that the state and local organizations would be overwhelmed. Although at first glance it would appear that this reflected badly on them, it has led to the result they desired.

They know that their opposition has its strength in the local areas. If the locals were allowed to handle the emergency they would be strengthened and people would start looking more toward organizations like the anti-war coalitions all over the US. They decided to take a hit and allowed people to "force" them to take more power through FEMA. Notice that FEMA in New Orleans is run by an Admiral and though they pretend to be a civilian agency they are run and manned by the military.

With FEMA being touted as THE agency that is responsible for all disaster operations, they hope to take more and more power from the local institutions leaving FEMA, run by die-hard Bushies controlling emergency response for the entire US.

At that point we are one emergency away from a Presidential declaration of emergency which would suspend civil rights, sweep aside local government (especially Democrats) and replace them with FEMA appointed (Bushie) zealots.

At this point it appears that it is working beautifully. The TV and newspapers are full of stories begging FEMA to take over where ever an "emergency" is declared.