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Anker-Klanker
Admiral
Joined: 04 Sep 2004
Posts: 1033
Location: Richardson, TX
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 Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 2:13 am Post subject: Vegas anyone? |
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Seen this from the NYT?
| Quote: | September 5, 2005
City to Offer Free Trips to Las Vegas for Officers
By JOSEPH B. TREASTER and CHRISTOPHER DREW
NEW ORLEANS, Sept. 4 - A day after two police suicides and the abrupt resignations or desertions of up to 200 police officers, defiant city officials on Sunday began offering five-day vacations - and even trips to Las Vegas - to the police, firefighters and city emergency workers and their families.
The idea of paid vacations was raised by both Mayor C. Ray Nagin and senior police officials who said that their forces were exhausted and traumatized and that the arrival of the National Guard had made way for the officers to be relieved.
"I'm very concerned about individuals who have been here, particularly since the first few days, and have been through a lot of hardship," Mr. Nagin said in an interview.
He said most of the police officers, firefighters and emergency medical workers "are starting to show signs of very, very serious stress, and this is a way to give them time to reunite with their families."
Mr. Nagin, who has been demanding more federal assistance for days as his city struggled with despair, death and flooding, said he had asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pay for the trips but the agency said it could not. He said the city, therefore, would pay the costs.
He said he believed there were now enough National Guard members in the city to allow the police to take a break and still keep the city secure, and he brushed off questions about whether such a trip might look like a dereliction of duty.
"I'll take the heat on that," Mr. Nagin said. "We want to cater to them."
His words were seconded by the police superintendent, P. Edwin Compass III, in a separate interview. "When you go through something this devastating and traumatic," Mr. Compass said, "you've got to do something dramatic to jump-start the healing process."
The officials were planning to send 1,500 workers out in two shifts for five days each. They are sending them to Las Vegas because of the availability of hotel rooms and to Atlanta because many of them had relatives there.
They said that they were trying to get the first officers on their way on Monday and that the first stop would be Baton Rouge, about 75 miles from here.
There the officers will be given physical examinations and inoculations against possible infection from the polluted floodwaters, said Col. Terry Ebbert, the director of homeland security for the city, who has authority over the police and fire departments and other emergency services.
Then, Colonel Ebbert and other officials said, those who want to go to Las Vegas or Atlanta will be given air transportation and a hotel room. The city is reserving hotel rooms in Baton Rouge, they said, adding that the officers and firefighters may also be given the choice of flying to other cities.
Colonel Ebbert, the senior official running the recovery and rescue operation, and Mr. Compass both said that they planned to take a break as well, but probably for less than five days, and that they would continue to direct the recovery by telephone.
Officials said they expected the military, with much greater resources, to expand rescue work, begin cleaning up the city and take the first steps toward reconstruction.
W. J. Riley, the deputy superintendent of police, said that by late Sunday afternoon more than 2,900 National Guard members and law enforcement officers from around the country were operating in New Orleans. By early evening, Mr. Riley said, the advance units of a 2,200-person force from the 82nd Airborne Division had landed.
Several thousand more soldiers were expected, including members of the First Cavalry Division.
Reinforcements are also expected for the fire department. Senior firefighters, who have been forced to ignore some fires and to try merely to keep the worst blazes from spreading, said that several hundred firefighters with fire engines and radio equipment were heading for New Orleans from departments around the country.
New Orleans officials said they would remain in charge. Mr. Riley, who has been on the police force for 24 years, will oversee the police department in the superintendent's absence.
"We haven't turned over control of the city," Colonel Ebbert said.
Mr. Riley said that 40 percent of the city's force of about 1,200 officers would remain at their posts while the others were on leave. When the first group returns, Mr. Riley said, those who stayed behind will get a break.
Deputy Fire Chief Joseph Matthews, who is also the director of the city's Office of Emergency Preparedness, said officials viewed the time off for their security forces as essential. "We've been at this six days and we need to give our people a break," he said.
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I'm sure that some of NOLA's finest deserve such a break. Maybe I'm just heartless, but this strikes me totally the wrong way, and smells to high heaven. Maybe this is Hezhonor's way of buying support for the upcoming hearings?
I suppose he thinks the CG, Salvation Army, NG, etc., oughta walk off the job and take a trip to Las Vegas, too, when they've put in their six days...
This bother anybody else? |
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Navy_Navy_Navy
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Joined: 07 May 2004
Posts: 5777
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| Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 2:25 am Post subject: |
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Oh gee, why not? After all, Uncle Sugar's gonna pick up the bill, right? 
Yes, it bothers me, too - not that I don't think those guys need some rest - they certainly do. But how are we going to do the same for the active duty, National Guard, officers who are sent from other towns, volunteers, etc.
Six days of dragging bloated, mutilated bodies out of the muck will have some consequences for the men and women who will be engaged in the recovery activity.
People are going to work their butts off in this terrible thing and I think you're right - Nagin is trying to buy a better reputation to make up for his terrible leadership and his bizarre claims that the CIA is going to come after him.
What a positively idiotic time to put half your force off duty. You sure didn't see Rudy Giuliani pulling this kind of crap. He did his best to get the crews rearranged for the best rest possible, but he didn't have his men walking off the job as soon as the National Guard got on the scene.
In fact, if he'd have tried such a dumb stunt, he'd have had a mutiny on his hands. You couldn't pry those guys away from ground zero with a crowbar - not until the job was done. 
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Altering course to starboard - On Fire, Keep Clear
Navy woman, Navy wife, Navy mother |
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blue9t3
Admiral
Joined: 23 Aug 2004
Posts: 1246
Location: oregon
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| Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 2:33 am Post subject: |
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Amazing, thats right up there with putting people who don't work------on cruise ships! I suppose the cleanup people can stay at some soggy motel! 
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LewWaters
Admin
Joined: 18 May 2004
Posts: 4042
Location: Washington State
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| Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 2:47 am Post subject: |
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Is this just more of Nagins grandstanding? What sort of vacation will all of our troops receive?
Sorry, maybe I'm heartless too, but as much as they may deserve a rest, it's their community and they shouldn't receive any more time off than our troops will.
As for the cruise ships, if tents are good enough for our troops overseas, tents should be good enough for the displaced, set up right outside of New Orleans to give them a place to sleep while they work at cleaning up and restoring their community.
If they stay on a ship while others come in and recover the city, I'm gonna be a bit irked.  |
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Armybrat/Armymom
Commander
Joined: 27 Aug 2004
Posts: 335
Location: Central Texas
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| Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 2:50 am Post subject: |
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| I totally agree. Weather here can't be any worse than in Iraq in the summer or winter. |
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dusty
Admiral
Joined: 27 Aug 2004
Posts: 1264
Location: East Texas
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| Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 2:59 am Post subject: |
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Typical Louisiana scam artists at work. What a crock. Nagin is already counting money from that $10 billion.
I'm sorry world, I am apologizing for my state. This is making me sicker than I already was over this whole debacle.
Dusty
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Left and Wrong are the opposite of Right! |
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Armybrat/Armymom
Commander
Joined: 27 Aug 2004
Posts: 335
Location: Central Texas
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| Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 3:09 am Post subject: |
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| Saw a couple of panhandlers today with big buckets that had a sign saying "I'm a Hurricane Katrina survivor. Please help." They weren't anywhere near the "refugee" centers set up to help those brought into Austin. |
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Me#1You#10
Site Admin
Joined: 06 May 2004
Posts: 6503
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| Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 3:35 am Post subject: |
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| Navy_Navy_Navy wrote: | | Oh gee, why not? After all, Uncle Sugar's gonna pick up the bill, right? |
Slightly off topic, but related...
While I have yet to see it speculated, sooner or later there's going to be a call for 911-esque government compensation to the survivors of deceased victims, and I think you can take that to the bank. |
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DaveS
Ensign
Joined: 19 Sep 2004
Posts: 61
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| Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 4:11 am Post subject: |
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| I am betting that this gives the Reperation talk a boot and it gets kicked into high gear. The race card will be used to create national guilt. Any bets on how long it takes before we hear this card being played. |
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wwIIvetsdaughter
Captain
Joined: 02 Sep 2004
Posts: 513
Location: McAllen, Texas
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| Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 4:36 am Post subject: |
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I noted Nagin's statement relating to the Vegas vacations, "I'll take the heat on that." Unconsciously, he's telling us flat out he won't take the heat for his mismanagement of the Katrina fiasco. By the way, does this mean we should change the motto from "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" to "The failure of Nagin is forgotten in Vegas."  |
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blue9t3
Admiral
Joined: 23 Aug 2004
Posts: 1246
Location: oregon
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| Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2005 4:47 am Post subject: |
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I havn't had the priviledge of leaving my money in Vegas, yet. But the times I left Reno I can't remember feeling rested, More like stressed out, slightly hungover, tired,broke, and couldnt wait to go home! 
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