German Aid Sent Back

[snizo]

[highlight]Edited by Fly Navy.[/highlight] (comments removed by snizo)

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9280872/

BERLIN - A German military plane carrying 15 tons of military rations for survivors of Hurricane Katrina was sent back by U.S. authorities, officials said Saturday.

The plane was turned away Thursday because it did not have the required authorization, a German government spokesman said.

The spokesman, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, declined to comment on a report in the German news magazine Der Spiegel that U.S. authorities refused the delivery on the grounds that the NATO military rations could carry mad cow disease.

The spokesman said U.S. authorities had since given approval for future aid flights, but it was unclear whether the German military would try again to deliver the rations.

Since Hurricane Katrina struck the United States, many international donors have complained of frustration that bureaucratic entanglements have hindered shipments to the United States.

A U.S. Embassy official, who agreed to discuss the matter only if not quoted by name, blamed the German flight’s rejection on temporary technical and logistical problems that have accompanied recovery operations in the devastated region.

German military planes have flown several loads of rations to the Gulf Coast. Berlin is also sending teams equipped with high-capacity pumps to help clear floodwaters.

Damn red tape. Incredible...

No wonder the President's approval rating is at an all time low.

 

[bunk22]

Damn red tape. Incredible...

No wonder the President's approval rating is at an all time low.

I'm confused, what does the President have to do with an aircraft being turned away? Especially if it relates to Mad Cow issues.

 

[snizo]

(Some comments removed)

Bunk - because at least the way I see it, the President is responsible to the people much like a CO is for his command. The Dept of Homeland Security/FAA/whoever it was that held back the clearances for this international aid screwed up. The President takes the heat for his administration and the bureaucracy. It wasn't just about the mad cow report, and that doesn't hold much weight if we said future flights were permitted...

 

[jamnww]

Fly Navy - I didn't post the entire thing because on other forums I write in, we aren't allowed to. ...
Bunk - because at least the way I see it, the President is responsible to the people much like a CO is for his command. The Dept of Homeland Security/FAA/whoever it was that held back the clearances for this international aid screwed up. The President takes the heat for his administration and the bureaucracy.

I have been chastized on this forum for posting the entire article... Required Reading article on Airwarriors, and told to only post certain things. Can we please get all the moderators on the same page with this?

As far as the President being like the CO of a unit...well a CO of a unit doesn't have a board of trustees to deal with (ie Congress) that lay down some of the red tape that limits things. Furthermore, if it is possible that the rations were contaminated with mad cow disease I hardly think that we should just let it in regardless...concern for the health of the public has to be a top priority...

 

[snizo]

Jam - then why would we allow future shipments? And if it were just for health issues, why would other donors be complaining about this, too?

I'm not trying to say the the President is a ****berg ... just pointing out another occurence that shows the incredible mishandling of all this.

 

[Fly Navy]

Fly Navy - I didn't post the entire thing because on other forums I write in, we aren't allowed to. I figured it had something to do with copyrights. Don't be a hypocrite and berate me because you think I selectively quote, then edit my post with your selective quotes to change the meaning again.

Actually, my "selective quotes" are just the rest of the article. I didn't change the meaning of anything nor did I try to spin anything. YOU DID THAT yourself by posting a partial article. Unfortunately, I also made a mistake and didn't scroll down to see the rest of the article because I didn't see the "scroll down for more". So if you please, add the rest of it, or I can.

 

[jamnww]

Jam - then why would we allow future shipments? And if it were just for health issues, why would other donors be complaining about this, too?

I'm not trying to say the the President is a ****berg ... just pointing out another occurence that shows the incredible mishandling of all this.

I don't doubt that there are mishandlings, the government is natorious for its inefficiencies. One reason that they could be looking at future shipments would be if they are planning on doing inspections or some sort of testing...

I think it could be a problem where everyone wants to help and they are just having problems matching donations with needs...There is a ton of food down there now, and they could use money for example...does that analogy make sense?

 

[snizo]

Jam - yea. My questions were somewhat rhetorical, I guess. Thinking out loud that things are still f'ed up down there without a doubt.

Fly Navy - I didn't spin anything. I posted the first two paragraphs just as we are told to do in order to give people an idea of what the article was about. See what Steve Wilkins posted in the thread jam linked in his first post. So should I follow your request, or Steve's?

 

[TurnandBurn55]

Yeah, and if food shipments ended up in NO, did have Mad Cow (or any other disease), and caused refugees to get sick... you'd have a million people crying about 'another example of how badly the President handled the disaster'.

If Reagan was the Teflon President, Bush is the Velcro President...

 

[Fly Navy]

Fly Navy - I didn't spin anything. I posted the first two paragraphs just as we are told to do in order to give people an idea of what the article was about. See what Steve Wilkins posted in the thread jam linked in his first post. So should I follow your request, or Steve's?

Ok Snizo, I get what you're saying now. That was posted when I was going through the hurricane and its after-effects, so I never got that "memo". Follow Steve's guidance, he's the Super-Mod. That being said, got to be careful what you quote, because spin is accomplished just the same by selective quoting (this isn't just directed at you). Go right ahead and edit your thread to the original form, sorry for the misunderstanding.

 

[bunk22]

Bunk - because at least the way I see it, the President is responsible to the people much like a CO is for his command. The Dept of Homeland Security/FAA/whoever it was that held back the clearances for this international aid screwed up. The President takes the heat for his administration and the bureaucracy. It wasn't just about the mad cow report, and that doesn't hold much weight if we said future flights were permitted...

Besides what you believe, what does the President have to do with a foreign nation getting the appropriate clearances on a particular flight? I've flown into many, many nations, including Indonesia for the Tsunami Relief. It took almost a week to work through the appropriate clearances to allow our aircraft to not only enter their airspace but land and allow the relief supplies to be transported. There are rules and regulations to be followed and if there is an issue with a flight, again, what does the President have to do with it?

 

[Steve Wilkins]

I have been chastized on this forum for posting the entire article... Required Reading article on Airwarriors, and told to only post certain things. Can we please get all the moderators on the same page with this?

No chastizing...not from my direction anyway. And I certainly haven't told you that you could only post certain things. I'm guessing someone else told you this?

 

[jamnww]

No chastizing...not from my direction anyway. And I certainly haven't told you that you could only post certain things. I'm guessing someone else told you this?

Ok, chastized might have been the wrong word...corrected would be better maybe, surely I didn't assume any ill intent and you had a very valid point. By certain things I meant only parts of the article and not the entire thing, not certain topics...

 

[snizo]

A booming economy has nothing to do with the President, either ... yet he still gets credit (or blamed, as appropriate)

This blaming/crediting the President thing isn't specific to Bush.

 

[HueyCobra8151]

That is stupid bureacracy, but the Presidential blame only extends as far as him choosing bad administrators.

The REAL blame, that has been put undeservedly on the President (IMO), has been the incredible ineptitude of the city, district, and state government. Utterly pathetic.

It is not the federal government's fault that the state/local governments are inadequate.