How News Media And Political Allies Cover Up for Government Officials

Notice how an Orange County Register editorial "Firefighting opportunities lost " sidesteps the fact that Schwarzenegger's administration failed to outfit the rest of the CA National Guards' C130s by touting one DC-10 that was converted during the governor's 4 years of tenure. 

Then they shift the subject to Dana Rohrabacher's claim that some "bureaucracy" caused a failure to buy Russian fire fighting supertankers through "obstructionism".  

Though those Russian firefighting supertankers sound mighty good, really,  "bureaucracy" pertains to systemic actions by lower level position holders that are not specially selected by a presidential administration that is currently in office.  So Dana Rohrabacher is saying some flunky stopped the US from buying Russian planes?  I doubt that.

The only two entities that would have such a power in the US would be Congress and the Presidential administration including the higher members of the governmental departments.

Of those two power sources, one has been controlled by Republicans for the last 6.75 years and the other was controlled by Republicans for 12 years until January 2007.

BTW, what sounds more plausible, that a "bureaucrat" decided one day to make sure the US didn't buy Russian planes or that some posturing Congressionals or more senior members of the Bush administration made that decision. 

Mr. Rohrabacher isn't naming names so we don't know who did make the decision, but it's not some low level flunky, I'm guessing. 

Still Rohrabacher's actual comments go beyond what the Register says anyway as a San Fransisco Chronicle report by Tom Chorneau "Congressman slams slow deployment of air tankers " shows:

"We need to know why those C-130s were located so far from California and so far from the front lines," U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Huntington Beach (Orange County), said. "The Boy Scouts motto is, 'Be prepared' - the bureaucracy is going to be held accountable for not being prepared if it turns out that life and property was lost as a result."

Oh, so it's the nations and/or the state's fire professionals Rohrabacher is calling bureaucrats. 

I agree with the Representative that things went very wrong this time and sometimes rescue officials can be too complacent when lives are at stake.  But I don't think anyone can call top fire officials, bureaucrats. 

 "Bureaucrat" is basically a knee jerk word indicating that liberals are at fault.  I'm sorry to see Mr. R using it in such an important issue.  You know those bureaucrats are all liberal, like Linda Tripp, right?

I believe Schwarzenegger is still governor of California.  I'd imagine he is pretty much in control of who runs Cal Fire and the Office of Emergency Services is called the "Governor's Office of Emergency Service" on its website with an icon of the governator himself there. 

Ruben D. Grijalva , head of Cal Fire was appointed to two important fire safety positions by the governor since 2004.

The USDA Forest Service serves the Bush administration's policies.  No wonder Rohrabacher doesn't want to name names. 

BTW, if a department in the US government isn't using sense, can't a Congressman attach an earmark to an appropriation bill?  Isn't that what they were supposed to be for? Then if Bush vetos the earkmark, we'll know where the problem lies.  

Maybe the best solution would have been to assume the worst given the weather conditions that were developing.  I know what the rules are, but someone has the power to change the rules and got the state and federal help pre approved because of the weather forecast. There was a window on Sunday through early Monday morning that aircraft could have been used even at Cal Fire's level of caution, though LA  and Orange Counties did have helicopters working during the high winds.  Whatever it takes should be used next time these conditions develop.

BTW, a commenter. MJB, at an SOSD report "Getting aircraft up and running is complex " explains that well.  (Lower I second him or her.) 

 But what is most hilarious is that the OC Register, considered one of the most right wing regional based papers in So California wouldn't even begin to get to the point of whom Representative Rohrabacher was talking about.  

You wouldn't want to actually inform your readership, now would you?  Especially if they are repeatedly afflicted by a problem that your allies in office help to perpetuate. 

tags: california wildfires  mainstream news media  

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