Fire Michael Brown!

To:  President George W. Bush, U.S. Congress

President Bush,

Partisanship aside, we think it is time that you demanded accountability from the people in the federal government charged with responding to disasters, much like that which has wrought untold death and destruction upon the Gulf Coast and its residents. While pundits left and right have traded barbs over who is most to blame for the response to the catastrophe -- the Mayor of New Orleans? The Governor of Louisiana? The Secretary of Homeland Security? -- most have agreed that Michael Brown, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has from Day One bungled his mission to lead the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina's destruction. For the sake of public confidence in the federal government and it ability to respond to emergencies, we feel it necessary that you immediately fire Michael Brown and appoint as his replacement a competent disaster-relief expert.

On your first visit to the disaster area, you shocked both Katrina’s victims and political analysts when you congratulated Brown for his work, saying, "Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job." No one – left nor right – could argue that a federal response that proceeded that slowly and seemed unaware of public information as to the scale of the catastrophe could argue that Brown was even doing a mediocre job. Many wondered if he was doing his job at all. While residents of the destroyed city of New Orleans huddled on rooftops or congregated in the relief-free Superdome and Convention Center, Brown had the nerve to publicly chastise their decision not to evacuate the city when told to do so – a statement lacking both in compassion and recognition that many of those who had remained had no means of transport out. Adding insult to injury, Brown proved that he hadn’t bothered to turn on a television or read a newspaper when he argued that the federal relief effort was "going relatively well" and that security in New Orleans was "pretty darn good." While we can split hairs as to whose fault it was that relief didn’t get to those who needed it most after the flooding, we are in agreements that Mr. Brown’s responses betrayed a surprising lack of empathy for the victims of a disaster of the magnitude and his absolute inability to quickly muster the resources to coordinate an adequate federal response. Ultimately, he failed to the job he was charged with doing.

As you well know, and as the press as reported, Mr. Brown has had no prior experience in managing disaster relief operations. None. Neither does his Chief of Staff, much less his Deputy Chief of Staff. If there were one position in the federal government where practical experience should be given primacy over political patronage, it would be the director of FEMA. We feel no more secure knowing the Mr. Brown heads up FEMA than we would knowing that Britney Spears were tapped to lead the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), that Tom Cruise were given a leadership post at the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), or that Homer Simpson were appointed chief of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). For an administration that has expressed its discomfort with affirmative action programs, Mr. Brown’s appointment screams of brazen backslapping for financial and political supporters.

When it comes to responding to the worst disasters that the federal government can imagine, experience seems high upon the list of required and preferred job qualifications. FEMA needs a leader that has worked in disaster situations before, who knows when a disaster is approaching, who can mobilize the necessary resources quickly and efficiently so that the resulting chaos is minimized and lives are saved. We realize that firing Michael Brown would represent an admission of wrongdoing on your part and that of your administration, especially Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff. And, somewhat understandably, you may be reluctant to give your political opponents that sort of opening. But when it comes to the safety of millions of Americans and the ability of the government to respond to disaster situations, you should demand nothing more than efficiency and accountability in government operations. Where those two are not met, as has been the case with Michael Brown’s leadership of FEMA, you should act, and act decisively. For the sake of the many who lost their lives, loved ones, and homes along the Gulf Coast, and for those who feel abandoned by a man whose response was both slow in coming and publicly obtuse, please make the right decision. Fire Michael Brown.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Fire Michael Brown! Petition to President George W. Bush, U.S. Congress was created by and written by Martin Austermuhle (martin.austermuhle@gmail.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.

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