Besides which, nobody is accusing Brown of anything criminal (at least, not yet). Just massive incompetence and Nero-like fiddling while New Orleans did the diametric opposite of burning. I suppose it’s possible that further investigation will reveal that Brownie was doing incredibly important and competent things — stopping just shy of whipping off his suit to reveal the Superman costume beneath — and that he really was doing a heckuva job. But until the evidence of that is laid before the public, we have every right and justification to consider Michael Brown an utter failure in his job as FEMA director — which means he gets cut no slack for the APPEARANCE of flippancy and stupidity and cover-your-ass-ity of these emails.

2) Brown is the head of FEMA and he doesn’t have an emergency contingency plan for his dog? Wouldn’t you think the head of FEMA would often have to rush off on a moment’s notice? I have someone to take care of my cats, with backup plans, and I’m a freakin’ student. And I don’t really like my cats.

Yeah, I know, it’s just one thing, but this incompetence is becoming fractal.

He was handed a truckful of medical supplies, and he didn’t even click the “forward” button for FOUR DAYS. He couldn’t find fifteen seconds in his busy schedule? (Heck, five–he didn’t have to append any comment at all!)

Imagine a massive crisis at work, way beyond your ability to handle. You send an email to boss begging for help, and your boss basically says, “Yeah, so? What do you expect me to do about it?”

Now imagine you work for FEMA, and people are dying while your boss is clueless and useless.

Show me the funny.

Because Brownie’s blackmailing him?

“I have overseen over 150 presidentially declared disasters. I know what I am doing. And I think I do a pretty darn good job of it,” Brown told the panel.

For the whole story, see this CNN story. Simply disgusting. The next press conference Chimpy McFlightsuit has, a reporter should ask him why is this leech fattening himself off the taxes of the American people? I thought Rethuglicans didn’t approve of welfare.

For one thing, email ethics and “proper use of company email” lessons have been around a long time now. Why, in these times, small children in schoolyards can be heard singing jingles about company email policies while jumping rope. Middle schoolers at slumber parties sit in circles and frighten one another with tales of employees being fired for forwarding dirty joke emails. The fact that Brownie’s emails might become public should have been a given for him.

For another thing, Brownie was sharing these emails with people who actually WERE in dire straits. The guy in the Superdome was on some of these address lists, why the hell would someone be so stupid as to write “rescue me” in jest when one of your potential readers actually DID need rescuing?

Thirdly, as the boss, Brownie should have thought about setting a tone of leadership. It’s all fine and good for the receptionist, the guy in the boiler room, the guy up to his waist in muck to joke. But the guy in charge should have cared about setting a tone of competence and seriousness during this time of crisis. Having him joke around makes it OK for his subordinates not to take it seriously.

And finally, most of Brownie’s emails were all about ME ME ME! My clothes, my dog, my food, rescue me — KeeRist, what a self-centered motherfucker while people have lost everything!

Tweak my ass! That’s what you offer to your subordinate that wants you to review the memo he’s writing. Not to the guy who’s watching people die in front of him.

First of all, when you send email via a computer or handheld, over a network, or through a server owned by your employer, that email is not private. Maybe it should be, but it’s not. If you use that computer, handheld, network, or server to write things that make you look like an ass, then you shouldn’t be suprised that you come up looking like an ass at some point. This is INFINITELY MORE TRUE if you are a high-ranking federal official (a point that should be obvious to the “any of my friends might have said the same” folks. Your friends are presumably not the heads of federal agencies). Brownie’s Blackberry belongs to you and me, folks.

On a more subjective note, I have to say that if you’ve ever read my blog, you know that I’m a sarcastic, petty bastard, but I can’t imagine acting like that in a comparable situation. When the Katrina refugees started arriving in cities across Texas, those of us in the non-profit community here had our hands very full with those people’s immediate and serious needs. In my agency, all of our other projects and priorities were dropped. And I don’t recall anyone being as flip as Brown is in those emails. Why, you ask? Check this out: When a major American city gets washed out to sea, IT’S NOT FUNNY. NOT FUNNY AT ALL.

…right?

Schmitt: I’d suggest that at the very least, you start making good use of the term “ostensibly.” The media provides only enough pieces of the puzzle to produce premature character assasinations. But thanks for the birthday wish!

tigrismus: Have you no shame? What will I have left if you rob me of my victim status with your preemptive prediction? Thanks for the birthday wish, however,(even though the cynical side of me smells a literary reference to the “Let them eat cake” declaration). I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and extend this invitation to you:
(Come Down to the Palace and) Have Some Cake with Me: words and music by Dr. BLT (c)2005
http://www.drblt.com/music/cake10.mp3

Happy Birthday.

this part actually makes me like him a little bit.

Dr. BLT, for your birthday I wish for you all the Cake you can eat!