Proposal for military to take lead in disasters raises concerns - Yahoo! News
Proposal for military to take lead in disasters raises concerns - Yahoo! News: "'I haven't heard any governor say `That's a great idea. I'll give up my power to an unelected general to oversee my state,'' said Huckabee, a Republican and the chairman of the bipartisan National Governors Association. 'That would be a very significant, almost revolutionary change in government policy and practice.'
If Bush pushes the idea, he's likely to face a barrage of opposition from governors, state and municipal officials, civil libertarians and some military experts, who argue that expanding the active-duty armed services' role in local disasters would trample on cherished states' rights and burden the military, which already is stretched thin by the wars in
Afghanistan and
Iraq.
Under the current system, local officials contact their governors if they need help in crises. A governor has the authority to call in the state's National Guard and to contact the
Federal Emergency Management Agency or the White House for help from the federal government.
'You're going to have pushback from governors, county executives, mayors, fire chiefs, police chiefs all up and down the emergency-management structure who wonder whether the military will become a super domestic responder and who do they respond to,' Huckabee said. 'Who determines if a state can't handle a disaster? What if a riot happens in a major city? Does a mayor get a call that the 82nd Airborne has just landed in your city? We've got to talk about this.'
Bush has suggested that Congress ought to look at making the Defense Department the lead agency in natural disasters 'of a certain size.'"
If Bush pushes the idea, he's likely to face a barrage of opposition from governors, state and municipal officials, civil libertarians and some military experts, who argue that expanding the active-duty armed services' role in local disasters would trample on cherished states' rights and burden the military, which already is stretched thin by the wars in
Afghanistan and
Iraq.
Under the current system, local officials contact their governors if they need help in crises. A governor has the authority to call in the state's National Guard and to contact the
Federal Emergency Management Agency or the White House for help from the federal government.
'You're going to have pushback from governors, county executives, mayors, fire chiefs, police chiefs all up and down the emergency-management structure who wonder whether the military will become a super domestic responder and who do they respond to,' Huckabee said. 'Who determines if a state can't handle a disaster? What if a riot happens in a major city? Does a mayor get a call that the 82nd Airborne has just landed in your city? We've got to talk about this.'
Bush has suggested that Congress ought to look at making the Defense Department the lead agency in natural disasters 'of a certain size.'"
posted by Blackgold at 7:39 AM
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