Comments on: Local Officials: California Was Unprepared

County Fire Chief Says "It Is An Absolute Fact" That Aircraft Could Have Controlled Fires

[obiwan234]

It didn''t take long to blame President Bush for the fires here in California. Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer are total wastes of skin, they are stupid and hateful people.

I live two miles from the Orange County fires, I feel very well protected here. The fire personnel are heroes, the politicians need to get off their backs.

One of the biggest problems are the tree huggers who do not let us keep the forests clean and clear of fuel, I got fined for clearing brush and dead trees from my summer cottage in Arrowhead. I gladly paid the fine and told the county commissioner to kiss my b utt! My property was untouched by the fire while the others in the lane were damaged or totally lost.

[trenticus-2009]

Posted by WetOregon: How many trucks, planes, billion of pounds of retardant, bulldozers, and trained firefighters etc would you like just sitting around waiting for something just in case it happens. In every city!

Every state should have the, and here is the KEY word, RESOURCES to handle an event of this magnitude. History repeats itself and seems to repeating more often in CALIFORNIA!

[trenticus-2009]

Un-prepared???? Who the hell are they fooling??? Come on now! California has THE most natural disasters than any other state! It is in the history of this state. I am completely at a lost as to why anyone would make this rediculous remark! California has had centuries to prepare! bad governing....

[xzavierbrown]

I see the Associated Press is already trying to cause some sensatition just like katrian by try to brew some sh*t.

though these fires are not a laughing matter, to actually try to actually create a conspiracy over a natural occurance here in southern california IS RECKLESS JOURNALISM

[mcvett]

I guarantee you the very same liberals who criticized Bush
for not going to New Orleans quick enough,
will now be the same ones who will criticize Bush for
going to California too soon!!!!

hypocrits

It should be also be interesting to see how many ignorant liberals
will claim that Bush started this fire the same way he created hurricane Katrina

LOL

[KENRF]

I realize this is a horrifying disaster. No getting around it. Those trying to cast blame for the great loss of lives and property will continue to be bitter until they recognize and admit that, this is bigger than we can handle as "Mankind". How many trucks, planes, billion of pounds of retardant, bulldozers, and trained firefighters etc would you like just sitting around waiting for something just in case it happens. In every city! You must confess that this is bigger than you/us, and rather than spending senseless time and money doing yet another study for the next two years on "How we screwed this up" and "whose head will roll?" let''s pull together and put our money and efforts in helping the victims. They will need us! You can bet the home insurance companies are already checking policies to see if they can get out of paying!

[KENRF]

I realize this is a horrifying disaster. No getting around it. Those trying to cast blame for the great loss of lives and property will continue to be bitter until they recognize and admit that, this is bigger than we can handle as "Mankind". How many trucks, planes, billion of pounds of retardant, bulldozers, and trained firefighters etc would you like just sitting around waiting for something just in case it happens. In every city! You must confess that this is bigger than you/us, and rather than spending senseless time and money doing yet another study for the next two years on "How we screwed this up" and "whose head will roll?" let''s pull together and put our money and efforts in helping the victims. They will need us! You can bet the home insurance companies are already checking policies to see if they can get out of paying!

[keithle1]

Weren''t prepared? Since when are wilfires in California something rare? Don''t they go through it every year to one extent or another?

[lawyertom1]

I am surprised that the local government is throwing stones for two reasons. One, who were the idiots that allowed the houses to be built in a fire zone anyway? How clueless do you have to be about California''s ecology to not know that in a Sonoran desert region with Santa Anas blowing annually that a fire would get big and ugly real fast? That is local government. Like the imbeciles on the East Coast and in the Gulf that allow homes to be built in flood zones and huricane zones. Wake up folks and smell the disaster looming. Second, whatever can be said about the fire, you have to hand it to everyone (but of course not the fed''s who once again have done nada) for dealing with the evacuation and care of the evacuees. With headlines like "Evacuees find festive scene, including massages, yoga and gourmet buffet tables", no one is going to fault State and local governments for not helping folks once the disaster became apparent. What a difference from Katrina! Poor New Orleans is still up the proverbial creek. Nothing like local corruption and Federal incompetence to make things truly awful.

[a8151947]

What a *** HEAD. No body was ready for this, like no one was ready fo a lot of things. Go to hell, and die. You people are as dumb as they get.

[misssuzq]

"Give us a break, marcodele.

How many years did New Orleans have to prepare for a direct hit by a hurricane? 100? 200?
Katrina wasn''''t even a direct hit, and only a Cat 3 when it hit.

Nagin and Blanco share PLENTY of the blame for the New Orlean Fiasco. You can''''t lay it all on the Federal Govn''''t or Bush.

Nagin is pathetic, and if New Orleans re-elected him, they deserve him. Posted by hawksprings"

Perfect!

[misssuzq]

In addition to my previous email, how is it that you morons are making this into a political debate when it has NOTHING to do with politcal parties?

Get a life.

[misssuzq]

How can anyone be "prepared" for such a disaster?

The only thing that seems to have not been learned from the fire of 4 years ago, is that there was AGAIN military air power that was ready and MOST willing, even in the Santa Ana wind conditions, but the CDF pussyfooted and said AGAIN that they could not go up because of needing a certified spotter or something like that.

They may have been able to fly in that weather but AGAIN they were not given the chance as per Duncan Hunter on KUSI News last night (I am in San Diego) and there is no excuse!

After the loss of 3,000 homes and 15 deaths 4 years ago, the main reason it got out of control was the same issue of CDF wanting the glory. Well, they got it, but the wrong kind - they made it worse.

We did much better this time for this magnitude of area, except for this one piece of bureaucratic issue!

[bb19631]

Man power against mother nature, who is always gonna win?? Somethings are just out of our reach. I pray for the people who''s lives have been disrupted. God Bless you all.

[hawksprings]

CBS Headline: "World Ends Tomorrow - FEMA Unprepared."

Alternate CBS Headline: "World Ends Tomorrow - Women, Children, and Minorities Hit Hardest"

[robertkjjj]

HA HA, I love striking the %u201CNerve of Truth%u201D into the CBS lib posters out there, who THINK they know what Republicans are like because they once saw a Michael Moore movie. Look, you little bitter losers react like little venomous welfare brats because that is exactly what you are: little welfare brats. And, New Orleans is the single largest group of whining, impoverished, good-for-nothing losers this country has ever seen, and you libs who likely have never been there know NOTHING about Katrina or the truth surrounding it. Go ahead, run your little make-believe welfare state, whine whine whine. Stay unemployed, ignorant, and poor your whole life. Why should I care? Just don''t default on that $25/month payment to Dell for that piece of sh*t PC you have, or you won''t be online much longer.

[jsilver2th]

"Local Officials: California Was Unprepared"

But the President & Governor have been congratulating each other all day on the great job they are doing!

Oh I forgot the Governator is too busy trying to change the Constitution so he can be El Presidente...

[gretagreen]

As someone who has lived in both New Orleans and San Diego (and still lives in California), I would like to ask people to stop comparing the cities (which are both wonderful) and the people. Yes, New Orleans has many more poor residents than San Diego, but there are wonderful people in both cities.

Also, it''s way too early for anyone to start saying how wonderful California is in responding to a natural disaster. It ain''t over yet - and remember the tragic mess of the Katrina flood didn''t happen until after the hurricane.

I think we in California have had the benefit of learning a bit about disaster planning and caring about it more because of what happened in New Orleans. Louisiana and New Orleans politicians are terrible, but there''s a lot of great people down there and we saw some real heroes during Katrina.

[condumism]

Posted by mediapreachr
Half of the blame should go to the used car sales men posing as real estate agents

Trust me, real estate agents are no more than glorified used car salesmen, same as most Republicons.

[myidoncbs]

robertkjjj, said "The average San Diegan will call his insurance agent. The average N.O. person put his hand out and said "Where''s the government?"

You are such a tool! N.O. residents TRIED calling their insurance agents. Guess what? The insurance companies REFUSED to pay a dime!. If they do that in CA, you just watch: those "resourceful, intelligent, and well employed" (do you mean "white"?) people will be sticking their hands out, saying "Where''s the government"? !!!

The ONLY people who won''t be looking for help will be the "spoiled, wealthy liberal hollywood celebrities" your repug friends have been complaining so much about! Not necessarily because they''re such good people, but simply because they CAN afford to take care of their losses.

Republican governor Arnold FAILED to prepare for this inevitable event. Republican Bush sent all the national guard away on a fool''s errand. Now you repugs are already blaming the victims! Shame on you, you despicable, pathetic excuse for a human being!

Repugs are logically inconsistent, and just plain stu/pid, no matter what they''re talking about!