Figures. Federal Employees Started One of Texas Fires But Obama Administration Still Won’t OK Disaster Relief
Posted by Jim Hoft on Saturday, May 14, 2011, 7:52 AM
Flames crest over a hill as part of the out of control wild fires in Palo Pinto County, Texas April 19, 2011. High winds and high temperatures are hampering the efforts of fire crews to contain the blaze. (REUTERS/Tim Sharp)
Federal employees started one of the devastating fires in West Texas recently but, the Obama Administration still won’t declare the region a disaster area despite the fact that 2.5 million acres have been burned.
Reuters reported:
The fight between Texas and Washington, D.C., over wildfires in the Lone Star State just got nastier.
A county official in the Texas Panhandle is now blaming a federal agency for starting one of the fires through carelessness.
Tom Edwards, the county attorney in rural Motley County east of Lubbock, said on Friday that the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives was responsible on Tuesday for sparking a fire that consumed 150 acres.
“You can quote me on it: That bunch has a real corner on stupid,” Edwards told Reuters.
Tom Crowley, a spokesman with the federal agency, said bureau officials were assisting four local bomb squads — at their request — to destroy some explosives. Firefighters were on hand, he said. The wind picked up, but the explosives were too dangerous to move, so the officials went ahead and destroyed the explosives.
“Unfortunately, a fragment ignited some grass,” Crowley said. “As far as the community, we’re working with them to let them know how to go about making a claim with the government.”
Texas Governor Rick Perry has publicly criticized the Federal Emergency Management Agency for declining the state’s request for a major disaster declaration for wildfires that have scorched some 2.5 million acres since November.
The Obama Administration sent aid to Mexico to battle a 386 square mile fire but refused to consider the 2.5 million acre fire in Texas a disaster area.
Gov. Rick Perry again yesterday renewed his emergency disaster proclamation for the fifth time since it was originally issued on Dec. 21, 2010 due to the ongoing threat of wildfires across the state. The renewed proclamation covers all 254 counties in Texas, and directs all necessary resources be made available to aid response efforts. Since the beginning of wildfire season, local and state firefighters have responded to more than 9,000 fires that have destroyed more than 400 homes and burned more than 2.5 million acres, an area the size of Rhode Island and Delaware combined.
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Published May 23, 2012 at 4:57 am - 64 Comments
Scott commented:
Fights on! Gov Perry is showcasing to the world the illegal, immoral, and fraudulent behavior of the Federal government.
mg4us commented:
Go on the offensive Gov Perry. .sue the Federal Government and keep this issue in the spotlight. .
Obama’s behavior is worst than the so called Bush Behavior during Katrina. . .
Scott commented:
Does anyone in the liberal media care to discuss the fact that we ship tens of billions out the door in foreign aid each year and yet Obama and the Feds are comfortable letting Texas burn? Anyone…I didn’t think so.
Scott commented:
Obama and his cabal of new-communists as well as the spineless Republican’s in Washington are going to reap what they sow…Rick Perry, Nikki Haley, Jim Demint, Sarah Palin and others are going to continue to shine a spotlight on these vermin who have ransacked the treasury, destroyed our schools, corrupted our people, opened our borders to invaders, destroyed our inner citiers…Washington will learn some goddamned respect for the states and our constitution or they will have to remake the flag with fewer stars. I’m looking forward to it…
Drider commented:
Hey, whats a federal employed arsonist and a few million acres of of wilderness got to do with such an awesome political plan that they currently have in place.I mean, I don’t see how the two could possibly be connected.
And anyhow, that federal employee will no doubt have a strongly worded letter of reprimand in his box today that will explicitly state that he needs to be more careful in not leaving any evidence that leads back to him/her.
workingclass artist commented:
“You can quote me on it: That bunch has a real corner on stupid,” Edwards told Reuters.”
Brilliant epitaph for the entire current Soetoro Administration….I will put this on a NOBAMA 2012 postit for the pump the next time I get gas…
just saying commented:
I for one will not support Obama in the next Presidential election. Gov Perry would not be asking for the aid if it was not needed. President Obama comes to our state (Tx) to campaign (yes that is exactly what he did and nothing more)and does not offer assistance. Yet, he wants our votes, go figure….Go Perry asked for help in securing the border and what has Tx rec’d, President Obama cracking jokes about a mote with Aligators. How unprofessional….No, I will not be voting for him….
workingclass artist commented:
postit campaign…
http://iowntheworld.com/blog/?p=75267
http://stopshouting.blogspot.com/2011/04/ten-rules-for-liberty-guerillas.html
Dale commented:
Oh President thin-skin is still upset over that local TX reporter who dared ask him the tough questions the mainstream / lamestream media REFUSES to ask him!!!!!!! He’s such a pathetic, immature child that holds a grudge. This is just pure EVIL!!! What a horrible, degenerate, third rate, banana republic president we have in Obama!!!!!! Perhaps he should call the wah-mbulence or 9 wah wah.
retire05 commented:
No one I know can find another instance of the Federal government denying a “disaster” request when the governor of a state requests it. But then, it is not suprising that Obama would do this to Texas. When our governor (Perry) requested Texas be finally reimbursed for the money Texas spent on Hurricane Ike recovery, as it was promised by the feds, he was denied. Yes, the feds did pay some of that recovery process, but the final, and biggest reimbursement payments were never made. Janet Napolitano personally told Governor Perry that the funds had been “reassigned” to other, more “needy” areas.
Think about this: Mexico got Obamahelp for 247,040 acres of fire damange. Texas has more than 10 times that amount, yet no federal declaration of a “disaster” although over 400 homes and 500 barns and other outbuildings have burned to a crisp. Two years ago, during another drought, over 30 homes burned in my area. It took FEMA seven weeks to even contact the home owners. By then, we locals had helped clean up the remains of their homes, find them places to live and help them gather furniture and other things necessary just to go through their daily lives. It became obvious then that the Obama FEMA was not interested in helping the people of Central Texas.
But the Texas legislation is clearly sending the message “Don’t Mess With Texas” to Obama; a Voter ID bill, a bill that makes sanctuary cities illegal and gives the AG the power to prosecute those city officials who refuse to enforce state, and federal, immigration laws, and now the “You Can’t Grope My Junk In Texas” bill passed just yesteray.
Big L commented:
Send the Texas state militia to block all access to Federal Buildings. Call it unsafe,or tag that the Federal emplyees may have started the fires and there is an investigation going on.
It can also be a “security area’ around Fed buildings and have the militia screen entrants and slow every thing down.
StrangernFiction commented:
#3 May 14, 2011 at 8:12 am
Scott commented:
Forget the liberal media, I don’t think the average Republican cares.
daryl commented:
The ATF has a history of starting things they can’t control here in Texas. Another liberal administration allowed them off their leash back in February ’93. That fire caused the death of eighty people.
workingclass artist commented:
#10
Agreed….What say we ( TX ) get OK,LA, and the gulf states to FL and y’know confederate…
( We can add the other energy states COAL…too….)
MAJ Mike commented:
Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms should be a convienence store, not a Federal agency.
Reaganite Republican commented:
Sue the Feds, Governor- why not
No coincidence that Texas HATES Obama- and the feeling’s surely mutual
Iconoclast commented:
Given their history of ‘successes’ (Ruby Ridge, Waco & Project Gunrunner being some of the more notorious) and the candid, off-record assessments I heard from friends in other DoJ agencies in the Reagan Administration, this latest SNAFU is really more the norm than anything – simply reported on a national rather than local level.
avery commented:
Like Obama said you need to punish your enemy.
Carbon Pootprint commented:
Well maybe when this azzhole lying Marxist is out of office Chicago will catch fire again and someone else can return the favor.
tommy mc donnell commented:
so you either toe the obama line or you do not get the federal government services your tax dollars paid for. sounds just like marxist russia. what are the elected texas democrats saying about this. are they toeing the party line. teddy kennedyism is strong in the democratic party.
hkchas commented:
Are we talking about federal aid for the same Texas who was going to secede from the union last month ? Boy have THEY changed their attitudes.
mike commented:
i guess you can now see why we want to secede. I for one have offered to donate money to whatever Gov Perry wants to set up to assist in fighting the wildfires so we don’t have to accept anything from this worthless scumbag of a president and person. I for one am all for secession as this federal government does more harm to the state of Texas than good. I says let’s go and good riddance to the once great USA but now dying of liberalism.
AuntieMadder commented:
@ #7 – I hope it didn’t take the punishing lil’ b!tch’s disciplining of Texas for being a red state that made you decide not to support Barky in 2012. I’m a third generation Texan and proud of it but, still, these actions or, more aptly, inactions he’s taken against Texas are mere icing on the cake to me. He’s just horrible at playing POTUS and has been since his coronation in Jan 2009. The only thing he’s gotten right in the last 28 months was the introduction of bin Laden to Justice and that’s only because the Navy SEALS did all the work while he stayed the hell out of their way. Otherwise, he would have screwed that up, too.
Anyway, I hope Gov Perry continues to make a lot of noise about Barky’s sh!tty treatment of Texas. At the same time, however, I don’t want him to go groveling or to “compromise” with Barky in any way. Texas has been around long before and has survived bigger and badder than Barky. Texas will still be standing strong long after Barky’s moved out of the White House, grown old, and died.
AuntieMadder commented:
@ #22 – Thanks, Mike. If I had something to donate, I would. But I’m poor as dirt nowadays, not even making ends meet. So much for the “recovery” part of “jobless recovery,” eh?
Stuart commented:
So what do you want us to do? Dig a moat around the fire? Maybe fill it with alligators? I’ll teach you dumb rednecks to oppose the Mighty One.
AuntieMadder commented:
@ #21 – We were going to secede last month? Hell, that’s the first I heard of that. What stopped us? Oh, well, it doesn’t matter. The point is that Texas is still part of the union, which is good news for California, New York and the other states that Texans support.
aprilnovember811 commented:
Does anybody feel as confused as I am as to why a blatant criminal is allowed to stay in office? He provided weapons to the drug cartels that killed two border agents, and now that same ATF did this?
Why isn’t this man being removed from office? He is not a president, he is a criminal.
Joanne commented:
Maybe Texans should gather up some alligators and let them lose on the Whitehouse lawn.
Chisum commented:
#21 May 14, 2011 at 11:49 am
hkchas commented:
Are we talking about federal aid for the same Texas who was going to secede from the union last month ? Boy have THEY changed their attitudes.
==================================
I wonder, how long would you continue to pay into a fund with the understanding that the pooled funds would be available to you in an emergency, and then you have an emergency and those funds are denied to you?
AND you are STILL required to CONTINUE to pay into the fund?
aeroguy48 commented:
@ #21 you maybe right. If us Texans would stop sending wasted money to the feds we could well afford our own firefighters. I would love the fact of the independent Nation of Texas gouging the US for oil and gas. Take that ya liberal/enviromental/commies. Us texas can well make it on our own
Liberty60 commented:
Why can’t Texas take care of itself?
Isn’t it one of those places that doesn’t want gummint hep?
I mean, us blue state folk already send more tax money to them than they send back- Jeez, haven’t they heard about Merikan self reliance?
Newt for Prez commented:
Some good funny rants here so I hate to spoil the fun, but FEMA has not denied Texas aid for its wildfires. Although FEMA has not issued a disaster declaration in the state of Texas which would then allow it to provide assistance to civilians. FEMA states that it “continues to support the state of Texas with 22 Fire Management Assistant Grant (FMAG) declarations, including 15 FMAGs since the beginning of April.”
As NBC’s Dallas-Ft. Worth affiliate reports, FEMA has provided aid that “[helps] firefighters pay for things such as equipment repairs, food and shelter.” As The Houston Chronicle states: This aid covers “75 percent of Texas’s costs for emergency response work.”
Like most Red states the Tax Foundation, a business-backed tax policy group, found that between 1981 and 2005 Texans paid about $147 billion in federal taxes in 2005 while the state received $149 billion in federal aid and other funding.