But don’t send the National Guard of Kansas, Gov. Sebelius says “Bush’s war” has depleted her Guard and it has forestalled any effective efforts at clean-up in tornado-ravaged Greensburg, Kansas.
The rebuilding effort in tornado-ravaged Greensburg, Kansas, likely will be hampered because some much-needed equipment is in Iraq, said that state’s governor.
Governor Kathleen Sebelius said much of the National Guard equipment usually positioned around the state to respond to emergencies is gone. She said not having immediate access to things like tents, trucks and semitrailers will really handicap the rebuilding effort.
The Greensburg administrator estimated that 95 percent of the town of 1500 was destroyed by Friday’s tornado.
The Kansas National Guard has about 40 percent of the equipment it is allotted because much of it has been sent to Iraq.
Asshat! Maybe she should check with the DoD before she runs her mouth.
Currently, the Kansas National Guard has 88 percent of its forces available, 60 percent of its Army Guard dual-use equipment on hand, and more than 85 percent of its Air Guard equipment on hand, said Randal Noller, public affairs officer for the National Guard Bureau. Under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which is a national partnership agreement that allows state-to-state assistance during governor or federally declared emergencies, Kansas has more than 400,000 Guardsmen available to it, he pointed out. However, Kansas has not yet requested assistance from other states.
Gotta love that last line. Where did she learn her Governorship skills at the Gov. Blanco School of Procrastination?
To be honest just how much does a destroyed town of 1600 need. Obviously to the BDS sufferer Sebelius 60% isn’t enough. Just as obvious these nitwits have taken that bait and swallowed the bait entirely.
Funny, when tornados ravaged Kansas in May 2003, two months after the start of the war, she wasn’t whining about a depleted National Guard.
Swayed be a large shift in public opinion much?
UPDATE: Kansas Senator Brownback, and presidential candidate weighs in on Gov. Sebelius comments:
Brownback said Tuesday that local officials and the Kansas National Guard commander all told him they have the resources needed to respond.
“That’s what really got me, is her saying that,” Brownback said in an interview.
“So I asked, privately and publicly, the adjutant general, do you have the equipment you need?” he said. “Because if you don’t, we’re going to hit Fort Riley and McConnell (Air Force Base) and other places to make sure we have all the equipment we need to respond to disasters. Everybody there said no, we have the equipment we needed.”
Hmmm… that looks like a dose of penicillin for Sebelius’ acute BDS.
And BTW, her fiery rhetoric doesn’t match her actions, out of the thousands of Guard at her disposal she’s only called up 110.
For the record this is the Guard inventory on hand (h/t Bob Owens)
Kansas has 88 percent of its state Guard forces available, and 83,000 Guardsmen from neighboring states are also on the ready should the state request their assistance, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Tuesday, citing National Guard Bureau statistics.
According to Whitman, the Kansas Guard have available 352 Humvees, 94 cargo trucks, 72 dump trucks, 62 five-ton trucks, 13 medium-haul trucks and trailers and 152 2 1/2-ton trucks, a surplus, he noted.
Gee, wonder just how much she thinks she needs for a town of 1600?
Would it be any surprise to learn her concern is not with Guard equipment available but aligning her acute BDS with previously stated anti-war stance?
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