Horse With No Name

The charges: criminal negligence, incompetence and forgery.

FEMA director Michael "Brownie" Brown is not only aloof and incompetent but he is also a liar. Time Magazine reports that Brownie's resume contains several embellishments to put it lightly:

Before joining FEMA, his only previous stint in emergency management, according to his bio posted on FEMA's website, was "serving as an assistant city manager with emergency services oversight." The White House press release from 2001 stated that Brown worked for the city of Edmond, Okla., from 1975 to 1978 "overseeing the emergency services division." In fact, according to Claudia Deakins, head of public relations for the city of Edmond, Brown was an "assistant to the city manager" from 1977 to 1980, not a manager himself, and had no authority over other employees. "The assistant is more like an intern," she told TIME. "Department heads did not report to him." Brown did do a good job at his humble position, however, according to his boss.

Not only does he fail to mention his three-year gig at the International Arabian Horse Association (from which he was fired) but he claims to have experience in disaster and emergency management. Well, at least he's good at making creative resumes:

Brown's lack of experience in emergency management isn't the only apparent bit of padding on his resume, which raises questions about how rigorously the White House vetted him before putting him in charge of FEMA. Under the "honors and awards" section of his profile at FindLaw.com — which is information on the legal website provided by lawyers or their offices—he lists "Outstanding Political Science Professor, Central State University". However, Brown "wasn't a professor here, he was only a student here," says Charles Johnson, News Bureau Director in the University Relations office at the University of Central Oklahoma (formerly named Central State University). "He may have been an adjunct instructor," says Johnson, but that title is very different from that of "professor."

I'm actually surprised that the media is going after him so vociferously. Brownie's position is cronyism at its most despicable incarnation. He got the job as head of FEMA because he was a college roommate of Joe Allbaugh, President Bush's 2000 campaign manager.

The Bush regime has transformed the United States into a third world country in which the president's childhood friends and cousins are awarded cabinet positions on the basis of pure nepotism alone. I wouldn't mind if Brownie actually knew something about emergency management, but his actions over the past ten days have proved otherwise.

hurricane katrina katrina michael brown

Comments

[exegesis]

Don't the Republicans pride themselves on the virtues of work? Only those of us who do not take four week vacations, pad our resumes, or get hired for jobs with no qualifications based on political connections get screwed in the end.

[mags]

I'm with you. Pleasantly surprised at all this Investigative Journalism Lite that is going on surrounding Brownie!

Let's hope it continues and filters upward, eh?

Have a wonderful weekend, Agi!

[karen]

They just removed him from being in charge of hurricanes, but he is still the head of FEMA. Strange and bizarre that they even slapped his wrist. They must be running a little scared.

[mandt]

A brownie by another name would have been flushed by now! M

[HelenWheels]

What a doofus that guy is. If he had any human decency at all, he'd resign. What am I saying? These freaks don't know the first thing about human decency. Last night on the news I heard shrub was making another visit to NO. My first thought was, "oh god now there will be more delay in getting aid to folks." Something is very very wrong with that...

[jahf]

Yeah, but he got his, didn't he? And in a month or two, he'll be off to head the next agency into a face plant. And he will get paid for that too. And out of your pocket. (Don't believe me? Look at your paystub, in the column that says "Fed Tax." If you're lucky enough to be working.)

CEO's who get rewarded to run their organizations into the ground -- doesn't that sound familiar?

We like to point the finger at George Bush for all of shit that's going down. But, frankly, with 62 million or so sheeple who helped to put in office a known deserter and liar with undisguised agenda to enrich himself and his handlers by raping the people of the nation and the world, I must say that we're only getting what we asked for.

"Deserve's got nothin' to do with it." --Will Munny, Unforgiven