Congress must establish an independent Katrina Commission, modeled after the 9/11 Commission, to unflinchingly assess the failures and successes of government responses to the disaster and make us safe.

If you agree with this, go here to sign this petition.

Personally, I don’t feel that the United States is safer since we sent troops to Iraq. It doesn’t make me feel safe knowing that a large number of National Guard, including Reserves, are in the Middle East.

To be fair, I don’t think the Bush Administration bears primary responsibility for devestation and loss of life in Louisiana and Mississippi, but I think it’s clear that there were supposed to be multiple safety nets, and every one of them failed significantly. If state and local organizations and facilities are overwhelmed, disorganized, or if they just plain fail, there should be federal resources to bring in.

I guess it’s clear how I feel about the “government should be as small as possible” mantra of the Republicans. It’s crap. It’s not-so-secret code for “Don’t tax the rich. You poor people are on your own.”