In the days to come, as the nation copes with the disastrous aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, we will be reminded how important it is to have a federal agency capable of dealing with natural catastrophes of this sort. ... Which makes it all the more difficult to understand why the country's premier agency for dealing with such events - FEMA - is being, in effect, systematically downgraded and all but dismantled by the Department of Homeland Security.

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/090105J.shtml