What does “culturally responsive” even mean?

FEMA ADMINISTRATOR CRISWELL: "We are working with our state and local partners to ensure that our outreach and our messaging is also culturally responsive." pic.twitter.com/RyuU5K4S9g

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) August 14, 2023

Hopefully it’s not merely a more artfully phrased version of what the dolt we have for a Vice President announced what official policy for Hurricane Ian recovery…

…“We have to address this in a way that is about giving resources based on equity, understanding that we fight for equality, but we also need to fight for equity. Understanding not everyone starts out at the same place, and if we want people to be in an equal place, sometimes we have to take into account those disparities,” she added.

…because that would be racist and that would be bad.

The administration caught it in the chops for that one and you would think they’d just say “We’re here to help everyone.” They can’t help themselves, being utterly incapable of dispensing with the pandering virtue signaling while standing on the smoking ruins of American lives.

But woohoo! $700!

JUST IN: Joe Biden vows to send a whopping $700 payment per household that was impacted by the Maui wildfires.

Can someone please explain to me why our leaders are so reckless with money sent to Ukraine but then pinch pennies when the money is spent on Americans?

Billions in… pic.twitter.com/XiyAMklB9S

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 14, 2023

I think they’d rather have a roof over their heads with field kitchens and sanitary facilities at the moment, you frickin’ putzes.

If they wanted to be “culturally responsive,” they could keep POTATUS at the White House for at least a week-long stretch, schmaybe even have him act like he’s “responsive” to the horrific events in an American state. But Regular Joe has plans and no town a’fire, 100 incinerated citizens, or almost 1300 missing is going to keep our common-touchy president guy from his hard-earned vacays every single week, no sir.

President Joe Biden jets off to ritzy Lake Tahoe on Friday for another summer vacation as the White House still hasn’t announced plans for him to visit fire-devastated Hawaii.

He didn’t answer questions about the issue when he returned to work on Monday after a weekend at the beach, after avoiding comment on the tragedy this weekend.

The president is scheduled to arrive in Lake Tahoe on Friday, August 18 and will stay there until the following Thursday, according to guidance from the White House.

Biden plans a ritzy Lake Tahoe vacation next week while refusing to take questions on the devastating fire that has killed 96 Americans https://t.co/ctNTfQKCcl

— Ben Owen🇺🇸 (@hrkbenowen) August 14, 2023

I sure hope no one kicks over a campfire in Tahoe and ruins it for him.

“Culturally responsive” would also mean getting things rolling so supplies come in, and desperate people can see progress. But, sheesh. It’s been how long now, and no one seems to really be on the stick federally as far as the challenges. Granted, this horrific disaster isn’t the sheer scope of an Ian, but the magnitude of getting relief experts and supplies to a scene of utter devastation and loss of life that sits 2500 miles in the middle of the Pacific Ocean presents enormous logistical challenges.

One of the questions we’ve asked each other repeatedly is “Where are the Marines? Why aren’t they using them?” There’s a big USMC aviation base in the islands – V-22s and Hueys at Kaneohe – plus tons of grunts with the fleet at Pearl.

There’s no sign of them, even though Biden supposedly activated them along with the National Guard, in a statement that, quite frankly, made no sense.

President Joe Biden has directed federal military resources to the Hawaiian island of Maui to respond to raging wildfires that have killed dozens of people as of Thursday morning and devastated communities there.

…The U.S. Coast Guard and the Navy’s 3rd Fleet – responsible for operations in the region – will support the search, rescue and response efforts and the Marine Corps has provided Blackhawk helicopters to help fight fires there, Biden said.

The Marine Corps has no Blackhawks outside of HMX-1 (major dad speculates he may have gotten confused with the Navy MH-60R Seahawks stationed there).

That was FIVE DAYS AGO and the Marines.com Twitter feed has zero – ZERO – relief effort tweets and it would be full. We LIVE for this stuff and do it very, very well.

It turns out, hubs and I weren’t mistaken asking “Where the hell is everybody?” Others are, too.

Apparently, Marines did fly in, got the basis of a CAC set up and…that’s been it.

…A small number of active-duty U.S. Marines have joined the effort to assist Maui’s recovery after last week’s devasting Lahaina wildfire.

Crews from Marine Aerial Refueler Squadron 153 flew active-duty service members from Oahu to Maui on Monday to establish a command-and-control element that will coordinate further U.S. military support.

The Hawaii National Guard, U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are already on the ground, but a larger U.S. active duty response needs a formal request from Hawaii to begin operations there. The establishment of a cell could signal a wider Defense Department effort is about to begin.

…The U.S. National Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Coast Guard are assisting with recovery efforts in the communities reeling from fires in Maui, Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said on Monday.

However, no active duty forced are involved yet, Ryder said. That raises questions as to why not — Hawaii is home to tens of thousands of active duty military personnel, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and major Navy and Air Force installations, with ships and aircraft that could assist in flying in supplies or personnel.

Ryder said those forces are ready to provide whatever support is requested by Hawaii, but that rushing in resources too quickly could create additional logistics problems for rescue operations on the ground.

Hawaii hasn’t “requested them” yet? Is that it? It has to be and are you frickin’ kidding me?!

The National Guard will do the terrific job they always do, but when you have such tremendous additional assets on hand – literally an embarrassment of riches – and don’t call them?

No one is better prepared and right there on the scene than Marines with everything they need to set up an expeditionary airfield and start those goods rolling in. They’re not taking over your island – they’re saving peoples’ lives. And then they leave.

Is this a Kathleen Blanco Louisiana-post-Katrina situation, where the governor and local authorities are stymying a rapid response?

Perhaps – and I’d hate to imagine it so – officials are feeling defensive over their collective culpability in the disaster itself- i.e. no sirens, no hydrant water, no wildfire prevention measures – and now they want to control everything from that point forward?

Guilty Hawaiian government blames global warming that never occurred.

Here's the NYTimes account.

Horrifying. Inexcusable government failure. Outrageous blame-shifting. 1/https://t.co/6Ein8yt6ul

— Steve Milloy (@JunkScience) August 15, 2023

It might explain this encounter Will Cain had yesterday.

Right now I am nowhere near search and rescue. I’m twelve miles from Lahaina. How is the entire West Side a media free zone? Is it no longer America? Constitution has been suspended?

— Will Cain (@willcain) August 15, 2023

I don’t know what’s going on. I only know that “culturally responsive” is virtue-signaling incompetent bull Schlitz when the only response has been silence, a vacation, and people in desperate straits acting independently to relieve their neighbors’ suffering.

Unconscionable.