Folk Hero Sheriff could face criminal charges

[rtd2]

Maybe if the idiots who are FEMA had been doing the job properly for which they were paid, the sheriff wouldn't have had to go to extremes.

If they prosecute him, FEMA should be under prosecution for their criminal mishandling of the situation.

Wow - so many negative opinions about FEMA.

From personal experience, though, and in great discussion with many in my community, FEMA actually did pretty darn good, considering the unprecedented event with which they were confronted. Anyway, I've yet to find ANY government agency who gets it right every time - all the time. And especially the "first time".

The event was (and in many cases still is) simply and completely - overwhelming...

I agree Ixolib! No complaints from me on Fema. House Inspector was at my parents door on Sept. 2! Less than 4 days they had an initial deposit to survive and begin the rebuilding.( I work at Keesler AFB and had nearly 1 month off paid.) After 460 hurs I had them back in there home before thanksgiving (They were WELL outside Fema flood zone and got 5 ft of water! State farm only paid them for the roof! )W/O fema they would Not have been able to rebuild yet~

[LSU2001]

I was under the impression that the National Guard were under orders from the state powers. FEMA should not have had any control over the Guard until such time the State powers gave them that power. As far as handcuffing it is not assault. Policemen routienly handcuff suspects or people that they are confronting not out of fear or anger simply to help control the situation. Handcuffing is NOT hurting someone it is exerting control and is done for the safety of everyone involved.

As far as calling the National Guardsman a US soldier, I do not consider the Guard, when called up for state emergencies, a US soldier. At that point he/she is a member of the State Militia and is controlled only by the Gov. of the State. When mobilized for National Defense ie Iraq, the Guardsman is a US Soldier. Semantics really but thats how I feel.

I may be very far off base here but I think I am correct in my thinking.
TIm

[sunny]

I was under the impression that the National Guard were under orders from the state powers. FEMA should not have had any control over the Guard until such time the State powers gave them that power. As far as handcuffing it is not assault. Policemen routienly handcuff suspects or people that they are confronting not out of fear or anger simply to help control the situation. Handcuffing is NOT hurting someone it is exerting control and is done for the safety of everyone involved.

As far as calling the National Guardsman a US soldier, I do not consider the Guard, when called up for state emergencies, a US soldier. At that point he/she is a member of the State Militia and is controlled only by the Gov. of the State. When mobilized for National Defense ie Iraq, the Guardsman is a US Soldier. Semantics really but thats how I feel.

I may be very far off base here but I think I am correct in my thinking.
TIm

My nephew is in the LA Guard, and I consider them soldiers anytime they put that uniform on. Stateside or overseas. They were brought home a month early to help with the hurricane recovery. It was debated whether or not they would be under state or federal orders. They ended up under state orders.

[greeng13]

i thought it was federal...but my point before was that a "county sherrif" does not have authority over a state appointed member of the armed services.

they (Nat'l Guard) are under authority of the governor of the state (MS in this case) and this captain--i believe he was--is under orders from his superior officers...not Billy Bob from the county "XYZ"...

[LSU2001]

I was under the impression that the National Guard were under orders from the state powers. FEMA should not have had any control over the Guard until such time the State powers gave them that power. As far as handcuffing it is not assault. Policemen routienly handcuff suspects or people that they are confronting not out of fear or anger simply to help control the situation. Handcuffing is NOT hurting someone it is exerting control and is done for the safety of everyone involved.

As far as calling the National Guardsman a US soldier, I do not consider the Guard, when called up for state emergencies, a US soldier. At that point he/she is a member of the State Militia and is controlled only by the Gov. of the State. When mobilized for National Defense ie Iraq, the Guardsman is a US Soldier. Semantics really but thats how I feel.

I may be very far off base here but I think I am correct in my thinking.
TIm

My nephew is in the LA Guard, and I consider them soldiers anytime they put that uniform on. Stateside or overseas. They were brought home a month early to help with the hurricane recovery. It was debated whether or not they would be under state or federal orders. They ended up under state orders.

Sunny I most definitly agree that they are SOLDIERS and I have a tremendous amount of respect for them. I did not mean to sound like I was discounting their service. What I was trying to do was draw the distinction between their duties/orders/chain of command. In a natural disaster the Guard is under command of the state until such time the GOVERNOR turns over such control. Blanco refused to turn over command in this state (wrongly so I believe) The feds did not issue orders to our La. Guardsmen. Active duty troops are an entirely different matter.
TIm

[LSU2001]

Well it sure is odd greeng13 that the same county sheriff can arrest the same federally appointed or state appointed officer during normal times. He can also "hold" him for a short period of time without charge. I am not saying what he did was right or was even legal. What I am trying to say is that many, many people were acting with little guidance in a situation that can only be described as hellish. It seemed for days after Katrina that the Feds were holding things up more that Helping. I tried to go to NOLA with my boat along with about 200 others with boats AFTER appeals for help went out. We got as far as Laplace and were turned around. we were told the FEDS had the situation well under control. The next day they were begging for more help. We were desperate to help and were turned away by the FEDS. So My personal opinion of the FEDS is for awhile they did not realize the impact of the storm or its aftermath and were not responding correctly. Maybe the sheriff had the right plan but not the proper clearance to act. He took matters into his own hands and will pay the consequences. I would rather act rightly and suffer than act wrongly and stay safe.
JMHO
Tim

FEDS+State+Local officials

[caribepr]

As much as I can appreciate Billy's stance. Cuffing a Soldier is simply not right and should not be tolerated.

Paul

Gotta agree with you Paul. While Bill was doing what he thought he needed to do, this soldier was doing what he was ordered to do.

Maybe I've lived in the islands too long but this statement just stuns me. Doing what a man considers right, not for his own benefit but for his community, versus a man ordered, regardless of his own feelings, to prevent help being given where help is needed? Where have we heard this justification before? I'd really like to know how the National Guard guy responded. If he was anything like the National Guard guys I met in Miami post Hugo, he was holding out his arms and clasping his hands together....

[sunny]

As much as I can appreciate Billy's stance. Cuffing a Soldier is simply not right and should not be tolerated.

Paul

Gotta agree with you Paul. While Bill was doing what he thought he needed to do, this soldier was doing what he was ordered to do.

Maybe I've lived in the islands too long but this statement just stuns me. Doing what a man considers right, not for his own benefit but for his community, versus a man ordered, regardless of his own feelings, to prevent help being given where help is needed? Where have we heard this justification before? I'd really like to know how the National Guard guy responded. If he was anything like the National Guard guys I met in Miami post Hugo, he was holding out his arms and clasping his hands together....

Stuns you? How? That this National Guard soldier was following his orders? I am stunned by YOUR statement. I'm not sure what kind of National Guard you dealt with in Miami, but I can assure you that the National Guard put on duty here took their orders very seriously.

Furthermore, why is this becoming the "National Guardsman" was in the wrong? The Guard was brought in to help with the recovery, to help maintain control in a chaotic situation. I find it amazing that some are trying to make this situation the Guardsman's fault.

[caribepr]

As much as I can appreciate Billy's stance. Cuffing a Soldier is simply not right and should not be tolerated.

Paul

Gotta agree with you Paul. While Bill was doing what he thought he needed to do, this soldier was doing what he was ordered to do.

Maybe I've lived in the islands too long but this statement just stuns me. Doing what a man considers right, not for his own benefit but for his community, versus a man ordered, regardless of his own feelings, to prevent help being given where help is needed? Where have we heard this justification before? I'd really like to know how the National Guard guy responded. If he was anything like the National Guard guys I met in Miami post Hugo, he was holding out his arms and clasping his hands together....

Stuns you? How? That this National Guard soldier was following his orders? I am stunned by YOUR statement. I'm not sure what kind of National Guard you dealt with in Miami, but I can assure you that the National Guard put on duty here took their orders very seriously.

Furthermore, why is this becoming the "National Guardsman" was in the wrong? The Guard was brought in to help with the recovery, to help maintain control in a chaotic situation. I find it amazing that some are trying to make this situation the Guardsman's fault.

The Nat'l Guards I met in Miami took their jobs extremely seriously. They were told they would be there three days, some were there for months, despite huge interference with their personal lives. MANY rules/orders were broken for the sake of getting help to people as needed, because no one had a clue what it was going to be like, they adapted to the scene and did what needed to be done. I have huge respect for the men and women I met and how they handled things at a very crazy time.
I personally am not blaming the guy (I have no clue what his response was or how the thing played out between him and the sheriff), I am just saying, there are times that orders are wrong for certain situations - and I saw over and over again where the right thing to do was done, despite *official* word coming down from those who weren't even close to knowing what was going on. Hell, most of the people THERE didn't know!

[Dionne]

Alot of us here in Mississippi want to know more about the soldier. There simply isn't any information available. Alot of rumor but nothing viable.

We do know that nobody in Mississippi wanted to prosecute Billy.....so the case got moved to Baton Rogue.

[sunny]

Well Dionne, it was the sheriff brought up on charges, not the guardsman.

[Dionne]

You got me there.....sunny.

But let me make a bold prediction. The Good Samaritan Law. I know this is not civil and is at the federal level. There is a Gag order in place. There is nothing in the papers down here as "news".......the only thing we see are commentary.

And the comments published are coming in not only nationwide......Billy McGees actions have captured alot of readers. Billy is the UnderDog. Billy is Robin Hood.

Billy is a soft spoken multiple term sheriff in south Mississippi. The Fed's have popped him.....but do you really think it's gonna stick?

[sunny]

You got me there.....sunny.

But let me make a bold prediction. The Good Samaritan Law. I know this is not civil and is at the federal level. There is a Gag order in place. There is nothing in the papers down here as "news".......the only thing we see are commentary.

And the comments published are coming in not only nationwide......Billy McGees actions have captured alot of readers. Billy is the UnderDog. Billy is Robin Hood.

Billy is a soft spoken multiple term sheriff in south Mississippi. The Fed's have popped him.....but do you really think it's gonna stick?

I have no doubt that Billy was acting in the best interest of the people there. I realize the situation there was VERY bad. Billy did what he thought needed to be done. My only quarrel is the fact that he cuffed the guardsman. And I'll tell you why. My nephew is in the Guard. Spent almost a year on the ground in Baghdad. Was brought home three weeks shy of a year - and was put directly into the hurricane recovery zone. This was the situation with A LOT of these guardsman. I know Brandon, I know his heart. Those poor people were going crazy over in the Middle East worrying about their families here. I don't know this particular guardsman's story, but imagine spending all of that time being shot at, being bombed, then coming home to TRY to help and getting slapped with cuffs for following your orders. WHICH is what they are trained to do. How would you feel if this were you?

[Dionne]

sunny......I'm an Infantry veteran......dual MOS 11B/51M. I was about to be drafted and volunteered.

If anyone had tried to take my weapon and surrender my guard.....there would have been a conflict.

The reason I want to know more about this Captain in the Guard is because I do not understand why he submitted?

I can understand how the distribution of ice got all screwed up....Heck, everything was upside down.

I do not understand a soldier surrendering on his own turf.

We don't know the whole story.

[sunny]

I'd be curious myself Dionne. I won't tell you what Brandon said when I told him about this story, but I'm sure you can guess

We have our own situation here with my local Police Chief regarding Katrina that I keep waiting to explode. And when it does, oh boy......

Controversial? You bet. Do I agree with his stance? Yes. So I do understand Billy's people standing by him, especially when what he wanted was to get help to people.

[alicia-w]

I was under the impression that the National Guard were under orders from the state powers. FEMA should not have had any control over the Guard until such time the State powers gave them that power. As far as handcuffing it is not assault. Policemen routienly handcuff suspects or people that they are confronting not out of fear or anger simply to help control the situation. Handcuffing is NOT hurting someone it is exerting control and is done for the safety of everyone involved.

As far as calling the National Guardsman a US soldier, I do not consider the Guard, when called up for state emergencies, a US soldier. At that point he/she is a member of the State Militia and is controlled only by the Gov. of the State. When mobilized for National Defense ie Iraq, the Guardsman is a US Soldier. Semantics really but thats how I feel.

I may be very far off base here but I think I am correct in my thinking.
TIm

When a state emergency is declared by the governor, he/she may activate the National Guard. I've taken every FEMA class available and dont recall (nor can I find) any reference where the governor would delegate control of the Guard to FEMA. (Why would that happen?) In any case, the fed and state agencies are supposed to work together....

[debbiemo2]

I live in Hattiesburg, MS (Forrest County) and I can tell you that Sheriff McGee is definitely a hero here.

Here in the city of Hattiesburg, we had banks and other businesses that somehow got trucks of ice and water in here right after the Katrina. I don't think that was the case the outlying areas of the county, though.

I have the highest regard for the National Guard...my husband retired from it about 6 years ago...and that soldier was only doing what he had been ordered to do. The fact that he was handcuffed does not please me.

However...I think Sheriff McGee really felt that lives were at stake and he was willing to take what punishment came to him. My understanding is that he was getting calls or messages that there were people who were dependent on insulin, people who had babies that needed formula kept cool, etc.....that weren't getting any help. He found this ice sitting at Camp Shelby and tried to get it sent out to these people. He was told to call a number to get it released....which he did...four or five times...with no answer. He then decided to take matters in his own hands and get help to his people...which he did.

I hope this will be resolved with no punishment for Sheriff McGee. I just don't think he deserves it.

And to the person that asked what the big deal about ice is....you obviously have never had no electricity and water in 100 degree plus (heat index) weather!

This may not be the place to do it....(I'm kind of learning my way around this site)...but my fellow Mississippians on the Coast...my heart goes out to you!! We use to live in Pass Christian and I so loved that town and the entire coast. I cried when we finally got pictures of down there. New Year's Day, my husband and I went down to check it out. Pictures do describe it! I've never seen anything like what our coast looks like now...and I hope I never do again.

But I'm so proud of my fellow Mississippians....we are fighters...we will build back. Hattiesburg was pretty devastated...nothing like the coast, though. We're coming back to normal, slowly but surely. You guys will too...just going to take some time.

Debbie

[Downdraft]

A public apology to the National Guardsman who got handcuffed and that's it. This should never see the inside of a court room. In the words of another soldier, "lets not get stuck on stupid."

[timNms]

I believe that the good Sheriff did what he had to do. But, I believe that those supplies could have been destined for points beyond that county. The residents of that county were not the only ones dealing with unpleasant conditions.

Many others were faced with much worse circumstances.

The arrest of the soldier was an abuse of power (imo).

I'm not sure that anyone can expect favorable treatment after hijacking anything from a Federal Compund.

I believe that the US attorney's action/inaction in this case must consider the circumstances that caused Sheriff McGee to do what he did while also considering how the decision in the McGee case will affect future events when a local officer considers redirecting material/supplies that are under the custody and control of the Federal government.

If I'm not mistaken, those trucks had been sitting there for quite a while...days, maybe? In my opinion, if they were destined for other places, they should not have been sitting there for that long. I think Mr. Mcgee did what should have been done. I only wish Covington County's sheriff had done the same thing. We didn't see ice, water, or food from FEMA or the Red Cross until Saturday afternoon following the storm. At the hospital where my wife works, they were having to tend to patients using flashlights. There was no water to give the patients, no ice for the patients, and no airconditioning (one of the hospital's generators malfunctioned). Thankfully, Sam's trucked some bottled water in for the hospital a few days after the storm.

[timNms]

I agree something should have been done... that something is meet with the soldier's commanding officer.


I would not mind the sherriff getting LIFE to send an example that our brave soldiers will not be treated this way by local officials who simply do not agree with their orders from their superiors

Something was done. At least the sheriff tried to follow the chain of command, but when he couldn't get through after numerous tries, he did what had to be done.

Brave soldiers? How brave does one have to be to guard an ice truck? Don't get me wrong. I appreciate those men and women who are willing to give their lives for our country, but guarding an ice truck does not fall into the same catagory as "protecting our country". I imagine when all is said and done, we'll see that there is more to it than meets the eye.

It's very easy for some to sit in judgement when they have not been in the situation that MANY people in rural south Mississippi experienced immediately following Katrina. South Mississippians were not prepared for what Katrina threw at us because no one, including the experts, expected it to be this bad this far inland. But it was, and Sheriff McGee did what he had to do to protect and take care of those who voted him into office. I don't care if the guy he handcuffed was president Bush. If that was what it took to see to it that the ice got where it needed to go, then so be it. What good was the ice doing just sitting there for days? How long were the powers-that-be planning to let the trucks sit there?

Until you've walked a mile in that man's shoes, you really can't pass judgement on him. Until you've been in the same situation that those of us in rural south Mississippi were in, you can't say what you would have done. I wonder just how many lives Sheriff McGee saved by doing what he did? I just wish someone in my county had had the backbone to do the same thing. Perhaps my uncle would still be alive today if we'd had a hero like Mr. McGee!