[Hallicrafters] Re: Katrina. No Hams Allowed!?

[Zengmeiste at aol.com]

(heard on Coast-to-Coast AM 890 Chicago 4-5 SEP 2005)
(paraphrase)

  ....ham radio operators, who lent a massive communications assist during 
the 9/11 disaster, were apparently told to 'butt out' from rendering same to the 
rescue / c  & c et al folks working  in and around New Orleans...

HUH?  OK, correct my thinking here, but...why would the government
greet hams with open arms during 9/11 and then turn around and tell them to 
take a hike THIS time?  Doesn't make any sense to me.
The FIRST thing you need is inforMAtion, right?  No info => no action.
Anyone out there an ARES member?

Though many hams monitored critical frequencies being used during this 
crisis, they did not report encountering any sort of interference or signal jamming. 
 So...where did the (reported by FEMA personnel?) communications problems 
originate?

If there WERE commo problems and the on-site folks rejected assisatance... 
why the heck would they wanna DO that?
If there were NOT problem(s)...why would they claim there were?

This does not look kosher to me.
Please comment, clear up my misconceptions, add your own knowledge.  Either 
on-list or off. 
And thank you very much.

Terry Bakowski, no call yet, chagrined in Chicago