Lost
This country is lost. The way I see it, when thousands of people die and the reaction is for thousands more to begin looting and shooting at the helicopters trying to rescue them with their ten pairs of Nikes — while rich people argue the details of supply and demand and its effect fuel prices on an aviation mailing list I subscribe to, and the so-called leader of this country goes on television and says he “understands” what’s going on — I believe we are truly in the midst of the most serious reality-disconnect mode I’ve ever seen in my life.
Katrina has caused unbelievable damage to New Orleans, and the reaction of many of the (surviving) residents has been to sprinkle a little L.A. riots into the mix. Yes, it’s a totally irrational act, but the more I look at it, the more I see this as one more example of the chasm between our nation’s so-called leadership and the needs of everyman. These people are PISSED OFF, and I can’t say I blame them.
I got a little upset when this morning’s Center for American Progress newsletter used the Katrina situation to make Bush look bad, but then again, this country’s handling of this disaster — from the preparedness beforehand to the outraged reaction of the residents in the aftermath — is an excellent little view into the priorities of this idiotic President of ours and his complete lack of compassion or understanding of what he is doing to this nation of ours.
I am sad today.
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9 comments
Rob, nobody has to make Bush look bad. He can do that all by himself. Know what he was doing as Katrina was taking out NO and other parts of the south?
http://news.yahoo.com/photo/050830/480/capm10208301856
There was a guy Nero way back when. Now let’s see…any relation?
Not to worry though. Bush sent Miss Condi to NYC to work on the economic situation:
http://www.gawker.com/news/condoleezza-rice/index.php#breaking-condi-rice-spends-salary-on-shoes-123467
I guess she figured she could give her old shoes to the people swimming around the floodwaters.
If Bush isn’t mentally retarded, I’ll eat my hat. But, I need to see the IQ score first. Of course, that does not say much for the people who voted for him. Worst president of my lifetime [to the third power].
Man,,, The billions and billions we’re spending to fight a war in Iraq and to build oil pipelines in Afghanistan, and there are Americans dying in the Gulf because we can’t get them water.
Very sad, indeed.
Phillip, not only the money but think of all the reserve and army units (plus their equipment) which are unavailable to help. Off the top of the head, there are what? 135,000 troops in Iraq. Aprox. 2,000 dead and 10,000 injured. That’s A LOT of people that would be capable of evacuating folks, doling out supplies, and yes, even keeping order down there. Let’s hope that after this pitiful exhibition, the GOP will get a swift a kick in the ass in 06.
Also, we knew this was coming. What happens in case of disastrous terror attack? Is it pet goat reading, guitar strumming, and shoe shopping time app over again?
No doubt… From the Wall Street Journal yesterday:
“The scene was starkly different in Florida a year ago, after Charley and Frances roared in. Then, federal agencies pulled off a tour-de-force rescue, quickly pouring in billions of dollars to help distressed residents and more still after two more storms, Ivan and Jeanne, followed. President Bush visited the scene within 48 hours. Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the President’s brother, took personal responsibility for managing much of the relief effort. While Floridians experienced delays and frustrations, FEMA generally received high marks. Tractor trailers with ice, water and other supplies waited at the state border until the storms passed and then rushed to the hardest hit areas. National Guard troops were on the scene quickly directing traffic, keeping looters out of damaged neighborhoods and throwing ice in people’s car trunks. Aid stations opened to serve food and take applications for cash grants. The Bush administration said Wednesday that the federal government was responding just as quickly and effectively now.”
Also, FL is a swing state and the gov is “in the family.” If ever there was an example of the emperor has no clothes, this is it. Let’s hope Katrina’s wind blew away the fog that Bush supporters have been living in and they can finally see the reality. This gives me thread of hope:
http://img393.imageshack.us/img393/2760/gallupcharts25jp.gif
Generally agreed, but Florida also doesn’t sit below sea level. The experts have been saying for years and years and years that “the big one” would devastate New Orleans with much loss of life and property and the only solution to avoid it is to get out of town. Then it happens and we’re all supposed to be surprised??
True, the city is below sea level, but the levees were scheduled to be reinforced to withstand a Cat 5 storm. Funding was cut due to the Iraq war. This is not back page stuff. I saw headlines in papers to that effect. Here is an article but there others.
http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1001051313
—-Excerpt—-
Over the next 10 years, the Army Corps of Engineers, tasked with carrying out SELA, spent $430 million on shoring up levees and building pumping stations, with $50 million in local aid. But at least $250 million in crucial projects remained, even as hurricane activity in the Atlantic Basin increased dramatically and the levees surrounding New Orleans continued to subside.
Yet after 2003, the flow of federal dollars toward SELA dropped to a trickle. The Corps never tried to hide the fact that the spending pressures of the war in Iraq, as well as homeland security — coming at the same time as federal tax cuts — was the reason for the strain. At least nine articles in the Times-Picayune from 2004 and 2005 specifically cite the cost of Iraq as a reason for the lack of hurricane- and flood-control dollars.
—-
See, what we have is a country where most people don’t believe in putting something aside for a rainy day, and Katrina was a monsoon.
Exactly… I’m not surprised about the severity of the storm; I’m surprised and saddened by the lack of help received by those who need it. I mean how is it that resources and supplies have not been able to reach people who have been reached by every news/media outlet that tried?
Hey Rob;
Great points as usual! What we are seeing in this country (and Katrina shines the light brightly) is the effect of 25 years of right wing conservative policies that have cut back the federal government’s responsibility to its citizenry. This started with Reagan. The Clinton Presidency was a small bump in the road for the right wing jugernaut.
People shooting back at the government? Americans shoot each other every day. Why? Because the NRA and its members believe that their right to pack as much heat as they want supercedes the right of children to not have their school waxed with gunfire from an alienated kid who has easy access to significant firepower. Or for people to live in safe neighborhoods. Their right to guns is more important than the rights of the people who were killed by the DC shooter and the people who are killed in our inner cities every day.
I’m a hunter, (although I haven’t done much in the last twenty years or so). I am not a “ooooh guns are awful” liberal. We need to have common sense gun control but that ain’t happenin anytime soon. I get frustrated that, without exception, while the “liberal media” loves that sensationalism of murders and school shootings there is never never never a critique about the availability of guns!!! The media explores the dark personalities of the perps and the security at the schools. They interview bystanders and survivors but no one ever questions the holy grail of gun rights in this country. I don’t expect the subject to come up in regard to the shooting in New Orleans either.
One other point about gun totin wackos. Another current that courses through their paranoid minds is their need to be able to defend themselves from the government ie. Michigan Militia, David Koresh from Waco and our good friends from the Oklahoma City bombings. Perhaps the shooters in the Big Easy are doing just that.
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