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September 02, 2005
Katrina Comments
Two of the first foreign countries to come to the aid of the United States during this horrific Katrina crisis are – hold on to your hats – Venezuela, which is upping oil shipments, and France, which is supplying draining technology and the brain power needed to go with it.
Damn. Talk about not holding a grudge.
It’s real embarrassing that France and Venezuela came to the aid of the hurricane victims well before our president did.
Just in case somebody tries to tell you that our government’s response had nothing to do with race and class, let me share with you two amusing items:
On Thursday, four days after the shit hit the fan, President Bush finally left the Crawford estate and “took charge” of the situation. He said that nobody could have predicted the levies would break. Yeah, nobody except the Army Corps of Engineers (before he cut their budget), U. S. News and World Report, and a legion of weather forecasters, architects, college professor book writers, and about a million other professional malcontents. But I digress. Showing a lack of compassion that is worthy of a Friar’s Roast, Bush took note of the fact that one of Trent Lott’s houses was destroyed. Perhaps he was kidding. In the words of the president, “Heh, heh, heh.” Some joke, huh?
According to CBS News, on Friday 65 tourists holed up in a downtown hotel were taken from their hotel (a comfortable place compared to the convention center and the stadium) to an evacuation center where they were put at the head of the line. They swiftly boarded buses ahead of the starving, dehydrated poor and black people who have spent an entire workweek living in feces and urine among the dead bodies.
Meanwhile, pompous arrogant idiots are asking why these people – poor, black, elderly, and infirm – didn’t just get in their cars and drive away. I realize these fools have never been poor, black, elderly, or infirm, but you’d think that by now they would have seen a few on television.
If this is the best the Homeland Security people can do, we better start boning up on the Koran right now. Of course, most of our first lines of defense in such situations – our National Guard members – were otherwise engaged in oil-related activities.
Is this what compassionate conservatism is all about? Surely even Bush and his keepers could have done better than this. Certainly, with all our resources, we could have moved more swiftly.
Just wait. The Bushites will blame this on the Clintons.
Posted by Mike Gold at September 2, 2005 06:46 PM
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Comments
I'm sure the Clinton blaming is already going on somewhere out there. I also heard a soundbite from Rush this morning (not sure exactly when he said it), asking in exasperation why the poor people in New Orleans couldn't afford cars to get out of the city. Because they are poor people, you think?
And here's a question for you: how long will it take before even THIS discussion turns into a debate on abortion in this forum? Just wondering. I'm betting 10 comments.
Posted by: Jim Chadwick at September 2, 2005 07:24 PM
While Cheney is busy vacationing in Wyoming and Condi is theater-hopping and shoe shopping, Rove and the spin machine are cranking up to blame the Democrats, starting with the mayor or New Orleans.
But they may not put a great deal of effort into the blame game, because this episode simply underscores the basic philosophy of the Bush administration: the bidness of America is bidness, not helping people, since that costs money rather than making it.
When confronted with a woman who had lost everything, our President, the leader of the richest and most powerful nation in the world, suggested that she seek help from the Salvation Army.
I don't think we can dismiss this as just another case of his bumbling incompetence whenever he strays from the script. I think he's sending a strong and clear message: Don't count on the federal government. Spending large sums of money to help our own people in times of dire need is not on the agenda.
Posted by: Rick Oliver at September 2, 2005 07:42 PM
That's pretty good, Jim. I'm curious to see if we can link the abortion debate to Katrina. 10 comments, huh?
Now I can see getting to Clinton's blowjob within 6. Which, somehow, means we've got to get past Kevin Bacon first.
Posted by: Mike Gold at September 2, 2005 08:42 PM
It might not work this time, Rick. I think it's pretty easy to identify with Mayor Nagin's anger, and a lot of Bush supporters have never seen the time of images we've seeing on teevee this week. Nobody's seen this sort of thing coming from the United States. Decent people who have been concerned about the war in Iraq have got to wonder if we made the right decision keeping all those National Guard troops there after we busted Saddam.
Anderson Cooper will wind up being a fall guy. He lashed out at Trent Lott this evening, saying (I paraphrase) "these people aren't frustrated out here, Senator. They're dying." He simply wouldn't take any of Lott's bull. When asked about the troops in Iraq and if we're underprotected on the domestic front, Lott said the only people asking that question are the media. Cooper interrupted with "No, Senator. You're wrong. They are people right here on this block (in Mississippi)."
Posted by: Mike Gold at September 2, 2005 08:51 PM
I don't think attempts to blame the Democrats will work. I also don't think that's all that important to BushCo. Cheney doesn't even interrupt his vacation and fund-raising (for the party, not the hurricane victims)activities, and Condi goes on a shopping spree in the Big Apple.
They don't even bother to put on a facade of caring -- because in their dream version of America, the government is completely out of the "welfare" business, and they see disaster relief as just another onerous, expensive form of welfare.
Posted by: Rick Oliver at September 2, 2005 09:11 PM
Mike, Jon Stewart got to Clinton's blowjob last night -- typically, very effectively and very humorously. He said the difference between Bush's failing and Clinton's failing is that there weren't tens of thousands of people trapped in Monica Lewinsky's vagina.
Posted by: Julio Diaz at September 7, 2005 02:31 PM
who is the president of this country thats where the buck stops
Posted by: chuck at September 7, 2005 09:41 PM
Today, the international help (17 french soldiers today) arrive in Louisiana. That's good !
Do you know how many countries want help us ?
Cuba, Afghanistan, France, UK, Siera Leone, etc ALL countries of the world !
Posted by: Davout at September 11, 2005 02:07 PM
Au fait, guys, il parat que votre presse ne parle pas du tout de cette aide internationale !
C'est vrai ?!
J'espre que non, parceque sinon, a veux vraiment dire que c'est rien qu'une bande de vendus !!!
Posted by: Bbert at September 11, 2005 02:11 PM
In france and in europa, we are with you !!! Good luck ! (And FUCK Bush, saloperie de babouin de merde à la chiote !!!)
Posted by: Bebert at September 11, 2005 02:14 PM