Tuesday, September 13, 2005

An Ugly Feeding Frenzy

Well, here we are 16 days after the devistation of Hurricane Katrina and there are signs of hope emerging from the sorrow and dispair of a week ago.

That's the good news: the bad news is the unchecked Bush Bashing continues to spiral out of control. Very little being done about the astounding lapses BEFORE the hurricane hit - very much being done about the 24 hours afterwards, most of it factually suspect, at best.

There's one thing about this President that has astounded me again and again, and that is the way he comes under attack for EVERYTHING. It's like watching a National Geographic special on the Discovery Channel about wild animals and the feeding frenzy. First the predators, the lions and the tigers, what have you, attack the antelope. The preadtors tear at the flesh, violently ripping the carcass to pieces, thier faces covered in blood.

After the predators are full, the vultures swoop in and gnaw at what flesh the predators have left behind. They fall over themselves to get at whatever remains. Then, when the vultures are done, the maggots and other vermin move in and reduce the carcass to dust.

What we have in the wake of the Katrina disaster is a feeding frenzy. The Democrats are acting as the predators, ripping the President apart for not acting fast enough (I guess rather than formulate a game plan once the damage became apparent, he should have just send in about 50 volunteers with mops on Tuesday morning). The press immediately swooped in like the willing partners / vultures that they are, and have contnued a relentless attack (while almost totally ignoring the REAL issue - the failures at state and local levels to evacuate properly BEFOREHAND) that has been so over-the-top that it has bordered on ridiculous. Then you have the maggots and vermin (the opprotunists and activists) chiming in with the usual race-baiting and class-warfare.

When you see hundreds of school buses sitting under water in New Orleans on the morning after the hurricane hits, and you hear the mayor acting like a petulant five-year-old who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar ("Don't blame ME! It was Bush's fault we didn't have any plan for getting people OUT of the Superdome!"), you know where the REAL problem was.

When you have Newsweek putting out one of the most SHAMEFUL things I have EVER seen - an issue with a crying, black child on the cover, and a main report based entirely on hearsay and third-party "sources that didn't want to give their name(s)" - you know the media is officially out of control.

Of course, in an era when a major network reports a made-up story based on falsified documents, should anyone be surprised? No, not really...but then you pick up Newsweek and you realize that the enemies of this President have the media in their hip pocket. And yes, I believe they are vibrating.

Saturday, September 10, 2005

I'm Back, Baby

Well, here we are back from Lake George and none the worse for wear. As soon as I can figure out how this picture posting thingy works, I will post some up for all of you.

Long week, just unwinding...more later.

Friday, September 02, 2005

Chaos Theory

It's been a while since the last update, as work has been crazy. Just thought I'd post something, it's been a crazy couple of weeks, hasn't it?

As everyone watches in horror at the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, everyone should donate a little something to the American Red Cross - we haven't had a disaster of this scope in this country since 9/11, and these people really need help.

Of course, any time you have something like this, it brings out the best and worst in people. No need to go over the startling madness and chaos that has been reigning in New Orleans since the city was flooded out. One gets a massive sense of disappointment watching scores of people more interested in grabbing some videos out of the local Blockbuster than helping their next door neighbor. What, pray tell, do you intend to do with those videos? The radios? The TVs? Plug them into the water? Thank goodness the equally-devistated residents of surrounding areas seem to be less inclined to stuff thier pockets with packets of Tang.

Naturally, it didn't take long for the usual suspects to start making political hay out of this. Any excuse to bash President Bush. NO ONE expected the level of destruction that was left in Katrina's wake; even the Weather Channel was saying pithy things Sunday night like, "the hurricane seems to be weakening and may go to the east of Louisiana".

Apparently, the President is ALSO supposed to be Kreskin and should have known that this was going to happen. In fact, he should have flown Air Force One into the eye of Katrina and landed on Bourbon Street - at which time he should have blinked 40,000 National Guard troops there instantly, Jeannie-style.

I find it fascinating that the same cast of characters that were giving Bush shit for going to Florida last year after the hurricanes to survey the damage are now bitching that he should have been in Louisiana while the winds were still blowing. He's damned if he does and he;s damned if he doesn't. We haven't had a natural disaster like this in decades, and people are using it as a political football. Incredible.

It's almost at the point now where I'm waiting for Cindy Sheehan to show up. She probably will show up anyway, since the hurricane coverage took all the press away from her media-driven 'piss-on-my-own-son's grave' tour. The fact that she hasn't had a microphone on her face for 72 hours must be killing her.

As wonderful as this country can be - and I am sure that in the days and weeks to come we will see sights that are not as bleak and dismal as the ones we have been seeing for the last three days - I find myself on way too many occasions being depressed and dismayed by the way people can react when things go bad.

If any lessons are learned from Katrina it is this: when the local officials BEG you to evacuate - it's probably a good idea to NOT pretend that you are impervious to all elements. Get out while you can. If the storm fizzles, what's the worst thing that happens? You stay in a hotel for two days, then go home and pick up what's left of your lawn chairs. Play it SAFE.

The American Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org/

Behind The Wall of Sheep

I love the Smithereens and I always have, since the first time I heard the "Especially for You"LP back in the summer of 1986. WHOT...