Because everything’s back to normal.
Mr. Shakes has been doing some home repair this week, and I was just helping (very meagerly) by masking some windows in a door that needs painting, and we were listening to the radio—the “alternative” music station out of Chicago—and the DJs were complaining about how it’s time to move on from Katrina coverage. They were playing Kanye West’s “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” comment over and over, and laughing uproariously at the “craziness” of it, and they complained about how they’re “sick” of hearing about Katrina. One of this super-informed duo then proceeded to explain how none of this is the president’s fault. He doesn’t like George Bush, he said, and didn’t vote for him, but this is all the responsibility of the local officials, and he’s tired of talking about it.
Someone called in to express dismay at the attitude they were taking, and suggested that joking and being dismissive of this tragedy was inappropriate. They set to mocking him, hung up on him, and one of them said that the only people who want to kill themselves more than people still trapped in New Orleans are the rest of us who have to keep hearing about it. I was just able to hear the first few bars of the Cranberries song he then played over the sound of my own screaming, “Turn this shit off before I fucking puke!”
So the radio’s off.
Which only means I’m not hearing it anymore; it’s still out there. There are still people all over this country who are sighing with exasperation at still having to hear about a hurricane and it’s tens of thousands of victims. There are still people all over this country who will refuse to hold the president accountable for the decisions he and his administration made that made this disaster infinitely worse than it had to be. There are still people—average people, not Freepers—who are losing interest as we speak, who will either chalk it up to just another way their government lets them down, as they’ve come to expect, or who will turn their guilt at not maintaining the requisite level of outrage this situation demands into hostility toward the victims, every time they see them growing angrier that they just won’t go away and leave them to their blissful ignorance.
Some of them are people who are one hurricane, tornado, or earthquake away from being in the same situation.
There are two ways to deal with the bone-deep fear a scenario like this induces: hide one’s head in the sand or get active and get these guys out of office. Most of them will choose the former—some because it’s simply easier; some because making sure two boys don’t get married is considered the greater imperative, because Jesus will deliver them from the weather, but not from the evil of the sodomites.
It’s really the first group that’s the problem, though. While the Right and the Left argue over when, exactly, is the time for politics, it’s the people answer for themselves “Never” that really allows for failures of this magnitude. The politically indifferent are the greatest ally, and their apathy the most precious resource, for those whose interests do little on behalf of the American people.
And we’re already getting back to normal.
If that sounds hopeless, it isn't meant to. Instead, it should serve as a reminder of why what we do every day is important, whether it's blogging, volunteering, staying informed, informing others, caring. It's our right and our responsibility, and let us hope, as do we ever, that it becomes infectious.
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Pam wants to know that happened to all the black homobigot ministers who jumped into bed with the Bushies now that the administration’s policies have had such a devastating effect on a predominantly black community?
I don't expect to hear too much from these fools, since they have made complete asses out of themselves, drinking the Kool-Aid that Ken Mehlman poured out as they were shuffled into the White House for photo ops and back-slapping with the Prez, as they passed the checks around. Is it feeling good yet to be best buds with the Chimperor?
She recounts some of the greatest hits of these miscreants for your amazement as well.
Looks to me like allowing homobigotry to serve as a wedge issue has given these shits quite an atomic wedgie.
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Bob Brigham of Operation Searchlight, is onsite at Katrina Ground Zero, and emails:
We are in Jefferson Parish, just outside of New Orleans. At the National Guard checkpoint, they are under orders to turn away all media. All of the reporters are turning they're TV trucks around.
Things are so bad, Bush is now censoring all reporting from NOLA. The First Amendment sank with the city.
Disgusting.
But then again, what else can we expect from a president who said, in response to a reporter who asked how he knows what the public is thinking if he doesn’t read or watch the news, “You’re assuming that you represent the public. I don’t accept that.” Of course he doesn’t. The press is supposed to be the propaganda arm of the government, according to these reprobates, so in the interest of minimizing the damage that could be done if the truth is reported, they’ve shut down the media. When stonewalling fails, just frustrate the question-askers until they don’t even bother to ask questions anymore—the tried and true media containment plan of the Bush administration.
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Eric Boehlert has a good piece in Salon today asking why it took thousands (tens of thousands?) of dead civilians for the media to wake up and start doing its job again. It’s a really good question, and amidst the congratulatory back-patting we’ve been giving to the media for doing a good job on this one, we really need to bear in mind that if they had done a halfway decent job asking the tough questions about the Iraq War, the outing of Valerie Plame (before the election), and lots of other issues, there very well might not be those thousands of dead civilians in the first place.
Note to Dems: If you ever manage to get your act together and, in what would at this point be nothing less than miraculous, regain control of Congress, I highly suggest you look into reinstating that little thing called the Fairness Doctrine, that Bush’s political granddaddy Reagan did away with back when he was laying the groundwork for the disastrous state in which we currently find ourselves.
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Bush thinks nothing went wrong during Katrina.
Just go look.
Is he insane? My god... "What didn't go right?"
(Jaw-dropping cross-post)
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Vent Away! edition.
When get I get back
to clearin' brush?
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Bob Harris has an incredible laundry list post full of links about the Katrina disaster. One I found particularly frightening was the link to this story stating that the toxic water filling the New Orleans area is being pumped right back into the Mississippi.
State and federal agencies have just begun water quality testing but environmental experts say the vile, stagnant chemical soup that sits in the streets of the city known as The Big Easy will contain traces of everything imaginable.
"Go home and identify all the chemicals in your house. It's a very long list," said Ivor van Heerden, head of a Louisiana State University center that studies the public health impacts of hurricanes.
"And that's just in a home. Imagine what's in an industrial plant," he said. "Or a sewage plant."
Not to mention that
toxic waste site that's currently underwater.
Fuck.
Bob calls the disaster area "Lake George," (a nickname for the area that's being used in New Orleans right now) and I have to say, that sounds pretty damn appropriate at this point.
(When the going gets tough...the tough get cross-posting)
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Too slow, as usual. Waiting too long to see which way the wind is blowing. But here’s their Katrina relief plan (which they did float a couple of days ago) that will form the basis for legislation expected to be introduced as soon as Thursday. And Harry Reid has sent a letter to the Senate Committee on government oversight raising significant concerns about what happened. The ranking Dem on that committee is Liebertwat, so don’t I’m not getting my hopes up.
(Sorry for the late start these last couple of days. I’m, uh, supposed to be on vacation this week. Thanks to Paul and D. and Tart for keeping things moving along ever so nicely, and a big thanks to Mr. Shakes for being more understanding than I can really describe about my passion for this.)
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So, Bush says there's going to be a full investigation of what went wrong with the response to Katrina.
Uh, not so much. DeLay's got his fingers in the pie again, and it has already been canceled.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The House majority leader late Tuesday tried to deflect criticism of the federal response to Hurricane Katrina by saying "the emergency response system was set up to work from the bottom up," then announced a short time later that House hearings examining that response had been canceled.
Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, said House Republican leaders instead want a joint House-Senate panel set up to conduct a "congressional review" of the issue.
And a "congressional review" of what, you might ask?
But DeLay countered that assessment later in a news conference by saying that the onus for responding to emergencies fell to local officials.
"It's the local officials trying to handle the problem. When they can't handle the problem, they go to the state, and the state does what they can to, and if they need assistance from FEMA and the federal government they ask for it and it's delivered," DeLay said.
Oh, of course, the local officials.
Just keep working down that ladder until you find a scapegoat, fire him or her, and everything's jake.
Seriously, is there any doubt in anyone's mind anymore that these Republicans are as dirty as Dirt McDirtyson on the fifth day of the mud wallowing festival? Investigations are balked, delayed, canceled, or they refuse to participate. A few "bad apples" take the fall. Isn't it completely obvious at this point that they have
plenty to hide? This Administration has been nothing but a big coverup.
And what the fuck is Tom Delay still doing at work, anyway? Shouldn't he be fired by now?
(Energy Dome tip to Oliver. Sowing the seeds of cross-posts...)
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Just like Iraq, the Bush Administration was wholly unprepared for the fury of Katrina and its aftermath.
Just like Iraq, the Bush Administration is backed into a corner, as their incompetence and indifference is coming back to slap them in the face.
And just like Iraq, they're planning on hiding it from you.
FEMA Wants No Photos of Dead
NEW ORLEANS — The U.S. agency leading Hurricane Katrina rescue efforts said Tuesday that it does not want the news media to photograph the dead as they are recovered.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, heavily criticized for its slow response to the devastation caused by the hurricane, rejected journalists' requests to accompany rescue boats searching for storm victims.
An agency spokeswoman said space was needed on the rescue boats.
"We have requested that no photographs of the deceased be made by the media," the spokeswoman said in an e-mail.
Because in Bush's America, even when Americans are killed, they're not killed.
Although I'm sure this is all about protecting me from troubling pictures, and has nothing to do with conveying a positive image.
Oh wait, it is.(Energy Dome tip to Tbogg. Get me to the cross-post on time.)
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YAY! The California Assembly has passed the gay marriage bill.
Pam’s got the scoop. Email Governor Schwarzenegger, who has threatened to veto the bill, and encourage him to let the bill stand so that equal rights, which are due every American, will be extended to the LGBT community of California!
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When Katrina hit, where was the administration?
Bush: On Vacation
Cheney: On Vacation
Condi: On Vacation
Rummy: At a ballgame.
Pricks.
At least the press continues to do its job for a change, prompting the administration to replace the Official Investigatitron 3000 with the Blame Gamitron X-9.
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A lot of people have emailed me stuff lately, and I haven't stayed on top of all of it very well. So if you emailed me something good, and I didn't post it or reply, it's not because I'm being intentionally rude. Apologies for not being a good correspondent, my abilities at which are dodgy at best on any day.
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Jesse at Pandagon finds the ultimate proof of just how idiotic this plonker can be:
William Kristol:
William Kristol, the conservative publisher of The Weekly Standard, said of Mr. Bush: "I do think people think he could have showed stronger leadership." But Mr. Kristol expressed doubt that the hurricane would have much lasting effect on the president's personal and political fortunes, because "people are capable of saying, 'The president kind of screwed this one up, but I still basically agree with him.'"
Mr. Kristol added, "I think the Clinton administration would have done a better job in handling Hurricane Katrina, but I'm also glad Bush is president and not a Democrat." Just remember this the next time you see Bill Kristol on the street. You're gonna have to tell the police why you beat the shit out of him, and you might be given a medal after this quote.
Printing, folding, tucking in my wallet for future reference.
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Please donate if you haven't already (and again, if you can afford to donate more). To the right, you'll see an ad, and if you click to donate there, your donation will be included among those coming from the liberal blogosphere. We're trying to raise $1 million; we're not even halfway there yet. So please click and give as much as you are able.
Also, Piercing Wit is offering a t-shirt you can purchase, the proceeds for which will go to Katrina relief efforts.
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If you either have delicate sensabilities (in which case, run! run like the wind! this is no place for you!) or can't conceive how a collection of bloggers who are on the brink of madness after the past week need to take a break for some fun, I recommend skipping this post.
In a post a long time ago, I declared myself Queen Cunt of Fuck Mountain, which someone (Paul, I think) suggested ought to be put on a t-shirt. The associated comments thread (which now seems to have disappeared for some reason) turned into a rather amusing discussion of many possible t-shirt logos for Shakespeare's Sister haute couture. The suggestions included "Shakespeare's Sister is my hag" and "I'm Shakes Sister's bitch."
One of today's comments thread has yielded "Shakespeare's Sister: Proudly Staffed by Cocksuckers" and "Shakespeare's Sister: Grabbing the Bastards by the Nuts and Not Letting Go Since 2004."
So here's the Question of the Day - what phrase do you think belongs on a Shakespeare's Sister t-shirt?
Be dirty, funny, snarky, serious, whatever. Just have fun.
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The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon raised $1 million for hurricane relief that has been given to the Salvation Army's aid efforts, along with a $1 million donation directly from the MDA. And speaking of donations to the MDA:
In addition to the tote board figure, which reflects pledges and donations, a number of MDA sponsors presented checks representing their year-round fund-raising efforts for MDA. Leading this group was the International Association of Fire Fighters with a record contribution of $21 million.
Fire Fighters were also out this weekend in Chicago collecting money to give to hurricane relief. If you see a firefighter, give them a hug... buy them a beer... anything. These days, it seems like they're the only people looking out for our sorry asses.
“I’m overjoyed that we were able to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina and at the same time continue our 40-year tradition of helping ‘my kids,’” Lewis said. “Of course, I’m not surprised. The American people have never let me down.”
Thanks to everyone that donated, and thanks to the Fire Fighters. Of course, you can always
give more.Thank heavens we can count on the generosity of the American People. Because help ain't coming from Dear Leader.
(Rock-A-Bye your cross-post with a Dixie melody...)
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CapitolBuzz:
Is this guy for real? Rick Santorum wants to impose penalties on hurricane victims... As if living in human waste and drinking piss wasn't bad enough. Let's fine them too. What a fucking jackass!
Video
here.
UPDATE: Check out
my long-lost brother's take on Santorum, too...with a hat tip to
The Viscount LaCarte.
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…or does five days before the fourth anniversary of a major terrorist attack on US soil seem like a decidedly inappropriate time to say:
What I intend to do is lead a -- to lead an investigation to find out what went right and what went wrong. And I'll tell you why. It's very important for us to understand the relationship between the federal government, the state government and the local government when it comes to a major catastrophe. And the reason it's important is, is that we still live in an unsettled world. We want to make sure that we can respond properly if there's a WMD attack or another major storm. And so I'm going to find out over time what went right and what went wrong.
Over time?
Over time?! Dude, time is the very thing we don’t know how much we got. The next hurricane, the next flood, the next terrorist attack, the next infectious outbreak, the next disaster of any kind could be tomorrow. You’d better get your shit in gear and figure out right fucking
now what went wrong and how to fix it and get feeding us rubbish about how the rescue effort has to be completed first. It’s called multitasking, Mr. CEO President, and you’d better sort out a way to accomplish it immediately. “Over time” just isn’t good enough.
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