First of all this, illustrating the spectacular disconnect between what witnesses and reporters are saying about Katrina’s aftermath and what federal officials are saying. It’s no wonder, as the director of FEMA is woefully unqualified to do his job. According to a commenter at Horsesass.org (sorry, no permalink), Brown couldn’t even manage the International Arabian Horse Association without running it into the ground and being sued. And this guy is in charge of orchestrating disaster relief for the nation?
Bush, for his part, has finally gotten around to noticing that a big chunk of the US gulf region has slid into the ocean, and he’s a little cranky about it. You can’t really blame him, though. After all, the last couple days of his vacation were interrupted. How rude! I bet you’ll never guess where he was, either. He was in California, speechifying to sailors about V-J Day. Yep. While people were dying in the US gulf region, the president was politicking about the war in the Persian Gulf–the same war that is responsible for funneling necessary funds away from levee building projects in New Orleans; the same war that is responsible for many of our National Guard troops being overseas.
Then, at a Mobile, Alabama press conference, Bush, in his characteristically inept way, made light of the situation (from Whitehouse.gov):
“We’ve got a lot of rebuilding to do. First, we’re going to save lives and stabilize the situation. And then we’re going to help these communities rebuild. The good news is — and it’s hard for some to see it now — that out of this chaos is going to come a fantastic Gulf Coast, like it was before. Out of the rubbles of Trent Lott’s house — he’s lost his entire house — there’s going to be a fantastic house. And I’m looking forward to sitting on the porch. (Laughter.)”
I’m just guessing, but I expect the dead and dying, and the folks who haven’t had food or fresh water in days, and the people who live paycheck-to-paycheck and are without money or shelter or the prospect of such anytime soon, aren’t particularly comforted by his words. In fact, if I were one of them, I think I’d probably feel like projectile vomiting on him.
red paper boat 