Innermost Thought

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September 23, 2005

Chaos

Hurricane Katrina's devastation caught me unaware. While the scenario that it would hit New Orleans did hit my radar, I had no idea of the intensity and ramifications of such a deadly hurricane hitting such a vulnerable, below-sea level city. The news machine seemed to be caught just as off-guard, which is surprising considering every outlet with a little money sent someone down there to get their required wind-breaker clad reporter in the wind shot. Then all hell broke loose; levies broke, people were trapped, pets were abandoned and the stench of death and oil-laden water permeated the Gulf cities. As if that weren't enough, then things really got bad.

It turns out there was plenty of information about the kind of havoc Hurricane Katrina could wreak. Engineers have been working with state and local officials since the late 1960s on ways to provide comprehensive flood relief. In 1995, SELA (Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project) was created to shore up levees and build pumping stations should a break occur. In the hours leading up to the Hurricane, federal, state and local officials met for hours to create a workable plan. It's what happened between the conference room and the actual arrival of Katrina where things fell apart.

Once again GWB proved how inept he is at handling anything that isn't already handled for him. This time there was no threat of terror, or the safe-haven of Air Force One to buy him some time to get his act together. It's no wonder Bush was so lackadaisical about the catastrophe and loathe to give up on his most recent vacation from presidential duties. Look at his mother's philosophy:

What I'm hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them.
September 5, 2005, Barbara Bush on Marketplace, National Public Radio

Did Barbara mean these "underprivileged" people deserved to have their lives blown away by a force of nature? Of course not. But, really. What did she mean? White House press secretary Scott McClellan will tell you she meant that these people were not getting any assistance before coming to Texas and that Barbara was referring to the hospitality and assistance they were finally receiving in Texas. Okay. Maybe. But what in the hell does being underprivileged have to do with that? It's that one word that turns this quote from a minor mix-up into a major embarassment and, perhaps, a reflection into the shallow waters that sustain the Bush family. Barbara, Barbara, we hardly knew ye.

One laudable moment did occur because of Katrina. George Bush finally did something in his presidency that he has never done despite being our leader during the biggest terror attack on our soil in history, lying or, at best, misleading Congress and the nation about facts that pulled us into a deadly and costly war, and cultivating such a laissez faire attitude towards the Geneva Convention and the basic human rights of soldiers that Abu Ghraib proved to the world what hypocrites some Americans can be. George Bush finally took responsibility for the blunders of Hurricane Katrina.

I have to give him props for finally owning up to something even if it's almost a joke at this point. "Is the Pope Catholic?" "Is George Bush to blame?" He hired best buddy Michael Brown as the head of FEMA despite a woeful lack of experience. It kind of makes you wonder who else he's hired that's ill equipped. And what kind of havoc must rear its ugly head before we find out? You think this little war he's gotten us into isn't that bad? Well, then you most certainly don't have somebody over there. You most certainly didn't spend your own hard-earned money sending flack jackets to your loved ones because the government didn't issue them. Let's look past the emotional pleas of mourning mothers and the fact that the future of our country, our people, are risking their lives for a lie.

In 2003 $250 Million in crucial projects necessary towards protecting the Gulf region against increasing Hurricane activity was curtailed to divert funds to the war in Iraq.

It's about money and resources. I still believe America to have the best resources in the world, but there is a finite end to that well we continue to tap. As we continue to chase that fool's errand (I think you know who I mean.) in Iraq, think about all of the balls being dropped at home and abroad. Where is Osama Bin Ladin, the guy who actually had something to do with 9-11? Where are the levees to protect our gulf cities? Where will we show our weakness next?