Truespeak

Yesterday, George W. Bush said:

"We can all pitch in by using -- by being better conservers of energy."

That's why I'm confident that we will be seeing more of this in the future:



I'm confident that by tomorrow George W. Bush will have traded his usual Chevy Suburban (14 mpg) for this new Toyota Prius hybrid (60 mpg). Otherwise, he's nothing more than a hypocritical bastard. I'll await the announcement with anticipation.

It's so bad that even the Washington Times has turned against Bush. Uh huh, I said the Washington Times. I know, I couldn't believe it either, but it's true. Just read the latest offering from the Times' op-ed writer Diane West:

Do I sound disgruntled? I am also perplexed, left to focus on the inscrutability of such symbolism because the narrative thread of this presidency has become so hard to follow.

For example, Katrina isn't our only crisis. What's up with our borders, for instance? Why doesn't the president bring them under control? So far, the White House solution to the immigration crisis is to plot against border-control advocate Rep. Tom Tancredo, Colorado Republican, conjure up visions of alien amnesty, and now — final-straw time — appoint a novice to head up the crucial U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. "I will seek to work with those who are knowledgeable in this area, who know more than I do," 36-year-old Julie Myers told lawmakers at her Senate confirmation hearing last week.

It's not just that Mrs. Myers' admitted inexperience fails to inspire confidence. It's not just that she is the latest in a string of what columnist Michelle Malkin has called "clueless cronies" appointed to Bush administration jobs in immigration and border security. (Ms. Myers is the niece of outgoing Joint Chiefs chairman Gen. Richard B. Myers, and she just married Mr. Chertoff's chief of staff, John F. Wood.) Downright scary is the symbolism of her appointment — that Mr. Bush considers immigration law enforcement a handy place to park a well-connected novice, no matter how willing to learn.

What's the president thinking? Maybe for the first time in his administration, I haven't a clue.

My first reaction to this is to say, "Duh, what took you so long." But I have to stop and think that this is the same woman who has unabashedly carried the conservative water for the last four-and-a-half years. During the election, she railed against Kerry even going so far as to shudder at a Kerry victory. If it weren't considered inappropriate, I believe that she would replace her usual picture with one of her actually kissing Bush's ass.

But oh, how times have changed. As they say, the honeymoon is over. I think it's safe to say that Ms. West isn't the only one who's fallen off the Bush wagon, though. According to the latest polls, the people are jumping ship in droves. Even Faux "News" can only muster a 41% approval rating for their boy.

Naturally, this all works in the Democrats' favor for 2006. Let's hope the party leadership is smart enough to use it to their advantage.

tree jail cell.

Not even a little surprising..

Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff bragged two years ago that he was in contact with White House political aide Karl Rove to fight a move to crackdown on firms which used offshore headquarters to pay lower U.S. taxes, according to a published report.

The Washington Post reported Friday that boast by Abramoff, who is facing wire fraud and conspiracy charges on another matter, was revealed by Timothy E. Flanigan, general counsel for conglomerate Tyco International in a statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Flanigan is a Bush administration nominee to be deputy attorney general, and the statement to the committee was part of his confirmation process.

Just another example of the slimy underbelly of the Republican party and their "architect." There is no depth too deep for this administration to sink to. If it will benefit them or their friends, then integrity, honesty, and ethics be damned. Why do they continue to put themselves above the good of the nation? Must be all that unquenchable patriotism they have. Or maybe they're just greedy bastards. I don't know, it's a tough call.

Have great weekend, everybody and if you're in the path of Rita, please keep yourself safe.

(I tried posting this last night, but blogger wasn't cooperating.)

Link:

President Bush's vow to rebuild the Gulf Coast did little to help his standing with the public, only 40 percent of whom now approve of his performance in office, according to a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll released Monday.

Just 41 percent of the 818 adults polled between Friday and Monday said they approved of Bush's handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, while 57 percent disapproved.

And support for his management of the war in Iraq has dropped to 32 percent, with 67 percent telling pollsters they disapproved of how Bush is prosecuting the conflict.

The survey had a sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

Fifty-nine percent said they considered the 2003 invasion of Iraq a mistake. That figure is the highest recorded in a CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll.

Only 39 percent said the invasion of Iraq was the right thing to do. Sixty-three percent said they wanted to see some or all U.S. troops withdrawn from that country.

Just 35 percent of those polled approved of Bush's handling of the economy, with 63 percent saying they disapproved.

Bush's overall job approval number was 40 percent, with 58 percent of those surveyed telling pollsters they disapproved of his performance in office. It is the second time his approval rating has hit that low a mark.

His personal qualities hit fresh lows: Only 49 percent called him a strong and decisive leader, down from 54 percent in July and 51 percent in August. Just 42 percent said he cares about people like themselves, and 47 percent called him honest and trustworthy.

By contrast, 51 percent did not consider him strong and decisive, 50 percent would not call him honest and 56 percent said he didn't care about people like them.

We tried to tell them. Too bad they wouldn't listen.

The Republican puke-funnel that we call the media was all a-twitter today over the supposed "agreement" with North Korea to abandon their nuclear ambitions.

"For the cause of peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and in Northeast Asia at large, the six parties held in the spirit of mutual respect and equality serious and practical talks concerning the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula on the basis of the common understanding of the previous three rounds of talks and agreed in this context to the following:

1) The six parties unanimously reaffirmed that the goal of the six-party talks is the verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner.

The DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) committed to abandoning all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programmes and returning at an early date to the treaty on the nonproliferation of nuclear weapons and to IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) safeguards.

The United States affirmed that it has no nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula and has no intention to attack or invade the DPRK with nuclear or conventional weapons.

The ROK (South Korea) reaffirmed its commitment not to receive or deploy nuclear weapons in accordance with the 1992 joint declaration of the Denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, while affirming that there exist no nuclear weapons within its territory. The 1992 joint declaration of the Denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula should be observed and implemented.

The DPRK stated that it has the right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy. The other parties expressed their respect and agreed to discuss at an appropriate time the subject of the provision of light-water reactor to the DPRK.

2) The six parties undertook, in their relations, to abide by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and recognised norms of international relations.

The DPRK and the United States undertook to respect each other's sovereignty, exist peacefully together and take steps to normalise their relations subject to their respective bilateral policies.

The DPRK and Japan undertook to take steps to normalise their relations in accordance with the Pyongyang Declaration, on the basis of the settlement of unfortunate past and the outstanding issues of concern.

Naturally, George W. Bush was full of praise.

Five nations, in working with North Korea, have come up with a formula which we all hope works. Five nations have spoken and said it is not in the world's interest that North Korea have a nuclear weapon. And now there's a way forward. And part of the way forward is for the North Koreans to understand that we're serious about this, and that we expect there to be a verifiable process. In other words, they have said, in principle, that they will abandon their weapons programs. And what we have said is, great, that's a wonderful step forward, but now we've got to verify whether or not that happens.

It was a positive step yesterday. It was a step forward in making this world a more secure place. And I want to thank our other partners in the six-party dialogue, you know, by working together. The question is, over time, will all parties adhere to the agreement.

So what was it that got the North Koreans to sign on? Well, basically the United States, China, Japan, Russia and South Korea have all agreed to provide North Korea with energy assisstance and have promised to discuss "at an appropriate time" the possibility of providing them with a light-water nuclear reactor.

I found all of this to be quite surprising, because back in 1994, the Clinton administration negotiated the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) Agreed Framework. This was a nuclear non-proliferation agreement that would provide the North Koreans with energy assistance and...wait for it....a light-water nuclear reactor.

And what has been the conservative reaction to the Clinton administration's policy? Well, that's really no that surprising.

The leftist media spin is that the current crisis in North Asia is the result of George W. Bush calling Pyongyang a member of the 'axis of evil.' In reality, the soft-line appeasement policy taken by Clinton against North Korea and China is what has led us to this point.

And when asked by Sean Hannity, Condi Rice was less than complimentary.

National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice criticized the Clinton administration on Monday for allowing North Korea to use its nuclear weapons program to blackmail the U.S. during the 1990s, saying the Bush administration now had the crisis under control because the president had changed course.

Rice made the comments to nationally syndicated radio host Sean Hannity, who asked whether the 1994 Agreed Framework negotiated by the Clinton White House amounted to "blackmail."

"Yes," said Rice, adding, "We're not going to go back there."

So excuse me if I seem a little less than enthusiastic. It's just another example of the Republican party trying to take credit for something that's already been accomplished by a Democrat.

(Just for the record - North Korea says there's no deal without the light-water reactor.)

What a maroon!

(Ahhhhhh! I'm swamped with work!)

Busy, busy, busy, busy........

Today, the results of last year's NCLB testing were released. Naturally, it got me riled up again about what a waste NCLB truly is. Unfortunately, I don't have time to go into everything (nest week will be better), so I'm reposting this from back in February. Hopefully I'll be back tomorrow night.

************************************

Have you ever stopped to think what it would be like if the principles of the No Child Left Behind Act were applied to other things? I hadn't really considered this until I checked my mail today and found this:

No Student-Athlete Left Behind

1. All teams must make the state playoffs. If a team does not win the championship, they will be on probation until they are the champions. Until that time, the coaches will be held accountable.
   
2. ALL students will be expected to have the same athletic skills at the same time no matter the quality of their training facilities or equipment. No exceptions will be made for athletes who show no interest in sports and have no desire to perform athletically. Students with physical disabilities will not be exempted from participating. All students must perform at a proficient level. Period.
   
3. Talented athletes will be asked to work out on their own without direct instruction. They will be required to attend all practices even though they will probably not be utilized to their full potential. Coaches will be required to devote all of their instructional time to the athletes that aren't interested in sports, have limited athletic ability, or whose parents don't support their athletic endeavors.
   
4. Games will be played year round, but statistics will only be kept for the 4th, 8th, and 11th games.

This will create a new age of student athletes. Every school will be expected to produce the same level of talent and all teams will be required to meet the minimal goals set forth here.

Sounds pretty ridiculous doesn't it? The worst part of this is that it's true. The goals set forth by NCLB are no more realistic than the farcical example set forth here.

This particular example ended with a statement that I think really sums up the state of education today. It said:

If no child gets ahead, then no child will be left behind.

Sad isn't it? It's too bad that the best our country can do is to strive for mediocrity.

Thanks George!

If I've learned anything in the Katrina aftermath, it's this:

The Republican view of government is wrong.

As you long-time readers here at Truespeak know, I have a rabidly conservative relative that I spent a good portion of the past year debating. While frustrating, it was at least educational to understand the workings of the Republican mind. Scary, but educational.

Over and over again I was told that the problem with liberals is that we rely on the government for help. According to the conservative view, the government can not help anyone. A person's success and ultimate lot in life can only be determined by themselves. While there is a grain of truth to the notion that we each control our own destiny, it's much more complex than this. Of course, Republicans like to see things in black and white terms. With them it's all right vs. wrong, good vs. evil, up vs. down. However, I have seen very few things in life that are all black and white. There are almost always shades of gray. But for Republicans, gray is bad. Gray means indecision. Gray can be confusing. One could make the case that Democrats spend too much time focusing on the gray areas of things, but I believe that it's the gray areas were the truth can be found.

Now let's take a look at Katrina and its aftermath. For the first three days, the people of New Orleans were left to themselves. According to the Republican M.O., this is the way it should be. They like to call it "pulling yourself up by your bootstraps." But what happened during those first three days? Death, starvation, lawlessness, chaos. Since the government has stepped in, the situation is now improving. Funny how that happens.

Now I'm not advocating the government's intervention into all aspects of our lives, but there is a point in almost everyone's life when they need a helping hand and it's the duty of our government to be there for them. It's not a handout. It's not charity. It's compassion. As it says at the top of this page, the first duty of government is to protect the powerless from the powerful. It's a matter of looking out for the least of us. Ironically, it's a Christian principle. The Republican's approach of every man for himself leaves the weak and powerless vulnerable. This is not the way of America. This was not the intention of our forefathers.

If we can't look out for those among us who need our help, we are truly a heartless nation. To help a person in need is noble. To turn your back and ignore the problem while blaming the victim is shameful. Shame on them.

Boy oh boy. When it rains it pours for the Bush administration. What a week they've had. Just today, Michael Brown was relieved of his duties as the overseer of the relief effort along the Gulf Coast and Colin Powell slammed the government's response to the disaster. On top of that, two new polls spell bad news for George. The latest AP/IPSOS (PDF) shows that George has fallen through the forties and landed hard at 39% approval. (More on this later.) The other poll, from CBS News, shows that 60 % disapprove of Bush's handling of the war in Iraq and 58% believe that we should begin withdrawing our troops, including 43% of the Republicans polled. And that's just today.

Also this week, we had Michael Brown's padded resume, Bush's firefighter props, and Barbra Bush's callous comments. And that's just off the top of my head. I can only imagine Karl Rove pulling out what's left of his hair as he watches everything he's worked for turn to shit around him.

But let's get back to that AP/IPSOS poll, shall we? It's not a pretty picture.

Generally speaking, would you say things in this country are heading in the right direction, or are they off on
the wrong track?

Right direction........................ 32
Wrong track ........................... 65


Overall, do you approve, disapprove or have mixed feelings about the way George W. Bush is handling his
job as President? (IF APPROVE OR DISAPPROVE, ASK:) Is that strongly (approve/disapprove) or
somewhat (approve/disapprove)? (IF HAVE MIXED FEELINGS OR NOT SURE, ASK:) If you had to
choose, do you lean more toward approve or disapprove?


Strongly approve ...................... 20
Somewhat approve................... 11
Lean toward approval ............... 8
Still have mixed feelings ........... 1
Lean toward disapproval .......... 14
Somewhat disapprove .............. 5
Strongly disapprove.................. 40

Total Approve ......................... 39
Total Disapprove .................... 59


And when it comes to (READ ISSUE) do you approve or disapprove or have mixed feelings about the way
George W. Bush is handling that issue?
(IF APPROVE OR DISAPPROVE, ASK: ) Is that strongly (approve/disapprove) or somewhat (approve/
disapprove)? (IF HAVE MIXED FEELINGS OR NOT SURE, ASK:) If you had to choose, do you lean more
toward approve or disapprove?


Handling the economy

Total Approve - 41
Total Disapprove - 57


Handling domestic
issues like health care,
education, the
environment and energy

Total Approve - 38
Total Disapprove - 59


Handling foreign policy
issues and the war on
terrorism

Total Approve - 43
Total Disapprove - 55


Handling the situation in
Iraq

Total Approve - 37
Total Disapprove - 62


Handling the relief effort
for victims of Hurricane
Katrina

Total Approve - 46
Total Disapprove - 52


Handling gas prices

Total Approve - 27
Total Disapprove - 70

Too bad this is about nine months too late. But 2006 is starting to look better and better. Bush is truly becoming an albatross for the rest of the party. They've backed him unconditionally for so long, it's going to be fun watching them try to distance themselves over the next fifteen months. I get some perverse pleasure from watching Republicans squirm and eat their own. Does that make me a bad person? I sure hope not.

Have a good weekend!

The Rules

Remove the blog at #1 from the following list and bump every one up one place; add your blog's name in the #5 spot; link to each of the other blogs for the desired cross pollenation effect.

1. Simply Coll
2. Canadian Expatriates
3. Funcentral
4. Left of Centrist
5. Truespeak

Next: Select four new friends to add to the pollen count. (No one is obligated to participate and anyone can play if they want to).

1. oldwhitelady
2. Jesse
3. Ickabod
4. wanda

The Meme:

What were you doing 10 years ago?

I was student teaching and glad that I'd never have to see George W. Bush again. (I'd moved from Texas in 1994)

What were you doing 5 years ago?

Raising a 3 yr old and a 1 yr old and praying that I'd never have to see George W. Bush again.

What were you doing one year ago?

Preparing to take 80 high school kids to Florida and praying that I'd never have to see George W. Bush again.

What were you doing yesterday?

Selling my extra pair of Green Day tickets on ebay.

Five snacks you enjoy

Trail mix
Popcorn
Cheese
Baked chips
Cold cereal

Five songs I know all the words to


Pick any five KISS songs

Five things you would do if you had a million dollars

Become debt free
Help my family to become debt free
Invest for my kids' education
Buy a '52 Telecaster
Donate a lot to charity

Five things you like doing

Spending time with my family
Blogging
Teaching
Performing
Watching sports

Five bad habits

Blogging
Speaking my mind
Being messy
Cussing
Not listening

Five things I would never wear again

Parachute pants
Big collars
Boot-cut jeans
Speedos
Tightie-whities

Five favorite toys

Computer
iPod
Guitars
Sound equipment
Power tools

As the Republican party goes into Double-super-duper-extra-secret-CYA mode, the phrase of the day seems to be "blame game." Every Republican suit and AM blowhard is repeating "blame game" ad nauseam. Things like, "Now is not the time to play the blame game," or "There will be plenty of time to play the "blame game" when the situation is under control." Well I don't know about them, but I've never viewed accountability as a game.

As a school teacher, I'm accountable every day. I'm accountable for my kids' safety, well being, and education. If I fail at that job, I'm held accountable. If all hell breaks loose in my classroom and I don't do anything about it, I have to face the music. Imagine, if you will, what would happen if there was a fight in my room that I knew was going to happen three days before it took place and I had done nothing to prevent it. I'd be in major trouble. Now I'm not implying that the Bush administration could have done anything to prevent Hurricane Katrina, but when Katrina hit Florida on Thursday and the forecasters were predicting that it would pick up intensity before hitting New Orleans and the Gulf coast, they could have begun preparing.

While I will admit that some of the preparations made by the state and local government do appear to have been lacking, the federal government's plan was nonexistent. The only plan that appears to have been well thought out is the CYA plan that they are now employing. Think Progress has provided us with a referenced timeline that puts the whole thing into perspective.

Friday, August 26

GOV. KATHLEEN BLANCO DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY IN LOUISIANA: [Office of the Governor]

GULF COAST STATES REQUEST TROOP ASSISTANCE FROM PENTAGON: At a 9/1 press conference, Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré, commander, Joint Task Force Katrina, said that the Gulf States began the process of requesting additional forces on Friday, 8/26. [DOD]

Saturday, August 27

5AM — KATRINA UPGRADED TO CATEGORY 3 HURRICANE [CNN]

GOV. BLANCO ASKS BUSH TO DECLARE FEDERAL STATE OF EMERGENCY IN LOUISIANA: “I have determined that this incident is of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the State and affected local governments, and that supplementary Federal assistance is necessary to save lives, protect property, public health, and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a disaster.” [Office of the Governor]

FEDERAL EMERGENCY DECLARED, DHS AND FEMA GIVEN FULL AUTHORITY TO RESPOND TO KATRINA: “Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency.” [White House]

Sunday, August 28

2AM – KATRINA UPGRADED TO CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE [CNN]

7AM – KATRINA UPGRADED TO CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE [CNN]

MORNING — LOUISIANA NEWSPAPER SIGNALS LEVEES MAY GIVE: “Forecasters Fear Levees Won’t Hold Katrina”: “Forecasters feared Sunday afternoon that storm driven waters will lap over the New Orleans levees when monster Hurricane Katrina pushes past the Crescent City tomorrow.” [Lafayette Daily Advertiser]

9:30 AM — MAYOR NAGIN ISSUES FIRST EVER MANDATORY EVACUATION OF NEW ORLEANS: “We’re facing the storm most of us have feared,” said Nagin. “This is going to be an unprecedented event.” [Times-Picayune]

4PM – NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ISSUES SPECIAL HURRICANE WARNING: In the event of a category 4 or 5 hit, “Most of the area will be uninhabitable for weeks, perhaps longer. … At least one-half of well-constructed homes will have roof and wall failure. All gabled roofs will fail, leaving those homes severely damaged or destroyed. … Power outages will last for weeks. … Water shortages will make human suffering incredible by modern standards.” [National Weather Service]

AFTERNOON — BUSH, BROWN, CHERTOFF WARNED OF LEVEE FAILURE BY NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER DIRECTOR: Dr. Max Mayfield, director of the National Hurricane Center: “‘We were briefing them way before landfall. … It’s not like this was a surprise. We had in the advisories that the levee could be topped.’” [Times-Picayune; St. Petersburg Times]

LATE PM – REPORTS OF WATER TOPPLING OVER LEVEE: “Waves crashed atop the exercise path on the Lake Pontchartrain levee in Kenner early Monday as Katrina churned closer.” [Times-Picayune]

APPROXIMATELY 30,000 EVACUEES GATHER AT SUPERDOME WITH ROUGHLY 36 HOURS WORTH OF FOOD [Times-Picayune]

Monday, August 29

7AM – KATRINA MAKES LANDFALL AS A CATEGORY 4 HURRICANE [CNN]

8AM – MAYOR NAGIN REPORTS THAT WATER IS FLOWING OVER LEVEE: “I’ve gotten reports this morning that there is already water coming over some of the levee systems. In the lower ninth ward, we’ve had one of our pumping stations to stop operating, so we will have significant flooding, it is just a matter of how much.” [NBC’s “Today Show”]

MORNING — BUSH CALLS SECRETARY CHERTOFF TO DISCUSS IMMIGRATION: “I spoke to Mike Chertoff today — he’s the head of the Department of Homeland Security. I knew people would want me to discuss this issue [immigration], so we got us an airplane on — a telephone on Air Force One, so I called him. I said, are you working with the governor? He said, you bet we are.” [White House]

MORNING – BUSH SHARES BIRTHDAY CAKE PHOTO-OP WITH SEN. JOHN MCCAIN [White House]

11AM — BUSH VISITS ARIZONA RESORT TO PROMOTE MEDICARE DRUG BENEFIT: “This new bill I signed says, if you’re a senior and you like the way things are today, you’re in good shape, don’t change. But, by the way, there’s a lot of different options for you. And we’re here to talk about what that means to our seniors.” [White House]

LATE MORNING – LEVEE BREACHED: “A large section of the vital 17th Street Canal levee, where it connects to the brand new ‘hurricane proof’ Old Hammond Highway bridge, gave way late Monday morning in Bucktown after Katrina’s fiercest winds were well north.” [Times-Picayune]

11:30AM — MICHAEL BROWN FINALLY REQUESTS THAT DHS DISPATCH 1,000 EMPLOYEES TO REGION, GIVES THEM TWO DAYS TO ARRIVE: “Brown’s memo to Chertoff described Katrina as ‘this near catastrophic event’ but otherwise lacked any urgent language. The memo politely ended, ‘Thank you for your consideration in helping us to meet our responsibilities.’” [AP]

2PM — BUSH TRAVELS TO CALIFORNIA SENIOR CENTER TO DISCUSS MEDICARE DRUG BENEFIT: “We’ve got some folks up here who are concerned about their Social Security or Medicare. Joan Geist is with us. … I could tell — she was looking at me when I first walked in the room to meet her, she was wondering whether or not old George W. is going to take away her Social Security check.” [White House]

9PM — RUMSFELD ATTENDS SAN DIEGO PADRES BASEBALL GAME: Rumsfeld “joined Padres President John Moores in the owner’s box…at Petco Park.” [Editor & Publisher]

[Cont...]

So the question is, if now's not the time to play the "blame game," when will it be time to hold people accountable? And if now's not the time to play the "blame game," why do I see so many Republicans blaming the Democratic leadership in Louisiana but not the Republican leadership of Mississippi and Alabama? In my opinion, the time for accountability is now. We can't stop the hurricanes, but we can minimize the death and disease. By not holding the responsible parties accountable, we're simply dooming more people to die for our government's unwillingness to admit fault. George's pride has already killed too many people as it is. We can't take any more.

...-- I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee -- that says, fool me once, shame on -- shame on you. Fool me -- you can't get fooled again."

Maybe George is smarter than we're giving him credit for. More and more these days, it looks like the American people are saying, "Sorry George, can't get fooled again."

Back in 2001, on September 14, the American people were fooled for the first time. As the saying goes, shame on us. We saw George on that pile of rubble with the bullhorn and his arm around a relief worker and we listened as he promised us all that we would get those responsible. His approval ratings soared above 90% in the days following those remarks and everybody seemed to forget that it took him three days to get there. It was okay though, because he promised we'd get the people responsible.

As time went by it became more an more clear just exactly who it was that we were after. We sent troops into Afghanistan after the Taliban refused to cooperate and we set out to find the villians. Long story short, we're still looking because George got greedy. Now were approaching 1900 dead soldiers in a country that had nothing to do with the original mission and those people that George promised to bring to justice are still at large.

So I'm not surprised that in the aftermath of Hurrican Katrina, he's having a difficult time convincing people that he really means what he says. People just aren't buying it.

President Bush flew to Louisiana Monday for another ground inspection tour of Gulf States pummeled by Hurricane Katrina, acknowledging at his first stop "we've got work to do" so long as the suffering continues.

On his arrival here, Bush went to the Bethany World Prayer Center, a huge hall half covered with pallets and half filled with dining tables. Several people ran up to meet him as he and first lady Laura Bush wandered around the room. But just as many hung back and just looked on.

"I'm not star-struck. I need answers," said Mildred Brown, who has been there since Tuesday with her husband, mother-in-law and cousin. "I'm not interested in hand-shaking. I'm not interested in photo ops. This is going to take a lot of money."

I guess you could say she's been fooled once already. She's not going to let it happen twice.

In the aftermath of 9/11 the people trusted George. They saw his dusty boots and they heard his tough words and they were comforted. They bought into the image and he was able to milk it for almost four full years. But unfortunately for George there's no pile of rubble for him to climb on this time. This time, there's only water. And I'm afraid he's going to have to start walking on it before anyone buys his bullshit again.

the Bush administration passes the buck.

In the tried and true method of Rove and the rest, FEMA director Michael Brown has passed the responsibility for the plight of the New Orleans hurricane victims to the victims themselves.

The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Thursday those New Orleans residents who chose not to heed warnings to evacuate before Hurricane Katrina bear some responsibility for their fates.

Michael Brown also agreed with other public officials that the death toll in the city could reach into the thousands.

"Unfortunately, that's going to be attributable a lot to people who did not heed the advance warnings," Brown told CNN.

Shame on him. The majority of the people still in New Orleans are there because they couldn't get out of town. It's estimated that more than 100,000 people in the city don't own vehicles and rely upon public transportation. Over half of the children in the city live below the poverty line. They simply couldn't afford to get out. But hey, who needs reality, right? It's easier to spin when you don't have to face the facts.

Well I say, "Shame on you Michael Brown. Shame on you and the rest of your agency for trying to pass the blame for your failures onto the victims. They've suffered enough already. They don't need to bear the blame for your ineptitude on top of that."

Contact FEMA and let them know that you won't stand for this. Let them know that the behavior of their director is unacceptable and shameful.

FEMAOPA@dhs.gov

FEMA
500 C Street
SW Washington, D.C. 20472
Phone: (202) 566-1600



A little moment of Zen for your weekend: The kissfans went out to eat this evening and the restaurant we were in was showing Fox News. As I watched the broadcast without sound, I was paying close attention to what was being printed on the screen. In their coverage of Katrina, one of the segments sported the title "Worse Then 9/11?" I think that pretty much sums it all up, right there. What a bunch of losers!

Have a great weekend!

Today George W. Bush said the following:

"I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees."

Unfortunately for him, someone did anticipate it and it was his very own Federal Emergency Management Agency. Back in December of 2001, New Orleans was considered one of the "three likeliest, most castastrophic disasters facing this country." And the levees were of major concern as this article from the Houston Chronicle points out.

Hurricane season ended Friday, and for the second straight year no hurricanes hit the United States. But the season nonetheless continued a long-term trend of more active seasons, forecasters said. Tropical Storm Allison became this country's most destructive tropical storm ever.
Yet despite the damage Allison wrought upon Houston, dropping more than 3 feet of water in some areas, a few days later much of the city returned to normal as bloated bayous drained into the Gulf of Mexico.
The same storm dumped a mere 5 inches on New Orleans, nearly overwhelming the city's pump system. If an Allison-type storm were to strike New Orleans, or a Category 3 storm or greater with at least 111 mph winds, the results would be cataclysmic, New Orleans planners said.
"Any significant water that comes into this city is a dangerous threat," Walter Maestri, Jefferson Parish emergency management director, told Scientific American for an October article.
"Even though I have to plan for it, I don't even want to think about the loss of life a huge hurricane would cause."
New Orleans is essentially a bowl ringed by levees that protect the city from the Mississippi River to its south and Lake Pontchartrain to the north. The bottom of the bowl is 14 feet below sea level, and efforts to keep it dry are only digging a deeper hole.
During routine rainfalls the city's dozens of pumps push water uphill into the lake. This, in turn, draws water from the ground, further drying the ground and sinking it deeper, a problem known as subsidence.
This problem also faces Houston as water wells have sucked the ground dry. Houston's solution is a plan to convert to surface drinking water. For New Orleans, eliminating pumping during a rainfall is not an option, so the city continues to sink.
A big storm, scientists said, would likely block four of five evacuation routes long before it hit. Those left behind would have no power or transportation, and little food or medicine, and no prospects for a return to normal any time soon.
"The bowl would be full," Levitan said. "There's simply no place for the water to drain."
Estimates for pumping the city dry after a huge storm vary from six to 16 weeks. Hundreds of thousands would be homeless, their residences destroyed.

Pretty prophetic, huh? They even make reference to the town being under twenty feet of water and survivors being evacuated to Houston.

But this type of statement is par for the course with the Bush administration. When something you've ignored develops into a disaster, claim that it couldn't have been forseen. It reminds me of a certain PDB from about four years ago.

Is there any doubt left? This is clearly an incompetent administration.