Thoughts on Hurricane Katrina and more

What does this picture (courtesy of www.alexrossart.com) have to do with the hurricane and the disaster down in New Orleans? I'll get to that soon enough.

I realize that I haven't even mentioned the horrible circumstances of Hurricane Katrina up to this point. It is just a very sad situation and I've been praying for those people since last week.

But we all know about what's going on down there. Now I'm gonna bitch about the job the Federal Gov't is doing down there and how despicable the Bush Administration is.

Ok, there is a lot of blame going on as to whose fault it is, on why the support for the people of New Orleans was so poorly handled. The Federal Gov't is blaming the City, the City is blaming the State, the State is blaming the Fed gov't, etc. And there is blame to go ALL around, but let me bring to the front a big fact.

On Aug. 27th, Pres. Bush declared an Emergency in New Orleans. The SECOND he did that, he basically put the federal gov't in charge of everything going on down there, and thus, the City and State were off the hook. And while that doesn't mean they could just sit on their hands, what it DOES mean, is that they were fully expecting the Fed gov't to get involved ASAP, and help did not come for days! So in the end, if you're gonna go around pointing fingers as to who the most blame lays on, don't forget that.

[Ok, before people start bitching to me about this opinion, I DID state that there was blame to go around. The city and state should have been better prepared. However, once the Pres said what he did on Aug. 27th, he was basically taking over, and he did a piss poor job of it. That's the equivalent of a little kid wanting to build a soapbox racer, buying the materials and having the instructions in front of him, then their dad says, "I'll build that for you." But the race is coming up soon, and he doesn't hurry up and help him. So the kid has to start himself and doesn't do as well of a job as he should have if he had his dad's help, and then the car comes apart during the race and he crashes.]

Oh and another thing about Bush- did anyone catch his comments last week right after the disaster first occured. In that interview with Diane Sawyer, she directly confronts Bush by asking something along the lines of (I forget the exact phrasing) "with the situation in New Orleans, and the War in Iraq, how will the budget overseas be affected in terms of paying for aid here." (I know that wasn't the exact question, but that's what she was getting at).

But anyways, his EXACT response was "We will win the war on terror."

WHAT THE FREAKIN HELL?!?!?

Talk about a one track mind! She's asking about our own people who are in dire need of aid, and what he's gonna do about it, and he babbles about winning some stupid war on "terror." I wanted to smack the man when I heard that.

-Ok, and then the situation down there is bad enough, but then last week the price of gas SKYROCKETS! And then they have the nerve to say it was b/c of Hurricane Katrina! What the hell does the hurricane have to do with gas prices?? Fine, ok. The hurricane affected some oil places in the Gulf Coast. Umm, so what? We get oil from a ton of different places, including Iraq which we've basically just taken over and you're telling me b/c a hurricane affected just ONE of the areas we get oil from, that the price gets to jump more than 50 cents a gallon? In the words of the Hurricane (the professional wrestler one) "Whuzzupwitdat?!?"

I'm sorry to say, Bush and his buddies can BS all they want about not really being in the oil business anymore, but their friends are, and don't you think it's more than just a funny coincidence that in the years that Bush has been in office the price of gas has gone up about 300%? Now refer to the picture at the beginning of this post and see what I feel that Bush is really doing to our wonderful nation.

-Oh, and one last thing that is bothering me. The fact that people in the federal gov't (and thus all the stupid reporters) are referring to the victims of Hurricane Katrina as "refugees."

Why the hell are we calling these people "refugees???" A refugee is someone from another country who seeks shelter/help during wartime. And ok, granted, we are at war, but this has NOTHING to do with the war. I dislike the use of this term. I just feel it has a negative conotation to it. Use the term "displaced citizens" or something, considering that is exactly what they are.

But I just hate not only that term but also just how these people are being treated by the gov't. Like did anyone hear the story about the woman with three children who was being "rescued" by the National Guard. She had an 11 year old, and two infants. Well the mother was told that she along with the two infants could go with the transport, but she had to leave the 11 year old behind to go on another transport b/c "the 11 year olds are going somewhere else."

Please tell me how this makes sense!?!? How would you feel if this happened to you? And what the hell is up with the insensitivity of the National Guard and gov't?? How dare they do something like that! It's absolutely disgusting.

And granted, they are undermaned, ill-prepared and under lots of pressure, but here's another thing- many other countries have offered tons of assistance. Granted some of those countries are Saudi Arabia, Cuba and Venezuela. So Bush and his cronies are now in what they feel is a bind (but it really isn't). They can accept the help (which might I add, iincludes something like 1,200 doctors from Cuba, and a DISCOUNT ON GAS from Venezuela), but they know that it'll probably come with strings attached. And granted, these countries are SO doing this on purpose to make the U.S. look bad. After all the crap we've said and done to these countries, they are making themselves seem like "the better man" (whether that is actually true or not), for still offering massive aid to us.

So you know my opinion on this?

Pres Bush has just been served a nice big helping of humble pie. Now he better shut up and eat it!

If he refuses this aid, people will freakin flip! Especially the lower class people. It will just go to show that the U.S. gov't really doesn't care about the majority of the people affected by the Hurricane b/c they are poor. It's not a race thing, like my co-worker said today "it's not b/c they are black, it's because they are POOR!"

Most of the people still left are among the lower class, people who may not be "contributing to the overall economy of the nation." So the federal gov't sees these people as expendable, or "collateral damage." And it's freakin disgusting.

Thankfully, lots of people are opening their hearts to the people of New Orleans. I just hope and pray it reaches everyone in time. But yeah, I've got a bit more to say, but I'll end my bitching here. I don't want to get myself more annoyed than I already am. Just please continue to pray for all those affected by this tragedy and that Pres. Bush actually makes some good decisions for once in his life and does right by the American Public.

-End rant.