i think the Bush family must suffer from some rare disease preventing them from #1. being diplomatic and #2. thinking before they speak. The statement by barbara bush insinuating that refugees are better off now than before katrina is absolutely insulting. i will not deny that good can come from bad, however, i hardly believe that these now homeless, and pretty much possessionless, people feel better than before the hurricane wiped out their entire life. Perhaps the small joy they feel from just being alive, kinds words and hospitality are the few things getting them through the day, but i do not see how these so-called "underpriviledged" can feel better off living in a sports arena that's crowded, smells, and is run like a prison.
one of the statements by bush jr. is that the reason they are investigating the reaction to this catastrophe (what went right vs. what went wrong) is so they can better understand the relationship between the local, state, and federal governments. while i believe this is an issue that needs to be looked into, i don't think that should be the reason of this investigation. the reason(s) is the thousands of people who have no more homes, people who've lost loved ones, and people who are still looking. The reason is because the administration, knowing full well the size of the storm and the state of the new orleans levee system, did nothing. at a time when leadership was needed most, they were left to fend for themselves. is that the kind of democratic government we the people want? a title without the experience? and what about character? wouldn't you respect someone more if they admitted some fault was theirs over someone who outright denies having any control? the leaders of this country need to stop skirting around their involvement with issues and just be a moral, humanistic person who shows they care about this country, the state it's in, and the eventual breakdown that is inevitable.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
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2 comments:
Good post. I have two areas of comment.
On Mama Bush, I think it may be hereditary like you said. One thing I've always heard is that she's a total control freak and definately a hard hearted woman. Earlier comments suggest this and this one does as well. For readers, her quote was..
"Almost everyone I’ve talked to says we're going to move to
Houston."
Then she added: "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, youknow, were underprivileged anyway, so this--this (she chuckles slightly) is working very well for them."
What bothers me about this quote are two things, one she laughs at the underprivileged and too she considers it "scary" that these folks want to live nearby. Why is it scary? What's so scary about people?
The other thing I want to comment on I'll get to a bit later.
The second point I wanted to make concerns the reasons they are investigating. The reason you suggest and the reason Bush is spouting are both important. While it's important for those probes to point the finger at those responsible and get them to admit they are wrong, that is merely a bandaid to the real problem. It's also something that isn't likely to result from the probes either. Even though it's obvious that people are going to be fired and Bush's numbers are going to go down, the only lasting change is one of policy. The only way to prevent something like this from happening is to create policy that solves the issues between government levels. Otherwise it'll continue to be a blame game where the State will be blamed by the Federal and the City will be left to suffer. Again, we need leadership, but right now without it, we need policy.
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