Musings of the Chronologically Challenged™ Fourth Generation

 
>^..^< PUSSYFOOTIN'™


>^..^< It seems I hardly have time anymore to visit my own blogroll on a daily basis, so obviously I don't do very much exploring new blogs. But today I noticed (for the first time) an eye-catching blog listed in BlogSon's blogroll: LeatherneckM31. Rather interesting link here and this one too.

>^..^< The Fleet's In!!!

>^..^< Baldilocks has an interesting take on N.O. racism, but in her UPDATE she says Dean Esmay disagrees. So?

>^..^< Jim has minimal post-hurricane damage, he says. Thanks be. Mostly Cajun was not as fortunate. Rivrdog said it best when he said to Mostly Cajun " tonight, we're All Cajun, and all with you, my friend."

>^..^< Another good blog, Ramblings' Journal, has shut down, apparently due to "business pressures"... Does this seem like a trend? But only for conservatives? hummmmmmm Mike says feel free to email him.

>^..^< Northwoods Woman is learning to cook grits. WITH GARLIC!! She says "they were yummy." O.M.G.!!! Don't knock it if you haven't tried it -- ?? OK. I won't.

>^..^< Update on another hot potato, a la La Shawn.

>^..^< On October 1, the Marine Corps will debut its latest television commercial, “Diamond,” in front of a nationwide television audience. The commercial is set to air on ESPN during the first commercial break after the kickoff of the scheduled NCAA College Football game that starts at 1200 EST.

>^..^< And there's a new fraternity at Dash's alma mater, LSU in Baton Rouge.



GUEST BLOGGER
J Dale Manning
Greenville, NC

I received this:

STATMENT ON BUSH

I am really disappointed in President Bush.

First and foremost he failed to stop the hurricane Katrina before it hit the Gulf Coast. Even worse, he should have stopped it before it first hit Southern Florida. Since he failed to take this first action, one would have expected that he should have, as a second thought, moved the entire states of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana to central Texas before Katrina came ashore.

Next, he failed to keep the levees in New Orleans from breaking. You would think that our Commander in Chief would have sent Rumsfeld or at least someone in authority to put his or her finger in the dike. Here again, President Bush should have known that the levees wouldn't hold. Remember, he has the best intelligence organization in the world and they are never wrong.

If that wasn't bad enough, he failed to assemble the national Guard on a minute's notice. Aren't they, after all, the present day "Minutemen?"

I know that it took God 6 days to do His work but the leader of the free world should have been able to beat His time. (Actually it took 6 days after the hurricane to get things stabilized so maybe that's par for the course.)

Remember, he had experience when he responded to the tsunami victims. Didn't it take several weeks of continuing rescue operations to stabilize that area? With that training, he should have had everyone sitting in planes with their engines running at the end of the runways before the hurricane struck.

As a matter of fact he should keep them all at that level all the time because you can never tell when there might be an emergency. Never mind the cost of aviation fuel. What is more important, money or lives?

Bush also showed his careless disregard for property damage by concentrating efforts in the flooded areas where people were trapped. By all rights he should have been primarily concerned about getting power back on to the casinos along the Gulf Coast. Again, what is more important, a few peoples' lives or preserving the governments' income from gambling sources?

What blows my mind is how President Bush could have reasonably expected people to take any responsibility for themselves. After all, with only a few days' notice how could you expect that anyone would take the time to fill up a few jugs of water and stash a few cans of food just because a category 5 hurricane was headed their way? Besides, FEMA's suggestion of having 4 days of water and food is just a suggestion. It isn't mandatory.

Bush also failed by expecting local officials to take on any responsibility. After all, isn't it the present Federal Government's responsibility to provide everyone with everything that our ancestors used to do for themselves?

Based on all of the above it is clear that President Bush and his administration are the only possible ones to blame. This calls for a full investigation by all of those totally blameless so that they may reap as much political gain from this tragedy as is possible.

If we had any brains we would have had Teddy Kennedy in the White House, in the first place. He's already proved that he knows how to get out of hot water......I mean, high water..... anyway.......


I responded with this:

I watched a few minutes of Mr. Brown's interview with the senate committee last night. The senator from Mississippi really got me going. It was as though he expected FEMA to be there once the "eye wall" passed his region. The first thing that popped into my mind was Hurricane Floyd. It has been 6 years now and no one has offered me a ride to Tennessee to get me out of harm's way. It has been 6 years now and not one FEMA person helped me cut up a single tree in my yard. I was able to survive Hurricane Floyd without power for 3 days. Granted, I was not eating prime rib, but Chef Boy-R-Dee came in handy.

It is about time, that someone noted that it is not the Federal Government's responsibility to pull everyone out of hot water. If they keep pushing Michael Brown, I think he will be the one to tell them.

The senator from Mississippi asked "was it FEMA's plan to have the people of NO, AL, & MS loot to sustain their life". Excuse me, Mr. Brown, let me help with this one. Hell no, that was not the plan. The plan was for the dumbasses (yes dumbasses) to either buy some water and saltines or move to high ground. Let 'em sit there for a day or two and then we will get who we can. If you choose to stay (choose being the keyword for all of the NO, AL, & MS residents that get to read this) you WILL be on your own for 2-3 days. Let me give another example. Let's say that you are standing on train tracks. You hear a train's whistle. You generally have plenty of time to move off the tracks. If you decide not to move and the train runs over you, whose fault is that? Can I assume from the arguments that I am hearing that FEMA should have rescued people before the storm? As my wise man so eloquently puts it, "it's like wiping before you poop, it just don't make no sense." If you live at the beach there is a chance of a hurricane. If you live in Kansas there is a chance of a tornado. If you live in California there is a chance of an earthquake.

One piece of advise for Mr. Brown. The next time the nice senator from Mississippi asks why things went belly-up. Offer him this, "Your lack of planning does not constitute an emergency on my part." It is now time to play the political game of CYA on Capitol Hill.

Now for all of those who did move and lost their homes I am truly sorry. Living near the coast of NC, I can understand what you may be going through.

J Dale Manning
posted by HCL at 12:48 AM