How many national/international disasters does it take before people stop genuflecting before Bush?
I find myself wishing that all those who just couldn't wait to get up on their political hobbyhorse and ride to glory over the corpses of Katrina's victims would take a minute to sit down in a quiet, soothing place with a refreshing beverage, take off their shoes and socks, wiggle their toes a little, and then carefully cram those socks into their mouths before anything else escapes.
--Jane Galt, Assymetrical Information
(more after the jump)
This is not the time. No matter how fervently you believe that this could all have been avoided if only everyone had listened to you about [global warming/the election of George Bush/wetlands preservation/the coming vengeance of the Lord on sinners everywhere], this is not an appropriate time to mention that fact. There will be many, many days in the future for you to tell everyone how right you were. Those days should happen after all the desperate refugees have been resettled, after the Coast Guard has plucked the last stranded person from the roof of their flooded home, after the dead have been buried and mourned. Have a little human decency.
--Jane Galt, Assymetrical Information
I am fed up with the rapid descent into politics as usual, here and elsewhere. My own city is coping as best it can with a sudden influx of tens or hundreds of thousands of people, who have no idea when they will be able to return home, and if their home even exists. If you can't talk about how best you and your community can help right now, I don't want to hear it, and it doesn't need to be talked about right now. I don't want to hear the right talking about how this is a local problem or the left talking about how it is all the president's fault. There will be plenty of time for all of that later. Not now. Please.
--PatHMV,Centerfield
There are only so many times that people like those above can cry "wolf!" and expect folks to fall in line.
When 9/11 happened..Bush sat on his ass with that deer-caught-in-the-headlights look on his face. Instead of showing leadership, he went to Air Force Bases in Louisiana and Nebraska to remain out of sight. He didn't bother to tour Ground Zero for three days. Our nation had been attacked by terrorists and our President was nowhere to be seen.
But we were told to unite as a nation. We'd been attacked. Criticizing the President in a time of national attack is wrong and unpatriotic. Don't politicize the deaths of the victims.
Just over a year later, Bush invaded Iraq. People in this country and all over the world took to the streets in protest. The reasons for going to war didn't seem to add up with the evidence presented. Many were appalled at the rush to war. After the invasion, looting and lawlessness ensued. American and Coalition troops have been under staffed and under equipped. Iraqis can't provide for their own security and livelihood. Private contractors and American government leaders have lost equipment and money. Thousands of US soldiers are dead (only those who actually die in Iraq count on the official toll..the number who die after returning home is a mystery as far as I know).
But we've been told to "stay the course". Don't dissent. It's unpatriotic and treasonous to speak out against the leadership of the Commander-In-Chief in a time of war. Don't politicize the deaths of soldiers.
And now, New Orleans lies under water. Thousands of our fellow Americans are trapped in their own filth. After six days they finally get food and water (coincidentally on the day that the President finally gets around to touring the region). Much of the damage could have been prevented with proper planning and procedures.
Once again we're told that it's not the President's fault. Don't criticize political leaders. It's not good to call people out in a time of national emergency.
Enough is enough. The last thing we should be doing is keeping our mouth's shut about this mess. People need to be screaming. People need to be shouting at the top of their lungs about what's going on. We must demand accountability. We must insist that those who didn't fund levees and who failed to secure resources stand in judgement. Not only is it the right thing to do, it's the necessary thing to do.
It's not acceptable to end scrutinization of the leadership because it makes some people who are inconvenienced feel bad. Our citizens who died on 9/11..who are dying in Iraq and in New Orleans deserve to have their deaths mean something. The people currently in charge of this country right now simply don't know or don't care about what's supposed to get done to keep people safe and secure.
It's time to stand up and demand accountability and insist upon new leadership.