DISGRACEFUL

I'm still in shock over what is happening in New Orleans and the other Gulf States, five full days after Hurricane Katrina struck. It is unbelievable to see how ineptly our government has responded to this disaster. To see U.S. citizens being treated so shabbily. It just tears you up.

I've said some prayers for those poor unfortunate fellow Americans still hanging on at The Astrodome and The Superdome, sitting amide the dead and filth. I hope they do some good.

The whole scene is so surreal to think that this is happening in our own country. Our supposed expert in the emergency preparedness field, Mr. Brown, head of FEMA ("a blithering idiot" M. Dowd, NY Times) seems like a guy who couldn't find his ass with both hands. At one point he was being interviewed on TV by Ted Koppel. The newsman informed him that there were 15,000 very sick and hungry refugees out on the highway. Brown responded that this was the first time he had heard of them. "Don't you watch TV?" Koppel replied.

And this is a man who probably picks up a paycheck in the neighborhood of about $180,000 a year for being a Good Republican. Our tax dollars at work. So much for the best and brightest.

So weird watching Bush on TV last night. He was imploding, flop sweat drenching his hairline. For once he was without a prepared script. On his own among desperately hungry and tired poor people. Of course these peoplee had been vetted by security with metal detectors. But it was still obviously harrowing for Georgie the rich kid. Who has had everything in life handed to him. It was nice to see his normally arrogant buttoned-up veneer pierced. This was different from George's usual rah-rah Republican vetted rallies which assure that all participants be card carrying Republicans and that their questions, if any, will all be very soft and full of love. His handlers have always been so good at "staging" photo ops for Georgie. Making sure that no real people with real problems ever enter the happy smiley picture.

I am sure that George did not want to go and actually be among these shell shocked victims. But he was forced to, if he wanted to save his political ass.

And for that we have several people to thank. The first being New Jersey senator Frank Lautenberg, who said "It is not enough for the president to bank his plane, look out the window and say, 'Oh yeah, it's bad.' He has to be seen on the ground giving."

Thanks also to the Mayor of New Orleans who said the government help was a disgrace and that "they should get off their asses and do something!"

Thanks to the woman at the pricey Ferragamo shoe store in Manhattan who loudly told Secretary of State Condolezza Rice that she should be ashamed of herself buying shoes when a disaster is going on. And thanks also to the audience members of the Broadway show Spamalot who loudly booed Ms. Rice when she was acknowledged in the audience. That helped cut her "vacation" in New York short and scurrying back to Washington.

I am sure that somebody on the Bush team finally, finally realized, "Hey, we got a big problem here."

Rolling Stone Magazined noted recently that George Bush has spent a full 20 per cent of his time in office "on vacation". Great. Who elected this jerk? Anyone who voted for this inept man should be ashammed of themselves.

The entire Bush family has been so pampered and out of touch with what it is like to be poor and hungry in this country. I remember when George Bush Sr. was in office and at one point there was a photo opportunity for him to appear in a grocery store. And Mr. Bush conceded that he did not know how to check groceries out at the cashier station. Why not? Someone had always performed that task for him.

At another point in his administration George Sr. was getting a lot of flak for not doing enough to help the poor people. You know what Mr. Bush's big solution to this was? After much conferring with well paid Republicans aides and staff? Tax cuts! Brilliant. Just what a poor unemployed guy with a family of four needs right away. A tax cut. Talk about not having a clue, that said it all.

George Jr. has attempted to subvert our governemtn by so obviously kowtowing to The Christian Right, which was instrumental in his reelection. The Christian Right has helped to delay the release of The Morning After birth control pill by the FDA. Brazenly jamming religion into what is supposed to be a non-religious issue. Where was the Christian Right when Katrina came to town? Home safe in their dry, well-protected homes.

The only good that may come of this tragedy is that maybe people will finally wake up and toss the Republicans out on their well fed asses. I can only hope.