All Kidding Aside

Alright, all kidding aside, this situation in New Orleans is horrific. However, what's more horrific is the complete lack of response and urgency on the part of Washington. I watched Dubya's comments yesterday from the oval office as he was flanked by Bush Sr. and William Jefferson Clinton. A few things struck me as odd. First, Dubya's comments focused on high gas prices, pipeline capacities and refinery updates. He barely spoke about the conditions in the city, people surrounded by garbage and feces, dying in the street with nowhere to go. He never touched on the fact that the city of New Orleans is gone. Done. The water that has washed in there is acidic, dirty and is washing away the foundations of close to ninety percent of the builidings. Roughly nine tenths of the city will have to be knocked down. There will be nothing left. No homes, no stores, no government buildings..nothing. It will probably take ten years to rebuild and it will never, ever be the same. Secondly, as the three "luminaries" were walking off camera, they were laughing. I know I didn't imagine it, because I watched it twice. I believe that Clinton was asking Bush Sr. if he wanted to make a comment, Sr. said something I couldn't understand and the two walked off laughing. Now I understand how laughter can sometimes be an involuntary response in the face of an event that shoudln't result in laughter, but come on! Those three have been if front of cameras so often they should at least be able wait until the cameras are off to laugh. Who knows, maybe Bush Sr. said something really funny, and we all know that Bill has a sense of humor. But if I were a citizen of Louisiana, or if I had close relatives living there, I would be pissed off! What the hell are you laughing about? People are dying in the streets of an American city! And not just any city, but New Orleans, one of the best cities on Earth...at least one of my favorites that I've visited.

I get the feeling that this catastrophe is going to change the country far more than 9/11 did. We can't attack the weather to ease our feelings of aggression and feed our desire for revenge.

I sit here sick to my stomach, beating myself up for worrying about gas prices, frustrated by my complete lack of ability to do anything but send money, of which I have none. If I thought it would do any good I'd pray for them. But it would seem that god has abandoned New Orleans and all the people in it.


M. PotPie