So today has been all about the DeLay indictment. Many commentators are questioning the quality of this particular indictment, and perhaps they'll be proven correct. Maybe they won't be, that's the importance of having this in the open. The more important thing, to me, is this palpable sense of corruption of the Republican power class in Washington. When the Republicans took power after the 1994 elections, after literally decades of what they saw as corrupt Democratic control (and point of fact, some of it was, Dan Rostenkowski went to prison because of some of his actions), they talked about having a South African style "Truth Commission" to expose the problems of the rule of one party. Now, it seems, in some sort of great Orwellian irony, that the pigs are now indistinguishable from the people. The Republicans themselves are using the same tricks that Democrats used on them. Except, it only took ten years for that corruption, that huge pork-barrel spending to sink in, rather than 40. There are indictments for Repulican officials and affiliated operatives across the country (including the governor of Ohio). Its funny, but one of the things Democrats are often accused of, fairly often times, is being far softer than Republicans in terms of the way they play the game of politics. Maybe they might be playing a bit too rough.
The pennant races have been the main focus here in New England this week, obviously, but I did want to touch on Michigan for a minute. Obviously, this is not the same team without Mike Hart, and Chad Heene and Steve Breaston have not performed so far this year. What will be important, when Michigan plays State on Saturday, wil be controlling the ball, to keep Stanton off the field. I do think Michigan will end up winning, and even if they don't I still believe they can right the ship, and salvage the season. Still, I would say things will change either during this season, or after it, if only because they may have to.
Back to the pennant race- I find it surprising that so many people seem to be discounting the Angels, and the Angels already clinching the AL West, in the rush to cover the Wild Card, AL East and AL Central. They now, unlike the other teams, have the chance to set their rotation, and, hello, they probably have the best pitching (if you include the bullpen) of anyone in the AL, along with the Indians. The Angels will be in the ALCS, that's my bet. The Indians just lost, but they still have a great shot. The series in Boston this weekend will certainly be something to see, unless the Red Sox can't figure out a way to beat the Jays, who certainly seem to have their number.
I'm heading out to Chicago tomorrow, where I'll be staying the night at John's, then heading home (and Albion). I'll probably try and blog tomorrow some the old 773.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
Friday, September 23, 2005
And we're back
So after some computer issues have kept me away from blogging, I am now back. It was really very weird to be without my computer, for much of the time since I got the virus infection, it was either sitting in my car or was at the computer repair shop next door to the Granite. I guess I hadn't realized how much the droning of the machine had become a part of the white noise of my daily life, so it was very weird to be without it. I have also come to use IM as my main form of communication with friends, so it was odd to be slightly out of the loop again. Now everything is back to normal, which is quite nice.
I've noticed, the last few weeks, that I've been undergoing a kind of mid-year crisis. This coming week will the 26th issue of the Baysider, meaning that I will have been up here just shy of 6 months (I believe it'll be the first week of October). Things are less busy around town, now that the summer people are mostly gone, and I think I've been so looking forward to going back to Albion, to see the play and the London ladies (Ms. Green and Ms. Coleman)that part of me checked out. I think this will come back when winter comes, as things are starting to get interesting around the towns again. But I may also start to at least look at what other places are hiring, more to get an idea of what kinds of areas are looking or might be good fits than actually looking for a new job. But after all that, I still enjoy it up here, and I'm looking forward to the challenges of the next few months.
I think there are a lot of Republicans now who have to be questioning exactly what their party stands for. No Democratic president probably could ever have spent more money than this President has, and any semblance of fiscal conservatism has gone the way of Nelson Rockefeller. The Republican Party now seems to be the party of William Jennings Bryan - free-spending and personally intrusive in all forms in terms of individual rights. You saw the other day where Bush said the cost of rebuilding the Gulf Coast would be "whatever it costs" and then said he wouldn't raise txes. With the additional damage Rita will bring, and the toll it will likely take on gas prices, its going to bring more damage to the economy. Its as if the very loose connection to reality has now been fully severed. We are now paying for a war in Iraq, a Marshall program for the Gulf Coast, and literally hundreds of pork barrell programs across the country, like $200 million bridges in Alaska to uninhabited islands. It will be interesting to see, as we move closer to 2008, and especially if the President's political fortunes continue to fall, whether we see candidates running away from him, or whether we see George Allen, Bill Frist or Sam Brownback try to go after the Bush mantle, whatever that will come to mean
I've noticed, the last few weeks, that I've been undergoing a kind of mid-year crisis. This coming week will the 26th issue of the Baysider, meaning that I will have been up here just shy of 6 months (I believe it'll be the first week of October). Things are less busy around town, now that the summer people are mostly gone, and I think I've been so looking forward to going back to Albion, to see the play and the London ladies (Ms. Green and Ms. Coleman)that part of me checked out. I think this will come back when winter comes, as things are starting to get interesting around the towns again. But I may also start to at least look at what other places are hiring, more to get an idea of what kinds of areas are looking or might be good fits than actually looking for a new job. But after all that, I still enjoy it up here, and I'm looking forward to the challenges of the next few months.
I think there are a lot of Republicans now who have to be questioning exactly what their party stands for. No Democratic president probably could ever have spent more money than this President has, and any semblance of fiscal conservatism has gone the way of Nelson Rockefeller. The Republican Party now seems to be the party of William Jennings Bryan - free-spending and personally intrusive in all forms in terms of individual rights. You saw the other day where Bush said the cost of rebuilding the Gulf Coast would be "whatever it costs" and then said he wouldn't raise txes. With the additional damage Rita will bring, and the toll it will likely take on gas prices, its going to bring more damage to the economy. Its as if the very loose connection to reality has now been fully severed. We are now paying for a war in Iraq, a Marshall program for the Gulf Coast, and literally hundreds of pork barrell programs across the country, like $200 million bridges in Alaska to uninhabited islands. It will be interesting to see, as we move closer to 2008, and especially if the President's political fortunes continue to fall, whether we see candidates running away from him, or whether we see George Allen, Bill Frist or Sam Brownback try to go after the Bush mantle, whatever that will come to mean
Monday, September 12, 2005
Hey...
One of my former bosses at the Prospect, the one who gave me the assignment to write my web piece, Chris Mooney, was just on the Daily Show, promoting his book. He wasn't great, but seriously, how cool is it to have someone you know on TV's coolest show?
Most of this weekend was about football. Obviously, I was extraordinarily disappointed by what happened in Ann Arbor Saturday. Usually, I am not one to lay losses at the feet of one guy, especially in college. I got in many arguments with my dad about John Navarre and whether he deserved any blame for Michigan losses when he was Quarterback. Well, I'm breaking from that this week. Three times in the red zone, Chad Henne made big mistakes that cost Michigan points. First, he missed an open Jason Avant in the end zone in the third quarter, throwing a pick to Tom Zbikowski at the one, trying to go to Tyler Ecker. Next, in the fourth, he didn't give his receiver, again Avant, an opportunity to catch the ball on a fouth and goal play. Third, he fumbled the exchange on the goal line, when he literally could have fallen forward and scored. Hopefully, with Eastern coming up, the confidence will return in time for the trip to Camp Randall. The defense was better than I thought it would be against ND, and the game plan itself wasn't particularly conservative. It has to go on Henne, and he realizes this, because he failed to execute.
The Texas-Ohio State game was great, but I really feel like Senator Tressel cost his team the game with how he used his two quarterbacks. I've never seen a two-qb system work, I've only seen it needlessly force some people into confidence problems. To me, the only way to make such a system work would be to run two completely different offensive systems, to change total offensive packages for each guy, like have one run the triple option and the other a spread. But the way Tressel used his guys was particularly odd, as there seemed to be no rhyme or reason why one came in at one point and then why the other came in.
The fantasy team did not have its best week. We had a lot of disappointing performances, either because the team played poorly- Nate Burleson, or were coached by a guy who might well be the most stubbornly stupid coach in the NFL- Stephen Jackson. We also had some weird things, like the Bills throwing to a tackle on the goal line rather than giving to McGahee, or Chad Johnson going out for two series with leg cramps. We have a few guys on thin ice, like Matt Stover, but we'll see if next week will be better.
I was pleasantly surprised by the Lions, and surprised at how poorly the Packers played. I think John will write about how bad Ahmad Carroll is, but he was not really, you know, good. When he wasn't getting beat, he was commiting a penalty. The Packers also beat themselves in other areas, as they don't get the lowest scoring output of the Favre era without screwing up. I don't know exactly how they are going to survive without Walker and the problems on the offensive line, who were dominated inside by Wilkinson and Rogers, but this could be a long year for Brett Favre. The defense was a pleasant surprise for the Packers, but then Jim Bates is a great coordinator. The Lions played conservativley, too much so in certain spots, but still played well. They need a win against the Bears now to set the tone going into the bye in week 3.
One quick Monday observation. When Hubie Brown came into the booth to talk wih Michaels and Madden, it got me thinking that Hubie, assuming he knows anything about football, would probably do well in Madden's job. But what if you switched others? Who wouldn't want to hear Madden talk about David Eckstein's hustle for forty-five minutes in a playoff game, or Tim McCarver getting needlessly self-righteous while doing an NBA game? Sounds like a plan.
Most of this weekend was about football. Obviously, I was extraordinarily disappointed by what happened in Ann Arbor Saturday. Usually, I am not one to lay losses at the feet of one guy, especially in college. I got in many arguments with my dad about John Navarre and whether he deserved any blame for Michigan losses when he was Quarterback. Well, I'm breaking from that this week. Three times in the red zone, Chad Henne made big mistakes that cost Michigan points. First, he missed an open Jason Avant in the end zone in the third quarter, throwing a pick to Tom Zbikowski at the one, trying to go to Tyler Ecker. Next, in the fourth, he didn't give his receiver, again Avant, an opportunity to catch the ball on a fouth and goal play. Third, he fumbled the exchange on the goal line, when he literally could have fallen forward and scored. Hopefully, with Eastern coming up, the confidence will return in time for the trip to Camp Randall. The defense was better than I thought it would be against ND, and the game plan itself wasn't particularly conservative. It has to go on Henne, and he realizes this, because he failed to execute.
The Texas-Ohio State game was great, but I really feel like Senator Tressel cost his team the game with how he used his two quarterbacks. I've never seen a two-qb system work, I've only seen it needlessly force some people into confidence problems. To me, the only way to make such a system work would be to run two completely different offensive systems, to change total offensive packages for each guy, like have one run the triple option and the other a spread. But the way Tressel used his guys was particularly odd, as there seemed to be no rhyme or reason why one came in at one point and then why the other came in.
The fantasy team did not have its best week. We had a lot of disappointing performances, either because the team played poorly- Nate Burleson, or were coached by a guy who might well be the most stubbornly stupid coach in the NFL- Stephen Jackson. We also had some weird things, like the Bills throwing to a tackle on the goal line rather than giving to McGahee, or Chad Johnson going out for two series with leg cramps. We have a few guys on thin ice, like Matt Stover, but we'll see if next week will be better.
I was pleasantly surprised by the Lions, and surprised at how poorly the Packers played. I think John will write about how bad Ahmad Carroll is, but he was not really, you know, good. When he wasn't getting beat, he was commiting a penalty. The Packers also beat themselves in other areas, as they don't get the lowest scoring output of the Favre era without screwing up. I don't know exactly how they are going to survive without Walker and the problems on the offensive line, who were dominated inside by Wilkinson and Rogers, but this could be a long year for Brett Favre. The defense was a pleasant surprise for the Packers, but then Jim Bates is a great coordinator. The Lions played conservativley, too much so in certain spots, but still played well. They need a win against the Bears now to set the tone going into the bye in week 3.
One quick Monday observation. When Hubie Brown came into the booth to talk wih Michaels and Madden, it got me thinking that Hubie, assuming he knows anything about football, would probably do well in Madden's job. But what if you switched others? Who wouldn't want to hear Madden talk about David Eckstein's hustle for forty-five minutes in a playoff game, or Tim McCarver getting needlessly self-righteous while doing an NBA game? Sounds like a plan.
Friday, September 09, 2005
Qualifiction
So today, Michael Brown, the former commissioner of an Arabian Horse Association and who worked in disaster relief efforts for about two minutes, has been relieved of his duties heading up the Katrina relief efforts. As much as conservatives are telling everyone to "not play the blame game (while of course doing all they can to lay blame on the feet of the local and state government)," its also obvious that Brown has been made the scapegoat. It's also obvious, at least at this point, that there are certain jobs in the federal government that really should not be political appointments. Brown was essentially given the job by his former college roommate, who was also Bush's first campaign manager. This is me putiing this out there: If Adam Plunk, Dontz, Roman Rezhnikov, Julian Ignaczak or either of the guys from DC ever get some important job in government, I'm also expecting some job I am ridiculously under-qualified for, especially one that might well put me in charge of an agency where people's lives are on the line and I'm not adequately prepared to handle it.
The Roberts nomination surprised me. When I learned that Rehnquist had died, I figured, with some horror, that Antonin Scalia would have been made chief justice. Instead, its John Roberts. Its not totally unbelievable that someone who wasn't on the court be named chief. Earl Warren, I think, did a pretty good job when he became chief. Rehnquist's legacy, well I don't know what it is. I think most people will see him as the man who ushered in a conservative majority, but I think that had a lot more to do with politics then Rehnquist's own brilliance. He was never Scalia, who, while hateable, is also brilliant. I think though, that the Rehnquist court never had a "Brown v. Board of Education" or "Roe v. Wade," a society changing decision. We had "Bush v. Gore," and "Lawrence v. Texas," but I think the former will be seen as a political decision, and Rehnquist was in the minority on the latter. he funny thing is, this week, the episode of the West Wing where Bartlett nominates both a brilliant liberal and a brilliant conservative to the court to have it out, came on. It made me think how important the court is in articulating different philosophies, and how difficult it is to believe that we aren't going to be getting more of those brilliant people on the court. I don't think Roberts will be one of those people, and I don't expect the next one, the one who will now replace O'Connor, to be one either.
Pitt's only touchdown came on the opening kickoff. They lost to Ohio. I'm just saying.
The Roberts nomination surprised me. When I learned that Rehnquist had died, I figured, with some horror, that Antonin Scalia would have been made chief justice. Instead, its John Roberts. Its not totally unbelievable that someone who wasn't on the court be named chief. Earl Warren, I think, did a pretty good job when he became chief. Rehnquist's legacy, well I don't know what it is. I think most people will see him as the man who ushered in a conservative majority, but I think that had a lot more to do with politics then Rehnquist's own brilliance. He was never Scalia, who, while hateable, is also brilliant. I think though, that the Rehnquist court never had a "Brown v. Board of Education" or "Roe v. Wade," a society changing decision. We had "Bush v. Gore," and "Lawrence v. Texas," but I think the former will be seen as a political decision, and Rehnquist was in the minority on the latter. he funny thing is, this week, the episode of the West Wing where Bartlett nominates both a brilliant liberal and a brilliant conservative to the court to have it out, came on. It made me think how important the court is in articulating different philosophies, and how difficult it is to believe that we aren't going to be getting more of those brilliant people on the court. I don't think Roberts will be one of those people, and I don't expect the next one, the one who will now replace O'Connor, to be one either.
Pitt's only touchdown came on the opening kickoff. They lost to Ohio. I'm just saying.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
About Last Night
I wanted to comment on the absolutely fabulous tennis match I saw last night. There were so many fabulous storylines in the Blake/Agassi match, but the tennis, for the first time in what seemed like years, actually matched the hype in a big match. That Agassi could come back from 2 sets down, and then that Blake could rally in the fifth, and then Agassi coming back, it was amazing.The crowd was so into it (even at 1 a.m.), and it was wonderful to see the crowd go back and forth (you obviously heard that both had big cheering sections at Arthur Ashe). My only complaint was that there was too much play from the baseline, neither guy really came to the net very often. But that's me being very picky.
I've been very surprised, with the increase in the popularity of golf, we haven't seen the same sort of surge in popularity in tennis. Obviously, the women's game is healthy, but that's primarily because of the personalities, and well, the attractiveness of the Williams sisters and Maria Sharapova. But the men's game, in many ways, hasn't been as exciting in many years. I realize the problem, that the dominant player, perhaps the best player of all time, Roger Federer, isn't American and relatively unknown. By relatively, I mean that he could walk into most sports bars wth a shirt reading "I'm Roger Federer, the tennis player" and people still wouldn't know who he was. But tennis is far, and I mean, worlds more athletic than golf, and it allows you to express yourself more athletically. You see more of a tennis players personality on the court than a golfer on the course. Its also far less expensive to play (all it really takes is a racket, which still won't cost you as much as a driver), and tennis courts can be more easily found in cities than golf courses. Maybe its just the yuppie-ization of America that leads people to embrace golf over its country club sibling.
I'll post more about Katrina and Rehnquist/Roberts later today or tomorrow (headed to Adam's tonight to watch the Patriots game and *shrug* the OC).
I've been very surprised, with the increase in the popularity of golf, we haven't seen the same sort of surge in popularity in tennis. Obviously, the women's game is healthy, but that's primarily because of the personalities, and well, the attractiveness of the Williams sisters and Maria Sharapova. But the men's game, in many ways, hasn't been as exciting in many years. I realize the problem, that the dominant player, perhaps the best player of all time, Roger Federer, isn't American and relatively unknown. By relatively, I mean that he could walk into most sports bars wth a shirt reading "I'm Roger Federer, the tennis player" and people still wouldn't know who he was. But tennis is far, and I mean, worlds more athletic than golf, and it allows you to express yourself more athletically. You see more of a tennis players personality on the court than a golfer on the course. Its also far less expensive to play (all it really takes is a racket, which still won't cost you as much as a driver), and tennis courts can be more easily found in cities than golf courses. Maybe its just the yuppie-ization of America that leads people to embrace golf over its country club sibling.
I'll post more about Katrina and Rehnquist/Roberts later today or tomorrow (headed to Adam's tonight to watch the Patriots game and *shrug* the OC).
Monday, September 05, 2005
Week one thoughts
And mercifully, it ends. This weekend, I've spent much of my time watching the first weekend of college football. I can honestly say that the worst game I saw all weekend was the one that was just on, Florida State/Miami. After what I just saw from Florida State's QB's, though mostly Drew Weatherford, I am even more firm in my belief that they will lose to BC on the 17th, mainly because BC will oline up and hit them in th emouth more than Miami did, and I have no bloody clue how FSU will move the ball against Toal and Kiwanuka.
Obviously two big stories emerged over the weekend. One was the loss of Oklahoma. Now I'm always skeptical about teams "reloading" especially when they lose a lot at one position at one time. Its not just Jason White, the biggest choking dog in NCAA history (he essentially stunk in the three biggest games of his career: two national championship games and one Big XII title game), I thought the loss of three of their top receivers at once would hurt more than anyone realized. Obviously it did, as they couldn't move the ball at all. Even Adrian Peterson can only do so much against a nine man front.
Notre Dame was incredibly impressive. They didn't just beat Pitt, they essentially dissected them. Weis will always put them in the right position to win offensively. I think the trick is going to be finding the right defensive personnel. He doesn't need all world recruits on offense, all he needs are people who fit into the system he runs and a smart quarterback.
Michigan did not look great, or the best I can tell, they didn't look great. It was one of the weirdest experiences ever not being able to listen to or watch the Michigan game for really the first time ever. I had "Watch the game" on one of the gamecasts which tells you what the last play was. Thankfully I'll get the next game for sure. The defense looked not terribly good, but I also believe that they can improve as the competition gets better and the intensity gets hyped up. The offense looked incredibly good, as they did in 2000. Hopefully the defense is better than that though. My heart couldn't take going through that again.
I'd like to put in a word about the greatness of Jerry Rice. No one, and I mean no one has ever been a better receiver, and no one ever kept themselves in such phenomenal condition (just ask any teammate who ever joined him on "the hill," a horrific torture device of a workout where Rice led the poor unsuspecting soul up and town a torturous climb. I don't have a problem with him wanting to hang on either. Even if his skills were diminished, only he has the right to make the decision to leave. He never was an embarrassment, he played in incredibly well in Oakland, as he neared an age where his peers might have been retired for years. Most of the time, whenever I saw him on TV, you could really only say "wow," becasue he did everything so absolutely perfectly, with such precise execution.
Obviously two big stories emerged over the weekend. One was the loss of Oklahoma. Now I'm always skeptical about teams "reloading" especially when they lose a lot at one position at one time. Its not just Jason White, the biggest choking dog in NCAA history (he essentially stunk in the three biggest games of his career: two national championship games and one Big XII title game), I thought the loss of three of their top receivers at once would hurt more than anyone realized. Obviously it did, as they couldn't move the ball at all. Even Adrian Peterson can only do so much against a nine man front.
Notre Dame was incredibly impressive. They didn't just beat Pitt, they essentially dissected them. Weis will always put them in the right position to win offensively. I think the trick is going to be finding the right defensive personnel. He doesn't need all world recruits on offense, all he needs are people who fit into the system he runs and a smart quarterback.
Michigan did not look great, or the best I can tell, they didn't look great. It was one of the weirdest experiences ever not being able to listen to or watch the Michigan game for really the first time ever. I had "Watch the game" on one of the gamecasts which tells you what the last play was. Thankfully I'll get the next game for sure. The defense looked not terribly good, but I also believe that they can improve as the competition gets better and the intensity gets hyped up. The offense looked incredibly good, as they did in 2000. Hopefully the defense is better than that though. My heart couldn't take going through that again.
I'd like to put in a word about the greatness of Jerry Rice. No one, and I mean no one has ever been a better receiver, and no one ever kept themselves in such phenomenal condition (just ask any teammate who ever joined him on "the hill," a horrific torture device of a workout where Rice led the poor unsuspecting soul up and town a torturous climb. I don't have a problem with him wanting to hang on either. Even if his skills were diminished, only he has the right to make the decision to leave. He never was an embarrassment, he played in incredibly well in Oakland, as he neared an age where his peers might have been retired for years. Most of the time, whenever I saw him on TV, you could really only say "wow," becasue he did everything so absolutely perfectly, with such precise execution.
Friday, September 02, 2005
Nothing, except to say...
While listening to the radio today on the way home from Barnstead, I heard something interesting. Rachel Maddow, who was substituting for Al Franken on his show was talking about the media coverage of the Katrina disaster. She pointed out something that I should have noticed earlier; that the correspondents for the networks covering the events in New Orleans are being radicalized before our eyes. Last night, Anderson Cooper of CNN went after Mary Landrieu after she thanked the government officials supervising the events in New Orleans. Though he himself was in Mississippi, he had seen his own share of awful things, lie a dead woman floating in the water, her body being consumed by rats as she floated. Today, while flipping through various channels, I saw Shepard Smith, that's Shepard Smith of the Fox News Channel, lambasting the government's efforts to save some of the people he saw essentially dying on the highways and bridges he was broadcasting from. We've seen terrible images, the likes of which we never see here in the United States. Maddow kept saying how there seemed to be a national question of how could this have happened, and an outrage that this could happen in the United States. Frankly, I've been asking myself the same thing.
This is probably the worst humanitarian catastrophe in America since the Dust Bowl, and the worst natural disaster since the San Francisco earthquake in 1903. The staggering incompetence shown in dealing with this has been incredible. It took days for food to reach people, days of them sitting, and some dying, in front or inside of shelters. We've seen the very epitome of desperation, people begging total strangers, through cameras, for any kind of help. Andrew Sullivan made the point that if conservatives are supposed to believe in anything, its law and order. Funding emergency services, and the armed forces are supposed to be what conservatives do. What has happened this week is gives the lie to that. Or, at the very least, gives the lie to the idea the George Bush is competent. Anyone can believe what they will about politics, about what government is for. We can all agree on one thing, government is supposed to be there for things like this, to protect the citizens of their own country from harm, to save them from disaster. There have been dozens of disasters in other countries, deadly earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, which were essentially ignored by people here. The governments of those countries often couldn't help their citizens because their nations lacked basic necessities like adequate roads or equipment. We have adequate roads and adequate equipment. The reason no one though a disaster like this could happen, that Americans would need to be bussed from one city to another as refugees, is that it shouldn't have happened. It was unfathomable.
I thought President Bush was having a bad summer before, given the case Cindy Sheehan was making against the war, a war with no end in sight, one that doesn't seem to have accomplished very much in Iraq. Now, the image of his presidency, which once was the man in the jacket throwing out the pitch at Yankee Stadium or the man standing in the rubble of the towers with firemen, has changed. Its now the image of the man who, when his country needed leadership, seemed unable to leave his vacation home. The man who looked outside his billion dollar plane to see the damage caused by nature, and the toll it was taking on the forgotten of society. The man who today, in trying, one can only suppose, to give comfort to those who have lost everything, said he couldn't wait to sit on the front porch of Trent Lott's new house (The same Trent Lott who lost his job as majority leader because he seemingly endorsed the platform of a segregationist). While tens of thousands of the poorest Americans, who have lost everything and are taking what they can to survive he said he couldn't wait to sit on the porch of the new mansion for one of America's most powerful, and richest, men. In the four years since 9/11, we've been told we were preparing for a disaster, that we were ready for anything that might come to hurt us. Obviously, that wasn't the case. We seemingly haven't learned anything about disaster response since that Tuesday. It seems to have only gotten worse.
There isn't much else to say. I'm sad, I'm tired, and I'm angry. One of America's greatest cities, the one that gave birth to jazz, the one Andrew Jackson and a band of Kentucky and Tennessee woodsmen defended in 1815, the one that gives us Mardi Gras, and the one that millions of Americans call home or who have families to call it home is under water or in a state of anarchy. Please, lets just hope things will get better this weekend.
This is probably the worst humanitarian catastrophe in America since the Dust Bowl, and the worst natural disaster since the San Francisco earthquake in 1903. The staggering incompetence shown in dealing with this has been incredible. It took days for food to reach people, days of them sitting, and some dying, in front or inside of shelters. We've seen the very epitome of desperation, people begging total strangers, through cameras, for any kind of help. Andrew Sullivan made the point that if conservatives are supposed to believe in anything, its law and order. Funding emergency services, and the armed forces are supposed to be what conservatives do. What has happened this week is gives the lie to that. Or, at the very least, gives the lie to the idea the George Bush is competent. Anyone can believe what they will about politics, about what government is for. We can all agree on one thing, government is supposed to be there for things like this, to protect the citizens of their own country from harm, to save them from disaster. There have been dozens of disasters in other countries, deadly earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, which were essentially ignored by people here. The governments of those countries often couldn't help their citizens because their nations lacked basic necessities like adequate roads or equipment. We have adequate roads and adequate equipment. The reason no one though a disaster like this could happen, that Americans would need to be bussed from one city to another as refugees, is that it shouldn't have happened. It was unfathomable.
I thought President Bush was having a bad summer before, given the case Cindy Sheehan was making against the war, a war with no end in sight, one that doesn't seem to have accomplished very much in Iraq. Now, the image of his presidency, which once was the man in the jacket throwing out the pitch at Yankee Stadium or the man standing in the rubble of the towers with firemen, has changed. Its now the image of the man who, when his country needed leadership, seemed unable to leave his vacation home. The man who looked outside his billion dollar plane to see the damage caused by nature, and the toll it was taking on the forgotten of society. The man who today, in trying, one can only suppose, to give comfort to those who have lost everything, said he couldn't wait to sit on the front porch of Trent Lott's new house (The same Trent Lott who lost his job as majority leader because he seemingly endorsed the platform of a segregationist). While tens of thousands of the poorest Americans, who have lost everything and are taking what they can to survive he said he couldn't wait to sit on the porch of the new mansion for one of America's most powerful, and richest, men. In the four years since 9/11, we've been told we were preparing for a disaster, that we were ready for anything that might come to hurt us. Obviously, that wasn't the case. We seemingly haven't learned anything about disaster response since that Tuesday. It seems to have only gotten worse.
There isn't much else to say. I'm sad, I'm tired, and I'm angry. One of America's greatest cities, the one that gave birth to jazz, the one Andrew Jackson and a band of Kentucky and Tennessee woodsmen defended in 1815, the one that gives us Mardi Gras, and the one that millions of Americans call home or who have families to call it home is under water or in a state of anarchy. Please, lets just hope things will get better this weekend.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Good Morning America, How are ya?
Obviously, the damage done to the city of New Orleans, and the corresponding meltdown have been the news. Hopefully, if some good comes from this tragedy, it will be greater awareness about the problems facing the underclass. The people in New Orleans, the ones who were unable to evacuate, were there for a reason. They didn't have the money to leave. The problems facing the underclass are the great under-reported story that is always unwritten. But the horrible problems with the response, and now, the stories about funding for the levies being diverted are becoming embarassing, and they are taking away from where the attention should be focused, getting the people still there out and then repairing what's left under the water.
And by the way...yes, a conservative group has said that New Orleans got the Sodom and Gomorrah treatment, that God destroyed the city for its wicked ways.
Just in case there is any question about what a schmuck Sean Hannity is, here is proof of his schmuckiness. Last week, a soldier from Indianapolis was being buried. As has been there custom at military funerals around the country, Reverend Fred Phelps and his church/members of his crazy-ass family, the same people who protested at the funeral of Matthew Shepard, picketed the funeral, essentially saying that the death of the troops was a result of America's tolerance of homosexuality. While the people who attended the funeral essentially ignored the protests, the local media did not. This was what Hannity said on his show: "The protesters were headquartered in Kansas. They traveled across the country to demonstrate against a soldier." And you know something? I guess this is just another example of how the anti-war left supports our brave troops. 'Cause isn't that what they always say? They're disrupting the funeral, tormenting a grieving family. Can you believe I even have to bring this story to the airwaves? And creating an incredible spectacle in the middle of an occasion to honor a guy who died serving his country? But of course, they're supporting our troops. They're not supporting them; they're targeting our troops!"
Now here's the really significant problem I have. Hannity had to know he was lying through his teeth, I simply refuse to believe that anyone with a nationally syndicated radio show, even if they are conservative and pushing an agena, wouldn't know who Phelps is, and what he was doing. There have been other stories about these protests in the past. This means that Hannity deliberately misrepresented facts to promote a political agenda, which I suppose he might well do anyway. But here, it such an obvious lie, and there are enough people who probably took this as fact and believe that anti-war protestors are the worst kinds of people. Which they aren't. Sean Hannity and Fred Phelps are.
And by the way...yes, a conservative group has said that New Orleans got the Sodom and Gomorrah treatment, that God destroyed the city for its wicked ways.
Just in case there is any question about what a schmuck Sean Hannity is, here is proof of his schmuckiness. Last week, a soldier from Indianapolis was being buried. As has been there custom at military funerals around the country, Reverend Fred Phelps and his church/members of his crazy-ass family, the same people who protested at the funeral of Matthew Shepard, picketed the funeral, essentially saying that the death of the troops was a result of America's tolerance of homosexuality. While the people who attended the funeral essentially ignored the protests, the local media did not. This was what Hannity said on his show: "The protesters were headquartered in Kansas. They traveled across the country to demonstrate against a soldier." And you know something? I guess this is just another example of how the anti-war left supports our brave troops. 'Cause isn't that what they always say? They're disrupting the funeral, tormenting a grieving family. Can you believe I even have to bring this story to the airwaves? And creating an incredible spectacle in the middle of an occasion to honor a guy who died serving his country? But of course, they're supporting our troops. They're not supporting them; they're targeting our troops!"
Now here's the really significant problem I have. Hannity had to know he was lying through his teeth, I simply refuse to believe that anyone with a nationally syndicated radio show, even if they are conservative and pushing an agena, wouldn't know who Phelps is, and what he was doing. There have been other stories about these protests in the past. This means that Hannity deliberately misrepresented facts to promote a political agenda, which I suppose he might well do anyway. But here, it such an obvious lie, and there are enough people who probably took this as fact and believe that anti-war protestors are the worst kinds of people. Which they aren't. Sean Hannity and Fred Phelps are.
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