Greetings from
The Publisher . . .
Is this really an ill wind, if it totally blows Bush's cover?
Was minister Pat Robertson right? God was punishing New Orleans for an upcoming gay parade. Or could it be the abstinence programs the Louisiana Governor supports? Maybe God was upset that people weren't preaching about being fruitful and multiplying? Probably neither. I doubt God was after sinners; He/She simply missed too many.
There are pitfalls with this line of thought. To understand the many dimensions of God from our limited dimension may be more that we're wired to do, though we still wonder.
The personal pain and suffering we have seen on television is sobering. When I asked one of the ladies at TLC how she was doing with all of this (in the early days after Katrina), she summed it up for several of us: She was fine until people's personal challenges were described. She couldn't take that.
Listening to Aaron Broussard, president of Jefferson Parish in New Orleans, who was interviewed by Tim Russert on “Meet the Press,” makes the reality too human, the failure of the government and the costs too clear. Broussard told of the man who talked to his mother on a phone every day for five days telling her what FEMA told him—“help is on the way. They would rescue her.” Every day he told her not to worry. She drowned the fifth day.
Yes, there is plenty of blame to go around, but isn't there also a pecking order? If you're mayor and your actions aren't sufficient, and 80% of your city is under water, etc., then the entity with more resources steps up, right? If the State can't, there's another level with even more resources available. FEMA means Emergency Management .
Fired FEMA Director Michael Brown took the heat, but his boss, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, had the power to act. Chertoff is acknowledged as the one who single-handedly relieved the nation's fear of an anthrax threat by prescribing plastic and duct tape. Uh huh. He turned over the operation to Brown, and Tuesday night, Aug. 30, Brown literally called “uncle.”
Uncle meanwhile was avoiding knowing anything. The commander-in-chief with the greatest number of resources and ability to act wasn't even watching at first. The President's aides collected video highlights of Katrina's devastation and after numerous requests and “arm-twisting” got him to watch. Can anyone defend this man's knowledge of the world or current events?
At every step, there was someone who could have stepped in when it wasn't working. Every day people died while others cried for help.
The hospital ship Bataan was near Panama when Katrina hit shore. Their sailors were among the first to fly helicopters into New Orleans and lift people from rooftops. After that they sat awaiting orders. Their hospital beds were never used.
If there is a bigger picture unfolding, a reason, a silver lining that comes from this, could it be that this government has been totally exposed as not knowing how to govern? This administration can't administer. The knowledge comes at a price, but the pace that the Bush administration mal-functions is undeniable.
A sign of this awareness may have been shown at the recent anti-war rally in Balboa Park. About 2000 marched. What was more significant was the normally vocal Bush supporters weren't there. The highest estimate I saw was 12. These hurricanes, especially Katrina, have blown his cover. The emperor has no substance.
When Katrina hit, he was in San Diego. One of his topics was how his Social Security plan would take care of people properly. Instead of seeing people in need and responding, he was spouting wrong-headed political philosophy.
We've been shielded from the body bags and suffering in Iraq, but by now we've all visited New Orleans and the Gulf. We haven't been able to account for the money going to rebuild Iraq. All we hear is that the Vice-President's company, Halliburton/KBR, is fined from time to time for overcharging. But we heard the President is moving ahead with reconstruction in the Gulf and Halliburton got a no-bid contract to rebuild oil well platforms. The whistle-blower at the Army Corps of Engineers who called it a terrible contract has been reassigned.
So far 80% of the contracts awarding $1.5 billion have gone to the usual suspects without other bids. There seems to be an idea that throwing money at problems solves them.
The ineptitude should not be a surprise. This Administration doesn't like government or federal programs. They don't see the need for the many departments they are supposed to manage and appoint people who are uncomfortable with the departments they run. They appoint political contributors.
Besides FEMA, other appointments are now being viewed closer. Norris Alderson, for example, a veterinarian with no experience with women's health, was to be named head of the FDA's Office of Women's Health. A vet! It's absurd and the public is objecting.
To President Bush's credit, he is willing to spend the money to rebuild, as long as it doesn't affect tax cuts for the rich. He may not have his party with him, however.
“Katrina breaks my heart,” said Representative Mike Pence, Republican of Indiana. “Congress must do everything the American people expect us to do to meet the needs of families and communities affected by Katrina. But we must not let Katrina break the bank for our children and grandchildren.” It must depend on which children.
He's concerned—after a pork-laden transportation bill, billions for rebuilding Iraq and to fund a rat-hole war, and tax cuts for the richest of us? Now some have rediscovered their fiscally conservative roots?
Can rebuilding be different this time? Karl Rove is developing the administration's recovery plan. It calls for waivers on environmental rules, the elimination of capital gains taxes, and the private ownership of public school buildings in the disaster areas. The same answers apply to all questions.
Meanwhile, in what is called “FEMA City,” near Punta Gorda, FL, almost 500 trailers set up by FEMA house more than 1500 people made homeless by Hurricane Charley, one of the most destructive storms in recent Florida history. A year later, the town has been rebuilt and even upgraded. More than half of those dislocated by the storm, however, still live in FEMA City. They can't afford to live in upgraded Punta Gorda!
What has come out of all this is clear. This administration can't and won't govern in a way that honors the original intent of the departments of our government or see the need they fill. Why do we have an FDA? Why do we have an Attorney General? This is a group that thinks “protect and serve” is a foreign concept.
They don't administer or govern—they direct money. Isn't incompetence the best reason for impeachment? It's non-partisan and undeniable.
Equally clear is that we are our best first line of defense. The government may be busy abroad or on vacation. Those in the Gulf States who fared the best prepared themselves. Those who were prepared could also step up and help their neighbors. We in Southern California can help ourselves by preparing for the floods, fires and earthquakes that come from time to time. And if worse becomes worst, hope someone back there is watching TV and knows.
Have a great month,
Steve Hays
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