my last word about alan matheney.

In a couple hours or so a man is going die. He's going to be killed by the State of Indiana. Alan Matheney is going to be executed for the 1989 murder of his ex-wife, Lisa Bianco. It happened in Mishawaka, Indiana, when I lived in neighboring South Bend. I didn't know her or her family, but the story gripped the community and sent ripple effects throughout the nation.

Matheney was already serving time for beating Bianco. He was granted an eight-hour furlough. His mother drove to the prison, fetched him, brought him back to Mishawaka, where Matheney beat Bianco to death with a rifle.

And now, in a matter of minutes, he's going to die for his crime.

While I'm mostly against the death penalty, I can't help but not mind that Matheney is about to be killed. I make no apologies or excuses for my sentiment. I also do not revel in the carrying out of the sentence. It's a weird place for me, to be simultaneously against the death penalty, yet in favor of Matheney's death. I suppose I made it personal.

I'm not one for bloodlust. I'm also not going to fight to spare his life. My view of the death penalty is it does no good. It doesn't deter crime. It doesn't bring back the life of a murder victim. And, in many cases, the evidence is not as obvious and compelling (which is why the appeals process is necessary, I might add). At the end of the day, I'm not comfortable with playing the percentages when it comes to a sentence as final as execution.

But in the case of Alan Matheney, I'm going to suspend my personal beliefs and not feel the least bit conflicted over it. I'm not playing God. Nor am I dancing on a grave. But in this case -- at least for once -- I can go to bed tonight knowing he's getting what he deserves.

Believe me, there's no joy in saying that. Nor is there a guilty conscience. But there is sadness because it means we, as a society, still haven't gotten it right when it comes to crime, punishment, and domestic abuse.

Nevertheless, Alan Matheney deserves to die.

And that's the last thing I'm ever going to say about that.

what the hell was the objective?

While I have been against the war in Iraq from its outset, I have never confused my respect to the troops. They don't get to pick where and who to fight. But I'm growing more and more disillusioned and somewhat embarrassed when I hear stories of abuse against POWs.

Andrew Sullivan.com had a recent update that spoke of abuses against POWs at the hands of American soldiers:

Much of the abuse allegedly occurred in 2003 and 2004, before and during the period the Army was conducting an internal investigation into the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, but prior to when the abuses at Abu Ghraib became public . . . Specific instances of abuse described in the Human Rights Watch report include severe beatings, including one incident when a soldier allegedly broke a detainee's leg with a metal bat.

One word: unacceptable.

This is not a "bleeding heart liberal" cry, so please save that flailing, one-dimensional retort for another day. We can't call ourselves good guys when we're acting like the bad guys.

As Americans, we must universally agree to the principle of basic human rights for our enemies as well as our allies, despite our disagreements about the merits of the war in Iraq.

I've heard the arguments against me already:

They'll do it to us.

Or worse.

I don't care.

It doesn't matter.

Haven't we always said the difference with Americans is we hold ourselves to a higher standard?

After reading the accounts of Abu Graib and beyond, I'm beginning to wonder. It's not hyperbole when I say I have serious doubts that this administration has any grip on the true meaning of leadership. Bush and Rumsfeld are to blame here. You can't pin this on state and local governments this time. They have lost control of the military leadership. I'm with Andrew Sullivan: Time for you to go, Rummy.

What's scary about these human rights violations is nobody seems to care; least of all this administration. Heaven forbid something as pesky as human rights for Iraqis should get in the way of their objective.

What the hell was the objective again?

the money quote.

Arianna Huffington hits it right on the screws:

...it took less than two weeks after the unveiling of Janet Jackson's right boob at the Super Bowl before the president's congressional cronies were holding hearings on the matter -- but it took 14 months before Bush caved to public pressure and allowed the 9/11 Commission to be formed. Again, you pick the real obscenity.

fall in line, harry.

So Harry Reid is going to vote against confirming John Roberts as the new chief justice. Yeah, that's shocking. He can do whatever he wants, and his nay vote won't stand in the way of Roberts ascending the court, but I wish he'd just fall in line.

Under Bush, Roberts is about as good as it's going to get. He doesn't strike me as a loose cannon or a scary ideologue. I think the Democrats should do as the Republicans did when Clinton appointed Ginsburg.

And besides, it's the next justice that's going to be a lightning rod. I think we all know that's going to be a fierce fight. So why quibble over Roberts? Especially when he's all but assured to be confirmed.

statute of limitations.

When in doubt, blame Bubba.

Take note: Democrats. If, by some freakish twist of fate, you should put a Democrat in the White House in 2k8 -- and that's a very big if -- you only get two years to blame Bush. Two years.

After that, the mess is all yours.

The Bush camp made a convenient, if not specious, argument that many of the problems in Dubya's first term were because of Clinton's undoings. To the extent that the intelligence community was blundering and that he didn't kill bin Laden when he had the chance, I let it slide. But it's been five years and we've seen this administration be masterful at laying blame at the feet of others.

Bush has been in office for five years now. The statute of limitations on blaming Clinton as run out. Democrats better take note. I don't care who was there last. The hot potatoe is yours once you're sworn in.

The buck does, in fact, stop here!

time to deliver.

I felt I owed it to the president to watch his speech tonight, given how critical I've been of him over the years. His speech was as I expected: on message, focused, well-versed, and largely devoid of any grandstanding. At least that's how I saw it. The problem is -- and no, I can't get past it -- is he shoud've delivered this address on no later than the Wednesday that followed the breaching of the levees. He should've done it from the ruins of New Orleans while a swift and secure evacuation was underway. (sorry, I'm wearing my PR hat just now)

I don't doubt rebuilding efforts will be successful in New Orleans. I'm also in favor of encouraging entrepreneurship at all levels, as well as home ownership. But the key will be to stay on those business owners to hire people. And it's also going to be incumbent upon those who are impoverished to take advantage of this initiative.

I'm not saying it's a cure-all, of course. But I do think there's a chance here to see if we can glean a model of community revitalization from this humongous social experiment in New Orleans.

You could say I largely appreciated what the president had to say tonight. But this is certainly not the end of the chapter. It's really only the beginning. It's our job as citizens to hold elected officials accountable for the things they promise. The president is no different. Since he's term-limited, perhaps a better way to view it is this way: the presidency is no different.

So yeah, Mr. President, you said the right things tonight. And that's a good first step. You finally fell on your sword. And you did so in a constructive manner. I'm good with that.

But again, let's see if you deliver.

welcome to the party, mr. president. now get back to work.

From the AP:

Bush Takes Responsibilities for Blunders

"Katrina exposed serious problems in our response capability at all levels of government. And to the extent that the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility. I want to know what went right and what went wrong."
--George W. Bush, Sept. 13, 2005 Read more.


All right! All right! I screwed up! Sheesh!

It only took about 10 days, but the president finally did something he hasn't ever done while in office: admitted that mistakes were made and he, ultimately, is responsible.

It's about time, Mr. President.

Given the slow response to Katrina, all I wanted was for somebody on the federal level to stop making excuses and admit that things went very badly. It's difficult to appreciate Bush's mea culpa because it seems positively Clintonian -- that is to say, wait for polling data to dictate which way you'll fall. Had he done this on the first Wednesday or Thursday after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, it would've made more of a statement.

I don't feel any level of joy or vindication in Bush's statement today. But I will say it's the closest he's come in four years to saying something that felt genuine; that didn't seem to come directly off a note from Karl Rove.

So fine. He's finally admitted fault. But that doesn't erase the mistakes that have implications for all Americans. I'm tired of hearing people defend him and the poor, poor job the feds did. If Al Qaeda blew up the levees instead of a predicted hurricane disaster, people would've stormed Washington (only to find the joint empty since the gubment was on vacation).

We accept your statement, Mr. President. But you don't get points for finally showing up to the party.

Now get back to work.

another way to look at it.

I grew up a Detroit Tigers fan. Yes, this is relevant. As a Tigers fan, I listened to a lot of baseball games. Jack Morris was an ace Detroit pitcher for many years. But he also had a reputation for being selfish and had a bit of an "all about me" complex. During one particular game (the dates and opponents escape me) Tigers manager Sparky Anderson came out to the mound to talk to Morris, who was struggling. During the conversation, Morris to Sparky that it was the pitching coach's fault that he wasn't pitching well. Or something like that. Either way, the point is Jack Morris didn't own up to his own problems.

Sparky barked Morris off the mound, pulled him immediately from the game and wen to the pen. Why? Because Morris passed the buck.

Fans, for the most part, sided with Sparky I'm sure. Nobody likes a crybaby. Nobody likes someone passing the buck. And this illustrates why people are so irate with the federal government. We're sick and tired of the Bush administration constantly saying it was somebody else's fault. I wish people would demand greater accountability of our elected officials than we do our sports teams.

Bush adopted Harry Truman's policy of never taking off his coat in the Oval Office, which is superficial and window-dressing, at best. I would be nice if Dubya adopted Truman's policy of "the buck stops here."

I suppose we have a better chance of Harry Truman coming back to life and assuming the powers of the presidency, though.

a free form line of thinking that just will not quit.

I went to bed an hour ago and just can't seem to fall asleep. I'm tired (probably from lack of sleep last night) but my mind is just racing right now. What's worse is I'm unsettled over all the crap and rhetoric and bullshit of Katrina relief efforts. As much as I hate to agree with Jesse Jackson on anything, I can certainly understand why victims of the hurricane and subsequent abandonment by authorities would be left feeling there's a racial undertone. I'm not saying there is one, but I can certainly see how it starts.

I'm mad at myself for letting all the assholes who blame the victims and give Bush and his dimwitted administration a free pass. But this is just the echo of what's really eating at me. When you get down to it, I'm getting more and more scared for the direction we're heading under a confusing and horrendous president.

Every president is insulated, no doubt. But I can't understand how or why the dunce of the Republican party has so many Kool-Aid drinkers who are too excited to jump in front of any criticism of the shit job he's doing. Perhaps it's because the only thing Dubya recognizes and rewards is loyalty. Nothing more. Nothing less.

What's vexing, though, is he's not even a good leader! While I may not have agreed with some of Reagan's policies, I can certainly see why he had disciples. He was the real deal when it came to leadership. While I can certainly understand why many conservatives hated Clinton's hand-wringing and over-the-top sincerity, I recognize his ability to communicate his ideals while listening to those who opposed him.

George Dubya Bush isn't much of a thinker. He's not much of a communicator (ever watch him speak off-the-cuff with reporters? It's nearly painful to watch). He hasn't a clue about foreign policy. Hell, he's pretty lax about domestic policy! And for a Republican, he sure knows how to create big government and lots of spending.

So what is it about him that makes Republicans so giddy? My only guess is bigtime politics has strayed so far from being about the "best" candidate to the most electable one. That's why you get people like Indiana Senator Evan Bayh roaming around Iowa or New Hampshire running stump lines that have been vetted, tested, sanitized and pollster-ized time and again before he goes live. That's how Bush got where he is. That's why Kerry last year couldn't campaign his way out of a phone booth with a compass, map and a shirpa.

And that's why we're now seeing so many cracks in the Bush White House. This group of loyalists -- the most inner circle, beginning with Karl Rove -- is expert at one task and one task alone: winning elections. They're masterful, truly masterful, at the art of election year politics; well, the dirty side, if you ask me. But that's neither here nor there.

What they're not good at is governing a country. Governing is different charge with much different goals than a run-up to an election and we're seeing that misfiring play out every day. They're all so loyal to Bush that there's no set of checks and balances to keep the place honest. That's why we have talking points re-directing the heat off Condi Rice for having Osama's big plan sitting on her desk the morning the 19 hijackers boarded planes.

That's why we have backwards engineered intelligence to justify a pre-ordained war with Iraq.

And that's why we have the spin meisters working the field to deflect every bit of criticism away from Bush on all these matters. I'm left with only one conclusion: Bush is a big pussy who can't take the heat. How else would you explain his absolutely pathological behavior to never assume responsibility?

You may call me a naysayer all day long. Like I give a shit. You'd be wrong to call me anti-Republican as well. I'm hardly a party zealot to the Democrats. Sure, I'm a liberal guy and will side with the Democrats more times than not. But I also see the value and wisdom of many true Republican ideals. I also feel the best legislation is created when it's a bipartisan effort. That's why guys like Arlen Specter and John McCain have always appealed to me.

But this neoconservative movement -- a weird hybrid of all the bad elements of both Democratic and Republican theories of governing -- has got to go.

Of course, that's contingent upon the Sisyphean task of Democrats getting their shit together before next year's mid-term elections. I have greater hope of monkeys flying out of my butt.

In the meantime, I'd just love for one person in the Bush White House to finally admit that mistakes were made. Being stubbornly loyal, sensitive to criticism and paranoid about your detractors is no way to run a country.

Just ask Richard Nixon.

time to step up, dems.

This is telling about both the president's inept handling of the Katrina aftermath as well as the shear ineptness of the Democratic leadership. FromSalon.com's War Room:

...maybe Bush and Cheney should get out more. They might be surprised by what they see. A new Zogby Poll out today has just 41 percent of the public approving of Bush's job performance -- an all-time low for that poll. Zogby asked Americans how they'd vote in hypothetical match-ups between Bush and candidates from the past. The president would still beat John Kerry by a within-the-margin-of-error percentage point, but he'd lose to every recent president -- including Jimmy Carter and his own father. Read more. (site pass required)

This is a very telling statement about Kerry's handlers, really. The Bush approval ratings are predictable. That doesn't minimize what it means, compared to his approval ratings just after 9/11. I simply find it a more telling stat that he's still beat John Kerry!

This illustrates how badly Bob Shrum and Terry McAuliffe screwed things up last year. They articulated no grassroots message for the senator from Massachusetts. None. And it still shows, if a guy who's screwing up as often and as badly as Bush still beats your guy.

This is why the Democrats can't play that chickenshit nonsense of sitting on the sidelines while the Republicans flail and founder. Everybody loves a comeback story, dontcha know? If the Dems want to win in the mid-terms, they better put the pressure on and put the pressure on hard.

Otherwise we'll continue to claim moral victory on the backs of nearly meaningless Zogby polls.

wwbbd: what would baghdad bob do?

"I think we've seen a lot of the same footage, over and over, that isn't necessarily representative of what really happened."
-- First Lady Laura Bush, September 8, 2005

That is a direct quote from the latest human shield and bullshit artist in The Blame Game. Scott McClellan may not be a player, but Mrs. Dubya sure is willing! Her target? The media!!!!

Actually, though, Mrs. Bush is right. The footage isn't representative of what really happened. From what I've gathered from media, emergency responders, soldiers and other accounts, IT'S SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE THAN WHAT THE "SAME FOOTAGE" REPRESENTS!

Is the White House now getting counsel from Baghdad Bob?

This is, without a doubt, one of the most insulting, offensive and outrageous campaigns of lies, deflection and BLAME I've ever seen.


Baghdad Bob says: "Hurricane Katrina did not reach New Orleans. We crushed it at the airport.

Dubya might as well flip us the bird and proclaim, "Harry Truman can kiss my ass!"

Wake up, America.

We need a better president.

"what didn't go right?"

It is staggering, honestly, the levels of denial and hubris coming out of the White House and its supporters.

Staggering.

I remember how excited my Republican friends were at the election and re-election of Bush, hailing him as a strong leader and a president who was going to (in his own words) "restore honor and integrity" to the White House.

So it's time to tell me, Bush supporters, are you noticing the smell of bullshit yet?

It took a few days, but all the neocons are now standing strong and united....to be human shields for the Kennebunkeport Cowboy.

"Blame game."

"If the people had gotten out..."

"We didn't know until today..."

"Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job."

(to the comment that he should fire "Brownie.") "Why would I do that? What didn't go right?"

It's time to lay it down, neocons, the same way Democrats had to point a finger at Clinton when he was impeached. It's time to at least once hold this president and this administration to the supposedly high level of accountability he so deserves.

This president claims he's in charge. He's a problem solver. But so far, he and his cronies -- as shrill and vindictive a lot of sycophants I've ever seen -- only look inward for answers rather than take a drink from the Fountain of Reality and Facts.

This administration continues to ignore facts. It continues to ignore warnings. And now it's saying the feds did all they could? They said they couldn't go in because they needed a call from the state?

Did you hear that? A major U.S. city was decimated by a Category 4 hurricane -- a glancing blow, at that -- and they're telling us that it needed a form properly filled out? Yes. The same fucking administration that couldn't act fast enough to save the life of a brain dead woman.

The level of denial is nauseating. The amount of buck-passing is infuriating. And the incredible ability to continue to never assume accountability is insulting.

I will not stop being angry with this administration for being tremendous fuck-ups. What's worse, is people buy into it.

Wake up, America. Your president has once again fucked up. He surrounded himself with nothing but loyalists, toadies and ass kissers.

And it's getting people killed.

The next idiot who says "thank God" Bush is president during these trouble times ought to look at sources other than Karl Rove for facts.

They said nobody ever could've fathomed terrorists flying planes into buildings. I guess Condi didn't look at her desk that morning.

They said Saddam was an imminent threat and possessed WMDs. Yeah.....and the war has turned up nothing.

They said MISSION ACCOMPLISHED from the deck of the U.S.S. Lincoln (complete with an insulting Hollywood stunt). Since then, the U.S. body count has pushed over 1,800 total.

And then Bush went on Good Morning America saying nobody anticipated the levees getting breached.

I guess he argued years and years and years and years and years of data....and the fucking Weather Channel!

But oh yeah, this is also the president who's turning back the clock on evolution in favor of "intelligent design."

I am sad and scared because he's going to be there for another three years. Well, two years and nine months, once you deduct his month-long vacations.

I have no respect for this president or its apologists because they have nothing but contempt for anybody who demands accountability.

you're coming in loud and stupid.

I wasn't going to share the exchange because that's a behavior even too snarky for me. But now i can't help it. It all started when I read an entry on a blog and responded. In fact, I wrote about it.

Well, the blog author responded to me, via e-mail. Here's how the exchange went.

She said: Excuse me. I’m talking about a larger phenomenon of fatherlessness and lack of law-abiding men in the black community that played itself out in the context of this disaster. I am black and I live in the black community. What are your credentials?

And I certainly hope you are writing similar missives chastising those who are rescuing these defenseless women and children and old people for being racist.

I responded: I love it when you throw the race card at me. It's honestly cute how you do that. Whether I'm black, blue, white, yellow, whatever, doesn't matter. The "what are your credentials" nonsense is a clever ploy to go "one-up" on others. It's a cheap cop-out to attempt to dismiss me and my views. My race doesn't really matter here because I'm not angry at the survivors. I just want them taken to safety first, moral lectures later. But hey, that's just me.

The "larger issues," as you said, is certainly a worthy discussion. One from which I have never shied or dismissed (even though I'm white and single with no kids...but I suppose you'll question my "cred" when I say something you don't like, right?). But that discussion is COMPLETELY out of context in relation to the rescue efforts here. We don't take a time out to yell at a family about fire safety while their house is burning down, do we? Let's get the people out of harm's way before we pick them apart, eh?

The notion of "being a man" may have been a starting point. But after three or four days without food or water? The survivors were up against something most of us can't even begin to comprehend. Given that, to pull a person to safety while simultaneously playing armchair quarterback is bad form.

Just as your point that people were "able" enough to loot so they must've been able enough to protect. What the? That pretty much makes my point: you cast out the whole over the actions of a few. Yeah, there were people taking advantage of the situation, which is horrible and unforgivable. But there also were people going door to door to check on neighbors. Heroes don't wear red capes and can't look after everyone. And criminals certainly don't take breaks for random acts of kindness. It sucks. I hate it. But we can't do anything about that. And I don't equate surviving -- which is all most people were trying
to do in the dome -- with allowing rapes and crime. I would imagine fear reigned supreme in the dome, unfortunately. And I certainly can't fault people who were just trying to hang on for being scared.

> And I certainly hope you are writing similar missives chastising those who
> are rescuing these defenseless women and children and old people for being
> racist.

You'll have to clarify your point here, as I've made no claim to racism and certainly didn't intimate that. I never played the race card as you did, directly at me. But I guess I have no "credentials" simply based on the color of my skin, right?

Just today, she comes back with NON SEQUITUR THEATRE!!!

Kevvy,

If, like me, you live in a black community that has a large-scale fatherless and gang problem, then you are right: it doesn't matter what color you are. You can see the problem up close every day.

Do you?

And as for the looters, it's pretty simple: hungry and thirsty people don't steal TV sets. It's not a moral law, but the law of biology. One need fuel for the body to have the energy to do strenuous thing like steal electronics from stores or terrorize his own people.

Stop having lower expectations of behavior for black people (and poor ones.) We're human also.

My initital thought: What. The. Fuck?!?!? But I composed myself and responded:

Wow, you are clearly working off your own script and aren't even listening to me. Do you have the same luck trying to draw blood from a turnip?

I merely discussed what I observed as survival behavior of those who lived through a devastating natural disaster. Of course, given your skewed logic, since I myself did not ever live through such a circumstance nullifies anything I might say.

I never made any assumptions or inferences about anybody based upon race in this situation. That's your small cage, not mine. For you to wag your finger at me and lecture me over something I never said tells me that you are choosing to not hear a word I've said just so you take time to spout off. Seriously, are we working off the same script here?

I never said or inferred having "lower expectation" of black people. In fact, it strikes me it was you who did that, not me. I looked at the behavior of people stranded in New Orleans as survivors. But you obviously chose to not even try and hear my point.

The best you can do is try to re-direct and make things up that I never said to bolster your case, whatever said case that may be.

Your accusations against me are completely baseless.YOu do not have the luxury of making me out to be the villain in your little scenario because I simply never said any of the things of which you accuse me.

As near as I can tell the minute I say something you don't like you spin it into a race thing; creating the inference out of thin air. You might have a career in ventriloquism, but for the fact that my lips aren't moving when you're trying to make your words come out of me.

So kindly take your finger-wagging bulls@#t out of my inbox.

----------------------------------

I'd compare the conversation to one with a tree, but even the tree doesn't get delusional and make shit up along the way.

I used to be somewhat intimidated by the thought of engaging with blogger-pundits. Clearly I don't need to be intimidated as much as I just need to have a blatant disregard for what they say. I suppose I should've just answered her with JELL-O! because that makes about as much sense as the nonsense she was saying to me.

we need a better president.

This was supposed to be the administration that new how to handle the big problems. This was supposed to be the administration of accountability. This was supposed to be the administration that restored "honor and integrity" to the Oval Office. This was supposed to be the administration that was going to run things like a business, rather than a tangled up bureaucracy.

So far, Mr. President, you're mission is NOT accomplished.

This is an administration that is collapsing and imploding under the weight of its own arrogance and blind loyalty. That wouldn't be so bad if it weren't taking the rest of us down with it.

True, George W. Bush has been dealt a tougher hand than many other presidents. But that doesn't matter. Presidents aren't availed the luxury of stacking the deck. Many others have been faced with tremendous adversity and stood tall. And the statute of limitations has run out on passing the buck to your much-hated predecessor, Bill Clinton.

No more excuses, Mr. President.

It's time for you, for somebody -- ANYBODY!!!! -- to stand up and take charge. It's time for somebody -- ANYBODY!!!! -- to be a leader in the face of yet another cataclysmic event. This time, you don't get to piggyback on Rudy Guiliani.

The beltway spinsters are great at getting Bush to talk out of both sides of his mouth to appease the masses (the very thing they accused Clinton of doing, I might add). We all saw the reports where Bush said the response to Katrina was "not acceptable." But then we see him giving an atta boy to "Brownie," who's apparently doing a "heck of a job."

How many days after the storm passed was that?

Bush supporters are very protective of their man, but they're out on that island all by themselves right now. Because even many conservatives have admitted the federal response was embarrassing.

This administration is great at spin, better at vindictive dirty tricks. To whom will the buck get passed this time? My prediction: the victims.

You heard me.

Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour has already been thrown at Tim Russert as the first of what's sure to be many test balloons. It's subtle, but what Barbour said in response to what's happened to the Gulf Coast was some pithy remark about "the people who didn't evacuate." In print, it doesn't look so bad, does it? But think of the implications of that tone. It's a softening blow that implies those who remained in New Orleans had other options.

I bet you hear many more Kool-Aid drinkers utter sentiments like "if they would've evacuated like they were told to do..."

The name of the game: re-direct, deny responsibility, claim victory, and promote the most loyal sycophant.

The machine is already starting.

As I've said time and again, it's time for people to wake up. THESE are the true hot-button issues. Not gay marriage. Not prayer in school. Not Terri Schiavo. Not the Ten Commandments. Not "they hate us for our freedom." This is precisely what the federal government is supposed to be addressing -- the big things that individuals cannot address.

Quite simply, we need a better president. No, he didn't make Katrina happen, but his administration -- the very thing he's reshaped (twice) -- has failed time and again because of twisted demagoguery.

Clearly, planes crashing into buildings and monster hurricanes aren't enough to convince this administration that it's time to do a better job. If you need a canary in the mineshaft, where do these stack up?

Has it yet convinced you that we need a better president? Or will we have to wait for something more personal to happen; like a shaky economy, outlandish, skyrocketing energy costs and long lines at the gas pump?

Oh wait....

and the band played on.

Though it's rare that someone writes it better than me (snicker, snicker), the AP's Ron Fournier certainly sums up my sentiment in this piece:

Newsview: Rhetoric Not Matching Reality

By RON FOURNIER

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Iraqi insurgency is in its last throes. The economy is booming. Anybody who leaks a CIA agent's identity will be fired. Add another piece of White House rhetoric that doesn't match the public's view of reality: Help is on the way, Gulf Coast.

As New Orleans descended into anarchy, top Bush administration officials congratulated each other for jobs well done and spoke of water, food and troops pouring into the ravaged city. Television pictures told a different story. Read more.

Of course, there are Bush apologists who will undoubtedly wave the "liberal media bias" flag at that last line. Well, at least the media showed up!

I'm not saying Bush alone is to blame, but he set the tone for the federal gubment. He gutted FEMA. He downgraded it from a cabinet position. And, had he not fired everybody around him who's not a kiss-ass toady, perhaps he would've gotten some real guidance on responding to a disaster.

To hear federal jackasses say "they didn't ask for our help" as a response is chickenshit. I'd like to think if the president dialed up the New Orleans mayor or the governor of any of the effected states and said, "we're sending help," they would not have said no.

As Bill Maher said the other night on Real Time, this administration came in on the promise of handling "the big stuff." It doesn't get much bigger than this. And the Crawford Cowboy needed a day or two to decide to cut his vacation short.

And the band played on.

welcome to america. where stupid never sleeps.

Against my better judgment, I've had an opportunity to peruse some blogs concerning Hurricane Katrina. The part that amazes me the most is the ability of dimwits who drank Dubya's Kool-Aid to take shots at people who are...oh, I don't know, STRANDED IN THE FUCKING AFTERMATH OF A FUCKING HURRICANE!!!!!!

Here's a snippet of wisdom:

• I’m sure that I’m not the only one who noticed how many husband-less women and girls there were who had babies and children along with them.
• And I’m betting that I’m not the only one who cringed as more than one man near my dad’s age wailed plaintively about why no one was doing anything for him them.

Back when I was growing up, real men took charge and made decisions. They protected women and children--especially their own children--and got them out of harm’s way; out of the way of things like hurricanes, especially when they had days of advance warning. And if they made the wrong decision, they tried to make things right and/or took the consequences.

Take charge? Are you fucking kidding me?!?!?! The stifling level of denial with which some people live is positively breathtaking. It amazes, angers and saddens me when folks like this all-star blame the victim for not "taking charge." It's worth noting many people did try to take charge. They were called looters.

Hurricane Katrina wiped out a major city. This was not a swollen river that took out a few farms. Right now, thousands of people are dead because, in many cases, they had no choice but to ride out the storm.

I'm not sure if people like the aforementioned blogger are stupid, naive, or simply have no heart.

Given all that people are STILL going through, and the best you can do is wag a finger at them?

What a fucking moron.

step up, howie!

Hear those crickets chirping? That would be the Democrats and their typical response to yet another federal fuck-up.

I wish those hyper-passive idiots would learn to step up one of these days.

hold them accountable.

As the week began, Hurricane Katrina was viewed as a disaster. As we head into this weekend, it's more overwhelming than 9/11. And we, as a nation, ought to be asking some serious questions of our elected officials.

Hurricane Katrina is beyond a canary in the mineshaft for Homeland Security. We clearly are NOT prepared for another major disaster, whether it's brought on by nature or terrorists.

For four years, people like me have been vehement in holding this government accountable for making changes to make us safer. They have failed.

No, the president is not at fault for a Category 4 hurricane winging a major city (think about the destruction had it been a direct hit). But the president and Congress are to blame for not taking the necessary steps to respond quickly. As it is, the cavalry rode it about 48 hours later than they should have.

This is precisely why many people, myself included, have been saying homeland security must begin with first responders in the cities. It's been hotly debated for quite some time now. Mayors want to beef up emergency response at their level while the federal government is less inclined.

I think we can see now how important it is for disaster relief to be strong at the state and city level.

And between you and me, to hear Bush, DeLay and other elected officials patting one another on the back this morning for the great job they're doing is absolutely nauseating.

Wake up, America. It's time to demand a better president and better representation at every level. Instead of playing along, shutting up and burying your head in the sand, it's time to hold them accountable.

We have learned NOTHING in the wake of 9/11.

Consider Katrina a dry run for terrorists. We've been warned.

Twice.

get a new hobby, kids.

Clearly, somebody somewhere ain't gettin' the message across. From the AP:

Ohio High School Has 64 Pregnant Students

Experts, parents and students themselves struggle to explain why such pockets of high teen pregancy rates appear. Are teens getting appropriate sex education? Do they have access to birth control and are they using it consistently? Has the stigma of unwed motherhood lost its edge?

"This might be a school that is forthright with its problems while others are not," said Jay Green, chairman of the Education Reform department at the University of Arkansas. "But this is a widespread issue."

Green wrote a study last year for the conservative New York-based Manhattan Institute for Policy Research that found 20 percent of urban teenagers have been pregnant, compared with 14 percent of suburban teens.

Urban teens as a whole don't use birth control as consistently or often, according to his research, and often have less to lose financially and socially than those in the suburbs. Read more.

hastert has a point.

Dennis Hastert is going to get a lot of grief for his recent remarks concerning rebuilding efforts in New Orleans. Let me be the first to defend him.

In an article released by the AP, Hastert said there are "some real tough questions to ask. How do you go about rebuilding this city? What precautions do you take?"

Asked in the interview whether it made sense to spend billions rebuilding a city that lies below sea level, he replied, "I don't know. That doesn't make sense to me."

Whether or not I agree with his sentiment, I think it's important that every avenue is examined once the search and rescue mission is completed.

Of course, Knee-Jerk Nation is going to beat on him (unfairly, I might add). But let's be real for a minute. New Orleans is built in a sub-sea level bowl. This wasn't even a direct hit. Imagine what might've happened had Katrina hit it head-on. The levees, so I've read, were not built to withstand anything about a Category 3 hurricane.

In the end I do believe New Orleans will be rebuilt. But it needs to be rebuilt stronger. Once and for all, I would love to see someboday in authority think pragmatically! So Hastert is right to raise the question.

In the meantime, perhaps civic leaders and elected officials on the local, state and federal level will finally wake up and begin working toward more capable disaster recovery plans. I don't blame Bush for this, of course. But I do think he and most others on the federal level were once again slow to respond to an imminent threat of disaster.

Perhaps the Bush administration will begin to listen to FEMA, who back in early 2001 predicted three cataclysmic scenarios that would seriously hurt the U.S.:
* Terrorist attack in NYC
* Earthquake in San Francisco
* Hurricane in New Orleans

When I hear about situations like this, I seriously lose what little faith I have in our elected officials -- ALL of them!