Blog from the Future Past

It was the perfect storm, all right. Not only was Katrina a bigger mother than anyone anticipated, but she barged onto the scene while the entire US government was on vacation.

Why not? George takes August off. The US Navy had zero operational ships in the Gulf, the first arriving on Wednesday. It had rescue capability, but no emergency supplies.

I wasn't surprised by the slow response, though I hoped for better. They needed some kind of note on the White House and Pentagon refrigerator door: If a CAT4 is headed for New Orleans, send food and caskets.

I can't help feeling that this is what you get in a government run by ideologues. They're more focused on the party line than running the government. When something real happens, they have to butt-sniff for four or five days to figure out which way the boss' wind is blowing. Say... where was Mr. Rumsfeld? Playing with his Osama dolls?

It shows how isolated the President is. His 'tour' of the disaster area was just another photo-opp. He visited the Coast Guard first, who then 'briefed' him with stuff any moron could have picked up on TV. All staged, rehearsed. It was disgusting. Bureaucratic ass-covering at it's worst.

Last night, to honor the Big Easy, I made creole rice, blackened swordfish steaks, and cheese-stuffed peppers in a spicy tomato sauce. I didn't have the makings of a hurricane, so I had a martini instead.

Maybe two.

Here's what I would have done...

I would find the closest functional fast-food restaurants, commandeer them under FEMA funds, and set up a sort of helicopter bucket brigade, ferrying in dumpsters full of happy meals, pizzas, water, milk, juices and soft drinks. Fill up a dumpster then drop it off near the Superdome, pick up an empty dumpster and bring it back.

One enterprising, motivated person could have got it going, set an example. Instead, they have to make it a big show of it while people starve to death.

Why didn't it happen? At least one hero, somewhere, taking charge to get food and water shipped in?

Where was she?

George Bush announces yet another reason for the Iraq War: prevent 'insurgents' from controlling the vital flow of Iraqi Oil. The timing, with the Katrina mess raging at the time, was outrageous.

No one in the media called him on it.