Day: September 1, 2005
Flashback: Congress Interrupts Its Spring Recess to Intervene in Schiavo Case
On CNN just now, resident curmudgeon Jack Cafferty just went off on the GOP Congress for waiting until tomorrow – five days after the hurricane struck – to cutting short their vacations and return to Washington to deal with the disaster in the Gulf.
He reminds us that back in March, the Congressional leadership — Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-IL), GOP House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX) and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) — interrupted the spring vacations of members of the House and Senate in order to call the Congress into session to intervene in the Terri Schiavo case.
This present failure to act proves what we knew at the time. The GOP leaders weren’t acting out of urgency to save the life of a woman who’d been brain-dead for 15 years. They were showboating for pure political gain.
Some have suggested that we’re being too harsh with the Republicans over the handling of this disaster. Well, they’re the ones who lied, cheated and stole to gain control of the government. Now the reins are in their hands. Maybe governing wasn’t as easy as the Democrats made it look – or maybe they thought they could spin their way out of anything.
Lives are at stake. What is required here is competence and quick action. The corrupt conservatives who run our government are providing neither.
Humane Society Is in the Gulf to Rescue Animals in Katrina’s Wake
As if there weren’t enough heart break and horror in the Deep South areas affected by Hurricane Katrina, tens of thousands of pets were left behind or have lost their humans in the storm. But unlike some human rescue services that have not left yet for the Gulf Coast, the Humane Society arrived on Tuesday, the day after the storm:
The HSUS National Disaster Animal Response Team (DART) has been preparing for a massive response to Hurricane Katrina since word of its path was reported last week. But the aftermath effects of the storm, and flooding in particular, continue to frustrate rescue efforts trying to reach the areas with the most losses…
More than 30 experienced HSUS rescue staff and volunteers trained in animal rescue from 12 states are coordinating with state officials, federal agencies, and other rescue organizations to start evacuating animals out of the most-affected areas. They’ll also begin establishing pet-friendly shelters and delivering supplies, resources and medical assistance.
With the call from Louisiana’s Governor to fully evacuate New Orleans, HSUS prepped teams to move into Baton Rouge, as soon as access permits, to coordinate pet-friendly sheltering for evacuees with the Louisiana SPCA.
Read the rest of the story. Donate to the Humane Society.
Hat tip to my sister!
Wingnuts Using Hurricane to Smear Liberal Journo
Pundits from the far wrong are resorting to schoolyard-level smears in the wake of Hurrican Katrina. Blowhard Rush “Feelin No Pain” Limbaugh has taken to referring to the storm as “Hurricane Katrina vanden Heuvel,” after the editor of The Nation, which is solidly left of center, to say the least.
In her Editor’s Cut column vanden Huevel responds with wry humor:
When Fox started calling the storm Killer Katrina, I prayed some right-wing idiot wouldn’t stoop so low as to link me to this human suffering. But wouldn’t you know, the biggest dittohead on the block, Rush Limbaugh, is calling the storm Hurricane Katrina vanden Heuvel. National Review’s Jonah Goldberg, who has never seen a bad-joke bandwagon he could resist jumping on with both feet, blogged, “It would be pretty cool if Fox played to caricature and repeatedly referred to the hurricane as Katrina vanden Heuvel.” He went on to imagine the lines, “The destruction from Katrina vanden Heuvel is expected to be massive. The poor and disabled are particularly likely to suffer from the effects of Katrina vanden Heuvel.”
vanden Huevel’s point is well-made — such third-grade name calling merely belittles the people who are living through and dying in the United States’ worst natural disaster in history. She also nails both numbskulls:
At least Limbaugh has the excuse that drug abuse tends to stunt emotional development. What Goldberg’s problem is nobody has yet discovered. Natural disasters should be above infantile politics.
Bush to U.S.: ‘Don’t Buy Gas If You Don’t Need It’
We can’t believe that the President of the United States just addressed the nation and offered this advice: “Don’t buy gas, if you don’t need it.”
Who the hell buys gas they don’t need? I guess this is as close as he can get to making an utterance that would be perceived by his fatcat oil buddies as advocating conservation.
(We all recall that Vice President Cheney once sneered at the ide of conservation, calling it a “personal choice.”)
‘Where the Hell’s the Cavalry?’
A Bush administration FEMA expert who left the agency six months ago joined a chorus of People Who Know About These Things in criticizing the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina.
The federal government so far has bungled the job of quickly helping the multitudes of hungry, thirsty and desperate victims of Hurricane Katrina, former top federal, state and local disaster chiefs said Wednesday.
…the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)…was enveloped by the new Department of Homeland Security with a new mission aimed at responding to the attacks of al-Qaida.
“What you’re seeing is revealing weaknesses in the state, local and federal levels,” said Eric Tolbert, who until February was FEMA’s disaster response chief. “…They’ve been weakened by diversion into terrorism.”
Yes, the global struggle against violent extremism is sucking us dry.
[…]
Wolcott: The Time for Politics Is Now
We’ve been having this debate around the virtual water cooler here in the digital garret where Pensito Review is produced. Here’s a take from the inimitable James Wolcott:
Over at DailyKos, Armando is cautioning liberal lefties to holster the fickle fingers of blame.
“[T]his is not a time for politics — not only for moral and ethical reasons, but for political ones as well. That is, politics itself mandates that these days not be political.”
Stop right there. First of all, “politics” mandates nothing. It’s an abstract noun. It’s like beginning a sentence “Morality dictates that…” Morality dictates nothing. It’s how people interpret morality, and how they apply it in certain situations which evolve over time. Politics are people, and what they make of their political situation, and when the realities of their lives demand that the political and economic circumstances of their lives change. It isn’t something to put on a shelf and used only when the climate of opinion permits.
While Deep South Collapses, Condi Goes Shopping – Has Citizen Who Dared to Criticize Her Forcibly Removed
You know the old saying: When things get tough, the tough go shopping:
According to Drudge, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has recently enjoyed a little Broadway entertainment. And Page Six reports that she’s also working on her backhand with Monica Seles. So the Gulf Coast has gone all Mad Max, women are being raped in the Superdome, and Rice is enjoying a brief vacation in New York. We wish we were surprised.
What does surprise us: Just moments ago at the Ferragamo on 5th Avenue, Condoleeza Rice was seen spending several thousands of dollars on some nice, new shoes (we’ve confirmed this, so her new heels will surely get coverage from the WaPo’s Robin Givhan). A fellow shopper, unable to fathom the absurdity of Rice’s timing, went up to the Secretary and reportedly shouted, “How dare you shop for shoes while thousands are dying and homeless!” Never one to have her fashion choices questioned, Rice had security PHYSICALLY REMOVE the woman.
Angry Lady, whoever you are, we love you. You are a true American.
White House Becomes Official ‘Chickenhawk Roost’
Chickenhawk Roosting Area
Warning: Although cowardly, chickenhawks may become aggressive when confronted by reality. Please use caution in this area.
Democratic Party Should Take the Lead in Post-Katrina Aid
Now is the time for the Democratic Party to mobilize its significant resources and come to the aid of the Gulf region devastated by Hurricane Katrina. As chairman, Howard Dean should activate the party’s communications and fund-raising apparatus to get money flowing from Democrats and liberals nationwide to the party, which could then direct the funds to relief organizations.
Bush and the Repugs diverted money that could have averted death and disaster in New Orleans, now let the Dems step up and mobilize their resources and provide needed aid in a hurry.
What? You say this is no time for partisan politics? Let’s wake up and take a lesson from the Republicans and the neocons and the God-knobs and the whacko wingnuts — it’s always partisan politics, all the time.
Let’s take the opportunity of this horrendous natural (and manmade) disaster and Bush’s high disapproval rating to energize the Democratic Party and accomplish something positive for the first time in five years.
