blog.marcwiesner.com

Thank you Rep. Nanci Pelosi (D-CA, thank you) for giving Bush another opportunity to highlight how empathic he is for the suffering in the US Gulf-Coast region. When Pelosi suggested Bush fire that twit Brown (picked, I’m sure, to run FEMA because he races those pretty horsies our President gets such a hoot out of) for everything that didn’t go right in relation to the hurricane Bush responded “what didn’t go right?” LINK (quotes from bottom of page). I hope Brown didn’t burn too many bridges on his way out of the horse farm. Despite Shrub’s tunnel-vision I fully expect a karmic vengeance to decent on these people who so radially neglect their responsibilities and bring suffering to so many. Oh, I’m not just talking about FEMA. It’s far too easy to say “Bush made a bad choice, we need to replace Brown.” It’s the whole system of position stacking. Read a history book, people. This is how dictatorships start and this is one of the chief reasons why they fail. Power is isolated at the top and through political rewards to family and friends the bureaucracy is made more and more stagnant and unresponsive to the people by the sheer mass of incompetence! It’s happened again and again and again. The Roman Catholic Church had it. The Diem government in Vietnam had it. The late Ming had it. When the government is no longer accountable to the people it’s supposed to serve corruption spread like pestilence.

DEMAND accountability not just from politicians but of the system of government that is so easily abused or be prepared for it to topple.

Barbara Bush, in what must be a genetic trait judging by the frequency these Bush’s do it, stuck her foot so far into her mouth Monday (9/5) that she was able to continue walking on it.

From the WashingtonPost (link):Mrs. Bush, after touring the Astrodome complex in Houston on Monday, said: “What I’m hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality. And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them.” She commented during a radio interview with the American Public Media program “Marketplace.”

Well isn’t that dandy? Shit, if it’s working out so well for everyone I guess FEMA can keep dragging their feet, the Feds can keep volunteers out of the area, and Trent Lott can have an even bigger back yard. I’m so glad that the former first lady took the time to help with the relief efforts. I’m sure it means the world to those people who lost their homes to the flooding that Mrs. Bush has found a silver lining in this tragedy. Hey, here’s an idea, since TX is under a financial crunch to provide housing, medicine, food, water, and other essentials to the refugees, maybe good-old-Barb could take some of her fortunate new friends in on their 11-acre estate so that the shelters can take in a few more lucky folks. But of course I’m being ridiculous. Why should a woman who is married to a former President, mother to the current present, living next to the disaster zone, and part of a family that, if nothing else, is worth billions, take the time out of her day?

I love it that the only people we can count on for sincerity are the people from what is reputed to be one of the most vain cities in the country, Los Angles. We’ve got Sean Penn on his boat and Travolta on his jet actually trying to help people. There’s a radical fucking thought, people with means LITERALLY reaching out to people in need. Props to the celebs. Granted, it’s getting their names in the paper and may be self-serving like that but you know what, I really don’t think 20th C. Fox will be saying “we’d really like to use you in this picture but you didn’t do enough for hurricane victims.” No.

If those white-shirted bureaucrats could take a half-second away from thinking about photo-ops and who donated how much to their last campaign they might be able to remember that they are supposed to be serving the public trust and maybe in this time of domestic crisis the private plane that shuttles them home on the weekends might have better places to be.

I stopped by a Code Pink rally today outside the Federal Building in SF. Code Pink was making the case that the Federal Government blundered relief efforts that were needed after Hurricane Katrina.

I’m not sure who the male speaker was but the female speaker, Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin, has apperently been arreted multiple times. A quick google of her name gives pleanty of details. Here’s a link

The banner reads “Those displaced by Katrina You have a place in our HEARTS”. A message that I’m sure is true in hears throughout this nation and throughout the world. I hope, along with Code Pink, that this sentament will become more obvious among members of the Administration.

Pictures ©2005 Marc Wiesner