An Odder Than Normal Weak

I work in television and have spent a good deal of time in satellite feed rooms and edit suites having editors build pieces of video to try and capture the length and breadth of the Katrina Hurricane disaster, to help viewers process what's gone on. I've come home emotionally exhausted every day, and that's followed immediately by embarrassment. I'm embarrassed that looking at other peoples' suffering makes me feel as though I'm suffering.

Hell, I'm in an air conditioned building. I know where all my relatives are. I'm sitting in my at least middle class home. And I drive a truck whose gas I can increasingly not afford.

I don't even know misery.

The fingers have begun to be pointed. While I'm indelibly on the left end of things, I'm a pragmatist and a reality buff. As far as I'm concerned whoever's to blame for the way things shook out, they oughtta pay, regardless of party affiliation.

I had an altercation with a guy who's just to the right of Ann Coulter. We were watching a piece of video within which a woman says "There's a woman over there in contractions, and nobody's doin' nothin'!"

He snickered and asked "What does she want 'em to do?"
"Oh I don't know...maybe give her some medical attention!" I exclaimed. That precipitated an argument wherein I was dismissed with "They're doing everything they can!"

But you shouldda seen the look on his face when I said "How do you know?"

Clearly it had never occurred to question words that fell out of Bush's mouth.

The biggest offender by far though is Katrina, or if you prefer, God. Given that, I think we should start with the 2nd most offensive offender, the President. This guy is no good in a disaster. Sure, his spontaneous John Wayne dance played quite well standing in the rubble of the World Trade Center. That was a combination of serendipity, luck, a well-groomed Texas accent, and America's thirst for a monosyllabic answer to very difficult questions.

This Katrina disaster actually requires true leadership. This guy was born with a silver spoon up his ass and knows little of actual leaderhip. Imagine if you will: Katrina hit New Orleans in 1943. Can you imagine FDR doing very little for the first four days? That guy did more in his wheelchair before breakfast than Bush does on his treadmill all week.

Ah, but I shouldn't rant and rave. I'll leave you with the "please do what you can" advice. Red Cross is considered by most to be one of the best.