h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

"Pistol shots ring out in the barroom night
Enter Patty Valentine from the upper hall."

I'm absolutely furious.
I hate to make something political out of this disaster, but Bush handled this absolutely wrong. Not to mention the national guard in Iraq, budget cuts, patronage in FEMA... He should be moved to inspire us and lift us up at this time. He should have made a speech calling for our sacrifice in the spirit of patriotism... something like this http://dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/1/11542/61395 (don't agree with all of it, but the spirit's about right...). If he made a speech at all like that, I wouldn't mind him nearly so much.

Instead?
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/08/images/20050829-5_p082905pm-0097-515h.html
and
http://americablog.blogspot.com/uploaded_images/guitar-710427.jpg

That's a picture of Bush playing a guitar versus a man holding his children in the contaminated waters of New Orleans.

"How can the life of such a man
Be in the palm of some fool's hand?"

And that's the story of the hurricane...

The President's solution is to let his dad and Clinton raise private funds for relief efforts.

Perhaps this will cause some of his supporters to have a more realistic view of him and his policies.

Pah.

Clinton said something I always like to remember though in times like this - There's nothing wrong with America that can't be solved by what's RIGHT with America.

The speech that Bush made announcing Clinton and Bush to help- I read it and it sucked. I know he's supposed to be simple-spoken to look like a normal guy (number of times he said 'folks' in that speech - I counted seven) but... a great speech should lift us up and make us rise together. He needs some new speechwriters. It really is okay to use three and four syllable words...

He has always gotten by on folksy charm rather than substance. Of course those of us who find him neither folksy nor charming have aways had a rough time with it.

You aren't going to get what you want from him. You may as well stop expecting it. He honestly doesn't get it, doesn't understand the criticism. Thinks environmentalists are all nutters and whiners. Can't figure out why people in the disaster area are being so 'impatient'. Thinks all criticism is politically motivated.

I saw a scary program this evening on the Discovery channel. New York could be next. Or Baltimore. Or Houston. The water temperature in the Atlantic is warming which is creating larger, more dangerous storms. When the people in charge of finding solutions don't recognize the problem....

OK for the foreigners to join in?

The strongest undertone in the reporting I've seen (quite a lot of it from CNN and ABC's world services, and therefore not some kind of European anti-US view) is that the disaster has exposed a kind of America the gentlefolk would rather pretend doesn't exist.

Maybe Bush is just avoiding to close an association with the community we can see our screens?

He wasn't picked for his ability to relate, was he? (That was the previous two, but unfortunately they didn't do a whole lot else). We should all judge our politicians on action, never words, but that's another conversation.

Maybe the environmental considerations belong to a later debate, too? There's a disaster unfolding right now, and New Orleans is turning out to be a pretty ugly specimen-jar. Collective environmental responsibility by the whole of the US would be nice, sure. Just now, social responsibility embracing the whole of the US seems to be a more fundamental need.

Don't get me wrong - I love the States. But there are times when I question that proud boast of Unity.

I've always said - if you want folksy charm, go to Webb City

No, I don't think we should judge politicians on action soley. They aren't just politicians - they're leaders. They need to inspire and lift up their followers. Was JFK's inaugural or FDR's 'The only thing we have to fear' worth something? Sure. Words can change the world.
The lack of strong words right now is unforgiveable, I think. He stood at Ground Zero and made a great little speech with a megaphone.

My biggest fear, is that America has recently had to take quite a few big shocks that have really tested it... I'm worried that if anything else happens, or if Georgie boy decides to invade Iran, then they maybe stretched just that bit too far, people become that little bit more depressed... and then you see the Rome effect

Good morning gentlemen. The news should be getting better by now, but it isn't. Evacuation efforts are proceeding at a much slower rate than they should be. But it is a massive job.

Jodan, your folksy charm news of the day is that we have refugees here in town already. Several local schools have already enrolled students from New Orleans. I have been in contact with both the Red Cross and the Salvation Army and offered the library's facilities for whatever becomes necessary. Many Missouri libraries are serving as collection points for relief efforts. In Kansas City the Salvation Army is even putting their kettles inside the libraries. OUr local Red Cross has already sent personnel to Mississippi and louisiana. Local doctors and nurses and relief personnel are already there. We do what we can.

Pin, you're right about several things as usual. This isn't the time for environmental debate. But it is going to have to happen. And soon. As to collective environmental responsibility - I have stopped believing that I'll live to see it. Every day I become more frustrated.

As to the American unity bit - If you are referring to the American people being of one mind about things, then it doesn't exist and never has. We have always had a very vocal, loyal opposition. That's the way we like it.

As to the situation on New Orleans, we have our share of thugs and opportunists who always show up during times of crisis. We're no diofferent than any other nation in that regard. Times like this bring out the good in most, the evil in some, the total indifference of too many.

But, in times of disaster, whether here or elsewhere around the globe, the American people - not the government - private citizens, privately funded relief agencies, open their hearts and wallets and try to help. It doesn't matter what political party they belong to, what race or religion they are, how old they are, or what their own financial situation is - the American people are collectively the most generous people in the world.

And we have a way of setting aside differences for the common good. Look beyond the public rhetoric and the warts and festering sores on the body politic and you'll find a army of annonymous people quietly lending a hand.

That cheered me up a bit Hyp. The Missouri news and the other stuff too.
I doubt Ohio can do much - other than give what we can.

Terran - I don't think we'll invade anyone else anytime soon... unless there's a really compelling reason to. This war is becoming that unpopular. That's good. Offensive wars should be unpopular - it discourages them.

I wonder what the history books will write about Katrina. Was she the first major disaster to be caused by global warming? (that's two questions - was there one before, and to what extent did global warming cause this?) Was she our greatest natural disaster, or do Chicago, San Francisco and Galveston eclipse her? Was she the last time our government would react so apathetically?

Sorry... had a "we're all doomed" moment there

Yeah, I get those all the time.

Anyone who doesn't get an occassional we're all doomed moment isn't paying attention.

'I'm not liberal, I'm just paying attention'

I get one of those moments every time I think of how history will record things.
Will there be history books on 2050?
Will there be anything?
Or will killer aliens and lots of water have killed everyone off?

Ah!!!!!

I get them when I read postings from our European researchers that lump all Americans together as evil, warmongering, gun-toting planet destroying, crass, insensitive lumps of ignorant, self-absorbed protoplasm.

Yeah, that's no fun. I don't know many of those, and those are just people with personality flaws

Someone just said in Ask that they aren't giving money to America because of... I don't remember something to do with us financing a war to benefit Big Oil.

What hurts is knowing that some people are taking such pleasure in this disaster because they hate the US so much. They enjoy anything that they think makes us look bad. I realize that they are just showing their ignorance and basic lack of character, but it still hurts.

Neat slogan, Hyp. You could sell Pepsi with that one.

You're exaggerating, though, aren't you?

Let's take Ohio, just by way of an example.
I reckon that, if you asked a few Europeans at random, they'd come up with a rough average of about two million eight hundred and fifty-nine thousand seven hundred and sixty-eight state voters who could be said to fit that description

Boggles the mind doesn't it? I thought we had reached the pinnacle of societal stupidity when we elected Ronald Reagan - twice. But I was wrong.

I already apologized about giving Bush the election I'm sorry!

Reagan at least had some character and strength. The people weren't so unhappy during his Presidency. He was popular - and that's a nice thing.

Bad systems defeat decent people.
We all watched a good example of the game today (I hate to seem to agree with the sheep, but what the hey):
A US President makes an excursion so he can be filmed around the more palatable bits of a disaster zone. He blatantly trades in appearances. He has neither idea nor intention of trying to address the actual problem.

One thing I will say for Europe. There's no mature democracy within its borders that would let a politician get away with that.

I don't suppose you can class total inadequacy as 'high crimes and misdemeanours', can you? Pity, really.