It gets better...barely.
By the end of yesterday, I was exhausted by my anger and my tears. But I still got to sleep in a clean bed and ate dinner last night. More than thousands still stuck in the Gulf region can say, so how can I bitch. I remain disgusted and embarrassed by my own government.
Sure, President Shrub hugged a few well-chosen victims and performed for the cameras. Quite interesting how a huge show of relief came on the heels of his visit, huh? Seemed a little more like a campaign stop rather than a true show of compassion. From the Arizona Republic.
But the overall impression was tentative, particularly compared with the confident visit he paid to New York four years ago, just three days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. Then, he took up a bullhorn to hail rescue workers at ground zero; on Friday, he steered clear of the streets of New Orleans, whose stricken population could not be counted on to hail him with open arms.
At times, he still seemed off-balance on a trip that took him to Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, and he struck a few discordant notes along the way. In Mobile, he touched only briefly on how hundreds of thousands of displaced people in the regions would be housed in the weeks and months ahead, but singled out Sen. Trent Lott's intention to rebuild his home.
Oh yea, I can feel the love. Know who was oddly absent from the merry-go-round of bullshit press conferences yesterday? FEMA's Michael Brown. Could he have actually been doing his job? Or do you think someone in the administration finally told him to shut up? Forgive me for my lack of optimism, but I'm thinking Mr. Brown got one of those "Got a minute?" talks from the bosses.
Quite a bit is being said right now about this being a race issue. Do I think that is the case? No, not really. But, I do think that being a minority and poor makes you rather invisible and not quite one of the chosen few the Shrub comes to hug and kiss on forehead during his little image repair visit, err I mean show of support visit to the people who made the mistake of voting for him.
I'm sorry if my blabbering for the last couple days has taken you off-guard and wondering if I've lost my mind. Other than making a donation to the Red Cross through Margene and Susan's brilliant fundraiser benefiting the Red Cross, I feel helpless. I am so thankful for having an outlet for expressing my frustration and for everyone's supportive comments. Where I'll go from here, I don't know. There needs to be sweeping changes in our government and it's lack of leadership. I do not plan on just shooting off my mouth and never doing anything about it. But, I just need to figure out what that something is. Remember yesterday when I said I'll bet that someone will be calling for hearings to review the response to the disaster? Sure enough, on the way home I heard a Senator mention the same damn thing (I wish I could find the link). Wow, that didn't take long. Guess I'll feel much better then, huh?
Knitting and teenager angst to resume when I'm not quite so sick to my stomach and crying every night in front of the TV. Maybe I should donate my TV to Mr. Brown. That would be a contribution to the cause.
Posted by Heather at 10:23 AM
2 Comments
Sen. Lott. Yeah. That makes us all feel better.
A rich politician will be able to rebuild his home.
I was so worried about him.
Never mind the poor in masses that are homeless and cannot afford to feed their children.
Hmph.
What you've written is exactly what I'm feeling... helplessness, despair, fear. And I feel guilty for those feelings b/c I know they are nothing compared to what others in the South are feeling. I feel like I don't have a right to feel that way, sitting in my dry home with life same as always.
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