OK, after several days, a political response to the NOLA situation. It’s strongly worded, but for all I know only my mom is reading this blog so maybe there won’t be any response.
I was OK with the Bush Administration hating women. Sure, that’s fine. It’s not GOOD, by any means, but I understand how it can happen and at least they’re pretty upfront about how unimportant we are and how our needs should be subsumed not only for by children, but also the country as a whole. see also: women in Iraq, women in Afghanistan, women in africa. I don’t even want to get to the whole “yes, that’s YOUR morality I’m keeping safe between my legs, thank you very much” issue.
But the massive failure of the ‘relief’ ‘effort’ in NOLA has really made me face up to the fact that the Bush Administration hates poor people, and also, black people. How else can you excuse the chronology? The Louisiana Gov. requested federal help on August 28, BEFORE the levees broke. I can’t believe he pulled a “my pet goat” again allowed himself an extra night on vacation, and only today is touring the area. I can’t believe that Condi, you know, our secretary of state, spent yesterday in Manhattan buying thousands of dollars in shoes. Girl’s from MISSISSIPPI! I can’t believe it took until YESTERDAY, you know THURSDAY, for congress to reassemble in an emergency session. While the scale of the storm is massively larger than anything ever seen before, I really truly honestly believe that the federal government has been exceptionally slow to react to a very serious and important problem.
I know that NOLA will be ok eventually. But the fact that 1/3 of NOLAs residents are below the poverty level? the fact that tens of thousands of people were UNABLE to leave the city? the fact that they don’t have fresh food or water, that the local law enforcement system, which is, you know, under the same stresses as the rest of the city, and in some precints is entirely underwater was forced to cope by itself for so long before getting any serious backup? The fact that 35% of the LA National Guard is serving in Iraq currently, and nearly everyone that is helping in NOLA has been to Iraq and has returned? Seriously, the tragic situation in NOLA exemplifies nearly everything that I see as wrong with the Bush Administration. It’s insane, horrifying, and I hope it opens a dialogue. It is unacceptable that in America ANY PERSON should have to go through this kind of hell. Unacceptable.
