nobody asked…

(Written evening of 08/30/05. Updated and posted early 08/31/05.)

Earlier today I cried for the tragic losses in New Orleans and surrounding coastal areas. Tonight I am bitterly angry for the same reason. And crying still…

The president told us that we needed to fight in Iraq to save lives here at home, and yet — after moving billions of domestic dollars to the Persian Gulf — there are bodies floating through the streets of Louisiana. What does George W. Bush have to say for himself now?

That closing paragraph of Will Bunch’s post When the levee breaks is the worst indictment yet of the greedy incompetent jerk we now call President. Here is another nugget to grab your attention:

The Senate was seeking to restore some of the SELA funding cuts for 2006. But now it’s too late. One project that a contractor had been racing to finish this summer was a bridge and levee job right at the 17th Street Canal, site of the main breach. The levee failure appears to be causing a human tragedy of epic proportions…

Do yourself a favor and read the entire article, which I summarize this way:

In order to provide funding for homeland defense, the war on terrorism, and his war in Iraq, Bush cut budgets of many departments and projects, including allowing less than 20 % of what the Army Corps of Engineers said was required for protection of New Orleans from subsidence of the levees. The levee broke. New Orleans no longer exists.

I understand these things can be screwed around and made to prove almost anything, but if there is any small thread of truth that the Army Corps of Engineers was denied over 80% of required funding for protection of New Orleans, then the hundreds or thousands that will eventually be declared dead are all on Bush’s already bloody hands. And if that turns out to be the case, then damn him to hell!

The utter devastation of New Orleans and the entire Louisiana and Mississippi coastal areas has left most of us numb. The pictures, the video footage, the sad descriptions we’ve all seen and read…there are not words in our language to adequately describe the feelings.

Here in the Nashville area we’ve had some high winds, lot of rain — much of it blowing horizontally — a few trees and limbs down here and there, but overall we’re OK. Got up this morning to discover a roof leak on the second floor that was beginning to show on the ceiling of the first level below. No major damage — yet — just a bit of a mess to clean up and a problem to deal with as soon as we can get a roofer over (they’re going to be pretty busy for a while).

I just returned to the office and read the mail, including the one from Roomie’s son in Jackson, MS, which is quoted below. While awaiting permission to put it online, I jumped around and read the latest from a couple of the major news outlets. That’s when I went rigid and the tears started to come. I’ve never blogged through tears, but I’m going to try. It was not the email from my stepson, not the horrible details of what has happened is happening to New Orleans. It’s the culmination of feelings from events and stories of the last couple of days. The almost unbearable grief from such horrible, tragic loss. The hundreds, perhaps thousands, who have died, are dying, and will die. The many thousands who survived but have lost everything. My heart aches and my tears spill for all of them. And for us.

Here are my stepson’s words, emailed from Jackson, MS, far from the coast:

We’re not expecting to have power restored until September 10th….Entergy’s official target date for Flowood/Brandon.

This is absolutely unreal. In central Mississippi, 85% of us are without power….the entire city of brandon, pearl, raymond, byram, clinton, richland, ridgeland, 95% of flowood, 90% of Jackson, and 40% of Madision. We have no communication with the outside world. No television news. Most radio stations lost their towers. No telephones. All but 3 cell phone towers in the area are gone. No grocery stores.

No hospitals. No gas stations. The one gas station that was open on this side of town ran out of fuel and food and ice this morning. No way to get food or water or advil (I have a migraine today, of all days). We can’t drink the water- we’re under a boil water notice for the forseeable future.

Every stop light is now a 4-way stop, making diving a pain in the ass. I think the airport just re-opened under limited generator power for emergency air-traffic only.

The heat index today is 107.

We’re hearing bits and pieces of what’s happening on the coast….mostly from what I get read online, although web access is spotty at best. For now, we have power at my office, but it comes and goes. All of our food is in the freezer up here (at work). We have 4 big water bottles from the cooler that will last us a while. After that, we will have to use boiled water from the swimming pool…I also have purification tablets (that everyone always made fun of me for keeping in my hunting gear).

We have 4 propane bottles and a handful of candles, along with 4 or 5 flashlights. No one was expecting this storm to be this bad. All of our Entergy crews were pre-positioned in the south and only returned this afternoon. It looks like a war zone here. And the National Gaurd in Jackson is shorthanded…. most of them are in Iraq. We do have an 8PM - 8AM curfew for the entire Metro area. And the few radio stations that are operating are using the emergency broadcast system to distribute notices and alerts.

Anyway, if you can’t reach (us) on our cell phones, don’t worry….

(“Don’t worry?” Dude, you gotta be kidding! You know your Mom worries about everything, and if she can’t find something to worry about, she worries that she can’t find anything to worry about!)

Yes, absolutely, feel — grieve — mourn — for those in New Orleans and the coastal areas. And also understand the horrors of this damned storm are felt far inland and will be for weeks and months to come. May their gods be with them all…

To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it. — G.K. Chesterton

Joel Sax at Pax Nortona has an interesting perspective, including a scary analogy, of the very real threat posed by the out-of-control extremists on the right.

Early Americans fought bravely and some lost their lives for freedom from oppression and the right to define what this country could and would become. Americans gave their lives in the struggle to gain the freedoms and civil rights afforded by the Constitution. Americans have died by the thousands in wars defending our country against aggressors who attacked us. Some of us may die in the struggle to restore sanity to the White House and sanctity to the Constitution. Are you wearing a target on your back just because you do not buy into the Administration’s programs and explanations?

It was not supposed to be this way.
Guaranteed.
By the Constitution!

Many of us are dying as you read this, fighting another man’s war. A man who does not even care. A man who does not even know he should care. A war justified by lies and perpetuated by greed and stupidity. A war paid for by our tax dollars and with our lives. War is hell. Death in war is hell. Death in this war is so hellishly, tragically wasteful. How about we just end it?

Bush and his posse do not even understand who the enemy is…they think it’s Cindy Sheehan! Who will be next on their list? You? Me?

A man can’t be too careful in the choice of his enemies. — Oscar Wilde

Not what you’re thinking…read on…

The creative juices were gushing today. Having finished my last gig about 4:00 on nothing all day but morning coffee and a quick snack, I decided to quit early and drop in to one of the 7,387 7,388 7,389 rapidly growing number of bars, grilles, pubs, bistros and restaurants in the local area. Roomie was going to a meeting this evening, so I could just sit, relax, enjoy. There had been several ideas tumbling around in my head all day, and this seemed a good opportunity to make notes before they floated away like dandelion puffs on a breeze.

This Bar and Grille has been one of my favorites for years. The change of ownership about a year ago did not diminish the quality of the food, the here-to-serve-you-with-a-smile attitude of the wait staff, or the having-a-great-time-thank-you-very-much demeanor of the clientele. Contemporary architecture utilizing natural wood and plenty of glass, complimented with lush indoor plantings, gives the place a most inviting appeal. When dining alone I opt for one of the elevated tables in the far end of the bar area. From that vantage point I can see about 6 big-screen TVs suspended from the vaulted ceiling. The closest three were tuned to CNN, ESPN and the Weather Channel. A few people are in the bar, but the happy-hour crowd has not yet arrived. The bite of the Merlot held its own against the bacon cheddar burger. It’s nice to have company in this kind of setting, but this was one of those times made for flying solo. Just perfect.
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We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office. — Aesop

We should probably shout “Praise the Lord” that Pat Robertson does not speak for or represent all Christians … does he? No, not all, because I know one that thinks Robertson is a loud-mouthed egotistical asshole jerk. But he, his Christian Coalition, and the “high company” he keeps are certainly enough to scare the bejesus out of anyone with any capacity to think and understand. So, what got me on this rant? Glad you asked…

Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition, speaking on The 700 Club, a Christian broadcast, has called for the killing of another human being , according to this AP news story. He even has an economic justification for assassinating Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, which he states this way:

It’s a whole lot cheaper than starting a war … and I don’t think any oil shipments will stop.

Damned oil again! Wonder who Robertson has gotten in bed with…

So, will the new Robertson Standard Version Bible (or does he even acknowledge the Old Testament?) rewrite the Sixth Commandment from “Thou shall not kill.” to read:

Thou shall not kill unless there is economic justification or oil involved.

And of course he will also revise the Golden Rule known, used, and taught by various religions over the centuries. While worded in slightly varying ways, it usually comes down to: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. The Robertson version might go something like:

Kill others before they have a chance to kill you.

No…come to think of it, Bush has already rewritten that one with his unprovoked, unilateral, pre-emptive strike that put us squarely into the middle of the intractable mess he called “Iraqi Freedom”.

Many thanks to PaulaO at Thought Patterns for the lead on this!

When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag, carrying a cross. — Sinclair Lewis

As if I need to be reminded of how old I am and am getting, I make daily visits to Ronni Bennett’s Time Goes By. Ronni continually captures and portrays the essence, the hope, the inevitability, and occasionally, the despair of aging. She always does so with just the right mix of professional clarity, seasoned introspection, and personal grace.

In this post Ronni explores brain power and aging. As always with her work, the entire piece is interesting, but this comment jumped off the screen at me:

The more you believe memory loss and thinking ability will decline as you get older, the more likely they will.

Now, if I’m reading that correctly, we’re talking about a “mind over matter” concept. Think it, believe it, and it will be so. Further, if we can will a decline in memory loss and thinking ability, then is the converse true? Do thinking and believing we will become smarter as we age actually make that come true? Or is the flip-side of loss, in this case, not gain but staying even … no loss?

Check back here in 10 years. I’ll let you know.

Either way, triggering gain or avoiding loss, this is the reasoning behind the recommendations to keep our minds busy, active, and engaged. Reading, writing, solving puzzles, and yes, even blogging will probably help us avoid or at least delay a loss of brain power as we age, and if we believe it strongly enough, maybe even make us smarter. Experts say we are using only a fraction of our mental capacity. I like the speculation that in the future we will learn how to harness and use more of it, perhaps including telepathic abilities, mind-over-matter powers, and compartmentalization of thought and problem solving processes. I can’t wait to try my first Vulcan Mind Meld! Any volunteers? Ronni?

A Nation Rocked to Sleep
By Carly Sheehan, Sister of Casey KIA 04/04/04
Sadr City, Baghdad

Have you ever heard the sound of a mother screaming for her son?
The torrential rains of a mother’s weeping will never be done
They call him a hero, you should be glad that he’s one, but
Have you ever heard the sound of a mother screaming for her son?

Have you ever heard the sound of a father holding back his cries?
He must be brave because his boy died for another man’s lies
The only grief he allows himself are long, deep sighs
Have you ever heard the sound of a father holding back his cries?

Have you ever heard the sound of taps played at your brother’s grave?
They say that he died so that the flag will continue to wave
But I believe he died because they had oil to save
Have you ever heard the sound of taps played at your brother’s grave?

Have you ever heard the sound of a nation being rocked to sleep?
The leaders want to keep you numb so the pain won’t be so deep
But if we the people let them continue another mother will weep

From One Mother’s Stand with thanks to Tamar for the link.

Scrutiny Hooligans has an interesting commentary built around a list of Clinton-era “foreign policy positions held by prominent Republicans and their minions” from Daily Kos. Bottom line: 9/11 changed everything.

It’s worth the click just to see the imbicilic grin on the ass face of Bush, the Child Who Would Be King.

(Edited 4:20 CDT same day, 8/18/05)

Last evening we met some friends and went to the candlelight vigil for Cindy Sheehan and families of the 1800+ Americans who have died in Iraq. The event was held at Centennial Park in the middle of Nashville where the Parthenon is located. This was one of about 1,625 similar vigils around the country, all quickly organized and publicized by MoveOn.org.

We haven’t had rain around here since … the Vietnam War, I think … and the damned heat wave of the last several weeks has banished all things green for the remainder of the summer. So fortunately it rained last night. And unfortunately it rained last night. Other than perhaps keeping some meltable souls at home, the cooling drizzle did not dampen the spirits of the few hundred that came out. Here we were in a huge circle on the front lawn of the Parthenon, ponchos donned, umbrellas at full mast, and candles lit … and lit … and lit …

For about an hour, we stood peacefully, quietly, reflecting, thinking, talking in muffled tones. Occasionally a song would break out somewhere around the circle. It was interesting to hear the sound slowly travelling around to fill the circle, becoming one voice. God Bless America, America the Beautiful, and of course the obligatory We Shall Overcome.

I have never been an activist or been to a rally, vigil, sit-in, peace walk, or anything remotely related. During the 60s and 70s I was struggling to get through engineering school, learning how to do marriage and family, and starting my first career. Almost always sympathetic and empathetic with the causes, it has just not been my nature to demonstrate or activate. I am glad I went to this one. It felt right.

We had been warned that the crowd would be rowdy, militant, college-age kids. How very wrong! The average age was probably well above 40, maybe even 50, with some obviously in their 60s and 70s. The parking lots around the Parthenon were filled with late-model SUVs, BMWs, Volvos, Lexuses (Lexi?) and there was not a single VW love-bus in sight.

Except for the friends we met there, we did not recognize anyone else. Yet we knew who they were. They were caring people who do not approve the snub Bush has given to Cindy Sheehan and other parents and families of the fallen. They were peaceful people from all parts of our community who see the truth and know that Bush’s Iraqi venture is a farce and a sham foisted on the world with lies that scared a Congress full of sheep into full approval. They were people who want the war to end and who want our troops brought home to end the killing. Peace rally? Not really. More of a Sanity Rally.

Thanks to Frank Paynter I now know about Blog Day, August 31. Might provide an interesting change of scenery for a day. Maybe I’ll give it a tilt.