My wife Kate and I were watching the second anniversary of Katrina and all that didn’t happen. By now the constant showing of the Gulf Coast destruction and the failure to do anything about the 9th Ward or the Hospital in New Orleans, formally one of our “Great Cities”, created in Kate a marked irritability not common in folks born and raised in Minnesota.
After additional reports of the increased murder rates in New Orleans, well above pre-Katrina rates, there was the revelation that the New Orleans Police Dept. does not even have a functioning copying machine. Kate thought maybe they could borrow one from the Iraqi’s. Then she exclaimed, ”How can we expect anyone on planet earth to take us seriously when they see our incompetence and neglect to fix New Orleans? Do we really think we can build a democratic nation out of the wreckage of Iraq when we are unable to fix just one city in our own country?”
I do believe, instead of the world’s great fixers, we have become the world’s laughing stock. Maybe we should send the Army Corps of Three Stooges to straighten out the infrastructure in Iraq. -- “Good By and Good Luck.”
and the Think Tank Gang
2 comments:
If there is such a thing as a bright spot in Katrina, I suppose it would be finally exposing the Bush administration's ongoing incompetence.
We were already aware of this on the left. But suddenly the right could no longer pretend that our government was, to borrow a phrase, doing "a heck of a job."
At the time of Katrina I quietly hoped that maybe this mishandling would somehow improve our image with the rest of the world.
That maybe people around the world would look at America and think "Hey maybe they're not intentionally so bad. Look at how poorly the US is treating their own citizens! Maybe they're just incompetent!"
I find it much easier to stomach the idea that our government is incompetent. The other conclusion that these things (Handling the post-invasion of Iraq or saving the levees) are done intentionally is just too scary.
honestly grandpa i don't believe that in America there is a bright spot anymore with our current so called leader.
i also agree that America is incompetent right now. I think its going to take a strong leader for our country to build back what we had..., because a lot of damage had been done, and a lot of bridges have been burned with our former allies countries... but then again i haven't been around long enough to say that America was once great. Sometimes i feel ashamed to live in this country, because of the recent events.
i hope to see more political piece on your blog
AMORE
allie
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