What the Hell: Katrina, Internal Investigations, Just Say NO!

Today, President Bush on the Nightly News proclaimed that he will “lead” an investigation into the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina. What the hell is this? This is like the accused being assigned as his or her own judge! Absolutely unacceptable! Furthermore, Bush said: “I think one of things people want us to do here is to play a blame game. We’ve gotta solve problems. We’re problem solvers.” Well, President Bush, that’s an interesting take – “problem solvers.” From where I, and many others, are sitting, this current administration has not succeeded in solving many problems but, instead, has multiplied them by several-fold. Let’s take a little (and short) tour—shall we? Problem One: Terrorism and 9/11 – Government response: Find and take Down Osama Bin Laden – Problem Solved? – Currently, absolutely not. He forgot about Bin Laden and decided that Bin Laden was not all that important after all. Problem Two: Iraq and Weapons of Mass Destruction. –Government Response: Start a war and find the Weapons of Mass Destruction and defuse the threat of terrorist attacks and then leave quickly. Problem Solved? – No. no Weapons of Mass Destruction. Increased Terrorist threats. We created such a problem that we cannot leave. Thousands upon thousands dead: American Solders, Iraqi soldiers and worst of all – innocent civilians. Problem Three: Middle East has control over most of the World’s Oil Supply—Government Response (unofficial): Start a war in Iraq and take over Oil Supply. –Problem Solved? Nope again. Screwed up the war. Oil prices through the roof. Americans paying over three dollars a gallon. –Success: Yes, Big Businesses are having parties while the rest of us are screwed. Problem Four: Homeland Security—Government Response: Creating the Department of Homeland Security to, I guess, secure us. –Problem Solved? Hum, you tell me. We can’t take care of ourselves after a natural disaster, how could we ever imagine taking care of ourselves if this was an organized outside attack? You be the judge. Problem Five: The largest hurricane (originally 5 in strength) in recent history is heading right for the Gulf Coast—one, which is reported widely by weather experts, that will absolutely destroy any area it hits. People are urged to flee. –Government Response(specifically Bush’s): Stay on vacation and strum the guitar for reporters—that’s right, like the story about Nero—strum while the Gulf is drowning! After destruction occurs, do absolutely nothing for several days until you tour the devastation and only at that point, when, once again, reporters are around to document your good will, does the aid for these poor people show up! Problem Solved?—Absolute not! It is horrible. People are still there, walking in standing water of human waste, dead bodies and no food and water. That is correct; many people are still not receiving any aid! There are many more aspects I could add to this list but why screw with the little things when we have all these big things to consider? The bottom line for me is, I wish that the biggest problem we needed to concern ourselves with was the fact that this president “got some” in the Oval Office. Why on earth was this country up in arms over Clinton and his affair (I mean his family should have been pissed off, but what real business did we have in spending so much money and time investigating his sexual behavior?) and we are not equally, not even close, angry about the real effects that the Bush Administration has had on our country, economics and foreign relations? Why are we not equally, and truly more, outraged? Why? Enough is enough already. Folks, do not allow him to head up his own investigation. There needs to be an investigation but it must be an independent panel, one totally (at least as much as is possible anymore) disconnected with the “Bush” addenda. As was coined by Nancy Reagan: “Just Say NO!” --R