Thursday, September 01, 2005

The angry left leaving no natural occurrence behind

While taking pot shots at Bush and implying that somehow, the seawalls in New Orleans failed because of him, the facts bear out something entirely different. EU Rota runs down what Bill Clinton when he had a democrat legislative majority did to the district of the US Army Corps of Engineers responsible for New Orleans:

«February 17, 1995

An Army Corps of Engineers "hit list" of recommended budget cuts would eliminate new flood-control programs in some of the nation's most flood-prone spots - where recent disasters have left thousands homeless and cost the federal government millions in emergency aid.

Clinton administration officials argue that the flood-control efforts are local projects, not national, and should be paid for by local taxes.
[ … ]
September 29, 2000

The House approved Thursday a $23.6 billion measure for water and energy programs, with sizable increases for several New Orleans area flood-control projects. The Senate will vote Monday, but it may be a while before the bill is enacted.

President Clinton is promising to veto the annual appropriation for the Energy Department and Army Corps of Engineers, not because it is $890 million larger than he proposed, but because it does not include a plan to alter the levels of the Missouri River to protect endangered fish and birds
So while foolish arguments are made connecting a man in a white building in Washington with the weather and the unceasing statement that there are more hurricanes now than ever, there is the pretense by those same people that they care about people more than the environment when it’s politically convenient, and the enviorment more than people when it’s polically convenient.



Meanwhile we learn that amid the chaos, while authorities had to cease helicopter extraction of people from the New Orleans Superdome to area hospitals:
«Superdome denizens are being moved by bus to a dry-land stadium, the Houston Astrodome. But helicopters transporting the sick "suspended flights after a shot was reported fired at a military helicopter," the AP reports»
I’m not sure that it’s safe to assume that whoever did it is angry at the military, or simply wants sick people to die, but taking cheap (and real) political shots has turned into a habit for political militants who cheer disasters because they think it’s for the “greater good” - of their theories, that is.

As for the rest of the population, here is a gladdening event I heard of from a friend in Texas. It's the quiet decent generosity that typifies "flyover country" that few others will be aware exists as they castigate, castigate, castigate:
At the Salvation Army center in downtown Dallas today, there was a line of cars two miles long. It was a queue of people dropping off supplies--food, clothing, water, toiletries.

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