The blame game has always been a favorite american pastime, especially in Washington DC. Collecting hard facts, assessing real data, determining an actual cause and developing a proper course of action, be it pre-emptive or reactionary, requires a lot of non-partisan honest effort. Effectively fixing blame on the other guy is almost effortless and just as profitable, at least politically. Therefore, it is a much more popular tactic, hence, a much more common practice.
at a time when america is almost perfectly divided down political lines, the category 5 hurricane that just wiped out much of the gulf coast region presents a fine opportunity to take the low road for those who prefer the blame game over any remotely productive alternative. after all, this is tough stuff here, hundreds if not thousands dead and thousands more homeless, without food or water, let alone electric or a means of contacting the outside world. It will take thousands of volunteers, billions in tax dollars plus more in relief donations and months if not years to clean up and rebuild.
It’s all just too much to think about. We can just find someone to blame and go on about our own important business. Someone must be to blame and politically speaking, it must be the other guy since I’m sure as hell not taking the fall.
We should start with the President, since he is the leader of our nation. The buck stops with him, right? He’s an easy mark too. He was on vacation while disaster was looming out in the gulf. Scientists monitored Katrina’s development in the Caribbean for weeks, warning of just the kind of carnage we now see, days before the storm made landfall. Though most people wisely followed the warnings and evacuated, Bush is responsible for those left behind, because fat cats like him have kept people like this too poor to evacuate for years.
In case you haven’t heard, Bush actually created Katrina by refusing to sign the Kyoto Treaty, single handedly causing global warming resulting in the devastating blow dealt by Katrina. Had he followed the advice of those across the aisle and signed Kyoto, none of this would have happened.
Even though he declared much of the gulf region a disaster zone, releasing federal relief before there even was a disaster area, he should have done more. He should have used air Force One in the days ahead of landfall to expedite the evacuation process. He should have released monthly welfare checks a week early so that people living month to month could afford to leave town.
Now these poor folks stranded in Katrina’s aftermath are reduced to looting in order to get their new pair of Nike tennis shoes, color TV’s and jewelry. Had Bush recognized that every american has an inherent right to these things, instead of selfishly expecting people to earn them, these people wouldn’t have to loot their neighbors now.
If calculations are right, Katrina is the most devastating american catastrophe since the earthquake of 1906, which I’m sure was caused by one of Bush’s ancestors. In a case like this, there is always plenty of blame to spread around.
Vice President Dick Cheney probably had a hand in creating Katrina too. Have you noticed how gasoline prices have shot through the roof since Katrina hit? You can bet Cheney is getting even richer along with his oil buddies who just happened to set their oil rigs right in Katrina’s path so that they could charge higher prices at the pump once the storm wiped out their rigs.
Don’t forget Don Rumsfeld, who no doubt owns some oil stocks too. These people are ruthless and will do absolutely anything to make a buck. They attacked the peaceful innocent people of Iraq just to get their oil you know, so why wouldn’t they create a hurricane to drive up prices?
I know what you’re thinking, that not even Karl Rove is powerful enough to create such a massive alleged natural disaster. This only proves what so many have tried to tell you for years. That collectively, these folks are in fact the anti-Christ, as only the anti-Christ could have such power.
I almost forgot, what about the Jews? Surely they have a hand in this. The Jews must have called upon the wrath of God who obviously answered their call in the form of Katrina. again, since Bush wouldn’t let them keep their own ocean front property, they decided to destroy ours.
When disaster struck, who did Bush send in first? Right, the "Nazis". Our men and women in uniform who have been busily running "Gulags" were first on the scene, undoubtedly for the purpose of establishing Marshall Law on behalf of the growing Bush Empire. Next on the scene were Bush’s right-wing Christian friends, the Salvation army, sent in to force religion upon a desperate people.
Within hours, Bush’s faith based organizations across the country were rushing to set up make-shift relief centers in the hopes that they would have an opportunity to force their religious dogma down the throats of people too tired, hungry and scared to resist.
The whole Bush plan is insidious. a veiled attempt to solidify the Bush family oil dynasty on the backs of america’s poor and underprivileged.
Had america had the good sense to elect Gore in 2000 or Kerry in 2004, all of this death and destruction could have been avoided. Kyoto would have been signed, global warming would have been ended, Katrina would have just been the little girl down the street, the Jews would still have their own ocean front property, americans would be driving electric cars and gas would be 50 cents a gallon because nobody would need it anymore.
But noooo! Selfish rich SUV loving conservatives elected the anti-Christ and now look at the shape we are in…
How am I doing? Sound about right?
The sad part is, nearly half of america will buy everything I just said… many believed it before I said it. Meanwhile, americas best and brightest drop their own agenda and once again contribute to the massive effort to save and secure our fellow americans, even those who won’t appreciate it. Once again, real americans will come together and give of themselves unselfishly, for people we have never met and probably never will.
The blame game will go on, it always has. But don’t kid yourself into believing it serves any purpose other than political. The only people who win that game are political ideologues more interested in politics than people. The same folks who undermine our troops will undermine the relief efforts. The last thing you will ever catch one of them doing is contributing anything of value.
They are our nations "takers", not our nations "givers". It has always been that way and I suspect it always will be. Remember, those who accept no responsibility for themselves are always first to find fault with others. If you are being blamed, it is usually by someone who accepts no responsibility for anything, especially those who have nothing else to offer.
assessing blame won’t save a single life right now, in fact, it will cost additional lives. God Bless those who are always a part of the solution!