Hello, Kettle?...This is the Pot...

Former FEMA Head Blames Others for Hurricane Response Problems

Yes, of course he's going to blame others to try to deflect from his own absolute incompetency. But then there's this little gem:

But Brown also blamed the Department of Homeland Security, and indirectly, the Bush administration, for what he said was FEMA's emaciated state. His agency, he said, has suffered from budget cuts and a shortage of qualified personnel since it was subsumed within the gigantic department.

Qualified personnel? The former head FEMA, whose previous job (which, I'm sure, gave him much needed training and quilification to be the head of FEMA) was head of the International Arabian Horse Assoc., forced out for apparent incompetency of even that position, is bringing up the subject of qualified personnel? Damn this guy's dumb! Might as well have said, "Hey, none of this is my fault. Blame Bush! He's the schmuck who hired my incompetent ass!" Which, incidentally, would be completely true.

More Lunacy Over Mythological Indoctrination in Public Schools

'Intelligent design' trial begins today in Pennsylvania

"Nearly 2,000 years ago, someone died on a cross for us," said board member William Buckingham, who urged his colleagues to include intelligent design in ninth-grade science classes. "Shouldn't we have the courage to stand up for him?"

First off, it doesn't bode well for the existence of an omniscient, omnipotent "God" so weak that it requires the aid of (as the Reich views people) sinful, sniveling, hell-bound worms. Second, this debate is -- according to the Christian Reich itself -- supposed to be about "equal time" for a "theory" they see as equally valid as evolution. Those of us with firing synapses know better; that it's actually about Christians having the "right" to brainwash all the little children with their own particular brand of fantastical creation mythology. What an unfortunate (for them) slip of the tongue when a member of the clan (or is it Klan?) accidentally reveals their true motivations...to defend Christianity against the perceived onslaught of...well, intelligence.

The statement on intelligent design approved by the Dover school board was read to ninth-grade science students in January and will be read again this year. It reads in part:

"Because Darwin's theory is a theory, it continues to be tested as new evidence is discovered. The theory is not a fact. Gaps in theory exist for which there is no evidence…. Intelligent design is an explanation of the origin of life that differs from Darwin…. With respect to any theory, students are encouraged to keep an open mind."

It's so frustrating to have the word "theory" so abused. There is a monumental difference between a scientific theory and a pulled-straight-from-my-theological-ass mythological theory...which creationism is. And isn't it ironic how the Christian Reich bandies about the phrase "open mind" with regard to creastionism, but when it comes to civil liberties (a.k.a. equal rights for homosexuals and non-Christians) you can practically hear their feeble minds clanking shut.

"This issue is bubbling under the surface all over the country, but the Dover board had the courage of their convictions," said Richard Thompson, chief counsel for the Michigan-based Thomas More Law Center. The center promotes and defends the religious freedoms of Christians, he said...

When asked about the religious freedoms of non-Christians, Thompson shrieked, "death to the infidels!", if only in his empty head.

If all this sounds eerily reminiscent of another case on evolution, it is.

Eighty years ago, the Scopes trial in Dayton, Tenn., tested the legality of a state law banning the teaching of evolution.

That's right...despite eighty years of advancements in every field of science, the Christian Reich refuses to pull its collective head from...uhh, the sand (to put it politely).

"They should be able to teach all kinds of theories in school, and
that's how you learn", said toothless Jeff Raffensburger.

And what, then, of the great Flying Spaghetti Monster (pbuh)? (Hint...the whole premise put forth by the Christian Reich that this is about teaching "all kinds of theories" is patently absurd).

In a landmark 1987 case, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Louisiana could not require schools to balance the teaching of evolution with creationism, a Bible-based view of natural history. That case has become a key issue for plaintiffs, who argue that Buckingham's statements revealed the board's similar religious intentions.

Attorneys for the school board, however, say intelligent design is different from creationism because it does not mention religion. They also note that Buckingham, who has since left the board and moved, has protested that his comments were taken out of context.

If there's one lame-ass defense constantly spouted by religious nutters when their own words prove their idiocy it's, "but I was taken out of context...". Yeah. Right.

"I know there are a lot of people fighting over this, what we should be taught," (Dover High School ninth-grader, Giovanni Herman) said. "But it's all OK with me. In the end, I think I'll make up my own mind."

That's true...he will make up his own mind. But it isn't the public school's place to teach him Christianity's (or any other religion's) version of reality, that's his church's.

Frist -- Devoid of Ethics

So, not only is he a medical hack (horribly misdiagnosing Terri Shiavo based on a video), but he's a greedy bastard completely devoid of any ethical standards.

Frist sold hospital shares before drop

WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, a potential presidential candidate in 2008, sold all his stock in his family's hospital corporation about two weeks before it issued a disappointing earnings report and the price fell nearly 15 percent.

Frist, a surgeon first elected to the Senate in 1994, had been criticized for maintaining the holdings while dealing with legislation affecting the medical industry and managed care. Call (Frist spokeswoman) said the Senate Ethics Committee has found nothing wrong with Frist's holdings in the company in a blind trust.

"To avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest Senator Frist went beyond what ethics requires and sold the stock," Call said. Asked why he had never done so before, she said, "I don't know that he's been worried about it in the past."

Good for him for doing the right thing and divulging himself of his shares in a clear conflict of interest...11 years after the fact and right before the stock tanked.

Of course Frist wasn't worried about holding the stock or the conflict it created in the past! That's because the stock was doing fine. The stock price peaks and then he suddenly has an attack of conscience before the stock tanks? Yeah. Right. And Terri Schiavo was responsive to visual cues.

Linking the Terra'ists to Hurricane Katrina

From the NYTimes:

"We look at the destruction caused by Katrina, and our hearts break," (Bush) said. Turning the subject to terrorists, he said: "They're the kind of people who look at Katrina and wish they had caused it. We're in a war against these people."

First of all, Bush has no proof whatsoever that any terrorists actually wish they could cause hurricanes. That's pure fantasy and speculation on his part and what's known in the logic community (about which der Presidunce certainly has no clue) as a strawman. Secondly, did he seriously just try to bolster support for his failed "war on Iraq -- err, terror" by linking Katrina and terrorists?? Is there anyone in this country dunder-headed enough to fall for such blatant idiocy?? ~sigh~ Don't answer that. Sadly, I know that there are...and they are legion.

New Orleans: BushCo's Fault

Obviously, I don't mean that the hurricane or the flooding is the Bush maladmin's doing (although their dogmatic, idealogical resistance to the fact that greenhouse emissions cause global warming -- which, in turn, causes these monster storms -- certainly doesn't help). Had BushCo not hamstrung FEMA by pushing it under the umbrella of Homeland Security and then siphoning off its funding to Iraq, and were the 40% of ground troops in Iraq that are National Guardsmen and women been here instead of off fighting an insane and illegal war, the aftermath of Katrina would've been severely lessened.

And, as usual, BushCo is completely unwilling to take responsibility for its devastating ineptitude:

Federal officials do not dispute the magnitude of the suffering. Yet they say it is horrific natural conditions, not human blunders, that have hampered their efforts and that they are doing a Herculean job, under the circumstances, of saving lives.

And...

In a country that spent nearly $1 billion airlifting supplies to tsunami victims in southern Asia and tens of billions of dollars ferrying military supplies to Baghdad to wage war, many wondered why the United States could not also supply water, food and medical supplies to the tens of thousands of its own needy residents.

And...

Federal officials suggested that the television pictures do not show the entire story and said rescue crews successfully rescued and evacuated thousands from the most dangerous areas.

Yeah...just like the television pictures haven't shown all the Iraqis showering praise and laying roses at the feet of the U.S. soldiers who've -- um, "liberated" them (from their homes, from their livlihoods, from their families, and from their lives).

And the icing on the cake, from the pinnacle of failure himself:

"I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees," he said.

Except that someone did.

In 2001, a FEMA report ranked hurricane damage to New Orleans as one of the three most likely catastrophes facing the country (the other two were a terrorist attack on New York City and an earthquake in San Francisco). [Look out San Franciscans...you know how good Bush is with his trifectas!]

The New Orleans Times-Picayune published a five-part series in 2002 that began with the words: "It's only a matter of time before south Louisiana takes a direct hit from a major hurricane. Billions have been spent to protect us, but we grow more vulnerable every day. ..." The stories quoted flood experts warning specifically of the potential damage from rising water levels and broken levees.

Despite the warnings, money was cut from flood control as the federal government's focus shifted to terrorism. The Bush administration routinely provided less than half the money the Army Corps of Engineers requested for New Orleans flood prevention.

Oops! Caught with his pants down yet again. And, in typical BushCo form, the blunder resulted in massive death and suffering.

"I mean, I understand the anxiety of people on the ground. I can..."

I believe the appropriate word here is: BULLSHIT!! Bush understands the plight of those in New Orleans about as well as he does the plight of innocent Iraqis. I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that Bush's proposal for saving New Orleans is to bomb it.

"We totally understand what it's like to be sitting on top of a roof or to be sitting in a shelter where it's hot; where you're worried about when you're going to be picked up; where you're thirsty; where you're hungry; where you're afraid for yourself, you're afraid for members of your family," Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told reporters at a Washington news conference. "We have to nevertheless proceed with our priorities in terms of how we deal with this unprecedented disaster."

In other words, "Piss off. We're busy taking over the world. We'll get to you when we're done spilling blood and pumping oil".

Source: San Francisco Chronicle, "Anarchy, anger, desperation: Sharp criticism of Bush administration reaction and failure to prevent disaster" by Marc Sandalow