Tuesdays with Paulie 8/29/06

The real shame of Katrina

As the one year anniversary of Katrina approached and arrived, a new hurricane was brewing. No, I'm not referring to Ernesto, which is a Tropical Storm not a hurricane. The hurricane I speak of is the media bombardment and political grandstanding the American public is subjected too.

Now don't get me wrong, I firmly believe we must remember Katrina, mourn the victims and learn from this catastrophe. However none of the above will be the case. What has ensued is a political frenzy by the Democrats and their cohorts in the mainstream press to remind Americans during an election year, how the Bush administration and Republican congress are at fault for the government's lackluster response and the fact that a year later most schools and hospitals are not operational.

You not going to hear about the hundreds of buses never utilized by Mayor Nagin to get the poor and elderly out of New Orleans. Your not going to hear about Governor Blanco refusing help from president Bush 72 hours before Katrina hit land. The fact the governor and mayor hate each other and refused to work together will receive no attention. You will simply hear about the response by FEMA, which undoubtedly failed, was the sole culprit in the Katrina disaster.

The lesson that must be learned from Katrina is that you cannot rely on the Federal government to immediate lead evacuation and rescue efforts during a catastrophic event. The plan must be developed and implemented on the local and state level with the Feds available to assist and eventually take over depending on the size of the calamity.

Right now the biggest mistake made by the Federal government is giving the state of Louisiana and city of New Orleans money to rebuild. Giving the two most corrupt entities in America money is a recipe for failure. No wonder no one can account for why more schools and hospitals aren't open. However, you get what you want and the voters of New Orleans re-elected Nagin and are now responsible for his incompetence.

Katrina was a great example of the failures of government on all levels. The reality nobody wants to talk about is that during any type of natural disaster or even immediate terrorist attack the only one you can depend on is yourself. Remember that for you and your families sake.

Watch out for Ernesto

In the wake of Katrina's anniversary we are now pounded by the coverage of Tropical Storm Ernesto. When was the last time a non-hurricane received so much coverage? To be fair, Ernesto may regain hurricane status before hitting Florida tonight, so we wish him luck...I guess.We don't want to cause Ernie to loose his self-confidence.

Ernesto has brought out the worst in 24 hour media coverage. Fox News anchor, Julie Banderas reported that Ernesto could become as powerful as Katrina. This irresponsible statement was a scare tactic to keep viewers tuned in. When Ernie becomes an actual hurricane than you can warn people of the potential to be as deadly as Katrina, but until then, scaring the public and potentially causing panic may be worse than Ernesto becoming a hurricane.

Since April we have been hearing about the horrible hurricane season on the horizon. Al Gore has been drooling at the opportunity for another natural disaster to provide him a platform to cry about global warming and blame the Bush administration as he prepares for his 2008 Presidential run.

However, it's nearly Labor day and hurricanes have been no were to be found on our side of the globe. Tropical Storm Ernesto has been the worst storm of the season and it hasn't even hit U.S. land. Many meterologists and evironmentalists are trying to save face with claims that the season isn't over with and the conditions are suddenly prime for hurricanes. I am not a metereologist, but I am a betting man and would easily wager that we are not only going to have the horrendous season that was predicted by so many. I will also bet it will be a below average season. Sorry AL!

Speaking of Shame

Political opportunist and former Democratic Presidential candidate, Jesse Jackson, is in the middle east to bring his brand of Shame to America. Check out this photo of the Reverend visiting damaged buildings in Beirut. Knowing that Jackson was coming ahead of time, Hezbollah used the opportunity to stage their "Made in America" banners in plain site of the photographers. The media savy Jackson knows damn well he is being used by the terrorist group, but when you are anti-Israel and anti-America why not assist the enemy with their propaganda.

Paulie