"Highwater rising, six inches above my head Coffins
droppin' in the street like balloons made out of lead
Water poured into Vicksburg, don't know what I'm gonna do
Don't reach out for me, she said, can't you see I'm drowning too. It's rough out there Highwater everywhere."
-Bob Dylan, from the song Highwater(For Charley Patton)
On September 14, 2001, President George W. Bush, stood atop of the ruins of the World Trade Center, alongside New York City Fireman, Bob Beckwith. It was there that Mr. Bush delivered a stern message to the terrorists who committed their ghastly deed. If was then, we were led to believe that President Bush was a man committed to uniting America in the wake of the worse terrorist attack on American soil.
On August 31, 2005, President Bush took a 35 minute Air Force one flyover tour of Hurricane ravaged states, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. The perfect symbol to his Presidency. It appeared from the photo of that moment, that the commander-in-chief was taking in the Suffering of Americans, like if it was fresh air. Devoid of any reality, or any concern for the well being of his fellow countrymen.
The sad part is, this is a man who is willing to move the mountains and valley to weed out terrorism, but was unable to move Heaven and Earth to help New Orleans residents, who were trapped in a hellhole, in squalor, and dying from hunger.
We sure as hell can count on the United States Government to save us from hair gel, but don't count on them to save us from standing water.
The images of babies crying for food, and old people dying in front of my eyes made me shame to live in the United States. At first, I thought, we must be living in a third world country where its leaders see people like these as nothing more than bread crumbs.
But, in the United States of America, the richest country in the world, couldn't produce the neccessary resources to evacuate residents from a disgusting hellhole, and yet, everyone in the Federal Government, believed that everything was going smoothly.
Yet, the assumption I got was of America, a helpless pitiful giant.
During this anniversary season, President Bush will no doubt give hope to those who will be foreve fractured by Hurricane Katrina.
But Mr. Bush is all about the PR Game. He is the PR President. He relies heavily on Politics and Press Opportunities to seduce the heavily demoralized individuals who're already dissatisfied with the Government's response to this tragedy.
Nevermind the fact that our President lied about not knowing whether the levees were going to succumb. It never crosses his mind. What does cross his feeble little mind is, "How can I use this to recover my pitiful showing in the polls."
Those images of babies wailing, and people dying should be the downfall of the GOP this fall.
The GOP likes to brand itself as the party that won't kill Americans. But, if they're inept at saving New Orleans residents from standing water, how can they be so sure to save Americans from a terrorist attack?
But don't worry, Karl Rove will be out there to make sure that everything is swept under the rug. In his mind, New Orleans residents crying for help never happened. A fantasy invented by the "Liberal media."
It's been one year since the disaster, and families are living in shitty conditions, or waiting to be housed in shitty conditions funded by the U.S. Government. And, of course how can you not forget about the Greed. 2 billion of 19 billion dollars spent by FEMA on fraud and abuse.
And all the President can give you is a pat on a back and a "Everything will be alright," kinda look.
This administration is nothing more than a safe haven for the rich. The poor are a liability. So, seeing the poor suffer in squalor-like conditions is like a walk in the park. But, the outpouring of outraged led them to realize that reality isn't a fairy tale invented by the "Liberal media."
New Orleans, the city of Jazz and Joy, will never be the same. You can have a million mardi gras in one year, but the scars from Katrina will linger on like a tear. But it's a reminder of the harsh realities of the America we live in today. And, the failures of the lessons we learned on 9/11. That belief we were One America, and one people.
Yeah, right.