before i begin, i should admit the following before being condemed as a dixiecrat:
-- my parents are homosexuals
-- i went to one of the most diverse public high schools in the country, and am damn proud of it
-- my best friend is black
please don't think of me as a racist or a bigot, but i personally feel there are some questions about this administration's handling of this crisis that need to be answered.
- supposing a hurricane could have hit salt lake city, would the response from the federal government have been as slow there -- or in any other "red" major metro area -- as it has been in new orleans?
- does the indefensibly slow reaction have anything to do with the ethnic makeup of the affected area?
- does the indefensibly slow reaction have anything to do with how bush fared in new orleans in 2000 and 2004?
- would the federal government have acted faster if bush had done better among black voters nationally?
- if 30,000 american citizens were stranded in a war zone in a foreign country, would we have called off the rescue efforts this quickly because of a few stray gunshots and looters?
- is the bush administration trying to emphasize its position on crime during this tragedy by putting "restoring order" before rescuing innocent people?
- how will this affect black voting patterns in the future?
- how would john kerry, al gore or bill clinton have acted differently to this crisis?
- would the reaction have been as slow if louisiana didn't have a democratic governor and legislature? the democrats also hold every state-wide office in louisiana.
- how will the government's handling of this crisis affect race relations in the country in the near and distant future?