I am in a bit of a hurry because I have to go off to McDonalds.
However, I am sick and tired of the illegitimate comparisons of BP's Oil Spill to Katrina. The analogy doesn't hold.
More below the fold:
No, it isn't .
The three professors in the article above point out several reasons why.
But first, I will point out that we have and the public accepts BP as the only real villain in this case. They are the ones who directly caused this to happen. Over time, republican administrations and Big Oil did warm the planet making it more likely that we would have severe hurricanes. Still, that was not a sudden disaster immediately precipitated and caused by any one event. There should have been better preparation and response, but the hurricane itself was not directly caused by any one company or corporation or even a conglomeration, per se.
The professors point out that we don't have the haunting images of thousands of our fellow citizens needing to be rescued from their roofs. They also state that there aren't a lot of good and quick fixes to be found.
The fact is that the public did hold George W Bush responsible for cronyism and the poor response to Hurricane Katrina. There was a prolonged dip in his poll numbers after Hurricane Katrina. He became a political albatross. He became a legitimate villain in the eyes of the public due to how incompetently he handled the disaster. Having actually been a villain, this is a pathetic attempt by the right wing to muddy others after having lived with the pigs. They royally screwed up so they have to try to make everybody else look equally bad. And it isn't working.
btw, Part 2 of Chicken Soup for the Democratic Soul will be coming out shortly. I have some good stuff.
Unfortunately, I am not getting the hours at McDonalds I need. And my job for the school doesn't start until the Fall. Until then, I am tutoring, but not a ton of hours. Many of my students passed (by far, the majority) their state tests that they needed to pass in order to either be promoted to the next grade or graduate. So, if anybody feels inclined, any assistance would be greatly appreciated. My email is rp1079@hotmail.com for Pay Pal.
Thanks.