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Our humanity, or lack thereof, is measured by our societal response to Events like this.
Now, a week after Hurricane Maria hit, some observers are starting to wonder if the administration is mishandling the storm—and indeed, whether it could become Trump's equivalent of Hurricane Katrina, the storm that became a focal point for criticism of George W. Bush's presidency in 2005. As Representative Nydia Velazquez, a Democratic Puerto Rican from New York warned Trump on Tuesday: “If you don’t take this crisis seriously this is going to be your Katrina.”
GW Bush learned the hard way, that his apparent lack of concern over the Kartrina disaster, harmed his presidency, in deep and lasting ways ...
by Heather Digby Parton, salon.com — 09.28.2017
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When asked for follow-up, Trump helpfully explained that Puerto Rico is "an island sitting in the middle of an ocean," which for some reason made it "tough" to get supplies there. But the main thrust of his comments was what a great job he was doing:
The governor of Puerto Rico is so thankful for the great job that we're doing. . . . The governor said we are doing a great job. . . . We have had tremendous reviews from government officials . . . and this morning, the governor made incredible statements about how well we're doing. . . . So everybody has said it's amazing the job that we've done in Puerto Rico, we're very proud of it. . . . I think we've done a really good job . . . and we are going to do far more than anybody else would ever be able to do and it's being recognized as such.
George W. Bush was vilified in the wake of Katrina for saying eight words that captured his obliviousness to the depth of devastation and horror: "Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job." He was of course speaking to his hapless FEMA director Michael Brown, who resigned shortly thereafter. Bush's approval ratings never recovered. Those words will forever be part of his legacy of failure.
We should be so lucky, that this ‘serial liar’ had actually had enough honor — to sense his pending failure, and actually pre-emptively Resign.
But humanity and competence are not primary, among Donnie’s 140-character skill sets — as Fortune.com goes on to explain:
If Twitter is any indication of the president's focus, Puerto Rico does not appear to be his central concern. When, on Monday, he referenced the situation on the island, he started by pointing out its financial problems, rather than the plight of its inhabitants. Since the storm made landfall on the island, President Trump has tweeted about it five times. By comparison, he has tweeted about the U.S. flag, anthem, and professional athletes more than 20 times.
“You're doing a heckuva job there, Trumpie!”
Now, do the right thing — and Fire yourself!
And quit wrenching your arm, patting yourself on the back.
From PBS Newshour:
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Nearly all of the U.S. territory’s 3.4 million residents need assistance recovering from the storm. Here’s how you can help.
Cash. Most organizations are asking for cash, rather than supplies, so they can route help to where it’s needed most more quickly. Here are some of the largest groups with campaigns underway:
GoFundMe has also created a hub that includes all campaigns for Hurricane Maria. You can also find campaigns for individual families seeking help for loved ones.
The clock is winding down, as Trump “tweets” his leadership away …
Or lack thereof …