Dark, darker, darkest

The news is grim. I have been so busy working this week that I have not kept up. I knew it was bad, but I didn't know how bad. Today is kind of an off day, so I am catching up. Damn.

People in the New Orleans convention center are dying and there are no National Guardsmen, no promised busses, no water, no nothing. Damn. Goddamn. As one of the CNN (and CNN annoys me greatly with their "watch our hurricane coverage" crap) photographers got in front of the camera and said something like "these people did exactly what they were told to do. They are not unruly, they are just trying to survive."

I know that there are so very many Americans who are doing what they can to help. Americans are good people and will respond to try and help others. I know that.

But still, I look at the lack of planning and lack of response and the anger rises. Bush said that the recovery would take years. But as Josh Marshall reported, Bush is pushing for more tax cuts right fucking now! We should be willing to raise our taxes to help recover from this war--recover from this hurricane--recover from this presidency.

I am going to go do something different for the afternoon. I have that luxury. SOF and I will do what we can to help those displaced by the hurricane, as I am sure, everyone reading this will. I welcome suggestions or options. There is so much good in humanity. I will remember that as I go through the day. But we need to reclaim that old idea that our government can work with us to help us reach out to others. It isn't just a threat to individual liberty. It is also a way to manage resources and plan for events just like this.

I am with Molly Ivins on this. Politics matter. Choices have consequences. The people effected by Katrina deserve a better government than they are getting. Hell, we all do.