Television Masochism:

The last few days have been hellish. I sit down and watch the news and fluctuate from tears to fury and back again. I tell my self to turn off the TV. Katrina is eating you alive!! So I go into the bedroom and turn on the TV there. I go from CNN to FOX to MSNC and back again hoping to get some good news from somewhere.

I get so angry with so many people that I am sure that it is lousy for my blood pressure. I start with saying that I was a Bush supporter in both of the past two elections (and, knowing what I know now, I would probably still support him), but I was so furious at him when CNN cut to the President who was going to speak to the nation about Katrina (I think this was the day after the hurricane when New Orleans was beginning to become a disaster area and thousands were heading for the Superdome).
The President expressed sympathy for the folks who were under stress in about a six word sentence, then, because he was speaking to a Texas audience he changed the subject to securing the borders. MY thought was “Doesn’t he even own a television set? Maybe some assistant could at least bring him a paper.” I was grateful that CNN cut away instantly, it probably saved my set from a collision with whatever was closest to me that I could throw.”

As an ex public speaking teacher the realization of Bush’s greatest weakness hit me. He is unable to speak with passion about anything. It all slips through his mouth, avoiding whatever creates his emotions. (One exception: he did speak with passion, beautifully on 9/11, but the words come out of his mouth, for the most part with emotion of a dead fish)

When I am through being furious with the President I become angry with the liberal talking points people on CNN who would try to find evidence that the entire Hurricane was a Bush plot to raise the price of gasoline.

Then there are the cretinous misfits who galloped from store to store looting. I don’t think anyone in the world would blame someone without food from breaking into a store for food, water, baby formula etc., the idiot seen on television (without even covering his face) wheeling a shopping cart full of expensive sneakers, or the three hundred pound goof ball dragging a pallet cart full of stereo equipment and flat screen TVs in the other direction (at least he had the intellect , when he realized he was on TV to pull his T shirt up over his nose) I’d like to line them up and make them eat what they caught.
Now to top it off we had the presentation by the Congressional Black Caucus blaming Republicans and Bush for “everything” as if the levies, for instance hadn’t been a feature in the New Orleans papers for fifteen years citing investigative reports that the levies would never hold beyond a class three hurricane.
What New Orleans lacked was a Rudy Giuliani or his equivalent (or for that matter, the President) stomping out into the middle of the mess and LEADING the community and the states into action. Like almost everything that is run by the government, problems arose instantly because No ONE was in charge so like any government program the beaurocats have to spent one day arguing about who will pay for what, and another day playing CYA, and after all the asses are at least theoretically covered we can start doing something. ARRRRGHHHH I guess I will go in to the TV and torture myself again. I am become an addict to second hand adrenaline. At least, when hurricane Andrew went to Florida I was young enough and healthy enough to go down, help feed people and nail plywood on roof tops. All I can do now is send money, and I would feel better about that if I saw a little more of it used a little better.