Somebody Wake the Dead

georgia10 managed to make this stoic latino cry:

There is something about watching a drenched woman guide her husband's corpse downriver that makes you realize that what's going on in your life, well, it really pales in comparison.

I come back briefly because, like all of you, my eyes still can't believe the videos I see, and my ears still can't believe what I've been hearing. Specifically, I can't stomach the actions of this President. I've read RenaRF's diary, and she says it so eloquently. I'll be more blunt. The President fucked up. This is My Pet Goat II.

Over the next few weeks, we will see a devastation none of us has ever witnessed in our lifetime. The devastation will look like a thousand Ground Zeroes. When the waters recede, bodies and broken lives will litter the streets. Thousands will be found dead, either crouched in attics or parched dry in the debris. And thousands more will be affected by disease, hunger, poverty.

As one official said, this is our tsunami. I would add it is our Darfur. It is another instance of acting too late, of not appreciating the gravity of the situation. While the President continued with his schedule these past couple days, declaring that he and Laura were having a "fabulous" time, Americans gasped for their last breaths as the water overtook them. They clung to trees. They grasped at debris. They swam with alligators in their streets. They watched as the water inched up their necks and listened as it filled their ears. Fabulous, indeed.

[snip]

But those who are victims of this distaster will know one thing. That, as Commander-in-Chief, he has failed them. That, as the Homeland Security President, he abandoned their homeland when it was the least secure, when they were most in need of immediate assistance. That, at a time when their lives were threatened by real terror, the President acted liked he didn't know the meaning of the word.

So somebody wake the dead. Someone whisper into their water-clogged ears that we are a nation defenseless, unprepared. Someone make sure their eyes are closed so they don't have to see the bumbling, clueless officials act like they know what they're doing. Someone tell them that Mother Nature took their lives, but this administration didn't put up a fight. Because there are more important things in life than mobilizing your military to defend the defenseless. There are more important things then making sure every helicopter is in flight, that every boat is in the water, that every hand reaching up for help will not clasp empty air. There are more important things to be done during those critical 72 hours. Like playing guitar, or laughing it up, and pretending to be President.

Read the whole thing....