I'm Really NOT An Elitist... I'm Just Better Than YOU... or... Ewe Make It So Easy For Me To Nearly Hate Ewe...

Maybe it's the cliques you're all in. Maybe it's the snobby air you exude as you look high into the sky and fail to acknowledge any other life around you. Oh, don't get me wrong, if I could do the same, I would. Fact is, I try to make eye contact though, because you never know who's gonna say or do something to try and throw you off guard. Then again, you can't be bothered. You've got safety in numbers. You've got each other's backs. You pay each other to be friends. To run for pseudo offices in your elitist societal groups. Soccer Moms and Troop Leaders UNITE! Rejoice! For together, you shall impart your "wisdom" from the holy book (NO! NOT the Bible, dear reader, we're talking about the L.L. Bean catalogues, dummy! Come on, pay attention, will you?) and continue to add to your numbers, bringing more and more lost sheep into the fold. Sheep with no direction...just looking to fit in. Looking to improve their position of power, authority, or just to move up the food chain, farther away from being devoured by the faceless, the unimportant. Your flock shall continue to grow daily, hourly, minutely. But you'll never get me. Or mine. I got over you when I got out of high school. The games, the fiefdoms, the hierarchies. Fuck that shit. I gave you far too much of my energy, my fear, my weakness by letting you ruin what should have been a nonstop learning experience instead of a fashion show. That's the past, though. I've gotten past it, and I daresay, have become a better person. Me and Fred Nietsche. Ya feel me? Didn't think so. Because you're stupid. You spend far too much time worrying about what your kid looks like, rather than asking what they're learning. You spend far too much time worrying about who you're going to be seen talking to, than just enjoying the fact that the kids are growing daily in front of all of our eyes. A REAL smile, a MEANINGFUL friendly hello in passing? Nah. You can't be bothered. Shit, I at least give you a smile, even though I'm thinking inside about watching you smash your souped-up Suburban Assault Vehicle head on into one of your "friends" in front of your kids. But enough about me. I want you to know that I refuse to HATE you. You're not worthy of that emotion. An extreme distaste for you and everything you stand for with your bible thumping church social while fucking your best friend's husband behavior (doesn't little Johnny look JUST like his Uncle...er...his godfather...er...his dad?) is disheartening to say the very least. When you grow up, when you rise above your need for social ladder climbing, when you rise above your striving for acceptance into the mindless masses of cattle in the pen we call Earth, MAYBE then I'll give you a small part of my time for a conversation. Meanwhile, I'll be the one wearing old comfortable jeans and hockey jerseys, watching my son continue to be smarter and richer inside than any and all of your beauty pageant offspring. See you at the next cattle auction. Or, hopefully at the next Lemming launch off the highest cliff. Hey, you could've avoided this bile, ya know. Just remember this line from Joe Strummer "When I get aggression, I give it two times back." Yeah.

Getting off the Angry Chair for a brief moment...

I'm one lucky SOB. Truly. In spite of the bullshit I deal with every day by the sheer virtue of being a citizen of this allegedly "great" country, I'm blessed.

Over time, I've been able to decide a relatively broad direction of where I want to go and what I want to do with my life.

Part of that included getting married (I am, and extremely happily I might add...), having children (I'm blessed with two beautiful children who I love more than life itself) and finding a "job" that would allow me to use my "talents" to the fullest.

Somehow, I've managed to parlay my average ability as into building a successful company that allows me to work from the comfort of my own home studio/dungeon/office.

I've been angry for so much of my life. Angry with people who thought they were better than me. Angry with people whose minds have been seemingly glued shut so tightly, that they'll likely explode someday. Angry with my inability to acheive perfection in everything I do. Angry with society in general and the folks who push most of the buttons. Angry with the complacency that permeates our society...nay...our world.

But, to take time out from that, to acknowledge that there is indeed light at the end of life's tunnel, is a big step. Here goes.

I've met many heroes in my life. People I've admired from afar for whatever reason. Henry Rollins and Muhammad Ali. Just to name two of my main heroes. I've also been able to cross the fan/fan-ee line with a newfound friend of mine, named Steve Corino. Steve is an amazing individual, not just in the wrestling ring (where he is magical), but being around the same age as me, and having a young son like I do, was a great link to start with. A mutual love of sick and twisted humor, wrestling, video games and chick flicks has allowed us to be friends. Even better, is his ability to see the bigger picture of what he wants to acheive in life. From family to business. To never stop setting goals. I admire folks who are able to rise above and choose their paths - instead of having them set in front of them and taking what is given. Through Steve, I've met some other great folks (including my socio/political brother from another mother Ricky Landell) and I've had a chance to expand my voiceover talents as well - and I'm forever grateful for that.

Some folks that could be considered heroes as well, would be the close friends I've met in the last 3 years that have gotten to know me as a person and not just an average (or worse) voiceover guy. People like Roy Cunningham. A man whose talents are endless, and who will live to be 155 and be happy every second of the way. He's been able to give me words of advice, kicks in the ass, and the shoulder to lean on when things haven't been (at least temporarily) all that great.

My friends, sports and poker buddies, Big Rap, Little Rap, J Dub. I've allowed these guys into my circle of friends. A circle I'm very protective of, as folks tend to come and go throughout life so often, that couldn't care less about what's going on with the real you. These guys provide the laughs and company that I need to combat the daily grind. They're damn good at it too.

My co-conspirators in the software industry who help me build, represent and sell a product that my family has worked hard to create. The few hours of time I get to spend with Sam and Michele are some of the most intense, insane and hilarious times I've ever had - and ever will have. Energy? Yeah. You can see the glow when we're together. And feel the heat too. We're special. The three of us together are unbelievable and unbeatable. Love you two.

It's difficult to be as proactive and angry as I am at seemingly all times. But, it's made much easier when I can share the thoughts and ramblings with people who genuinely care. To like me, love me, in spite of me. The unrequited love from my family is always there as well. I've got such a great familial unit. I've been lucky to have a mother who has guided me down many of life's highways and shown me through her actions that I have the ability to overcome ANYTHING. My dad and stepmom are so worthy of my respect and undying gratitude as well. My brother and sister...amazing individuals, both. Education, Love, Respect, Honor, Virtue, Hard Work. Where does it end?

Why anyone would want to tolerate a talkative, verbose, angry person like me as a friend, business partner or whatever, I truly don't know. But, I'll take it.

It seems to be a rare thing nowadays to let someone know how much they mean to you. Fears of being mocked, misunderstood or made fun of - or blown off - are very real. I don't feel that with the folks mentioned above - my true friends. I consider them to be family. They've proven themselves to be worthy of my trust and time. I respect and love all of them as only true friends can. And I really feel like I needed to get that energy out there.

I'm blessed indeed.

Thanks guys.

Steve

Alphabet Soup

So I hear that our country is running out of names for tropical storms and hurricanes...oh the humanity! What do we do? What a travesty! Someone call FOX NEWS!!!! Tell ya what I'm gonna do, since I know our "president" is a) busy studying Hooked On Phonics, b) choking down pretzels, c) playing baseball with his stupid dog, d) plotting the further distruction of foreign relations and/or any potential peaceful co-existence with those who share the world around us, or e) finishing up a Cheney induced "time out" in the corner and sucking his thumb... I'll take care of figuring out future storm names for us. I'll just use the current administration, and the people, places, things and descriptions that make it "work"(?)...and we'll be good til at least the next election day. Sound good?

Here we go. (by the way, be sure to include the name "Tropical Storm" and/or "Hurricane" on your own. And for crissakes, will someone crank up the Terror Alert to Polka Dot? THANK YOU.)

Autocracy ("I thought we were an autonomous collective?" "You're foolin' yourself...)
Bush (see...Idiot, Retarded, Malicious, Evil, Daddy's Boy, Lost...)
Crackhead (Well, there's one in the White House, why shouldn't there be one on every corner?)
Death Penalty (Would a Christian "God" really want us to Kill anyone...especially in an act of revenge? Hmmm...)
Election Fraud (Hey Florida...thanks a lot. Dicks.)
Fluke (see election fraud and/or Bush's G.E.D. certificate and/or Yale Diploma...)
Genocide (note to self: Someone named Bush is in office...better order more body bags AND don't move to any country where skin color is any darker than pink...)
Homeless (numbers have increased since 2000...coincidence?)
Inflation (see homeless)
Jobless (see inflation)
Kill (...or be unpatriotic, you...commie!)
Lemming (Soon to be replacing the Bald Eagle as our National Masthead...)
Morphine (I could use some to numb the pain of being an American Citizen in the Bush Era...)
New Orleans (who knew? well, apparently just the FEDS...)
O'Reilly (Mr. O'Reilly regrets to inform us all, that he's busy waxing Sean Hannity's back right now, but will be back soon with more idiotic, syncophancy soon)
Patriot Act (Whatever you do...just OBEY YOUR GOVERNMENT...)
Qusay (Poor bastard...wonder if he and his brother are playing soccer with all the athletes and innocent Iraqi citizens that they killed, maimed and tortured over the years... )
Recession (Just like Grandma used to make!)
Saudi Family (Keeping the guest room warm and fresh for the Bush Family for years and years and years...)
Tax Breaks For The Rich (3 cheers for the upper 1%! Huzzah!)
Uday (see Qusay)
Veteran Benefit Cuts (Welcome back! Thanks for doing YOUR JOB as an AMERICAN CITIZEN. Now, we're gonna need your wallet. And your clothes. AND your food, soldier. Fall out. Move it!)
Welfare (Problem? What problem?)
X-tacy (Wonder if G Dub ever tried it? Wait a second... THAT'S why he always has that lost look in his eye...)
YoYo (as in the one in the White House)
and...
Zero Tolerance (you know, for any non-white, non-christian, non-male, non-straight individuals...)

In an effort to further piss off my conservative/right wing/white/christian friends...I defer to the gentleman scholar from Flint, MI

To All My Fellow Americans Who Voted for George W. Bush:

On this, the fourth anniversary of 9/11, I'm just curious, how does it feel?

How does it feel to know that the man you elected to lead us after we were attacked went ahead and put a guy in charge of FEMA whose main qualification was that he ran horse shows?

That's right. Horse shows.

I really want to know -- and I ask you this in all sincerity and with all due respect -- how do you feel about the utter contempt Mr. Bush has shown for your safety? C'mon, give me just a moment of honesty. Don't start ranting on about how this disaster in New Orleans was the fault of one of the poorest cities in America. Put aside your hatred of Democrats and liberals and anyone with the last name of Clinton. Just look me in the eye and tell me our President did the right thing after 9/11 by naming a horse show runner as the top man to protect us in case of an emergency or catastrophe.

I want you to put aside your self-affixed label of Republican/conservative/born-again/capitalist/ditto-head/right-winger and just talk to me as an American, on the common ground we both call America.

Are we safer now than before 9/11? When you learn that behind the horse show runner, the #2 and #3 men in charge of emergency preparedness have zero experience in emergency preparedness, do you think we are safer?

When you look at Michael Chertoff, the head of Homeland Security, a man with little experience in national security, do you feel secure?

When men who never served in the military and have never seen young men die in battle send our young people off to war, do you think they know how to conduct a war? Do they know what it means to have your legs blown off for a threat that was never there?

Do you really believe that turning over important government services to private corporations has resulted in better services for the people?

Why do you hate our federal government so much? You have voted for politicians for the past 25 years whose main goal has been to de-fund the federal government. Do you think that cutting federal programs like FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers has been good or bad for America? GOOD OR BAD?

With the nation's debt at an all-time high, do you think tax cuts for the rich are still a good idea? Will you give yours back so hundreds of thousands of homeless in New Orleans can have a home?

Do you believe in Jesus? Really? Didn't he say that we would be judged by how we treat the least among us? Hurricane Katrina came in and blew off the facade that we were a nation with liberty and justice for all. The wind howled and the water rose and what was revealed was that the poor in America shall be left to suffer and die while the President of the United States fiddles and tells them to eat cake.

That's not a joke. The day the hurricane hit and the levees broke, Mr. Bush, John McCain and their rich pals were stuffing themselves with cake. A full day after the levees broke (the same levees whose repair funding he had cut), Mr. Bush was playing a guitar some country singer gave him. All this while New Orleans sank under water.

It would take ANOTHER day before the President would do a flyover in his jumbo jet, peeking out the widow at the misery 2500 feet below him as he flew back to his second home in DC. It would then be TWO MORE DAYS before a trickle of federal aid and troops would arrive. This was no seven minutes in a sitting trance while children read "My Pet Goat" to him. This was FOUR DAYS of doing nothing other than saying "Brownie (FEMA director Michael Brown), you're doing a heck of a job!"

My Republican friends, does it bother you that we are the laughing stock of the world?

And on this sacred day of remembrance, do you think we honor or shame those who died on 9/11/01? If we learned nothing and find ourselves today every bit as vulnerable and unprepared as we were on that bright sunny morning, then did the 3,000 die in vain?

Our vulnerability is not just about dealing with terrorists or natural disasters. We are vulnerable and unsafe because we allow one in eight Americans to live in horrible poverty. We accept an education system where one in six children never graduate and most of those who do can't string a coherent sentence together. The middle class can't pay the mortgage or the hospital bills and 45 million have no health coverage whatsoever.

Are we safe? Do you really feel safe? You can only move so far out and build so many gated communities before the fruit of what you've sown will be crashing through your walls and demanding retribution. Do you really want to wait until that happens? Or is it your hope that if they are left alone long enough to soil themselves and shoot themselves and drown in the filth that fills the street that maybe the problem will somehow go away?

I know you know better. You gave the country and the world a man who wasn't up for the job and all he does is hire people who aren't up for the job. You did this to us, to the world, to the people of New Orleans. Please fix it. Bush is yours. And you know, for our peace and safety and security, this has to be fixed. What do you propose?

I have an idea, and it isn't a horse show.

Yours,
Michael Moore
www.michaelmoore.com
mmflint@aol.com

God Bless Amerika... Well, at least the STRAIGHT, RICH, WHITE FOLK...

September 11, 2005. 4 years removed from the bombing of NYC. I remember it as if it was yesterday. My son, 3 1/2 at the time, just dropped off at pre-school, only to be picked up by me a few minutes later after the shit started blowing up. My mind racing as I thought of my wife, 7 months pregnant with our 2nd child. Trying to convince her to leave work - where she had no contact with TV/Radio or other media to at least drop the word that we were "under attack."

As it turns out, no further bombings, blow ups or death knells occured before she got home. Our daughter was born on the the 9th of November and all was well. Seemingly.

See, because of 9/11 - and more accurately, due to the events leading up to it and since - the U.S. economy has taken a downward spiral, unemployment rates have skyrocketed nationwide (especially HERE in Michigan... just ask US) and our country has continued to rise in the eyes of the rest of the world's nations - rising that is, on the BULLY SCALE.

Fear perpetuates hatred. And, as long as we continue to incite fear amongst every nation that is outside of our bounds...we should be ready for anything. It's not the folks in the Middle East who we're holding down by the throat that we should fear. It's not the French, who we ridicule and piss off whenever we can - just for the sake of doing so, because they're allegedly a weaker country full of snobbish, smelly..."frogs"...I believe that's how the uninformed, illiterate masses stateside refer to our brothers and sisters in France.

Quite frankly, what I fear most, is our own government.

Is there a reason why I SHOULDN'T?

Considering the alleged "democracy" in place feels that perpetuating anger and hatred HERE against anyone from any country who doesn't abide by the rules of OUR democracy. A democracy which was built upon thievery, hatred, genocide. You don't look like us? You're a savage and must be annihilated. Yes. How do you think the native people of this country feel... especially considering that en masse, they tend to be the societies that are most repressed and avoided when it comes to government help. And you can take your uneducated, retarded comments about "they've got all the casinos..." and shove them up your illiterate ass.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg. I'm no bleeding heart liberal extremist... BUT... with the homeless, jobless, healthcare-less issues here in our own country, doesn't simple logic dictate that PERHAPS we should protect our OWN people from our OWN GREED FIRST?

No, of course it's not logical to do that.

Anyone who READS knows that in order for the rich to keep getting richer and to protect the interests of those interested in fattening their own tax free subsidies and bank accounts, the first order of business is to protect our own asses...and assets. If we don't protect THAT...who will? We've only got enough money to stay afloat for 10000 more generations...it is of utmost importance that we make it 10001. Not only that, but there's an OIL SHORTAGE!!!! Haven't you heard? Good sweet mother of all things holy, we only own 90% of the reserves worldwide and have untapped sources we're sitting on (and hiding, purposely) HERE in our own COUNTRY. WE NEED MORE!!!!

See where this is going? Probably not, because there's so many sources of info at work here. Let me put it in as small a nutshell as I can.

Our GREED, our IGNORANCE, our EGO... is collectively regressing our country and its advancement - in the guise of some sick, twisted alleged "WORLDWIDE LEADERSHIP."

Do we really think we need to lead with the attitude of "love us or stay out of our killing zone perimeter"?

Do we really think we need to lead with the attitude of "stay on our path - the path of white supremacy, christian teachings, genocide" in order to survive as a country?

Weeding out those who disagree with the U.S. Government, taking over mainstream media, doling out lies, deceit, seeds of intolerance. This is daily routine for this "safe" place we live.

Are you saying you really proud of what is given to you on a daily basis? What is put in front of you to SHUT UP AND CONSUME? You're alright with just TAKING IT? Too busy to question the answers? You've bought in? You'd still "rather live here than anywhere else when it comes down to it," because you enjoy "freedoms"? What freedoms do you have that you feel are so important that other countries are missing out on. Or, threatening to take from you?

Ha. HAHAHA. You're bombarded every second, every minute, every hour with propaganda DESIGNED to bring you closer in. To get you to just go along with the '1984' Gihad. Think I'm exaggerating? Have you bothered to READ through the Patriot Act? Have you seen pictures, read stories about the illegally kept prisoners at Guantanomo Bay (and let's be honest, other "not so easily seen" places)? You're a slave. If you've bought in to this tripe - you're a goddamn slave. You're welcome. I hope you enjoy eating the shit that is put on your plate every single day. Congratulations, you're a ZOMBIE. Wheeeee. Isn't it great? Isn't it fun? To just "go along with the ride". To just "take it easy and enjoy life as it happens." You're taught to hate anyone who's not watered down and just like the feds want YOU to be. Ever see THX1138? Ever read 1984? Okay, ever HEARD of either one of them? Check 'em out. OBSERVE CLOSELY. Then, ignore their message like you normally do. Sigh.

Not on my watch. I often wonder if what I write hits any nerves with anyone who reads it. If anyone looks at it and instead of saying "jeeez, here he goes again on one of his rants...", says "gee, I never thought about it that way before, but DAMN! I AM becoming a slave."

Probably not. It's lonely being in the minority - but to me, it's about quality not quantity. I know our numbers have become few and far between. However, as long as alternative news sources (read: anything NOT on CNN, Fox, MSNBC, et al) are available, there's at least a glimmer of hope.

Maybe the hippies weren't so far off. I mean, without the drug consumption, I think their musings of peace, love, happiness, music - were pretty in line with what the hell you should AT LEAST be considering. "What's so funny about peace, love and understanding...whoa ohhh." Thanks, Elvis (that's Costello, NOT Presley). If only folks would listen.

Ask yourself what comes from repression. What comes from violence against anyone who's DIFFERENT. What comes from forcing the masses to assimilate. Or at least attempting to do so.

The more we enforce our ideals upon those who aren't ready or those who say "hey, thanks, really...but we'll be okay. truly. we appreciate it, though. see ya." The more we're opening ourselves up to hatred from beyond our own borders. Don't you SEE IT YET?

Do I need to shake you? Do you get it? By the way, the government fully understands the ramifications of "Forceful Americanized Democracy" possibly being attacked by folks from afar (violence and hatred for example) - which is why the military is continually given more and more money for more and more weapons. Does this make sense to you? I laugh at the sheer, brutal, intense stupidity of it all. I laugh even harder - to keep from crying - at the fact that you take it. That you see it as "okay". That you support our efforts of war against countries (yes, even those that we failed to pinpoint by just a few thousand miles to the south...Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Afghanistan...ehhh...who notices the difference...obviously not the masses and/or the government). That you support war as an option to begin with.

That you fail to recognize the mistake(s) made by this current administration from day one. Oh, they were executed very well for what they've been from day one. Just not with the best interests of anyone not closely affiliated with Oil and/or the Bush Family/Friendship circle in mind.

That, while he is an ASSHOLE and a MURDERER (though NOT of American lives), Saddam Hussein was NOT the best target to spend our troops and money on. That Osama has his dialysis machine in tow and up and down and under the mountains he goes, allegedly incapable of being discovered by the incredible star wars machinery we've got in place. Wow. Maybe he's CHRIST!?

Speaking of Osama, and in attempt to tie this all to today's "anniversary". Do you really think he designed the attack on our country because he hates our "freedoms"? Aren't there other countries who are a helluva lot more free than we are? Oh yeah, there are. Think, read, learn. To quote SEVERAL SOURCES (mostly BURIED here in the states...just ask King George II) Osama perpetuated his attack "based on our support for Israel as well as our ties with Saudi Arabia and the military bases we have there" (thank you David Cross). Not because he's a freedom hater. He's an asshole as well, no doubt. Some of his texts about intolerance and his feelings about women's roles are simply offensive on their own. So, to that end, I don't support what he believes. Nor (and I think I've made this clear) do I support MASS MURDER. However, that non-support crosses all boundaries and INCLUDES the fact that we shouldn't tolerate any genocide perpetuated BY OUR OWN FUCKING COUNTRY. OKAY?

Finally, as you reflect on whatever you were doing on 9.11.01 and/or choosing to pick today and today only to thank the firemen and police of the world for what they do for us and/or thanking the "heavens" for your "freedoms"...hug your family and just be grateful that you haven't been arrested for conspiracy, outed as a "terrorist" by our own terroristic government, or otherwise ostracized and/or killed... yet. Keep buying in. And wait.

Seriously, PLEASE...start reading. It's okay to not be a lemming or sheep. It's okay not to consume the government subsidized kool aid.

Happy Anniversary.

I Got Your Approval Rating... RIGHT HERE...

...I want to thank my brotha Joe for sending the information below to me. It's the same information I read for myself late last week. Amazing what facts can do to a person, when they're actually released. Please read through it - whatever your affiliations may be. This is another glaring example of ridiculous mismanagement of funding within the current regime in place here in the states.

Hindsight is 20/20, and while I'd never blame King George II for starting a hurricane.... the storm within my heart and soul rages daily - and is gaining momentum daily due to the deceit, hatred, nepitism and greed - not to mention the intentional "dumbing down" of the docile, complacent, non thinking masses that make up the majority of our neighbors all around us - that fuels this president and his team.

Go ahead and tell me I'm over-reacting, that I'm being reactionary, alarmist or ridiculously over the top. That's what Gee Dub would want.

I'm choosing to vent to 1) help deal with stuff that, as a concerned HUMAN BEING troubles me, and to 2) further educate myself daily as to what is happening around us - and to question the answers rather than simply accept them.

I don't break the law. I don't beat my wife and kids. I don't want to join any angry groups and take up arms. I'm not looking to be involved with a coup of any kind. I DO however, want to be well learned enough to deal with things that JUST AREN'T RIGHT.

Pray for the folks who are suffering through this disaster. Pray for the future of our children as well - because in light of the forces of nature working against us at times, we're dealing with a long tunnel filled with stateside terrorism, perpetuated by our own alleged "democracy" - one that is of the firm belief that we're living "One Nation, under GREED, taking liberties with the poor and unknowing, and justice for the rich".

I didn't mean to get off on such a tangent. For the verbosity - I apologize. For the content - I will never apologize.

As Steve Earle has said: "The most important thing to remember is, no matter what anyone tells you, it is NEVER EVER unpatriotic or un-american to question ANYTHING in a democracy."

And Mark Twain as well: "PATRIOTISM is supporting your country ALL the time, and your government when it DESERVES it."

and finally, MY SON: "Daddy, if the Government has so much money, they should SHARE it with the poor people?"

Below is the text which incited this rant. Thanks for reading.



September 1, 2005, The Washington Monthly

CHRONOLOGY....Here's a timeline that outlines the fate of both FEMA and
flood control projects in New Orleans under the Bush administration:

January 2001: Bush appoints Joe Allbaugh, a crony from Texas, as head of
FEMA. Allbaugh has no previous experience in disaster management.

April 2001: Budget Director Mitch Daniels announces the Bush
administration's goal of privatizing much of FEMA's work. In May, Allbaugh
confirms that FEMA will be downsized: Many are concerned that federal
disaster assistance may have evolved into both an oversized entitlement
program.... he said. Expectations of when the federal government should be
involved and the degree of involvement may have ballooned beyond what is
an appropriate level.

2001: FEMA designates a major hurricane hitting New Orleans as one of the
three likeliest, most catastrophic disasters facing this country.

December 2002: After less than two years at FEMA, Allbaugh announces he is
leaving to start up a consulting firm that advises companies seeking to do
business in Iraq. He is succeeded by his deputy, Michael Brown, who, like
Allbaugh, has no previous experience in disaster management.

March 2003: FEMA is downgraded from a cabinet level position and folded
into the Department of Homeland Security. Its mission is refocused on
fighting acts of terrorism.

2003: Under its new organization chart within DHS, FEMA's preparation and
planning functions are reassigned to a new Office of Preparedness and
Response. FEMA will henceforth focus only on response and recovery.

Summer 2004: FEMA denies Louisiana's pre-disaster mitigation funding
requests. Says Jefferson Parish flood zone manager Tom Rodrigue: You would
think we would get maximum consideration....This is what the grant program
called for. We were more than qualified for it.

June 2004: The Army Corps of Engineers budget for levee construction in
New Orleans is slashed. Jefferson Parish emergency management chiefs
Walter Maestri comments: It appears that the money has been moved in the
president's budget to handle homeland security and the war in Iraq, and I
suppose that's the price we pay.

June 2005: Funding for the New Orleans district of the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers is cut by a record $71.2 million. One of the hardest-hit areas
is the Southeast Louisiana Urban Flood Control Project, which was created
after the May 1995 flood to improve drainage in Jefferson, Orleans and St.
Tammany parishes.

August 2005: While New Orleans is undergoing a slow motion catastrophe,
Bush mugs for the cameras, cuts a cake for John McCain, plays the guitar
for Mark Wills, delivers an address about V-J day, and continues with his
vacation. When he finally gets around to acknowledging the scope of the
unfolding disaster, he delivers only a photo op on Air Force One and a
flat, defensive, laundry list speech in the Rose Garden.

So: A crony with no relevant experience was installed as head of FEMA.
Mitigation budgets for New Orleans were slashed even though it was known
to be one of the top three risks in the country. FEMA was deliberately
downsized as part of the Bush administration's conservative agenda to
reduce the role of government. After DHS was created, FEMA's preparation
and planning functions were taken away.

Actions have consequences. No one could predict that a hurricane the size
of Katrina would hit this year, but the slow federal response when it did
happen was no accident. It was the result of four years of deliberate
Republican policy and budget choices that favor ideology and partisan
loyalty at the expense of operational competence. It's the Bush
administration in a nutshell.