To Those Who Voted For George W. Bush...

[TXSTYLE]

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...

[BigVIPness]

[Tuna]

Well written!

[Lil4X]

Originally Posted by TXSTYLE

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...

In the interest of intellectual honesty, the above hogwash was brought to you by www.michaelmoore.com, purveyor of similar juvenile Bushbaiting for the past three yearrs.

Shame he can't be more original . . . .or at least correct.

[Lexusfreak]

[sha4000]

it doesnt matter who wrote it fact is fact and something needs to be done

[mmarshall]

Originally Posted by sha4000

it doesnt matter who wrote it fact is fact and something needs to be done

Yes...it DOES matter.....especially in Michael Moore's case. The only " Fact " here is the fact that Moore wrote it.
I don't even have to add my own opinion here...as usual, Lil4x is right on the money. You guys would be wise to take heed of what he posts.

[TXSTYLE]

I didn't say that I wrote it Sherlock... And I as well as MANY people on the internet post things that were written by others... big woop.
The FACT remains that Dubya is a good ol' boy friggin idiot! And further more Mr. Moore's letter is both factual, well written, and on point. Who gives a shiz who wrote it?

What's even sadder than the truths in this letter is that Dubya shouldn't even be where he is...
It's just a damn shame that we the people have suffered so greatly at his command... or should I say lack thereof.

[1SICKLEX]

I don't understand how people are just blind to allegiances. Bush and co. cut money to LA for the leevees and the guy in charge of FEMA is basically a damn friend.

Its not about DEMOCRAP or REPUBLICAN'T.

Its about that is some utter BULL and now AMERICANS are paying dearly for it.

People are talking about "its not his fault". HEY, people with I.Qs or turnips, when YOUR ON TOP, you HAVE TO TAKE THE BLAME as well AS THE CREDIT. This guy has YET to admit, "Yeah, we messed up". Him and his adminstration do not apologize, they don't see the other side of things, they are not humble or for the people.

This guy has been on OFFICE 5 YEARS now. WHen the HECK are you going to start to take the blame for things???? STOP BLAMING PRIOR ADMINSTRATIONS.

Don't even let me get started on his judge nomination.

[bitkahuna]

TXSTYLE - yes other people post articles, but they include who it was written by or what web site. But that's not important here. There's a lot of questions and comments to respond to, so here goes...

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

Like we have a President who realizes it's really WAR against those you can't negotiate with or 'diplomatically' disuade them from their goal of destroying western civilization with the U.S. being their highest value target. This is even more clear after watching the National Geographic and Discovery Channel documentaries.

> 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.

OK, it's a cheap shot, but here's 'how it feels'. There's been LOADS of hurricanes SINCE Brown got into the role and FEMA has been widely praised for its responses except this time. Last year alone we had the 'big 4' and that would have given Mike Brown a TON of experience. On a lighter note if you've been to as many horse shows as I have you'll know it's not easy to run them, LOL.

> 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?

First off, 9/11 and Katrina have nothing to do with one another. And FEMA can have no impact on PREVENTING another 9/11 (that's not its mission). I don't know anything about the #2, #3 guys at FEMA.

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

The department of homeland security, like almost every 'department' in the Federal Government, is a giant, inefficient, slow, wasteful bureaucracy. I expect very little of it, no matter who is in charge. Chertoff seems like a bright guy, but the job is basically impossible. We have a security situation with more holes than swiss cheese.

If you want to see another example of complete chaos, screwed up response, and ineptness, look at the government 'response' the MORNING of the 9/11 attacks. Absolutely chaos and impotence. They had no idea what to do. They scrambled jets that didn't know where to go. NO ONE had any idea what to do. It's easy to blame Bush for that too, like Moore did, but some events are so overwhelming that there isn't necessarily a perfect response in the moment.

> 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?

Moore needs to read Tommy Franks' book. He conducted the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and had plenty of prior combat experience and amazing training.

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

Absolutely! With VERY few exceptions, if you want something screwed up, let the government do it.

> Why do you hate our federal government so much?

Because the waste, fraud, abuse, inefficiency, incompetence, and more, are STAGGERING. Because the U.S. produces so much tax revenue, the U.S. government isn't held to be accountable or efficient. It just keeps stealing more and more of Americans money with no end in sight. And almost always alleged 'cuts' in budgets are just decreases in increases, not actual cuts.

> 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?

It's presumptuous to say if someone voted for Bush they must have voted Republican for 25 years. But regardless, this is bogus because there haven't been cuts. The Corps for example didn't get all the money they requested, but that isn't the same as cuts. Also, Clinton/Gore did in fact reduce the size of the military in terms of the number of people in it (but not necessarily the budget), but this was ok because warfare itself was changing in light of new technology.

> With the nation's debt at an all-time high, do you think tax cuts for the rich are still a good idea?

Absolutely. Since we had the tax cuts tax, inflows of money to the government have skyrocketed, as they always do.

> Will you give yours back so hundreds of thousands of homeless in New Orleans can have a home?

See above. Moore and most Liberals look at economics as a zero sum game, which it isn't. Increased economic activity at lower tax rates produces MORE revenue into the government. 2 decades ago the U.S. economy had about 6 trillion in annual activity. Now it's 11.5. Tax all those transactions the same and you can see federal 'revenue' has nearly doubled.

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

Yes that bothers me, but if it makes the rest of the world feel better about themselves that we're not perfect, then fine. Remember the tsunami? Who was it that provided the biggest help? The U.S. Was it 'immediate'? No. But we had a unprecedented catastrophe here and all levels of government didn't respond as well as people NOW expect (they couldn't have had expectations before because this had never happened). It is NOT the responsibility of any level of government however (including FEMA) to get everyone out of any city. What's not being reported it seems is how well (compared to New Orleans) the PUBLIC (not the government) evacuated THEMSELVES from Mississippi. In fairness to New Orleans though, they'd dodged so many bullets before they were naturally complacent, and they thought they'd dodged it again until the levees broke. So they didn't leave. Of course a very small number (a lot less than the number who chose to stay) COULDN'T leave. And some died which is terrible. But that would have happened regardless unless LOCAL officials had taken them out. They were old, frail, had limited medical supplies, or died because equipment no longer had electricity. And FEMA's supposed to know where every one of these people are? Many old and frail SURVIVED though, without the government's help or lack thereof. What's truly sad is that those with the greatest knowledge of the situation in New Orleans AHEAD OF TIME, knew the weakest or those who chose not to leave were basically screwed and they didn't even execute the weak plan they had.

> 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?

Still not sure why Moore is combining 9/11 and Katrina responses but anyway about 9/11 - there have been no terrorist attacks in the U.S. since then. Does that not say anything about our 'response'? Better have a bad rep around the world and no more 9/11's isn't it?

> We are vulnerable and unsafe because we allow one in eight Americans to live in horrible poverty.

Trillions of dollars of spending by the government has done little if anything in the 'war on poverty'. In fact much evidence shows it has made it worse. Ultimately people have to want to get out of poverty. Not all will make it out, but maybe they will get the next generation out. Millions of depression era children grew up in ABJECT POVERTY, far worse than the situations in New Orleans, yet they got out, lived prosperous lives, and ended up here in Florida with blue hair driving Cadillacs, LOL Michael Moore and others don't realize that the government, despite its best intentions CANNOT get people out of poverty. Does anyone here truly believe that if someone grows up here in 'horrible poverty' that it's impossible for them to escape by their own effort?

> 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.

Education is a states issue, not federal, and the states, but TEACHERS UNIONS, continue to fight for mediocrity and the status quo instead of innovation and excellence. The federal government can provide 'incentives' to states, but only individual schools can strive for excellence. The military can take poor uneducated people and make them skilled professionals, so it can be done.

> The middle class can't pay the mortgage or the hospital bills

Generally because they've overextended themselves, buying too many cars, taking vacations that are too expensive, eating out too much, spending beyond their means, not paying off the credit cards.

> and 45 million have no health coverage whatsoever.

That's an oft repeated and inflated number, but doesn't mean they have NO healthcare. You can pay for it, or if you're too poor, it's provided under medicaid.

> Are we safe? Do you really feel safe?

Are we ever safe? Whether you feel safe is up to you. You can fall down stairs and break your neck. You can eat too many cheeseburgers and have a heart attack at an early age. You can stay on the cell phone while driving and drive off a bridge and die. Life is not risk free.

But as far as terrorists, I feel safer knowing that our military is killing terrorists every day. And one day eventually the Saudis may crush the militant 'schools' that teach death to the west.

> 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?

So he's anticipating an uprising of poor people? I doubt it! He has no specific actions though, just that people who want to live in safe nice communities should feel guity?

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?

The Democrats field a better candidate?

[Lil4X]

Originally Posted by Mikey Moore

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

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.

Mr. Moore, I'm frankly baffled by your incessant fault-finding, rather than seeking a solution. It's easy to wail and complain, but more difficult to investigate, formulate a plan, and offer a SPECIFIC alternative. You are only making noise, I suspect, in a vain attempt to attract attention to yourself. Those people you seem to want us to believe you are concerned for would benefit more from action rather than your fatuous pontification. OK, let's talk RESPONSIBILITY.

• The Mayor, with 5 days advance warning that Katrina would likely strike the central Gulf Coast, waited 3 days before he announced a mandatory evacuation (at the behest of the President). The Mayor failed to provide transportation for those without transport even though he had hundreds of buses at his disposal.
  
• The New Orleans director of Homeland Security failed to have any plan for a contingency that has been talked about for 50 years. Then he blamed the federal government for not doing what he should have done. (So much for political appointees)
  
• The Governor, despite a declaration of disaster by the President TWO DAYS BEFORE the storm hit, failed to take advantage of the offer of Federal troops and aid . . . until 2 DAYS AFTER the storm hit.
  
• The Director of Homeland Security positioned assets in the area to be ready when the Governor called for them. Although this part of the operation could have been much better organized, the plan, such as it was, was executed.
  
• The President urged a mandatory evacuation, and even declared a disaster State of Emergency, freeing up millions of dollars of federal assistance, should the Governor decide to use it – even before the hurricane struck.

The “spoils” system in Louisiana will probably be found at the heart of the incompetence displayed by both the Governor and the Mayor – a pair of puppets operated by the state Democratic political machine.

Solution: Specific responsibilities have to be laid out for every level of state and local disaster control agencies. Assigned authority to make real-time decisions must be located as close to the site as possible.

Originally Posted by Mikey Moore

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?

Tell me Mr. Moore, do YOU? You have no idea of what war is – no concept of the dynamic of a fighting force – no inkling of the responsibility some of us feel for protecting and defending the American way of life, that has incidentally made it possible for a smug, fat, pimply-faced, loser, with an ego the size of all outdoors, a millionaire. No, Mr. Moore, you haven’t a clue.

Originally Posted by Mikey Moore

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

ABSOLUTELY! Have you noticed the progress of the recovery efforts in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, where Governors, Mayors, and citizens are working well together? OK, federal assistance will be needed as the rescue and shelter operation progresses to clean-up and rebuilding, but we citizens are capable with proper planning and leadership to handle the task largely on our own.

Example: The shelter at Houston’s George Brown Center was a last-minute response to the growing influx of New Orleans’ evacuees. When it was discovered that the great majority of the evacuees required medical care, it was important to limit the numbers of people in each shelter, and to open medical treatment facilities in addition to the anticipated feeding, sanitary, and sleeping facilities.

With only eight hours notice, the Brown center was designated a shelter, and the responsibility for creating a housing and medical facility for over 1400 evacuees was given to Houston’s Second Baptist Church – whose members had organized shelter for the victims of Hurricane Allison that circled Houston and dropped nearly 40” of rain in 2001, producing massive flooding.

With only eight hours to prepare, 80 portable showers were located, delivered and installed, 40 computers – and a complete network – were installed and a database written to register our guests. Cots, bedding, blankets, clothes, toiletries, and even toys for the kids were located, donated, and waiting when the first guests arrived. Volunteers, for food service, child care, and hundreds of other critical tasks, were quickly located, scheduled to eight-hour shifts, round the clock were ready and waiting. This was American volunteerism and private industry donations at their finest.

One tiny story that escaped the press – but is indicative of the private response to a problem: One of our city coordinators announced that FEMA would be setting up a registry for cash cards – but would be located outside in the heat. How would the people standing on line cope? The official said “What do you call those little cardboard fans – you know, the ones that are like a piece of cardboard on a stick?” A pastor said “Back in Laurel Mississippi, we called ‘em ‘funeral fans.’ Let me call my office.” In exactly 25 minutes, a car pulled up to the entrance – loaded with 2,500 cardboard fans – from a local funeral home. That’s what can be done with organization, creative thinking, and leadership to tap the enormous resources of our community.

We don’t need a federal bureaucracy that will endlessly fill out forms and measure the ground – we need experienced executives with the authority to make decisions and ACT on them. That’s the role of the local and state emergency services. FEDERAL assistance should only support these operations in the long term, augment local police in keeping order, and provide the money these efforts will require. Then, get the heck OUT OF THE WAY!

Originally Posted by Mikey Moore

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?

If this weren’t so pathetic it would be funny. On one hand, you criticize the operation of FEMA, then complain that we’ve de-funded programs like FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers. Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds. Pick a side, sonny boy.

Originally Posted by Mikey Moore

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?

Tax cuts have brought our country back to prosperity from the brink of depression imposed by Clinton and his party’s disastrous leadership. Tax relief goes to reinvestment. That reinvestment produces new jobs, new paychecks, and a growing demand. Tax relief can only prime the pump, but once America’s entrepreneurial economic engine starts to turn, it manufactures prosperity for all. More wage earners making higher wages translates to more tax revenue, despite a lower tax rate. If you had not read the comic books that you substituted for textbooks in high school, you might have a passing acquaintance with simple economics.

Originally Posted by Mikey Moore

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.

While I’m pretty confident you have no real acquaintance with Jesus or His teachings, you obviously missed the part about supporting the leaders appointed over you – from the apostle Paul:

”Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God's servant to do you good.”

- Romans 13:1-4a, NIV

Paul was speaking of Jesus’ instruction that an individual should submit himself to the authority of government. He was NOT speaking of how the NATION treats the least, the last, and the lost. You lefties have declared His teachings invalid, un-American, and un-constitutional – why do you invoke His name when you think it would suit your purpose, only to display your total ignorance of Scripture?

Originally Posted by Mikey Moore

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.

I assume you would have him personally shoveling sandbags and posing for photo-ops, rather than letting his team carry the ball? Oh, and that crack about “stuffing themselves with cake”, don’t even go there, Twinkie boy.

Originally Posted by Mikey Moore

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!"

Mikey, Mikey, Mikey . . . . somehow you pinheads can’t decide whether you want the President to send in the 82nd Airborne, or parachute into New Orleans himself. To do what? You do not seem to understand the fundamental organization of disaster relief in this country. First responders are of necessity those at the local level, law enforcement, rescue, shelter wardens, flood control districts. These are the people with local knowledge, closest and most experienced with the local situation. The President needs to be in Washington, at the helm of government. There is a reason that the Fire Chief isn’t the first on the scene of a major fire. Remember all that idiocy you spewed when you complained the President was with schoolchildren in Florida when the second plane hit the Towers? You wanted him in Washington then – maybe you should volunteer to help the President arrange his itinerary to better suit you.

Then there’s the chain of mismanagement, finger-pointing, and corruption that dragged New Orleans down:

• First, the levees that broke were the responsibility of the local landowners and the local levee board to maintain, NOT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. The Corps of Engineers may an antiquated, bureaucracy-ridden, repository for the unambitious to seek a government pension, but it is not tasked with levee maintenance in New Orleans.
  
• The disaster in New Orleans is the result of decades of corrupt (democrat) government going all the way back to Huey Long – where levee boards have been part of the political patronage system, not a genuine public works project. Funds for disaster protection and relief have been flowing into this city for decades, and where has it gone, but into the pockets of the local politicians and their friends?
  
• Decades of socialist government in New Orleans has sapped all self reliance from the community, making them dependent upon government for everything. The sad thing is that there are many poor folks who have suffered and died needlessly because those that they voted into office failed them.

Originally Posted by Mikey Moore

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?

Wait a minute! Aren’t you lefties the same people who have said that the people in the towers deserved to die for exploiting the poor Muslims and for our support of Israel? How DARE you weep over “this SACRED DAY” when YOU and your mindless minions blamed them for 9/11 and demonstrate even today at Walter Reed Hospital when men and women with a sense of integrity, purpose, and responsibility return to this country wounded. You sir, have no shame. Alligator tears are no substitute for the real thing.

Originally Posted by Mikey Moore

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.

Ah, so well spoken from your Park Avenue home . . . If you’re wanting to redistribute wealth, suppose we start with yours? By the way, Mikey, I didn’t see you out there feeding people, treating wounds, rescuing people from the rising water. I realize that Sean Penn, the U-boat commander who piloted a leaky john boat round in circles while bailing (someone forgot to insert the drain plug), and who couldn’t get the engine started. That’s OK, all of the members of the entourage, including the personal photographer, had an adequate opportunity too look foolish enough for all of you.

Originally Posted by Mikey Moore

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...

I guess living in a high-rise sort of eliminates you from the gated-community crowd – you are so far above the rest of us. When the peasants march, I suppose you won’t be handing out your elevator key. . .

Yes Mikey, we do know better than you elitist snobs. We are in the trenches where we’ve been since Katrina drew a bead on Lake Ponchartrain. We are the National Guard, Soldiers and Marines patrolling the streets, the Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard aircrews plucking people from rooftops, the doctors and nurses who stayed behind to care for the sick and injured. We are the volunteers who showed up with boats, high-wheel vehicles, private and corporate aircraft to evacuate the devastated areas. We are the hotel operators, apartment developers, and homeowners who invited our new neighbors into our homes – without real expectation of pay. We are the workers in the shelters who distribute clothing, serve food, clean bathrooms, play with the kids – and we are also the people who kneel to pray with the weeping man who witnesses his wife drown in the flood waters, who can’t find his children, and can only sit in the shelter and cry – as he has done for the last three days.

We are the people who are doing something to make a difference. We are not sitting comfortably in our luxury homes, stuffing ourselves, making ignorant remarks, and spreading political hatred. Mr. Moore, if you’re not going to help, at least shut up! Take that monumental ego for a walk until the situation's over.

[jimxo]

Why do people keep blaming the Government for there own stupidity?

Man on TV said Major killer storm coming.

I say to me get the **** out of Dodge.

It’s that simple.

[Tuna]

Originally Posted by jimxo

Why do people keep blaming the Government for there own stupidity?

Man on TV said Major killer storm coming.

I say to me get the **** out of Dodge.

It’s that simple.

you realize the majority of people that were left in NO were not driving around Lexuses right? the majority were poor inner-city people who couldn't afford to leave and weren't given the proper assistance to leave....were they supposed to run out of NO? ride a bicycle out of a hurricane's path?

[mjr24]

I find it so annoying that people like to blame the government or President for everything that happens. They then point to all the idiots who voted for that person and wonder how they could have done such a thing?

IMHO, George Bush has been a very unlucky President, but I am not sure that Al Gore or whoever else would have done anything differently. Yes, it is obvious that people love to point fingers no matter what....in politics, sports, whatever. It is a symbol of how alot of people are in any walk of life...they try to divert attention and blame from themselves and put it on someone else.

Yeah, there are some peculiarities with what happened on 9/11, but regardless of who the President was at the time, those bombers would have succeeded one way or another.
In terms of the Hurricane....there was nothing the President could have done. "They should have evacuated people earlier, etc." Look now...people are refusing to leave, what makes you think more people would have evacuated if there was a different plan in place...or a different person in charge of this or that department. The Hurricane was a freak thing that happens once every 50 years probably....just like the tsunami was. How could we have prepared for something like this when we have never experienced something of this magnitude? This was a learning experience, a hard one