HURRICANE KATRINA
Hurricane Katrina is not a political event. There should be absolutely no blame games going on right now. Not from the left side and not from the right side. There is a national tragedy going on right now and we all need to rise above the politics and get help to the people who need it.
UPDATE 9/15/05: It is very unfortunate to me that so many people on the left used this catastrophe as a way to make political gains. There was no race issue at all involved in the rescue mission. That is absolutely absurd. There was not a slow response because the people were poor. That is also absurd. For people from Al Sharpton to Mayor Nagin to Sen. Charles Schumer (D) of NY (who set up a fundraising campaign to take advantage of the situation) to even Kanye West, to play the race card is unforgivable and quite honestly pathetic.
For those of you who believe that there was a racial issue or a poor issue, here's something to think about then. Who let the people of New Orleans down first? The Mayor. He's black and he's a Democrat. Is he racist? Is he anti-poor people? Next up the chain of command is the Governor. She's a woman and she's a Democrat. Is she a racist? Is she anti-poor? If you answered, "No," then how could you possibly blame President Bush and then say it was because of race or economic status. Think about how far you are stretching if you want to believe that. Is it because he is the first one going up the chain of command with a (R) for Republican next to his name? I think that is extremely sad that people would think that way. How about America? Is America racist? When all the people of this great nation gave millions and millions and millions of dollars....was it earmarked for white well-to-do people only? Of course not.
Were there failures? Absolutely! Did the Democrat and Republicans contribute to those failures? Absolutely. Yes...Democrats and Republicans....in other words, the government.
Many of the people of New Orleans have some responsibility as well. After all, there were mandatory evacuation orders in place (pushed by President Bush.) There are so many things to blame for this incident, but neither racism nor an anti-poor sentiment are to blame.
I really wish it did not come to this. Read my editorial "I Am an American First." It applies to this situation as well. I did not see black or white people in trouble. I did not see poor or rich people in trouble. I did not see liberals or conservatives in trouble. I saw AMERICANS in trouble. The politicians in this country really need to learn to set aside political squabbles in times of crisis and come together as Americans.
