Politics stink (right and left)

noone is really “conservative” or “liberal”

People seemed to be motivated by their own self interest, except when it comes to taking responsibility .

ooops…responsibility ..that word exists only when it is to one’s advantage.

Why was this not considered the result of racisim on Clintons part?

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2005/0509.franklin.html

In response to a highly critical GAO report, Bill Clinton appointed James Lee Witt, who already had substantial experience with disaster management at the state level. Witt restructured FEMA in response to the GAO recommendations, and FEMA won praise in its handling of Hurricane Hugo and the Oklahoma City bombing. The second George Bush returned FEMA to its previous status as a sinecure for political cronies–and apparently to its old level of incompetence.

On the subject of this whole Katrina-gate scandal I have a few questions to consider:

1. Where is the line drawn between others helping the poor, and being indicted as evil just because of the existence of a poor underclass?

2. Where is the transition of responsibility between society for creating a poor underclass, and a person exercising (or lack there of) certain behavior which keeps them poor?

3. How come Cornell West, Jessie Jackson, all of the members of the CBC, and Eric Michael Dyson are able to live the same lifestyle (Affluent) of the Black Republicans (Or white Republicans for that matter) they vilify?

4. What is the difference between the hull of a slave ship and the Katrina-Super Dome? I’ll help you…The slave ship was not optional, the Super Dome was (As far as the local authorities that could have made other accommodations are concerned)

5. Why are said Black leaders mute on the topics that exclude whites, i.e. out of wedlock births, black on black crime, gangsta/thug mentality within the culture, high illiteracy rates, etc

6. Why are we (Blacks) the default mascot for every liberal beef (except abortion and gay rights)?

7. Will the Black community ever again have independent thought apart from the Democratic Party?

8. Are social programs the only answer to Black poverty?

9. Why is the capitalist market in this country vilified, but the benefits (cash from profits in a free market) of the capitalist market (albeit directly) is what is used to help the poor?

10. From a political standpoint, how long will the Black community be the laughingstock in this country? We elect leaders (Blacks, Democrats, Black Democrats, etc) to positions of power. Then, we blame the closest Republican. In the case of Katrina, this means we bypass the mayor, the governor, and go straight to the White House.

11. What would have happened if Bush took control on Wednesday instead of Friday after the levee broke, and pushed aside a Democratic governor in activating a rescue/relief effort? Would blacks have said

a. “That Bush is on the scene. He really cares about Blacks”

b. “That @**hole Bush. He doesn’t care about us, he’s trying to grandstand”

c. “He’s trying to buy the Black vote”

12. What political choices do Blacks have other than the “sky is falling” petulant whining of the liberal left, and the “America is the center of God’s goodness” bland, picket fence euphoria of the conservative right?

13. When will the current debate on race include the Black middle class trying to move up the food chain, whiling bringing some fellow Blacks with them?

14. Do we (Blacks) really confuse political theater for reality, and conspiracy theories for truth?

15. Will we really figure out what the Black elite/ bougersie /elect want from society as a whole, and the Black community as a portion of the whole?

a. Does the Black community really require anything of itself or it’s political leaders/idols?

Ok, nevermind that. Maybe the stupid local politicians sholda just gone to washington and FORCED the cheney regime to give them money via FEMA and Army Corps of Engineers to fix the levees so that they’d withstand a larger hurricane. That woulda been too easy, tho. We all know that the mayor of new orleans is a rich democrat – who votes REPUBLICAN!!. He backed bush twice.

wait, maybe it IS the local politicians’ fault.

You are really a lone voice in the wilderness. I consider myself on the left, and I agree with everything you say in this piece. No one in our government is willing to ask the hard questions and face difficults truths if it may implicate *their* side. The only policy on left or right is to blame the other side and ignore or gloss over their own mistakes. I’ve been reading left and right blogs through this whole disaster, and the selection of truths is astounding. Almost uniformly, the left blogs are silent on the responsibility Mayor Nagin had to his people, and the right rabidly defends every (mis)step by Bush, FEMA, etc.

Rational thinking for yourself seems to be dead in this country. Just line up on your side and read your talking points memo. No need to ask any questions….

West is basically a socialist (rich folk= bad, po’ folk= always innocent). Its amazing to me that Mr. Ortiz (the writer of the piece you posted) says NOTHING about who had been rowing that slave ship for over two decades. No need to further comment on someone who will pick and choose what facts they want to accept as truth. You dig?

tristero,

To believe that FEMA was competent under Clinton is to deny history itself. Did you not even take the time to read the article I linked to in the post? If you don’t like Bush than say it, but don’t spread a falsehood.

Only a federal government is in the position to coordinate something like Katrina relief. And Bush failed miserably. Again. Just like he failed to protect the country before 9/11. Just like he failed with everything he touches.

You aren’t condemning government. You are condemning incompetent fools. That is, you are condemening the Bush administration.

John L.

‘A Living Hell for Black People’: Cornel West on Katrina

By Peter Ortiz

September 12, 2005

Cornel West wasted no time telling his young audience how Hurricane Katrina demonstrated further the modern-day plight of black Americans.

West gave his keynote address to a gathering of black youth and their Big Brother mentors in Newark, N.J., Saturday. The noted Princeton University professor, scholar and author delivered a powerful speech reminding black youth of the racial injustice Katrina’s destruction unmasked.

“Let’s be honest … that we live in one the bleakest movements in the history of black people in this nation,” West announced at Paul Robeson Student Center at Rutgers University. “Look at the Super Dome, a living hell for black people. It’s not a big move from the hull of the slave ship to the living hell of the Super Dome.”

The Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Newark–sponsored event sought to drive home the importance of male mentoring and empowerment. West touched on everything from the powerful legacy of black artists in shaping American music to the influence of black activists who forged the civil-rights movement for the benefit of all Americans. But he struck a chord when he attacked the lack of government action in the aftermath of Katrina and how it has shamed Americans into visually confronting the racial divide playing out on their television screens.

“What the mainstream media won’t say and what this gathering in part is about is that … black folk, poor folk in New Orleans were catching hell before the hurricane,” West said.

He chided “successful” black Americans, such as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, for lacking the courage to stand up to an administration and president that has failed black Americans. He also praised hip-hop artist Kanye West for announcing during a benefit for Katrina victims aired on live television that “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” White House condemnation of West’s statement matters little when the racial disparity uncovered by Katrina became apparent.

“[Kanye West] was right,” West said. “How can anyone conclude that the Bush administration has compassion for black people?”