TexasMama

Left vs. Right

I am a member of an on-line community that I really love.  There are many women in the group that I feel are truly friends though I have only met 1 in person.  The group is very diverse in both parenting style and politics.  In many of the discussions, I often think we go too far in making sure not to offend any one making the board sometimes overly sweet. 

But last year the election brought out some intense feelings and the aftermath of Katrina has caused some of those to resurface.  According to a pre-election poll, the board is roughly split between people planning to vote for Bush and those planning to vote against him, with the against group maintaining a small majority.  But only the most left-leaning of the members do much talking about politics.  This has led to some hurt feelings.

But I have to tell you I just don’t get it.  If you are a Bush supporter and I say I think the guy is an ass-faced moron, totally controlled by corporate interests, a complete bigot, and a hypocrite to boot, and you disagree, why don’t you just say to yourself, or to me if you prefer, that I am obviously deluded and clearly brainwashed by the “liberal media?”  Why don’t you just tell yourself what an idiot I am instead of feeling a personal affront because I happen to have a strong dislike for our current President and everything he stands for? 

Lot’s of people hated Clinton with a passion.  They hated everything about him and said so loudly and often, and yet most Clinton supporters did not express moral outrage that someone dare criticize our commander in chief.  No one considered it un-American to disagree with him.  Right now Bush’s approval rating is a dismal 37%, a full 6 points lower than Clinton’s ratings EVER were, and yet many, many, many people still consider it blasphemy to say anything bad about the guy.  How can that be?

It’s no wonder the state of democracy is suck a fucking mess in this country.  Everyone is afraid to speak out about a guy the vast majority of the country thinks is doing a crappy job.  Why, if most of the country no longer supports the war (which, if Bush weren’t such a bald-faced liar they never would have supported anyway) is Congress still approving the BILLIONS of dollars we spend there each week?  Democracy is dependant on dicussion, dissent, and debate, but Bush has somehow made all those things taboo.

I think there are two intertwined answers to all these questions: Religion and un-informed opinions.  Bush has managed to irrevocably tie religion into the right wing platform, so for many religious people disagreeing with him is tantamount to blasphemy.  Bush has declared that he was appointed by God to bring Democracy to the world.  Now why statements like that don’t scare the bejeesus out of 90% of this country, and bring down the wrath of the “liberal media” is beyond me, but apparently this country has decided it’s OK for our President to claim to have a direct channel from God.  And since he is getting his direction strait from god, there’s not really any need to question what he does.  Religious leaders tell their people he is right and that is enough for them.  He invokes God, he must be right.

All I can say is that the Christian Right and Corporate America have shown themselves to be pretty damn smart..  And if we don’t start making some serious moves to counter their influence, this country is going to go somewhere only a very few people want it to go.  That is, if it isn’t too late already.

Can This Be Our Country?

Can this truly be happening in this, our rich and formidable country?  Can we really be leaving thousands upon thousands of people standing in hot sun, surrounded by feces, urine, and dead bodies, without water or food?  Are there really mothers handing 2 month old babies to total strangers lucky enough to make it onto a bus in hope that at least the baby might survive?  Can this be happening? Here.

And now the refugees poor into our city, to live in yet another sports arena.  And thousands of people want to help.  But no one can tell us how.  The Astrodome is turning away everyone except those coming on the buses from the super-dome.  They are turning them away with no means to get anywhere else.  I would drive them.  But friends have already been turned away from the gates of the dome trying to make the same offer.  We are told to call the local red cross, but they are overwhelmed with offers of help and are already too busy running the existing aid programs.

Texas plans to house roughly 50,000 refugees from New Orleans for the next few months.  These people have nothing, and most have lost family members, some even their whole family.  They have no way to get information on their families, no way to find one another.  Like so many others, I have to wonder why more plans weren't in place.  Don't misunderstand, I don't really blame the people out there now trying to help.  They are doing the best they can, under the circumstances.  But it seems the circumstances are so much worse than they might have been.

New Orleans has know for years that a hurricane could do exactly this.  Clearly a disaster of this magnitude is more than the local or even state government could possible handle on their own.  The Federal government is there now, trying to help, trying to manage the situation, trying to figure out what to do.  Why don't the already know what to do?  Why aren't they simply executing a pre-arranged plan.

And the Texas government has generously offered to house 50,00 people.  A lovely offer and one that is undoubtedly greatly appreciated.  But the need for long term housing for all those people cannot possible be a surprise to anyone.  Where did Texas really think all these people would go in the event that the worst did happen?  It's a fair assumption Texas would need to take in many of them, so why was there no plan in place for that.  It's quite fortunate the astrodome was never torn down as many people wanted.  but that was fortune, not planning.  Why is there not already a contact center set up and waiting for the arriving refugees to help them find their loved ones?

SO many questions about the most heartbreaking situation I have even seen in this country.  ALl I know is I am sad, and short of monetary  donations, which I have already made, there seems to be nothing I can do.  Even though nearly 25 thousand refugees with absolutely nothing, will be living down the road from me.  I'll find a way to help if it's possible, but it should have been easy for me to be helping already.