The Inedible Journey

A quirky pile of ramblings

Monday, September 05, 2005

September 5 ~ Impressions Count


Its a good thing we have blogs.... really.....

because all of this anger we feel would probably be venting in worse ways if we didn't have an outlet.

Don't the "powers that be" know that "impressions count"?

* Why did it take Bush until Wednesday to "cut his vacation short by a couple of days"? (I don't care if it was a working vacation.....he has taken more time than any other President on our history...and IMPRESSIONS COUNT!)
* How can Condi Rice attend social gatherings and Broadways Plays and be seen shopping for shoes?

The powers that be....regardless of party affiliation....should be at their desks.....behind closed doors......working 20 hour days when a disaster of this magnitude is approaching....and moreso when it arrives.

And there very well may not have been a lack of regard for the poor and the African-American communities in this disaster.....but don't the powers that be realize that IMPRESSIONS COUNT?

And to be honest, if those states affected were high income, high voter population states, I DO think the pre-planning would have been better....and the response would have been faster. If you don't agree with me, it's ok. But I believe that.

Then again, it may have become my opinion simply because IMPRESSIONS COUNT.

My heart broke and I was moved to tears as I watched the reaction of Senator Mary Landrieu when speaking to the press. Here is a copy of an article describing it:

Sunday, Sept. 4, 2005 10:06 a.m. EDT
Mary Landrieu: I'll Punch Bush, 'Literally'
Sen. Mary Landrieu threatened the president of the United States with physical violence on Sunday, saying that if he or any other government official criticizes New Orleans police for failing to keep civil order in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina - "I might likely have to punch him - literally.""If one person criticizes [our sheriffs], or says one more thing, including the president of the United States, he will hear from me - one more word about it after this show airs and I - I might likely have to punch him - literally," Landrieu railed on "ABC's "This Week."

IMPRESSIONS COUNT. I will never forget this Senator...the lioness. (Perhaps I'll hold him for her as she does it.)

My prayers and support remain with the victims, regardless of why they became victims. They have to be helped. The "why" can be figured out later....and by God this had better never happen again. Maybe we can't plan for everything....but this disaster was known about....models had been tested....response SHOULD have been quicker.....prevention measures should have been taken. Blame is everywhere....but compassion must overtake everything else for now.

posted by Trudy Booty Scooty @ 9:32 AM  

11 Comments:

  • At 9:15 AM, Blogger bea said…

    i agree with you, compassion must overtake everything else right now but it gets hard for some, specially when they hear statements like that of Barabara Bush last night. yes, she did say that. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/06/AR2005090600273.html

     

  • At 11:05 AM, Blogger I n g e r said…

    You're right--thank God for blogs and bloggers; I learn more here--and learn it faster--than I ever used to. And I can process my own feelings better than I ever could passively listening to the news.

    Better to blog than snap at the kids. Better to blog than stay up until 3 watching the news.

     

  • At 7:54 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Trudy,

    Ya know I love you, but I couldn't disagree with you more!

    Suffice it to say, in the end, there will be a lot of blame to spead around.

    But tell me, why didn't you write a blog condemning the Mayor for waiting so long to declare a mandatory evacuation when he was asked to declare it two days earlier?

    And tell me, why have you not written a blog about all the people in NO who disobeyed the mandatory evacuation order once it was ordered and stayed there?

    And tell me, why did you not write a blog condemning the Mayor of NO for parking the evacuation buses in a low lying area so they would be useless after the flooding?

    And tell me, why no blog about those people who stole guns and shot at the bus drivers and helicopter pilots trying to rescue others in NO?

    Why no blog on the insensitive gays who had their pride march through streets littered with debris (and most probably dead bodies in the adjoining houses) last week?

    What about a blog about those people stealing plasma TVs they need to survive?

    Instead, you chose to write a blog about Bush... a man you would condemn no matter what he did...if he went to NO the day after the hurricane, you would say he was disrupting rescues with his presence or if he waited he would be insensitive. Personally, I'm GLAD he waited... he couldn't do a thing had he been there sooner... just been in the way.

    And you also chose to admire a Senator who committed a federal offense by threatening a sitting President with bodily harm. (Please tell me you don't also admire Clinton and Teddy Kennedy!)

    As I said, in the end there will be plenty of blame to go around.... and I totally disagree with your views.... BUT, I'll defend to the death your right to say them! Besides, a good friend told me to have patience, you were just misguided. :)

     

  • At 6:58 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    lol Wow KL...when you disagree with me...you disagree! :)

    I stand by everything I said.

    I didn't list every single thing that I condemn about this tragedy, including the mayor and his unpreparedness for getting everyone out, only because I was too pissed at GW and the Federal response as I was writing my post to even go into the other places of my frustration. A blog is a place of expression...and expression isn't an essay....at least not for me......it's just an expression.

    And of COURSE I condemn the looters and the rapists and the cops who were looting and all of the horrible, awful people who responded in the most inhumane, self-serving, disgusting, completely unimaginable ways possible.

    That goes without saying....or so I would have thought.... Maybe it needs to be said to clarify my response to those who don't know me...and apparently those who do.

    But you are completely wrong to assume that no matter what President Bush does or says I'd condemn him. That is so false it's laughable. You should know me better than that.

    I'm not his biggest fan...but I have voted both Republican and Democrat in the past.

    I have been members of both parties.

    I am not a left wingnut by any sense of the imagination.

    I am very centrist in my views on almost all issues.

    That doesn't mean I can't make a decision..or that I can't or don't take a stand... That means I agree with parts of each side in many areas. And when I vote for issues or politicians it couldn't matter less to me whether it is a Democrat or a Repulican..or a democrat or republican issue. I vote on based on my personal beliefs, opinions, and research.

    Many people staunchly support President Bush and think he is great. I support him as President just as I would ANYONE who is President...and I'd never want his job....but I do not think he is a good President. That doesn't mean I condemn everything he says and does. I think he has handled this tragedy abominably. I think he handled the immediate response to 911 wonderfully.

    But I will not criticize you for liking him. Half the country likes him...half the country doesn't. Nor will I tell you that you are misguided for liking him or thinking he is doing a wonderful job. You just have different opinions on it from me.

     

  • At 10:15 AM, Blogger The Seeker said…

    Just visiting.

     

  • At 11:21 PM, Blogger Sam Freedom said…

    The irony...

    Your post title is "Impressions Count" and by omitting all of the other insensitivities and listing only the ones you chose, you gave the impression of being not only inaccurate, but purposely unfair.

    Not that you meant to be, but as your post title states, "Impressions Count". So KL did not disagree with you but instead asked you why you left out all of those other insensitivities going on under the very same umbrella as the insensitivies you listed.

    And instead of just answering KL's question, you gave some watery dismissal of the questions. Why did you omit all of those other insensitivities and focus only on the 1 or 2 that you did? Impressions count, so just give an honest self-analysis as to why you gave the impression you did.

    As for the government being the one to blame, it gets a little tiring having to listen to people who have no experience with critical thinking. They suffer, they react, they say whatever makes the feel better, and they feel better - temporarily, but not permanently.

    The governor of Lousianna did not follow the contingency plan and the Law of the Constitution says that unless she herself is somehow incapacitated the government CAN NOT rush in to play hero.

    Had they, there'd be complaints about that, too. Like a child that says, "If you only gave me a full chance, I could have done just fine." I guess we'll never know, huh?

    One day a friend was passing a car on the left. Another car was going to hit us so I pulled the wheel back. We lived. He was pissed. He swore he had it beat and that it was I who almost got us killed.

    Well, I'm still here, aren't I? I knew what needed to be done in that moment and, without hesitation, I did it.

    Did you know that before any mandatory evacuation was called for, GW called the governor and INSISTED that she call for a mandatory evacuation. And he declared it a state of emergency AHEAD OF TIME.

    Add to that something none of you probably even know but unless there is a CLEAR and PRESENT threat to the welfare of the community by staying in your house, you cannot be physically removed from your home even under orders of mandatory evacuation.

    The only loophole that can be used to get you out of your house is that quite possibly "you could catch a disease from the mosquitos and then spread it around later on" but even that's a thin excuse for ripping people out of their house. By those who know, it is just illegal to take a person from their house even if a mandatory evacuation has been called.

    Also, GW called the gov of LA and asked her if he should come down the same night of a daytime speech he gave. The governor replied that, at that point, it would serve no purpose and that she couldn't provide him with security and protection yet. So she asked him to wait a couple of days.

    Critics still took shots at him for that.

    The bottom line is this...there are a lot of losers in this country whom a lot of winners died for...and the losers imagine that the winners really want nothing more than to be home hanging out with the losers singing "Kumbaya" until we all get our heads cut off.

    Compassion from strength is essential. "Compassion" from well-intended bleeding heart weakness is a death sentence.

    Impressions count.. ;-)

    Sam

     

  • At 9:50 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Sam,

    I'd like to thank you for your very well thought out reply. It displayed your skill at critical thinking and your vast knowledge of all areas of this disaster. Or at least the areas you chose to mention.

    I'm sorry you felt my reply to KL was " a watery dismissal" and your impression of me is that I'm a weak and bleeding heart liberal. Or a person who obviously doesn't know the facts...doesn't know about the State of Emergency being called...doesn't know about the govenor's failures...doesn't know about the mayor's failures...doesn't acknowledge the failures of the citizens. I probably don't even know what a hurricane is and how it is formed, right?

    So be it.

    You don't know me, my background, my beliefs, my experience, my relationship with KL.

    As I said impressions count.

    This response from you is actually a perfect example of my point.

    As I said to KL, for me this blog is not a place for detailed political debate. It is a place for me to express my feelings...thoughts of the moment...experiences that touch me. Sometimes those things are political. Sometimes they spark a reaction. Hey, at least a handful of people read it.

    Your blog may be something completely different for you. That's great. You get out of it whatever you wish to. That's the point of a blog isn't it?

    I appreciate that you spent so much time replying to my emotions and frustration of the moment. Again, as I said to KL, my frustrations did not and do not stop with the examples I listed. I am angry with the mayor and local and State governments as well. The two impressions I listed in my post were the ones bothering me the most at the time. I am still bothered by those images.

    I am now also bothered by the images of Oprah Winfrey walking through the throngs of desperate people in the Astrodome. She should not have been there in my opinion. If she wants to aid in rescue, send food, water, money, doctors, Red Cross volunteers...fine. But, again this is just my opinion, she should not have been there broadcasting for her show. Same goes for the other "celebrities".

    I'll have to ask STB (if he was there at the time) if it was disruptive to the relief efforts.

    I suspect it was.

    But maybe for some, her presense was a ray of hope and help. I hope so. It left bad taste in my mouth.

    Critical thinking is important...and in order to prevent something like this from happening again...very necessary.
    However, I also strongly believe that the way those in government respond on a personal level matters and is important as well.

    Impressions count, Sam :)

    One would have to be living in a short-sighted bubble if they didn't realize that impressions affect government on every level from where money is spent, to which policies receive public support, to whom is elected.

    Thanks for your post.

     

  • At 1:03 PM, Blogger Trudy Booty Scooty said…

    Colin Powell..a man I admire...and continue to. No one is perfect...but he is a wonderful scoop of moderation, rational thought and reason in my book.

    http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20050908231709990004&_ccc=3&cid=842

     

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