Of Spanish Moss, Evil, and Samaritans

Posted on September 4, 2005 in Accountability Disasters Hypocrites Journalists & Pundits

Nothing sends the Spanish moss creeping down across the dark scene which took place in the Deep South this last week more than the lackadasical response out of Washington. A woeful depravity governed the launch of rescue efforts, the like of which has not been seen since the Irish Potato Famine.

It’s a twisted Christianity that, in the wake of tragedy, spews out excuses for heartlessness. Neoconservatism holds that to contain Evil one must be more Evil than Evil itself. And so we have all watched in horror as the Bush Administration has blamed its own failures on everyone else, including the people of New Orleans who, lacking cars or buses to get them out of the City before the levees broke, found themselves trapped in their own homes.

(My nomination for scariest story: a woman trapped on the second floor of her building. As the flood waters rose, she could hear her downstairs neighbors calling and rapping on their ceilings. Then — because the deluge did not stop — silence.)

A young conservative wearing thick glasses interrupted me while I was talking to a woman in a car dealership waiting room. He threw out bizarre excuses for why things happened. “They should have built the levees right in the first place.” And they could have ended the American Revolution faster if they’d sent the B-2 bombers to London. “They shouldn’t have built the city there.” I didn’t realize anyone in New Orleans was so old. “If you’re so concerned, why don’t you go to help.” Because I have a heart condition and asthma. So we gave to the Red Cross. What’s your excuse? What did you give?

His argument focused on the hurricane. No one could have stopped this. Of course not, but that’s not the issue here. It’s what happened after this happened. Why weren’t the boats already packed and ready? This is hurricane season. Why were 6000 troops from Mississippi and Lousiana stuck in Iraq? Usually the National Guard handles this, but in Bush’s secret draft they were whisked away to fight a war that nobody wants. And this disaster shows why we should — in the words of America’s first conservative, Washington — “avoid foreign entanglements”. Our troops are here first to protect our own country from invasion and to aid in the event of disaster.

This is the sin of the Sadducee and the Pharisee in the tale of the Good Samaritan: they just walked by. The Samaritan paid for the wounded man out of his own pocket. And if our government insists on calling itself Christian, that is what it must do. The Bushes of this world must stop protecting their personal wealth and aim to promote the commonwealth.

Neoconservatism is the greatest extended disaster to plague this country. Even here in Orange County, people are aghast at the insensitivity of the president and his supporters. Newspapers continue to cover for him. I heard an ABC news anchor repeatedly ask his correspondent about the negative reaction to Bush’s handling of the situation and then hear the correspondent hem and haw, repeating the phrase “To be fair to the president. To be fair to the president. To be fair to the president.” To be fair to the president means to tell the truth and the truth is that Bush is a complete and utter failure at governing this country. The so-called liberal media may attempt to blindfold us with their homegrown Spanish moss, but aside from the occasional wingnut, most people know the truth. And they are ready to put an end to this reign of indifferent error from the top.

UPDATE: Bush missing error.

UPDATE #2:Hurricane season is not over.