I'm pissed at Hannity now,

So anyway, the story in Indianapolis goes like this, quote: "Emotions ran high for an Army soldier's funeral in Martinsville on Sunday. Sgt. Jeremy Doyle's sacrifice brought many out to honor him, but also sparked a standoff on a city street. People arriving to say goodbye to a hometown hero met an altogether different scene in Martinsville, as demonstrators dragging American flags on the ground and holding signs opposing U.S. troops. 'The thing that got us here is that Sergeant Doyle died for us to give us our freedom, and then you have people like this come. It's absurd,' one funeral attendee told News 8 in Indianapolis. Tensions grew before demonstrations [sic: demonstrators] finally left their location right across the street from Army Sgt. Jeremy Doyle's funeral service. According to the group's website, it sees America's -- Americans' deaths in Iraq as a kind of punishment for social misdeeds. Martinsville residents said that the protesters picked the wrong time in the wrong town to express their views. Which rightfully -- so they have their freedom of expression. Nobody's going to take that away from them, but there is a time and a place for this kind of thing, and it's certainly not here today."

Now, who's Jeremy Doyle? Well, he died along with three other soldiers on August the 18th, when their Humvee hit a landmine on an Iraqi highway. This guy died for all of us. His final journey was a procession down Main Street, past the courthouse square. "'If I had to lose a son, if I had to lose one, I'd -- I'd rather it be serving our country,' his father explained. The protesters were headquartered in Kansas. They traveled across the country to demonstrate against a soldier." And you know something? I guess this is just another example of how the anti-war left supports our brave troops.

He's talking about Fred Phelps and his group God Hates Fags. They are not a left wing group or have anything to do with the left. I don't think they are a right wing group either, they are a bunch of whackos. The website domain is godhatesfags.org (or .com, I'm not sure) for freaking sakes. How do you go to that website and think it is a left-wing anti-war group? Oh, I know, you knowingly lie.

Don't mind me, I'll just stand here with my hopelessly outdated class rage issues.

Hee. There are times when I'm going in late to work (and thus will work even later) or on a run to the dentist, and I'm looking at all the freaking people out and about, all the cars on the road, and I sit in my car demanding out loud, "DON'T YOU PEOPLE WORK?!"

And then I realize, hey, wait a minute...

I can't cope with it. I have to stop reading news about the hurricane.

I'm just hoping Dana didn't see that article before she left, because GAH.

Ah, Scott McClellan. Your empty words, platitudes, and willful misrepresentation and backpedaling are an almost comforting constant through these dark and stormy days.

Well, or headbashingly, violently IRRITATING.

Your empty words, platitudes, and willful misrepresentation and backpedaling are an almost comforting constant through these dark and stormy days.

Heh.

But a bitter 'heh.'

that friendship is over, because I'm some God-freak who doesn't "fucking stupidity" should exclude the urban poor without transportation, the sick, the elderly, or tourists caught out.

Their loss, your gain. Sorry they turned out to be such selfish shits.

I'm pissed at Hannity most of the time and I don't even listen to him. Or maybe that should read, he is in my too much of a waste of time to listen to column.

I don't fault Dubya for not "preventing" the flooding in NOLA. It was going to happen no matter what. That's the way this city was designed and built. It's odd that an "improved" levee collapsed, but I'm not sure what to make of this.

I don't know I'd say that. No, he didn't cause the storm. He did support the draining of the wetlands that might have brought Katrina down to managable levels. He did have a hand in diverting funds from the Corps of Engineers and levee repair projects. So, I don't think there's any "no matter what about it." On a broader scale, he does head an administration that not just pooh-poohs but actively suppresses science on environmental issue just like this. He has spent several years and many billion dollars on a Homeland Security strategy that apparently has increase "readiness" not one little bit. So, yeah, I think he should get a fair portion of the blame.

because I'm some God-freak who doesn't "fucking stupidity" should exclude the urban poor without transportation, the sick, the elderly, or tourists caught out.

This is why I'm not surprised about the looting and shooting. Even my neph got classcist and rascist while living in New Orleans. He worked as a bartender and thought it was perfectly right and proper to charge black customers more for drinks "because they are just going to damage the place or something."

I have a lot of affection for New Orleans also, which is part of the reason I think it can't really be rebuilt. I don't know...some of my friends seem to have lost everything; some are okay; I'm really sad that my husband and son won't ever get to visit the city I did. But there's a lesson here.

"This is not a time for politics," McClellan said.

OK. How about Tuesday at 11am? That will give you a few hours to get back in the office and back up to speed after the long holiday weekend. Say, your office? Thanks.

He did have a hand in diverting funds from the Corps of Engineers and levee repair projects.

I'm not sure of this, either. Sure, state officials responsible for requesting the money for the projects claim that it's "The War" that has prevented them from getting adequate funding, but that's not how budgeting works. Plus, we haven't actually seen evidence of belt-tightening coming out of the White House-- it seems odd to blame them for that policy now. IOW, bad planning for this by Congress and the President and LA's state and federal reps are all responsible for inadequate funding-- not any individual political bugbear.