I do see a difference here though, Steph, in that the press isn't rolling over and playing dead nearly as much as they did in the other situations.

I'm just so cynical at this point that I'm going to have to actually see some officials being called to account before I'll believe it could happen.

Don't suppose said place of work is matching donations to the Red Cross or anything?

All donations go through the state employee's fund, and unfortunately they don't match contributions. Just make the donation directly to the Red Cross.

OK, updated school website about to go up. The accrediting agency of our type of school is trying to take control of the placement process. I guess that's OK, but my history with them says that Michael Chertoff would be an upgrade in terms of leadership.

Right now it looks like we're taking at least one Tulane student and possibly one more from LSU's New Orleans campus.

Nuh. Uh. Shrub just said this on CNN:

"The good news is -- and it's hard for some to see it now -- that out of this chaos is going to come a fantastic Gulf Coast, like it was before. Out of the rubbles of Trent Lott's house -- he's lost his entire house -- there's going to be a fantastic house. And I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch."

Bush is getting hammered in the mainstream press right now. The one thing a leader is expected to do in a crisis is show up and act like they care and take charge. Fuck, it's the easiest ratings boost a politician can get. Show up. Look concerned. Order some people around. Stay up late. Look haggard.

What's happened in New Orleans will resonate as a direct indictment of Bush's leadership. And that's pretty much all he's got going for him.

You can finesse and spin the other shit all day long. The policies, the approach. But you gotta show up. He didn't. If American politics plays at the simplest levels - and it often seems to - then he's made a huge fundamental error. He needed to be there at least two days ago.

I gave to the Red Cross the day after Katrina hit. Today my contract boss sent around an email asking if folks wanted to give through the company. Actually, he'll be sending me and a couple of other web folks to help our institute set up an environmental contamination medical information site. There are loads of chemical plants in the Gulf states, as well as the petro-chemical plants and contamination from cars and boats that were smashed and heaven knkows what else. So we'll be helping with some somewhat practical stuff, I hope.

None of which will be useful until the folks get pulled out of the soup and taken to doctors with facilities that can help them. But still. I guess it's something.

What's happened in New Orleans will resonate as a direct indictment of Bush's leadership. And that's pretty much all he's got going for him.

I absolutely hope so. Nobody wants that fuckwit out of office more than I do.

But I just don't expect it. He could eat a baby on live TV, and the coverage would be along the lines of "President Loves the Children!"

What's happened in New Orleans will resonate as a direct indictment of Bush's leadership. And that's pretty much all he's got going for him.

But it WON'T. He NEVER shows up until a few days into the thing. 9/11, the tsunami... I swear to God they're dosing the fuck out of him before they stick him in front of the cameras. That son of a bitch would have to eat a baby on live television for the public to turn on him.

For Schaivo he turned up though...

BWAHHHHHHH!!!!!!

most. fucked. up. x. post. ev. ah.

BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

most. fucked. up. x. post. ev. ah.

::snerk:: Baby-eaters, they'll start calling us....

(For the record, I *don't* eat babies. Just their toes.)