Dear President Bush:
I am writing to you as a concerned Republican and American citizen. As I write, I am watching the news about Day 4 of the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The strong feelings of heartbreak and anger are overwhelming in me. These two emotions seem to be present in most of your second term and I felt the need to express my concern for our country.
I voted for you in the last election, honestly believing you were the person I wanted in control of my government. I wanted someone who I believed, when I lay my head on my pillow at night, was running the government in my best interest, even if it was against my beliefs of what should be done. I believe the government to act as a parental figure, both nurturing, comforting, disciplining and taking care of it’s “children”. It is because of this belief that I feel so heartbroken by your second term so far.
President Bush, I feel abandon, deserted and duped into believing I should trust you to take care of me. I can only imagine how the people in New Orleans feel at this moment, as our government leaves them abandon, with no food or water in conditions we wouldn’t wish upon our most hated enemies. Where is our government? Where are our people? The people of Houston lined the streets at 3am to greet the buses coming in from the Superdome. They took in the displaced, took them into their homes to feed and care for them, knowing these were people who had lost everything they had. Yet, our government has failed to do the same.
The people of New Orleans are literally FIGHTING for their lives. They are looting for food. They are tearing each other apart to make sure THEY are the one on the bus out of town, to better conditions. We are kicking people when they are down. Those people are in the most primitive of conditions, their hierarchy of needs is at the bottom of the pyramid and we keep pushing them down. It’s no wonder they are fighting, looting, setting fires, etc.
I know those who were able should have evacuated. I know you severely underestimated the amount of poor who were unable to evacuate. Should we punish them for this? The media interviewed one man who swam for 8 hours, begging boats to rescue him, pleading for forgiveness for NOT evacuating when he should have as boats passed him by.
I am also angry with the people of New Orleans. When the Tsunami hit Thailand, the survivors seemed to go on , thinking “I must do for me. Rebuild, find food, shelter. I must take responsibility for my survival.” While I know the conditions in New Orleans are dire, it seems the people are thinking “what is someone going to do for me?” and then, getting angry and violent when no one comes to help them. The violence is not going to facilitate aid. If anything it’s going to slow it down. An acquaintance, Patsy, said it best (I’ve paraphrased), “How can you take poor people who steal, loot and resort to violence to survive in everyday life, put them in dire situations and expect calm and patience?” Still, I just want to scream, “You idiots! Stop trying to hurt the few people that ARE trying to help you, so they don’t STOP trying to help you!”
I know hindsight is 20/20, but I also am angry with the people who had the means to evacuate and didn’t. Their need to stay with their homes and their things are taking supplies and rescue efforts from those who couldn’t leave. They should have left. Evacuations began when Katrina was a Category 5 hurricane approaching a low-lying state (in case you didn’t KNOW New Orleans was a low lying area, the above ground graves should give it away). Which part of that statement made you think it wouldn’t be at least as bad as other severe hurricanes?!?!? Which part made you think you could ride out the storm untouched?
Mr. President, I am tired of feeling as though you are ignoring the needs and feelings of the American people for your own agenda. Your beliefs I used to think mimicked mine, but I question these things when it seems as though the American people are crying for one thing and you deliver something completely different. Your actions make me constantly question whether I should remain a Republican, a party I have been tied to since I registered to vote 12 years ago. The only comfort granted me is the echoing of these feelings by many Republicans I know. Mr. Bush, I hope you take my thoughts are concerns seriously. I am heartbroken over the state of a Country I love. I am the future of the Republican Party and, more importantly a disenchanted American citizen.
10 comments:
I have to disagree with your direction of frustration. Disaster preparedness (funded by the U.S. taxpayer) is the responsibility of the local and state governments. They are mandated to plan, rehearse and execute when reality hits the fan.
The Dem. mayor of New Orleans did next to nothing in preparation, unless you call telling everyone to get out and running to Baton Rouge yelling 's.o.s'. The Dem. governor of Louisiana did next to nothing...of course she looks good standing at the podium doing her best Cindy Sheehan impression... ready to lose it in front of the cameras. The Dem. senator (Landrieu) can do nothing but prop her governor and say, 'there, there'.
Why weren't the hospitals prepared with extra fuel, meds, etc.? Why were all the school buses allowed to sit in their low-lying areas to get flooded out? Where are all the evacuation shelters in Louisiana?
Where were the preaching "Doctors" who rule from their bully pulpit every Sunday morning and prop up the corrupt politicians... who in turn, promise the world to the poor, sick and elderly.
I helped out in South Carolina when Hugo ripped through the state in '89, spending five very long days operating a supermarket with no power.
The SC National Guard escorted us in, escorted us out. The thousands of people on line were orderly and appreciative. Why? Because the local reps and governor clamped down on the situation. Depending on the Feds is NOT the first option.
This new Democratic party is a sad, sad shell of its former self. The hand is out at all times, but they have not the first clue in problem solving.
I agree that Bush could be more Conservative (pushing the Fair Tax to abolish the IRS, solving the border problem), and the Republican Senate leadership could grow a set of stones and act like they are in the majority.
With 9/11, Saddam, and now Nawlins, I sure wouldn't want to be in his shoes...especially with the 'so-called impartial' media reporting every twisted distortion the Dems utter. That's what sickens me more than anything.
Just like all the new hospitals and schools in Iraq & Afghanistan, you won't hear much about any organized effort to help in Nawlins. It just doesn't fit the agenda.
One thing I do know, is that if I was being shot at and abused while breaking my ass to shuttle ice, batteries, milk, diapers to the victims (NOT REFUGEES!!!) of Hugo, my ass would have been history.
BTW, turn off the tube and go to freerepublic.com and read it for a week.
On a side note... CD's are 75% done... found a decent editor... recording from CD to mp3 sure does create blips at the beginning of the file!
AJ - I agree with alot of what you said. It's not that I necessarily blame Bush for the way things were started, but when it's obvious that things were out of control, I would have been comforted by a swift entry by our leader. The media is EXTREMELY sickening. I can hardly stand it! Today, when the one woman on CNN was SO proud of herself for connecting the doctor of a baby left in a hospital while the parents evacuated, I just wanted to smack the smuggness right off her face.
My biggest problem is that I'm so torn in both ways. It's time now for a new party. One for all the people like me who want all sorts of "saving the world" but not at the expense of the "republican" stuff that made it the GOP. Can't we have a middle of the road that's not wishy-washy flip-flopping?!?!?!
Well, what you want out of Uncle Sam is not why Uncle Sam was created. You used this description:
"I believe the government to act as a parental figure, both nurturing, comforting, disciplining and taking care of it’s “children”."
That's not a federal gov't duty. That's the state's responsibility.
You are not going to see an overnight turning of the GOP. If you are as pissed off as you say you are, I seriously urge you to read the freerepublic.com site as often as possible. Your eyes will be like saucers after you see the story behind the story. I've been a member since '98. Any split in the GOP that would occur would simply turn the power over to the Dems.... and the underlings that we are, are not going to let that happen. We have friendly, healthy discourse.... not venom spewing hate-talk.
Take a peak...you'll find your same viewpoint there...and trust me, you will learn soooooooo much more than you ever wanted.
Jen
Knowing you a little as I do, I am disappointed. To blame the President for the response to a Hurricane is a media driven reaction from someone who should know better. What did you expect...Superman to come sweeping in and making up for the absolute lack of leadership in a city and state. Why not look at Biloxi and Gulfport and see the orderly "refugees" waiting in line for whatever they can get. They are not shooting each other or the authorities, they are dealing with a horrible situation because they realize that sometimes bad things happen to good people. New Orleans is my favorite place in the world, but it has also become the welfare state of the world. There are more jobs available in New Orleans for unskilled labor, than anywhere in the country, but most of the people you see on TV are so used to being coddled and supported by the government they will not "lower" themselves to get a job. There are poor people everywhere, the difference comes in when the poor choose to remain on the welfare rolls because it is easier than working for a living. These people lost everything, but so did many of my friends who have everything, but they will rebuild and deal with the situation. When told to evacuate, they chose to stay....As far as I am concerned, if they were healthy enough they needed to leave. Since they didn't, they are on their own, until the infrastructure can be rebuilt enough to deal with them.
You speak of looting, jewelry, tennis shoes, TV's and guns are definitely life's necessities and there is no wonder these "people" were looting. It is just something else for nothing, because the taxpayers of this country "own" them for all of the years of neglect. If this is what you believe, call yourself a Republican, but be true to the Democrat you are sounding like.
Brad: Funny, but I agree. I had trouble not jumping all over the place when I wrote this because of all the jumbled feelings I was having. I feel bad for the people in Biloxi and Gulfport because their plight is getting lost in the constant media hype over New Orleans. My heart goes out to all the people and I think perhaps my frustration (yes, AJ I'll say it "out loud") at not being able to help them or do anything for them when things seemed dire, plus getting caught up in the media focus skews me occasionally. It is hard to not become skewed when the media is a bias report.
AJ's dissent reminded me the state is in chanrge first and, while I still think the government should say, "o.k., you're screwing up. Please let us help you." a little sooner than it seemed to.
I think I mentioned how angry I was at the people who were able to leave and didn't. I too was frustrated by the "you owe us" mentality of the evacuees and the poor in this country. It is one of the many Republican beliefs I have, as well as the big one which lets me decide where my money should go and who I "deem worthy" of doling my hard earned money to. It certainly wouldn't be to welfare.
It is the confusion of my current feeling on government and where I stand which leads me to be looking towards my chosen party for confirmation I am on the side where I belong. No need to berate me for this one guys, I understand how the last sentance read, but as my sister said Friday night in reference to the lady...um...governor? from Michigan "In times of crisis, people need leaders. Whether you agree with the direction they are leading you or not, people want to be lead. Not have a political stance for reelection." It is one of the things I praise Bush for, because no matter how people react to his decision to enter into war, or even remain there (which I believe we need to do)he has not waivered. He has stood fast in his the belief that his decision was the right one. It is another reason I feel we do not NEED to know every move or thought the media feels the need to report on. Not only because it's bias, but because I don't believe they have all the information the leaders, intelligence, etc. has.
Now, before I keep prattling on, eliciting more comments, I'll log off. Brad, I hope you, Amy and Katie are doing well on vacation! I'll call when you get back to find out how Amy's walk went. AJ, I haven't had time to read it, but I did bookmark freerepublic and will begin "righting" myself ASAP! :) Happy Labor Day! :)
Just think of it this way.........
How would Rudy Guliani have handled the situation?????
Hey, Brad! ...are you the twin brother I never had??
I said that over at Jersey's site.
I've been told to tell you that its first the city(mayor)...then the state(governor)...then federal...out of the mouth of my husband that is...
Its all well and good to say what the protocol is for this type of situation. And yep, it looks like everyone screwed up on all levels. But doesn't the buck stop with the president? This was the worst natural disaster in US history and it took him three days to start doing something about it? If the people under you (local and state)are failing, you don't let people die because of it if you are a good leader. You step up, you cancel the rest of your vacation, and you get help in there IMMEDIATELY. Then you call for the jobs of all of those who failed. That is leadership.
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