mondrian’s neon fantod

CNN notes FEMA failed to accept Katrina help

A spokesman for Homeland Security, which includes FEMA, says the Bush administration is examining how to better utilize federal and other resources in catastrophes.

But, he observed, “Were there federal assets that were not used in Katrina? Of course.”

The Interior Department offered FEMA 500 rooms, 119 pieces of heavy equipment, 300 dump trucks and other vehicles, 300 boats, 11 aircraft and 400 law enforcement officers, according to a questionnaire answered by a department official.

Interior law enforcement officers included special agents and refuge officers from the department’s Fish and Wildlife Service.

“Although we attempted to provide these assets, we were unable to efficiently integrate and deploy these resources,” an Interior Department official wrote the Senate committee investigating the government’s response to Katrina.

Why? Why, goddamnit, why?!? Whoever the fuck was responsible for this colossal cockup, whether it was Bush or Brownie or Biraxian the Unknowable (or whatever imaginary bugaboo the administration tries to pin it on) should be dragged through the streets of New Orleans and put on trial for a seriously non-zero percentage of the 1,322 deaths associated with Katrina. And keep in mind that these fucks strongly support the death penalty (rather than, say, erring on the side of life as they urge us to do with blastocysts and vegetables).

I’m sorry, I know that we Americans are all burned out on “Katrina Fatigue” and just want it all to go away, but it won’t. And it will happen again (not necessarily another hurricane hitting New Orleans, but another disaster of epic proportions) and go just as poorly if we don’t hold the feet of those accountable for the human part of the tragedy to the fire. So pay attention and demand some answers, goddamnit.

Richard Justice proposes a win-win solution to the Bagwell Issue. And you know what? I think it’s a good one. I just hope the two parties in question read it and say “Hey, that might just work.”

A new CNN/USAToday/Gallup poll shows that 58 of Americans percent consider Bush’s second term a failure so far, among other ’bout time revelations. And the biggest of those might be

For the first time since Bush took office in 2001, a majority of those polled said the president — who campaigned as “a uniter, not a divider” — has been a divisive leader. Fifty-four percent called Bush a divider, while 41 percent called him a uniter.

In any case, it’s a good sign. Let’s hope the obfuscation machine doesn’t get cranking before November.

Today is Chinese (and other Lunar-based) New Year. The Asian community in Austin puts on a nice dragon dancing and fireworks show and for once Patita and I made it to the festivities. Click through for more pictures.

Oh, and in case you didn’t know, it’s the Year of the Dog, which is my year. So respect me or I might bite. Or at least sy something mean.

Finally, know your dragons. There might be a quiz or something.

Law Students Turn Their Backs On Gonzales (literally. click through for the pictures)

The quote that matters:

“When you’re a law student, they tell you if say that if you can’t argue the law, argue the facts. They also tell you if you can’t argue the facts, argue the law. If you can’t argue either, apparently, the solution is to go on a public relations offensive and make it a political issue… to say over and over again “it’s lawful”, and to think that the American people will somehow come to believe this if we say it often enough.

In light of this, I’m proud of the very civil civil disobedience that was shown here today.”
- David Cole, Georgetown University Law Professor

This is a fine and lovely thing to see. I know not everyone in this country has the backbone or brains of these students, but at least they do.

In other news, I just called my belovéd (cough) senators to tell them that I’d sure appreciate it if they’d refuse to support the patriot act until some real language has been written into it to curb possible abuses of National Security Letters and sneak-and-peak warrants. I mention this mostly because when I asked the young lady on the phone (who seemed largely disinterested in me, shock!) if she needed my zip code or anything to prove that I was a citizen of this particular partisan hack’s jurisdiction she said “No, I’ve got your phone number right here.”

Not that that should worry anyone. I mean, it’s just Caller ID, right?

According to this story at CNN:

President Bush on Monday rejected critics’ assertion that he broke the law by authorizing domestic eavesdropping without a warrant, saying he was doing what Congress authorized him to do to protect Americans from terrorist attacks.

Of course he does and of course he did. I also maintain that when my mom set my boundaries for driving when I was 16 that “a reasonable distance from home” meant I could travel the 40-odd miles from Dallas to Ft. Worth for the hell of it. That said, I’m willing to admit that I might have, you know, exceeded the limits intended by her edict. But I was a 16 year old boy who just got a car and was drunk with freedom, not, say, the president of the United States, drunk with power (among other things). It’s utterly reasonable that I would exceed the limits imposed on me by my parental unit, since that’s what teenagers do. It is NOT reasonable for the president of the United States to violate the 4th Amendment of the Constitution without confirming that that was what was intended when

“Congress gave me the authority to use necessary force to protect the American people, but it didn’t prescribe the tactics”

Of course, a republican-controlled Congress may well have meant for our little hitler to violate the rights of Americans and violate the 4th Amendment of the Constitution (the absolute law of the land, remember?) after all. But that’s an approach to the “tactics” that should have been clarified rather than simply assumed by the administration in question. Because I’d really like to think that maybe one or two members of Congress might have said, “Gee, wait a minute there, Georgie. That’s a little outside the scope of what we were talking about… Oh, and you’re grounded.”

Speaking of grounded, unlike shrubby, I never got caught. And, for the record, the statute of limitations is up on that whole driving to Ft. Worth thing. So when you read this, mom, breathe deep and let it go

The rest of you, though, should not let Georgie’s flagrant disregard for the rules set out for him by Congress go by unpunished. The statute of limitations has not run out on this. And there’s something we can do. Impeach the bastard. Sign up. Speak out. Write your newspapers. Write your (possibly corrupt, probably duplicitous) members of Congress. Just don’t sit there while this administration runs roughshod over the Constitution of the United States of America. If you do, you’re the one who’s unamerican, goddamnit.

The idiots at the US Teasury Department have relented! Cuba will be allowed to participate in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. This is great for baseball, the US and the world. Of course, the smart money still says that the Dominicans will win the thing. And you know what? I’m pulling for them. I mean, sure I’d like the US to win and all, but really, how often does the Dominican Republic get a chance to totally walk away with something? So, though I’m awfully glad that the Cubans are in what I really mean to say is ¡Viva Dominica!

Though I have to admit, the Aussies have one sweet team logo.