There is a certain delicious irony in the right wing's recent protestations with regard to Mr. Reid's comments.
I can't believe the way people like Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity and Michael Steele have the nerve to stand there with a straight face and call for Mr. Reid's resignation.
Where was this righteous outrage after the NY Post published the chimp cartoon? Nary a peep was heard.
Where was it when the essentially racist birther movement was really getting started? Where was it during that tea party march in Washington, when those KKK cretins were carring their ugly signs. Where was it when Joe Wilson willfully disrespected our duly elected president? Racism is the underpinning for a great deal of what is said by Michelle Bachman, John Boehner and especially Sarah Palin the not-so-secret white supremacist.
This is just another one of their meaningless pissing contests.
But today, I believe, is the day when we see the true measure of a great man and a great leader.
Today is the day we get to see how President Obama will respond to the disaster in Haiti.
We will get to compare it to Mr. Bush's response to Katrina.
Let us also not forget that while Bush 43 was in charge, Haiti had a CIA engineered Coup. I can't understand why there is NO video of Aristede resigning and climbing the steps of a plane. There is video of everything these days...everything..but no video of a world leader resigning and somehow choosing (roll your eyes here) to be set down in the middle of the continent of Africa.
Then we watched in horror when 2,000 people lay dead in Haiti after a hurricane, while Bush's Washington cooled its heels. Well, you know, Haiti doesn't have any oil!
I believe the human toll will be far greater today in Haiti. Sadly I believe we are seeing a disaster of epic, mammoth proportions unfolding as we speak.
But I believe that this time, we will get it right, insofar as anyone can. We will make inroads instead of excuses.
Over the years I have worked with many wonderful Haitian-American nurses, nurse aides and doctors. Like Ireland, Many of Haiti's greatest exports are its people. My heart goes out to all of you.
I hope and believe that today is the day that we as Americans begin to fulfill our promise to humanity.
3 comments:
What's that old saying, sisterstaion? The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Fox News has made a compact with the Repubs to search out and destroy anything liberal and progressive.
Michael Steele, despite his hypocritical call for Reid to resign, has stepped in some excrement of his own, with his latest gaffe, using the colloquial assertion, "honest Injun," in one of his statements.
The assertion, "Honest Injun," has been around since the late 1800s, but is now considered offensive.
It's been reported that some Native Americans have expressed disapproval.
I can't say if this site is legit or not, but it's funny, whether the Steele report is made-up or not.
On Haiti, Bush gets to redeem himself for his Katrina failure. The president has called on him, and Clinton to head up efforts to bring in international donors.
Bringing in Bush should tamp down some of the criticism he's getting from the Right. And was probably done for that reason.
As for Palin and her secessionist husband, the lower 48 has never looked so good. She, bringing in lots of $$$$$$$$$, can make the most stalwart secessionist pledge allegiance to the flag with uncommon devotion and fervor, and sing the national anthem with deep feeling and unbridled enthusiasm.
Sadly, I fear you're right about the death toll, and also right that we'll "get it right, insofar as anyone can," this time around.
I wish Haiti did possess a natural resource that was in demand by the world community. Perhaps that nation wouldn't have been placed on the world's back burner, and mostly forgotten.
We, all the world's nations, will be given another chance to redeem ourself, and "get it right," and, at the same time, redefine ourself, by virtue of our actions.
We have to get it right, this time.
Yes you are so right. We do have to get it right. And I think we will, although I can't see how anything Mr. Bush does can ever really bring redemption for him.
The Haitian people weren't even on the stove let alone a back burner during Mr. Bush's reign of terror, except to be used to nefarious purpose.
Not long after the coup, I heard that Haiti had become the "drug-clearing" capitol of the caribean, due to lack of ability for oversight by the very weak government. I am just cynical enough about Bush and Cheney to believe that that was part of the intention of this american-led coup.
Just facilitate the flow of the opium to the people and they won't be asking the hard questions.
Even the whole stock-market thing....I think they were really trying to keep that from boiling over for another three months, they just needed a little more time to make it look like Obama should get the blame, a little more spin-time to be able to say it's all Mr. Obama's fault.
They really would rather see this whole country fail than have to admit how wrong, how selfish and vacuous they all really are.
If you stayed on Fox news, you would almost not realize anything had happened in Haiti, that's how arrogant and apathetic they are; they just use it every now and then to make some more spin for themselves.
There is one saving grace that I can think of, and that is the Haitians themselves. I know this personally that Haitian nurses are among the best in the world. They are a delight to work with, with a seemingly inborn good cheer and sense of justice, and great personal and professional pride. If the rest of the Haitians are anything like them, then I know with the help of the world they will lick this.
@sisterstation; "They really would rather see this whole country fail than have to admit how wrong, how selfish and vacuous they all really are."
Not only fail, but get hit again, 9-11 style.
Cheney and Bush should have been tried for war crimes, and the only thanks Obama received for not pursuing it, was Cheney whining that Obama didn't pursue a Bush terrorist policy with a 100% fidelity.
"[T]hey just needed a little more time to make it look like Obama should get the blame, a little more spin-time to be able to say it's all Mr. Obama's fault."
I'm thinking that the impact of 9-11, and the anthrax scare did more damage to our economy than anyone was willing to discuss.
I'm thinking our economy teetered on the possiblity of a recession for years, aggravated by two wars, and only toward the end of Bush's administration was he compelled to do something about it.
Remember all those "stimulus checks" Bush authorized to jumpstart the economy, before leaving?
Bush knew the economy was in trouble, and he also knew, just as you have suggested, if he could just hold on, keep it afloat, he could exit and blame the economic freefall on Obama, his successor.
Fox News continues to show the world that it's a propaganda mill, and not a real news outlet. With MSNBC, and CNN devoting almost 24/7coverage to Haiti, it further highlights Fox's propagandistic role as an unofficial arm of the Republican party.
To my knowledge I've never known anyone from Haiti. Jamaica, yes, but not Haiti.
It's good to get first-hand knowledge that speaks well of the people.
They will survive, and hopefully the world will see the wisdom of helping Haiti become self-sustaining, and won't abandon them, just because they're not ore rich.
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