Yet Another Slap In The Face With A Big Fat Reality Stick

Remember how ever since Hurricane Katrina hit, the media have been howling for blood, declaring that the catastrophic damage done to New Orleans was a result of FEMA being too slow to respond to the breaches in the levees?

Remember how they said everything that went wrong at FEMA was Michael Brown, Bush-appointed head of FEMA's fault?

Remember how they said that made it Bush's fault?

Wrong again.

"We keep getting reports in some places that maybe water is coming over the levees," Gov. Kathleen Blanco said shortly after noon on Aug. 29, according to the video. "We heard a report unconfirmed, I think, we have not breached the levee. I think we have not breached the levee at this time."

Now, if you were the president, and you had been told in advance that the levees might be at risk, but the person in charge on the ground at the site said "they're not breached," then how would YOU respond? Hmmm?
Well, probably the same way that President Bush, and FEMA, actually did.

They didn't begin repair operations until the levee breaches were out of control because the governor of the state of Louisiana assured them that the levees were, in fact, not breached, and they didn't need to start repairs, despite the fact that

In fact, the National Weather Service received a report of a levee breach and issued a flash-flood warning as early as 9:12 a.m. that day, according to the White House's formal recounting of events the day Katrina struck.

That's right, kids. The governor had her head in the sand, didn't want to believe the NWS, and lied to the president, resulting in catastrophic damage to her state and the city of New Orleans.

Somehow, that doesn't come across as Bush's fault.
Remember me saying, often, that people are mad at Bush about the wrong things?
You should.
Here's a GOOD reason to be pissed off at him.

Today, the Senate voted, and made the USA-PATRIOT act permanent.

The spying, wiretapping, intrusive searches in violation of the Fourth Amendment, and general harassment of the population, not to mention torture of prisoners, unlawful detention without charges, confiscation of property of suspects, and general maladaptive behavior, are now officially part of the United States law.

God help us all.