No excuses

I don’t want this blog to bog down in politics. God knows there is enough hot air from both sides about politics on the Internet.

But, it is next to impossible to stand by and listen to the ‘blame the victim’ choir that started this week. The images and thoughts of people such as Oliphant and Jon Stewart are capturing the media spin of the right wing apologists. Here is one example, blaming the victims for not leaving by Robert Tracinski in a tract called The Intellectual Activist. "The reason… that the events there make no sense (is) if you think that we are confronting a natural disaster…But this is not a natural disaster. It is a man-made disaster… The man-made disaster is the welfare state…"

Although Tracinski goes on to note that 25 percent of the city remained after the initial evacuation, he goes on to say "a large number of those who remained were from the city's public housing projects." And that, "the city had no plan for evacuating all of the prisoners in the city's jails—so they just let many of them loose. I have been searching for news reports on this last story, but I have not been able to confirm it."

I know what it’s called when you print something that is not confirmed. It’s called Bullshit.
Despite the fact Tracinski can’t confirm this last detail, it becomes a centerpiece for the rest of his apology. When your argument rests on a foundation of bullshit, it is itself contaminated.

Call it what you will.

Is the mayor of New Orleans responsible? Yes. Is the governor of Louisiana responsible? Sure. Is the president responsible? Yes. I can’t think of anyone else who has shrugged his personal responsibility more. But I can’t find the number of apologists standing up for Mayor C. Ray Nagin and Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco that we see excusing the inept presidency of Mr. Bush.

As you know, I’m unemployed at the moment. Nevertheless, there are people who are in greater need than I am. I’m going to try to give $100 to the relief effort through the American Red Cross. I hope you join me.

No excuses.