Thinking About New Orleans

So FEMA was ask to assess in 2001 what the three greatest potential threats to the United States were. They suggested an attack on the Wold Trade Center, an earthquake in California and a hurricane hitting New Orleans as the events that held the greatest potential for maximum damage and loss of life.

Well blow me. I left America on September 10 2001, what happens the next day the World Trade Center is hit by two planes and it collapses. I stil have not seen the news footage of that day in its entirity and I would love to.

I come back to the United States. Stay for four years and nothing really bad happens, excluding of course Bush getting reelected and the War in Iraq started, both catastrophic events to my mind, but not ones FEMA predicted so I will ignore them.

2 weeks ago I came to Thailand, having been invited out of the blue to teach and while I am here New Orleans is hit by a hurricane and the shit totally hits the fan. Is there a pattern here. Well first and foremost, to all Americans I am sorry, whenever I leave some bad shit seems to go down, so I guess I will have to stay.

There is another and far more sinister coincidence. Before 9-11, George Bush went on his first really long vacation as president and at the end of it, the World Trade Center is hit. This year he gos on a 5 week vacation and New Orleans is hit. So perhaps George Bush should stop taking vacations. While he strikes me as a pretty brainless and useless man, it seems he causes more trouble when he is doing nothing than he does when he is pretending to be working.

Furthermore, he should read his briefing papers. FEMA suggested the World Trade Center may be a target for terrorists and George cut FBI counter-terrorism funding. Likewise FEMA suggested New Orleans might be hit by a hurricane and George cut the funds needed to maintain the Levys. The result, New Orleans has been inundted by water, looted, parts of it seem to be burning, the sick and infirm are dying, women and children being raped, and the survivors forced to choose between staying and starving or walking through water that is now a toxic stew. And what does George do, he calls this a temporary crisis and his government only sends 70 buses to rescue people in 4 days.

Hey George, please do not go back on vacation

Just a few thoughts from a very tranquil Bangkok.

James