As I posted a day or two ago, I’m waiting for a couple of things to happen, post-Katrina:
– An announcement naming one or more Halliburton subsidiaries as sole source contractors for rebuilding New Orleans (like Iraq, the argument will be made that no other company on earth can do the job) and
– An uptick in Bush’s popularity rating because people think his hugs, kisses and patronizing comments to photogenic Hurricane victims looked “Presidential” or “sincere” or “Godly” (please forgive me, God).
Furthermore, I predict that Congress will, in fact, vote to keep the repeal of the Estate Tax permanent; that the heads of Homeland Security and FEMA will receive some kind of White House award or recognition, like the Medal of Freedom; and that Antonin Scalia will be named Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Good For You, Kanye West
And shame, SHAME on the toadies at NBC – including that self-righteous apologist prig, Matt Lauer – for cutting off Kanye’s emotional, anti-Bush speech during last night’s “Concert for Hurricane Relief”.
Route 66
Thanks to a gift from Peter some birthday or Christmas ago, I was listening to the Manhattan Transfer’s cover of “Route 66”, a song written by Bobby Troup way back in 1946, which happens also to be the year I was born.
Chicken Parts and the Sadies
My neighbor across the street is throwing a Labor Day party tomorrow. She has the prerequisites: a big house, a big yard, a pool, a well-paying job, and an outgoing, inclusive personality.
What About the Next One?
The public is reeling, and will be for a long time to come, as a result of Hurricane Katrina.
But it is just about certain that there will be another hurricane making landfall before this year is over – and it could be another major (category 4 or 5) storm. Is ANYONE preparing for it?
Katrina Donations
Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, which suffered the worst havoc from Hurricane Katrina, voted overwhelmingly for Bush in 2004.
I must admit that the idea of sending money to people who supported Bush, who is if anything a worse disaster than Katrina, sticks in my craw.
So, before donating any contribution to the relief efforts, I did some checking on the election results for the major cities affected: New Orleans, Biloxi and Mobile.
A Difficult Employee
Bunnatine Greenhouse, a US Army contracting official, had stellar performance reviews until she questioned the propriety of sole-sourcing some $10 billion in contracts to Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown & Root, Inc.
Ms. Greenhouse has now been demoted for allegedly poor performance, and she’s hired an attorney, who has publicly categorized her demotion as a “reprisal” for “her strict adherence to procurement requirements and the Army’s preference to sidestep them when it suits their needs”, according to The New York Times.
Disaster
Somewhere in this blog, I said that Bush might as well win in 2004, since this Presidential term is guaranteed to be a disaster.
How right I was.
Profundity
From the Boston Globe online edition:
Secretary of State William F. Galvin sounded the alarm on heating costs last week, urging consumers to start winterizing their homes now and urging state officials to begin exploring ways to keep prices within reach. He said the best way to cut heating costs is to use less heat.
Public Demands Impeachment of President for Vote-Rigging
Following allegations that the President ordered an election official to rig the votes in the last election, 80% the citizens in a recent poll demanded impeachment.
The Chief Executive’s other problems include an economy that’s tanking because of oil prices and a call for reforms to cut the government’s debt.
The President’s political party has an “overwhelming” majority in Congress, though, so it seems likely that a deal will be worked out to prevent impeachment.
The President? It’s Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the Philippines.