What's so funny about peace, love, and understanding?

Visit http://change.gov/!

I love my President-Elect Obama.

Okay, weird. Obama's Web site has a section about volunteering, and one of the volunteering options is to Make Calls.

It's actually pretty neat, as you can register, view/read a tutorial, and then it will give you a list of potential voters you can call and encourage to vote for Obama. It provides a script, in case you need some help.

So I signed up for it, just to see what it was like, and my parents are listed as two of the people to call! (They give you local people to call.) I recognize some other names, too. So weird.

If you have some time to kill, consider volunteering for the campaign in this way! You can also call people in Pennsylvania or talk to people in the streets.

There's a young man who works for Obama's office in my county.

He's not from around here, he's away from his friends and family, just one of those campaign workers who go wherever they're needed.

I've seen him several times walking the streets and sidewalks, always in a different city or village in this county. I imagine he's going door to door, trying to let people know why they should vote for Obama.

I've seen him walking in the rain without an umbrella; I've seen him walking on a sidewalk-less road. I've seen him try to convince people to sign up as campaign volunteers.

I'm just really amazed at his dedication. Knocking on people's doors - that's hard work. Because you can bet that half the people do not appreciate that. But he's trying to reach at least one more voter.

I'd like to volunteer, but I can't because of my employment. I would never go door to door, but I wouldn't mind making phone calls.

This is another reason why I don't see myself doing what I do as a career.

Donate!

Today I donated $80 to the Barack Obama campaign and $20 to MoveOn.org. I can't donate thousands of dollars like some people (I'm always amazed at comments on AMERICAblog about people donating that much), but I figured EVERYONE should contribute what they can, even if its $10 to $20. It makes a difference and adds up.

If you've been reading news online, you'd know that the Obama campaign needs donations, in part because of the way its rejected using public financing. The campaign relies on donations from people like us.

From The New York Times: "After months of record-breaking fund-raising, a new sense of urgency in Senator Barack Obama’s fund-raising team is palpable as the full weight of the campaign’s decision to bypass public financing for the general election is suddenly upon it."

The family and I went to the Great Geauga County Fair this Labor Day weekend (and that is the official name!).

We always go to the Democrat booth to get stickers, signs, and the like. No signs this year! Bummer. And we had to pay for stickers and buttons, when usually they're free.

I did buy some buttons, mine just says "Obama '08" with the campaign symbol and the Web site address. My mom's says "Women for Obama" (she still prefers Hillary, but she says she was just trying to rile me up whenever she defended McCain. Palin firmly pushed her over, though.).

Anyway, mom was, like, "Let's go in the Republican tent!" With our buttons on. I was, like, no, no, we can't do that! She wanted someone to claim that McCain was for women, too, so she could argue with them, I guess (she was mostly kidding).

But we didn't go in. I'm too chicken, I guess, or too polite.

At the fair, it was $5 a bag at the library, so I shoved about 20 books in the bag! Good deal.

All in all, I had a v. nice Labor Day weekend.

Once Upon a Time She Said.

I don't think Hillary Clinton put 18 million cracks in that glass ceiling so some gun-lovin', anti-choice, anti-environment fundamentalist could sneak through.

Sarah Palin is not fit to even say her name, so how dare she use Hillary's words in her speech.

If I hear one more time that Sarah Palin has more "executive experience" than Barack Obama, I will scream.

She has been the governor of Alaska for a year and a half. Alaska, which has the population of Memphis, Tenn., or better yet, the same population as Obama's Illinois *state* Senate district.

Population of Illinois' 13th congressional district: 653,647
Population of Alaska: 683,478

Cuyahoga County, Ohio, has more population than Alaska.

Oh, but wait! She also was mayor of Wasilla, Alaska for two terms!

Wasilla has an incredible population of 6,715!

Let's see...what is comparible.

Hmm.

The City of Geneva, Ohio has a population of 6,595! Let's recruit the un-elected city manager and tell him he's qualified to be the vice president of the United States!

Ashtabula, Ohio is bigger than Wasilla. Nearly triple the size.

My God. Can you imagine anyone from that city being thrust into national and international politics?

If this is some ploy to attract Hillary's supporters, I am offended. I have to believe that women are smarter than that. Sarah Palin is no friend to women's rights. She is no friend to human rights.

Hillary had to prove that she could be commander in chief over and over. Now the mainstream media is going on about how Palin has "executive experience" because she was leader of Hobuckville and has five children, so she appeals to women.

I feel ill.

Oh, John McCain. Either you're brillant or you're stupid. Time will tell. But one thing is for sure: there were dozens more qualified Republican women you could have chosen from.

The Big Picture.

Corbis
An undated photograph of Hillary Rodham, center, during her days as a student at Wellesley College, from 1965 to 1969.

This Hillary I want to vote for as president. I don't know if she's still in there somewhere, though. Some of her comments in this article make me hopeful that she's waiting, though.

From Wikipedia:

College

In 1965, Rodham enrolled in Wellesley College, where she majored in political science. She served as president of the Wellesley Young Republicans organization during her freshman year. However, due to her evolving views regarding the American Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War, she stepped down from that position;she characterized her own nature as that of "a mind conservative and a heart liberal."

In her junior year, Rodham was affected by the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., and became a supporter of the anti-war presidential nomination campaign of Democrat Eugene McCarthy. Rodham organized a two-day student strike and worked with Wellesley's black students for moderate changes, such as recruiting more black students and faculty.

In that same year she was elected president of the Wellesley College Government Association. She attended the "Wellesley in Washington" summer program at the urging of Professor Alan Schechter, who assigned Rodham to intern at the House Republican Conference so she could better understand her changing political views. Rodham was invited by Representative Charles Goodell, a moderate New York Republican, to help Governor Nelson Rockefeller’s late-entry campaign for the Republican nomination. Rodham attended the 1968 Republican National Convention in Miami, where she decided to leave the Republican Party for good; she was upset over how Richard Nixon's campaign had portrayed Rockefeller and what Rodham perceived as the "veiled" racist messages of the convention.

Rodham returned to Wellesley, and wrote her senior thesis about the tactics of radical community organizer Saul Alinsky under Professor Schechter (which, years later while she was first lady, was suppressed at the request of the White House and became the subject of speculation as to its contents).

In 1969, Rodham graduated with departmental honors in political science. Stemming from the demands of some students, she became the first student in Wellesley College history to deliver their commencement address. According to reports by the Associated Press, her speech received a standing ovation lasting seven minutes.

She was featured in an article published in Life magazine, due to the response to a part of her speech that criticized Senator Edward Brooke, who had spoken before her at the commencement; she also appeared on Irv Kupcinet's nationally-syndicated television talk show as well as in Illinois and New England newspapers.

That summer, she worked her way across Alaska, washing dishes in Mount McKinley National Park and sliming salmon in a fish processing cannery in Valdez (which fired her and shut down overnight when she complained about unhealthy conditions).

By the by, HRC's thesis, "'There is only the Fight...': An Analysis of the Alinsky Model" can be read online, but you'll have to search for it yourself.

"I fly like paper, get high like planes."

Anyway, I couldn't explain why I'm pro-choice better than Jill at http://www.feministe.us, so read her entry instead: Why I’m Pro-Choice - Blogging for Choice Part 2.

And, for some levity, this artist is my new hero: Guerilla Artist Bombs Spanish Steps With Plastic Balls.

Excerpt:

Mad-hatter artist Graziano Cecchini has struck again. The public-art prankster who filled the Trevi Fountain in Rome with blood-red dye last October released 500,000 brightly colored plastic balls Wednesday from the top of the Spanish Steps in Rome.

The balls, similar to the ones you can jump into at a Chuck E. Cheese pizza parlor, "represented a lie told by a politician," Cecchini told the Italian press.

“Leave it all to me - I will do the right thing.”

"We forthwith acknowledge our awareness of the sensitive and emotional nature of the abortion controversy, of the vigorous opposing views, even among physicians, and of the deep and seemingly absolute convictions that the subject inspires. One's philosophy, one's experiences, one's exposure to the raw edges of human existence, one's religious training, one's attitudes toward life and and family and their values, and the moral standards one establishes and seeks to observe, are all likely to influence and to color one's thinking and conclusions about abortion. In addition, population growth, poverty, and racial overtones tend to complicate and not to simplify the problem."
--U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmum, Jane Roe, et. al. v. Henry Wade, District Attorney of Dallas County, Jan. 22, 1973

Today marks the 35th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

Roe v. Wade - that landmark case that legally granted women the right to have an abortion but failed to account for all of the restrictions that states have thrown up in the ensuing years. Restrictions that have made abortions technically legal yet still unavailable for many girls and women in the United States.

At the moment, I am reading Choice: True Stories of Birth, Contraception, Infertility, Adoption, Single Parenthood, and Abortion, edited by Karen E. Bender and Nina de Gramont.

I am only half way through, but already I can state without reservation that all women should read this book.

It's a collection of personal essays by a variety of women, and by the title, I'm sure you can tell that the stories are not just about choosing to have an abortion. The stories are about a wide range of choices - and non-choices - the authors have made, from abortion - legal and illegal, to adoption, to surrogacy, to choosing *not* to have an abortion, even when a physician recommends one, to fertility issues, etc., etc.

These essays...

While reading the first essay, "The Ballad of Bobby Jo" by Jacquelyn Mitchard, I was torn between sadness and anger.

Bobby Jo Arness chooses to act as a surrogate mother for Mitchard, and the decision leads to Arness’ divorce, her being ostracized from her town, and a judge allowing her to visit her own children only on every other weekend.

And why? Why such horrid treatment to such a selfless woman, who only wanted to help another family? Because people are ignorant. Because they’re afraid of things they don’t understand or are different. And if *this* is what happens to women who should be applauded for their decisions, who helped create a life and gave it to someone else, then heaven help the rest of us.

Sometimes, most of the time, I think this world is moving backward.

Remembering MLK, Jr.

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
--Martin Luther King, Jr.

Since I'm on vacation, I was going to go to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame today, since it's a free admission day. But it's too cold and snowy, so I don't feel like driving all the way up there. Today will be a day spent reading, hopefully.

Heads up!

I think it's time to contact my representatives, yep.

From The New York Times:

Ohio Pushes Added Leave for Maternity

By BOB DRIEHAUS
Published: August 12, 2007

CINCINNATI, Aug. 11 — The Ohio Civil Rights Commission is pushing for a broad expansion of benefits for pregnant workers.

If its proposals are adopted, Ohio would join 18 states that require employers to offer maternity leaves that exceed those mandated by the federal Family and Medical Leave Act. That law offers workers at businesses with 50 or more employees 12 weeks of unpaid leave for infant care.

Expectant mothers must have worked for a business for a year, or 1,250 hours, to be eligible.

The Ohio commission has proposed that businesses with four or more employees offer 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave to pregnant employees, regardless of how long they have worked for the businesses.

Workers not eligible under the federal law would need a doctor’s orders to qualify.

The commission is revising its proposal after business groups said the rules would hurt small businesses and the state’s economy. The revisions are expected to go next month to a State Senate and House committee that could approve the rules without further action by the Legislature.

Jeanine P. Donaldson, who this year became the first woman to lead the commission, said the law on maternity leave needed to ensure that more women were protected against discrimination.

Ms. Donaldson said she was willing to bend on the number of weeks of guaranteed leave but hoped to preserve the stipulation that length of service would not affect eligibility.

“I don’t think a woman can decide when to get pregnant,” Ms. Donaldson said. “To choose motherhood over livelihood, I don’t think that is what the legislators had in mind.”

Business groups say the expanded leave would damage the economy. “There’s really no reason to change the current law,” said Tony Fiore, director of labor and human resources policy for the Ohio Chamber of Commerce.

Requiring small businesses to hold open positions would be a hardship, he said, as would the immediate eligibility for new workers at large corporations.

Ty Pine, legislative director for the Ohio branch of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, said the market was doing a good job of establishing reasonable maternity leaves for workers and businesses.

“We would like to maintain the current practice of reasonable time off without mandating specifically,” Mr. Pine said.

Various musing.

The other day I encountered an information booth run by an anti-women’s rights group (they proclaimed themselves as "pro-life," or some other rot).

Shock of shocks, the only people sitting at the booth were four old, white men. I’m glad they’re on top of the whole making-my-decisions-for-me thing.

Ugh. I would love to start some sort of feminist group in this county, to counter this bullshit, but I have no idea what we would do. Also, while I firmly believe there would be women who would want to join, I think it would be hard to reach them and hard to inform them and get them to actually come to events/meetings. I wouldn’t want to run this group, but I want to be a member of it. I think we have a League of Women Voters, though. And Zonta, of course. But they aren’t really the same thing as a "feminist" group. It's really not such a bad idea; I could create a Web site and facebook group...

***

I had intended to register as an Independent in the next primary election, but, as usual when I try to make this decision, something stops me. I want to be part of a community! I want to attend events like Yearly Kos. I want to volunteer for someone’s campaign. But I can’t if I’m an Independent (well, I can, but..). There’s no sense of community if you’re an "Independent" - it’s inherent in the word. Yes, I am disappointed in the (majority) of the current crop of elected Democrats. But declaring myself as an "Independent" isn’t going to change anything (well, it is taking a stance, though, and declaring my frustration). The most prominent Democrat activists, such as the bloggers at AMERICAblog and DailyKos, are liberal. It’s just hard to elect someone who is as liberal or progressive as us, because most people - Democrats and Republicans - are moderate. They don’t like extremes. The conservatives are better at getting extremists elected. They know how to band together, how to motivate their base. So, for now, I think it’s more important to stick together. Maybe.
 
***

P.S. Who knew? Someone to aspire to: Eleanor Smeal.

Letters sent to my congressmen.

*******

Senator Voinovich:

I have been following the recent story in the Washington Post about the horrific conditions at Walter Reed by Dana Priest and Anne Hull. I am appalled and sicked at the way our veterans are treated.

What are you going to do about these conditions?

The Republicans are supposedly so focused on "supporting the troops," but look at how the Republicans in power in Washington, D.C. treated them when they came home and the cameras were off.

Why aren't the Republicans noticing this matter? Why didn't you, the head of the ethics committee, ever notice anything? I hope you are ashamed.

I am outraged. And I become even more outraged when I don't see any of my elected officials stand up against this horror.

It is time for you, as an elected offical and as a human being, to demand an inquiry into why we cannot deliver health care to our veterans.

If you cannot fight this issue and draw attention to the lack of support given our troops by President Bush's adminstration--and by your own party members--then you do not deserve to hold your position.

Thank you,

[my name]

*******

Senator Brown:

I have been following the recent story in the Washington Post about the horrific conditions at Walter Reed by Dana Priest and Anne Hull. I am appalled and sicked at the way our veterans are treated.

What are you going to do about these conditions?

The Republicans are supposedly so focused on "supporting the troops," but look at how the Republicans in power in Washington, D.C. treated them when they came home and the cameras were off.

Why aren't the Republicans noticing this matter? Why aren't the Democrats?

I am outraged. And I become even more outraged when I don't see any of my elected officials stand up against this horror.

It is time for you, as an elected offical and as a human being, to demand an inquiry into why we cannot deliver health care to our veterans.

If you cannot fight this issue and draw attention to the lack of support given our troops by President Bush's adminstration then you do not deserve to hold your position.

Thank you,

[my name]

*******

Representative LaTourette:

I have been following the recent story in the Washington Post about the horrific conditions at Walter Reed by Dana Priest and Anne Hull. I am appalled and sicked at the way our veterans are treated.

What are you going to do about these conditions?

The Republicans are supposedly so focused on "supporting the troops," but look at how the Republicans in power in Washington, D.C. treated them when they came home and the cameras were off.

Why aren't the Republicans noticing this matter?

I am outraged. And I become even more outraged when I don't see any of my elected officials stand up against this horror.

It is time for you, as an elected offical and as a human being, to demand an inquiry into why we cannot deliver health care to our veterans.

If you cannot fight this issue and draw attention to the lack of support given our troops by President Bush's adminstration--and by your own party members--then you do not deserve to hold your position.

Thank you,

[my name]

*******

The Experiment--Take Two.

Well. That experiment was quick.

I requested "Not Ready to Make Nice" again today.

I received this reply from the DJ:

"I can play the Dixie Chicks just not that song ~ it must fit in our format Sorry"

How doesn’t it fit your format? You don’t play award-winning songs? How is it different than any other Dixie Chicks songs? Because it’s less "country"? Shouldn’t that make it more compatible with your format, since it’s more pop and light rock-ish? Your station is basically Vh-1 on the radio—and they play the "Not Ready to Make Nice" music video. I guess the difference is that they’re aren’t owned by bigot Clear Channel.

They are playing "Landslide" by the Dixie Chicks, right this minute, though, as a replacement. It will be the last song I hear on this station.

…right after my second request of "Train in Vain" by the Clash.

The Experiment.

I am conducting an experiment with one of my local radio stations. This particular station plays mostly pop and "light rock" music. They are also owned by Clear Channel, who was behind many country music stations banning the Dixie Chicks (because Clear Channel is based in Texas, etc., and owns some 1,000 radio stations).

This radio station plays many "crossover" country artists, so I wanted to determine if they would play the Dixie Chicks, specifically their newer songs.

During their request hours, I requested "Not Ready to Make Nice" by the Dixie Chicks from one e-mail address; five minutes later, I requested "Thunder Road" by Bruce Springsteen from another e-mail address (I had to make the song distinctive enough, so I would know it wasn't requested by someone else).

My logic is that if they played Springsteen’s song and not the Dixie Chicks’ song, obviously the Dixie Chicks must be banned from this station, too (I actually think they do play the Dixie Chicks on a local country music station, as I’m sure I’ve heard "Wide Open Spaces" lately; again, though, would they play "Not Ready to Make Nice"? That’s an experiment for another time).

Unfortunately, neither request was played today. Possibly I made the requests too late—maybe too many were already ahead of me.

I am going to make two song requests every day until I determine for one way or another if they will play the Dixie Chicks.

****

Bush-gems from today’s press conference:

"Money trumps peace."

"I don't know what's going in Iraq because I'm in this beautiful White House."

Midterm Election.

Yea, my personal ad has been filled!

How thrilled am I with the election results? I feel like the rug will be pulled from underneath me any moment. I don't think I've ever experienced my candidate winning before! What a strange feeling, to be ahead. I'm so excited about Strickland and Brown. The US will prob. be in gridlock for two years, but at least that means Bush won't inflict more crap on us!

I can't wait until January for the smoke-free bars and restaurants!

A new woman Speaker of the House? I loved Pelosi long ago.

Some annoying correspont on CNN this morning said that the Democrats will have a lot of "rhetoric" and no action. Okay. It's not "rhetoric" if a group actually tries to accomplish something but CAN'T because they don't have a 2/3rds majority to override any Bush-veto.

And may I just say that I told lame duck Mike DeWine back in September 2005 that he should look for a new job?

That journal entry:

americablog.blogspot.com, my favorite political blog, issued an Action Alert on the Dirty Bomb 54, 54 US Senators who "KILLED legislation establishing an independent, bipartisan commission to investigate what went so horribly wrong with Hurricane Katrina."

I called and e-mailed my senators, DeWine and Voinovich, the shits, last night. I called again this afternoon because I wanted to talk to a real person.

A DeWine staffer sent me to another staffer, the one "who handled that." But that person wasn't in, so I could only leave a message. I said how disappointed I was, how 76% of Americans support it, as well as 64% Republicans, and how the panel the Republicans wanted wasn't bipartisan if Republicans outnumbered Democrats on it.

And then I wished DeWine good luck on finding a new job in November 2006, when we vote him out of office.

I then called Voinovich. The staffer gave me this reason as to why Voinovich voted against it: "it was illegally attached to an appropriations amendment." The staffer called it a "technicality."

I told him I didn't buy that reason. I then asked, if that were the real reason, if V. was going to look into an independent investigation in the future. Staffer said V. hadn't taken a position yet.

I told him about that 76% of Americans supported an independent investigation, including 64% of Republicans.

Staffer: "I'll be sure to pass that information on to him, miss."

I said (sarcastic), "Yeah, I'm sure you will."

He then hung up on me.

Go me!

"Dirty Bomb 54."

americablog.blogspot.com, my favorite political blog, issued an Action Alert on the Dirty Bomb 54, 54 US Senators who "KILLED legislation establishing an independent, bipartisan commission to investigate what went so horribly wrong with Hurricane Katrina."

I called and e-mailed my senators, DeWine and Voinovich, the shits, last night. I called again this afternoon because I wanted to talk to a real person.

A DeWine staffer sent me to another staffer, the one "who handled that." But that person wasn't in, so I could only leave a message. I said how disappointed I was, how 76% of Americans support it, as well as 64% Republicans, and how the panel the Republicans wanted wasn't bipartisan if Republicans outnumbered Democrats on it.

And then I wished DeWine good luck on finding a new job in November 2006, when we vote him out of office.

I then called Voinovich. The staffer gave me this reason as to why Voinovich voted against it: "it was illegally attached to an appropriations amendment." The staffer called it a "technicality."

I told him I didn't buy that reason. I then asked, if that were the real reason, if V. was going to look into an independent investigation in the future. Staffer said V. hadn't taken a position yet.

I told him about that 76% of Americans supported an independent investigation, including 64% of Republicans.

Staffer: "I'll be sure to pass that information on to him, miss."

I said (sarcastic), "Yeah, I'm sure you will."

He then hung up on me.

Revised Letter to the Editor.

Apparently I have to send my letter by mail, so I took the opportunity to revise it some. The new version is below.

---

I have lived in [omitted] County my entire life, but I'm currently at Kent State University completing my senior year of college (woo-hoo!). I don't usually write letters to the editor, but I have some thoughts I need to express.

If I had turned off the volume of my television while watching coverage of the disaster in New Orleans, I would have thought I was watching footage of a crisis in a third world country.

George W. Bush and his administration have allowed a humanitarian crisis to happen in the United States. It was a sad day when I realized my county is rich and powerful enough to make war, but not rich and powerful enough to help its own citizens in a crisis.

There will be people who will blindly defend Bush. They will say "no one can control Mother Nature" or "any administration would have had difficulties dealing with this situation" or etc., etc.

No one can control Mother Nature; that's true. It's also true that the government on all levels have known about the problems in New Orleans for years, even before Bush took office (Bush would like us to believe otherwise, though, blatantly lying that he didn't "think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees." Who does he think he's fooling? FEMA told him back in 2001 that New Orleans and its levees were headed for a disaster, and that wasn't the first time the issue came up).

But how can anyone ignore or explain away the fact that Bush did everything in his power to hinder the correction of the levee problems? And after the hurricane struck, Bush once again demonstrated his callous disregard for ordinary, American citizens--especially the poor. He and his administration abandoned those people. New Orleans has many accessible entrances, even after the flooding, but no one rescued the victims or brought them supplies for days. If journalists could enter New Orleans, why couldn't rescuers?

Sadly, most of the damage and loss of lives in New Orleans could have been prevented if not for Bush's actions, a mere portion of which are listed below.

Bush and his administration:
--diverted funds needed for the critical maintenance of the levees to the Iraq war
--sent parts of Louisiana's and Mississippi's National Guard (people needed in the United States in case of a disaster) to the war in Iraq
--diverted funds earmarked for planning a response to a Category Five hurricane hitting New Orleans to the Iraq war
--filled and developed wetlands that could have alleviated the storm surge
--sharply cut disaster mitigation funding at FEMA
--appointed unqualified, incompetent people to head FEMA
--remained on vacation while thousands died (Bush, Cheney, and Rice--who was buying shoes worth thousands of dollars in New York City!)

The Bush administration's delayed response to the disaster in New Orleans was particularly shameful. Wake up, America. Unless you're part of the elite, George W. Bush and his administration don't care about you. Their handling of the situation in New Orleans just proves this fact even more.

Bush and his administration need to be held accountable for their gross mismanagement of the relief efforts in New Orleans. Every citizen should write their representatives and senators, demanding that an independent group--someone who doesn't have a stake in the outcome--investigate why things went so devastatingly wrong, before and after the hurricane, in New Orleans.

On an additional note, I've noticed that the administration's new favorite term is the "blame game." Catchphrases are typical Karl Rovian strategy. The Bush administration never defends its actions; it just goes on the offensive. Bush and his supporters attempt to trivialize their opponents and their concerns so people don't realize that Bush is the one who's actually done something wrong. To distract the public and media, Rove thinks of a catchy term and has every Bush-supporter continuously spout it on television, planting it in every American's mind until they start saying it themselves with no real thought to it's validity. Remember "flip flop"?

"Blame game" even rhymes, so Rove must be particularly proud of himself! But I don't think his strategy is going to work this time. What they fail to understand is that this situation is no game. Americans, don't let them distract us from the real problems anymore.

Americans in the South have died. Americans have suffered and lost their loved ones, homes, and livelihoods. They don't get a continue. They don't get to hit the reset button.

So, no, I don't blame the Bush administration or FEMA. I accuse them. The rest of America should, too.

Doing My Civic Duty: Writing a Letter to My Local Newspaper's Editor.

If I had turned off the volume of my television while watching coverage of the disaster in New Orleans, I would have thought I was watching footage of a crisis in a third world country.

George W. Bush and his administration have allowed a humanitarian crisis to happen in the United States. It was a sad day when I realized my county is rich and powerful enough to make war, but not rich and powerful enough to help its own citizens in a crisis.

There will be people who will blindly defend Bush. They will say "no one can control Mother Nature" or "any administration would have had difficulties dealing with this situation."

No one can control Mother Nature, it's true. It's also true that the government has known about the problems in New Orleans for years, even before Bush took office (Bush would like us to believe otherwise, though, blatantly lying that he didn't "think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees." Who does he think he's fooling? FEMA told him back in 2001 that New Orleans and its levees were headed for a disaster, and that wasn't the first time the issue came up).

But how can anyone ignore or explain away the fact that Bush did everything in his power to hinder the correction of the levee problems?

And after the hurricane struck, Bush once again demonstrated his callous disregard for ordinary, American citizens--especially the poor. He and his administration abandoned those people. New Orleans has many accessible entrances, even after the flooding, but no one rescued the victims or brought them supplies for days.

Sadly, most of the damage and loss of lives in New Orleans could have been prevented if not for Bush's actions, a mere portion of which are listed below.

Bush and his administration:
--diverted funds needed for the critical maintenance of the levees to the Iraq war
--sent parts of Louisiana's and Mississippi's National Guard (people needed in the United States in case of a disaster) to the war in Iraq
--diverted funds earmarked for planning a response to a Category Five hurricane hitting New Orleans to the Iraq war
--filled and developed wetlands that could have alleviated the storm surge
--sharply cut disaster mitigation funding at FEMA
--remained on vacation while thousands died

The Bush administration's delayed response to the disaster in New Orleans was particularly shameful. Wake up, America. Unless you're part of the elite, George W. Bush and his administration don't care about you. Their handling of the situation in New Orleans just proves this fact even more.

Bush and his administration need to be held accountable for their gross mismanagement of the relief efforts in New Orleans. Every citizen should write their representatives and senators, demanding that Congress investigate why things went so devastatingly wrong, before and after the hurricane, in New Orleans.