Life on the Plantation

Hillary has created a very useful metaphor for the current powers that be. It can be applied to the Executive Branch of government as well. After all the party in power is the beneficiary of the Southern Strategy that took root starting in the 60s but actually can be traced back to Strom Thurmond's run for the White House in 1948. One need look no further than last September and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to get an actual verification of that attitude.

Lest We Forget:

Life will go on but not without the overriding thought that not only will one of the major cities of the United States with a rich culture never be the same, but the US itself will never be the same. The unofficial end of summer marks the unofficial end of the Bush Presidency as well as its ascendancy which was based on the false hope of its ability to protect the citizens of this country from terror. Katrina was a natural terror and Ol’ George flunked this test miserably. There is no glory in that for those who do not support him. However, there should not be great surprise. He is carrying on a grand old tradition. Lest we forget Kent State and Mr. Reagan’s ignorance regarding AIDS.

The tragedy of New Orleans definitely puts a new perspective on the Republican Party’s Southern strategy. Lest we forget that these are the same people who stole an election in front of God and everybody in 2000. Lest we forget that this is the same President who refuses to meet with the NAACP Condoleeza Rice, Colin Powell and Clarence Thomas notwithstanding. They are certainly not field hands.

Lest we forget the arrogance of Lee Atwater and Karl Rove.
Lest we forget Trent Lott’s front porch.
Lest we forget Rush Limbaugh’s remark about why these people don’t have cars.
Lest we forget Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Jesse Helms, Rumsfeld, Cheney and the myriad of people who participate in the good ol’ boy network.

Was the aftermath of Katrina something that Mr. G.W. Bush planned?
Probably not. Yet it not only indicates how incompetent this administration is when it counts, when it is absolutely necessary for the Federal Government to intervene. Even Ike sent troops to Alabama when it became necessary – to protect black people. It definitely indicates how this administration is thoroughly uncaring when opportunism does not prevail. Cindy Sheehan did a very good job of pointing that out.

Lest we forget. The Christian Right is neither.
Lest we forget. Lynn Cheney called John Kerry a very bad man for bringing up her daughter’s very public lesbianism.
Lest you forget, Mrs. Cheney, your husband, second in command was on vacation while the first in command was doing the same thing. Do you want to talk about very bad men?
Lest we forget, this administration’s Miss Ann was at the theater, while a bona fide tragedy was happening to those of her own race.

If you are not angry that many people have needlessly died because of these very bad people, that can’t be helped, but if you are not the right kind of American, be afraid.

It is almost comforting that France, Germany, Venezuela and Cuba have offered to help.

Life will go on and finally relief will come to the good and the bad in the south. We all have a Southern Strategy. Life will go on in spite of the incompetence of this administration. Lest we forget.

From these pages on September 3, 2005

Lest we forget -- and only slightly off topic -- that the real enemy spoke out yesterday. The enemy that the State has ignored for these past four years.

Just remember.