"I fear for our country…"

Via Drudge comes this celebrity response to the Hurricane Katrina snafu. So who said it: Faith Hill, Hillary Clinton, or Clint Eastwood?

The answer is here.

Comments

[John]

In the great tradition of country singing bubbleheaded, bleach blond, bimbos like Natalie Manes, it is Faith Hill.

Yeah, well I fear for my country to when people can't pick up the pieces for themselves and the federal government is responsible for every tragedy natural or manmade that befalls anyone, anytime, anywhere.

[Les]

In the great tradition of country singing bubbleheaded, bleach blond, bimbos like Natalie Manes, it is Faith Hill.

It's hard to argue with considered, thoughtful comments like that! Is it your position that anyone who thinks the feds should offer competent help in disasters or dislikes the president is automatically stupid and sexually promiscuous?

[ali g]

It's hard to argue with considered, thoughtful comments like that! Is it your position that anyone who thinks the feds should offer competent help in disasters or dislikes the president is automatically stupid and sexually promiscuous?

boyakasha

[Brian]

So Faith Hill's going on the Enemies List too.

So which celebs are we still allowed to like? Kirk Cameron (doing God's work in the Left Behind series) and . . . uh? Dennis Miller has been making "I'm really more of a libertarian actually" noises of late.

[Les]

boyakasha

Whoda whatta?

[Brian]

I think there's an evangelical Baldwin brother. And that guy on Charles in Charge. Not Chachi, the other guy.

[Jamie Kelly]

Celebrity gossip on Reason. Hmmm.
*scratches balls, tugs on can of Coors*
BEEEELCH! What the hall y'all doin' 'round here?

[Evan]

""When you have people dying because they're poor and black or poor and white, or because of whatever they are -- if that's a number on a political scale -- then that is the most wrong thing. That erases everything that's great about our country."

Wait, wait, just wait a fucking minute, asshole! If our country's "greatness" can be erased simply because people die because of "whatever they are", or, more accurately, where they are, then I would posit that our "greatness" ain's that substantial to begin with. What a crock of shite. Our country's greatness is not measured by how well the government protects its people from their own mistakes [building their homes in hurricane row].

McGraw specifically criticized President Bush. "There's no reason why someone can't go down there who's supposed to be the leader of the free world ? and say, 'I'm giving you a job to do and I'm not leaving here until it's done. And you're held accountable, and you're held accountable, and you're held accountable.

"'This is what I've given you to do, and if it's not done by the time I get back on my plane, then you're fired and someone else will be in your place. '"

Yes, that's why the cleanup is so slow. Because Bush isn't down there yelling at people. No, it's a failure because of what John touched on above. The government has given the people this false idea that they have the "right" to be protected from any and everything that happens to them. And when it can't, they are helpless---because they've grown apathetic and rested on the assumption that they'll be protected. It's partly their fault, and partly the government's fault.

Along the president's route, some frustrated residents held up signs in protest, one asking "Where's my government?" and another telling the president to "cut the red tape and help us."

Maybe you should help yourselves---not to be too callous or anything. The more the government helps them now, the more likely they will be to rely on the government next time. Touch a hot stove, get burned. Yes, it fuckin' sucks that the residents of N.O. had to learn this lesson the hard way, but it would be a true tragedy if it was all for naught...if they went through this mess, and didn't learn a single thing from it. THAT would be the real tragedy---and I'm afraid that it's happening as we speak.

"I fear for our country if we can't handle our people [during] a natural disaster. And I can't stand to see it. It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out point A to point B. . . . And they can't even skip from point A to point B."

Yes, they're incompetent. We get it. So, what did we learn here? Don't rely on idiotic beaurocunts to save your sorry ass from a watery grave, simply because you decided to reside in a big sinkhole right in hurricane alley.

Honestly, all this pining on about how the government failed us is great...but it needs to be followed up with something that matters. Faith and Tim can blather about government until their faces turn blue---but it will be the same thing next time. These failures aren't something that can be "fixed"...they are inherent in The State. So, Tim, Faith, if you want to make a difference, go out there and urge your fans to vote their idiot reps and senators out of office---urge them to demand that their tax dollars not be wasted on the boondoggle they call "DHS". It's obvious that the public sector is a massive failure when it comes to protecting its citizenry from anything but a sovereign threat---so give us our money back, and let the private sector do what the public sector cannot.

[John]

I was in Houston last weekend and the local news had a piece about how through some government screwup these Katrina evacuees had their electricity cut off. The news made it sound like a tragedy. All I could think is Katrina happened in August, we are now in March of the next year and you dumb asses are still depending on FEMA to feed, clothe and house you. You are in Houston, a huge city with a about 4% unemployment rate and you can't get off your ass and start supporting yourself six months after coming there. This is rediculous.

If you can't figure that fact out and think it is a national shame that the government can't fix everyone's problems for them, then yes Les you are bubbleheaded, bleach blond bimbo. Every libertarian on here who whines about the lack of government response to Katrina ought to be ashamed of themselves for not expecting people to take care of themselves and faulting the government for not doing exactly what they as libertarians preach constantly it ought not to be doing.

[Evan]

John,

To be fair, some of the fault lies with the government, for actively presenting themselves as being able to handle disasters. Not to mention federally subsidized flood and coastal house insurance in hurricane-prone areas which distorts the natural disincentivizing process that would normally keep people out of hurricane alley. These people didn't come to depend on the government all by themselves---they had help from the idiot pols that promised them that the government is here to help them.

[violent_k]

*scratches balls, tugs on can of Coors*

Dude, that's disgusting! Coors is a headache in a can.

[MayDay72]

And that guy on Charles in Charge. Not Chachi, the other guy. -Brian

That would be Willie Aames. He's probably trying to cleanse his soul after soiling it by doing the voice of Hank the Ranger in the "Dungeons and Dragons" cartoon. Because we all know how satanic "Dungeons and Dragons" is. Of course I'm being sarcastic...In my view the D&D cartoon was the only cool thing he ever did.

[John]

Evan,

Good point, but it still drives me nuts.

[Les]

If you can't figure that fact out and think it is a national shame that the government can't fix everyone's problems for them, then yes Les you are bubbleheaded, bleach blond bimbo.

Okay, all joking aside, why lump Natalie Manes in there? Because she publically expressed her displeasure with the president? And who, exactly, is arguing that the government should "fix everyone's problems for them"?

Bush and the feds made it clear that they would be there for the victims of the hurricane. Why shouldn't the average citizen expect help when the government (the one that's rebuilding countries on the other side of the world) promises it to them? This administration has done nothing to make people think they should take care of themselves.

I'm not saying I agree with the country stars, but I think you're building strawmen out of your frustration.

[rekinom]

Excellent article from Popular Mechanics regarding Katrina.

[Ammonium]

I don't get it.

It's been over 6 months since the disaster happened -- nobody's life in in peril.

Are they complaining because they aren't rebuilding fast enough, i.e. creating the next disaster?

As somebody living in the most boring part of the country -- where the chances of my house being knocked out of its misery are about zero -- I am a little offended that these rich country music stars want to give my money to people who find Houston too boring and therefore want to move back below sea level in time for the next hurricane season.

[Ruthless]

Is Faith one of the Dixie Chicks?
I was born and raised in Music City, but I've lost track of who's who.

[Lord Duppy]

This matters because outcomes of elections often rest on the all-important celebrity caucus.

[The Spirit of Cavanaugh]

So which celebs are we still allowed to like?

Definitely NOT Lindsay Lohan.

[Les]

Ammonium, that's a good point. It would be interesting to know just how much they've given to help the victims of the hurricane.

Ruthless,

Faith is not one of the Dixie Chicks. I don't care for their songs, but their talent as musicians and singers is undeniable, especially when they play bluegrass. Faith Hill is more like a stripper who can carry a tune.

[Douglas Fletcher]

I'd be more impressed with either of these Nashholes spouting off if there was any indication that they'd been down in New Orleans themselves hauling away debris or whatever needs doing these days.

[Jake]

Seems like some of you are involking the Glenn Grenwald corollary for any Bush criticism.

Bush is a goddamn disgrace along with the rest of his administration right down the line. And the sycophantic GOP/DLC congress isn't much better.

[Douglas Fletcher]

Thanks, Jake. So what do you think I should have for dinner tonight?

[40 year old fart]

Who's Faith Hill?

Now Lohan, I know who she is cause she's in that Herbie movie the kids like.

[joe]

Look, mommy, all the wagons are in a big circle!

[joe]

No no, them, those stupid poor people over there, and anyone who goes on camera and talks about them - they're the ones you're supposed to hate.

Not President Flightsuit. Oh, no.

[Tim Cavanaugh]

Funny, I thought the blithering bottle-blonde bubbleheaded bimbo in question was Thomas Jefferson:

I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just ; that His justice cannot sleep forever ; that considering numbers, nature and natural means only, a revolution of the wheel of fortune, an exchange of situation is among possible events; that it may become probable by supernatural interference! The Almighty has no attribute which can take side with us in such a contest."

Why does Jefferson hate America?

[joe]

I wonder, are the people who "built their houses in hurricaine row" the people living in 200 year old houses, the people living in public housing, or the people who could only find apartments they could afford in century-old apartment houses in the low-lying neighborhoods?

[Evan]

Yes, Joe, play the class card. The fact that they're poor changes everything.

The fact that they're criticizing the government is fine. But it's not fine that they're making it seem like human beings are helpless and need the government to come rebuild their lives for them. Bush fucked up, his administration fucked up; this is par for the course. They're going to keep on fucking up. So maybe it's time to take home a moral from this goddamned story, instead of just crying for the gubment to come bail them out---that's all I'm saying. "President Flightsuit" is habitually a failure---yet people act flabbergasted, flabbergasted, I tells ya!, that he failed them again. Yet, what do people want? They want to rebuild in the same goddamned place, on everyone else's dime---and when the next hurricane comes, they'll be in the same boat (or, they'll wish they were in a boat). Me, I live in a rather mild area of the country, but if a storm destroyed my neighborhood, I surely wouldn't come steal money from you at gunpoint to rebuild it.

The government deserves heapings of blame, but that's not to say that some blame doesn't rest on the people who were foolish enough to live in a sinkhole, below sea level, in the swamps, in hurricane alley...yet who simply assumed that Uncle Dubya would come down and save them. The fact that they're poor is a sad fact, but it doesn't mean that they're immune from criticism, Joe.

What has happened down here is the wind have changed
Clouds roll in from the north and it started to rain
Rained real hard and rained for a real long time
Six feet of water in the streets of Evangeline

The river rose all day
The river rose all night
Some people got lost in the flood
Some people got away alright
The river have busted through clear down to Plaquemines
Six feet of water in the streets of Evangelne

Louisiana, Louisiana
They're tyrin' to wash us away
They're tryin' to wash us away
Louisiana, Louisiana
They're tryin' to wash us away
They're tryin' to wash us away

President Coolidge came down in a railroad train
With a little fat man with a note-pad in his hand
The President say, "Little fat man isn't it a shame what the river has done
To this poor crackers land."

-Randy Newman, Louisiana 1927.

[Mr. Nice Guy]

joe:

All my peeps come from Wilkes-Barre, PA. It is a coal mining town. It also is built in a flood plain.

There are floods there all the time. The "lower" parts of the town are obviously hit the hardest. But there was a "big" one back in the late 60s, early 70s (stupid me, I don't exactly know). Pretty much everyone lost their houses. And these are working-class people.

But the one big difference between this and NO is the fucking WHINING. I don't have any recollections at all about the people in W-B whining about their plight. A few weeks ago, a bunch of NO refugees were marching in DC, and chanting "Where is the money!? Where is the money?!"

Again, I don't remember my grandparents and other family members having luxury hotel rooms for 6 plus months, and thousands of dollars in cash given to them. What they did was take all their rotted possessions and threw them down into the mines. Some people moved up the mountain, some left town for good, and others stayed.

My one exception is the people who died in NO and their family members. Obviously, their suffering is not to be dismissed by any ideology.

And what's with the "President Flightsuit" crack? Tell me where you see anyone here going to bat for Bush.

[Mr. Nice Guy]

Let ME take a swipe at Bushie.

Just the other day the clown is harassing Congress of being "too slow" in the great NO payout. No matter which side you're looking from, the guy is acting like a total jackass (ironic).

Both the left AND right hate the guy now. I can't imagine someone TRYING and screwing up this badly. Unbelievable. This guy will go down in history as the most arrogant with the least amount of substance and ability to back it up.

For the record, I didn't vote for him. I consider this to be boasting.

[Eddy]

I'm giving you a job to do and I'm not leaving here until it's done.

Is this a modified flat plate theory? 'It's micro-managers all the way down.' I've seen these guys, they work for DPW and there are usually 7 trucks parked at one place with 13 people jaw-jacking and 1 guy digging.

[joe]

"The fact that they're poor is a sad fact, but it doesn't mean that they're immune from criticism, Joe."

The fact that they're poor means that your supposition that they have plenty of available choices and the resources to relocate is unsupported.

"Lost their houses" in Wilkes-Barre (a town that needs to just give in and become "Wilkesbury"), did they? That's rough. But at least people who lost their houses, however low their incomes, received insurance. Maybe, just maybe, that check from the Good Hands People (the FEMA of the non-undeclass) has something to do with the difference in the level of "whining."

[Evan]

"The fact that they're poor means that your supposition that they have plenty of available choices and the resources to relocate is unsupported."

Really? How did human beings migrate and move from place to place before the invention of the middle and upper classes? We have poor people here in Charlottesville, too, Joe. Poor people can be poor almost anywhere---and rich people can be rich almost anywhere. You don't have to be wealthy in order to pick up and move to Des Moines. To the contrary, one would think that if one was poor, then it would be easier to put your life back together (to pre-catastrophe levels) elsewhere than it would for one who used to be wealthy. I can be considered middle-class; I own a house, I have a good job. If disaster struck, it would be more difficult for me to relocate and get a similar job and own a similar house in another place, than it would for someone who works at McDonalds. I hear about these refugees who are still living in motels in other cities, still with no jobs, 6 months later. How is that possible?

Our society is the most advanced and wealthy society to ever walk the earth; our poor class has less options relative to the wealthy, but relative to, say, the wealthy of 100 years ago, they have many more. I'd rather be poor in 2006 than middle-class in 1906. Yet, my argument that they have the option to leave is "unsupported", simply because they don't have as many options as the wealthy? That's horseshit.

[Smappy]

the Good Hands People (the FEMA of the non-undeclass)

Right, because Allstate takes money from everybody and gives it to those who never paid into the system. Just like apartments are Public Housing for the non-underclass.

[Mr. Nice Guy]

joe:

Our exchange has sparked my curiousity of how much assistance my family got during the big flood many years ago (WilkesBury, Wilke-BARR, Wilkes-BERR, even the townies switch it up). Yes, FEMA was there. And I wonder if they were every bit as incompetant with the hand-outs as they are today.

And are you saying that the folks in NO didn't get any federal assistance for their lost homes? There weren't FEMA field offices handing out checks like candy? Obviously, there is a "timeliness" gripe in this particular event. But the big-cash giveaway after hurricanes, floods, volcanos, is standard procedure.

[ChrisO]

NO was a dying city before the hurricane--I'd say that many of the poor folks who ended up in Houston would be better off staying there if they want to build new lives. And if they want to suck off the welfare teat, well you can do that any number of places--no need to build new crappy public housing in NO to replace the old crappy public housing.

I've read accounts where other parts of the Gulf Coast are quite busy rebuilding. Many of the sob stories from other parts of the GC seem to involve people having protracted disputes with their insurers. I'm no fan of GWB, but I don't see how that's his fault.

[mathwiz]

Actually, Faith Hill put the blame on Lousiana political corruption. I heard the audio on the radio this morning. I've googled, but can't find the audio or a transcript. Every article I have read about it makes it into yet another Bush bashing.

[Finkelstein]

joe, what did you do to help them? Ahh - vote to raise my taxes? Gee thanks man. How noble. Open up your fucking wallet if you think the "poor" deserve more of "our" money.

"A flood of words, a drop of reason."

[joe]

I'm really not interested in discussing my charitable giving with the likes of you.

I do like the way you assumed that I must be hypocritical, cheap, and irresponsible because I disagree with you in a political debate, though.

That's classy and intelligent.

[Name Game]

Woody Allen? Allentown, PA? Pa Smurf? Smurfette? Feta Cheese? Cheese Louise? Louie Louie?

[Jon H]

Mr. Nice Guy: One big difference between New Orleans and Wilkes Barre is that Wilkes Barre is much, much smaller.

I'm not surprised if Wilkes Barre's people were better able to cope than 10 times as many people from New Orleans.

Also, the flooded area of W-B was surrounded closely by unaffected areas from which help and economic activity could come.

And I'm sure the W-B flood receded far sooner than the weeks it took to drain parts of New Orleans, meaning that W-B's structures took less damage.

[Jon H]

"Actually, Faith Hill put the blame on Lousiana political corruption."

And her husband was clearly talking about the President.