in memoriam

Lest we forget (and admittedly, I'm always late with this one, remembering it as later than it was) it is four years now since the fiasco/clusterfuck that was our Republican-led government's response to Hurricane Katrina. George Bush and dozens of other politicians like him were elected by a gullible public chanting the mantra "the government cant do nuthin' right", and by golly, as one would imagine, the folks they elected to head their government proved them correct.
Maybe in the future, we should give some thought to electing people who actually believe that the government can do something right, and who then make an effort to prove themselves correct. Most of all, maybe we should make an effort to remember that our leaders arent the only ones who can handle a crisis, that the efforts of ordinary folks just like ourselves can rise closer to the occassion than anything we imagine that we can.

"We are entering an era of heightened disaster, thanks to climate change. Being prepared for disaster will mean being prepared to sift truth from rumour, and being prepared to adjust our worldview. There is some incredible ugliness to the truth about Katrina. But, four years on, the lies hide more beauty, and hide where our dangers and our salvation may lie in times of crisis."

From the Guardian UK, via Cookie Jill at Skippy the Bush Kangaroo