Where to start...?

hello, friends,

i hope everyone is doing well and safe and staying out of trouble. i have LOTS of opinions about LOTS of things, but i will try to keep the tone straightforward.

i acknowledge that it is not george bush's fault that the levees in new orleans broke. it is my understanding that, for years (and decades), the army corps of engineers has been among the first to be cut off the list for monies.

however.

i do blame FEMA (thanks to playwright jane anderson for alerting me to what that actually stands for: Few Enlightened, Many Assholes) and the bush administration for a slow slow slow response. even herbert hoover, as head of the department of commerce in 1927 was able to raise $150,000 million in the first three hours after the tidal surge on the mississippi. and we all know what kind of leader herbert hoover was...

i can't believe that FEMA is run by a guy who, though once a general counsel to the agency, came directly from an arabian horse farm. i can't believe he had no idea that the people in the superdome needed immediate water and food. as josh marshall, at www.talkingpointsmemo.com asked, "doesn't anyone in this administration READ?" jeez.

i am happy to hear that we've moved away from the term "refugee" and toward "evacuees." i am thrilled that washington college has offered full room, board and tuition to 8 students impacted by katrina. i am a little irked by larry king, but grateful that he has not dealt with natalee holloway in a week.

i'm also thrilled that my parents got me AAAplus for christmas, because today, on the way to cordelia's vet in new jersey, i got my THIRD flat tire in the last 8 months. dear god. so, thanks to miller's towing for taking me and my little dog to get another tire, another spare, and a lovely cheese hoagie.

my parents also bought me a bike today. do you think they are trying to tell me something?

heard from rob in the 'do (that's what the "in crowd" calls hokkaido) today, who assures me that it is still a town filled with gothic lolitas and drunk salarymen. and for those of you anxiously awaiting photos, i say, "get a life." seriously. no, i intended to do it today, but, because of the flat, my plans were changed. perhaps sunday, while i watch the kickoff of the NFL season.

i will not be watching or participating in the "freedom march." i hope that you will continue to send food, clothes, money to the red cross or the humane society. and go WAC writer's union for launching a book drive to go to the kids at the astrodome. if you have old kid's books or coloring books, let me know and i'll tell you how to help.

i think i've babbled enough.

be good to each other. i'll talk to you all soon.

gotohellifyouhatefreedom,
volansky