Big River

Now I taught the weeping willow how to cry, cry, cry
And I showed the clouds how to cover up a clear blue sky.
And the tears that I cried for that woman are gonna flood you Big River.
Then I'm gonna sit right here until I die.
- Johnny Cash, "Big River"

I told you folks that I bought The Essential Johnny Cash. I've been playing eight songs (of thirty-six) more than others: Big River; Cry, Cry, Cry; Ring of Fire; I Walk the Line; It Ain't Me, Babe; Fulsom Prison Blues; A Boy Named Sue; and The Wanderer. We also needed something ordered from Amazon down at work, so seeing as how I've got money in my account, I figured I could splurge a second time and get something I've been planning to get for a while: Battlestar Galactica Season One. For the record, I don't like Battlestar Galactica because it's science fiction; I like it because it's good television, just like MI-5 or Sports Night.

My guess is that nobody noted that my scripture reading for today, Nehemiah 14, does not exist. Nehemiah only has thirteen chapters, so I'm moving on to Song of Solomon; it's killing two birds with one stone, as I'm consulting with Song of Solomon on a project that I'm working on. An epic, if you will.

I'm not sure if any of you have been paying attention to the news. The big story at this point is that President Bush and Secretary Chertoff were warned about the levees in New Orleans not being up to snuff prior to Hurricane Katrina hitting New Orleans. Mayor Nagin of New Orleans has expressed his shock at the video, which the media claims contradicts President Bush's earlier statements that nobody thought the levees were going to break. This raises several questions for me.

First, is it even a direct contradiction? Just because something is possible, it doesn't mean that it's anticipated. For example, in the late 1990's, Republican strategists in Minnesota probably said to their candidate, "Sir, Jesse Ventura could win the election." That doesn't mean anyone actually thought it was going to happen. I don't see the contradiction here that they're trying to make it out to be.

Second, let's assume, even though it's not the case, that President Bush was told, flat out, "We know for a fact that when the hurricane hits, the levees are going to break." Let's assume that's the case. What do we expect that President Bush would have done? Sent Karl Rove to New Orleans to reinforce the levees with his sheer mental power? Asked Governor Blanco again to let them federalize the issue, which she didn't do for like, a week after the hurricane had already hit? Told the soon-to-be looters and freeloaders on national television, who don't respect him or pay attention to him in the first place, "Y'all better get the hell outta that city, it's gonna be full of water like Mexico's fulla Mexicans!"? I mean, honestly.

What happened in New Orleans had nothing to do with FEMA, or President Bush, or the federal government. It had everything to do with local and state officials diverting money away from fixing the levees. It had everything to do with freeloaders waiting on their welfare checks instead of evacuating a city like they were told to do. You can accuse President Bush of contradictions, or blame FEMA all you like, it doesn't change the fact that the so-called "victims" of Hurricane Katrina were the people who ignored a mandatory evacuation order. These latest "developments" and attempts at a "scandal" are just the same tired partisan crap.

In case you folks didn't put two and two together, I uploaded a total of three "new" (newly scanned) pictures of me. Go check them out.

I've got stuff to accomplish. More later.