Gracie, posting at Da Goddess's site says somethings that I've been thinking about lately. All the people who are stranded because they had no means to leave or underestimated the storm. They're sitting out there now, waiting to be rescued, or expecting their services to come back because they can't get any news from the areas hardest hit.
Gracie says:

All I could think of was how arrogant those people were to expect that they could ride it out and then expect our public agencies to come and rescue them. Having lived in the south for an extended period of time, I feel comfortable in my "right" to say how things are there. The south is unlike anywhere else. The entitlement mindset is dominant. It's everywhere. The whole "you owe me" lifestyle is alive and well down there and it's as disgusting as you'd think. I saw it first hand everywhere I went. Sure, there are hard working, honest and decent folks, but there are an awful lot of people who go around with a tremendous chip on their shoulder for things that happened long before our grandparents were born and that we cannot undo today. The attitude extends to all people, not just those of a particular race or color. It is one of the biggest reasons I left the south. So with that in mind, as I said, I got angrier and angrier watching those helpless people be plucked one by one from their rooftops. I thought of how much danger the rescuers were in and how if these people had just done what they were ordered to do (LEAVE), they wouldn't be where they are.

I mentioned this last night at dinner to my Mom. She stopped me cold with these words. "Don't you remember what poverty looks like? Don't you remember all those stories you told me about people who were so downtrodden and unable to care for themselves because there are no jobs and no way to get to the cities where there are jobs? Don't you remember how you told me of their lack of what we consider basic essentials such as running water (yes, seriously...there are many without it in the rural areas), transportation and even a sound roof over their heads? Those people did not ignore orders...they could not obey them. They had NO WAY to get out. No money to get out. No car, no gas, nothing. Some may not have known what was coming. They stayed because they had no choice." Ouch. She's right. Not for everyone, but for many...I'd say a majority of those who stayed...they had no choice.

Coming full circle back to my friends who DID have a choice and chose to stay. I didn't sleep Monday night and was unable to eat for most of yesterday until the phone rang and finally, it was them. My relief at hearing her sweet voice was almost trumped by my anger with them for the foolishness that they showed. She assured me that while things are bad..really really bad, they're ok. Their house is untouched...and in fact, every inch of where she prayerwalked is also almost entirely damage free. A stray branch here and there but no catastrophic damage. Less than 10 feet from where she stopped...devastation. They have no water, no food and no power, but they're ok. She told me that from what she could see, Katrina was simply overhyped...so I had to tell her the truth. The stunned silence and sound of weeping confirmed what I already knew of my beautiful friend...she had no idea.

Read the whole thing here.

I remember the ice storm in NC. We had no power, and there were trees and power lines across our street for days. We had no idea whether the road to town was open or closed, what the rest of the area looked like, or even how much would have to be repaired before we got our power back..... I know that people in lesser hit areas are probably patting themselves on the back and just waiting for the power truck because they have no TV or radio, no newspaper, phone, or internet. They have no idea that even though they still have a house, they should probably evacuate....

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Evil Glenn and TTLB have joined forces to promote a blogswarm for donations to Katrina.

Not Exactly Rocket Science is participating tomorrow, and is pleased to recommend the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR), a fine charity that we've been supporting all of our lives over here. UMCOR is unique in that it's major distribution center is already in the area, so they're able to mobilize quickly. Also, since UMCOR is a subsidiary of the United Methodist Church, 100% of your donation goes directly to the area you choose.

More tomorrow.

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a four drawer would be too tall....

I am: a file cabinet Reams and reams of information that just might need to be retrieved and looked up some day, stored in a convenient low-tech form that everybody can read or produce easily.

(h/t Songstress7)

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Crap-Master Laurence really hits it out of the park with this piece on having the courage to be a great American.

Comparing certain famous right-wing politicos to the Hollywood Political Intelligentsia, Laurence says:

Barbara Streisand has sold many times more albums than Sonny Bono. She's won Grammys and Oscars for her compositions where Bono had an empty shelf. But Sonny Bono is more of an American, in my opinion, than Barbara Streisand. He complained, he rolled up his sleeves, he got elected, and he did something about it on behalf of the people who elected him.

Barbara Streisand may not have brought in more box office than Arnold, but she's got Emmys and Oscars and Golden Globes out the wazoo for her performances on screen, silver and small, where Arnold only had joke MTV awards. But Arnold is more of an American, in my opinion, than Barbara Streisand. He complained, he rolled up his sleeves, he got elected, and he did something about it on behalf of the people who elected him.

Courage isn't running for office to see how many people who will vote for you. It's having the guts to run even though there's people who will vote against you and still serving the entire public to what you pray is the best of your ability.

Let me know when Barbara runs for something. Let me know when Danny Glover, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Alec Baldwin, and the rest of the celebrity punditsphere run for office.

Read the rest!

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But somehow I made TTLB's top posts today! Three cheers for quirkiness.

Here's the proof....

Cool.

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Patterico has been invited to write a second "Outside the Tent" piece, which appears in today's LA Times.

In this week's piece, Patterico takes on the Times' coverage of Cindy Sheehan and points out the blatant omissions in the Times' version of the story, and the questions it raises about journalistic objectivity and an editor's responsibility to present all of the facts in the case, no matter whether or not they agree with them.

Patrick writes, in part:

...in its apparent zeal to portray Sheehan as the Rosa Parks of the antiwar movement, the Los Angeles Times has omitted facts and perspectives that might undercut her message or explain the president's reluctance to meet with her again.

For example, The Times uncritically reported Sheehan's claim that the president had behaved callously in a June 2004 meeting with her and her husband, refusing to look at pictures of Casey or listen to stories about him. The Times claimed without qualification that Sheehan "came away from that meeting dissatisfied and angry."

But the article failed to mention that Sheehan had previously described Bush as sincere and sympathetic in the meeting. According to an interview with her hometown paper, the Vacaville Reporter, Sheehan had said that although she was upset about the war, she decided not to confront the president — who clearly left a favorable impression: "I now know he's sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis…. I know he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of faith."
...

Rational people can disagree whether the war in Iraq is justified. But a newspaper's job is to report all relevant facts and present different perspectives, not just those that suit one particular viewpoint.

By that measure, The Times has woefully failed its readers with its one-sided coverage of the Cindy Sheehan story.

There's much more, too. Don't miss blogger Mohammed's (of Iraq the Model) comments about the suffering of Iraqi mothers under the regime of Saddam Hussein.

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You're Mr. Orange!


Which Reservoir Dog Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

(h/t Margi, aka Mr. Orange....)

Posted by: caltechgirl at 01:04 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Sissy of And What Next... was visitor #43,000!

Yay!

Posted by: caltechgirl at 10:33 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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What curse word are you?

Your word is FUCK. You like to come across as rude
and rebellious, and often you do. You also are
intelligent and maybe surprisingly sensitive,
though God help anyone who said that in front
of your friends.


Which Swear (Curse) Word Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

In honor of this momentous result, an oldie but a goodie for your listening pleasure...(right click and save, please!)

(h/t Kate (who evidently is shit although I don't think so!))

Posted by: caltechgirl at 08:25 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Remember what I said about wanting to post something about that vile Sheehan woman? Ronald Griffin says it for me, and far more eloquently than I ever could.

Mr. Griffin is the father of Spc. Kyle Andrew Griffin, a recipient of the Army Commendation Medal, Army Meritorious Service Medal and the Bronze Star, who was killed in a truck accident on a road between Mosul and Tikrit on May 30, 2003.

In today's WSJ, Mr. Griffin writes:

Maureen Dowd of the New York Times portrays Mrs. Sheehan as a distraught mom standing heroically outside the guarded gates of the most powerful and inhumane man on earth, President Bush. Ms. Dowd is so moved by Mrs. Sheehan's plight that she bestowed upon her and all grieving parents the title of "absolute moral authority." That characterization epitomizes the arrogance and condescension of anyone who would presume to understand and speak for all of us. How can we all possess "absolute moral authority" when we hold so many different perspectives?

I don't want that title. I haven't earned that title.

Although we all walk the same sad road of sorrow and agony, we walk it as individuals with all the refreshing uniqueness of our own thoughts shaped in large measure by the life and death of our own fallen hero. Over the past few days I have reached out to other parents and loved ones of fallen heroes in an attempt to find out their reactions to all the attention Mrs. Sheehan has attracted. What emerges from those conversations is an empathy for Mrs. Sheehan's suffering but a fundamental disagreement with her politics.
...
Karen Long is the mother of Spc. Zachariah Long, who died with my son Kyle on May 30, 2003. Zack and Kyle were inseparable friends as only soldiers can be, and Karen and I have become inseparable friends since their deaths. Karen's view is that what Mrs. Sheehan is doing she has every right to do, but she is dishonoring all soldiers, including Karen's son, Zack. Karen cannot comprehend why Mrs. Sheehan cannot seem to come to grips with the idea that her own son, Casey, was a soldier like Zack who had a mission to complete. Karen will tell you over and over again that Zack is not here and no one, but no one will dishonor her son.
...

We refuse to allow Cindy Sheehan to speak for all of us. Instead, we ask you to learn the individual stories. They are glorious. Honor their memories.

Honor their service. Never dishonor them by giving in. They never did.

Read the whole thing.

(h/t The Lovely QOAE and Dean)

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The Fusileers are back, and this time we're looking for a few good $$s.

If you haven't seen this elsewhere, take a moment to read about Project Valour- IT (Voice-Activated Laptops for OUR Injured Troops), which helps to provide voice-activated software and laptops for soldiers who have lost the use of their arms and hands, to help them communicate with their loved ones.

Go here to read more about this project, which is being sponsored by Soldier's Angels, a terrific group that is dedicated to making sure every US soldier feels loved and cared for. Go here to contribute.

This button will be up on the sidebar... feel free to click and donate, even after this post has gone away.....

Posted by: caltechgirl at 07:13 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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so here are some posts that I thought were interesting/noteworthy/funny as hell over the last few weeks..... Check out some blogs you may not have read before...

First up, in the funny as hell category, Helen of Everyday Stranger sends a letter to that wonderful friend to every woman, the Period Fairy.

Next, Michele of ASV sets the record straight on the difference between VanHalen and VanHagar.

Speaking of Van Halen, Rusty Shackelford asks: Who's the bigger pimp, Yoda or David Lee?

Physics Geek bring you an '80s love letter and some fun for those boring days in the office.

Boudicca's got an acrophobic pyromaniac on her hands.....

Besides being a theater student, stage manager, and all around great person, Katie Mango is also quite handy. Who knew?

SMASH is on assignment, doing a training exercise deep in the land of Mabel. Check here for his latest update on the situation and some thoughts about whether the Navy needs an infantry.....

Sean Kinsell has some interesting thoughts on the latest Gay Marriage brouhaha in Canada.

Shrinkette has an interesting piece on the essence of Bullshit.

Jen takes on the phone call from hell....

Baldilocks takes on the uber clueless folks at PETA who STILL can't get it through their heads that maybe it might be wrong to equate animal cruelty and slavery.....

Drop in and congratulate Nin on her new job! Woot!

Speaking of jobs, Smiling Dynamite (aka Mrs. Bad Example) has the blondest co-worker EVER

Also, Don't forget to check out this week's Cotillion.

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This is why I will never be convinced that homeschooling is any better than public school for most kids.

(h/t Leopold "Butters" Stotch)

Posted by: caltechgirl at 10:45 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Take the Star Trek Quiz

(h/t: Mikey and Ith)

Posted by: caltechgirl at 07:07 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Go here to help our friends at Babalu strengthen the Cuban people to make a change in their leadership!

To the folks on the island, I want you to say these three simple words: repeat them, believe them. Don't just say them. All of you on the island have to understand that despite the CDRs, despite the lack of electricity, despite the lack of fresh milk for your babies, despite the all of these things, you are still human beings, you have dignity and worth, you are God’s children like the rest of us. And when the frustration is too much, you have to rise up and yell, ¡Ya no mas! -- "I've had enough!"

Everything around us, that is created by man, was once just a thought. The power of the mind to create reality is beyond dispute. These words can empower the people of Cuba with the spirit of liberty. Despite all that the government can do to them, they can still say them and they can still think them. I hope they pass the meme along, paint the words on buildings, write them on the sidewalk, write them in their ration books. All they have to do is to believe them.

“I’ve had enough.”

Ya no mas.

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