R Blog

The Great Deluge

It’s been just over a year since Katrina but somehow historian Douglas Brinkley managed to put together a very readable history of the week of the flood using voluminous interviews with key participants and victims of the flood. The nice thing to learn is that there were some heroes. Bush wasn’t. Nagin wasn’t. Chertoff and Homeland Security weren’t. Brownie and FEMA flopped. About the only federal agency that performed with excellence was the US Coast Guard which got right on it and saved thousands along with local volunteer first responders. Half of the New Orleans Police Department went AWOL, some in stolen Cadillacs. Other cops stayed on the job and performed admirably. Katrina was one of the worst national disasters in history and the Federal Government let the people of New Orleans down. The State of Louisianna gets mixed reviews and, after reading the book, one wonders how the craven mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, ever got reelected. Reading The Great Deluge, a real page turner, the suffering caused by Katrina is palpable. Keep a box of Kleenex close by. The descriptions of escapes, deaths, violence and bureaucratic obtuseness by participants in the story will cause you to grind your teeth. The dramatic climax of the story comes when Tony Zumbado, a freelance video photographer for NBC and his assistant Josh Holm make their way by boat to Memorial Hospital and discovered forty-five decomposing bodies of patients who had not been evacuated or rescued. Katrina was more than a natural disaster. it was a political disaster of major proportion. The dispossessed learned that their government didn’t care. The rest of us learned once and for all how incompetent the Bush administration was. The flood killed more than people; it destroyed a carefully built myth that Mr. Bush was capable of protecting us.

A companion book to Brinkley’s The Great Deluge is Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America by John M. Barry.  This whole Katrina thing happened once before and we didn’t learn much from history. We kept messing with the river and ignoring the danger signs. In 1927 there were heroes and goats as well. Herbert Hoover who led the relief effort was catapulted into the presidency as a result of his performance. Read together you will come to one conclusion—neither one of these books are on Preznit Bush’s reading list. Here’s an  excerpt from Amazon.com.

Gangaji's Pinprick

Ashland’s local enlightened Master, Gangaji, made the front pages of the paper today. It must be hard work being a guru. Spiritual teachers and guides have to smile through the pain. Or, perhaps, they live in a realm above the pain. And, disciples...they have to try and rationalize their teacher’s foibles. It’s probably just a tinge of bad karma but Gangaji and her husband of thirty years the dulcit voiced Eli Jaxon-Bear are in full blown damage control mode. Eli Jaxon-Bear (why can’t new age spiritual guides just have names like Bill and Ethel?) had to publicly admit to a three year sexual relationship with  one of his students.  Jaxon-Bear was also a spiritual teacher with his own organization but he has now stopped teaching, according to the linked article and his foundation, the Leela Foundation, has been folded into Gangaji’s group. Gangaji and her mate have patched things up after a short separation last fall when he confessed his flawed behavior. (Last week he confessed it in a public meeting with Gangji in attendance. Lots of confessing going on as it appears Ms. Ji is holding Mr. Ji’s lotus feet to the spiritual fire of public  humiliation). Marital infidelity is devastating under normal circumstances but is particularly hurtful when it involves enlightened personages to whom their disciples attribute special standing in the cosmos. Gangji has quite a following and although I have yet to bump into her at the Co-op or attend one of her satsangs (meetings) I have seen her on TV and she comes across as a very loving person though I can’t quite figure out exactly what she’s teaching. This chapter from  her new book sounds kind of like Eckhart Tolle. Be in the now. That sort of thing. Suffice to say that Eli Jaxon-Bear is feeling the power of now big time.
So why would Gangaji take him back? Well, she is a forgiving and loving person and in the greater scheme of things her somewhat younger husband fooling around may be just a pinprick in Gangaji’s firmament. But I couldn’t help but notice in their  on line financial statement that Mr. Eli Jaxon-Bear was a pretty good little earner, bringing more cash by far than Gangaji herself. Divorce of financially successful middle-aged folks can be very messy and complicated. Gangaji Foundation and Leela Foundation are doing quite well. I don’t know how big their staff is but almost half of the total revenues of the two foundations are distributed to staff ($995,126). That kind of money allows one to live a very spiritual life indeed.

UPDATE: This article http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2004/1231/life/stories/05life.htm from the Dec. 31, 04 Medford paper indicates Gangaji had a staff of 12.

More Republican Irony

When things start going bad...First there was the Schiavo situation where Mr. Bush seemed to be pandering. Then there was Katrina where he didn’t seem to care. Of course, the deteriorating situation in Iraq continues with nothing but bad news. Abramof has put several Republicans in jail to date with more to come and an aid to Karl Rove was thrown under the bus. Folks wonder if the White House did out an undercover CIA agent. The top British general has said we should get out of Iraq soon. James Baker reportedly is about to say the same thing. Lack of diplomacy has enabled North Korea to go nuclear. Now Mark Foley has offered up a scandal that everyone can understand. And, when we thought it couldn’t get any worse, country music star Sara Evans has had to pull out of Dancing With the Stars because her husband is a pervert and while she is divorcing him she needs to be available to protect her kids. I’ve enjoyed watching Sara Evans on Dancing. She is quite attractive, appears to be a wholesome creature and gives the impression of being well adjusted. She’s not the best on the show by far but it was apparent that she had a strong fan base to support her and vote her along week after week. Until last night I didn’t realize that she was part of the Republican family values showcase and offered as a counterpart to liberal Jerry Springer (also on Dancing With the Stars and who can’t dance a lick). Ms Evans estranged husband is a former candidate for Congress in Oregon of all places. Curiously, it turns out that Tom DeLay, that paragon of virtue, saw his friend Sara’s contestantship as an opportunity to make a statement for his, and I would guess her husband’s, brand of morality. DeLay sent out a letter that read in part:

"Dear Friend,

"I am writing to you today in an effort to help a good friend of mine, country music singer and GOP supporter Sara Evans.  Sara will be competing this year on ABC’s smash hit "Dancing with the Stars" ...
"Sara Evans has been a strong supporter of the Republican Party and represents good American values in the media.  From singing at the 2004 Republican Convention to appearing with candidates in the last several election cycles, we have always been able to count on Sara for her support of the things we all believe in.  Let’s show Sara that same support by watching and voting for her each week to help her win this competition. One of her opponents on the show is ultra liberal talk show host Jerry Springer. We need to send a message to Hollywood and the media that smut has no place on television by supporting good people like Sara Evans...Tom DeLay”

I feel bad for Sara. Her hubby sounds like a piece of work. While he was snapping photos of himself in a “state of arousal” he was also running CRAIG PAC a political action committee dedicated to electing Republicans. “He also serves as the Executive Director for AmericanDestiny.com, an educational organization that seeks to reeducate the American population and students in particular, as to the philosophical and religious origins of the American Civilization.” Oregon can be proud. It’s a Real Fine Place that poor Sara finds herself in.

New Search Engine

Google has a new search engine—http://www.searchmash.com/—which is just like Google but without so much gunk and occasionally with images.

The 101st Fighting Keyboarders

Lots of people have very good reasons for not having served in the US military. However, there is something untoward about non-veterans goading our country into war and urging us to continue to fight if they haven’t been willing to serve themselves, or if they are unwilling to encourage their own children to serve. Curiously, in the blogosphere, there are many war-minded bloggers who like to beat the drum for action whether it be Iraq, Syria, Lebanon or Iran. The liberal side of the blogosphere has named these brave folks “The 101st Fighting Keyboarders.” Many of the Fighting Keyboarders are of an age that makes them eligible to serve in our fighting forces. They could take the battle directly to America’s enemies with rifle in hand. However, they have decided they are more valuable behind their keyboards and can “Support The Troops” better in this way. There are those, of course, who don’t agree that typing blogs is the best utilization of the Fighting Keyboarders (who may now enlist up to age 42). Operation Yellow Elephant is a program designed to help the army recruit  men and women who strongly support America’s overseas interventions. Who are these keyboarders you might ask? A new documentary, available on the internet, is telling the brave story of the 101st Fighting Keyboarders and how they typed their way in The War of the Words to victory in Iraq and Afghanistan.  The tale is told in five parts. Part one is here. Part two here. The last three parts will be released on the next three Thursday. It makes me want to put a yellow ribbon on my vehicle that says “Support the Keyboarders.” Their sacrifice on our behalf is awesome.

Cursive

It was 1954. Mr. Palmer stepped to the blackboard on the first day of class and wrote his name. HE PRINTED IT! It was my license to print and I’ve never looked back. My father, vain about his beautiful cursive writing, was appalled. But printing was easier and faster. I’ve printed ever since and my longhand looks like it was written by a sixth grader—the last year that anyone made me do it. Penmanship used to be important but we rarely see cursive anymore. According to this  Washington Post article
it’s soon to be a lost art. I was ahead of my time. I lost it more than fifty years ago.

My Job Is To Protect America

So says Mr. Bush. But he can’t even protect us from the pharmaceutical industry. Watch this video. Watch this video. Learn how 60,000 died from a legal drug.

A Narcissistic Personality Disorder

I have a tendency to see Narcissistic Personality Disorders  behind every rock. It appears to be the chronic mental disorder of our time. It is increasingly apparent that elements of the Republican Party are suffering from many of the characteristics attributed to NPDs. Let’s start with our old friend Randy “Duke” Cunningham who currently resides in a North Carolina prison. The Duke is a former California Congressman and Vietnam era Navy  fighter pilot and ace.
Initially the Duke  manned up and took responsibility. He said, “The truth is -- I broke the law, concealed my conduct, and disgraced my high office. I know that I will forfeit my freedom, my reputation, my worldly possessions, and most importantly, the trust of my friends and family.” But prison has apparently changed his mind. He now blames others for his downfall and lashed out at the San Diego Union-Tibune reporter who broke the story of his malfeasance
It’s hard for some people to take responsibility for their actions and Cunningham’s letter details an ignominious ending for a former war hero. The Republican’s continue the blame game in the Mark Foley pledge scandal— the scandal that keeps on giving. These two Republican Congressmen try to shift blame to the Democrats. Others blame the pages. Still others Drudge up the 1983 page scandal that involved a man on boy situation with a Democrat and a man on girl affair with a Republican. I’m not sure what the old scandal proves. But when a management team gets behind on a crisis (Katrina, for example), it’s hard to get ahead of the story. In the case of Foley who began grooming targets in 1994, there are certain to be many more revelations. I’ll also predict that the Republicans will refuse to take responsibility for their failure of oversight. Their sense of entitlement to power is too strong for them to do the right thing. More letters from prison to follow is my guess

Alternative Shoes

I’m pretty much a sucker for anything alternative and if you don’t believe it you can  read my book. So when Bernie the window washer guy came up to the house to give me a bid to wash the windows I was interested in what he had to say about his new MBT (Masai Barefoot Technology) shoes cuz I’d never heard of them before. Bernie said they immediately cured some strange foot problem he’d had for years, that they exercise new muscles and were comfortable to boot. Sounded good to me. Better than Bernie’s quote to wash the windows. “How much were those shoes?” I asked him. “They’re $245 dollars,” he said and justified the purchase with an aphorism I had never heard—”Buy the best and you only cry once.” So, I checked out the MBT website and liked what I read. I could improve my posture and take some pressure off my bad knee. I decided to wash those windows myself and use the money I saved to buy a pair of MBTs. Style wise they have a bit of an orthopedic look to them. Short people will be pleased that they will add an inch to one’s height. However, they are the first shoes I ever purchased that came with a DVD which I watched last night with interest. These shoes are considered to be a “medical device” in the European Community and are used in physical therapy for back and joint problems. They are also considered to be “exercise machines” because they exercise muscles normally unused. I wore them around the house last evening and enjoyed rocking back and forth on the patented pivot point and today decided to road test them. I did stand up straighter and my chronically painful knee didn’t hurt. I hope I don’t like them too much because I have many conventional pairs of shoes that I like and would hate to have to toss them all out.

Get A Ruler and Measure it For Me

Let’s say you are a proud parent whose son has just completed a summer as a Congressional page in Washington DC. You definitely have some bragging rights. Now your kid can talk inside baseball from inside the beltway. He’s even corresponding by email with a Congressman, a very prominent Congressman from Florida who has served six terms and is due to get reelected. This guy is a big dog in DC. A superlative fund raiser who has $2.7 million in his campaign chest. This is a fellow who has  stood next to America’s Most Wanted’s John Walsh touting legislation that would prevent sickos from soliciting kids on the internet. But wait! Today’s headline is that Mr. Foley has resigned in disgrace. You check your son’s computer. You find "naughty emails" or so the White House calls them. (And, besides, the White House reminds you, the Democrats did something too...Barney Frank...Gerry Studds. They were just as naughty). But what has that got to do with anything, you ask? This Congressman, or ex-Congressman Foley wants my son to measure his penis. Why is a trusted Congressman asking my son to measure his penis and discussing masturbation? Is he just chatting naughtily? Or, does he have something more serious in mind? One might wish to get the counsel of the Rude Pundit on something as rude as the Foley emails. (Warning to the fainthearted. The Rude Pundit is more than a little bit rude).
The Republican Party is the gift that keeps on giving crappy gifts to America. It is a group that doesn’t seem to be able to take responsibility for anything and with this latest scandal the leadership of the House of Representatives will begin to look like the  hierarchy of the Catholic Church. One could make a joke about how the GOP doesn’t measure up. But if they can’t protect the interns from the sexual predators, how will they protect America from the “evil doers?”( I'm going to bet when all this comes out, and there will be more, we will learn that it's Bill Clinton's fault).