Missing the news...not. *Updated*

Being away from civilization for a few days, I've kind of lost touch with the current events in the world. The one thing I can be sure of, though, is that the news will contain most of the following:

• Something about New Orleans
• More death in Iraq
• Something about Supreme Court nominees
• Some tropical storm on its way to Florida or the Gulf States
• Something that George Bush said or did that pissed someone off.
• Something entirely mindless from Hollywood.

Let's crack open the news ticker and take a look, shall we?

New Orleans:



Sounds like a pissing contest between the mayor and the federal government to me. Something you don't see a whole lot of in the news is that the Mayor of New Orleans and the Governor of Louisiana weren't fully cooperating with the federal government, and that their actions actually hampered the fed's attempts to provide rescue and relief. The Washington Post reports:

"Behind the scenes, a power struggle emerged, as federal officials tried to wrest authority from Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (D). Shortly before midnight Friday, the Bush administration sent her a proposed legal memorandum asking her to request a federal takeover of the evacuation of New Orleans, a source within the state's emergency operations center said Saturday.
The administration sought unified control over all local police and state National Guard units reporting to the governor. Louisiana officials rejected the request after talks throughout the night, concerned that such a move would be comparable to a federal declaration of martial law. Some officials in the state suspected a political motive behind the request."

Here is another good link that further describes the hesitation from New Orleans and Baton Rouge. And another.

Update: According to Snopes.com, the timeline on the Governor Blanco vs. the Federal Government that I quoted above is inaccurate. According to the State of Louisiana website and the White House website, federal aid was requested on August 27th, and granted the very same day. However, the issue of federal levee funds being diverted to build marinas and gambling ships, and the issue of hundreds of school buses that could have been used for evacuation that just sat in a flooded yard... remains unanswered.

Iraq:

Nothing new here. More explosions, more deaths from insurgents. Why not call them what they really are? I think the word "Cowarrist" covers it pretty well. A cross between "terrorist" for the indiscriminate way they kill civilians and US troops alike, and "Coward", of course, for the completely cowardly way they do it. And the chanting. Chanting "Allahu Ackbar" (God is Greatest) while in the act of killing someone. Makes you wonder why I'm pretty jaded toward Islam really being a "religion of peace".

Supreme Court:

Yahoo News headline: Roberts Avoids Specifics on Abortion Issue

Makes me wonder why the one single issue that people are most interested in when it comes to nominating a Supreme Court Justice is the killing of babies.

Nowadays, abortion is described with more neutral, politically correct terms like "termination of pregnancy". Every effort is legally, socially and scientifically made to de-humanize the fetus before it is born, thus making it not a matter of killing as much as just a medical procedure.

I belong to a very conservative church, with very strict guidelines concerning morality and the such, and even this church acknowledges that there are times (very few, however) when an abortion might be considered.

But abortion in the name of convenience, or a way to escape consequences for a screw-up (pun really not intended) is just wrong on so many different levels. And yet, the right to do this is so critical in the eyes of so many! I just don't get it. I've been blessed with three (soon to be four) beautiful babies, and I can't even imagine what kind of cold heart it takes to want an abortion.

Where is the sanctity of human life? We kill our unborn and call it a procedure. Muslims kill their wives and young daughters and call it honor. We really aren't all that different, I guess.

Tropical Storm:

Whaddya know? Tropical storm Rita (R....we've had that many storms already?) is on it's way to the Florida Keys. Please be smart and weather the storm out somewhere safe.

George Bush:

Ah yes, now who would have guessed? This attack comes from a man with more hot air than the Kalahari Desert, and less substance than a microorganism. Heeeeeeerrrrrre's Johnny:

In college speech, Kerry upbraids Bush Administration...tests waters for presidential run.

I've read his speech from one end to the other. The good Senator is very skilled at putting words together to stir emotion, creating catch-phrases and the like. He is among the finest when it comes to levelling blistering attacks against the Bush administration. But I did not see him offer any specific solutions. Just like 2004 all over again.

Herein lies my fear: I have seen a few instances where a historic property that was submerged in debt was purchased by a real estate developer, with promises to restore the building to its former glory and make it a tourist and community attraction. Then, mysteriously, in the dead of night, the building catches fire and burns to the ground, leaving nothing but sorrow. The developer collects the insurance money and is never heard from again.

My fear is that the Democrats, with Howard "Unhinged" Dean at their helm, will finally land a candidate in the White House, and figure out that they don't have solutions to the nation's problems, and then they will cut and run. And really, I've examined the speeches of the top Democratic leaders with an open mind, but I keep coming away from them wondering just what planet these guys are from.

Kerry was right in his speech; we need to work together if there is any hope of having a strong nation in the years to come. How do we do it? By sacrificing. I know that our nation isn't really familiar with the concept of sacrifice like we saw in the days of World War II, when families had to ration sugar and other substances.

We have organizations like the ACLU assuring us, through expensive litigation that is literally sinking the vitality of this nation, that we have the right to not have to sacrifice, or suffer, or go without every luxury known to man; that we have the right to not be offended by anything. Now tell me, with organizations like that heralding the endless list of "rights" that we have, celebrating "divisiveness" (oops, I mean "diversity), how can we possibly be united as a people?

It would take a miracle. But let's not speak of miracles, for they are associated with religion. And we all know that it's not kosher to speak of religion. Or to use the word kosher, since it has religious meaning too.

Mindless Hollywood:

Never one to disappoint. Yahoo News headline: "Strapless styles sizzle on Emmys red carpet" They live in a world of their own. Honestly, they do.