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Franklin bifocals Saturday, December 31, 2005


General George Marshall, Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall, Secretary of State
[1880 - George C. Marshall, designer of Marshall Plan as U.S. Secretary of State, born]

Bart Starr scoring winning touchdown in Ice Bowl
[1967 - Green Bay Packers win NFL championship over Dallas Cowboys, 21-17 in Ice Bowl]

Disaster in Relief

As the year 2005 comes to an end, it is clear that the people of this great country have witnessed an eye-opening event. The disastrous hurricane and flood that struck the Gulf Coast needs no further description. The pictures of Katrina and her aftermath still reside in our consciousness. The President talked the talk during his reelection campaign about making the nation safer and ready to deal with any future attack on our homeland. When the time came to walk the walk, Mr. Bush and his cronies demonstrated that not only could they not deal with another 9-11 style terrorist attack, but they also were unfit to deal with a natural disaster when we could see it coming for days before it struck.

After several days of silence, the President did finally make a public statement and promised aid. He also told us that the FEMA Director, Michael Brown ("Brownie") was doing a "heck of a job." A week later when the facts became clear that the federal response to Katrina had been inept and untimely, Brownie was fired and the Homeland Security Secretary was seen on National TV explaining that he was blameless because he had relied on Brownie to handle things. Excuse me, Mr. Chertoff, but you have yet to explain why you relied on a FEMA Director who (like you) was a political appointee, and who had no prior background or qualifications in disaster response and recovery, to take care of your basic responsibility to keep the citizens of our homeland safe from harm. We are still waiting for your resignation.

It should be clear to all citizens by now that we have in the current administration few who care for the less fortunate members of our society under any circumstances. The President and his allies in Congress are much more interested in giving tax cuts to the already wealthy and to their favorite corporate masters than they are in reducing the numbers of families without health care coverage. When time comes to reign in the national debt that they have created out of what used to be a surplus, the programs that are cut are Medicaid and food stamps. This is the real face of Compassionate Conservatism. It is neither compassionate nor truly conservative.

To be able to practice five things everywhere under heaven constitutes perfect virtue. . . [They are] gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness.

Confucius, The Confucian Analects, bk. 17:6

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