what was I thinking?

Texas Governor Rick "Pretty Hair" Perry is starting to regret his decision to accept so many refugees from Louisiana, after it was determined that 95.4% of the newcomers are registered Democrats!

Since voters don't declare a party orientation in Texas, that may not become apparent until after the next election .. time will tell. I'm hoping enough of them sit out the primaries to Vote For Kinky, but that's just me.

I suspect Perry and his cronies will attempt to change the voting laws so that those displaced won't be eligible to vote in Texas will be able to vote for their Louisiana representatives.

compassionate conservatives

President Quagmire and His Daddy stop by New Orleans after "The Little Storm".

This photo (undoubtedly not modifed) is almost as priceless as the quip from Daddy's wife, Barbara:

"so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this--this (she chuckles slightly) is working very well for them."

Just goes to show, the Bush's Silver Spoons didn't drop far from the turnip truck.

Good, Better, Best (not applicable in Texas)

I was reading Good, Better, Best: How to Improve Gas Mileage and wonder how realistic that is in Texas. One item says:

Stay within posted speed limits

but I've known 17 people who've tried that, and none of them were alive at the end of the day. They were each executed by F350 drivers, who rode their bumpers (in the slow lane!) until their front bumper shattered the rear window of the car driving the speed limit. Another item says:

avoid “jackrabbit” starts and stops by anticipating traffic conditions and driving gently

which is likewise comical. I've watched SUVs drive over the top of small Toyotas which didn't accelerate from 0-60 in 3 seconds.

Perhaps the FTC should come out with a special Texas version of that article?

Honoré: a name to remember?

I don't know a lot about this gent, but .. finally .. someone in New Orleans who looks like he can get things done: US Army Lieutenant General Russel Honoré, commander of Joint Task Force Katrina.

Aside: He's a "Three Star General" (aka Lieutenant General), one grade below General (4 stars) and one grade above a Major General (2 stars).

However many stars on his uniform, he appears to have done what others couldn't/wouldn't: take control of the situation. I admire that.

I suspect The Real Truth about what happened in New Orleans is somewhere in the middle of the ultra-liberal and the radical-right's reports. One branch of my dad's family landed in Gretna, Louisiana a few years ago. I later learned those relatives moved to Diamondhead, Mississippi (north of Bay St Louis) and some of their houses are in good shape while others are under water in New Orleans itself. Apparently that branch of the family (5 families total) have rendezvoused in Baton Rouge, at one of the daughter's homes.

The Photo Op

Most disturbing (but not surprising) read of the day: ZDF News observation, 3 Sep 2005. Pity I don't spechen enough Deutsch to see if it landed on the ZDF website.

I'm guessing that President Quagmire Himself didn't have a clue it was all staged by The Regime, but maybe He did, and just doesn't care. Since He's a puppet and not a real President, I have to give him the benefit of the doubt. By now, he's surely back in Washington playing with his yo-yo.

Actually, I'll bet he's spending all his time getting ready to name another Supreme Court nominee, now that Rehnquist has died. The CFRP will be appreciative, I'm sure. After all, how many Republican voters did you see at the Superdome last week? Me, neither.

while Rome burned, Nero fiddled

It's easy to be overwhelmed by the human tragedy that's unfolding in/around New Orleans. I suspect it's the sound bites .. the anecdotes .. that I'll remember the longest. Things like:

Did New Orleans Catastrophe Have to Happen? 'Times-Picayune' Had Repeatedly Raised Federal Spending Issues which questions President Quagmire's decision to spend money on His Oil War, versus going after Usama bin Laden and leaving a few coins for things like levee repair.

Other anecdotes, in no particular order:

Levee repair would've cost $250M
Flood drainage + New Orleans repairs may top $25B $200B
For those of you math wizards, that's 100x 1,000x more for the cure, than the prevention

One news story showed a frustrated semi-truck driver, who said he had a load of bottled water en route Monday but was told to park his rig until Thursday, when the Feds signed off on the paperwork.

Based on what I've heard about the filthy conditions in the Superdome, I wonder if they'll have to tear it down and rebuild?

Most of the looters appeared to be seeking water, food, shoes but the Louisiana governor says she wants a "shoot to kill" order (zero tolerance) enforced. And President Quagmire backs her up. Now there's compassion!

"Help Wanted" ad spotted:

Construction company hiring 1,000 people to help with hurricane clean up. $10/hr, 80-90 hrs weekly, food, lodging, transportation to area. Start immediately, could go on for 1-2 years

Heard somewhere else that the "disaster site" is equal to that of Britain.

and, last but not least:


While New Orleans drowned, President Quagmire fiddled.
(actual photo from Tuesday 30/8/2005, when he was in San Diego at a fundraiser)

There are more stories on the Times-Picayune (New Orleans newspaper) site.

pity? lemme check the dictionary ...

In the past few days, I've received several emails from people I know casually, asking me to either boycott all gas stations on 9/1 or boycott specific brands "to send a message". Oh vey!

Someone once told me that it takes 21 days to change behavior (getting out of a rut) which I thought odd. I've never seen such a study, but then I haven't searched for it, either (talk about dry reading!). That said, let's assume I visit Brand Q station today instead of my usual Brand L station, but a couple days later, I revert because it hasn't become a habit. What did I prove?

The thing that frosts my bacon is that the people sending the messages seem to be the least likely to change their behavior with the gasoline price increases. Could they do something different, like combining trips (instead of coming/going 12 times a day, like one of my neighbors)? There are many others (car/vanpool; trade in your SUV for a more fuel efficient vehicle; walk/bicycle to places nearby) but they'll be lost on most folks, who love to blame things on The Global Conspiracy Against Them.

You may think that I have no pity on these folks. Well, hmm .. I guess you're right.