Enough Sense to Come In From the Rain

Recently, I publicly declared my support for Jennifer Wilbanks, a.k.a The Runaway Bride, if she were to run for public office. Citing her wisdom, accountability, integrity and sense of humility, I continue to believe persons exhibiting these qualities are the kind of representatives we need in government. Furthermore, I suspect that when Miss Wilbanks looks at any issue or situation, she does so with her eyes wide open.

The feedback I’ve received regarding that article has been varied. Some have simply asked, “Who is Jennifer Wilbanks?” Others have questioned my justification, and a few have expressed concern for the condition of my mental health and wondered if I might pose a physical threat to people living in the same area code as me.

Although these have all been good, valid questions that I intend to personally respond to, the one question that I’ll answer here has been expressed by many conservative individuals who are straddling the fence between denial and acceptance with regard to the part they played in empowering our current government leaders. They have all expressed a genuine concern for what would become of poor, stutterin’ George and his posse of yes men and liars, if someone with the aforementioned moral characteristics were to descend on Washington.

For several days, I struggled to find a logical answer that would not only support my position, but would also placate the right-minded individuals whose loyalty is being stretched closer to the breaking point as each day passes. Last night, the answer started taking shape, nicely bundled with news of an inevitable natural disaster. This morning as headlines and breaking news of Hurricane Katrina dominated the air waves, the answer hit me like a 110 miles per hour sheet of plywood! Stutterin’ George and his well placed political cronies and corporate dictators could become weather reporters! Please stay with me as I explain.

As I hungrily explored the many television channels available to keep Americans warned and informed of current events, the numerous talking heads and field correspondents echoed one another as they predicted where Hurricane Katrina might come ashore and how much devastation she would cause. They interviewed experts from the National Weather Service who compared Katrina to powerful storms of the past that had names like Andrew and Hugo. And then, with the swiftness and surprise of a herd of cattle reacting to a lightning bolt on a clear summer day, they cut to the guru of meteorology himself: the President of the formerly free world, George W. Bush!

I watched mesmerized by the cocky grin he displayed, as he expressed concern for his constituents in the path of the storm. With great foresight, at least eight hours before Katrina made land fall, he declared Louisiana and Mississippi natural disaster areas and urged everyone with the means to do so, to go somewhere else. (Okay, he suggested that everyone evacuate, but I suspect he’s unaware of the millions of Americans who can’t afford personal transportation, not to mention the fuel required to evacuate an area.) The point I’m trying to make here, is that he spoke of the storm just enough to show how much he cared… and didn’t mispronounce a single word in the short sound bite.

Again this morning, I watched as CNN, MSNBC, and The Weather Channel reported on Katrina’s arrival. They all bragged about how close they were in predicting where the storm’s eye would hit land. Instead of making a direct hit on New Orleans, the big news of the morning veered east and destroyed Biloxi and Gulfport, Mississippi and then Mobile, Alabama, over 100 miles away. The levees protecting the Big Easy were breached and the city was under water. Buildings were being destroyed in Gulfport and boats were being thrown from the marinas onto Highway 90 in Biloxi. Catastrophic damage and widespread power outages were reported up and down the Gulf Coast. At this point, my epiphany hit home!

There were reporters in every one of these areas, and not unlike our government leaders, they were there supposedly to keep us informed and out of harms way. What I witnessed however, can only be described as a live broadcast of “The Three Stooges,” “Laurel and Hardy” and “Keystone Cops” all rolled into one gigantic display of irresponsible, self-serving, stupidity! As debris was savagely flung through the air and roofs were blown off of buildings by Katrina’s 110 miles per hour winds, these reporters found it necessary to not only show the world the storms wrath, they figured Americans still wouldn’t understand its ferocity unless they reported while standing outside in it. Although shelter was only a few feet away, these idiots stand in the storm and try to tell their viewers how dangerous flying plywood can be. I saw at least three weather reporting professionals get knocked on their butts or blown down the street, just as they warned everyone to stay inside.

The news reports then cut from Larry, Curly and Moe, to their distant cousin, George, who was addressing an audience in El Rancho Mirage, Arizona, promoting Social Security changes that should further divide the rich from the poor. Using the same fill in the blank public relations play book he uses to talk about fighting terrorism, he took a moment to show concern. The President said as soon as the storm passes he “will marshal all the resources of the federal government to help” victims of this evil, deadly storm.

Come on, Mr. President! Have you forgotten that the resources of the federal government have been depleted on a war that should have ended long ago, if it should have happened at all? Just as weathermen can cowardly blame Mother Nature when they are wrong with the forecast, you quickly claim faulty intelligence as your defense for killing over 2,000 Americans and countless Iraqi’s. The worst part of this scenario is the weather guessers can predict the end of Katrina’s devastation, but you still don’t have a clue as to when the destruction caused by your self servitude will end.

My Grandmother was known to have often said to me, “Boy, you haven’t got enough sense to come in out of the rain!” And she was right, until I turned ten years old. Then some innate wisdom developed that told me if I can get out of standing in harms way for no constructive reason, I should. Today, I’m confident Grandma would be proud that I have enough sense to distance myself from threats to my safety. Today, the grandparents of those weathermen must be joining the grandparents of George Bush and his merry band as they look on from their positions in eternity, and hang their heads in disgust and shame.