Yet again, mother nature shows its sheer strength and brutality. And yet again, humans are left behind in awe and despair. Millions are affected as Katrina swept across Louisiana, and New Orleans, the home of my aunt and uncle. Katrina could not have timed her appearance worse, as she came in brutally the same week as my aunt and uncle were supposed to move inland safely away from the unstable weather that comes in on the southern shorelines of the US of A. My dad was coming over too, to help them move and settle in and build the farm they are setting up. Guess they should have done that a week earlier. Well, there is nothing you can do about that is there. Mother nature gives, and mother nature takes. That’s the way of life, always has been that way and will remain so for all eternity.

But it is at times like this that you see the true face of human nature. You see ordinary people become heroes, some turn desperate and become modern day vigilantes, you see people losing all they’ve ever had. Looking at the news reports from down town New Orleans reminds you not of a town that thrives with life during the Mardi Gras festival, or a town with great history, a town with that good jazzy atmosphere. What you’re looking at, is a war zone. No guns were fired, no a-bomb was dropped. No, it was mother nature that showed of her brute force. Mother nature shows of her arsenal, her potential of devastation. She has no mercy, and has no feelings. Even though no guns were fired by her, the victims of this great tragedy is now firing guns like there is no tomorrow. I can’t say that I blame them, they are fighting for their survival. It’s the sheer instinct of getting on to tomorrow, all signs of being civilized and being a moral being plummets like a rock heading from outer space into our atmosphere. It’s destined to fall to the ground. My respects go out to the ones working for the New Orleans police and fire departments, their job is hard in the first place, but the responsibility placed on their shoulders after Katrina did her work is way beyond imagination. Working around the clock for days, without sleep, not knowing where the next bullet may strife. They themselves have lost everything, and yet they stand fort trying to maintain peace and order. Seeing that many police officers have deserted comes as no surprise, most people would have in their position.

Which brings me to the federal involvement in this matter. The federal government was slow to deploy the national guard and army to the area. They showed very little interest in doing anything, and good old Bush sat on his picket fence just staring. It took a very long time before the president even bothered to make a statement, to get off his fucking arse. Adding to injury, the sitting administration has cut back on flood protection funds to cover the ever growing expenses for running the war in Iraq. The US has heaps of military personnel abroad, especially in Iraq that should have been dispatched to the disaster area. But no, good old Bush is too occupied fighting the war that his father started. His own pride makes him fail in his own back yard, where it matters the most. The fact that the US was quicker to deploy personnel to the tsunami affected areas than in their own home land also makes me wonder. It puzzles me, makes me speechless. But nothing surprises me anymore, when it comes to the Bush administration. Pack of useless, no good red necks.

Bush is like an untrained sea captain. If you show him a naval chart, he wouldn’t know how to use it. Show him a compass, and he thinks it’s a toy. Ask him to guide the ship by the stars alone, and he’ll laugh at you and say; “No, that’s damned impossible! The stars are only dots sprinkled across the sky by God to entertain us. God bless us, and God bless America!”

The only thing I can say really, is this; My thoughts go out to the flood victims in New Orleans and the surrounding areas.

Update: It seems that the initial reports my aunt and uncle was given was wrong. They’ve now been able to get to their house, who hasn’t been affected by the catastrophe at all. Just minor water damages, that’s it. I just can’t say how pleased I was to hear this.

I’m so depressed about the results from the last presidential election in the US. In the words of the British newspaper Daily Mirror “Doh! Four more years”. How could 59,000,000 Americans be so dumb?. I’ve never been a huge fan of neither father Bush, nor son Bush. I think he’s done an abysmal job in his last presidential period, going to war on Iraq on a rather shaky grounds and for worsening the living conditions for the common man in the US. During the last four years, the US has lost millions of jobs and the American economy isn’t exactly thriving.

I had a sneaking suspicion that Bush would win, because of the job his administration has done within the Christian community in the US. They’ve done a massive job of conveying propaganda to the Christian masses throughout the nation, telling them how Bush would continue to work towards a more moralist community taking pride in old traditions and family values. One of his key people reaching this goal is Karl Rove, which by many considered to be the architect behind Bush’s election win. His network relations to high ranking church officials and Christian communities throughout the US has been vital to their success. They got their message across, and won by this. This might have come as a huge surprise to many, since the turnout for this election was massive. Many new voters came out to vote, and many were uncertain as of how they would vote. Most people thought these votes would go in favour for the democrats, but unfortunately they didn’t.

One thing that really surprised me, was the fact that the electoral votes for Florida went to the republicans. Given the way the vote process went during the election in 2000, or should one say mishandled caused quite a stir. A stir I thought would go in favour to the democrats. It’s quite known that the Bush family doesn’t really care much for the minority groups across the US, which was proved well when Bush’s brother Jeb was elected governour for Florida. He was asked what he would do for the minority groups, and his answer was rather short and sweet; probably nothing. This of course ticked of both the African Americans as well as the Hispanic communities throughout Florida, which counts for nearly 30% of the state. But yet, the win goes to Bush. Truly shocking.

Not only this, but within the next presidential period the US supreme court will replace four judges and you can bet that Bush’s administration will do their best to make sure that conservative candidates will get a seat. My main concern is that the US will grow into becoming ultra conservative which for me is like taking steps backwards in time. They are crippling their own progression as a nation, and if they continue like this they might end up losing their role as the ruling superpower. The EU is growing faster and faster, with new nations fast becoming new members. If the EU as well as China get their act together, we will see the new era of new superpowers that will by far exceed in power compared to the US. A force to be reckoned with. In this age of globalisation and commercialism, the US is wrong by taking the steps they’ve taken by granting Bush another four years. I’m a huge skeptic to the way the US is being run, and only time will show if I’m right or not.