BILLS, BUSHES, & BULLSHIT!

Demolition halted! Thank god. This is serious stuff. I've long surrendered to the facts of American ignorance, but there's no better time to wake up to the truths of the world than right now. Let's take a little deeper look at what is and isn't happening in the aftermath of our country's worst natural disaster (so far.)

We all have events that touch our hearts in a way where it becomes a part of you and expands your being. For better or worse, these events are usually very emotional times for you. And we all know how irrational emotions can make us. That's why it's very important to be conscious of events that may change your perspective forever. To be unaware of certain triggers or sensibilities you may have is very detrimental to your self. Another topic entirely, but you feel me.

Needless to say, Katrina has been one of these events for me. I can't let it go. Every chance I have to hear an "update," I'm there. It takes over my life for however long the report may be. The shame of it all is that I'm disappointed 99% of the time. To this day, the only good news is the saints winning their division last year. All other news borders human rights violations.

We know of the televised delayed response, the media's labeling victims as refugees and looters, gun confiscation executed by Blackwater, cops going AWOL, lack of ANY organization on state and local levels, no-bid contracts to haliburton, increase in illegal immigrant workers, homelessness, thousands still displaced all around the country. Just to name a few.

I was definitely not a fan of former democratic governor Blanco, but with the recent election of a Republican governor, it begins to look quite hopeless for residents of Louisiana, and New Orleans public housing in particular. 4,500 units were scheduled to be demolished yesterday, to be replaced with fewer units. This is the Federal answer to New Orleans in a time where their homelessness has doubled to 12,000 since before Katrina hit. I've heard nothing on the improvements needed for the levees from the Army Corps of Engineers. Probably because they're working on the new elevated, hurricane-proof Gulf Coast money-maker.

This is a horrible chain of events we're witnessing. And to think your community could not fall victim to this greedy neglect of human rights and infrastructure is a mistake. If it rains, snows, or hales in your area, you're at risk. The national guard and their equipment's primary mission is disaster relief. They're no longer available for this purpose because of the continuous deployments to the Middle East. These are the types of services we could depend on because of the taxes we over-pay. No longer the case.

It's no secret, as we saw in Minnesota, we need serious upgrades of our infrastructure. That's not gonna be cheap, and we'd rather spend this money to defense contractors for little-to-nothing in return. There is a COUNTLESS amount of money unaccounted for with no one asking where it is. This missing money could provide universal healthcare, update our infrastructure, and make us proud to be American again. Maybe we could even start manufacturing something here.

Somewhere along the way, "people" has turned to "person." Many Americans run their rat race, with no interest in their fellow citizens' well being. Life is way bigger than you and your family, and like it or not, your actions are a part of the whole. As is every single person's on this planet. A trees does make a sound in the woods, even when you're not there. "HELP!"

And a verse to close on:

Bill, Bush, and Katrina
Nothing could come between ya
During the world tour
For the poor,
Poor people who bought
Your snake oil plot.
Where's the money?