Katrina brings best and worst out in all of us--Rep. McKinney Makes Katrina-Nazi Comparison

To quote Charles Dickens: “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” He could have been talking about us. We have certainly been through the worst of times. If there is anything worse than the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, I’ll pass, thank you. Here we are at the fourth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and all those bad memories, and now Mother Nature deals us a blow unlike anything we have ever experienced. Death and destruction on a scale that is unimaginable. Homes and businesses totally wiped out. An entire city gone. A friend of mine showed me a note from an acquaintance of his in Louisiana, who says the state’s Supreme Court was underwater, along with all of its legal documents. Think of the complications that will present.

We have made the worst of times even worse with all the finger-pointing and second-guessing over the government’s response to the aftermath of Katrina. Yes, the federal government was slow to respond, and, yes, the president dithered at his ranch too long. Neither the mayor of New Orleans nor the governor of Louisiana have exactly covered themselves in glory, either. Where is Rudy Giuliani when you need him?

Shame on the black politicians who have played the race card. I am particularly embarrassed that my old friend, Rep. David Scott of Georgia’s 13th District, joined with our Ambassador to Outer Space Cynthia McKinney and charged that if those had been white faces staring back at us on television, we would have responded quicker. “Prove me wrong,” he said.

No, Rep. Scott, you prove it correct. That is a serious charge you make and it smacks of racism of the worst type. I never thought I would see you pander like that. Leave the race-baiting to McKinney. It’s her only talent.

We made the worst of times even worse here in Georgia when we allowed the news media to panic us into thinking there would be no more gas available. (If the potential gas shortage slowed anybody down to anywhere near normal speeds on the interstate highways over the past couple of weeks, I missed it.) Some service stations took the advantage of the rumors to raise prices to as much as $6 a gallon. Gov. Sonny Perdue has promised to take names and kick fannies. I would suggest stringing them up by their toenails. Then, there are the best of times. Money is pouring into relief efforts from every source imaginable: churches, civic clubs, businesses, actors, athletes, entertainers and plain old everyday citizens. Now, miracle of miracles, even some foreign governments are offering their help. Volunteers are going to Louisiana and Mississippi to give assistance. In Georgia, people have greeted evacuees with open arms, taking them into our hospitals, our nursing homes, our schools and our residences. Even the government seems to have gotten its act together and is beginning to make some headway in getting order re-established.

Groups are vowing to go to the hardest hit places and help rebuild. My own church has committed to going to Mississippi and helping build new churches. I hope to be a part of that effort. I should be a great asset. After all, I was elected Latrine Digger First Class in Honduras. I am a rare and vanishing breed.

President Bush has said that the recovery is going to take years. That is a little scary, because I know of our short attention span. The temptation will be to inure ourselves to the stories and the pictures of the devastation and to begin to complain about the inconvenience it has caused us. Please don’t let that happen. Remember, there is no time limit on doing good deeds.

My friend and mentor, the late Jasper Dorsey, said the only reason that we are on this earth — the only reason — is to leave this world better than we found it. Hurricane Katrina has given us the perfect opportunity to do that. Together, we can make the worst of times, the best of times. Charles Dickens thanks you. I do, too.

By Sher Zieve - In a fiery speech, African-American Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney both applauded Kanye West's statement "George Bush doesn't care about black people" and compared the temporary housing of New Orleans' evacuees in the Superdome and Convention Center as Nazi-like tactics.

Ms. McKinney said that the evacuees were "mostly African-Americans" and continued with "as I saw families ripped apart, I could only think about slavery. [They] look like concentration camps". Of note, the temporary evacuation centers were chosen by African-American New Orleans' Mayor Ray Nagin. Mayor Nagin had, previously, advised evacuees to "bring food and water for three days".

"Some service stations took the advantage of the rumors to raise prices to as much as $6 a gallon. Gov. Sonny Perdue has promised to take names and kick fannies."

Sonny Perdue is an ass, with the understanding of economics that comes from spending too long under socialism.

How many people actually PAID $6 a gallon for that gas?
Darned few, right?

Then that $6 price tag served its' purpose - it cut consumption, and prevented an outright shortage.

When pump prices go up, you can be assured of a couple things:
First, consumption will go down, thus averting soemthing even worse: rationing, or long gas lines.
Second, it's a sign that we have free markets.

Tell ol' "Sonny" that Walter Williams could explain it all in words simple enough even a Georgia governor could understand.

We, as the world's most powerful nation have a responsibility to act in defense of the weak and to protect them from harm. We failed in Rwanda - We failed in Srebrenica - We failed in East Timor. And now, as we speak - We fail in Jenin..

…………………………………..

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/c/cynthia_mckinney.html> Cynthia McKinney

Rayburn House Office Building
Friday, April 6, 2001
10:00am - 12:00 noon

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Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney
OPENING STATEMENT

I want to thank you all for coming today.

I especially want to thank our esteemed speakers for traveling, in some instances quite a long way, to be with us today.

Our speakers are courageous individuals who have gone to many of Africa's most dangerous and desperately poor locations, not for wealth or riches, but in order to merely discover the truth. They provide us with a remarkable insight into what has gone on in Africa and what continues to go on in Africa today.

Much of what you will hear today has not been widely reported in the public media. Powerful forces have fought to suppress these stories from entering the public domain.

Their investigations into the activities of Western governments and Western businessmen in post-colonial Africa provide clear evidence of the West's long-standing propensity for cruelty, avarice, and treachery. The misconduct of Western nations in Africa is not due to momentary lapses, individual defects, or errors of common human frailty. Instead, they form part of long-term malignant policy designed to access and plunder Africa's wealth at the expense of Africa's people. In short, the accounts you are about to hear provide an indictment of Western activities in Africa.

The West has, for decades, plundered Africa's wealth and permitted, and even, assisted in slaughtering Africa's people. The West has been able to do this while still shrewdly cultivating the myth that much of Africa's problems today are African made--we have all heard the usual Western defenses that Africa's problems are the fault of corrupt African administrations, centuries-old tribal hatreds, the fault of unsophisticated peoples. But we know that those statements are all a lie. We have always known it.

The accounts we are about to hear today assist us in understanding just why Africa is in the state it is in today. You will hear that at the heart of Africa's suffering is the West's, and most notably the United States', desire to access Africa's diamonds, oil, natural gas, and other precious resources. You will hear that the West, and most notably the United States, has set in motion a policy of oppression, destabalisation and tempered, not by moral principle, but by a ruthless desire to enrich itself on Africa's fabulous wealth. While falsely pretending to be the friends and allies of many African countries, so desperate for help and assistance, many western nations have in reality betrayed those countries' trust--and instead, have relentlessly pursued their own selfish military and economic policies. Western countries have incited rebellion against stable African governments by encouraging and even arming opposition parties and rebel groups to begin armed insurrection. The Western nations have even actively participated in the assassination of duly-elected and legitimate African Heads of State and replaced them with corrupted and malleable officials. Western nations have even encouraged and been complicit in the unlawful invasions by African nations into neighboring counties.

Something must be done to right these wrongs.

I invite you to listen and learn first-hand of the West's activities in Africa.

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