It's been a while since Bill Whittle wrote a new essay, but it was worth the wait. Apparently momentous events bring out great thoughts. And let's face it, Sean Penn (among others) was an irresistible target:

What kind of money could Barbra and Martin and Tim and Susan and Gwenneth and George and Steven and Viggo and Linda and Harvey and Brad and Angelina and Ben and all the rest – how much could they really put together, if they actually believed what they say – not to mention the cash available to the Malodorous Michigan Manatee of Mendacity? What kind of check could they write? $500 million would be less than 10% of every outspoken celebrities' combined wealth. That money could take every poor person in LA county and put them into much nicer apartments than the one I live in. They could, at a stroke, shame the President, the Congress, and the evil NeoCon warmongers by putting every displaced person in New Orleans in a Marriott for a year. They claim this is the kind of better human they have evolved into.

Why don’t they do it?

They don’t do it because that Tribe worships the golden statue of themselves, that’s why. A church-going pharmacist in Des Moines would be ashamed of herself for giving only 10% of her modest salary. But Sean Penn can take himself, an entourage and a personal photographer – that’s three or four people in a four-person boat – and show us all how incredibly big and down-home he is by sailing off a few feet to rescue people, before the boat sinks from the incompetence of failing to put in the drainage plug. He wore a very nice white flak vest, instead of the passé orange life preserver, because getting shot at is a lot more macho looking, if a million or so times less likely, than drowning because you went out into the water with a lead vest rather than a life vest. It’s a scene in the trailer that runs incessantly in their heads: In a world run by evil corporations, a rebel who plays by his own rules starts a deadly game of cat and mouse with an all-powerful conspiracy in this searing portrait of extraordinary courage in a life under siege, starring…me!

I was actually ready to publicly commend the guy, until I heard about the personal photographer. If he wanted to help people – and that’s all – he could have paid for that boat, and a few hundred others, manned them with reasonably competent recreational boaters, and sent out a flotilla. But no. It’s not about having people saved. It’s about something else entirely. It’s about having people saved by Sean Penn. That’s when I realized that whether it’s the Murderous Regime in Iraq, or the Murderous Regime in Iran, or the Murderous Storm in Louisiana…ultimately, it’s all about Sean Penn. Peace Be Upon Him.

This was *really really good*. Probably the best thing i've read in the blogsphere since at least the election campaign. It'll be interesting to see if "pink" and "grey" catch on in people's speech...

The most inspiring thing I've read in I don't know how long. A-fu*king-men.

Personal photographer?? Reminds me of another not-so-swift boater...

- Eric.

Excellent!

Prime Minister Winston Bush disclaimed any responsibility for the capture of the entire BEF at Dunkirk. A senior Administration official pointed out that the French had delayed their declaration of a State of Emergency, and that Dunkirk was under hostile fire. Besides, who knew that the Germans would attack through the Sedan forest? And the logistics of sending boats to save the soldiers would have exceeded the available Navy capacity. The PM did say that "it's hard work".

I was saying this very thing to my brother 3 or 4 days ago. OH, and after the sunami. OH, and after 9/11. OH, and after every other damn natural, human or political disaster for the last 15 years!!

Hey where the hell were these liberal clowns BEFORE the hurricane. If they all KNEW "W" was gonna go racial and strand all those poor black people, why didn't they hire busses and get hotel rooms for them?

If it was really racial, wouldn't he just let 'em starve? Or have them shot while they looted? Or build concentration camps?

Jesse Jackson and the Rainbow Push Coalition can arrange for busses to get people of color to the polls. However, It's George Bush's job to get busses to get them out of the hurricane.

The mayor of "Nawlins" got the word from the National Weather Service to evacuate the town. And a mere 18 hours later he told his people to do so. He should know how many people live in public housing and he should have some idea what percentage of them have vehicles. Census information would tell him that. He has almost 500 school and city busses at his disposal. Did he use them to get ANY of his non-vehicle owning people out of town? No, he cussed and fumed on the radio 3 days after the storm about the feds dragging THEIR feet and how people needed help. Nice guy huh, he is a Democrat BTW. He is off the hook for cussing about George Bush though.

Governor Blanco had to kow that info too, did she tell anyone to haul outta there? NOOOO!! Did she arrange for the National Guard or any state agencies to help get people out of the city? NOOO!! She's a Democrat also BTW. She did however cry while flying over the state, so she does feel their pain, and had it recorded on video tape. Now she's off the hook. She did manage to say FEMA was slow on getting to Louisiana.

So, if my reading of past and recent events tells me anything, it's that no matter what or where the disaster is, the Republicans are to blame. Democrats get a pass on it, because they care. The President should take care of it, and gets all the blame, unless he is busy getting a BJ from an intern.

"Prime Minister Winston Bush disclaimed any responsibility for the capture of the entire BEF at Dunkirk. A senior Administration official pointed out that the French had delayed their declaration of a State of Emergency, and that Dunkirk was under hostile fire. Besides, who knew that the Germans would attack through the Sedan forest? And the logistics of sending boats to save the soldiers would have exceeded the available Navy capacity. The PM did say that "it's hard work".
Posted by In other news at September 5, 2005 06:23 PM"

Mama alway said "Stupid is as stupid does." Even I can tell that is one stupid post.

Gee, you'd think that someone who wrote such a clever attempt at "satire" would be proud enough to want to put their name on it. Then again, maybe not.

Once you read Bill Whittle's essay, you've read probably the most logical & reasoned set of thoughts on the subject available for consumption anywhere.

As to Sean Penn, well setting off in a 4-person boat with 4 or more people aboard can only mean one thing - If they rescue any survivors, they'll be dragged behind the boat, used as bait, to troll for alligators, since there's no room in the boat. Sean Penn epitomizes the Hollywood celebrity. Even my cat's milk saucer isn't quite that shallow.

"Hey where the hell were these liberal clowns BEFORE the hurricane."

Well, Air America's Randi Rhodes, for one, has been carefully watching the Congressional debates and hearings on funding for levee construction in New Orleans over the years. She took a keen personal interest in it, and watched with growing apprehension as "those Republican bastards" slashed funding time and again.

So she claimed on Friday, with 20/20 hindsight clairvoyance.

Actually, I'm not sure that I quite put across how strongly she was claiming to have been watching the issue...she stated unequivocally that she had been watching Republicans argue on CSPAN against levee funding for years, implying that the issue of levee upgrades in New Orleans was one of her longstanding political passions, to which she devoted considerable attention.

Very enlightening article. I wish some in the MSM would have taken some civics courses to understand the roles and purposes of having local, state, and federal government. Although bloated and redundant is some areas in reality, the concept appears to me to be well founded and easy to understand. While DHS and PEMA certainly didn't shine and should have been able to repond much faster, I cannot believe that the NO mayor and governor, with a Category 5 bearing down on town below sea level, and lot's of notice, did not use all the idle school busses and other available means to evacuate the nursing homes and hospitals as a precaution, when there was still time! And yes, prisons and the poorer areas too. I know it's not time for the blame game while lives remain in peril, I still find myself incensed that the MSM keeps harping on how mainly the Feds failed, and trying to fend off much of the responsibility of local and State Officials, who, if they had acted with any modicum of common sense, they could have precluded at least some part of massive federal response required, partly required due to thier stunning incompetence. That's why they are called first responders. Best wishes to the survivors on rebuilding thier lives. Rest assured I, and others accross the nation, won't just give once to assauge our renewed sense of how blessed our families truly are.

As to Sean Penn, well setting off in a 4-person boat with 4 or more people aboard can only mean one thing - If they rescue any survivors, they'll be dragged behind the boat, used as bait, to troll for alligators, since there's no room in the boat.

Maybe that's it! The left leaning whacko wants to save alligators from looters! Sean Penn's the Pied Piper of Nawlins by leading the gators out with bait.

There was some sort of musician-sponsored "fund raiser" over the weekend, and I heard that they're organizing another one.

Here's a thought: In addition to "donating" their "valuable" performance time, why don't the musicians also donate matching funds? Many businesses do that during local NPR/PBS station fundraisers. Why don't some of these "Stars" agree to match donations/ticket sales? Of course, they could put a cap on their matching, say up to $1,000,000 or $5,000,000, or whatever. It's up to the individual performer to decide what their limit is.

And wouldn't it be interesting to see them outbid each other on the matching funds?

I know, it'll never happen. I mean, that's like PAYING for the free publicity, isn't it? ;)