These people are simply desperate for supplies in a flood ravaged city. There is no possible precedent for them to act in such a manner. And we certainly can't blame the police force there. Nope, its all Bush's fault!

But wait, what is this? And this? And what about this little nugget from the notoriously right wing Human Rights Watch?

As astutely noted by police abuse expert Prof. James Fyfe, some cities' police departments have reputations for being brutal, like Los Angeles, or corrupt, like New York, and still others are considered incompetent. New Orleans has accomplished the rare feat of leading nationally in all categories.

Posted by: Tanker at 10:50 AM | Comments (9)
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They stepped up to the plate and jerked it into the cheap seats.

Thanks to John.

And thanks to the Kingdom of Kuwait, too.

Posted by: Ace at 10:45 AM | Comments (6)
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Might as well.

Meanwhile, Jayson at Polipundit runs down the possible replacements for Rehnquist.

Seems like we just ran down this list... but a refresher can't hurt.

I think it's time for Owens.

After all, Democrats demanded an ideological clone for O'Connor's replacement; surely they similarly demand a Rehnquist-like nominee now.

Posted by: Ace at 10:34 AM | Comments (8)
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So, the liberal legacy media is making a stink about budget cutbacks to Gulf flood and hurricane preparedness?

Anyone who cares about responsible budgeting and the health of America’s rivers and wetlands should pay attention to a bill now before the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. The bill would shovel $17 billion at the Army Corps of Engineers for flood control and other water-related projects – this at a time when President Bush is asking for major cuts in Medicaid and other important domestic programs. Among these projects is a $2.7 billion boondoggle on the Mississippi River that has twice flunked inspection by the National Academy of Sciences.

The Government Accountability Office and other watchdogs accuse the corps of routinely inflating the economic benefits of its projects. And environmentalists blame it for turning free-flowing rivers into lifeless canals and destroying millions of acres of wetlands – usually in the name of flood control and navigation but mostly to satisfy Congress’s appetite for pork.

This is a bad piece of legislation.

That's from the New York Times bloviating editorial page, earlier this very year.

Click on the link for the link to the full piece. Outstanding catch, Lorie!

No wonder the New York Times charges so much for its archives. They can't have these sorts of embarassments flowing around freely.

Posted by: Ace at 10:04 AM | Comments (3)
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... Mr. Bush, you just stay the course. It's not your fault that 30 percent of New Orleans lives in poverty or that tens of thousands had no transportation to get out of town. C'mon, they're black! I mean, it's not like this happened to Kennebunkport. Can you imagine leaving white people on their roofs for five days? Don't make me laugh! Race has nothing -- NOTHING -- to do with this!

-- Michael Moore

One of New Orleans' world-famous albino negros, flashing his pasty-white legs in a futile attempt to convince George W. Bush he's actually caucasian. Reports say that he even cranked Kenny G songs on his stereo to increase the versimilitude of his daring deception, but crafty Karl Rove saw right through his ruse.

PS, the dog is actually his black wife, in a crafty disguise, which, alas, Paul Wolfowitz immediately realized was a sham. You can tell it's not a real dog, because it's not licking it's own genitals despite having a perfect opportunity to do so.

Posted by: Ace at 09:33 AM | Comments (17)
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Good.

It remains comforting to know that, no matter how animalistically and anti-human some will behave, even though they've chosen violence and mayhem as their calling, they're still not as good at meting out violence as the organized and civilized.

Not to knock the Gauls or praise the Romans, but savagery and barbarity only takes you so far. Men willing to kill or die for loot are dangerous, but they're not nearly as dangerous as men who have made the systematic (and civilized) delivery of violence their calling.

Posted by: Ace at 09:25 AM | Comments (3)
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I stayed away from this story, because the headline suggested something nice about Sean Penn. Sure, it was embarassing that he failed, but at least he tried to rescue people, right?

But what's this?

Asked what he had hoped to achieve in the waterlogged city, the actor replied: "Whatever I can do to help."

With the boat loaded with members of Penn's entourage, including a personal photographer, one bystander taunted the actor: "How are you going to get any people in that thing?"

Who were you trying to help exactly, Sean? Did you imagine that anyone you rescued would be in dire need of new 8" x 10" headshots?

Let me guess: You brought your publicist, too, just in case a stranded, starving citizen needed to quickly put out a statement to the press. Right?

I'm really glad Sean Penn thought to bring Billy Zane. He'll come in handy. He was in Titanic, after all.

Top Ten Rescuers In Sean Penn's Dingy of Celebrity Mercy

10. Steffan, his personal photographer and master navigator

9. Suzie, publicist and world-renown expert on heat-stroke and exposure

8. Nicholas, Penn's personal nutritionist, who can revive people from a starvation-induced coma with his secret egg-white-omlette-and-strawberries recipe

7. Gunther, his personal trainer, master of eight styles of Okinawan and Indian martial arts (for crowd control and breaking up riots, of course)

6. Steve Hershberg, an entertainment lawyer and ex-SEAL with expertise in contract renegoatiations and underwater operations

5. Dr. Trent Conyers, "The Good Samaritan Plastic Surgeon," who does pro bono work giving botox injections to the dead so that they look totally hot at the viewing

4. Jenny, his personal assistant, capable of fashioning life-saving flotation devices out of her enormous rolodex

3. Margaret Cho, who just stowed away on the boat, hoping that someone in Hollywood would finally notice her

2. Naomi, hair-and-makeup girl by day, daredevil storm-chaser by night

...and the Number One rescuer in Sean Penn's dingy of celebrity mercy...

1. Sean Penn himself, secretly gifted with the superhuman strength and speed, who plans to bail out the entire city of New Orleans with his trusty plastic cup, which he dubs "The Red Avenger"

Related: Eject! Eject! Eject! on tribes, with a nice shot at Sean "I'm ready for my close-up, Mr. DeMille" Penn.

Still More: Phunny photoshop by California Conservative.

Posted by: Ace at 08:10 AM | Comments (33)
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Could they find somebody with a more overblown sense of self-importance to honor this way? Is that even possible?

Lemme put it this way; if George Washington* lived for three hundred years, and was still our first and only President today, and personally sired every child in the nation himself, he wouldn't be nearly as cocksure about his significance to the USA as Bruce Springsteen.

Bruce Springsteen is Apple Pie, Mom, the local Baptist Church, and your hometown little league team rolled up in one monotonously grunting package.

Dammit! Uggh! I can't believe they are honoring this guy.

I do like his older music.

* For you history buffs; the father of our nation, our first president. You're welcome.

Posted by: LauraW. at 01:17 PM | Comments (47)
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Clive Owen, everyone's choice for the role, turned it down as "too dated."

Posted by: Ace at 12:48 PM | Comments (42)
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Judge William Rehnquist.

News thanks to Slublog.

Posted by: LauraW. at 07:30 PM | Comments (55)
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