If you have followed my writing the past year you must know I do not swear much. Well be forewarned and anyone of faint heart step away from the monitor now because today is the day that I have just Fucking had it.

The Dept of Homeland Security bill that was recently passed included legislation that was to begin addressing the problems we saw with FEMA during Katrina.

Justgo readwhat Senators Collins and Lieberman said the bill would do and then prepare yourself. Here are a few of what they considered the most prominent changes that are pertinent to this discussion. The first 2 were considered the most important changes to be made.

–The FEMA administrator would be the chief Presidential advisor for emergency management;

–the administrator… would be required to have emergency management experience;

–Strengthen FEMA’s regional task forces

–Provide additional assistance for individuals and communities that are struck by disaster, including allowing FEMA more flexibility in the types of housing it can provide to disaster victims in order to find more cost-effective alternatives to the widely criticized trailers.

This folks was a compromise bill. No one was even close to doing what many experts thought should be done— FEMA taken out of DHS and the agency head made a Cabinet level position again. No this bill was a compromise on increasing the stature and power of the head of FEMA which is what is needed. But hey I do understand it is the year 2006 in George Fucking Bush’s the United States of Bizarroland and this was as good as it was going to get or so I thought. As did I’m sure Republican Senators Collins and Lieberman who settled for the barely improved FEMA. But Praise God Damn Jeebus the bill passed and we were on the road that “begins the process of addressing the tragic shortcomings in our emergency response system exposed by Hurricane Katrina.” So Joe said.

But what did Bush do on October 4, 2006?

HE attached a signing agreement effectively re-writing the above key sections of the law. This was to maintain increased powers of the executive and your safety be damned. Bush most often cites, though not exclusively, the unitary executive theory under which he“asserts broad authority to use his judgment to interpret and apply the law” in regard to…

–Higher standards of qualifications and experience for the Head of FEMA [section 503(c)(2)] enacted so ya know we wouldn’t see the likes of another damn head of the Arabian Horse Association again—

FORGET ABOUT IT–that would “limit the qualifications of the pool of persons from whom the President may selectt”

–The head of FEMA is to be the Principal Advisor on emergency management [section 503(c)(4)]

FORGET ABOUT IT–he’ll listen to his higher father I guess

–Head of FEMA reporting to Congress on whether…

1)additional authority is needed to prepare and deploy response strike teams [section 507(f)(6)]

2)additional authority is needed to continue or make permanent the housing pilot program or make recommendations on such [section 689i(a)(4)(B)(iv). Also public assistance pilot program[689j(b)(2)(E)]

FORGET ABOUT IT–no talking to Congress about your authority or better housing than FEMA trailers. Instead the President shall “recommend for congressional consideration such measures as the President shall judge necessary and expedient.”

–Or that the President would “act through” the head of FEMA in regard to a national preparedness goal, [section 643] or developing a national preparedness system [section 644] or establishing emergency response teams.[section 633]

FORGET ABOUT IT–Baby don’t “act through” nobody

So much for compromise, Congress and a more robust FEMA and head of FEMA.</pScout

People we are living under a damn Dictator.

Why the hell do we even bother with a Congress?

Why conduct months of hearings to investigate how our federal government could have stumbled and bungled as a region of this country awash in destruction waited for help…so as to determine what needs to be done to prevent it from happening again?

Why bother?

Why spend weeks and months hammering out legislation and compromise to that legislation only to have it surreptitiousy signed away by one man now drunk on power and God because he wouldn’t go to rehab like it’s expected of every other normal-Joe-drunk-coke-head-American? Yeah that guy, the vacant idiot tool for Cheney and Addington’s quest to expand excutive powers.

Why?

Why should one member of Congress even continue in this charade any longer?

They should all just do a Foley and spend their days in their offices, at their computers and hammer away one-handed at their keyboards engaging in internet sex. At least then they’d be getting fucked on their own terms and get something in return for their efforts.

(The remains of scout’s grey matter after the cut…click Read More)

Continue reading “Signing Statement for H.R. 5441—Whereas Scout’s Head Explodes”

From the Times Picayune Tap water is now safe to drink in the northern section of the Lower 9th Ward where thousands of homes have been without potable water for more than a year. Sewerage & Water Board officials announced Monday that the basic public service has been restored to more than 4,000 customers in what had been the sole remaining section of New Orleans without drinkable water. —– Continue reading Water in Lower 9th Ward deemed safe

Ted Turner at the National Press Club today was asked…”What do you see as the future vision for CNN now that Fox is gaining in market share and popularity?” Sorry can’t transcribe the answer so you’ll have to watch… Continue reading Ted tell us what you really think

FromEmily Metzgar viaOyster is news that the Louisiana “state ethics board intends to discuss the regulation of political blogs in Louisiana.” Just how do they think that is going to work? UPDATE: They may be just looking at placement of campaign ads on blogs. Here is the wording for upcoming ethics board meeting from which this story came.. “Consideration of a request for an advisory opinion concerning the regulation of web-blogs and blog sites and the placement of political campaign signs.” Continue reading Huh?

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, who rarely misses an opportunity to tout his efforts to rid City Hall of corruption, said Thursday thathe will enthusiastically urge voters to re-elect U.S. Rep. William Jefferson, the target of a sprawling federal bribery probe that has cost the veteran congressman his seat on an influential House committee. SNIP“Unless he is indicted prior to the election date, I do not believe my reciprocated support will generate a story with any type of legs,” Nagin said. Well those legs could get entangled with Foley’s and Hastert’s. I’ve heard more than a few pundits point to … Continue reading C. Ray endorses Dollar Bill

Rumors are that Google islooking to buy YouTube. Neither Google nor YouTube would comment on the talks, which were first reported by the TechCrunch blog and could still fall apart. Viacom, News Corp., Microsoft and Yahoo are also said to be interested in the San Mateo start-up. But there is one big obstacle. Everyone wants YouTube’s traffic — the site screens more than 100 million videos a day — and the potential for advertising riches. But no one wants what could be a Napster-style legal mess. Indeed, it’s unclear to what extent YouTube’s wild popularity is directly dependent on the … Continue reading Will Google buy YouTube???

The good news for New Orleans is that many applying for federal grants under the state’s Road Home program say they plan to return. The bad news is that it is still a painfullyslow process… Almost three-fourths of New Orleans homeowners applying for federal grants say they will use the money to rebuild their flood-ruined properties rather than take a buyout or relocate, a figure that far surpasses the state average and may signal the potent recovery of a city still largely mired in decay. SNIP The numbers, however, should not be weighed too strongly, Kopplin said. Homeowners are not … Continue reading Long and Winding “Road Home” to New Olreans

North Korea claims it conducted nuclear test. FromCNN… SEOUL, South Korea (CNN) — North Korea on Monday claimed it has performed a successful nuclear test, according to that country’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). South Korean government officials also said North Korea performed its first nuclear test, the South’s Yonhap news agency reported. The apparent nuclear test was conducted at 10:36 a.m. (0136 GMT) in Hwaderi near Kilju city, Yonhap reported, citing defense officials. “The field of scientific research in the DPRK (North Korea’s official name) successfully conducted an underground nuclear test under secure conditions on October 9 … … Continue reading Breaking News: North Korea nuclear test

The LA Times reports a former page had a sexual encounter with Foley when he was 21 and serving as an Intern in “an unrelated program.” A former House page says he had sex with then-Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) after receiving explicit e-mails in which the congressman described assessing the sexual orientation and physical attributes of underage pages but waiting until later to make direct advances. The former page, who agreed to discuss his relationship with Foley with the Los Angeles Times on the condition that he not be identified, said his electronic correspondence with Foley began after he finished … Continue reading Former page had sex with Foley