Where 9/11 cast a light on the basic compassion of America in the light of a tragedy, Katrina has apparently cast a light on its hatred. In my wildest dreams I wouldn't have thought right-wingers would start attacking impoverished citizens, let alone start demanding their deaths. The are a lot of suggestions about this, the more plausible ones being racism, class ignorance, and of course, ass-saving fervor toward lines of dialogue not related to Bush's mistakes. I don't really know which one, or ones, are true, if any.
My money's on the third one, but you knew that. Sometimes the enormity of the missed opportunity that Bush made of 9/11 still stuns me. Can you imagine what might have become not just of our nation, but of the world, if when 9/11 happened we'd had in the oval office a genuine "uniter, not a divider?" What he could have done with the good will of the world and a nation already united like never before?
But we didn't have that, and here we are. Those of you who have happiness and love in your lives: Cling to it, will you? For all of us.
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