The Only Bush I Trust Is My Own
by E. Noel Preston, M.D.

   I was born and reared in Coral Gables, Florida and I know hurricanes. I was in Coral Gables for my father's birthday a few days after Hurricane Andrew in 1992 and thought it was the worst one I ever saw. The entire city of Homestead was obliterated -- literally blown off the map. By the time I had arrived all the combined city/county governments had sent out bulldozers and work crews to start cleaning things up. Along the sides of almost every street there were 12-foot high canyon walls of dead trees, garbage, bathtubs, refrigerators, furniture, and pieces of broken houses. But the streets themselves were clear. Police were at almost every intersection checking drivers' licenses, and anyone who couldn't show he or she had legitimate business in that neighborhood was told to leave and not come back. And the first President Bush sat on his rear end in Washington, D.C. and did nothing until public outrage forced him to send in the military almost a week later.

   After Hurricane Katrina pounded New Orleans last week, the mayor did not commandeer the city buses to take poor residents to higher ground. He did not order Wal-Mart or grocery stores or restaurants or any other establishments to give out free milk, water, bread, diapers, sandwiches, toothbrushes, Moon Pies, or anything else and promise to reimburse the merchants at a later time. He did not send the police to protect neighborhoods or hospitals. He did not send out ambulances to look for the sick or injured. He fled to Baton Rouge to complain that nobody was helping his city. Well, what does it say he does on his job description? This guy is no Rudy Giuliani. Heck, he isn't even some Dade County, Florida politician.

   But New Orleans needed (and still does) lots of help, and the second President Bush sat on his rear end "on vacation" at his Texas ranch and did nothing until public outrage forced him to act. He says he was running the government and didn't know how bad the damage was? He wasn't too busy running the government to meddle in the "state's rights" of Florida and interfere in the Terry Schiavo case -- and if Hurricane Katrina's damage to New Orleans was on TV he could see how bad it was. He says he's for Law and Order? Then why didn't he send in troops to stop armed thugs from shooting rescue workers and looting furniture stores? He says he couldn't send food and water to the people at the Superdome because of the floodwaters? Then how come the TV news crews could get in? How come buses were able to get in there to get people out? If buses and TV crews could get in, George Bush could have ordered an Army general to send in 18-wheelers loaded with food, medicine, workers, and supplies.

   And no, you can't blame George Bush for the hurricane. The hurricane was no more George Bush's fault than it was a racist plot to kill all the black people -- an equally stupid idea. George Bush is not a racist -- he either just doesn't care about anybody or he's just incompetent! AND, he appointed Michael Brown, a political hack, to be the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "Brownie" (as in, "you're doing a heck of a job, Brownie") is a failed Congressional candidate who had been appointed executive director of the American Arabian Horse Association before becoming head of FEMA. What sort of emergency management expertise does "Brownie" have? His resume says he was Assistant City Manager of some town in Oklahoma, but he wasn't. He was an assistant to the City Manager -- in other words, an intern!

   Even if "Brownie" didn't have a clue as to what he himself should have done, the hurricane was not a surprise attack, like the one on the World Trade Center on September 11. There were all sorts of experts telling us days in advance how big it was, where it was, where it was heading, and how horrible it would be if it hit New Orleans. There was plenty of advance warning. "Brownie" could have called the commander of the Third Army or the Joint Chiefs of Staff to put the military on alert, but he didn't. 

   I was on a plane flying from Boston to Atlanta three days before Katrina made landfall, and there were four Red Cross rescue workers on board. They were on "advance deployment" so they could get to where they might be needed as soon as possible. The Red Cross knew Katrina was coming, and they tried to prepare for it. Didn't the Federal Government know? But to be fair, "Brownie" wasn't a total failure. As the Director of Miami/Dade County's Emergency Management Agency observed, no Arabian horses were lost in Hurricane Katrina.

   The U.S. Navy had its Gulf fleet and a 600-bed hospital ship standing off the Texas coast to avoid the storm. The Army base at San Antonio is only 500 miles away. The Air Force has a base at Fort Walton Beach. When it became obvious "Brownie" couldn't perform, why didn't George W. Bush sack him and send in the troops sooner?

   And now, one week after the hurricane struck, "Brownie" has finally resigned. When it became obvious Brown was incapable of doing anything right, Bush didn't even have the testosterone to fire him: he simply let him keep his title as Director of FEMA and reassigned him to some desk job in Washington. Brown at least had the integrity to step down. But how capable is his replacement? Has Bush simply traded one boob for another?

   Bad hurricanes have hit Miami, Charleston, Wilmington, Mobile, Biloxi, Tampa, and New Orleans. We have a history of what these demons can do. They will come again, and someday might hit other cities like Savannah, or Brunswick, or Jacksonville. Are we never going to learn how to respond?

   My nurse, Susan, has a neighbor whose 72-year-old father was called to active duty with the Army National Guard in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He is in charge of a shelter for 2,500 refugees and has no food, clothing, or medical supplies. The Red Cross couldn't, but the Salvation Army gave him some bottled water a few days ago, and now it's all gone. His daughter, who lives in Roswell, collected food, clothing, water, blankets, and money to take to him for the shelter. She had to drive all those things down to him herself as there was no way to get them to him otherwise. 

   Why isn't the military flying helicopters to these people with Meals Ready to Eat, or water, or clothes, or medicines? Why has a 72-year-old man, himself on the verge of exhaustion, been put in charge of 2,500 evacuees? Why is America in such a befuddled mess?

   I have never voted for a Democrat for President in my life and I probably never will. And I never thought I'd say it, but even John Kerry would have done better.

   PHOOEY on George, and God help the USA.

E. Noel Preston, M.D. is a pediatrician in solo practice in Peachtree Corners. 6063 Peachtree Parkway, Suite 202-A, Norcross. (770) 448-1553. More information can be found at www.PeachtreeCornersPediatrics.com

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