I must, once again, take humbrage with the utter nonsense Vickie Palatas has
submitted for publication in the "Midwest Voices" column.
Her first point, that global warming is not the cause of all
weather catastrophies, is a half-truth. Yes, weather is cyclical, but that
does not give humanity carte blanche to just continue on our merry way, spewing
greenhouse emmissions and burning up all the fossil fuels we can get our hands
on as quick as we gain access. That the activities of the human species
are having an impact on our climate is undeniable except to a very few far-right
hangers-on. Actions have consequences, and this is spelled out for us in
the laws of thermodynamics. (For every action, there is an equal and
opposite reaction.)
Her next point is that President Bush is not a racist. Okay, I will give
her that one. But systemic, institutionalized racism is a very real
problem, especially in the deep south. It is also an undeniable fact that
during the evacuation of the Superdome, white tourists were bumped ahead of the
evacuees and escorted from a downtown hotel, and National Guardsmen were acting
as bellhops for the vacationers. Maybe it wasn't racism, but classism
certainly came into play here.
She goes on to proclaim that "The Federal government and it's agencies cannot
always be expected to respond quickly...in Federalism the city and the state
carry the burden for first response." This is probably the stupidest thing
Ms. Palatas has yet published, and that is quite a statement in an of
itself. The federal response is necessary because in natural disasters,
the local first responders are directly affected by the unfolding
disaster. They have homes and families in harms way. In a
Katrina-size disaster, the local and state authorities were quickly
overwhelmed. How she can casually pass the buck back to the locals after
what we all witnessed on our TV screens makes me doubt that compassionate
conservatism was ever anything more than pretty words and lip service. I am a first responder, and I have mobilized in natural disasters. I can say with absolute surety that Ms. Palatas doesn't have any idea what the hell she is blathering about here!
She then claims that the "War in Iraq has not sucked all money from domestic
needs - specifically from flood-control measures..." Maybe not, but the
fiscal year that just ended saw a 79% reduction in flood-control monies for the
NOLA basin. As the hurricane bore down, Louisiana had 825 National Guard
troops on hurricane detail, and over three thousand in Iraq. In addition
most of the Guard's deep-water vehicles were in Iraq. Can someone explain to me
why they were needed in the desert? The Guard troops that remained in
Louisiana were preoccupied with saving themselves before they could aid their
fellow citizens, and the New York Times reported recently that hurricane
response was negatively impacted by the number of National Guard troops and the
amount of equipment that has been deployed to Iraq. That is a simple,
undeniable fact. (Spin that one.)
She goes on to absolve the pathetic federal response by saying "the Government should not be expected to force it's citizens to heed their warnings."
Fair enough, but Norfolk Virginia has a pretty effective method of dealing with
stragglers. Those who say they are going to "ride it out" are handed an
indellible marker and asked to write their name and social security number on
their limbs, so their bodies can be easier to identify after the storm
passes. This prompts most people to leave voluntarily. It is
cold, but it is effective.
Finally, her last paragraph is just laughable, it is so silly. (Ms.
Palatas, do you even know what socialism means? Socialism means simply
that the workers control the means of production, it is not synonymous with the
"welfare state" that you love to vilify.) The swan song of her latest
contribution is a paen to Horatio Alger "In America, everyone can lift
themselves up by their own bootstraps!" I implore Ms. Palatas to do some
real research in that area, because it is no longer a given that future
generations will exceed the gains of their parents and grandparents, in fact,
sociologists have been documenting a reversal of fortune trend for a few years
now.
I implore the Star to find a better conservative representative for the Midwest
Voices column, preferably one that doesn't simply channel Linda Bowles. Remember, you dumped her column and there was a reason for that. Do we really need a local version spewing nonsense and sanctimony on our editorial pages?
Well, of course, that was too long for a letter to the editor, and they asked me to shorten it and resubmit. So I did:
It has almost become tiresome, taking exception to the inane ramblings of
Midwest Voices contributor Vickie Palatas.
The limited length of a 'Letter to the Editor" format precludes me from
disecting and soundly refuting her latest contribution point-by-point, although
I am salivating to do so.
Instead, I would implore the Star to find a better local representative of the
conservative viewpoint. Ms. Palatas seems to simply channel Linda Bowles,
and she was banished from the editorial pages for a reason, remember? Do
we really need a local version, spewing half-truths, spin, and far-right
talking points on our editorial pages? I just believe that in a metro area
of a million-plus, a representative of the conservative viewpoint who doesn't
make Michelle Malkin look like a moderate, is not too much to ask of the only
major paper in town. You owe your conservative readership better. As for the rest of us? Ms. Palatas' weak intelectual capability and hackneyed writing just makes it too easy.
What do you think? Too harsh? I didn't think so either.
