A farewell to reason, part I

I was in the middle of writing an entry about how I mourn the death of political discourse and intellectual honesty in this nation, and then I stumbled upon this shining example while at work. Here are some excerpts from a letter I received today — the kind of letter that makes my job exhausting, depressing, and discouraging.

I'm all for freedom of speech, I just wish there wasn't freedom to be a moron. Just like you can't yell 'fire' in a crowded theater, you shouldn't be able to spew hatred and lies like this:

CNN was the first cable news channel to air footage from the Superdome and from the Convention Center in New Orleans. Fox News was slow to depict the horror of people stranded inside the city. When it became impossible to ignore, that is, when it became obvious that other cable news networks were getting the scoop, Fox chose to show images of looting and violence in an apparent attempt to blame the victims rather than blaming the person in charge — the President of the United States...

The longer we wait [to blame the President], the more spin will come from the White House and from the director of FEMA and the director of homeland security, in attempts not only to cover up their failures but even more so to detract attention from their inability to identify with the everyday woman and man.

CNN news anchors and correspondents are softening their reports in light of the ubiquitous press conferences coming from Bush’s administration. More and more press conferences will come and reporters, despite their best intentions will become numb and finally lose their passion – just as it happened when we repeatedly watched Rodney King beaten until we were drained of all emotion.

Both Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco called for -- no, begged President Bush for help. (Editors note: uh, no they didn't) But where was George? On vacation, of course. Fund raising, probably. It has never been more obvious than now that there is never time in George's schedule for poor people or for people of color unless he is under great pressure from Rove and other handlers and he is politically compelled to engage the black community in what generally amounts to a mere photo opportunity.

George W. Bush is a disgrace to this nation.

I can't remember when our federal government has shown such racism and elitism as was evident in the first four days after hurricane Katrina hit land in the Gulf. I was born and raised in the South and I saw civil rights workers murdered, the slaughter of four little girls in Birmingham, and countless other acts of terror sponsored by my home state of Georgia and the state of Alabama under Lester Maddox and George Wallace. I've become well acquainted with and accustomed to the dual nightmares of poverty and state-sanctioned murder (which happens when the state turns a blind eye to murder).

Yet, despite all of this, I have never seen the federal government of the United States of America so openly show such blatant racism to its own citizens and to the entire world as I've seen during the onslaught of hurricane Katrina. It is an outrage.

Worst of all, Bush & Company will most likely get away with having murdered thousands of citizens, many people of color, simply by turning a blind eye to a real national emergency.

This is not the first time I’ve spoken openly against Bush and the Republican administration and I have suffered for it. Nevertheless, I must speak again. I don't fear Usama bin Ladin nor Saudi nationals who hijack planes and crash them into buildings. I fear the Republican Party for it has proven itself to be my personal enemy as well as the enemy of all Americans who work hard for a living but remain slightly above or below the poverty level. And New Orleans is graphic representation of what I'm talking about; New Orleans after Katrina is my fear made flesh and blood.

God bless Ray Nagin – he has my vote for President. God bless the angry news correspondents of CNN – they got guts. God bless the Congressional Black Caucus for they were the first to speak as one voice against the outrage. God bless Michael Moore, a fine American because he is not afraid to confront injustice. God bless Kanye West whose nervous and breathy testimonial said what is in so many hearts. So far, these five are among the few speaking truth.

And may God bless and keep those Americans who have suffered so horribly under the Bush administration’s elitism and uncaring attitudes toward its citizenry.

Wow. I don't even know where to begin with that. I was gonna finish my entry about the death of political discourse and intellectual honesty in America, but now I have the strange urge to slit my wrists and do jumping jacks, you know...just to get the blood flowing. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's ignorance, and by extension stupidity. With this in mind, I'm starting to think that maybe I'm in the wrong business.