Hurricane Katrina may be one of the most devastating natural disasters in the United States in my lifetime. I have no doubt that you feel awful about the loss of life, property and the need to take urgent steps. What bothers me is that on Monday, Aug. 29, when the hurricane hit land early in the morning, you took the time to visit Coronado for dinner that night and a round of golf. You even paraded a group of veterans to put on a show for your war. I’m not bitter that you probably skirted around San Diego on purpose, so you didn’t have to acknowledge that our mayor is lesbian. I do hope your dinner at the Crown Room was well worth it, considering many Americans were dying that very moment as a result of the hurricane.

Hurricane Katrina is our tsunami. Why is it that all of the news reporters were able to get to the disaster areas on the same day, but you couldn’t? Why is it that Leonardo DiCaprio and Harry Connick, Jr. were able to get there, but you couldn’t? Why did it take you four days to bother visiting the disaster areas? Didn’t you know that your mere presence could have made a big difference? Or is it because your brother is not the governor in those states? Do I sound angry? You bet I am.

You gave an interview to ABC’s Diane Sawyer and said that no one could have predicted that the levy would buckle. Was I the only one who heard about this possibility on television days before Katrina hit Louisiana? Did you forget that the Army Corps of Engineers had proposed a plan to shore up the levy, but your administration cut their budget? You held a press conference in D.C. and detailed the help that’s on the way. Was that a grocery list for a party of five? Didn’t your advisers prep you that there might be up to a million people affected? Didn’t you see the number of hungry young children and elderly people begging for help? Didn’t it bother you that there are dead Americans floating around, and others left unfound? Didn’t you see the number of sick people that need medical help, and all you could send was one hospital ship? Why is it that an event like the Super Bowl could arrange floating hotels in San Diego a couple of years ago, but the U.S. government cannot find decent emergency housing? You said in the same interview that you understand the frustrations of the “refugee.” Mr. President, these are American people; they should not have to be refugees in their own country. And no, you’re wrong. They’re not frustrated – these people are desperate and dying. It is refreshing to see news reporters show more emotion than you do.

On Friday you got yourself to Mississippi first and held another press conference. And again, you paraded a flock of people around you. Now is not the time to be patting each other’s back. The rescue and relief workers know that they have the gratitude of the American people. All this can wait while we save lives. And tell your handlers that you do not need all the trappings for television. The helicopter in the hanger behind you could be saving lives instead of serving as a nice backdrop for your TV moment. The rescue workers could be rescuing, or taking much needed rest. More importantly, now is not the time for more news conferences. Mayor Ray Nagin of New Orleans is to be commended for his passion for the well-being of his people, and for being outraged when he berated the federal government during a radio interview for doing too little too late. He is tired of all these promises of help coming, but help is not there. He proposed a moratorium on press conferences until the job is done. I think you should listen sometime.

And by the way, where is the vice president during all this? Is he still on vacation in Wyoming? How nice for him. And your secretary of state attended the Broadway show Spamalot on Wednesday night in New York. She was also seen shopping for shoes at Ferragamo on Fifth Avenue, and even squeezed in a tennis game with Monica Sales. Aren’t they public servants, just like you? Isn’t this disaster important enough for them to rally to your side? And your friend, Mr. Carl Rove, stayed behind in Coronado to celebrate with the anti-Cindy Sheehan crowd two Mondays ago. I guess that was more important than the suffering of the people on the Gulf Coast.

Oh, by the way, thank you for the $10 billion. That was mighty big of you, considering that we have spent over $200 billion in Iraq. Maybe if we give some contract to Halliburton, the aid money might actually increase. Did you already forget the embarrassing initial pledge of $35 million you gave to the tsunami, until the nations of the world took you to task? During the press conference, you even joked about your friend, Sen. Trent Lott, whose big home was destroyed, and how you look forward to seeing his big home rebuilt and enjoying a drink on his patio. Mr. President, I do not think you have to worry about Sen. Lott rebuilding his big home. I am sure he has the money and is well insured to build an even bigger home. It is the little people you should be worried about – those who do not have insurance and cannot afford to rebuild. All they want is a simple roof over their heads.

Gas prices have already gone up, over the $3-per-gallon mark, and they are destined to go up even higher. Why do we always have to bear the cost of every disaster, and the fear-mongering and greed of the gasoline companies? Why couldn’t these companies say, “In view of the disasters, we’ll be willing to absorb the loss for the good of the country.” Oh, that would be un-American. And how about the CEO of Wal-Mart pledging $1 million to the disaster relief fund, despite the fact that many of their stores were looted? How very nice of the largest retailer in the world to take some change from their pocket, considering that five members of the Walton family are on the list of the top 20 richest people in the United States, with billions of dollars in assets. I hope they’re not expecting a congressional medal of honor.

And how long does it take to get the troops to the disaster areas? Oops, sorry, I forget that we have over 150,000 troops in Iraq right now. Well, how about the National Guard? Oh sorry, people of the states of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, the Guard has been recruited to fight the Bush war. My gratitude to our armed forces for their tenacity to take control of anarchic situations. If you had sent them in sooner, maybe some of these soldiers would not have “shoot to kill” orders against fellow Americans. Disasters like this bring out the best and the worst in people. People who are desperate take desperate steps. This is no excuse for the murder, rape and stealing of properties. This is where the lack of leadership of the federal government has failed us yet again.

Mr. President, you swore to protect the American people when you took office. Why haven’t you used your power of office to save and help your own people? If you had family in the Gulf Coast region, would you have acted with more intensity? If your children were soldiers, would you have acted more prudently instead of sending other people’s children to fight for your war?

Am I bitter? Am I taking cheap pot shots at your administration? You bet I am. It is time to listen to the voice of the American people. It is time to put aside the sound bites, the photo ops, the personal ideological and religious bias, and the imposition of your own personal agenda. It is time to lead the people and this nation.

If the first four years of this administration has not convinced the American people of what a mess we are in, I hope this administration’s handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina will be a wake-up call that we can and must do better. Mr. President, you have failed the United States of America, and in doing so failed the world as well.

You bet I’m pissed!

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www.GuideStar.org, (757) 229-4631

www.SavetheChildren.org, (800) 728-3843