Month: September 2005

If there is sadness at having lost my father many years ago it is balanced by joy of having my five children and their partners dine with me on Fathers day and that of course, is life. One son-in-law was unfortunately on shift in a hospital but the other wannabe/bettersoonbe son-in-law dropped by to join us. We went to Racecourse Road for brunch and I got some great loot including a voucher redeamable at the local hardware store and an electric toothbrush.

However, the highlight was this card from my eldest son, the tonsorially challenged one, with the note “Thanks Dad”

Although I still have a full head of hair, albeit white/grey/blonde, I burst out laughing on seeing it.

Their presence was enough, the gifts a bonus, the card a hoot and all of it organized by my son’s fiance (and as of next Saturday, bride) who brings serenity, grace, humour and organization to our large family. Her family were there as well enjoying themselves as they adjust to the irreverant humour and frivolity of my tribe.

Doesn’t get much better and I know my father would enjoyed himself no end.

I, for one am sick of it. The debate on Katrina is swamped by a tsunami of people blaming Bush.

Read this and tell the Bush haters to shut the hell up.

Even this from Dreadnought

The image of the President flying over the abandoned city, looking out the window at people who were dying, dead or worse, was magnificently obscene.

Presidents and Prime Ministers have been visiting disaster sites since Noah had to check out the Great Flood. I would say that Bush has been the only leader ever, in recorded history, to have the word ‘obscene’ used to describe his doing so.

Get over it you fools.

THE Victorian Education Department will spend up to $500,000 on legal fees fighting a discrimination case brought by a deaf boy denied a classroom interpreter.

The boy’s mother, Robyn Beasley, believes an interpreter would cost about $35,000, but says the department would rather spend hundreds of thousands of dollars fighting her son Dylan in court.

Reality check, Robyn. If the Department don’t fight the case they will be forced to supply an interpreter in each class that has a deaf student. If they lose, each and every deaf kid in the state will turn up at the local state school with their parents demanding a place in a class and an interpreter. I’m sure sending your hearing impaired child to the local school would be a lot cheaper for the parents than the current set up.

It would cost millions.

But what do the lawyers care.

Hi res satellite image of New Orleans via Donald Sensing.

For local updates visit The Times – Picayune and Mississippi Coast Area News

For news on the military contribution visit The Mudville Gazette

Florida Cracker covers the story of the relief chopper being fired at and makes this point;

I’m sure this situation is exactly the reason they didn’t want to evacuate the city in the first place –the dregs of society would stay behind to have a field day.

Poor buggers. It just keeps on getting worse. Outside the Gateway reports;

An explosion at a chemical depot has added to the misery in New Orleans. No word yet on whether it was related to the Hurricane, a criminal act, or sheer coincidence.

From Vodka Pundit

Now for the really painful part, said not with anger, but with a heavy heart: As sad and awful as it is, Louisiana in general and New Orleans in particular did a lot of this to themselves.

UPDATE: The Blithering Bunny has a good post on BBC biased reporting, all of it designed to make Bush look bad.

UPDATE II: As usual Zoe Brain has a good post on the inaccuracies of the ‘Blame Bush’ brigade and touches on the inhumanity of some left wing haters.

UPDATE III: A post at American Daughter outlines Katrina’s time line as she heads towards New Orleans and local authorities procrastinate. It is well sources and apolitical.

A link to the New Orleans Post for those interested in the plight of others. I note that they link a lot to Aussie sources.

On further reading I note they link a lot to the Guardian particularly to an article by Sidney Blumenthal that lays the blame for the tragedy on Bush leading with;

President Bush is to blame for the scale of the disaster as a result of his administration’s policies and actions.

Simple then, isn’t it? Impeach Bush and no more natural disasters.

Now, how can I blame Cyclone Tracy on Gough Whitlam?

BUY A BADGE DURING LEGACY WEEK!

Some readers may be aware I am a Legatee, a veteran dedicated to helping widows of mates left behind in foreign lands or who later died back home due to their war service. During Legacy Week we remind the public of the essential role we play in the community – providing services such as welfare, support and education to 130,000 widows Australia-wide, and over 1,900 children and disabled dependants.

ADF personnel, high school students and volunteers will be pounding the pavements and paddocks of city and country during Legacy Week. Please support Legacy by buying a Badge and wearing it with pride.

As Legacy does not receive government funding, we are reliant on the generosity of the Australian public on Badge Day to ensure we can continue to care for our extended family.

For over 80 years Legacy has been caring for the families of defence force personnel killed in war or other hazardous service, in peacekeeping operations or in accidents whilst training for war, or who have died subsequently.

You will see us everywhere this week so as you go through your daily life, through the shopping centre, down the mall or at the railway station look for these volunteers and help us help all the war widows and their children.

News to hand indicates Fats Domino is missing in the New Orleans disaster.I grew up with Fats on the radio and can still sing all the words of Blueberry Hill.

Domino has sold more than 110 million records in his long career, including the legendary singles Blueberry Hill and Ain’t That a Shame.

His 1950 recording of The Fat Man is sometimes called the first real rock ‘n’ roll record. He was among the first honourees to the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame. New Orleans police could not confirm if Domino was missing, nor if any official search had been made.

There are indications that New Orleans may not be rebuilt but I find it hard to imagine a world without it’s cosmopolitan face and hope it isn’t true.

I can only offer my heart felt sympathy to those inflicted by natures savagery.

Meanwhile PM Howard offers practical assistance:

“We have been in touch overnight Australian time with the Federal Emergency Management Authority which is the key body in the US co-ordinating relief and we have offered a special emergency team of up to 20 experts from Australia which we will send to the US immediately in order to help.”

UPDATE: A lot of people are busy trying to work out how to blame President Bush for the disaster and when they can’t, they misquote Bush to make him appear stupid. Tim Blair has a post on this very subject where Tony Jones of ABC Lateline fame waves the flag of Bush’s so called stupidity.

Bush refers to Hurricane Katrina and says;

We are dealing with one of the worst natural disasters in our nation’s history.

The ABC reporter Norman Hermant edits this to read;

The recovery, he said, will take years, from what could be America’s worst natural disaster in a century .

And Tony Jones, seeing a chance to make Bush look stupid says;

President George W. Bush says the recovery may take years and he’s called this one of America’s worst natural disasters this century.

Which would have had all the ABC Luvvies nodding their heads wisely at Bush’s stupidity.

I find it very annoying and would think a good proportion of ABC viewers and young people actually think Bush is stupid all based on this type of unbalanced reporting.

Bloody ABC.

I’m often heard to say “I used to leap tall buildings, now I only limp around them” but there is hope for even us old diggers.

New Scientist report…SPIDERMAN does it, so does James Bond. Now a gadget has been developed to allow US marines to zip up the sides of buildings or ships with virtually no effort.

All you do is fire a rope to the top of the structure using a harpoon gun or grappling hook, and then fit the rope into the device, called PowerQuick, which attaches to your climbing harness. Then just sit back and squeeze a lever.

I could tell you about something like this we were using 20 years ago but if I did, someone from Defence would have to come around and kill me for talking inside the thirty year rule..

If they still care enough….anyway….

Life for the soldier just keeps getting better as the system keeps coming up with better toys.