Ellington

Here's a funny little column in The Clarion-Ledger today. The dude clearly has no "personal agenda" in his part about Haley Barbour, which sounds like copy straight from a political speech! I hate to tell him, but the people whom we have heard talking the most about the disaster "from a race, class and culture perspective" are the very people who have been on the ground trying to do everything they can to help the victims and tell the public what really happened. Perhaps he thinks that one can't proverbially walk and chew gum at the same time—that is, help victims and observe what went wrong with relief so we can make sure the goof-ups, and the people who made them, aren't there next time—but you know what, we can. The public is smarter than columns like this one that are trying to, er, slyly play one brand of politics while slapping people who are trying to get at the truth no matter where the chips fall. Please.

Also, one wonders if Mr. McGee understands how many people in Mississippi did not see help for weeks under the leadership of Gov. Barbour. There is more to disaster relief than mugging for the camera and telling everyone you have it under control.

It is sad that under these extraordinary circumstances there are those who would stoop so low as to play the blame game from a race, class and culture perspective. The fact that this is happening, and will probably get worse is a sad commentary to all of the hard work that has gone into building positive relationships without regard to these extraneous factors.

Just as troubling is the audacity of politicians and the media to exploit the calamity of Hurricane Katrina for political gain and improved ratings rather than responsible journalism. To all of these misguided critics, the message should be: Just step back, take a deep breath and support the efforts of the thousands of individuals who are trying to ease the pain of the moment.

He has refused to be sidetracked by the politics of the moment and has remained focused on leading this state through the worst disaster it has ever experienced. He continues to use his leadership skills and powerful contacts on the national level to garner the support needed to get the job done.

Bottom line: We're not deaf, dumb and stupid here, Mr. McGee. We can question our leaders even as we help our fellow man. And we must. That ain't no "blame game." That's responsible citizenship at its best.

Previous Comments

ID

171854

Comment

Now, is this the same Samuel McGee? If so, correct me if I'm wrong in assuming that Gov. Haley Barbour would be his boss? And if that assumption is correct, why is that not mentioned in this column, which seems to be written to get people not to criticize Mr. Barbour and other elected officials?

Author

ladd

Date

2005-10-08T08:02:00-06:00

ID

171855

Comment

This is his bio under his column: "Samuel McGee, Ph.D., is an educator, author and motivational speaker from Jackson." Does anyone know whether he has left his position with the state?

Author

ladd

Date

2005-10-08T08:08:18-06:00

ID

171856

Comment

I would doubt that he left if his name is still BLAZING right there above the contact information. ;) I LOVE the fact that it doesn't mention he's a state employee in the piece. I also LOVE the fact that in small print, right underneath the address for the VOC program is "No Child Left Behind"...Bushies lovely underfunded school program that is starving public schools out of existance. Perfect.

Author

Lori G

Date

2005-10-08T09:10:28-06:00

ID

171857

Comment

It COULD be a different Samuel McGee, Ali, but it's not looking like it. For the record, he gets to say nice things about his bosses if he wants ó but The Clarion-Ledger should reveal this, especially when he's writing a thinly disguised excuse for the Bush and Barbour administrations. Tsk, tsk.

Author

ladd

Date

2005-10-08T10:17:20-06:00

ID

171858

Comment

Some folks haven't gotten the memo that President Bush took "responsibilty" for the screw-ups after Katrina. This letter to the Ledge repeats the simplistic mantra that McGee was espousing in the above column that Democrats "are playing the 'blame game.'" George Brumfield of Raymond writes: With everything that went wrong in New Orleans and the blame game being played out by the Democratic Party, I wouldn't be surprised if the headlines will read one morning that the Democrats have determined that George Bush is responsible for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. What's funny to me is how this shows that some people think (or don't think, as it were) in such extreme terms of black and white. No sane person would argue that Bush "is responsible" for the hurricanes, but he is responsible for how FEMA responds. He is also responsible for his actions (or inactions) in response to scientific evidence that global warming is making hurricanes more powerful (not "causing" them). He is responsible for learning the hard lessons of the response to this disaster, politics aside, and then fixing the problems that mean that the U.S. is wholly unequipped to response to a major disaster on our soil, even as we are embroiled in one abroad that we are, also, wholly unprepared to deal with. Mr. Brumfield, we are not stupid out here. We cannot blindly go along with what some elected official says or does just because they say or do it. This is America, and in America, every single one of us has the right and the responsibility to challenge our elected officials to both take responsibility and to fix problems. Always passing the buck, as this administration and their apologists do, is not good enough. Believing otherwise, or deriding people for doing that, is not only partisan bullsh!t; it is also un-American. Get over it, dude. In a democracy, people can disagree with their leaders. In fact, we have to when the situation merits it. The "blame game" rhetoric is meaningless at this point. Ask the vast majority of American people who are sick and tired of this inept administration. The only question now is how we are going to fix this mess that a bunch of radicals have sown. We've got to to do that together, and without regard to naked, blind partisanship. Mr. Brumfield, free to join the rest of usóDemocrats, Republicans and otherwiseóas we go down this difficult road toward recovery from this motley gang of wingnuts, cronies and neo-bigots who have joined together in their quest for power and greed, but little else.

Author

ladd

Date

2005-10-09T10:30:51-06:00