Cookie-cutter rockers rule?

It makes me laugh everytime I see another "Cookie-Cutter Rocker" on MTV, late night TV, or elsewhere. These garrish garage-rocking assembly-line anti-adult "musicians" all tend to look the same: anything-but-average haircut (apparently the goofier the better), basic black T-shirt with "cool" obscure logo or message, tattered jeans, black tennis shoes, and rings of wrist bracelets. Sprinkle in a piercing here and there and it's hard to tell one from the other.

I never know whether I'm watching a musical act, an A&F commercial, or an American suburbs family home movie. And the band name has to match their attire for full effect. Again, apparently, the goofier the better. Names like "Dog's Breath," "Blistered Navel," and "Portly Presidents." Did I make those names up or are they real band names? Exactly my point.

Bobblehead bands rock dude! At least on MTV and late night TV these days.

Wouldn't it be great if your eyes could do this when exposed to light? This is my well-fed, low-maintenance cat. Please do not ask his name. He really doesn't have one. I don't understand why people name cats. If you've ever owned a cat you already know they don't come when you call them, so why name them?

George W. Bush is another Albert Einstein compared to these two.

Why are these two idiots smiling? Is it any wonder this bunch lost the past two presidential elections and will lose again in 2008? "Kooks" is simply too kind.

I took this photograph of UK headcoach Rich Brooks and Defensive Coordinator Mike Archer during Kentucky's home loss to Florida this past weekend. Do I really need to say anything more about the game (or the current state of the program for that matter)?

Would you believe...

Would you believe that "Agent 86" has now died also? First Gilligan a few weeks back, now Maxwell Smart, actor Don Adams. "Get Smart" was another favorite TV show of mine as a child. It was silly, it was slap-stick, and it was witty as hell. Get Smart was the brainchild of comedy writer Buck Henry. The show's soundtrack is also one of the more memorable of all time.

Years later I also enjoyed watching "Don Adams' Screentest" wherein average contestants would reenact famous scenes from Hollywood movies and the best "actor" would receive a cameo role on a then-current TV show.

I hope that when they soon lower Mr. Adams into the ground we won't hear, "Missed it by that much..."

Spaying a Spade.

I am adding one more name to my list of people whom I hope to never see again or hear another word from. Just before the name "Diddy" in my book, I am adding the name of comedian David Spade. His "boyish charm" wore off about 10 minutes after he first arrived on the scene at Saturday Night Live in the 1990s. His boyish looks beat charm out the door by about 5 minutes.

Watching a couple of episodes of NBC's "Just Shoot Me" starring Spade, helped me to understand why they named the sappy sitcom just that. Any reasonable and sane person would find themselves uttering that exact same phrase after trying to watch Spade's "I'm too hip for this room" persona. In any other life you would encounter Spade at your local fast-food establishment, asking you, "Do you want fries with that?"

Now Capital One has helped unfortunately further extend his should-have-been-over-long-ago career by utilizing his "talents" as a "comedic" spokesman for their credit card. Spade's too-old-to-wear-that-hairstyle, deep facial creases, and crack-whore-like build make him an ideal spokesperson for a rehab clinic rather a credit card company. If he's not on illegal drugs he should immediately sue his body for impersonating a meth lab.

Dear David, What exactly is in your wallet?

I hope it's a pink slip soon.

From the muddy waters, a flower grows.

For all of the Jesse Jacksons, Al Sharptons, Kanye Wests, and other so-called leaders or spokespersons within the black community, there is occasionally a true leader who actually does care about fellow blacks and is actually willing to suspend the seemingly ever-present partisan bickering, back-stabbling, and self-serving sensationalism, and actually do something that helps the situation, not just do something that benefits his or her self.

Out of the New Orleans disaster, thankfully, many true caring and concerned members of the black community have emerged. And rather than spending their time standing around in front of reporters and cameras telling the world just how horrible things are in their view because President Bush and white America conveniently and collectively hate blacks, they have spent their time actually pitching in, helping, truly leading, and offering food, aid, care, clothing, shelter, compassion, and comfort to those affected, blacks and whites.

I can't help but wonder if these same warm and wonderful black Americans, largely Democrats, aren't going to remember down the road that when the time came for all people to step forward and help, many of today's Democrat "leaders" chose to, instead, play politics while New Orleans' cried out for help. I hope so. Political motivation is a powerful and sometimes dangerous thing but it does not come without cost.

One clear example of someone simply doing the right thing at the right time is none other than former Gore campaign chief, die-hard Democrat, and political powerhouse, Donna Brazile. I have followed politics for a great number of years, and believe me, there's no one more Democrat at heart than Donna. So I must admit that I was mildly surprised that she of all people has pledged her support to help President Bush rebuild New Orleans. And after reading her words in Saturday's Washington Post, I must say that I certainly admire her willingness to risk her political future by refusing to attack President Bush when his public approval ratings are down. And Donna can draw political blood with the best of them. Among political sharks, Donna Brazile is "Jaws."

But apparently, and I hope that she will forgive me for saying this, Donna and "W" are a great deal alike. Neither seems to care about popular opinion.

And so a helping hand is extended when it's needed most. Isn't that what living in America is all about? It's nice to know that in times of need, the American people are still willing to band together to get it done, and still more powerful than their respective politics.

Reprinted from The Washington Post:
I Will Rebuild With You, Mr. President
By Donna Brazile -- Saturday, September 17, 2005; A21

New Orleans is my hometown. It is the place where I grew up, where my family still lives. For me, it is a place of comfort and memories. It is home.

Now my home needs your help, and the help of every American. Much of my city is still underwater. Its historical buildings have been wrecked, its famous streets turned to rivers and, worst of all, so many of its wonderful people -- including members of my own family and my neighbors -- have lost everything.

On Thursday night President Bush spoke to the nation from my city. I am not a Republican. I did not vote for George W. Bush -- in fact, I worked pretty hard against him in 2000 and 2004. But on Thursday night, after watching him speak from the heart, I could not have been prouder of the president and the plan he outlined to empower those who lost everything and to rebuild the Gulf Coast.

Bush called on every American to stand up and support the rebuilding of the region. He told us that New Orleans and the entire Gulf Coast would rise from the ruins stronger than before. He enunciated something that we all need to remember: This is America. We are not immune to tragedy here, but we are strong because of our industriousness, our ingenuity and, most important, because of our compassion for one another. We are a nation of rebuilders and a nation of givers. We do not give up in the face of tragedy, we stand up, and we reach out to help those who cannot stand up on their own.

The president called on every American to reach out to my neighbors in New Orleans and throughout the Gulf Coast. The great people of this country have already opened their hearts in the immediate aftermath of the storm, and their tremendous generosity has done more than just provide extra comfort -- it has saved lives. Now the crisis of survival is over. But the task of rebuilding remains, and the president made it clear that every single one of us has a role to play.
Each of us belongs to some group -- a church, a union or a fraternal organization, or even a book club -- that can make a difference. It is those groups that can pool resources and then reach out to their counterparts in the stricken states and ask, "What can we do?" Schools, Girl Scout troops, Rotary clubs -- this is the time for every community group to step forward to lend a helping hand. We need it.

The president also laid out the federal government's goal for rebuilding. It is unprecedented in its scope and ambition, matching destruction that is unprecedented as well. He made the challenge clear: This will be one of the biggest reconstruction projects in history. But he also made it clear that we can and will do this. New Orleans, Biloxi, all of the Gulf Coast will rise again. And the residents are ready to pitch in and do their part.

I know, maybe better than anyone, that there are times when it seems that our nation is too divided ever to heal. There are times when we feel so different from each other that we can hardly believe that we are all part of the same family. But we are one nation. We are a family. And this is what we do. When the president asked us to pitch in Thursday night, he wasn't really asking us to do anything spectacular. He was asking us to be Americans, and to do what Americans always do.

The president has set a national goal and defined a national purpose. This is something I believe with all my heart: When we are united, nothing can stop us. We will not waver, we will not tire, and we will not stop until the streets are clean, every last brick has been replaced and every last family has its home back.

Bush talked about how we bury our family and friends. We grieve and mourn. We march to a solemn song and then we rejoice and step out and form the second line. That line is now open to every American to join us in rebuilding a great region of this country. New Orleans will rise again. My hometown is down but not out, and with the help of every American, it will be back on its feet, bigger and brighter than ever.

Mr. President, I am ready for duty. I am ready to stir those old pots again. Let's roll up our sleeves and get to work.

The writer, a Democratic political consultant, managed Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign.

Still think she was simply a mother overcome with grief?

Here's yet another thing I would bet you haven't heard yet because it doesn't serve the mainstream media's partisan political agenda: This past Monday, concerned Mom come celebrity anti-war protester and instant mainstream media darling Cindy Sheehan demanded that the United States military must immediately leave 'occupied' New Orleans.

Attributed to Sheehan and posted on Michael Moore's Web site and the Huffington Post Web Site, Sheehan allegedly said, "I don't care if a human being is black, brown, white, yellow or pink. I don't care if a human being is Christian, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, or pagan. I don't care what flag a person salutes: if a human being is hungry, then it is up to another human being to feed him/her. George Bush needs to stop talking, admit the mistakes of his all around failed administration, pull our troops out of occupied New Orleans and Iraq, and excuse his self from power. The only way America will become more secure is if we have a new administration that cares about Americans even if they don't fall into the top two percent of the wealthiest."

Now let me make sure I understand you correctly, Mrs. Sheehan, you want the very people who are doing the unimaginable day to day hard work down in New Orleans in order to rescue survivors and restore some sense of "normal" to the city, you want them to leave? Am I correct Cindy? All because President Bush is president? Pulling these heroes out of New Orleans is your idea of helping the situation and people in need in Louisiana?

What an embarrassing blow this must be to the countless liberal newspapers and TV networks who repeatedly attempted to portray you and push you into the public spotlight as simply a distraught mother overcome with grief aftering losing her soldier son, who was gently asking an uncaring president for the courtesy of a meeting to express her concerns. That's the unfortunate thing about a spotlight Mrs. Sheehan, the more it shines upon you, the more we see.

Now what we see is simply that your just another kooky liberal who will stoop to any level to try and smear George Bush. Even if that means using the death of your brave soldier son to do it. As I posted here weeks ago Mrs. Sheehan, in my opinion, your son deserves much better. No wonder your husband has filed for divorce recently. You should be ashamed of yourself, but more importantly you should shut your mouth and keep your nutty politically-motivated opinions to yourself.

Lexington's answer to Al Sharpton.

Lexington's answer to Al Sharpton is Lexington Herald-Leader columnist Merlene Davis. But unlike Al, Merlene limits spreading her myopic misery and ever-present "The white folks are once again keeping the black folks down..." mentality to the poor fools who bother to routinely read her crap, er, um, column. I actually now wait for situations like this to occur, just to see how quickly Merlene manufactures her "woe is us" and vitroilic view of the situation (if not the facts). Merlene will never be as witty, interesting, or entertaining as Maureen Dowd but is she as definitely as predictable as night following day.

Whether or not people like Sharpton and Davis actually believe what they love to shovel or not we will never really know, but you have to factor in that by continually doing so, they remain employed in one sense or the other. The oldage once again applies: "When in doubt, follow the money trail." Mud-slinging equates to money in their bank accounts, no doubt about it.

Davis, not unexpectedly, immediately concluded that blacks in New Orleans were intentionally aided slower than people in other previous disasters strictly because they are black. No surprises there to anyone who knows or reads Merlene.

I can't help myself from offering retort from time to time by sending a letter to the editor in reply to her more outlandish columns. Here is what I sent this past week in response to her New Orleans' column. Whether or not the "Lexington Horrid Liberal" actually prints it, only time will tell. Sometimes they do print my LTE, sometimes they don't.

Letter to the Editor, Lexington Herald-Leader: For someone who spends so much of her time jumping to conclusion, running off at the mouth, racing around to recognize racism, and enthusiastically climbing onto George Bush’s back, Merlene Davis’ newspaper photo seems to indicate she is rather out of shape--in addition to simply being out of touch with reality. Perhaps some day she will hopefully be told to shape up or ship out. I prefer she do the latter.

Let’s face it, if George Bush ate an ice cream sandwich, good ol’ mud-slinging Merlene would immediately accuse him of enjoying the vanilla while disliking the chocolate.

And I’m still waiting for the Lexington Herald-Leader to publish the first photograph of Merlene down in New Orleans lending a helping hand, rather than just sitting around her typewriter in Lexington shaking her fist in the air.

I need a designer leather box... Maybe Prada will make one for me.

A grown man simply cannot be seen in public sipping on a "juice box." But I find them to be very convenient in design, and just the right amount of juice for consumption. But I haven't worked up the nerve yet to stride into the boardroom, juice box in hand, ready for a "power meeting." It simply won't do. Therefore I'm on the hunt for a more "masculine" container to hold my juice boxes. Let's face it, if someone on MTV was seen sipping on a juice box, it would be instantly en vogue. I, on the other hand, must blaze the juice box trail alone! Giddyup!

Democraps.

It will come as a surprise to some who read this that I was once, I admit it....a Democrat. It makes me a little queasy just typing it. Heaven only knows what would happen if I forced myself to say it out loud. Shudder the thought.

I could proceed to write a "War & Peace"-sized explanation here of why I am no longer a Democrat, but suffice it to say that the Democraps current political ploy to regain the White House in 2008 by bludgeoning President Bush at each and every turn--even at the expense of the unfortunate victims of Hurricane Katrina--is just another "shining" example of how low the Democraps will stoop. That wooshing sound you heard recently was so many Democraps' collectively and conveniently rushing to racism.

It apparently does not matter that we are talking significant human death and extensive suffering in New Orleans. I can forgive a traumatized and incompetent mayor's basically baseless accusations, or even forgive the emotional and self-serving remarks of an exhausted and inept governor, but when the so-called leaders of the Democrap party stand before you and me and the nation and purposely and with malice of forethought accuse President Bush of being a racist and person who hates blacks, I absolutely cannot and will not forgive those remarks.

To imply, infer, or anyway otherwise state directly or indirectly that George Bush willingly and knowingly delayed sending help to the people in New Orleans, Mississippi, and Alabama because they are primarily black--for the purpose of promoting racial divide and potentially receiving political gain--is, in my opinion, seditious, subversive, and treasonous. And don't forget to score an assist to the good ol' liberal media, especially The New York Times, and three national TV networks. Lest we lose track of the score they have to settle with President Bush who made them eat crow on election night. These smug and spineless stalwarts don't give a damn about actually helping people in need, they care only about successfully scaling Mt. Elitist and sitting high above the rest of us.

Do they bother reporting that New Orleans' blacks outnumber New Orleans' whites more than 2-1? Did you know that? Have you heard that in ANY report thus far? One need only consult the 2000 census figures to verify. 67% of New Orleans' residents are black. Does it seem such a stretch of the imagination that blacks would make up the large majority of those left or remaining behind after Katrina?

Has the mainstream media reported that Mayor Nagin's previous experience consisted of being the general manager of a local cable company? (What's the biggest crisis you would deal with in that job? HBO going off the air maybe?) Or did you know one of the major focuses of Governor Blanco since taking office was to concern herself with what was going to happen to the New Orleans Saints? Let's see now, which was more likely to pose a more grave and immediate threat to New Orleans? The Saints...or perhaps New Orleans drowning from a hurricane? That's not Monday morning quarterbacking folks, that's just common sense ignored.

Do you remember when you were a child and you did something that your parents told you not to, and it came back to haunt you? What's the first thing you said? "I didn't do it! I didn't do it!" Or maybe you blamed it on your imaginary friend. When Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco immediately began blaiming President Bush and the feds for their failure to properly prepare, it was like 1st Grade all over again. I guess if you don't plan ahead you should plan to pander to the cameras if you're an elected official in Louisiana.

Are the feds to be held accountable in this mess? Absolutely. They bear a certain and important degree of responsibility for moving slower than they should have, but this massive cobweb of failure was already stretching from pillar to post by the time the feds became entangled. Government isn't like the private sector. Government is slow and all too often, stupid.

History will sort out the appropriate amount of blame for all involved, but more significant, history will also show that when the crisis came ashore the Democraps' leaders picked up their politically-painted buckets and poured more water on the situation rather than picking up a pail and helping bale it out. It's a far cry from the "side-by-side" cooperation we saw after 9-1-1, and enough to make you cry period. But then again, the Democraps have an election to win in '08 and there's no time for tears--only for tearing down. Something the Democraps are experts at.

And that, in part, is why I'm no longer a Democrap.

The fortune cookie game.

If you haven't played the fortune cookie game, you're missing out. The rules are simple. There's only one: Add the words "in bed" to whatever your fortune cookie says. I have played this silly little game for years with friends while visiting Chinese restaurants.

For example, today at lunch, my fortune cookie read: "Many people will be drawn to you for your wisdom and insights."

When you add those two little words, you have something else entirely, and usually something quite funny: "Many people will be drawn to you for your wisdom and insights in bed."

For maximum fun, each person seated at the table should read their respective fortune aloud. This mindless little act momentarily takes your mind off the fact that you just ate entirely too much food from the buffet.

Things We've Learned From the Movies:

I didn't write this, but wish I had.

Things We've Learned From the Movies:
1. Large, loft-style apartments in New York City are well within the price range of most people - whether they are employed or not.
2. At least one of a pair of identical twins is born evil.
3. Should you decide to defuse a bomb, don't worry which wire to cut. You will always choose the right one.
4. Most laptop computers are powerful enough to override the communications system of any invading alien society.
5. It does not matter if you are heavily outnumbered in a fight involving martial arts - your enemies will wait patiently to attack you one by one by dancing around in a threatening manner until you have knocked out their predecessors.
6. When you turn out the light to go to bed, everything in your bedroom will still be clearly visible, just slightly bluish.
7. Honest and hard working policemen are traditionally gunned down three days before their retirement.
8. All beds have special L-shaped cover sheets that reach up to the armpit level on a woman but only to waist level on the man lying beside her.
9. All grocery shopping bags contain at least one stick of French bread.
10. Once applied, lipstick will never rub off-even while scuba diving.
11. You're very likely to survive any battle in any war unless you make the mistake of showing someone a picture of your sweetheart back home.
12. The Eiffel Tower can be seen from any window in Paris.
13. A man will show no pain while taking the most ferocious beating but will wince when a woman tries to clean his wounds.
14. All bombs are fitted with electronic timing devices with large red readouts so you know exactly when they're going to go off.
15. If you decide to start dancing in the street, everyone you meet will know all the steps.

The Anti-Ronald?

Perhaps it is intentional, or maybe simply coincidental that the current Burger King corporate "mascot" is the polar opposite of McDonald's world-famous, kid-favorite "Ronald McDonald." Ronald has entertained children for decades. His appearance is warm and friendly and small children seem automatically drawn to him even upon first encounter.

Burger King's "King" however, is simply disturbing. Frankly, he creeps me out. His fixed facial expression and lack of visible emotion are worthy of a Steven King novel or Clive Barker movie. How would you like to bump into this wacky-hair weirdo in an alley late at night? No thanks. And I'm certainly not compelled to patronize Burger King after viewing "King" in several different BK commercials in recent months. The more I see of him, the more I wonder, "What's the deal with this bizarre sandwich-selling psycho?

I cannot imagine any child not being totally traumatized upon a chance meeting with this apparently non-speaking "pitchman." (If he ever did speak I can only imagine the deep and demonic voice that would emerge.)

You won't hear me complaining if BK soon sends "King" to the land of long-forgotten and well-intentioned marketing mascots. In fact, instead, I would happily say, "Have it your way." But until they do, I'm keeping my hand on my remote, just in case ol' "King" comes a-callin'.

Please, no Moore.

Hasn't this insipid idiot burned up his 15 minutes of fame yet?

Apparently Michael Moore believes someone out there actually still listens to his banal babble, going so far as to write an "open letter" to President Bush on Friday regarding the situation in New Orleans. I guess I should greet this as a refreshing change from Moore simply just opening his mouth repeatedly at the nearest buffet.

I am confident that there is no danger that Moore would be too busy these days actually helping people affected by the hurricane to have time to draft such dreck. Did you ever notice how these supposed do-gooders and self-appointed supporters of "the common man" are rarely ever seen actually physically helping to improve any given situation? Instead they tend to cower behind their pathetic pens and podiums, attacking and assigning blame to those who actually are doing something to help. What a joke. But who's laughing?

Moore's open letter--which was quickly forwarded to me by several of my dearly D.T.D.B. (desperate to disparage Bush) friends--is simply "Moore of the same." Mainly, baseless accusations dripping with inferences of incompetence, and slathered with thinly-veiled political aspersions. Once more, Moore and the Dims who are chiming in are out of touch with average America, who, in a weekend ABC/Washington Post poll, indicated that they do not feel President Bush is responsible for the situation in New Orleans. Frankly, what informed, unbiased person using an ounce of common sense would? But let's not forget that Moore has an agenda to pursue.

Moore's ludicrous and laughable letter attempts to link the war in Iraq with the speed of the response in New Orleans. Nothing could be further from fact of the matter. If you want to know how many helicopters are actually in use in New Orleans Mr. Moore, why don't you get up off of your fat ass and actually travel down there and witness it first hand before you start criticizing?

How many helicopters can safely occupy such a confined air space over New Orleans before they begin to jeopardize their own safety? There are numerous helicopters sitting idle across the U.S. at this very moment and it has nothing to do with a lack of pilots to fly them. Clearly Moore knows nothing about the logistics and unique challenges of handling a disaster of this magnitude. And frankly, he doesn't care. He only cares about turning it into a political hammer, pure and simple. It's despicable.

I am sickened that Moore is attempting to politicize this horrific natural disaster in yet another failed attempt to just toss mud at President Bush. Even more sickening is Moore's assertion that the victims left-behind after Katrina struck New Orleans are there simply because they are black and had no means of transportation. That is bullshit Michael Moore and you know it.

Why doesn't Moore's letter impugn the current mayor of New Orleans--a black man--for failing to have an adequate evacuation in plan when this type of result has been predicted for years? And more to the point, why doesn't Moore condemn the mayor for failing to utilize the HUNDREDS of school buses which went unused in the days prior to Katrina arriving, and after the levees broke? I will tell you why, because the mayor is black. Moore is not about to say anything negative about him. He can't.

If anyone is practicing racial divide in this country it's clearly Moore. And if anyone is responsible for the slow evacuation, it's the current mayor and the entire local government of New Orleans and numerous Louisiana state officials--including the governor--who were simply not prepared for this situation. Let's face it, there's more than enough blame to be shared here, including the feds, but now is not the time to sort it out, now is the time to rescue those people who are still stranded, starving, and truly desperate.

The tiresome rush to racism mentality perpetuated at a time like this by Moore, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharp, Kanye West, and other so-called "leaders" is appalling, disgusting, and just this side of treasoness. These people are nothing more than pompous, self-serving clowns and camera-junkies who should be immediately escorted from the vicinity so the real leaders and heroes can do their jobs. Or simply turn off the cameras, I guarantee you they will leave.

We certainly don't have to worry about seeing Moore around the devastated area as long as there is actual work to be done. And Moore isn't going to contract E. Coli anytime soon from coming in contact with the brackish, infectious waters flowing through the city. But Moore already suffers from a much more severe and unfortunately not-so-rare form of E. Coli... One that strikes the head and neck area rather than the intestines. You may be more familiar with the conventional name for Moore's chronic condition: Shit for brains.

Gilligan is gone?

As you grow older you tend to mark your time on earth with memories from your past. For instance, I just read that Bob Denver, the actor who played the delighfully goofy "Gilligan" on "Gilligan's Island" died at age 70.

That's almost impossible to imagine. I feel just a bit older as a result. I remember coming home from school, fixing a bologna and cheese sandwich along with some Frito's and Coke, and parking myself in front of the TV to watch the lame-brain antics of Gilligan, Skipper, the Howell's, the professor, Ginger, and Mary Ann. The professor could make a radio out of a coconut, but couldn't seem to master shipbuilding. The skipper seemed a little too happy to be around his "little buddy" to concentrate on actually getting off of the island, and I'm convinced that Ginger and Mary Ann were forced into becoming lipstick lesbians because I'm certain that the professor was always too busy to ever hoist his sail after either of them. It was indeed a wacky scenario and I was sorting it all out in my head between bites of my bologna sandwich.

I suppose Gilligan will never actually really be dead as long as there's still "TV Land" and other networks who carry the old "classics" for future TV-tots to enjoy.

In the words of the Skipper, "Good night little buddy."

Whatever happened to lending a helping hand?

Case in point: On Sunday evening I was sitting at a red light in East Lexington when suddenly an automobile and an older model pick-up truck collided fiercely in the middle of the intersection in front of me with a horrifying impact. Each vehicle was lifted slightly off of the ground and spun to a complete stop, littering auto parts and glass all over the intersection.

I immediately retrieved an emergency dash strobe light from my SUV's storage area, activated the flashing lights and pulled into the intersection to warn oncoming traffic of the situation.

I quickly checked with the passengers of each vehicle and determined that the occupants of the car were, understandably, shaken up, but apparently uninjured. The occupants of the pick-up truck did not fare so well. A female passenger in the pick-up truck, was apparently not wearing her seat belt and had struck her head violently on the windowshield, creating a significant scalp laceration that was bleeding profusely. I handed her a handkerchief to press against her wound and help stop the bleeding. I then directed traffic around the accident site until police and paramedics arrived.

During all of this time, only one other person stopped and got out of their vehicle to see if aid was needed. This is not a lightly traveled roadway mind you. What is the matter with people these days? Are we so cynical and uncaring now that we no longer care what happens to our neighbors? Or do we all just safely stay in our vehicles and, hopefully, at least dial 9-1-1 to at least report the situation?

I don't expect others to have emergency equipment or medical supplies at the ready or emergency training, but it would be a better world we live in if people at least stopped and asked if someone needed aid.

Some day that may be you or a member of your family sitting there injured, in need of care and compassion. And if that misfortune does occur, I hope someone passing by still cares enough to try and help you.

Mr. Mayor, you're BUS-ted! Why didn't the now-angry Mayor of New Orleans deploy these school buses during the initial evacuations? Now he is quick to criticize the federal government for its supposed inaction. Hey, Mr. Mayor, you may want to step out from in front those national TV cameras and instead look into the nearest mirror if you're looking for someone to blame for this situation.

We have failed a generation.

Let me say it right up front, the situation in New Orleans is dire, but getting better by the moment now that more responders and suppliers are arriving literally minute by minute. That snapshot gives hope. A more troubling picture is this: As rescue workers attempted to deliver water and supplies to the Super Dome earlier today, the crowds, understandably, rushed one particular Black Hawk helicopter, grabbing anything and everything that they could.

Reportedly, the elderly and small children were unable to get to the supplies, or were only able to grab very small quantities. Young males reportedly made out the best, grabbing lots of supplies and hurrying away with them. Most troubling, only a few of these young males reportedly offered to share their water and supplies with the elderly and small hungry children.

If you ever needed evidence that we have raised a generation of folks on a diet of steady expectations of entitlement, here's the proof. How appalling that these young punks and thugs dare to hoard these vital supplies for their own consumption.

A decade of rap-mentality has taken its toll on a significant portion of the nation's youth. Fend for yourself and fu*k all others has been the message. And the kids have listened. What a shame it is that "do unto others" is no longer the common denominator. Factor in fatherless families and you have the recipe for shameless self-preservation at its ugliest. We have taken God and morality out of our schools and now we are paying the price.

How can we expect any other type of behavior from these pathetic punks? How long do we allow it to continue?

The world is ever-changing.

Big Bob's Brave New World has changed its name to simply "Sublime." The sentiment remains the same, only the name and the URL have changed. http://sublimetheblog.blogspot.com.

“We’re stuck here without a clean-up crew!”

The hard-hitting truth is that, for far too long, Americans have been lulled into a false (and dangerous) sense of security wherein they believed the government would take care of them during any situation, swiftly and completely. I will refrain from assigning political blame for that, what’s done is done.

This “government will save me” mentality is simply wrong-headed and potentially fatal—and unfortunately, the new American way. The truth is, the government is a slow-moving machine, even under optimal conditions.

This “where is the government” scenario is playing out again and again, by the minute, in flood-ravaged New Orleans as the rowdy crowds left behind are growing angrier and more violent with each tick of the clock. New Orleans is not a small town. The rescue effort will need to be massive to make a dent. And that still won’t be enough for many of those living in New Orleans and part of Mississippi.

An unidentified man stranded at the New Orleans’ Super Dome, referring to the filthy and unsanitary and unhealthy restrooms, remarked angrily, “We’re stuck here without a clean-up crew!”

Just where exactly is that bathroom clean-up crew supposed to come from? Local officials? State officials? Federal officials? The staff of the Super Dome maybe? There are reportedly 15,000 flood victims currently “living” in the Dome. How many clean-up crews would it require to adequately maintain that facility? Obviously, it is not a sane situation. “Clean up Crew” is clearly simply a metaphor for “Government.”

What happened to the days of people banding together to overcome their conditions? Instead we now see people demanding that the government do something immediately. This day has been coming for years. Politicians have persuaded people that the government is the all-encompassing answer to all questions and problems.

It just ain’t so folks. It never has been. We have been very lucky for a very long. And in recent years it seems our luck may be running out. Few people today have any real appreciation for the “soup lines” of the 1930s. “Disaster” has generally just been something we watched on the nightly news—happening to someone else—half-way around the world.

You have to hope that for every terrible situation that is being reported, someone, somewhere there is doing something as equally heroic that just isn’t being reported. Good news travels fast, bad news always travels much faster. We won’t hear the good stories until much, much later. Pity.

If you don’t own a gun, you should. It not just a New Orleans situation. It could happen to you. Tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, natural gas leaks, etc. We are all susceptible to being in a situation exactly like New Orleans is facing. If you think not you are just kidding yourself.

If you don’t have bottled water, flash lights, batteries, first aid supplies, and a reserve of food stashed away, you should. Today New Orleans, tomorrow, your neighborhood. Don’t be caught surprised, be caught prepared. You can’t plan for it after it happens.

Like New York after 9/11, life will never be quite the same in New Orleans, but life will go on. It always does. That’s really the American way.