Roberts Confirmed by Senate Panel...

...so I thought I'd do my part in soothing the left's fears about Judge John Roberts.





I'm schweet like that. :)

ABC Showing Bias Again? Surely Not...

To ABC's Surprise, Katrina Victims Praise Bush and Blame Nagin

It appears that ABC turned to poor black Katrina evacuees in search of criticism of President Bush. With Dean Reynolds baiting them, what could possibly go wrong?

Well, apparently plenty.

Every single person interviewed had some strong ideas about the city's responsibility to evacuate and unused buses that were allowed to flood. They had at least some sort of grasp on the concept of federalism in that they expected state and local government to respond appropriately before federal help showed up.

As desperate as Democrats (with the support of much of the MSM of course) are to have us believe differently, it would seem that those affected are not placing blame at the feet of the President.


To sum the entire situation up in only a few words, I quote President Abraham Lincoln.

"If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six hours sharpening the axe."

Lapse in Blogging Excuse # 127- Kidnapped by a Band of Wild Eyed Baptists

There I was, no sh**, just minding my business and eating one of those fried pies you can only get from a church bake sale...haha

The Baptists always get the blame and I'm stealing someone's famous line...

I feel bad.


Confessions of a Bad Blogger-

I've really just been neglecting the blog for work and stuff. (So you say art photography doesn't really count as work? Well it pays plenty! Sometimes.)

I've not posted since September 1st which was 11 days ago. 10 days since my last post if we don't count today. Exclude 6 days for weekends since one was a 4 day holiday and it's really only been 4 days since my last post.

Dang, 4 days. Who needs excuses and confessions?

I don't really have much in the way of a real post today so thought I'd just make stuff up and say howdy to everyone still visiting.

Howdy! ;)

For extra entertainment I present the George W. Bush Conspiracy Generator from Buttafly. That generator is pretty funny, imho.

Katrina- Donations and Ripple Effects

Private US aid pours in to help cope with Katrina

"Aid agencies tallied more than $90 million in private donations on Thursday as relief efforts cranked up to cope with the widespread devastation, hunger and despair caused by Hurricane Katrina.

"We have never seen an outpouring of support like this in our existence," said Phil Zepeda, spokesman for hunger relief group America's Second Harvest. "It's just tremendous, and the outpouring of support just continues to come."

The American Red Cross alone has received donations of $71.6 million since the storm struck on Monday, with an unprecedented 100,000 phone calls to its emergency hotline a day later, said spokeswoman Deborah Daley.

The donations compare to a little more than the $130 million total the American Red Cross received for last year's four hurricane hits on the southeast United States.

"Unfortunately we know the needs to deal with Katrina will exceed the $130 million needed to deal with the four hurricanes," Daley said.

Salvation Army spokeswoman Theresa Whitfield said donations had now jumped to $15.5 million from $4 million on Wednesday.

The Internal Revenue Service issued a statement reminding Americans about tax benefits for charitable donations, and pointed donors to a federal list of tax-exempt groups."



Storm and flood victims are eligible for disaster area tax relief. Also, citizens who want to make charitable contributions can seek out qualified charities for their donations.



Information from the IRS on everything from making your donations count/avoiding scams to tax relief for hurricane victims-

Hurricane Katrina: Information on Charitable Giving, Tax-Relief Issues



The IRS recommends these government web sites as well:


IRS Disaster Relief Page
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Department of Homeland Security
Firstgov.gov- the main U.S. Government web portal

Also-

"President George W. Bush said on Thursday looters in New Orleans and elsewhere in the chaotic aftermath of Hurricane Katrina should be treated with "zero tolerance" and urged Americans not to buy gasoline if they do not need it because of looming shortages."

First of all, looting? What the hell is wrong with some people? Although I'm sure "zero tolerance" does not mean kick the ass of anyone you happen to see looting (or does it?), I'd still count this as a viable option.

Second, sudden shortages do often result in a surge in demand. People hurry-scurry to get their supply (and then some) before it all runs out.

This is a very bad thing because it can cause a shortage that may otherwise have not happened.

Basic economics is about supply and demand. When demand exceeds supply- prices go up.

The devastation of the oil industry infrastructure in the Gulf Coast region has cut the available supply for the time being. If demand grows, prices will go up more sharply.

If people will just wait and refuel when they really need to do so, then demand will not spike this week. Hopefully, prices will not be up at $4, $5, or perhaps even $6 per gallon soon.

Cutting your gasoline usage now may mean the difference between a mild and a severe fuel crisis later.

I suggest that anyone with the funds to stockpile fuel should donate some of those funds to hurricane victims instead. That way, we all win. :)