Snot is the Least of My Worries

I was going to write this post about my holiday; about how I got really sick and had a huge fight with my dad and how awesome my mom is and how there was snot leaking out of my eyeballs...

...but all I can think about are those poor people affected by the earthquake in the Indian Ocean and the resulting tsunamis. I cannot wrap my mind around the complete and utter devastation. I see the news reports and I read about it online. When I am not looking at satellite pictures or refreshing my browser for the latest news on CNN.com, I am following links to all the relief and donation sites.

It's just unbelievable. And the worst part is that the U.S. basically insulted these countries by making such a paltry, initial contribution of $15 million. Yes, we KNOW that we will most likely, when all is said and done, end up contributing over a billion dollars in aid; we know that we have been sending huge amounts of supplies in big planes around the clock, but STILL. Why'd we have to kick them when they were down?

Can you imagine being the leaders of these countries, facing the worst natural disaster since the 19th century, and hearing that the richest country in the world is only handing over a measly $15 million? We pay undereducated, violent, drug-abusing SPORTS STARS more than that!

Additionally, today is December 29th, three days after the fact. Why is Bush speaking NOW? Why wasn't he on my TV hours after the first reports aired, assuring the country that we would be doing everything in our power to help? I understand he's on vacation, but come on. We're talking about tens of thousands of people here; children losing their parents, parents losing their children, families losing their homes and livelihoods and all their worldly possessions.

When the Twin Towers went down, world leaders tripped over themselves to offer condolences. When we needed to know we had some folks in our corner, they were already there.

There's no compassion to this man. No heart. It's sad. It makes comprehending something of this magnitude so much more difficult.

Be a fucking leader, Bush, and show these people they have some support. For fuck's sake, Linkin Park had already made an eloquent statement and set up a relief fund to which they donated $100,000 before we even knew when and IF you'd be making a statement!

Step up to the motherfucking* plate, asshole. It's supposedly the reason 51% of the country voted for you.

*I do apologize for all the swearing, but I feel strongly about this. Unfortunately, I am not smart enough to substitute curses for more pg-rated words with similar impact. Once a plebe, always a plebe!