Laura Bush: Your Junta es un Puta

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/05/20080505-5.html

Don't ya just love it when politicians use a humanitarian crisis as political leverage? Mmmmm, it's just so... so American. Makes me want to tatoo a flag pin over my heart so my patriotism is never doubted again.

After a horrible cyclone hit Myanmar (Burma) on Saturday, the death toll is now over 22,000, and possibly a million homeless. And wouldn't ya know, between all the decisions of center pieces, brides maids dresses, flower arrangements, and talks withJenna about "becoming a woman" (wink wink), Librarian Laura had enough time to act like she gives a shitabout the people of this tragedy, just before she split for Crawford. Politics as usual, and as only the Bush Administration can do it.

So let me see if I understand this...With sanctions already in place (renewed and tightened in recent months), these haters of freedom, that are controlled by a military junta (government ruled by a committee of military leaders), were lectured by the First Lady of the United States about, "...their failure to meet its people's basic needs." ...and on an internationalstage mind you. WOW! Kudos to President Numb-Nuts for sending his wife to relay that message. What a southern gentleman! And a big fuck you to the people of New Orleans...sinners!

So Myanmar's controlling government is a bunch of nut-jobs. I don't think there is any dispute there. They have held the leader of their pro democracy movement, Aung San Suu Kyi, either in jail or on house arrest for more than a decade and ignored the will of the people. Their human rights record is a D-, at best. But it always comes back to how we deal with wacko governments and the example we set for the rest of the world. I don't know what it looks like to most Americans (if they're even paying attention, American Idol is tonight, Go David Cook! That guy is awesome!), but to the rest of the world it looks like a fat guy dangling a twinkie over a starving kid, teasing em a bit, just before he goes, NAMANANUANUNA, all gone! or, as a co-worker of mine put it, that's like takin a group of kids from Darfur to a buffet with their mouths taped shut.

Does anyone else find it curious that "The Commander Guy" choose to sign H.R. 4286 (Congressional Gold Medal to Aung San Suu Kyi democracy advocate) at the same time that he said this,

"We're prepared to move U.S. Navy assets to help find those who have lost their lives, to help find the missing, to help stabilize the situation. But in order to do so, the military junta must allow our disaster assessment teams into the country,"

Crazy junta or not, if I'm a leader of the Myanmar government, I'm probably thinkin, hmmm, lights are sill out in Iraq, can't flush the toilets there, sewage in the strets, I remember what happend to the brown people in New Orleans...yeah... why don't you sit this one out President Bush. I'd rather ask Bangladesh for help.

Of course it remains to be seen if they will accept our twinkie crumbs or not, but you can count on some serious political expectations from the Bush Administration if they do. Meanwhile, CNN is reporting that, bodies are being dumped in the rivers by survivors in Yangon...

...And to think, if they just wouldn't have sinned so much, God wouldn't have sent that cyclone to show his discontent.

Here's an idea, how about we drop politics on this one. Let's take the lead in building an international aid package, unconditionally. Let me emphasize unconditionally. These people don't have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of. This might be a good time to genuinely show the world, that, as Laura put it, "Americans are a compassionate people."