More Than The Levees Failed.

By RON FOURNIER, AP Political Writer

WASHINGTON - President Bush vowed, "We are fully prepared." Mike Brown barked orders. Weather experts warned of a killer storm. The behind-the-scenes drama, captured on videotape as Hurricane Katrina roared ashore, confirmed Americans' suspicions of government leaders: They can run a good meeting, but little else.

It is hard to review the transcripts and footage obtained by The Associated Press without reaching three conclusions.

_Federal, state and local officials knew what was about to occur.

_They knew what to do about it.

_They failed to deliver.

For most Americans, this is not a revelation. The public blamed all levels of government long before Bush and other leaders owned up to their responsibilities after the sluggish post-Katrina response. But the videotape and transcripts offer a graphic display of a fatally inept bureaucracy at work — a system where everybody talks a good game and nobody produces.

"The city of New Orleans failed. The state of Louisiana failed. The federal government failed. It is astonishing to me that five months after the obvious failure of all three layers of government that there has been no serious systemic change," said former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a Republican.

It's no wonder Katrina has become a tipping point event that crystalized the public's long-simmering concerns about the competence and accountability of government.

For most Americans, it's not a matter of bigger government or smaller government. They want better government; less bureaucracy, less partisanship and more accountability. They don't expect their leaders to be perfect; only perfectly frank.

"They want us to get things done," said Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, a Democrat. "Is that so much to ask?"

Exactly. I send money in each week (OK, every two weeks) to the Federal, State and local governments. All I ask in return is that they DO the things they're tasked to do--and the things we ask them to do.

I'm tired of political harping, and partisan bullshit. I want results. If the current government (and yes, I'm talking about the President, the Congress-both houses, and BOTH sides of the aisle; and especially My Bitch Mitch) was in private business, the board would have fired them all summarily. With public sentiment overwhelmingly against, for instance, the 75 year lease of the Indiana Toll Road; our governor and the bi-partisan Indiana Senate has decided that it's STILL a good idea.....the measure is going through. This despite the constituents being overwhelmingly AGAINST the plan. So who do the politicians represent?

Obviously not us. Time to throw them ALL out....and try again. No wonder most of us don't participate in the process.

Government is failing ALL of us.

Not just those in Louisiana....and not just last fall.

Your Boat Drinks For The Day.

(my kind of beach 'bums'!!!)

Since JQP is on the Lenten-inspired wagon; and because I'm jonesing something fierce for the beach today, I thought I would post these sand-inspired cocktails. Enjoy!


'CUDA (BARRACUDA)
(for my friend John C.....don't go swimming with two of these)

1 1/2 oz. BACARDI ® Spice Rum
4 oz. pineapple juice
Splash of grenadine
Serve over ice in a tall glass. Garnish with a lime wedge.

PAWLEY'S ISLAND ICED TEA
(similar to a Long Island Iced Tea, but with a southern feel--perfect for those that don't like tequila--like me)

1/2 oz. BACARDI® Spice Rum
1/2 oz. BACARDI® Limón Rum
1/2 oz. BACARDI® Light-Dry
3 oz. sweet and sour. Splash of cola.

And for those (like me) that can't always afford the good cocktails, and can't wait for months for your homemade beer, wine, or Kahlua to be ready....here's a recipe for homemade Irish Cream liqueur...one that, most importantly, can be ready to drink the same evening you make it.....


INGREDIENTS:• 2 Large Cartons Whipping Cream (2 Cups each) • 6 oz Cooking Chocolate Syrup • 1 Tsp. Inst. Coffee Dissolved in a little water • 1 Tin Eagle Brand Milk • 2 Large Tins Evaporated Milk • 1 Bottle Irish Whiskey

METHOD:Pour chocolate syrup into a large bowl with Eagle Brand Milk and mix on low with mixer till blended. Add evaporated milk, whipping cream, and coffee. Beat thoroughly. Add whiskey last. Let stand 4 hours before drinking. (if you can!)

NOTES:This will fill 4 - 26oz whiskey bottles - please keep refrigerated for best flavor and safety.

Your Recipe Of The Day.

Crockpot Pork Chops with Mushroom Sauce
Source: The Best of Electric Crockery
(makes 6 to 8 servings)

Ingredients:
8 to 10 small, thick porkchops
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp sage
1 can (12 oz) cream of mushroom soup
1 Tbsp dried onion flakes

Instructions:
Trim the excess fat from the chops and use it to grease a large skillet. Over high heat, brown each chop lightly on both sides. Salt and pepper each as it finishes and place it in the crockpot. Add the sage. Turn the soup (undiluted) and the onion flakes into the still hot skillet. Scrape the pan juices and turn them into the cooker. Cover and cook onLow for 8 to 10 hours.

A Thought For The Day. (Or, Be Careful With The Coney Factory's All You Can Eat Offer.)

A Thought For The Day. (Or, Be Careful What You Wish For.)

A man is waiting for his wife to give birth. The doctor comes in and informs the dad that his son was born without a torso, arms or legs. The son is just a head! But the dad loves his son and raises him as well as he can, with love and compassion.
After 21 years, the son is now old enough for his first drink. Dad takes him to the bar, tearfully tells the son he is proud of him and orders up the biggest, strongest drink for his boy. With all the bar patrons looking on curiously and the bartender shaking his head in disbelief, the boy takes his first sip of alcohol. Swoooop! A torso pops out! The bar is dead silent; then bursts into a whoop of joy. The father, shocked, begs his son to drink again.
The patrons chant "Take another drink"! The bartender still shakes his head in dismay. Swoooop! Two arms pops out! The bar goes wild. The father, crying and wailing, begs his son to drink again. The patrons chant "Take another drink"! The bartender ignores the whole affair.
By now the boy is getting tipsy, and with his new hands he reaches down, grabs his drink and guzzles the last of it. Swoooop! Two legs pop out. The bar is in chaos. The father falls to his knees and tearfully thanks God. The boy stands up on his new legs and stumbles to the left... then to the right... right through the front door, into the street, where a truck runs over him and kills him instantly. The bar falls silent. The father moans in grief. The bartender sighs and says... "He should have quit while he was a head!"

Bring Back Schoolhouse Rock!.

Americans know more about The Simpsons TV show than the US Constitution's First Amendment, an opinion poll says.
Only one in four could name more than one of the five freedoms it upholds but more than half could name at least two members of the cartoon family.
About one in five thought the right to own a pet was one of the freedoms.
A new museum dedicated to the First Amendment said the findings showed there was a pressing need to explain one of America's basic laws better.
"We have our job cut out for us," said Joe Madeira, director of exhibitions at the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum.
Another finding from the poll, a telephone survey of 1,000 random adults with an error margin of 3%, was that 22% of Americans could name all five Simpson characters.
By comparison, just one in 1,000 people could name all five First Amendment freedoms.
The names of American Idol TV show judges and popular advertising slogans also proved more memorable than the five freedoms - speech, religion, press, assembly and petition for redress of grievances.

Well, duh....The Simpsons have been on every week for what, ten, twelve years? Lots of time to sink in. Meanwhile, the Constiution has been largely ignored (especially by the current Administration; but I digress.) I only know the Preamble to the Constitution because of the catchy Saturday Morning cartoons that made up Schoolhouse Rock. More creative ways of learning=more people that learn. What's so hard?

Not As Good As The Magic Wand's Potato Salad Or The Farmer's Exchange's Macaroni Salad, But What Is? (Or, Emo Philips' Cole Slaw Recipe.)

MY COLE SLAW RECIPE
by Emo Philips
1. Chop cabbage into large bowl.
2. Look for green peppers.
3. Drive to store.
4. Choose green peppers.
5. Carry them to cashier.
6. Drive home.
7. Find wallet.
8. Drive to store.
9. Buy green peppers.
10. Drive home.
11. Chop green peppers into bowl.
12. Look for mayonnaise.
13. Drive to store.
14. Buy mayonnaise.
15. Drive home.
16. Mix mayonnaise into bowl.
17. Look for raisins.
18. Drive to store.
19. Buy stupid raisins.
20. Ignore stupid cashier's snickering.
21. Drive home.
22. Mix raisins into bowl.
23. Look for miserable lousy stupid carrots.
24. Drive to stupid lousy store.
25. Buy miserable stupid lousy carrots.
26. Call stupid miserable snickering cashier a Nazi.
27. Crawl to car.
28. Drive home.
29. Chop stupid damned miserable lousy carrots into damned stupid lousy miserable bowl.
30. Look for finger.
31. Look harder for finger.
32. Look everywhere for finger.
33. See cat scurrying away.
34. Follow cat into new neighbor's house, surprising him in middle of drug deal.
35. Dive over sofa to escape gunfire, landing on cat's tail, causing cat to screech and jump up into new neighbor's face and claw his eyes as he's bending over the sofa about to shoot you, enabling you to grab the gun from his hand, enabling you to hold the gun on him until the cops arrive, who then arrest him and drive you and the cat to the hospital where the cat's stomach is pumped and your finger is found and sewn back on good as new.
36. Collect reward of half of neighbor's property from drug auction, then just buy all the delicious cole slaw you want from a nice deli.

A Thought For The Day. (Or, An Answer To A Question Asked Of Me Just The Other Day.)

There's only one way to have a happy marriage and as soon as I learn what it is I'll get married again.

--Clint Eastwood

I Know Where I'm Going On Vacation This Year. (Or, This Never Happens At The Beach.)

Penrith, here I come!!!! (pun intended........)