Monday, November 28, 2005
Foghorn Leghorn Republicans
Poultry Glossary: mostly US terminology
All chickens are chickens !!
They all hatch out as chicks.
Young males are cockerels , and become roosters , or cocks , at 1 year of age.
Young females are pullets. At 1 year of age they're called hens.
Feather Site- The Poultry Page
Before I stopped drinking, I found it amusing to hear heavy drinkers talk about the dipsomania of other drinkers. Though it would often be expressed in terms of concern, it was apparent that some drunks took great satisfaction in saying things like: "Joe passed out last night. Again." I finally decided that what was at work could be described as the Foghorn Leghorn school of denial. I suppose it's human nature for someone with a particular vice to look for the more obvious presence of that vice in others. I suppose, that in the case of politicians, one should expect this subconscious human tendency to be supplemented by a conscious effort to seek cover or to control the media spotlight.
So, with billions to be spent and blame to be assigned after Katrina one almost had to expect to hear a steady Republican drumbeat about the level of corruption and incompetence in Louisiana. Yet considering the corruption charges facing Republicans everywhere from California to Missouri to Ohio(there's no need to go state by state, it's fair to say that the GOP has been corrupted from the "grass roots" to the very top,more from The Post), it's still amusing to hear Republicans like Larry Craig use the corruption of Louisiana as an excuse to abandon the flooded parts of New Orleans.
Likewise, considering the incompetence the administration showed in its Iraq War planning or that the Republicans showed in writing their prescription drug plan, it's almost funny to hear Republicans like Chris Shays say, " I have no
faith, candidly, in the ability of New Orleans to
spend money wisely." (on Scarborough Country 10/04/05, after laying the blame for events at the Superdome entirely on the mayor). Still hearing Republicans like Shays, or Craig or Tom Tancredo (who urged his colleagues not to let La. politicians "get their hands on" any of the reconstruction money), it's easy to imagine Foghorn Leghorn saying, "I say, I say we're not corrupt, bumbling politicians. I say, those are corrupt, bumbling politicians."
At first, I thought that these attacks were intended to keep control over reconstruction spending at the federal level. Now, it seems that the GOP focus has shifted to limiting the size of the Reconstruction bill. Would it be too cynical to point out that the GOP started to back away from the president's pledge that:
"Federal funds will cover the great majority of the costs of repairing public infrastructure in the disaster zone, from roads and bridges to schools and water systems,"
at around the same time as FEMA came under fire for awarding no-bid contracts to politically connected firms? Whatever the cause, the Republicans in congress are still united in their criticism of Louisiana. So next time you hear a Republican official talking about Louisiana, just think of a large rooster.
All chickens are chickens !!
They all hatch out as chicks.
Young males are cockerels , and become roosters , or cocks , at 1 year of age.
Young females are pullets. At 1 year of age they're called hens.
Feather Site- The Poultry Page
Before I stopped drinking, I found it amusing to hear heavy drinkers talk about the dipsomania of other drinkers. Though it would often be expressed in terms of concern, it was apparent that some drunks took great satisfaction in saying things like: "Joe passed out last night. Again." I finally decided that what was at work could be described as the Foghorn Leghorn school of denial. I suppose it's human nature for someone with a particular vice to look for the more obvious presence of that vice in others. I suppose, that in the case of politicians, one should expect this subconscious human tendency to be supplemented by a conscious effort to seek cover or to control the media spotlight.
So, with billions to be spent and blame to be assigned after Katrina one almost had to expect to hear a steady Republican drumbeat about the level of corruption and incompetence in Louisiana. Yet considering the corruption charges facing Republicans everywhere from California to Missouri to Ohio(there's no need to go state by state, it's fair to say that the GOP has been corrupted from the "grass roots" to the very top,more from The Post), it's still amusing to hear Republicans like Larry Craig use the corruption of Louisiana as an excuse to abandon the flooded parts of New Orleans.
Likewise, considering the incompetence the administration showed in its Iraq War planning or that the Republicans showed in writing their prescription drug plan, it's almost funny to hear Republicans like Chris Shays say, " I have no
faith, candidly, in the ability of New Orleans to
spend money wisely." (on Scarborough Country 10/04/05, after laying the blame for events at the Superdome entirely on the mayor). Still hearing Republicans like Shays, or Craig or Tom Tancredo (who urged his colleagues not to let La. politicians "get their hands on" any of the reconstruction money), it's easy to imagine Foghorn Leghorn saying, "I say, I say we're not corrupt, bumbling politicians. I say, those are corrupt, bumbling politicians."
At first, I thought that these attacks were intended to keep control over reconstruction spending at the federal level. Now, it seems that the GOP focus has shifted to limiting the size of the Reconstruction bill. Would it be too cynical to point out that the GOP started to back away from the president's pledge that:
"Federal funds will cover the great majority of the costs of repairing public infrastructure in the disaster zone, from roads and bridges to schools and water systems,"
at around the same time as FEMA came under fire for awarding no-bid contracts to politically connected firms? Whatever the cause, the Republicans in congress are still united in their criticism of Louisiana. So next time you hear a Republican official talking about Louisiana, just think of a large rooster.
