Death And Disaster Are Good For You

As the clock ticks inexorably forward, (inaudible digital stones falling), caravans of buses and cars move through the checkerboard of Houston's city streets, evacuating from the coming hurricane Rita, another giant fist pointed at the gulf coast, and I think of Texas- that big cowboy boot in Mexico's ass- that place where, they say, everything is oversized: the state, the steaks, the hats, and the waistlines.
I travel back in time, floating through that miasma to before the era of the Disaster President: W.
Yet, there in the Clinton years, not everything was ok, the Battle of Seattle... WTO... ect. it still seemed things were not completely out of control-bad. Just quietly corrupt, the brutality somewhere beneath the surface, but not recklessly-bad, incredibly strange-bad.
Our years with W. have delivered more than their fair share of startling images: haunting visions of America ripping apart at the seams. 9-11, Iraq, and now Katrina, and now, on the eve of another hurricane disaster, one wonders what horror comes next. George W. Bush has presided over a period of unrestrained horror. He is the Disaster President.
Our commander-in-chief will look out at us from the television again, quite soon. He will look at us with what he imagines is a look of steely resolve, but comes across as merely unfeeling and simian. Death And Disaster Are Good For You, his eyes and his tone will say, Itll Build Character- Pull Yourself Up By Your Bootstraps, Now, Y'know It Ain't Gov'ment's Job To Take Care a Y'all -as he mouths canned platitudes most of us are far beyond weary of hearing.
It isnt just his economic policies, his tax breaks for the rich, his War in Iraq based on lies and deceit, his ineptitude, his arrogance, his fumbling with the English language, his mealy-mouthed phony Christianity, or his creepy friends.
That would be enough, but theres more: He's just bad luck. He's a jinx. He's bad mojo. Really shitty mojo. A lighning rod for a shitstorm. Really.
We don't need your prayers, George.
A co-worker told me today that a recent poll showed around 40% of Americans believe the hurricanes are God's way of trying to tell us something. I think that's god damn appalling. If that's so, what is he trying to tell us? "YOU ARE INSIGNIFICANT PUNY CREATURES, I WIPE YOU AWAY WITH MY WRATH, BWAAAAA!"? Because if thats His way of showing infinite love, I would suggest... His communication skills are sorely lacking (which would mean He has at least one thing in common with our President).
It isn't God's wrath that's bringing these hurricanes any more than it was God's wrath that brought the bubonic plague. And running around in sackcloth and ashes, flaggelating ourselves isn't going to make a neosporin smear of difference.
Deus Absconditus. The Founding Fathers heard of him- the God who absconded- absent- not here- not acting in our world.
Deus Absconditus.
(He snapped his fingers a nanosecond before the big "bang" and thats the last we ever heard of him)
Deus Absconditus.
Because if there was a God who intervened in human affairs, we wouldn't have this moron in the White House.
Get off your Christian high-horse, George, we don't need your prayers- only you do. We know your public displays of holiness have one purpose only: to appease your constituency, not a higher power.
Praying is a luxury for those who have bread. An act of desperate hope for those who don't. We don't need your prayers, Mr. Bush, we need action.