Ok. Last night Chief Justice William Rehnquist died. According to the rules, we fly flags at half staff for 10 days out of a sign of respect when a chief justice dies. I checked Wikipedia to figure out the rules. In doing so, I learned that Bush ordered flag lowered for 5 days out of respect for the tsunami victims.

Tsunami hit 12/26/04. Proclomation hit 1/1/05. Six days. Hurricane hit 8/29. It’s now 9/4, day six. Flags will drop today…out of respect for William Rehnquist. Many more black people died yesterday. Many more will die today. More tomorrow. And the next day. I think Kanye West may be right. “George Bush hates black people.”

This is the stuff that makes up Michael Moore documentaries.

Update: They took care of business late yesterday and made a proclamation. I promise to get down from my soapbox now.

Chilling questions from an anonymous rescue worker over at Boing Boing.

Boing Boing: A Directory of Wonderful Things

Who would have thought that in a country like ours. not some third world place, mind you, that there would be massive amounts of people trying to inflict harm on the very people that are putting their own lives on hold to help other. It’s unreal what we’re seeing. The criminal looters (if that’s even a strong enough word for them) have been shooting at the helicopters that are the only hope that the city has right now of saving more lives and thereby preventing many more deaths.

It’s hard to imagine what’s going through people’s heads.  By no means am I justifying their actions by saying this, but the reason this is happening is related to the fact that our flags aren’t flying at half staff.  Here are folks that have felt oppressed politically, socially, economically for years.  To say that Katrina was the “straw the broke the camels back” completely understates the situation.  These people are angry.  Much more can/should/could have been done.  The lowering of the flag is to signify respect.   The fact that we are on Day 5 right now and the flags are still flying at full staff is completely disrespectful.  I’m sure somebody will mention something to the president in the next few days and we’ll lower the flags.  Too late.  It only took 3 days in September 2001.

Dave Winer posted my question over on Scripting.com this morning.  I really like the questions he’s asking about the hurricane aftermath.

We used to listen to the police scanner at my grandparents house.  Now you can listen to the police scanner in Baton Rouge, LA.  Unbelievable.