Dear Mr. Bush

[destruction]

Friday, September 2nd, 2005

Dear Mr. Bush:

Any idea where all our helicopters are? It's Day 5 of Hurricane Katrina and thousands remain stranded in New Orleans and need to be airlifted. Where on earth could you have misplaced all our military choppers? Do you need help finding them? I once lost my car in a Sears parking lot. Man, was that a drag.

Also, any idea where all our national guard soldiers are? We could really use them right now for the type of thing they signed up to do like helping with national disasters. How come they weren't there to begin with?

Last Thursday I was in south Florida and sat outside while the eye of Hurricane Katrina passed over my head. It was only a Category 1 then but it was pretty nasty. Eleven people died and, as of today, there were still homes without power. That night the weatherman said this storm was on its way to New Orleans. That was Thursday! Did anybody tell you? I know you didn't want to interrupt your vacation and I know how you don't like to get bad news. Plus, you had fundraisers to go to and mothers of dead soldiers to ignore and smear. You sure showed her!

I especially like how, the day after the hurricane, instead of flying to Louisiana, you flew to San Diego to party with your business peeps. Don't let people criticize you for this -- after all, the hurricane was over and what the heck could you do, put your finger in the dike?

And don't listen to those who, in the coming days, will reveal how you specifically reduced the Army Corps of Engineers' budget for New Orleans this summer for the third year in a row. You just tell them that even if you hadn't cut the money to fix those levees, there weren't going to be any Army engineers to fix them anyway because you had a much more important construction job for them -- BUILDING DEMOCRACY IN IRAQ!

On Day 3, when you finally left your vacation home, I have to say I was moved by how you had your Air Force One pilot descend from the clouds as you flew over New Orleans so you could catch a quick look of the disaster. Hey, I know you couldn't stop and grab a bullhorn and stand on some rubble and act like a commander in chief. Been there done that.

There will be those who will try to politicize this tragedy and try to use it against you. Just have your people keep pointing that out. Respond to nothing. Even those pesky scientists who predicted this would happen because the water in the Gulf of Mexico is getting hotter and hotter making a storm like this inevitable. Ignore them and all their global warming Chicken Littles. There is nothing unusual about a hurricane that was so wide it would be like having one F-4 tornado that stretched from New York to Cleveland.

No, Mr. Bush, you just stay the course. It's not your fault that 30 percent of New Orleans lives in poverty or that tens of thousands had no transportation to get out of town. C'mon, they're black! I mean, it's not like this happened to Kennebunkport. Can you imagine leaving white people on their roofs for five days? Don't make me laugh! Race has nothing -- NOTHING -- to do with this!

You hang in there, Mr. Bush. Just try to find a few of our Army helicopters and send them there. Pretend the people of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast are near Tikrit.

Yours,

Michael Moore

MMFlint@aol.com

www.MichaelMoore.com

P.S. That annoying mother, Cindy Sheehan, is no longer at your ranch. She and dozens of other relatives of the Iraqi War dead are now driving across the country, stopping in many cities along the way. Maybe you can catch up with them before they get to DC on September 21st.

[destruction]

Friday, September 2nd, 2005

Bring Them Home Now Bus Tour (Days 1 and 2)

Tired to the Bone/How Does Scotty McClellan Live with Himself?

-- a message from Cindy Sheehan

Since I was bone tired when I finally got to a bed, I didn't write my blog last night. This will probably be the last time I write for awhile, unless I think of something exciting to say. I am on my way home until the end of next week when I head back for the Bus Tour.

Yesterday, we left Camp Casey and it was very emotional for me. Like I said before, I never thought I would feel so badly about leaving Crawford, Texas behind. But I never counted on the Crawford, Texas experience turning into the Camp Casey experience. We actually walked around most of the time with stupid grins on our faces because being at Camp Casey was such a happy experience. However, we are carrying Camp Casey with us to the nation now.

I left Camp Casey on the same bus I pulled up in: The VFP Impeachment Tour Bus. It was excruciatingly hot as we rolled into Austin in 100 plus degree heat with no air. When we got into Austin and were still on I-35, our bus was greeted by honks, waves, and cheers from our fellow rush hour motorists. I was afraid we would cause an accident in the go sometimes, but mostly stopped traffic. We arrived safely at Congressman Lloyd Doggett's office and spoke to his aide. It was a great meeting and we are 100% behind Lloyd Doggett and he is 100% behind us.

From the Congressman's office, we went to the state's capitol and I received a Texas flag and a proclamation welcoming me to Texas from an Austin state legislator. I thought since I had been in Texas for almost a month it was nice that someone finally welcomed me.

We marched from the state capitol to Austin city hall. It was quite a sight as many hundreds of people followed us down Congress Street behind our "Support our troops, Bring Them Home Now" banner. We sang and chanted as we walked. People were joining us for our march from the sidewalks. It was the most remarkable march I have ever been a part of.

For the rally at City Hall, we were greeted by easily 2,000 plus people, whom I joked with about moving to Austin and running for mayor. Most of the crowd had been to Camp Casey at one time or the other. We had VFP, IVAW, MFSO and GSFP members speak. My friend, David Rovics played a couple of songs, including: Every Mother's Son about Casey. My friend, Jim Hightower also spoke. It is always a treat to hear him.

I spoke and I talked about how George couldn't come out and see me when I was in Crawford, because he didn't have an answer for me: there is no "Noble Cause" so how could he answer me. He admitted the other day that it was for oil. I don't consider that a good enough reason for so many people being dead. Iraq could and would sell us their oil. I really believe immoral criminals are running our country and it is making me even more determined to save it with millions of my fellow citizen's help.

This morning, I was watching Scotty McClellan's press conference and the press corps was asking him about the failure in preparations for the hurricane. He kept on saying: "this is not the time to point fingers, lay blame, or for politics." Of course it isn't, when the blame lies squarely on the shoulders of the people he works for. From diverting money to Iraq that was intended to shore up the levees and make New Orleans safer, to sending 70 percent of the National Guard from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama to Iraq in a war that never has made sense, George Bush has failed this country. By his actions in the first few days of the Katrina tragedy, he has also demonstrated that he doesn't care about Americans whether they are in Iraq or in America.

We on the Bring Them Home Now Bus Tour really agonized for the last day if we should continue the trip considering what is going on in our country. We came to the conclusion that it is more important for us to "stay the course" and point out the failures of this administration and how this illegal occupation of Iraq is making our country far less safe than it was before. We will "complete the mission" to honor the sacrifices of our fallen heroes. We will strive and not give up until our troops are brought home from Iraq and everyone in both countries are more secure.

P.S. Tom Delay's aide said he probably won't meet with me because I don't "comport" myself properly. I told him that we don't think Tom Delay "comports" himself properly and I could probably get a meeting if Casey had a feeding tube in him instead of being dead for his boss's support of a horrible war.

His aide said he didn't know what I was referring to... When are these people going to stop thinking I am stupid?