Put Tom Tancredo (R-CO) on My Permanent Shit List RIGHT NOW

Sorry for the late start again--a work project is keeping me busy...but, moving right along to the topic at hand, my outrage meter almost blew itself up listening to asshole Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo (a Repug--of course) on NPR "arguing" against "storm" relief--and "justifying" his "no" vote on a federal aid proposal.

I don't know if it's fortunate or not that I didn't hear all his pompous bloviating--I think it's good, because I might have driven straight to DC for introductions: his nose and my fist.

What a smug son-of-a-bitch (apologies--to bitches). Tancredo haughtily lectured earlier guest Mitch Landrieu (missed his interview, alas)--he claimed Mitch used San Francisco and Chicago ("I assume he meant Chicago when he referred to the Midwest") as examples--Tancredo then dismissed both instances as cases where "the federal government didn't spent a cent for reconstruction."

Like I said, I missed Landrieu's appearance--but I'll remind Tancredo of two not so insignificant events in the recent past: the Loma Prieta earthquake of 1989, and the Midwest floods of 1993--oh, and we can also add the Northridge earthquake of 1994, the 2004 hurricane season, the $250 BILLION DOLLARS of federal money Tom's committed to bringing Islamic theocracy to Mesopotamia--a veritable smorgasbord of federal dollars outlayed for all sorts of projects...and NOW you're getting stingy with the purse strings, Tancredo?

John Barry--author of Rising Tide--fortunately was there to counter Tancredo's lunacy. He began by noting it was almost like "being in Germany," circa 1934, "and trying to defend the rights of Jews to exist" (or words to that effect). Barry went on to note how important New Orleans is to the national economy--particularly the port--remember, it both sends oil/gas upriver, and also is the initial destination prior to transshipment of heartland goods to a worldwide market.

I just fired off an email to Talk of the Nation more or less reiterating these points. Oh yeah--Tancredo also went all smug reminding listeners of Louisiana's "endemic" political corruption...well, Tom, the GOP sure knows A LOT about corruption, doesn't it?

Barry passed along a couple of other reminders--things that Tancredo apparently forgot in his zeal to justify his position that it's ok for the federal government to TAKE from the Gret Stet--and only give the finger in return: first, the loss of coastal wetlands was essentially a Gret Stet SUBSIDY to the nation: the "taming" of the Mississippi River was a NATIONAL project done to benefit NATIONAL commerce at the cost of OUR coastline. He also noted that REGARDLESS of what sort of corruption you've got down here--be it at the local or state level (Barry's examples were the various levee boards) the fact is the levees themselves were constructed by the feds, specifically the Army Corps of Engineers...and it WASN'T the storm itself that drowned the city--it was the failure of structures, built by the federal government--that did.

Louisiana isn't looking for charity--but compensation. This is tort/breach of contract on a massive scale...and if Tancredo doesn't get this, then maybe we ought to seize HIS assets for use in recompense...or at least make him, and his constituents, freeze in the dark this winter.