Reg Henry on Hurricane Katrina

Reg Henry is a very funny guy and can usually be counted on (at the very least) to deliver more than a few well-informed giggles per column. He's from Australia and while I am not sure they actually "giggle" down under (have you actually seen Australian Rules Football???) my use of the term wasn't meant to imply anything other than a laugh situated someplace between a "chuckle" and a "gaffaw."

That being said, Reg Henry started today's column this way:

With apocalyptic pictures coming in from New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, my usual good spirits have deserted me.

He added that today, he can do no better than sarcasm.

After touching on Don McLean's American Pie, he sarcasms his way through the vapidity of some current conservative complaints especially this editorial cartoon at the Trib. He wrote:

It's hard to ignore these orphans of the storm, but some will try. Among the very first letters we received here at the newspaper was this: "I'm just curious. With the horrible aftermath from Hurricane Katrina, how many foreign countries have rushed to donate millions of dollars in relief to our country?"

Ah, yes, those damn ingrate foreigners.

Our local newspaper competitor -- you know, the one that Genghis Khan would have read at breakfast -- expressed the same small-minded theme in an editorial cartoon. It had three panels: Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and a guy carrying a bag of money, with the caption, "Aid from other countries for victims of Katrina."

Turns out that that "no aid from other countries" stuff turns out to be just more conservative BS.

Hey, did you know that France has offered help? F-R-A-N-C-E. The same country American conservatives have been calling "cheese eating surrender monkeys" (for not following our lead on Iraq) has offered to help out Louisiana, a red state. The same country that pissed off so many Congressmen they changed the name to "Freedom Toast" and "Freedom Fries." That France.

Go read the piece. Nothing gentle about it - but it'll be worth your while nonetheless, even if they don't giggle in Sydney.

Other P-G columnists on Katrina:

Dennis Roddy