Rescue You? Pay Up, First!

I don't know what is sicker: the escalating violence in the Middle East between Israel and Lebanon, or the fact the Pentagon tried to charge evacuees for rescuing them.

You read correctly, ladies and gentlemen.

Americans have been told to wait for a telephone call that could come in hours — or days. They've also been told they can't board a ship unless they've signed a contract agreeing to repay the U.S. government for the price of their evacuation.

Last I heard, the decision to demand reimbursement for the evacuation was reversed after heavy criticism. But the decision should never have been made in the first place.

Think what you will, but this never would have happened under a Democratic administration. Instead, we have a Republican dictatorship that has abandoned all decency and obligation to American citizens in general, preferring instead to cater primarily to the very wealthy.

The current escalating war between Israel and its neighbors stands to become the Hurricane Katrina of 2006 if the Bush regime continues to treat American citizens trapped over there as nothing more than an inconvenience to be ignored--or worse, taken advantage of in their time of need.

I keep asking myself this, whenever I read things like this in the news: how much more will Americans put up with before they finally realize it's time to clean house?