There is already an online service to match up people who need help and those who are ready to help -- "In the event of a disaster, the best donation is cash" -- Lieutenant Kerry Healey is saying at a State House press conference late this afternoon, following Governor Mitt's acknowledgement that government cannot do it all. 'Course New England Cable News trumped them by a mile, but better late than never?
"I'm pleased that we've gotten Operation Lifeline (Whassat? Nothing comes up in a quick Google search) under way," says Governor Mitt from the State House this afternoon:
The National Guard . . . our cities and towns have done an admirable job. I've heard nothing but positive words from the people that have been affected.
NECN anchor R.D. Sahl summarizes the gist (rough transcript):
Updating the state relief effort in the flood crisis, Governor Romney has sent a letter to President Bush asking for relief to individuals and businesses. Still on hold is a request for relief for infrastructure until further assessment of the damage.
Our elected officials are on the front line, and their mettle is on the line now too. We were pleased with first impressions, but all too soon our Republican Massachusetts leaders of choice revealed their feet of clay. We caught Lieutenant Governor Healey saying something to the effect that this sort of thing would be common now, given global warming. How sad that such a brilliant, ambitious, well-educated and totally awesome woman who owns our heart has mindlessly bought the alarmists' story, not realizing that what we are looking at here is nothing new but the result of a "100-year storm" (in this case actually a "70-year storm"). It's true that scientific education -- not to mention the teaching of history and geography -- is a travesty in this nation, even among our best and brightest.
At the same time, the man who would be Leader of the Free World -- Oh, sweet Mitt of life, at last I've found you? -- played a most disagreeable disgrace card on "Good Morning America" with the silken, fawning Diane Sawyer:
“We’re continuing to be very, very careful and going through our neighborhoods, securing them, and making sure there is no looting of any kind,” Romney added.
The remarks puzzled local officials, who reported no incidents of looting in the Bay State, New Hampshire or Maine, and prompted experts to question if Romney was raising red flags for no reason -- or for political reasons.
Politics are the way of the world, but without knowing anything more about it, this one left a bad taste in our fiercely independent New England, home-rule mouth. We aren't like those folks down yonder in New Orleans, our local-pride first response told us. Mitt owes us more respect. Kerry Healey, too. We weren't born yesterday.
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