JUST LIKE KATRINA?

When did Americans become such whiny, crying little bitches?  I thought that was a personality trait isolated to the French, but apparently it is contagious.  If I hear one more spoiled American idiot moaning about how the boat that picked them up from out of the war zone didn’t offer first-class accommodations, I’m going to vomit in my shoes.

Here’s an interesting little fact: Lebanon is a country that has been at war, off and on, for the better part of thirty years.  And, while I’m sure Beirut is a lovely vacation destination, now might not be the best time to visit, what with the whole region in turmoil and all.  But if your travel plans happen to include a quick stop in Beirut, don’t expect the federal government to pick your sorry ass up and deposit it back on American soil posthaste and free of charge.  And if, perchance, the federal government is feeling especially charitable, and they do send ships in to extricate you from the war zone, with no expense to you, it is generally considered bad form to then turn around and badmouth them for not chartering a Royal Caribbean cruise ship to handle the situation.

When last I checked, no cruise line currently sailing offers a five-star cruise off the coast of Lebanon.  So much for my vacation plans this summer.  And unless I’m seriously mistaken, these travelers were in this unstable region of their own volition.  Now, far be it from me to suggest that we should simply leave them there to fend for themselves.  By all means, send in the boats.  But why should we have to foot the bill for the evacuation of thousands of wayward American travelers when their vacation plans go belly-up?  I think it’s entirely fair to ask them to pay at least a portion of the cost to leave while they still can.

But of course, the great filthy huddled masses started belly-aching when the government suggested that they pony up $150.00 to remove them from a dangerous situation (into which they had rather thoughtlessly implanted themselves), so good old Uncle Sam decided to waive the fee altogether.  Welcome home, you ungrateful sniveling bastards!  Say, who can I talk to in the State Department the next time I need an airlift out of Disney World when the Pirates of the Caribbean ride breaks down?

And of course, in true liberal fashion, the left-wing media has found a way to compare this evacuation effort to the botched evacuation of hurricane Katrina victims.  Is anyone at all surprised?

Then again, there is at least one similarity: the victims in both situations were given ample warning.  In the case of Katrina, the soon-to-be hurricane victims were warned well ahead of time to head for higher ground.  Many ignored the warnings.  And yes, there were those who could not simply pick up and go.  It’s just too bad there wasn’t a fleet or two of buses standing by to pick them up.  Oh wait…  Perhaps if their fearless mayor had ordered the buses into service, there would have been a few less “victims” to be rescued after the flood.  Or maybe, had the governor of Louisiana declared a state of emergency when the president suggested it, help would have come a little sooner.  Sure, the government was at fault, but the brunt of the fault does not lie at the federal level.  Both the state and local levels made their share of mistakes too.  But why should the government be held solely responsible for the disaster?  Why can’t individuals take responsibility for their own safety? 

You see, everyone wants the government to butt out of their business… until they need the government to extricate them from a sticky situation.  Then it’s “why didn’t the government step in quicker to save my ass?”  And “why did they send a cargo ship to pick me up from Beirut instead of the QEII?”  And then they complain about the flies, and about the fact that there was no imported bottled water on board, and that there was no shuffleboard, and that the only entertainment onboard was “that Goddamned Carrot Top!”  And here’s my personal favorite: “the French picked their people up first.”  Well I’ve got an idea for you Sally, hop on board, I’m sure they’ve got room for you!  Did anybody stop to think that maybe the French had a boat a little closer than we did?  And why should we care?  Why does everyone keep comparing us to the French?  What have they got that’s so great?  Women with body hair, stockpiles of unused deodorant, and croissants.  Personally, I can live without them.

What a bunch of ungrateful little pussies we’ve all become.  We live in the greatest country in the world, under the best form of government known to man, and yet we still find something to complain about.  Maybe we deserve what we get.  Maybe, just maybe, we’ll wake up when the bombs start dropping on us, and realize that we are not invincible.  That our way of life is in just as much danger as their way of life.  Maybe, but I doubt it.

So I guess they can all just go on complaining.  And they’ll probably sue the government for distress and win.  And if I were president (and I never will be, so you may all sigh with relief), as compensation for the hardships they endured in their travels, I would send them all on a cruise.  Back to Beirut.

-Freddie Banjo