OCCUPIED COUNTRY

Your Move

Not content with his less-than-adequate reponse to the disaster unfolding in the Deep South, President Monkey Smirk now decides to lead his own investigation into his own federal agencies failures. You've got to admire a man with that much brass neck.

It's shame he didn't read this copy of The National Geographic from October 2004. It predicts and explains why the horror that has occured along the gulf coast happened. Surprisingly it doesn't blame a wrathful God intent on retribution as a result of Gay Festivals, Abortion and general hedonism, but 100% science. The study of the natural world and mankinds' effect upon it.

I've got a feeling there'll be more references to "Acts of God" than "Acts of the petro-chemical Industry" or "Inactivity of Congress".

We'll see.

I keep hearing this old Randy Newman song in my head.

What has happened down here is the wind have changed
Clouds roll in from the north and it started to rain
Rained real hard and rained for a real long time
Six feet of water in the streets of Evangeline

The river rose all day
The river rose all night
Some people got lost in the flood
Some people got away alright
The river have busted through cleard down to Plaquemines
Six feet of water in the streets of Evangelne

CHORUS

Louisiana, Louisiana
They're tryin' to wash us away
They're tryin' to wash us away
Louisiana, Louisiana
They're tryin' to wash us away
They're tryin' to wash us away

President Coolidge came down in a railroad train
With a little fat man with a note-pad in his hand
The President say, "Little fat man isn't it a shame what the river has
done
To this poor crackers land."

CHORUS

---

Dearest and I are off to Venice on Monday. Can't say spending five days in a sinking (and, I am led to believe, stinking) city is as attractive a proposition as it originally sounded given the events of the past week. It's going to cost an arm and leg too by all accounts. Everybody is giving us advice:

"For fuck's sake don't get a gondola, you won't be able to afford your plane fare home."

"Jesus. Venice? You better take your own food and one of those camping stoves to cook it on. Either that or don't eat for five days"

But the one that really broke my heart:-

"A complete week of sobriety will do you good, 'cos you won't be able to afford any drink."

Say it ain't so.