The eye of the storm.

Now that the shaking has stopped on the East Coast, and the jokes from the west seem to have dried up…all eyes have turned to Irene.

Now, I totally understand that.

My wife had an Aunt Irene, and although I never had the pleasure (or otherwise) of meeting her before she passed away, by all accounts she was to be feared as much as the Hurricane of the same name.

I implore everyone on the east coast and in the potential path of Irene to take safety precautions. Much has been said about the sheer size and destructive power of this storm. The winds, rains and storm surges could be significant and dangerous, so …please, follow instructions and do not delay.

The worst that can happen is that you get a day or two get-away while the storm fizzles to nothing, or misses you entirely. Alternatively, if the storm is as bad as expected, you will know you are safe….and anything left behind can be replaced.

Anyway, I was thinking about hurricanes and the incredible forces they contain. They swoop into your life, overbearing, and destroying everything they touch. The unwary and unprepared will face severe consequences when the fury of the storm is unleashed. And then, with the passage of time, the storm moves on to another place, or perhaps simply withers and dies. Either way it leaves behind damages that have to be repaired, lives in disarray and at the worst case, death along with the destruction.

And despite the dire warnings, people take no notice. It is like they simply don’t believe it could happen to them.

Others believe the empty words of politicians will protect them from the storm. I heard a New York resident on the radio last night exclaiming that Bloomberg would keep him safe during the storm. What sort of nonsense and stupidity is this?

The reality is that nobody can protect you from the forces of nature. It is your responsibility and your responsibility alone to find safety. The likes of Bloomberg can certainly make all the preparations to ensure rapid return to normalcy after the storm is passed…but can no more protect a living soul from it’s power than I can.

Why do people think this way? Why do people blame politicians when a storm damages their property, or destroys a city?

I think the answer to this question can be found in a very surprising place…the answer is that the nature of hurricanes is no different than the nature of politicians. They are in fact, kindred spirits.

Politicians give you plenty of warning of their arrival. You see them coming for months before they finally get elected. You have the chance to prod and probe their past and their stands on matters that are important to you. You try to predict where they will head once elected. And if you do not like them, you make preparations to protect yourself should they be elected.

Just like a hurricane. We know it is coming. We research and study it, find possible paths it can take, predict where t will go and what damage it can do and take the best precautions.

Those who do not take precautions with either hurricanes or politicians face potential consequences far beyond their worst expectations.

And then it happens. The hurricane hits….the politicians do what they promised, or they do what they lied about, or they do whatever they need to do to win the next election. The reality is that when that political storm hits, nobody knows what will actually happen. The politician, by nature, will twist and turn, providing neither direction nor aid to those in need. The hurricane will destroy everything it can…the politician destroys truth and honor.

And then, the hurricane passes on….or dissipates. The politician loses the next election, or is forced to resign for corruption or sex scandals or whatever is deemed unacceptable on that day. The hurricane has no concern for the damage it has caused. It is oblivious to the destruction. The politician is worse. He is not oblivious to the destruction he leaves behind….he simply doesn’t care.

The hurricane will eventually dissipate…and the country breathes a little easier for a season, knowing that it is simply a matter of time until the next hurricane hits.

When a politician dissipates, he goes on the talking circuit, spewing his garbage to the hordes of  followers who so quickly forget the damage he left behind…or…he writes his book detailing what he achieved, with nary a word about what he screwed.

Yep…there is no difference between politicians and hurricanes. Both are to be feared.

But then occasionally we get a different of type of politician. We get one who has no substance, no experience, no economic knowledge, and no understanding of either foreign affairs or etiquette.

This politician is to be feared much more than Irene, who at her worst is incapable of the destruction this politician can easily wreak on this country.

And what does America do when this politician comes along? She doesn’t examine him, she doesn’t question his stands on issues…she fawns at his feet…a messiah of sorts come to lead America to the promised land.

America fails to see the hurricane that is within his agenda. America fails to see the destruction he will leave in his wake when he finally departs for obscurity.

America gives this particular politician the keys to the kingdom, the highest position in the land…and in some ways the world.

So this politician and his wife run away on vacation every time there is an issue to be resolved…only willing to cut it short when a hurricane of a different sort threatens their stability.

Obama is returning early from his stay with the millionaires and billionaires of Martha’s Vineyard. He has enjoyed the company of the elite for 9 days…eating lobster and caviar, and basking in the glow of greatness he can never hope to achieve. While the country faces depression, and people are struggling to feed their families, and pay their mortgages, and stay afloat….this hypocrite leader of class warfare spend his days among those he could never hope to know if he hadn’t been given the keys to the kingdom.

The millionaires and billionaires fawn over his greatness, even though he derides them as not paying their fair share.

And then Irene enters the picture.

The millionaires and billionaires start leaving to make sure their preparations are good and that their assets and families are as protected as possible. Matha’s Vineyard becomes far less enjoyable when the bulk of the remaining folk are the hardworking merchants, shopkeepers etc who serve the island so well.

The millionaires and billionaires know and understand the threat of Irene.

Obama sees it too. But in a different light….this could disrupt the economy further, and give him yet another excuse for his failed policies, for the state of the economy. If he is lucky, Irene will leave a trail of destruction in it’s path that he can turn to as a reason for increased spending to ensure the cleanup happens quickly, creating more jobs.

This “God of all” in his own mind relishes the fact that a hurricane more obvious than he is bears down on the nation. He cruises back to Washington, not to be supporting the folk, but to watch first hand the damage Irene will do, that can divert attention from the damage he inflicts.

His adoring fans have called his presidency historical. They have that right.

The damage he has bestowed upon this nation is historical not only by its magnitude but by its multi-generational spread.

Cleaning up after this hurricane called Obama will not be a short process. It will be an arduous drawn out affair. Whoever takes his place at the head of this Nation will need strength and determination beyond anything herebefore known?

Why?

Because people in NY expect that politicians can protect them from hurricanes.

People expect the government to do everything for them…to tell them what to do, when to do it, and how to think.

A successful leader must change this thinking to one of personal responsibility and accountability. The withdrawal pains from the addicted will erupt into antigovernment sentiment not unlike Greece. The addicted will take what they want.

Is Irene a threat to parts of the country over the next couple of days…hell, yes…but she will pass. In weeks or months the damage will be repaired.

Hurricane Obama is another story.

……………..devereaux