Recovery in Joplin marred by incivility

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U.S. Rep. Eric Cantor's (R-Va.) assertion that disaster relief funds should be withheld without offsetting funding cuts was not universally condemned in Joplin. Sen. Roy Blunt had already promised swift funding for relief. That did not deter a number of political Xerox machines from parroting Cantor. Joplinites were reduced to explaining to thoughtless neighbors that Joplin had incurred a deficit which could not be deferred until our grandchildren were safe from that other deficit.

The next phase in vanishing civility was gloating. Thoughtless people bragged about how "Joplin had most streets passable almost immediately," with chain saws appearing instantly from locations that had not been crushed. And then they "went there": saying that people in Joplin didn't wait for someone to come help them -- they got to work and helped themselves, unlike those lazy people in New Orleans after Katrina. Facts proved to be irrelevant to such folks. It was frustrating and unproductive to note that 90 percent of the New Orleans population was already gone, that the people who were left were in 15 feet of water, that the fungus growth after months of drainage mandated cleanup while wearing respirators.

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(Monday night) presented a different phase in incivility. Rush Limbaugh brought his "Two If By Tea" truck to Joplin's 4th of July celebration in Landreth Park. His donation of iced tea would have been nice. There was a catch. Limbaugh spoke as an official part of the city's program. This was not the same as other charitable commercial promotions in Joplin. Tide brought the "Loads of Hope" truck and cleaned lots of stuff for many very dirty, very needy people.

Tide had not preceded its arrival with a history of divisive speech and an overtly-politicized statement. Limbaugh did both. He stated, on his radio program, "I'm gonna tell you something else is gonna happen at Landreth Park in Joplin on Monday night: We're gonna grow the Republican Party."

more . . . http://www.news-leader.com/article/20110709/OPINIONS02/107090319/1006/RSS06

The only thing the OxyMoron can grow it is a tail and hooves, so it can go straight to Hell. :grr: