As graduation draws near, you seniors should plan for our charmingly witless president’s commencement speech.
As you listen to Mr. Bush muster his grammatical might in the hopes that he may construct one noteworthy sentence, a sentence you shall repeat to your children and your children’s children, exclaiming “I was there on that fearful day, by God!,” perhaps you will fill the time wondering why the leader of the free world will speak at our humble University.
In all seriousness, however, this is an election year, and if Karl “Slick” Rove knows his politics, he knows that Louisiana is a swing state.
Not only did his hand-picked candidate lose to our incumbent senator last year, but Louisiana went to old Billy Jeff Clinton twice.
Mr. Bush’s appearance down here is not only no coincidence, it’s downright disturbing. After all, why should we welcome a man who, along with the Republican-controlled Congress, turned down funding for our state’s most pressing issue: the disappearing wetlands.
I know people have heard about this issue many times, but its truly dire nature demands constant public attention and concern. What makes our state unique and great as opposed to the rest of this God-forsaken Union is literally being washed away by the Gulf of Mexico.
But it’s worse than that. The very lives of millions of Louisiana’s people are at stake. I find it utterly insulting and outrageous that Bush’s lying smirk is going to be within the borders of my beloved state.
I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. Bush isn’t even a Southerner. His father was a Connecticut Yankee who carpet-bagged his way into the Texas oil business.
I guess it’s no coincidence that the son of a carpet-bagging New Englander tied to the oil industry wouldn’t be bursting at the seams to help poor Cajun fishermen.
I’m not “against” oil, but it’s undeniable that the oil business played a major role in creating the problems with our wetlands today. In order to more efficiently get ships to rigs, the oil companies dug canals through the swamps which have let salt water in at alarming rates.
Cutting down valuable cypress trees, digging oil pipelines and rerouting the course of the Mississippi River have proven too much for nature to bear.
Louisiana shouldn’t be the only state to worry about the disappearing coast.
Much of the seafood which feeds the nation, as well as a large portion of the nation’s oil, comes from the wetlands.
Despite the economic benefits our state provides, we are woefully under-financed by the federal government. Apparently, the Maryland wetlands and the fancy Florida everglades deserve billions, whereas poor, ignorant Acadians get the shaft again.
The cause goes beyond the loss of beautiful forests and wildlife and the vanishing fish which provide Cajuns with a living, however.
The wetlands provide a natural shield against the powerful hurricanes which barrage the Southeast every year. More than two million people live in South Louisiana, and in fifteen years the wetlands could be gone. Will it take a catastrophe hundreds of times worse than September 11 to wake the politicians in Washington?
New Orleans has it worst. When the wetlands around New Orleans are gone, the levees surrounding the city will serve to keep water in rather than out. New Orleans, with a population of 1.2 million, is not only below sea level, it’s below even the Mississippi River.
If a hurricane hits New Orleans dead-on, which is bound to happen, one of the most unique and colorful cities in the country, the home of jazz, will sink, creating a humanitarian disaster.
The worst part about all of this is that we know how to fix it. If we dig canals from the Mississippi River through the wetlands, the flow of fresh water will reverse, but it will cost money.
The problem is that no one wants to stand up to the oil companies. As a swing state, we have the president’s ear. If we go against him, John Kerry will win the election.
This is a power we have as Louisianians. Let’s make something of it before it’s too late.