Ad Astra Per Aspera

Ad Astra Per Aspera

This special edition of MLW is in tribute to the people of Greensburg, Kansas and Governor Katherine Sebelius (D). The title of the post is the Kansas state motto, "to the stars, through difficulty."

As you know the town of Greensburg was devastated by a tornado last week. Twelve of their total population of 1,600 people were killed.

State emergency response resources were slowed because - like the towns impacted by Hurricane Katrina -a large percentage (60%) of National Guard equipment is being used in Iraq. Governor Sebelius was outspoken about the resource deficit and was derisively dismissed by junta propagandist, Tony Snow. Mr Snow-Job blamed the governor for the lack of resources by saying you have to ask for something in order to get it and the only thing she had asked for were FM radios. Here you'll find a history of the governor's requests for replacement equipment dating back to 2005. Some reports say that 90% of the National Guards across the nation face the exact same resource deficit. We see how this impacted the citizens of New Orleans and we see how difficult it's becoming to keep blaming the victims.

If you've got anything extra to spare, think about donating to this brave little town in the heartland. You'll find a link to one of the local organizations partnering with the American Red Cross on the right under "Give If You Can." An MLW reader in Houston, Kelly Johnson, provides this link to aerial photographs of the destruction.