Today I received an e-mail, saying that the application deadline for registering with FEMA and New York State for disaster assistance, scheduled for Oct. 16, would be extended until Oct. 30. This came as no real shock to me. Even though I spoke with a FEMA representative only last week who told me that they were “moving heaven and earth to not extend the deadline again,” I was not surprised by this announcement.

FEMA originally scheduled Sept. 5 as the deadline. It has been extended three times since then. Perhaps I am not the only one who expected this to occur. I sympathize with anyone whose home and belongings were damaged during the flooding, however, I don’t understand what the hold up is. The flooding occurred four months ago. Why are people waiting to register? There have been countless articles in the newspaper, segments on the news, and public service announcements on the radio. If people don’t want to register, you can’t make them, and I’m not sure any deadline extension is going to help.

But, for all of the last minute, procrastinator types, you’ve been granted another reprieve. Get your stuff together. Register with FEMA and New York State, because who knows, they could be serious about the deadline this time.

Corrupt morals, psychological disorders or maybe a little of both seem to be taking a toll on this countries policies, politicians, entertainers and just its’ ordinary individuals. In every section of this country people victimize one another in ways that are far more harmful than what happens in times of war or at least very similar. Do all Americans think we do no wrong? I think being perfect is a long way off but many of us still live the illusion we do no wrong, as Americans we are better advanced at hiding it than other places around the globe. So, we don’t terroize other places some Saturday night because we are bored, no, we just go next door and do it to a fellow citizen sitting in front of the television eating a bucket of greasy chicken watching jeopardy!
The American vs. American war has been ruling our countries polices, procedures and governments on every level for past decades, if not centuries.
All most people are, are hypocrites that want to believe problems far away are far worse than the problems in their own backyards. Do people think that people in far away countries do not think we are the terrorists as well. Really, people living here do some despicable acts that in my mind would be classified as terrorism if it were some foreign body here doing it. Mindless school shootings equal six innocent girls deaths in less than a week, a woman slicing the womb of a woman and stealing the fetus, a mother drowns her own five children one at a time making sure all of the children suffered, the thousands of murders, rapes and reckless attitudes of our own fellow Americans is just as scary as what other cultures can inflict.
The only differences; as Americans we have personality disorders, Bi-polar disorders, schizophrenia, depression and about 4000 other disorders that play the role as to why we are the way we are. Plain and simple, yes, there are rules that have been established to punish people who commit these heinous crimes but really, only excuses have been established to explain theme. When is enough, enough? Really, the pity party chips are getting stale and the punch has gone sour the only person to take responsibility for your actions in this life is YOU! People should try to first focus on your their own life and see what can be changed and then slowly look into fixing bigger problems that realistically are much bigger than what we see!

In yet another government scandal, Republican Congressman Mark Foley resigned his post last week. Foley is being investigated by the FBI after e-mails and instant messages that he exchanged with an underage page gained public attention.

ABC News released portions of an instant message conversation in which Foley was setting up meetings with the teen and pressuring him into situations that made him uncomfortable. It disgusts me that any individual would take advantage of an underage child, but the fact that Foley was in a position of power and leadership make it all the more despicable. Even worse is the fact that Foley was the co-chairmen of the missing and exploited children caucus. He used his position and his authority to get close to these children and manipulate them.

Information has been released that at least two to three individuals had knowledge of the inappropriate e-mail correspondence between the congressman and the page and did nothing. In my opinion the lack of action by these individuals makes them every bit as guilty as Foley. They had a responsibility to the page, to the law, and to their voters to insure that this type of event was avoided. By remaining silent, they put other young people at risk. These actions should not be tolerated by anyone.

Foley is now saying that he was molested as a teenager, and that paired with his alcoholism (a condition that many family members are saying they’ve never seen) drove him to do what he did. I don’t know about you, but I am sick of the excuses. I don’t care how bad his childhood was, or how much alcohol he has consumed. For once, I would just like to see someone take responsibility for their actions and stop making excuses.