Ardent Bushies detest any allusion of hated France.  They are the stalwart coiners of the term "freedom fries" while Air Force One served "freedom toast".  All the same, the recent FEMA contretemps involving Michael Brown brings one historical allusion to France prior to the days of the French Revolution into crystal clear focus.

Marie Antoinette became infamous by revealing herself as a cold and heartless French aristocrat with one frequently quoted comment that has reverberated through the pages of history.  When reminded that there were starving peasants in the streets of Paris she was alleged to have chillingly replied, "Let them eat cake."

While scholars and analysts attribute the cake comment to French philosopher and humanitarian Jean Jacques Rousseau seeking to make a completely different point, it has been regularly repeated to represent the quintessence of callous neglect and to buttress a fundamental reality. There is an underlying reality that people revolt when pushed too far, and starvation falls into this distinct category. Regrettably this same kind of crass materialism was revealed recently in the conduct of FEMA Director Michael Brown when he was informed of the urgency of the situation in Louisiana and Mississippi in the wake of a devastating hurricane.  

While many citizens of ravaged New Orleans stood at death's door Brown expressed concern about his sartorial style and how important it was to look good on national television.  The unfolding tragedy was a tasteless example of spoon-feeding vanity from a bureaucrat with an ultimate sinecure received from loyally supporting George Bush.