Bye Bye Blanco

A Louisiana citizens group has launched a petition drive aimed at recalling their state's Governor Kathleen Blanco for what the group is calling her lack of leadership in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Kit Landry is the founder of Responsible and Effective Citizen Action for Leadership in Louisiana, or RECALL. She says Governor Blanco has been more concerned with politics than with taking care of the state's disaster victims. "Every time I saw our governor speaking, it was just about what had happened to her voter base," Landry says, "and it seemed to me that she was more concerned about her political future than the future of the citizens that were devastated by floods in the New Orleans area and southern Louisiana. I was absolutely appalled." Also, the activist questions the governor's decision to take an entourage to the Netherlands. "Why do our governor and 50 other people have to go to the Netherlands to check out flood protection?" she asks. "If I have a problem with plumbing at my house, I don't go to the plumber's house. I have the plumber come here." According to the RECALL spokeswoman, the citizens of Louisiana are no longer going to tolerate a lack of leadership in the Governor's office. "We as citizens have a responsibility to say to our elected officials that if you do not have the leadership capabilities to do what needs to be done to help our citizens," Landry asserts, "then we as citizens have a responsibility to send a message to you that you will not serve in that capacity."