Luckovich Toon - National Disaster

[Fritz Walter]

7. Having spent 40+ years of my life in this field I feel compelled to speak out

Chasing -- and being chased by -- natural or technological (man-made) emergencies and disasters have given me a perspective on the desire of political animals to capitalize on human suffering. (Notice the absence of the word "other" in front of the word "human." That omission was deliberate).
Every disaster is political.
It's a fact of modern life. Politicians seeking (re-) election are drawn to events that are "newsworthy" out of opportunism, nobly or shamefully.
The response professionals (law-enforcement, fire, rescue, emergency medical, infrastructure, human-services) on site recognize this and maneuver around photo-ops as best they can. But -- without exception -- they'll tell you how much a pain-in-the-ass these visits are to the mission of delivering help to the impacted communities and families. Especially in the first stage of response.
It diverts precious resources, not the least of which is time, from protecting lives and property, and helping the victims.
Because government funding or public donations are linked to these "photo opportunities," these professionals may not speak out.
I, on the other hand, no longer feel constrained.
Fuck Drumpf and his stooge Pence for trying to capitalize on human suffering.
May they burn in whatever hell to which their beliefs ascribe!