One of the folks behind the ifilm website wrote me a nice message a week or so ago and my e-mail program seems to have swallowed it. If you were the person in question, could you please resend it? I promise to be more careful with it this time.

To the rest of you who wrote e-mail I haven't answered: You are not alone. In fact, it's getting darn crowded in that "to be answered" folder. You may not make it out alive.

This just in…

Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown is being removed from his role managing Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, The Associated Press has learned.

Like we said yesterday here: If anyone at FEMA or the Department of Homeland Security is sacked or even faulted, it will only be because they've reached some new, hitherto-unimaginable level of incompetence such that even their own party can't save them…or someone decides that they should take a bullet (and all the blame) for the team.

Looks like Brown met both conditions. And of course, it doesn't help when the major newspapers find out you lied on your résumé, either.

[UPDATE: And now it's looking like he's not even fired. He's just being moved out of on-the-line responsibility. The Washington Post reports that, "…a source close to Brown, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the FEMA director had been considering leaving after the hurricane season ended in November." Good move.]

I think it was way back last Sunday that I posted an "unofficial" Blondie crossover strip that ran in Richard's Poor Almanac, a feature that has been running in The Washington Post for some seven years now. I must admit I was not familiar with the strip by one Richard Thompson as it is not generally available on the Internet and I, of course, don't bother with very many comics that exist only on the primitive medium of paper. In fact, I screwed up the name of the strip and have since gone back and fixed it. I have also come to enjoy it, thanks to a friend who e-mailed me a batch of scans. They were funny enough and clever enough that I'm going to take the extraordinary step of getting the book. Before I give you an Amazon link, here's a quick bio of the cartoonist, taken from a press release I received from his publisher…

Richard Thompson is a cartoonist and illustrator living in Virginia with his lovely wife and two daughters. His cartoon, Richard's Poor Almanac, appears weekly in The Washington Post, sometimes in color, but most often not. His work also illustrates Francis Heaney's Holy Tango of Literature, published by Emmis Humor, and is featured regularly in US News & World Report, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, National Geographic and many other publications. It has also found its way onto gallery walls, won coveted awards such as the Society of Illustrators Gold and Silver Funny Bones, and made enduring presents for his aforementioned lovely wife and two daughters. In 2004, Mr. Thompson took home the Milton F. "Sonny" Clogg Alumni of the Year Award from his alma mater, Montgomery College. (And did he even graduate? No!) Since breaking his toe in a dance-related accident nearly twelve years ago, Mr. Thompson has been forced to draw with his hands.

Funny bio, funny cartoonist. It always follows. Anyway, if you'd like to see more of his work, I'll bet you can get a whole bookful of it by clicking here.

If someone is compiling a list of folks who've said stupid things about the Katrina Disaster and/or tried to exploit it to push their personal crusades, make sure you include this name: Senator Richard Santorum (R-PA). Santorum takes campaign donations from private weather forecasting companies and then turns around and introduces legislation to try and hamper the National Weather Service. Last April, he introduced a bill that would have barred the N.W.S., which is paid for with our taxpayer bucks, from sharing its info with the American public. The rationale for this had something to do with "unfair competition" since the companies that donate to the Santorum campaign are trying to profit from selling weather data.

The other day, Senator Santorum declared that the problem down in the Gulf Coast was that the National Weather Service's forecasts on Katrina were "not sufficient." This is after already suggesting (and then "clarifying" to back off slightly on what he said) that maybe some of the victims needed to be penalized for not evacuating sooner. He's wrong about that and wrong about the N.W.S., which did a phenomenal job of tracking Katrina and forecasting pretty much where she'd go and what she'd do. Yes, it would have been wonderful if there had been earlier notice and if the course of the storm had been pinpointed more precisely. But, Senator, storms don't always follow precise routes that can be predicted days in advance. None of the private weather services that Santorum champions could have done a better job, none of them could have done anything without inputting the N.W.S. data…and do we really want something as vital as Hurricane Alerts to be turned over to the private sector and run for profit? Jeez.

This one comes to me from Joe Wilmont, who showed the good sense to sit through most of my panels at this year's Comic-Con International. Therefore, I can't argue too much with him when he writes…

I agree and disagree with your "rant." I think there has been a lack of accountability but there has also been a tendency to blame Republicans. I don't see the Democratic party as a party of ideas so much as one that sits back, waits for Republicans to screw up and then says, "That's wrong." Whatever that is, it's not leadership and it's not going to get us anywhere. I know you think George W. Bush has been a bad president. I would be interested in hearing why you think people are not attacking Democrats in equal number.

Far be it from me to defend the "Democratic leadership" — a term that is more and more becoming an oxymoron. I agree they don't lead. On the other hand, when you find yourself shut out from all three branches of government, there's not all that much you can do except to carp. (Although it looks like Joe Lieberman's going to rightly get some of the blame for the appointment of Michael Brown to head FEMA.)

A lot of people seem to think that "fairness" demands that you criticize one Democrat for every Republican you fault and that you go 50-50 down the line. That would work if (a) the Democrats had 50% of the power and (b) both parties were at all times equally incompetent. The second comes close to happening over the long run but not always in any given time period. I was once at a seminar on political humor with a band of comedians and comedy writers, and someone in the audience complained that lately, there had been a lot more Dan Quayle jokes in the media than, say, Ted Kennedy jokes. Someone had to point out to this person that in the preceding weeks, Dan Quayle had been more visible than Ted Kennedy and had said dumber things than Ted Kennedy. I got up and said, "Tomorrow, if a Republican goes out and makes a major speech with his fly open, there are going to be a ton of jokes about that Republican, and it has nothing to do with him being a Republican. Fairness in comedy doesn't mean zinging both sides in equal numbers. It just means zinging them both when they're zingable. Eventually, some Democrat — probably Ted Kennedy — will have his fly open."

And that gets to the (a): At the time, Quayle was on the news more, trying to rehabilitate his image and convince America that he was presidential material. The guys in power — especially the ones who control the White House — are always going to be subject to more criticism than the guys who aren't. If Republicans are getting blamed more for things, maybe that's because they're in charge of more things. You know, it's like they say in Spider-Man: With great power comes great responsibility. When you control the government and the government screws up, who would you expect to get most of the criticism?

Earlier today, I browsed a batch of news and political websites. Since I was still full of anesthetic, it seemed like the ideal time.

As I think I've made clear, I have a pretty low opinion of George W. Bush as a president. This has never been that rare a viewpoint in our country and it's becoming more and more popular. Nevertheless, every time I express it here, even in the most gentle of manners, I get a couple of strident e-mails accusing me (a) of being a Bush-hater and/or (b) of parroting the Democratic National Committee "spin."

I can understand how someone might like the Bush agenda, at least as stated. I'm not sure they're getting the presidency they think they voted for…but then, I don't think the folks who voted for Reagan, Clinton or the other Bush got the presidencies they thought they were getting. I think we're always way too forgiving of "our guy" and unwilling to judge him by his actions. In any case, I don't think it's nuts to want all the things G.W.B. and Dick Cheney promised in those campaign speeches. What leaves me baffled is this desperation to dismiss any complaint about their administration as irrational or insincere. Any of their defenders will tell you that, at least in theory, no government official is flawless and everyone should be subject to criticism. But they also don't seem to think any specific complaint about this administration is fair or valid. (A favorite deflector lately seems to be to accuse the critic of being "shrill." In other words, "Let's not talk about the charge that Bush policies are getting people killed or driving them into poverty. Let's talk about what's really important — your tone of voice.")

Today, I received around a dozen e-mails objecting to my postings here about the mess down in the Gulf Coast. There are prominent Republicans saying most of what I'm saying but somehow, the new response is to dismiss all criticisms of the White House as Bush-bashing and as D.N.C. talking points. So say the people who think all criticism of Bush is "Bush-bashing" and who gladly regurgitate the R.N.C talking points. I also loved the guy who wrote, "This is no time to play the Blame Game" and then proceeded to explain how it was all the fault of the Democratic (his emphasis) mayor and governor down there.

It's sad that the process of helping hurricane victims has now been relegated to Job Two, Job One being the manipulation of public sentiments to try and gain immediate political advantage. I saw Nancy Pelosi give an interview today which was kind of the inverse: Let's not play the Blame Game and, by the way, make sure you only blame Republicans. I didn't much like what I was hearing from Ms. Pelosi. If I were her, I'd just say, "I'll tell you who was responsible for the failures. Everyone with a position of responsibility was responsible. The ones who did nothing should have done something. The ones who did something should have done more and done it sooner." If that means some Democrats get blamed, fine. Maybe it's time somebody was held accountable for something.

We have this real scary Cover Your Ass mentality now in Washington, and it's worse than it's ever been. They protect the top guy because he's the top guy, and they protect all the people under him because to blame them would be to admit things had gone wrong on his watch. No one was fired for whatever intelligence mistakes led up to 9/11. No one was fired for all the inaccurate reports about Saddam Hussein's weaponry. Our leaders grossly misunderestimated the cost of the Iraq War, the number of troops we'd need to fight it and how we'd be welcomed there. No one was fired. If anyone at FEMA or the Department of Homeland Security is sacked or even faulted, it will only be because they've reached some new, hitherto-unimaginable level of incompetence such that even their own party can't save them…or someone decides that they should take a bullet (and all the blame) for the team.

I once saw a kid who worked at a pizza stand get fired on the spot for screwing up a big order. If that kid grew up to work in government and his incompetence caused people to die, he'd not only keep his job, they'd probably give him a promotion. That's after they give him the medal.

So about an hour ago, I'm leaving my dentist's office with a temporary filling and a cheek so full of Novocaine, I must look like Dizzy Gillespie on that side. I get in one of the building's three elevators and press the button to take me to the Parking Level, which is one floor below the Lobby Level. The elevator takes me to the Lobby Level, then heads back up.

The elevator fills with other folks on its way up and down again, and though I have the Parking Level button pushed and lit, it again goes no farther down than Lobby Level before ascending again.

This time on the way down, I get off at said Lobby Level and change elevators…and this one, miraculously, actually goes down to the Parking Level. There is another bonus in that it also contains one of the most stunningly beautiful women I have ever seen in my life. She's in her early twenties, she's blonde and tan and has great posture, and her entire ensemble looks like it was crocheted out of the string from an old Duncan Yo-Yo. My mind races to think of something clever to say, just so I might see her smile in my direction…but I don't have time and, besides, I'm not sure I can speak without drooling all over myself. Not that she probably hasn't seen that before…and from males who haven't just spent two hours having their molars drilled.

Down on Parking Level, I attempt to explain the elevator problem to the one of the Valet Parking Guys so he can report it but there are two problems, one being that my mouth doesn't work so well. The other is that this Valet Parking Guy is vastly more interested in serving the gorgeous blonde lady. He is also interested in servicing her. As he delivers her car — a gleaming red Corvette — he declines a $2.00 tip and instead tells her, "I will gladly accept your phone number."

I wince at the clumsy come-on but to my surprise, the tan one rattles off what she says is her number. In fact, she repeats it twice so he can write it down. Then she announces — in language more appropriate for a brothel or even a Pat McCormick Memorial — that he is welcome to come by and they will perform the sexual act of his choice. For a moment, the valet believes he is about to receive the greatest gratuity in the history of parking lots and then she adds, "Bring cash. I'm not cheap."

She departs and the V.P.G. sadly brings me my car. I hand him a couple of bucks and tell him, since he knows I was standing there and heard it all, "You should probably always take the money."

He sighs and says, "It's just as well. We share tips here and I don't know how I could have divided her with the other guys."

Fred Patten is recovering from a brain stem stroke and an almost-as-serious lack of health insurance. For those of you who don't know Fred, he's been an active force for many decades in science-fiction and animation fandom as a historian and sometimes as an importer of foreign books and magazines. Back when comic book conventions started with DC and ended at Marvel, Fred was the guy with the table displaying beautiful comic albums and graphic novels from overseas, showing us all what else the medium could do besides Spider-Man. It's good to hear Fred is recovering but sad to hear he needs so much in the way of funds. I know you've probably all given whatever you could afford to give to the Gulf Coast relief efforts. But if you can give a little more, send a few bucks to one of the good guys. Details here.

When Fred Willard took the podium about halfway through last night's gathering in remembrance of Pat McCormick, he said — and this is not an exact quote but it's close — "Isn't it odd that these days, we have to go to a memorial service to find something to laugh at?" An audience full of Pat's friends, including some of the best comedians and writers in the business, clapped and nodded in agreement.

It was a very funny (and long) evening and as I'm just back from it, let me try and type out a list of all who spoke before things begin to fuzz. Jack Riley was the M.C. and did an amazing job, much-praised by all in the room. Speaking were — not in this order — Thom Sharp, Gary Owens, Chuck McCann, Jack Riley, George Carlin, Henry Gibson, Ronnie Schell, Buck Henry, Paul Mazursky, Jack Burns, Marty Ingels, Dick Gautier, Shelley Berman, Ron Clark, Ron Friedman, Howard Storm, Arnie Kogen, Peter and Bill Funt (the sons of Allen Funt of Candid Camera), Paul Williams, Fred Willard and I know I'm forgetting someone. In the house but not speaking were Carl Reiner, Tom Poston, Charlie Brill and Mitzi McCall, Shirley Jones, Jim MacGeorge, Pat Harrington, Billy Riback, Peter Marshall, Jo Anne Worley and an awful lot of other talented folks.

As you might imagine, it was a very long show but also a very funny show…and most of the laughs could be credited to Pat. His friends quoted his best lines and told stories of Pat saying and doing outrageous things, many of which I cannot quote without causing Google to tag this as a porn site. Chuck McCann assembled a wonderful montage of Pat's career and best material, concluding with a long segment from The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson interviewing Pat, who was dressed like an enormous turkey. I'm also not going to quote some of the clean (or cleaner) McCormick lines that were heard because I didn't take notes and Pat was quite fussy about how his jokes were phrased. Let's wait until I get a tape of the proceedings so I can translate and post some of them verbatim. I don't want to screw up the wording of the line about how Orson Welles' jockey shorts had a tag that said "One size fits Rumania" or the Amazing Karnak line to which the answer was "Manny, Moe and Jack." (The question was, "Name two Jews and a cheese.") So you'll just have to be patient.

To conclude the ceremony, a nurse who'd been taking care of Pat since his stroke several years ago took the stage (and received a standing ovation) and then Pat's son Ben spoke. Finally, trumpeter Jack Sheldon played "Taps" and all the male comedians present took to the stage and dropped their pants. Dropping trou was a McCormick trademark and one that had been often mentioned in the preceding anecdotes.

George Carlin was seated in the front row and he was a tremendous audience for the various speakers, staying to the very end and complimenting all those who did well as they passed him to depart the stage. (There were big hugs and kisses for his one-time partner, Jack Burns, both on the way to the podium and as he came off.) After the show, I was standing with him and heard him going on, partly about his affection for his old pal Pat but also about his admiration for McCormick's skill as a crafter of jokes. "I don't know where he came up with some of those ideas," Carlin said, and I could only think: There's quite an endorsement. George Carlin is pretty much the Gold Standard when it comes to thinking up funny lines. For him to be in awe of Pat that way is all the testimonial a comedy writer could ever need.

Okay, here we go, trying to link to video clips on the Comedy Central website. The opening segment of last night's Daily Show is there in two pieces. The first, entitled "Inarguable Failure" contains Jon Stewart's desk comments. I think this link should take you to it, and don't be surprised if you have to sit through a brief ad first. Then, you'll want to watch Ed Helms's report, which they call "Beleaguered Bush" and I think you can do that with this link and (again) sitting through an ad.

Linking to clips on the Comedy Central website is, as we all know, far from an exact science. So if my links don't make it happen for you, just go there and look around for the Daily Show clips with those titles. It's worth the trek.

Since I've been working at home and not travelling much lately, today was the first time I'd bought gas in several weeks. It was…uh, a bit of a jolt. When it came time to pay, I was tempted to say to the attendant, "How about if you just keep the car and we'll call it even?"

I paid $3.29.9 a gallon and you know the part that really bothered me? That ".9" bothered me. Who do they think they're kidding? When gas was 29.9, that trick made it feel like you weren't paying thirty cents a gallon. Now, no one even bothers to look that far past the first decimal point.

But I paid it. A few blocks away, I passed a station selling gas for $3.39.9 and I felt a little better about it. Next time I fill up, I'll probably be happy to pay that.

I can't recall another time when America was getting screwed so openly and totally, and everyone agreed we were getting screwed. And all we did was just bitch about it a little.

Tom Reynolds writes about what it's like to write so-called "reality shows." He's absolutely right. [Los Angeles Times, registration required]

Catch tonight's installment — the first since they came back from vacation — of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The first segment is brilliant. Someone will post it on the web and I'll link to it when they do, but don't wait. Watch it on real TV.

A number of my friends who read this page are attending tomorrow evening's memorial for Pat McCormick at the Writers Guild Theater. I would like to remind them, first of all, that this is at the Writers Guild Theater, the one on Doheny just south of Wilshire in Beverly Hills. It is not at the Directors Guild Theater on Sunset, which is apparently where a lot of people think it's taking place.

Also, the current rundown calls for 25 speakers, all of them top comedians and comedy writers. Any one of these people could probably do an hour. A few of them may try to. So we could be there a very long time.

This one is only recommended either if you think everything was just peachy down in Louisiana and Mississippi with regard to rescue operations, or if you need something to renew your anger about all that wasn't done for the victims. Briefly, it's about a band of more than 1,000 trained firefighters who volunteered to help rescue people. What did FEMA want them to do? Assume community-relations jobs, stand behind George W. Bush in photo ops, and not talk to the press. Here's the link.