by the Way . . .

Anyone who questions the federal government's commitment to privacy just isn't paying attention. Just look at the way the administration is fending off Congressional requests for information regarding communications between FEMA and the White House regarding Katrina. And that extends clear to the local level. The Waco Tribune-Herald found that as of the second week of January, FEMA was paying for 119 people to stay in 47 hotel rooms in Waco, but when reporters called all of the hotels and motels in the area, all said they did not currently have any evacuees as guests. Most said they hadn't had any since right after the storm.

Susan Solomon, a FEMA spokesperson, refused to name the hotels receiving payments, saying the information could not be released for privacy reasons. See? She also said that perhaps hotel staff were simply trying to protect evacuees' privacy by saying none were at their properties. The reporters also questioned the various charities that have been helping evacuees, and no one knew of anyone who was still in a hotel. Probably just another effort to protect the evacuees' privacy. Congressman Chet Edward's office was likewise unable to get any information from FEMA about evacuees staying in local hotels.

In the old days a hotel would consider that a guest had left without checking out if the bed had not been slept in for a day or two. Today that is just a fairy tale: "Someone's [not] been sleeping in my bed and she's still there!" exclaimed Baby bear.