Oklahoma disaster synchro

A mangled vehicle outside of Moore, Ok

Whenever there is a major catastrophic event that catches our collective attention, synchronicity seems to follow. We’ve reported on such global synchros in the past, the most recent was the Boston bombing in which most victims literally had their legs cut out from underneath them. Among them were brothers and newly weds. Legs, of course, are what power the marathon runners.

So what about this new disaster, which at this writing is still in its early stages. We don’t know yet what the death and injury total will be or the extent of property damage.  But the Moore, Oklahoma storm is already being called the biggest tornado to ever hit the United States.

At this point, the most obvious synchronicity is a political one…an ironic trickster synchro. That’s because both Oklahoma senators – Jim Inhofe and Tom Colburn – are fiscal hawks who have repeatedly railed against federal spending for disasters…in other areas of the country.

Both backed a plan to slash disaster relief to victims of Hurricane Sandy. In a December press release, Colburn complained that the Sandy Relief bill contained “wasteful spending,” and identified a series of items he objected to, including “$12.9 billion for future disaster mitigation activities and studies.”

In 2011, both senators opposed legislation that would have granted necessary funding for FEMA when the agency was set to run out of money. Sending the funds to FEMA would have been “unconscionable,” Coburn said at the time.

Now they are both in an awkward position – as contorted as the vehicle above. But that hasn’t deterred them in the past when both rallied for federal funds for Oklahoma. The Huffington Post notes that in January of 2007, Coburn urged federal officials to speed disaster relief aid after the state faced a major ice storm.

A year later, in 2008, Inhofe praised emergency funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development would be given to 24 Oklahoma counties. “The impact of severe weather has been truly devastating to many Oklahoma communities across the state. I am pleased that the people whose lives have been affected by disastrous weather are getting much-needed federal assistance,” he said.

So watch these senators call for immediate federal aid to Oklahoma tornado victims – which they deserve – but then add that the aid should be paid for by slashes in the federal budget in other areas. Such as…aid to disaster victims in other parts of the country? And watch how their fellow fiscal hawk Republicans, who voted against aid for Hurricane Sandy victims, react now. Will they hold firm against federal aid when two of the own party call for help?

The trickster strikes again.