John Heiderscheidt owes me a Cherry Coke, and he owes the Tribune readership an apology for his superficial reaction to Kanye West's choked-up outburst during NBC's Katrina telethon ("Hurricane Kanye hits the shores," Sept. 7).

Heiderscheidt believes there's a time and place for those in the entertainment industry — as is every citizen's constitutional right — to air their political leanings.

But West's "deviation," he contends, "added turmoil to a situation that already has too much of it."

If rappers wield that level of influence over national affairs, I hereby nominate the East Side Boyz as ambassadors to the Middle East and Diddy as congressional liaison to the president.

Yes, West's contention — "George Bush doesn't care about black people" — was an inappropriate adlib. But "ranting and raving" or "the language of a twit?" Here's what preceded West's incendiary closing:

"I hate the way they portray us in the media. You see a black family, it says, 'They're looting.' You see a white family, it says, 'They're looking for food…'

"And even for me to complain about it, I would be a hypocrite because I've tried to turn away from the TV because it's too hard to watch. I've even been shopping before even giving a donation, so now I'm calling my business manager right now to see what is the biggest amount I can give, and just to imagine if I was down there, and those are my people down there.

"So anybody out there that wants to do anything that we can help — with the way America is set up to help the poor, the black people, the less well-off, as slow as possible. I mean, the Red Cross is doing everything they can. We already realize a lot of people that could help are at war right now, fighting another way — and they've given them permission to go down and shoot us!"

West's unguarded appraisal of the situation and the administration's response hit on several issues which Heiderscheidt conveniently omitted from his column: the inadequate (and embarrassing) federal response, Federal Emergancy Management Agency (FEMA) mismanagement, racial profiling from the media and ultimately, how race and poverty continue to be back-burner issues for the majority of Americans.

Aren't these the real problems to get "Out of Order" about, Heiderscheidt, rather than tsk-tsking a music personality for going off-script?

West is the sound-bite of the week; Katrina's devastation and the political fall-out sure to follow will remain relevant for years to come.

The College Dropout's selection of forum remains suspect, but his compassion was undeniable — which is more than I can say for Bush, who made the following statement the day before the NBC telethon:

"We've got a lot of rebuilding to do. First, we're going to save lives and stabilize the situation. And then we're going to help these communities rebuild.

"The good news is — and it's hard for some to see it now — that out of this chaos is going to come a fantastic Gulf Coast, like it was before. Out of the rubbles [sic] of Trent Lott's house — he's lost his entire house — there's going to be a fantastic house. And I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch …"

Is this "the language of unity" missing from West's remarks? Maybe the idyllic picture of Bush sipping a glass of lemonade on Sen. Lott's (R-Miss.) newly reconstructed porch comforts some — GOP donators in particular, I'm guessing — but for those facing a terrible reality, they serve as another reminder of Bush's ineptitude and disconnect from the surrounding world.

This viewpoint was published in The Marquette Tribune on September 13, 2005.