One of my pet peeves as a 26 year veteran of software development is developers who ignore software standards and portability issues. The most egregious of this nowadays is in web development, where Micro$oft tools encourage the development of websites which will only operate with the Micro$oft browser, Internet Explorer. I validate all my web development by using at least three different browsers (IE, Opera, Firefox) and three operating systems (Linux, Mac OS X and Windows XP).

Apparently that’s too much trouble for the Skippy’s that program for FEMA. The have set up a website for applying for aid after Katrina that requires not only IE, but also Javascript. Anyone not bowing to the Micro$oft empire is SOL.

Now, I expect people like Brown to lie, pad their resumes, and be incompetent. Is it possible that even the technical staff there is incompetent and are hired only for their political loyalty?