The Good, The Bad, and the Just Plain Jerks

First the good news; my mom, dad, my sister and her family who all live in the south are apparently okay. They live far enough inland that even a very large hurricane coming ashore generally means only a lot of wet weather and maybe a downed powerline.

This is one that the Gulf Coast isn't going to forget. When I was in college in Mobile in the early 90's there were a lot of people around who still talked in hushed tones about how terrifying Fredrick had been in 1979, and of course no one who was living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 1969 will ever forget Camille, still considered the biggest hurricane ever to hit the United States. In that part of the world, nervousness during hurricane season is just the price that must be paid for an otherwise nice life of warm ocean water, sunshine and a 'Laissez les bon temps rouller' attitude.

The latest news from New Orleans and the Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coast is not good, but apparently it could have been much, much worse, especially in N.O. which once again dodged a direct hit. The major problem now appears to be the high water level.

The one thing that really disgusts me is the looting that has been taking place in New Orleans and other places. I don't want to overplay this, since as is always the case when disaster strikes there are plenty of stories of heroism and sacrifice to go around. But c'mon you jerks--dozens of people are dead, thousands are homeless, entire lives have been destroyed, and all you see is a chance to score a new plasma screen TV? It doesn't get much lower than that.