Katrina, and Politics
Floods are mythic things. They all refer back to Noah, and they all refer to apocalytic events in general, whether personal or widespread. I received some hypersensitive comments about the Dylanologist's photo post last night, but let me inform you: Dylan's song Down in the Flood is DEAD serious and not a lark. Songs and poetry are more serious than prose. We lowly prose-writers must never forget that.
The hate-Bush Jihad is politicizing the storm all around the wacko blogosphere, and yesterday German politicians joined the chorus of blaming Bush for hurricanes - seriously. And now the well-known expert climatologist RFK Jr. On Monday, we posted our satire, before the flooding began and when everything seemed OK there, which seems a bit insensitive in the current context. At the same time, the politicization of a storm is not only deplorable, it's a lie.
I kind of hate to interject this at this moment, but the Left justifies lying, because they believe they are historically right and morally superior, so the ends justify the means. People like RFK Jr aren't stupid, just unwise - they are clever and corrupted by arrogance. Most ordinary politicians are motivated by pure self-interest - money, perks, acceptance, stature, fame, favors, power, ego-building, and chicks in the Georgetown bars (sorry to state the truth, Chris "Little Tom" Dodd, Teddy and Gig-John...does not apply to my old college buddy Jerry Nadler) - those apply to the familiar smiley-face corrupt sad souls everyone easily sees and understands and accepts as one more dumb part of life in their towns, states and federal reps, and keeps a safe distance from the contamination, to protect their souls. Until they need contracts or favors...
But the Elite Left runs on deeper motives, and are therefore more insidious and dangerous than the average everyday conniving, mercenary political jerks that would use their poor mother or even their dog or kids for manipulative advantage, if they only could. Why? because the Lefty politicos think they have been anointed to save the world - not just their lowly selves and their pointless lives. They want to save you! But you don't want to be saved by them, do you? And one thing politicans know is that if you repeat a lie often enough, it will enter the ethos. Believe me on that, if on nothing else.
Anyway, having completed this highly therapeutic rant, the truth is that hurricanes appear in cycles - and we are in one. Rick Moran has already rightfully blown his top over this.
The best site I have found for New Orleans updates is the Times-Picayune's breaking news log, here. With hundreds, if not thousands, of people still stranded in flooded homes, attics and rooftops across the city, rescue boats were bypassing the dead to reach the living, Mayor C. Ray Nagin said. Nola.com: NewsFlash - Crisis grows as New Orleans looted, flooded . And who knew that Katrina's rains hit Palm Beach and Miami?
Instapundit today lists some good places to donate money. Let's all step up to the plate, and do the right thing, as we did with the tsunami - altho this is nothing compared to that, it's bad enough.
(Photo: Mount Ararat and Mount Ururtu, from the website named)
