Category: Orphans

Of all the examinations by the media that compare the evacuation and handling of the wildfire situation in California with that of Hurricane Katrina, the best I have seen so far comes from Dan Froomkin at Washingtonpost.com.

That large numbers of people have evacuated in California and much of the damage that has been done is at the core of the comparison. Yet such a juxtaposition is like comparing Moby Dick with Flipper. Katrina was much more the disaster than these wildfires have been, so far at least, in loss of life, property loss and evacuation. Even Hurricane Rita, which hit us here in Southeast Texas and was a one-day national media story, produced a much larger evacuation than in California and most likely the distances evacuees have to travel in California will likely be less than those of Rita or Katrina.

Another good point Froomkin makes is that California has more expertise with such disasters than did Louisiana’s government with its calamity. The truth is the national-local framework used for fire seasons and outbreaks is much better than it has ever been. We, in this country, are finally beginning to learn how to fight wildfires. Now if we will just stop fighting them and let some of these tinderbox areas burn to reduce the fuel load, catastrophes such as those in California may be less prevalent.

I know other comparisons are being made — about the evacuees of the California fires and those from New Orleans. While some sociological examination of the two incidents seems worthy, I feel a lot of the back-and-forth has deep racial overtones just as it did when people were discussing the goings-on in New Orleans in the wake of Katrina. We just can’t seem to get past that can we?

In between presidential biographies I am reading a book about some honest-to-God American heroes and patriots. Bill Yenne’s “Rising Sons” is an close-up look at the young Nisei Japanese soldiers of World War II, many of whom volunteered to fight while they were imprisoned with their parents in internment camps.

While many in this country these days declare their patriotism with flag pins and yellow ribbons, the Nisei soldiers were examples of those who truly loved their country and were willing to chance death to defend it. A number of the American born Japanese who served on the front lines as well as interpreting Japanese communications. The latter was not always as difficult as it seems because in many instances our arrogant Japanese foe didn’t imagine that our side could understand their language.

As was often the case with other minorities during the war, the medals awarded the Nisei stopped short of the grand prize. The wrong was righted during Bill Clinton’s administration when a number of the decorated Nisei soldiers had their Distinguished Service Crosses upgraded to the Medal of Honor.

It takes more than paying lip service to patriotism to fight and die for your country when you are pretty much getting screwed. It’s honor at its best. Yenne’s book is a plain-spoken lesson on how foolish you are when you denigrate someone because of their looks. It’s a lesson we all can use from time to time.

Eggsactly. I’m uhplate because there is a chemical cloud to our west. According to the National Weather Service:

BULLETIN – EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
CIVIL EMERGENCY MESSAGE
JEFFERSON COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT
RELAYED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
1033 PM CDT TUE OCT 23 2007

THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE IS BEING TRANSMITTED AT THE REQUEST OF
JEFFERSON COUNTY (TX) EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT.

A PIPELINE LEAK HAS CREATED A CLOUD OF UNKNOWN GAS NEAR THE
COMMUNITY OF CHEEK.

A SHELTER IN PLACE IS REQUESTED FOR THE RESIDENCES OF CHEEK FROM
AGGIE ROAD TO MEEKER ROAD BETWEEN OLD SOUR LAKE ROAD AND HIGHWAY
90 UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

A SHELTER-IN-PLACE MEANS PROTECTING YOURSELF WHERE YOU ARE AND
STAYING THERE UNTIL GIVEN FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS OR THE ALL-CLEAR.

SHELTER-IN-PLACE WARNING ACTIONS:
1. GO INSIDE
2. CLOSE ALL DOORS AND WINDOWS
3. TURN OFF ALL VENTILATION SYSTEMS
4. TUNE TO LOCAL NEWS MEDIA FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

Yikkkkkkkkkkkesssssssssss!!! Mable bury the fake Grants and put back a couple of those kolaches that won’t grow fur.

This dangerous cloud o’ disaster is 10-12 miles or so from where I live and since my area is ringed with every toxic chemical known to man, I don’t think it would be dangerous for me to go to bed, so that is what I will do in a few moments. Should the toxic cloud get me, then sorry about what I owes ya.

But this is the second pipeline rupture in our area in the past week. And considering what my old college bud Brett has been uncovering in North Texas it kind of makes you ponder those famous and familiar letters WTF?

There appears to be some good news from Iraq that the number of American and civilian deaths are down for a second straight month. Less death is always good when it comes to our own military personnel and the people we allegedly are freeing from their now dead dictator.

It seems that most of the credit for this decline goes to the Iraqis who appear to be getting just a tad fed up with all the violence there. I am sure the Bush administration and their boosters will also point to the smoke-and-mirror-filled “surge” of troops. Any good news, unfortunately, presents more of a rationale for the administration to argue staying the course. We have stayed, and stayed, and stayed the course some more but it doesn’t look like the war in Iraq will ever end. Why should it when so much money is to be made? Right? Wrong.

Is global warming turning the continent purple, green, red and yellow?

Actually, the colors on the map above do not accurately indicate what is going on here although I am sure you are astute enough to know that. They merely are infrared images layered upon a weather satellite photo from a couple of hours ago. NOAA — the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration — says these colors mean something but I am not entirely sure what. What is important to know is that a cold front has just swept on top of us here in Southeast Texas for our first taste of cool fall weather this year.

The Weather Bug doodad on my computer said the temperature is 59.9 degrees at St. Anne’s Catholic School, about a mile or so away. In the meantime it is 62 degrees with heavy rain/fog/mist at the Jefferson County Airport some 15 miles south of town. What does it all mean? Well, perhaps it means that like an aging troubadour, weather creeps along leaving behind its chilly tunes. Huh. So that’s what it means?

It is actually nice having the temperatures cool a bit even though this hasn’t been anywhere near a hot summer of the kind we sometimes have here. But taking the good with the bad there surely will be some colder days ahead before spring sneaks into the kitchen for a midnight glass of milk and some chocolate chip cookies, all of which for this area will probably occur in late January.

Fall has fallen. It’s time to button up, cover up, zip up, snap up, or whatever up you might have on hand. Now is the time to wait for the trees to turn colors for the two weeks before winter begins. The Gulf Coast: It is an acquired taste.