Gustav

Gustav is bearing down on the Gulf Coast, looking pretty much like Katrina. Gustav has already sent over a million people fleeing from New Orleans under a mandatory evacuation yesterday by Mayor Ray Nagin. And, it has only been three years since Katrina hit the Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana coasta, with Mississippi and Louisiana bearing the brunt of it. Many folks displaced by Katrina are STILL displaced. That is to say, those areas are just really getting back to some semblance of normalcy. Louisiana and Mississippi look to be in for hard times.

Joe Biden says we should all pray that the levees hold. Well, yes, we should. That would be good. Obama said that he hopes we have learned our lesson from Katrina, and doesn't want us to repeat the mistakes made during that massive hurricane. Well, okey dokey. I hope so, too.

McCain and Palin have gone to Mississippi at the request of Governor Barbour. McCain said that should Gustav make land fall during the Republican Convention, they would suspend it. He said,

"It just wouldn't be appropriate to have a festive occasion while a near tragedy or a terrible challenge is presented in the form of a ntural disaster."

I agree. It would be inappropriate. So, the RNC is keeping an eye on the weather, too.

Oh, and Tropical Storm Hannah has the potential to bear down on my part of the world. These are just the kinds of issues with which a president has to contend. Despite Don Fowler saying that Gustav would be helping the Democrats (I am not kidding - he said it), it shouldn't help EITHER party. People's lives and livelihoods are at stake here. Friends and family members of mine, as well as many of you, I am sure. For once, wouldn't it be nice if dealing with an impending disaster wasn't a partisan issue, but an AMERICAN issue?? How about we give that a try - no making hay off of this potential disaster. Just address it as Americans, with compassion, and a desire to help. Let's just give that a shot, Don, Joe, Barack, John, and Sarah. Don't worry about the photo op (talking to YOU, Barack), worry about the people, their pets, their homes, their jobs. Let's worry about the human element, and the affect on our environment (again, one of the reasons Louisiana gets hit so hard is that it's coastal wetlands are largely dead due to human shortsightedness. Without the wetlands to act as a buffer, the hurricane just slams into the coast, with a clear path.).



This is more important than any political campaign. People first, country first, then you can worry about your campaigns later.