Life Lessons

It appears that local, state and federal government learned the wind-swept, dead water lessons that Hurricane Katrina hurled at the nation two weeks ago. There is no debating that every precaution is being made in the face of an even stronger Hurricane Rita. Nursing homes are being evacuated. Ice, water and food are being piled at distribution centers in preparation for emergency efforts. Miraculously I can't find a reason to criticize the president. Yes, we learned our lesson, a lesson that has cost billions of dollars and unfortunately over 1000 lives.

Here, I would like to invoke, as Republicans are so wont to do to defend the senseless death of thousands of Iraqis and American soldiers, the memory of September 11th. That was a 2,986 lives lesson from which the American government took little away. Yes, our airports are safer. We are now required to remove our shoes before we pass through the metal detector to dance around in our socks while airport personal wave around their metal detector magic wands. September 11th did not teach the government to hire personnel capable of doing the job, did not correct inadequate emergency preparedness, did not improve communication lines between branches of government or even emergency response groups. It did teach them that patriotic flag wagging garners the support of the ignorant American public for nonsensical wars.

If we have to suffer a Katrina with regard to each new crisis, if a dirty bomb has to reap its consequences before our government is prepared to respond, if a subway bombing has to occur before our government can recognize proper prevention methods, there are many more life lessons awaiting this country.