Don't Be Discouraged

It would be easy right now to turn away from the Hurricane Katrina coverage because it is all so horrible. The murdering, raping, looting scumbags of New Orleans are getting a lot of media play right now. And the finger-pointing has already begun. But there are MANY good and decent people who are caught up in this maelstrom. They are the least among us, the poor, the elderly, the sick. They couldn't get out before the storm and now they are dying in the street.

Contrary to what one might conclude from the coverage, various government agencies ARE on the ground doing what government does as well as could be expected, trying to evacuate people, get the levee repaired and generally restore some kind of order. While I know we all have a fast food mentality and expect instant miracles, the end of this storm was only 72 hours ago. And while it's easy for me to sit here and say "have patience", I'm not directing that advice at the victims but at the rest of us. I know we all want to get back to our "regular programming" but it's time for a reality check here. That's just not going to happen any time soon.

Many wonderful organizations are doing the heavy lifting for the rest of us. To help in that effort, sitting here in front of my computer, I've donated a modest amount to The Salvation Army. I hope to do more.

There are several other charities hard at work trying to ease the suffering. Instapundit.com has a list of them as does FEMA.

Let's do what we can, what we must.