22 years, and nine little-person months

I feel sorry for people named Katrina. Though today marks my 22nd birthday, my thoughts and prayers are almost completely on the subject of hurricane Katrina's rampage through the Gulf Coast states. I’m thinking of going with a Baylor team over fall break to help in the reconstruction efforts. Who’s with me?! (Warning: this post has some boring bits, but there's a surprise at the end!)

On the radar, she, the harlot of the sea, seems beautiful as the storm spins across the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico. "Oh look! How fluffy she looks!" But she is not – indeed she is the opposite (like a temptress indeed!)

Some of you may have noticed, but even in the midst of the media storm associated with Katrina’s aftermath, a recent poll by some organization noted that President Bush’s approval rating was at a career low: 45%. That said, a lot of other presidents have had it much lower, and for much longer. But that’s not the point I want to make.

The link to Katrina is this: it is a rare sight to see someone not blaming the President for something bad that happens. In this hurricane’s case, President Bush and his alleged oil allies in no way can be blamed for the disaster. If anything, they suffered a major blow (oops, little pun there). Anti-oil company folks might be thrilled about this…surely they got what was coming to them…but wait a minute, how much are gas prices now? And how many families who work for an oil company in the Gulf region are displaced, killed, or not working?

(Update: I spoke too soon, as blame is quickly befalling Bush)

If blame can be placed anywhere, it can be on the general public. The biggest national effect of the disaster is the price of oil. If you’re a peace-loving massage therapist in Seattle, Washington, the last thing on your mind, probably is how delicate and how essential petroleum is to every single aspect of our comfy lives—even if you drive a hybrid. The same is true, for say, the gas-guzzling, conservative CEO riding around in his Hummer H2 40 miles to and from work. The truth of the matter is this: the dirty, unglamorous petroleum industry has been lambasted by every kind of person in the United States, but few realize how much goes into getting those European groceries to Whole Foods or getting that cheap TV shipped to Wal-Mart. Almost everything that moves is somehow connected to the petroleum industry.

I am thankful though, that Skinny’s down the street kept regular under $3 (Well, 1/10 below).

Others, of course, always will profit from disasters, and almost exclusively from the (yet another “evil”) insurance industry. Who pays to rebuild all the mangled wrecks of houses, cars, ships, and bridges? Insurance companies. Well, maybe they’re good for something after all. Construction contractors, builders, wood and steel providers, Wal-Mart, Target, and really any other household-supplies retailer will make billions off the disaster, but it won’t be as much as it would have been if the oil industry wasn’t so disrupted. With gasoline so expensive, generating profits will be much more difficult, and one may wonder if, in the end, Katrina actually produced more profits or shrunk profits due to gasoline prices. Those truckers only get like 4 miles per gallon.

I am thankful to God, however, that amidst the crisis at hand, that we and the survivors live in a country so greatly endowed with resources to pick up the pieces--these resources being more than money or helicopters--the resource that so mysteriously drives good in the United States--the generosity and hospitality of the American people. Rich or poor, and whatever color, people reach out and devote their time to helping victims--no matter their color or background. It's a sight to behold, and its a model for other people in other countries to see.

As such, those are my thoughts at the moment. BIG NEWS THOUGH: WE'RE GETTING A FOOSBALL TABLE THIS WEEKEND. Hardcore, people, hardcore. =] Note: the table I'm getting is not the one shown here, and doesn't come with girls in bikinis, sadly.