Katrina's Big Brother With a Foreign-Sounding Name

There's something tragicomic about the arrival of Gustav on the scene, this monster hurricane which is aiming itself directly at New Orleans. It's as if nature wanted desperately to have another go at destroying that city.

And the way the Bush Administration has sprung into action is hilarious! Bush is making a big show of doing everything he should've done before Katrina. He's meeting with FEMA multiple times, urging the total evacuation of the city, shipping in supplies, and generally looking busy.



It's as if this Administration believes that if it can handle Gustav, it's appalling failure to handle Katrina will be wiped from the records.

I happen to think that New Orleans is going to be a disaster zone anyway. Mayor whatever his name is (is it Nagel?) has ordered all the city's residents to evacuate. About 300,000 have, and now there are 'only 10,000' left. These 10,000, according to the mayor, can expect no help: 'You're on your own,' he told them. That makes no sense. If America wants to avoid a repeat of Katrina, it should provide emergency services not only to the evacuees, but also to the people staying behind. Sure, some of these poeple are lazy-asses who deserve what's coming. But some of these people probably have a legitimate reason for staying. Let's say they don't have a car, or they're old and can't make the trip. And the homeless. These people are going to be drowned in the flood waters, and the government has written them off - before hand -.

Despite the frantic dress rehearsal by the Bush Administration, I get the feeling that Gustav is going to be just as disastrous as Katrina, and there are going to be many, many dead.