SamSaid!

CAT 5

     Not long ago, I took course in the History of the English language. In all candor, it was not as interesting or exciting as I thought it might be, but it had its value in explainng how modern day English (British and American) evolved from the Celtic, Norman, Viking, German, Anglo-Saxon, Roman, Greek, etc. languages. Of particular interest to me was how small special phrases came into existence and became a part of the English language. In most cases, such phrases came about through common usage (street language) and then were “formalized” over time. That practice continues right up to the present.

     Hurricane Katrina has had a devastating effect on the Gulf States in the USA. It was a Category 5 Hurricane based on meteorolical measurements. For a long time, hurricanes were hurricanes, but nowadays they are named and ranked by severity. Category 5 is at the top of the severity rankings. It may be that Hurricane Katrina will make a contribution to the english language  –  a “Cat 5″.

    There are a lot of conceptions or thoughts that are encapsulated in very brief terms. Some examples are “Deep-six”, “Catch 22″, “Perfect 10″, “Ground zero”. and now “Cat 5″. Each one of these terms  — letters and a number(s)  — have a distinct meaning and are generally recognized as part of our language. Now we have “Cat 5″, meaning the biggest, strongest force there is. Already you can see the term “Cat 5″ on news items that have no relationship to the now historic Hurricane. “He went off tackle like a Cat5″ –  “that homer flew out of here on a Cat 5 wind”, “Pretty awesome but not a Cat 5″ — “It was a Cat 5 day on Wall Street for buyers”. And on and on.

     Cat5 will likely be the legacy of Katrina, but years from now, people will use the term without any memory of the storm that destroyed so much in lives and property. Watch for it —   Cat5.

CONFIRMED

     John Roberts hasn't been confirmed as yet, but it is looking more and more like a safe bet. Interesting how his status changed. At first we was nominated to succeed Justice O'Connor, but when Chief Justice Rhenquist  died, Prez Bush changed his status  to become the nominee to succeed Rhenquist both as a Justice and Chief Justice. Ted Kennedy has fulfilled his blowhard role and Joe Biden as taken advantage o free TV time to plug his bid for the 2008 Presidential campaign. The vote will take place in the next week or so, and the odds are that Roberts will be confirmed. The real indicator will be how many Democrats vote “no” in the floor vote of the Senate.

     The nominee to replace Justice O”Connor hasn't been identified and probably will not be named for a few weeks. In the meantime, she continues to serve as the “swing ” vote. Looks like she may be swinging for some time. The media are having a field day speculating on who the next nominee will be  — Hispanic, Female, or both. The Dems are howling for a woman. It would serve them right if George nominated a woman who would be a first cousin to Barry Goldwater. Good Old Patrick Leahy is arguing to keep a 5-4 court, since a 6-3 court would spell doom for some of the left wing causes he supports. But I think George is made of sterner stuff. He has the chance of a lifetime. I don't think he will blow it.

A BIG MESS

     New Orleans is a mess  — a very big mess. But that is nothing new. It has been a big mess for a long time. In searching for a synonym for “corruption”, New Orleans would be a good place to start. Now, of course, the Crescent City is a much bigger mess  — the Katrina mess. Certainly there is no sentiment to abandon our fellow citizens who are in total and desperate need of help, so we have to live with this  huge mess for months and years to come. We can only hope at the outcome.

     I don't quarrel with the President's outline of programs to rebuild and reconstruct New Orleans. He really didn't have much choice. But when $200 BILLION dollars are involved, I am not very comfortable about how our tax dollars will be spent. Obviously, the New Orleans City officials as well as the State leaders in Baton Rouge just can't wait to get their hands on such largesse. The small change is enough to make friends and associates millionaires over nite. Here is a case where $100,000 amounts to chump change. In a political environment built on decades of graft, fraud and kickbacks, it is far too much to expect that our tax dollars will be safe-guarded or well spent. And it is reasonably safe to assume that the bureaucracies administering umpteen re-construction programs will live for decades and grow in size every year.

     The basic problem is that the dollars to be spent to re-build New Orleans are tax dollars. They don't belong to anyone  –  they are just sitting in a big pile in Washington  —   waiting to be spent. In not belonging to anyone, they are are free for the taking, and accountability is just a matter of missing records. Just wait and see  — when we get to the $100,000,000,000 mark, just ask your Congressman, “Where did it all go?” Answer, “Nobody knows”.

     A good exercise would be to count the number of new millionaires in Louisiana in 2015. This is not a lottery for those in the inner circle.   –  nope, it is a sure thing. To some, Katrina was a tragedy. To others it will be a bonanza. Remember, the objective is to throw money at the problems, not save nickels and dimes.

ARMAGEDDON

     As the health of Chief Justice Rhenquist was deteriorating, there was a lot of speculation over whom George Bush would nominate as a replacement for the aging Chief Justice. The unexpected resignation of Sandra Day OConnor complicated matters a bit, and the Senate confirmation hearings for her replacement, Judge John Roberts, are scheduled to commence this week. Meanwhile, Sandra Day O'Connor continues to serve on the Court pending the confirmation of Judge Roberts. With the death of Mr Rhenquist, the plot thickened when Geo Bush nominated John Roberts to be the next Chief Justice.

     The full spectrum of left wingers will assuredly mount an assault against the character and thinking of Judge Roberts. They will no doubt try to trash him in all respects  — just as they did Judge Robert Bork. It is doubtful, hoewever. that the Democrats can prevent the confirmation of Mr Roberts. But the Supreme Court issue becomes much more critical with the need for a second nomination to replace Judge Rhenquist. It is indeed unique for a President to have the opportunity (responsibility) to nominate two new Justices at essentially the same time. The Republicans view this as a political opportunity of a lifetime while the Democrats look upon it as a Judicial Armageddon. The far left extremists like Ted Kennedy, Joe Biden, Howard Dean, Pat Leahy, Barbara Worthless (CA), et al. will be at their wits end  — near outright apoplexy  –  at the very thought of another conservative on the bench.

     The best guessing on a new nominee is that the person will be a woman or Hispanic  — or maybe both. But whatever the identity, it is virtually certain that Bush's nominee will be a conservative who will help to stop the left-ward tilt of the Court due to Judicial activism. The short list of names has probably already been prepared. The Democrats know that their left wing agenda will never be adopted by the ballot box, and that “friendly” Court decisions are their only hope.  Thus they have no alternative but to fight to the bitter end. It will eventually come down to Senate Rules which allow the Democrats to say to the full Senate, “We will not allow you to vote!”. A few month back, the Senatorial crisis over approval of Circuit Court Judges was averted. Not likely this time. Too much at stake.  Now we have come full circle on the filibuster issue. It all comes down to whether a hand full of left wing extremists can block the legitimate process of goverment and deny nominees a vote before the full Senate.

     If I had to guess, it would be that the President will wind up in a speech to the nation to address a Senatorial stalemate. That will likely be the last step before the filibuster rule goes down the drain. I'll be watching.

HURRICANES

     Long before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, hurricanes ravaged the coastlines of the Caribbean Islands the the Southeast quadrant of the USA. The big storms went their way almost unnoticed since the land was largely unpopulated and almost totally undeveloped. The damage, however severe, was largely unknown and unrecorded. And in earlier times when we did not have ultra sophisticated bureaucrats, the simplest advice about hurricanes was to “get out of the way”, not “come and rescue me”. Then modern man discovered those wonderful coastlines and thought about the benefits of benign weather. Now, of course we have millions of people living in very dangerous areas near the Atlantic ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Mother Nature came calling last week along the US coastline in the Gulf of Mexico …… in a big way. .

     Nowadays, it is popular to note that New Orleans is a City below sea level. That means that when water flows in NO, it flows INTO the City, not out of the City. The “below sea level” status of New Orleans evolved over time and has grown to be more serious year after year as the City sunk lower and lower. Truly, it was a recipe for disaster. It was just a matter of time.   

Now we have the legion of voices talking about re-building New Orleans. Bear in mind, that until water stops flowing INTO the City, we can't pump water OUT OF the City. Do we really want to rebuild a City that is 20 feet below sea level and once more place our fate in the hope that a series of levees can stiff arm the strongest punches of Mother Nature? Forever? Starting from the very beginning, no one in his right mind would build a big City where New Orleans is located  — below sea level, and sinking. No matter what we do in re rebuilding facilities and levees, we will never be more than one storm away from unmitigated disaster.

     Early on, Hurricanes were given female names  — based on the notion that females are fickle. And it goes without saying that the paths taken by hurricanes are very unpredictable, i.e., “fickle”. But of course, feminism has  eliminated that gender distinction and half of the hurricanes now are given  male names. Isn't that a kick? By whatever name, it is safe to assume  that Katrina is not the last hurricane we will see, and people from Maine to Galveston will contnue to build along the coastlines  —-   hurricanes or no hurricanes.

     Just think about it. If homes and industries still are being  built along coastlines ABOVE sea level and run the risk of serious damage or destruction, what is the logic of building or re-building a City BELOW sea level? Does that make a lot of sense?? Maybe we should abandon the City and make it a park or an environmental exhibit. Either one would be a lot easier to evacuate.

TRAGEDY IN NEW ORLEANS

     Few if any Americans can truly appreciate the terror, frustration, anxiety and suffering of the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The aerial photos are truly mind-boggling. No food, no water, no medicine, no car, no help, no transportation, no bathroom facilities, and nowhere to go. Comparisons are being made to 9/11 in New York City but they may be inadequate. In NYC the damage was done all at once and help was immediately available. No so in New Orleans.

     One of the differences is that New York City had a Mayor (Giuliani) who took charge. Neither City was fully prepared for such a calamity, and indeed it is hard to visualize a degree of preparedness that would have averted either of the disasters. The Mayor of NO and the Governor of Louisiana clearly did not take charge and come to the rescue of the thousands of trapped citizens. Was the Federal response slower than might have been expected? Yes, indeed. But how do you go about a crash rescue program for thousands of people scattered over a large City in water ranging from knee deep to maybe 20 feet? Trapped in buildings 5-10 stories high??And if you want to drop supplies of water and food, just where do you drop them? It would be a lot easier said than done.I personally think that the media are having a blame-fixing field day trying to make matters worse. Face it. Mother nature went on a rampage, and when that happens there is only so much that can be done. Perhaps that is the origin of the term “ride it out”. Closer to home, the question might be, “What did the City and State do in immediate response to the tragedy? Just call Washington??

     The Bush bashers and black racists are at their best (worst)  –  to wit, the deaths and damage from Hurricane Katrina are George Bush's fault!  What else? Who else? And of course, the Sunday TV talk shows trotted out the experts on global warming, the melting of the ice caps, black bias, and a long litany of “I told you so's” about levees. A more pressing problem is what the governments  –Federal, State and local  –  are going to do about thousands of displaced people for the next six months.

    The tragedy of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and along the Gulf Coast will be with us for a long long time.