REALITY CHECK

I started this blog with very little in mind other than to vent in a semi-humorous way.

But after seeing the human misery caused by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, anything I might write in an effort to amuse seems just too shallow.

My initial reaction while watching the news coverage is the Mother Nature innocently wreaked more havoc than the most evil of terrorists. But as the inadequacies of the relief efforts become more and more clear, one can’t help but question whether class structure is a factor – and does our government have less regard for the lives of the lower classes?

Would relief have been mobilized faster if the affected were higher income folks? Say in Washington, D.C.? I hope to god that the answer to this is no, while fearing it is yes.

In this nation where we’re given the illusion of safety, that our system will protect us in times of disaster …well, our cover has been blown.

In an effort to be fair, I will concede that perhaps I’m not informed enough to cast judgment on the efforts. And perhaps I don’t have the right to, as I sit at my computer in my air-conditioned home with its stocked pantry.

But I can tell you this -- suburbia has never looked so good to me.