nabeepchen

It is somewhat comforting to know that the U.S. is not the only nation in the world that houses despicable dorks. And the dorks I am referring to are the ones who loot and steal following a disaster–not for survival but for greed. Seems that Pakistan is coping with the same problem.

In the quake-stricken areas, meanwhile, shopkeepers clashed with looters Monday, and hungry families huddled under tents while waiting for relief supplies after Pakistan’s worst earthquake razed entire villages and buried roads in rubble…

In the shattered streets of Muzaffarabad, where at least 11,000 people died, an Associated Press reporter saw shopkeepers scuffle with people trying to break into businesses. They beat each other with sticks and threw stones, and some people suffered head wounds. No police were nearby.

I am assuming that these shops did not contain food, just from the way it was reported. If it was food that these people wanted, then I apologize for insulting them. Some of the people have been without food and water for a few days now, and the need is immense. But if the shops in question contained non-edible merchandise, and were being looted because some asshole was hoping to make a fast buck, then they deserved to be hit over the head.

Anyway, this is a major disaster in a poor country, and aid and assistance has been slow in coming. One reason is the remote location of the quake, high up in the mountains. International aid is beginning to flow in from Turkey, Britain, Japan and the United Arab Emirates. Russia, China and Germany also offered assistance.

But again, a bright note. Pakistan accepted India’s offer for assistance, which is a major breakthrough. Fingers crossed for good will and peace between them.

Globe and Mail

President Bush was asked today for his position regarding Roe v. Wade.

His response: “I don’t care how people get out of New Orleans.”

A friend sent this to me in one of those forwarded emails. I thought it was funny, but then, I wondered, is it true? With Bush, you just never know the limits of his intelligence. Maybe he really does think that Roe vs. Wade is about boating, and just can’t figure out what the fuss is about.

Since hurricanes have been a big part of life here for the past few months…well, we are now officially the second busiest season on record. Vince is the 11th hurricane and the 20th named storm. There were 21 storms in 1933 (names didn’t start yet) and 19 named storms in 1995. I remember the 1995 season well, only because it was the first time that naming ever reached the letter “R” and the category 3 hurricane which developed was named Roxanne (after me, I assume).

An average season spawns around 10 tropical storms, of which six become hurricanes. So this year, we’ve had double output. But only about six weeks to go until hurricane season officially ends. Hang in there.