"Disaster Relief: Katrina to Hezballah"

I was within 90 miles of both the Category-5 hurricanes last season. Katrina was 90 miles west of us, while Rita was 90 miles east. I felt the part of the force of a hurricane on both occassions. I have been to New Orleans a few times since the landfall. The city was a wreck. A complete, hopeless wreck.

Just when I was almost certain that no other city/country could have the misfortune similar to that of the "Big Easy", there was Lebanon! In this case, it was man-made, was spread over an entire country (not just a city), and did not allow the population any chance to withdraw or evacuate (unlike New Orleans which had 36 hours of counter-flow evacuation through major highways).

All of it is past now. Time has taken its course, and it is time alone that will re-instate the balance. Events belong to time, but the response to those is what we -- the human beings -- own. It is in response that we earn our worth as the best creation. It is in response that some cement themselves as heroes while other wither away. Consider the following irony.

Heard on CNN couple of nights before: every house which has been bombed will get double sets of furnitures and every suffered family will get $12,000 in cash. All from Hezballah, and all of it has been arranged even before the aid workers have reached the refugees.

Heard on NPR last evening: after almost a complete year, cadaver-dogs are finding dead bodies in New Orleans. Let us also remember the disasterous response from FEMA and the mere $3500 that the people of New Orleans had received. Many of the homeless are not getting re-building assistance due to lack of "flood-insurance".

America has hundreds of pro-people programs at home, but is disliked by all. Hezballah was the reason a country has been reduced to rubble, yet they are the heroes! I guess it's all about speding the right amount at the right time.

The pro-freedom are hated for putting insurance companies above their own people. The pro-hate maniacs are still "heroes".

Seleucus!!