Thoughts about the Iowa Flood

I was reading some of the reports this morning about the devastating floods in Iowa which have displaced tens of thousands of people from their homes across the state (my birth state, by the way) and neighboring states. My thoughts and prayers go out to all those who are affected by this natural disaster. The devastation of a flood like this is so far-reaching and causes all of us to recall the horrible storm to hit New Orleans some three years ago. The parallels between the Storm of 2008 and Hurricane Katrina are obvious in so many respects. Yet, maybe it's just me, but I can't help but think of the many differences between the two...their devastation may be similar, but the difference in response to the storms is what has my wheels turning.

• I scoured the Internet today, searching for quotes from the Mayor of Cedar Rapids and the Governors of Iowa and Illinois...I couldn't find a single quote wherein they chastised the government, or FEMA, or anyone else for failing to provide enough aid even though the response in terms of the number of National Guardsmen deployed has been nearly identical.

• Have you been watching television? Have you seen a single interview with anyone on the street who is complaining? It seems to me that every man, woman and child who is physically able is filling sandbags and working together to prevent further damage (preliminary estimates indicate more than $1.5 billion in damages so far). Amazingly, they seem to realize that this is no one's fault.

• Even though rescue helicopters have been rescuing those stranded in the flood waters, I've yet to hear of anyone shooting at them. And no reports of looting either for that matter.

• Even though there's not much [read: nothing] he can personally do about the situation, President Bush is planning a visit to Iowa on Thursday - and this time he'll make sure to leave the airport. Why? Probably just to make sure that McCain can't stab him in the back in the press again in order to get Democratic votes like he did on April 24th. Two related points worth noting here: 1) McCain made a huge deal about how poor it was that the President didn't visit the 9th Ward in-person, but he failed to mention that it's likely because Bush was attending HIS 69th birthday, and 2) McCain called the Mayor of Cedar Rapids today, but is not planning to visit in-person. Way to show your support Mr. Senator! Man, I love hypocrites!

• Since we're on the subject of visiting disaster areas, isn't it surprising that the fearless leader of CHANGE hasn't planned a visit to the area? Why is that? Is it because Mr. Obama actually understands that there's no good reason other than to illicit a feel-good response? Uh, doubtful. I think it's more likely that he doesn't have enough time to visit since he and his new endorser, none other than the Nobel Peace Price Laureat Al Gore, need to spin a story to make sure the public understands that this flood is a direct result of Global Warming.

• Finally, does it seem odd to anyone else that all the major newspapers and "news" channels have dedicated more print and airtime to covering the first day of gay marriage in California than to the most significant natural disaster to occur in this country since, well, Katrina?