[176.1] EYELESS IN ALABAMA

Good piece on OpenDemocracy by Geoff Hodgson on the aftermath of the storm and the challenge to democratic politics. Meanwhile the progressive inter-religious coalition FaithfulAmerica (note the penchant for conjoining words in titles!) has raised US$40,000 online for Church World Service's relief efforts.

A friend living in the proximity of the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Katrina wrote to me yesterday: "The enormity and proximity of the disaster are having a profound effecton everybody. This time it is going to take much more than money... Huntsville, Alabama, is now home to hundreds of evacuees and I assume that number will grow."

"We had high winds from the storm but little rain. A big tree fell down in my back yard and I was without power for two days, plus I had to pay for the electrical repairs myself and get the tree moved but all that is inconsequential. My neighbours have been wonderfully helpful.

"The lack of preparedness and sluggish response in the face of one of the big three predicted events defies belief and will be to this country'sundying shame. There will be repercussions ranging from the price of gas and bananas to a review of the health care system and environmental management. But I don't have high hopes of any real reform."

See also this good comment from The New Yorker, In the ruins.

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