Comments Subscribe to Personal Liberty Digest™ News Feed Subscribe to Personal Liberty Digest™ 

The Imperfect Storm

August 30, 2011 by  

The Imperfect Storm

As Hurricane Irene barreled toward the East Coast, millions of Americans whose only prior experience with tropical storms was watching that hilarious clip of Al Roker falling down on YouTube were forced to contend with a whole new definition of “a bad day.” As expected, while the old hands in the Outer Banks region of North Carolina hightailed it for higher ground, some of the city folk in New Jersey and New York City panicked like Moammar Gadhafi on the last day of the plus-size caftan sale at Kaffiyehs-R-Us.

Hurricane Irene turned out to be more hot air than rain and wind, but combined with the response to the recent earthquake near Mineral Springs, Va., which “rocked” the Mid-Atlantic, we all got to take a really good look at how well some of our fellow countrymen respond to Mother Nature’s wrath. To be fair, Irene did cause some significant damage, but in terms of devastation, she didn’t even register a “Tom Cruise” on the “Disaster Movie” scale. The storm, the earthquake and their recent predecessors, including the infamous Hurricane Katrina, inspired me to prepare a primer of my own. As you make your way through it, remember to keep one thing in mind: The fact that global warming is silly doesn’t mean natural disasters are.

1. Hurricanes are caused by:

a. A combination of low atmospheric pressure, water vapor and minimal wind shear.
b. Global warming.
c. The Tea Party.
d. George W. Bush (duh!)

2. The Virginia earthquake was caused by:

a. Tectonic activity.
b. Insufficient pledges to Pat Robertson and The 700 Club.
c. President Obama hitting his approach from the third fairway a little fat.
d. A newly discovered fault line located under Central Virginia called the “George W. Bush.” (Sure, it’s already hackneyed, but I had to work it in.)

3. If the storm’s sustained winds are above 74 miles per hour, then:

a. It’s a Category 1 hurricane.
b. We’re all going to die!
c. Al Roker is going to fall down on YouTube again.
d. Someone left the windows open at MSNBC.

4. An earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale carries a force equivalent to:

a. The “Little Boy” atomic weapon dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. (It should be noted that the Virginia Earthquake did significantly less damage, because it occurred below ground. Hence: “earthquake,” not: “skyquake.”)
b. Michelle Obama doing the “Dougie” in clogs.
c. Ed Schultz falling down the stairs.
d. An SEIU thug with a baseball bat.

5. If a major storm approaches your area, you should:

a. Tune to the local emergency broadcast frequency.
b. Buy a kite and teach your kids how to have fun with electricity.
c. Bring Fluffy in from the backyard.
d. Haul ass to the nearest electronics retailer before all the really cool stuff gets looted.

6. If authorities order you to evacuate, you should:

a. Grab the kids, throw them in the minivan and drive to Grandma’s house.
b. Do nothing. Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin will pick you up in a school bus. Probably.
c. Go to the nearest public building and blame the Federal government for not rescuing you sooner.
d. Begin planning how to invest the cash the Feds will give you for being too stupid to leave.

7. The safest place during a hurricane is:

a. Away from doors and windows in a sturdy house above the flood stage.
b. In the upstairs bathtub.
c. Saskatchewan, Canada.
d. The Superdome.

8. The safest place during an earthquake is:

a. In the nearest sturdy doorway.
b. Away from unsecured heavy objects. (Sorry, Michael Moore, you’re on your own.)
c. Saskatchewan.
d. Mars.

9. The best source of information during a hurricane is:

a. The Weather Channel.
b. NOAA weather radio.
c. The woman in line in front of you at the dry cleaners who begins every sentence with: “They say…”
d. Al Gore.

10. Had the Virginia earthquake been as powerful as the 1964 Good Friday quake:

a. The age and nature of the geology in Virginia would have magnified the seismic waves, creating apocalyptic destruction.
b. Chris Matthews would have been forced to shriek even louder at Michele Bachmann.
c. President Obama would have been forced to skip the back nine.
d. It would have leveled Washington, D.C. (I didn’t say they were all bad consequences.)

Before the bell sounds, I have one more piece of knowledge to drop on you: If Jim Cantore shows up with a Weather Channel TV crew, run.

–Ben Crystal

 

Filed Under: Conservative Politics, Government, Hot Topics, Outside the Asylum
Ben Crystal

is a 1993 graduate of Davidson College and has burned the better part of the last two decades getting over the damage done by modern-day higher education. He now lives in Savannah, Ga., where he has hosted an award-winning radio talk show and been featured as a political analyst for television. Currently a principal at Saltymoss Productions—a media company specializing in concept television and campaign production, speechwriting and media strategy—Ben has written numerous articles on the subjects of municipal authoritarianism, the economic fallacy of sin taxes and analyses of congressional abuses of power.

Facebook Conversations

Join the Discussion:
View Comments to “The Imperfect Storm”

Comment Policy: We encourage an open discussion with a wide range of viewpoints, even extreme ones, but we will not tolerate racism, profanity or slanderous comments toward the author(s) or comment participants. Make your case passionately, but civilly. Please don't stoop to name calling. We use filters for spam protection. If your comment does not appear, it is likely because it violates the above policy or contains links or language typical of spam. We reserve the right to remove comments at our discretion.

Is there news related to personal liberty happening in your area? Contact us at newstips@personalliberty.com

  • Erik

    It’s a shame that Irene didn’t take the time to wipe D.C. from the face of the earth. Think of all the good that could have been accomplished.

    • denniso

      That’s a nice,Christian comment! Do you pretend to be a Christian,or just a malcontent?

      • 45caliber

        denniso:

        I seriously doubt that you have any idea of what a Christian is. Go away.

      • denniso

        I was raised in it,just so you know. I doubt that you are a real Christian,judging by your comments and screen name. You don’t have the b_lls to listen to people who you don’t agree with,that’s not my problem,and I’ll stay here as long as I like…you can always run away like a scared kid.

  • Rennie

    This was the first hurricane we lost trees too since 1951, true that the Upstate NY tornados in May did worse. But, Catskill Delaware/Greene Counties, lost villages, gone, wiped out, washed away. After years of agitation NYC finally got around to making repairs on earthen Gilboa Dam, the ev eacuation route signs and sirens were placed because of activism, not government planners, and used sunday when the water rose 12 feet in 12 hours. It was not “just hot air”, it just wasn’t NYC that bore the brunt of the devestation so no one cares.

  • Allan Denial

    God warning or politics, you’re screwing up, or did God screw up, by not leveling Washington, D.C?

  • John Hand

    It was plain to see from the very first that the hurricane was going to fizzle. When you watched the ‘bands’ going around counter-clockwise, they were almost non-existent as soon as they left land and came back over the water. The hurricane did not have the stuff of which real hurricanes are made of. A real hurricane has bands that don’t let up, coming back into the water counter clockwise and then being regenerated by the warm water as it goes around. No bands in the sw portion? Nothing there. All those weather experts were saying it was going up the East coast to tear things up, and you could see right on that it was not going to happen.

    • Karolyn

      Have you not seen the news?? It sure did “tear up” a lot. Try telling the people in NJ, NY, Vermont and NC it fizzled out. Where I came from, the Delaware had not flooded as much since about 10-15 years ago when there was a huge ice melt in the spring.

  • mark

    Crystal has always has a mean streak running through much of his humor as does Maher on the left. At least Crystal didn’t talk about this crisis being an excuse for Obama to herd millions of Americans at gunpoint into FEMA death camps. But I’m sure that one is coming either from him or the more paraniod posters on this site.

    • 45caliber

      If you libs don’t like what Crystal has to say, you are perfectly welcome to go over to someone else’s blog. Bye!

  • Keno

    I appreciate all the comments on this thread, and I know that Crystal wasn’t maliciously making light of those who suffered loss becasue of Irene.

    I’ll tell you what DID bug me though, was some of the similar but not so tongue-in-cheek comments I read in the Telegraph UK yesterday…coming from the people who shut down the whole island over a few inches of snow last winter, all I could say was “We are not amused!”

  • Donald

    Crystal is the one who is mostly hot air. What would he be saying if they played the predictions on the mild side and a disastrous hurricane had resulted? People died. We’re not talking about predicting the outcome of a sporting event. The Weather Service can predict the directions of these things pretty well, but what goes on inside a hurricane that predicts force at any given point is not well known. Crystal should quit his bellyaching.

    • denniso

      Of course it’s classic ‘monday morning quarterbacking’. It reminds me of the rightwing saying that what Obama and Congress did early on to halt a slide into a real depression was no help and made things worse. The only evidence we have is that we are not in a depression and most economists said it would happen if we hadn’t acted. Now,people like Crystal are playing Monday morning quarterback w/ the hurricane,just like w/ the economy. It really is senseless.

  • 2WarAbnVet

    For a solid week everyone in the news/weather business was warning us that Irene would be as devastating as the zombie apocalypse. It turned out to be more like “the Hurricane that cried wolf”. Now they’re searching out, and filming, every puddle and downed limb to prove they weren’t complete idiots.

  • Jan

    I live in upstate NY, had no power for about 15 hrs, some tree damage, lucky not like it is near the river (Hudson)a half mile away, also in Schoharie county where they were expecting a large dam to break and would’ve taken out most of the county. Thruway closed from Schenectady to Syracuse due to flooding. The Hudson may flood again, waiting to see if a dam up river holds..Towns in the Catskills underwater, as like Marilyn said, our friends in VT & MA having a rough time…I love how the mainstream media downplayed the storm because their precious NYC didn’t have the big storm surge they predicted, there is, in case they didn’t know, more to NYS than just NYC.

    • Marty S.

      Its still early in the hurricane season Jan. The next one might put NYC under that 19 feet of water the MSM would love so much to exploit.

    • Don

      And don’t forget,, odumbo was right on top of it, he even left his golf game 12 hours early, poor guy !!

  • Marilyn

    I suggest you come to Vermont to see the damage; however, you might not make it. Some of us are totally isolated because of severe damage to roads, bridges etc. Medical emergencies can only be handled by helicopter. Many houses are destroyed, vehicles under water, family members lost or missing. Every road has damage–don’t drive anywhere at night because you might not see parts of the road missing until it is too late. You need to consrve your gasoline. Who knows when more will become available. When will some residents have electricity resored?Where is your compasion?

    • Karolyn

      My prayers are with you, Marilyn.

      • Erik

        Santa and the Easter Bunny have also been invoked to provide their blessings, as well.

    • libertytrain

      Marilyn no one is making light of what you are experiencing. Many of us have experienced this type of situation more than once and do understand what Vermont is going through. All the emphasis was put on New York and New Jersey – probably because of the amount of people that live there. NC, SC, GA, FL, TX, MS, LA,AL — these States are more accustomed to it, and know what it’s like to be without gas or power for long stretches and know it’s not fun or pleasant.

      • JeffH

        libertytrain, you’re forthright and honest with your comments. I watched and kept track of the news through Hurricane Irene and what became most obvious was how the media, which inclused FOX, concentrated their focus on NY and NJ, which I thought was typical of the media. That is what I find sadly humorous about Irene, the media coverage. I also believe the actions of this administration in regards to tis situation stunk of politics and nothing more.

        I’m reminded of Rahm Emanuel’s now famous quote, “You never want a serious crisis to go to waste. And what I mean by that is an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.”

        I feel deeply for those affected when Mother Nature decides to rear her ugly side…a bit of humor can lift the spirit of just about anyone no matter the situation.

      • libertytrain

        Actually it did become a joke around here as we watched the news. If it had just hit NC the weekend would have been about NC – but it kind of got lost as did the other States and areas because NYC and NJ were going to suffer. Everyone suffered, some a whole lot more than others… And I don’t remember his name, but he brought up today in the posts that the folks along the Mississippi area have been suffering for months now and it’s never covered.

      • eddie47d

        They concentrated on NY and NJ because that is where the hurricane made it’s major land fall. They didn’t concentrate on Florida and only followed the path up north. The media in this case was right so why the sour note. They covered the earthquakes (Oakland/LA) in California so was that such a terrible thing for them to do? How much of a hoot did you get out of that when it happened?

      • libertytrain

        Eddie, contrary to what you think, I do understand what they covered and why. Sorry you are making such a big deal out of zippo.

      • eddie47d

        Ben is the one making a “big deal” out of it and you followed like lemmings.

      • JeffH

        Sour note? You’ve got such command of your expressions!

        Gee, and here I thought all along that there were more than two states in Irene’s path.

        Must be my bad? NOT!

      • JeffH

        DUH! “They covered the earthquakes (Oakland/LA) in California so was that such a terrible thing for them to do? How much of a hoot did you get out of that when it happened?”

        Gee, when the earthquakes hit California in 89 and 91, it was just 1(onw) state…would have been odd if they tried to cover the damages the big California earthquakes caused to Arizona or Nevada if there wasn’t any ya think? How ’bout the big Oakland hills fire that burned for weeks? Think they covered the damges caused to Oregon by that fire? Again, just one state involved.

        The path Irene was heading affected 16 states and DC.

      • JeffH

        FYI – Lemmings are small rodents, usually found in or near the Arctic, in tundra biomes. They are subniveal animals. I don’t know anyone up in that area…do you?

        Now sheeple such as yourself, that’s a horse of a different color.

        SHEEPLE – People who unquestioningly accept as true whatever their political leaders say or who adopt popular opinion as their own without scrutiny.

      • libertytrain

        Jeffh – :)

  • EltonJ

    A Class 1 Hurricane is still deadly, and can cause a lot of damage. However, big or small, a hurricane over New York City would be the worst thing that would ever hit the United States. Worse than the World Trade Center getting hit.

    A hurricane hitting the Big Apple would be devastating to America. The entire city would literally be swamped with the sea. This is because the city has a lot of “right angles” and “straight lines” in it’s geography.

  • AJ

    And as the HAARP plays on there will be more spreading of fear by the NWO. They spread it like a farmer spreads manure on their fields.

    • Jyrine

      Good point AJ. If someone on the inside doesn’t start leaking info we may never again know whats HAARP and whats real. Call me a conspiracy theorisist, but doesn’t it seem a bit odd? A one-two punch on DC. Nothing big, just saying ‘were here’?

      Semper Fi

    • Al Sieber

      I’ll second that AJ.

  • HisSon

    Ben:

    I look forward with eager anticipation to our “time” every Saturday but I agree with Donald R.

    Let’s stick with the Presidents, Politicians, and the Reporters and Commentators who stand out in the wind and rain making fools of themselves. They do this while engulfed in foamy garbage or talking about their family being safe and worrying about moving their sailboat.

  • Kodster5

    Actually, I see a different point. The folks that were hit by a Class 1 hurricane (Irene) in these areas, reacted in the exact same manner as the folks that were hit by a Class 5 (Katrina) hurricane, yet the folks hit by Irene were criticizing the victims of Katrina in how they reacted and behaved. Where’s the hypocrisy?

    • eddie47d

      What claptrap doublespeak. I believe it was self righteous righties who did the criticizing of the Katrina disaster. Several times on this site I have heard folks say how stupid the people of New Orleans were. “They were warned and failed to heed the warnings”,”They had plenty of time to get out so they deserve what they got”. Some of you have short memories. Now that Irene wasn’t as severe in certain parts of the USA yet people prepared and evacuated and now you are criticizing them for over reacting. You can’t have it both ways folks. Either you prepare for an event or you don’t or do you just love flip flop controversy like Ben does.

      • denniso

        Ben Crystal calls the storm,’more hot air than wind and rain’…If the climate scientists and meteorologists hadn’t had the expertise to predict the path and strength of the storm as accurately as they did,there would have been many more deaths than the 44 so far.,which is bad enough. So they slightly over estimated the force of the storm as it moved up the coast and it wasn’t as bad as predicted,but isn’t caution better than not in the face of a killer hurricane? Pretty easy for people like Crystal and others to look back now and criticize the scientists for their over estimation. Anyone prefer to go back 100 yrs to a time when we were mostly ignorant and helpless against hurricanes?

      • libertytrain

        I didn’t notice any criticism – seeing things that aren’t there again?

      • denniso

        I’m afraid I don’t have the ability to make the blind able to see. Try again…look at the pic of the cute little girl playing in the storm water; why not a pic of people/homes being swept away?
        Read again his sentence that the storm was more hot air than wind and rain…what does that mean? Can you imagine that is spoofing the forecasters and the storm?

        His little and more than silly quiz again is designed to minimize the storm and the suffering and cost that resulted from it. What’s Crystal’s point in doing this? I’m not sure,but maybe just displaying a callous and indifferent attitude toward our fellow Americans,because to show any real concern and sympathy is to be a bleeding heart liberal. A very major taboo among the good old boys like Crystal. I’d like to see his mindset if the storm had killed his loved ones or blown his home away…no big deal Ben??

      • denniso
      • libertytrain

        Sorry, I’ve been through a hurricane or two in my time. I wasn’t remotely offended by what he said. If you need to create issues that aren’t there, have at it…you always do.

      • denniso

        At least you said ‘sorry’! Like I said, I can’t make the blind see.You’re apparently blind…

      • libertytrain

        yes, denniso you poor thing are a sorry sort of character…always trying to create an issue — nothing better to do with your time anymore?

      • eddie47d

        This issue is being created by Ben and his defenders. The hurricane was real,the suffering was real,the deaths were real and Ben jumps out of his clown car to entertain the huddled masses yearning for “the other side” of the story. Oh, Yes now I remember.It wasn’t real.

      • libertytrain

        oh eddie, why ever do you torture yourself… take a break, find a new site to harass.

      • eddie47d

        Sorry Libertytrain I didn’t realize you were still in the clown car getting ready for the next disaster. LOL

      • libertytrain

        Oh eddie name-calling is for junior high.

      • sybucket

        With all respect, in spite of 44 deaths, IRENE was not a “Killer” hurricane. A Catagory One Hurricane, which is what IRENE was is the lowest “Hurricane” on the totem pole of strength. A Killer Hurricane is the Hurricane of 1935 that killed over a 1,000 in the Florida Keys when it swept the “Rescue Train” off the tracks killing over 700 CCC workers. A “Killer” Hurricane is the 1938 storm which swept from Florida to Maine and killed upwards of 20,000 people. It emptyed lake Okachoobie in Florida, sending a wall of water through the countryside.

      • Marty S.

        Keep in mind some of the death toll from Irene was form people doing some seriously stupid things like not evacuating like they were supposed to, walking through flooded streets and falling into open manholes, driving their kids around the neighborhood during high winds and having a tree fall on their car killing a kid, stuff like that. Very serious storm for sure but combined with lack of common sense results in some of the death that occurred.

      • libertytrain

        You have a short memory eddie. We’ve laid the blame on the ridiculous Mayor and the goofy Governor. We are all aware that the great majority of the people that didn’t leave couldn’t leave – they didn’t have cars or transportation out: they didn’t have a Mayor with the brains to help bus them out that would have saved many many people.. They didn’t have a Governor that would accept the President’s help (she waited intentionally a week, because she didn’t want to need his help) in a timely manner that would have changed the face of events. They are responsible. Not the poor people of New Orleans, and I have never read a post by the “right” on this site that said they were.

      • eddie47d

        Ben’s whole article was criticism Libertytrain or maybe dumb down Republican/Libertarian humor. Take your pick! Some of you must say things out of anger and forget that you said them. You can put a “new spin” on old conversations if it makes you feel better. Now according to Libertarians there should never be disaster help going to any state so will they be fighting any aid going to Vermont or New Jersey?

      • libertytrain

        Good grief eddie— only liking your kind of humor —- the gentle Bill Maher more your cup of tea? And no, go back from the beginning and read every post and show me where folks and who said what you say they said. I’m not putting any new spin on my words. I’ve been saying this since I watched that goofy governor and sleezy mayor back in 2005 pre Katrina’s landing — spouting their words of “non” wisdom on the TV…for all to hear – they did their own people in…

    • Centurion

      Kodster, you don’t have a clue what you are talking about. I’m a Chief Fire Officer in the Outer Banks and what I saw and am seeing right now is the polar opposite of the Katrina debacle.

      On the morning after the worst portion of the storm, I was responsible for directing search and rescue and creating emergency access through our district. Lots of people (including me) had significant damage to their homes and businesses. As I surveyed the district, I found that private citizens had already begun clearing access through the roads on their own. Neighbors were helping neighbors repair damage and clean up yards.

      Our firefighters (who are all volunteers that live in the area) worked side by side with private citizens and private contractors to make short work of creating emergency access corridors throughout the district. Every citizen I encountered thanked us for our work as we did for theirs. Neighbors were clearing property for elderly neighbors. It made me proud. Some other communities here were hit a lot harder than ours and the same kind of reaction has taken place throughout the County.

      Sure, the state and federal (especially the NC National Guard) as well as private resources (Salvation Army and Red Cross) have provided some critical support. The NC DOT is fixing roads that have been washed out at a record pace. There are some things that require the kind of resources that government brings.

      But the real work of recovery is largely being done by the people who live here. Neighbors, volunteers, local (mostly volunteer) firefighters, police officers and deputies local government and local businesses that have generously provided transportation, equipment, fuel, generators and other resources. This is what makes this country great. I can’t speak for the other parts of the country that were hit by this storm, but I know for a fact that nobody here expects or wants a nanny-state to take care of them. As I write this, I’m listening to an account of Skip Wells in Waves. Skip has been feeding 15 people every day since the storm started, simply out the goodness of his heart and feeling of responsibility to his neighbors. Today he’s run out of propane and people are moving heaven and earth to get him some propane so that he can continue to run is personal shelter for his neighbors.

      State and federal help is here and has been placed under the direction of local fire and police chiefs. Today Big Sis is flying in for the photo op and to take credit for all of our hard work. I won’t say that the feds haven’t contributed, but so far it hasn’t been much. To date, one Fire Chief has seen only one FEMA person who only wanted to look at the ocean front, rather than where the real damage is on the sound. It looks like Napolitano may be the second FEMA official to arrive. I wish her God’s Speed back to DC! We don’t need her here making political hay.

      Don’t give up on the American spirit. Its alive and well here and I suspect in a lot more small towns across this country.

      • 45caliber

        As one on the Texas Gulf Coast, seeing several hurricanes, you are definately right – and all of you have our prayers. It is neighbors who do the best help for recovery – not some isolated government agency who wants the credit without doing the work. Sure, they will get around to helping – maybe – in a month or two – but the immediate stuff and the long term stuff is generally done by the locals helping each other.

        In the last hurricane here, I was at a local store picking up some gasoline. The owner was there at the time. Someone asked him what he was going to do if the power was lost.

        “We’ll have a big ice cream party here so we can eat up everything that’s going to melt,” he said. “Then we’ll all go out and see what we can do to get things straightened out.”

        We did, too.

      • Karolyn

        That is one thing that can be said: People (not just Americans) always come together in the event of disaster. It’s too bad it takes disaster to bring us together!

      • Don

        Centurion, from Alaska i applaud you people in North Carolina !!

  • http://tuftsmarathonchallenge.com Donald R. Megerle

    I love (reading/listening) Ben Crystal…however, I agree with the first two comments…

  • Keno

    44 people dead at last count and billions of dollars in property damage. OK, not exactly the Apocalypse (and for sure it was overhyped) but still not all that funny to us in the Northeast.

    Be careful, Ben, Savannah GA is not immune to natural disasters.

    • libertytrain

      Exactly, Ben does live in an area prone to hurricanes. So he is keenly aware of what they can do – I see this as a way to laugh at ourselves after we mostly dodged a big bullet. There isn’t a TV news show or newspaper that isn’t saying we missed the big one — and were unbelievably fortunate. We did, and we were.

      • Al Sieber

        I second that, you have to have a sense of humor about everything or you have no soul.

      • libertytrain

        sense of humor also helps us get through events, tragedy, etc, particularly in a situation like this was.

      • Al Sieber

        You got that right liberty.

      • Karolyn

        I don’t think those people who are suffering are ready for jokes just yet. It’s not necessarily humor that gets people through; it’s more attitude. Just because the worst predictions may have not happened is no reason for people to start making light of what did happen.

      • Al Sieber

        Get off your high horse Karolyn I’m sure even God has a sense of humor.

      • eddie47d

        There is a time for laughter and a time for seriousness and I don’t think some of you passed the test. Did you have a big hee haw when Reagan was shot? How about when the Navy Seals were shot down? Maybe when the earthquake hit Japan? Ha Ha Ha that one cracks me up Ha Ha Ha! Did you bust a gut when Joplin was leveled? Look at all that open land that was created, God must have wanted more space for a new crop of people,Ha Ha Ha. Now those folks can build that dream house that they always wanted. Hardy Har Har!! Nothing like a fresh beginning in life. I’m rolling on the floor with that gut buster! Hopefully your not laughing but humor can be way over the top. Let’s laugh at the 3 Stooges,or Michelle Bachmann’s gaffs or Obama’s 57 states boo boo or maybe the Jackass (bloopers) movies. I remember in ’63 when my school teacher laughed at Kennedy being killed. Now that is some very dark humor.

      • denniso

        Rightwingers have to play callous and tough,until a tragedy hits them. Only then can they ‘see’ and feel the pain and suffering that afflicts others. I’ve said for yrs now that mostly they are people lacking a normal dose of human empathy,so they can’t feel other’s pain. Looks clear to me again.

      • 45caliber

        Al:

        You have that right. God does have a definite sence of humor. Just look at Karolyn and eddie!

        And the rest of you don’t start insisting it is wrong to have a sense of humor about all of this. Some of the best jokes I’ve heard are directly after some disaster I’ve lived through such as a hurricane. The problem is that these jokes are only funny to those who live through them. So lighten up already!

      • Christin

        libertyrain
        Yep, yep…

        Ben you are too funny… thanks for the humorous natural phenomena and preparedness (intelligence) quiz… bet some fail ;)

      • denniso

        As we speak,Vermont is being partially flooded away by the extreme rain from the hurricane…hardly funny or humorous! 44 dead Americans and many homes/businesses wrecked or ruined…there will be billions of $$ in damages before it’s all done,and Ron Paul and other ‘conservatives’ are amazingly using this time to call for the end of FEMA,so that individual states would have to fend for themselves,another move by the right to divide the country and make our country more ‘survival of the fittest’ than it already is. North Carolina is also experiencing flooding after the brunt of the storm.

        If this is the kind of humor and entertainment that the rightwing enjoys then it’s easy to see why most Americans reject their ideology,thankfully.

      • Song

        If you knew anything about FEMA you would also be calling for it’s end. It is rife with fraud, inefficiency and waste.

      • 45caliber

        Definately!!

      • Thinking About

        Though FEMA has its problems alot had been changed after Katrina. We must allow the Katrina followup to ever happen again. Just like having National Guard to respond provides resources to respond quickly.

      • denniso

        Do you geniuses understand why we have a federal agency to help w/ disasters? No, I doubt it. It’s because large disasters can overwhelm individual states ability to cope,rebuild,etc. The gov’t didn’t just dream up FEMA,it was wanted by most people across the country,and still is.

      • Don

        denniso, why don’t you move to cuba or wherever so the gov. can take care of you, we Americans like our freedom in the U S, and take a few others with you !!

      • denniso

        You whiners are the first to run to the gov’t when the crap hits the fan. I wonder how many gov’t checks you and your family get? How much taxpayer money did/do you live off of?

    • Bruce

      Keno, This is not directed at you personally – But all of you have to better understand the words you use.
      The word “APOCALYPSE,” means to – “ENLIGHTEN” it has nothing to do with death or destruction nore the end of the world.
      Look up the root of the word, its Greek no pun, no joke.

      • Keno

        Hey Bruce, you’re right — my bad, and point taken

      • Bruce

        Keno, No big deal, I just note that so many times folks use the world “Apocalypse” to instill fear in others. When everyone should be thrilled to gain new insight’s.

  • Karolyn

    Yeah, tell the people who have lost homes and towns that have been lost to flooding that Irene was just a bunch of hot air, especially in NY, NJ, and Vermont. How dare you belittle their heartache and pain. Your little aside “To be fair, Irene did cause some significant damage.” just doesn’t cut it. In your quest to excel in the art of condescension, you tend to dismiss much that deserves more thought.

    • dan

      to be honest, I didn’t appreciate the extent of the flood damage until I caught network news last night , which I rarely do anymore because of the the media bias….and Obama blahblahblahlielielie.Imagine my angst

      that more of my fellow citizens were going through the pain and anguish
      that the folks in Joplin and Texas and so many other places around the States …and world…are going through.Now my heart is breaking for them,too.Sure,I’ve been through as bad or worse but a bit of humor or levity is all that keeps one from being crushed by the enormity of it all.Always look on the bright side of life :) It gets better,eventually.

      • Hope For American

        Exactly, Dan. How sad this world would be if everyone pondered about their loses instead of picking themselves up and smiling through it all, as the Japanese did during their earthquake and tsunami. There are natural disasters everywhere in the world much greater than Irene, and I think Ben’s intention was to bring a light-hearted and cheerful approach to those who went through the disaster by remarking about the news media, and not the lose of lives and disaster itself.

        My heart goes out to those who lost loved ones during Irene.

      • wandamurline

        I feel for them…we have had Katrine, Rita and Ike come through where I live and I know the anguish…I also know that this storm did bring flooding, but the hurricanes we have endured have completely wiped neighborhoods off the map, as has Missouri flooding and the tornadoes going through northern Texas, Oklahom and Kansas. You can recover much faster from flooding than hurricanes who completely take the houses off the beach and put them in a long pile like a bull dozer had placed them there to burn.

      • http://facebook ADRoberts

        Yes and that would be the end of it except that the Federal government comes along and motivates the people to build again even closer to the beach the next time. What would the situation be if the government BUTTED OUT? For sure, rewarding risky behavior increases the losses experienced down the road.

      • Karolyn

        AD – The government does not encourage people to build near the beach. Have you ever talked to a beachfront home owner? They are diehards, just like people who live on rivers. They love their homes.

    • http://facebook ADRoberts

      You ignore the fact that this kind of loss has been going on for months in the Missouri River valley. But those people were not Yankees and blue states.

      Don’t contribute to the hypocracy of the federal government if you can.

blog comments powered by Disqus

All Categories

Bottom