First, I want to apologize to my readers for not publishing the Economics of Line-Cutting. The more I worked on it, the more it sounded like a lesson on sociology and economics and the less humorous it became. So for all those who were anticipating that piece of work, I apologize.
Also, I feel that the tragedy unfolding in the Gulf Coast, particularly New Orleans, is worthy of comment. Last year, when the tsunami struck Southeast Asia, leveling whole communities and killing thousands upon thousands, I was saddened, but somehow the events of a thousand miles away failed to truly register. They were places I didn’t understand and couldn’t really conceptualize, and so I went on with my life. However, this disaster, though of a smaller scale, has struck much closer to home. I see the people whose lives have been devastated by this catastrophe and I am reminded of many of the people I knew in Houston, Texas while serving an LDS mission there. The areas that have been destroyed and flooded remind me of some of the neighborhoods I spent time in. This disaster has a touch of reality to me, and I want to extend my sympathies to all those who have lost homes and lives and family in this tragedy. I am truly sorry for your loss and my thoughts and prayers are with you.
I also want to condemn those individuals who have taken advantage of this disaster as a means to push their personal agendas. Realist that I am, I have a difficult time seeing the merit of second-guessing government actions and finding a scapegoat on which to blame this tragedy. Looking back will not change the future. The most important thing now is to do what we can with what we have. If we have resources that haven’t been mobilized, we must mobilize them. If there are decisions that need to be made, we must make them. This must be our focus, to make sure that this happens. Pointing fingers, calling names, and making threats transforms this tragedy into a tawdry media platform for malcontents to make waves. I would see these individuals dedicating their time and efforts towards rebuilding broken lives instead of pointing fingers. We’ve had enough destruction.