Some parts of Southern California are getting a little rain this morning…not much but any moisture may aid in knocking down some fire or preventing another. Even though many spots are still blazing away, there seems to be a feeling that the worst is over, at least for now, and that the firefighters have gained the upper hand. You can sense it as sure as you can smell musty, charred air and see the blurry skies.
I'm quite some distance from any of it. I don't think any of the fires were even in my area code. Still, I know many of the areas and, of course, I know people in or about those areas…and it was just very sad. So, in a different way, are several e-mails I received from people whose attitude towards the victims was that they brought it on themselves by living where they lived, by not living in homes made of different building materials and, of course, by being Rich Hollywood Liberal Phonies. That's true of perhaps a single-digit percentage of those who lost their homes and belongings — especially in parts of Orange County where they're still, one way or another, voting for Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan — but there's no point in explaining that to them. Some people take their schadenfreude where they can get it, and if it means making up or believing nonsense, that's fine by them.
I found it all very depressing and frustrating. The most likely thing that most of the victims did wrong was to not be more demanding that dry brush in their area be cleared away or irrigated. We can't stop the Santa Ana winds or the arsonists, nor can we eliminate forever downed power lines. But it would be really maddening to think we couldn't do better at the aspects we can control. One of the main things that has soured me on the Iraq War — even more so than the ever-shifting rationales for it — are those stats on things we're not doing here like increased port security and mopping up after Katrina and more health care for uninsured kids. It's particularly upsetting when it seems to be no big deal if a billion or three earmarked for The War slips through the cracks and just disappears. One question I'd like to see put to all who would be President is: "Will you swear that if elected, you will vigorously investigate fraud and corruption in the spending of money allocated for the war, and prosecute those who have engaged in such practices or overlooked them?"
Even if we weren't being robbed of money we could use to help out needy folks (as Liberals would advocate) or use to lower taxes (as Conservatives would like), I can't see any argument for tolerating all the theft and corrupt accounting and war profiteering. But I'll bet no one will do anything about it, no matter how many Californias burn or Louisianas flood.