I've been watching the results of the hurricane's destruction of New Orleans. Such disasters should bring out the best in people, but either this one hasn't, or such incidents just aren't considered newsworthy. One point about things being reported is the number of casualties. Until the water is gone, there won't be any reliable hard numbers. That hasn't curtailed any speculation though. The number of dead is adding up, but by onesies and twosies and 10s and 20s. News organizations however seem to be falling all over themselves to predict gloom and doom, as if the fact that the storm hit wasn't enough in itself. Let's see, the latest hard numbers are 83 for New Orleans, and over 200 for Mississippi. I am hoping the numbers stay low, and these are definitely low numbers compared to other catastrophes where the toll pushes into the hundreds of thousands. One would think that everyone cognizant of what's going on would hold out hopes along the same lines. It doesn't seem so for the people that bring us the news however.

...more than 30 bodies in a nursing home that was swamped in Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. Meanwhile, there are reports that 25,000 body bags have been sent to the state.

They can't even spread a little optimism without countering it with a discouraging sentiment....

Even as New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin mentioned estimates that Hurricane Katrina's death toll in his city could reach 10,000, he predicted that the Big Easy will recover.

Yes, these little snippets spell gloom and doom, even though the real gloom and doom has passed. The Associated Press says Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt "acknowledges what many have feared."

Finally, some hard evidence!!! This guy is going to give us some facts, some 'good scoop'.

Leavitt said he couldn't provide a precise number on the impact of the devastation, but when asked if it was in the thousands, he told CNN's "Late Edition," "I think it's evident it's in the thousands."

Ok, he talks about evidence. NOW he'll give it to us.... at least that it's in the thousands, as so many in the media have hope... errr predicted...

"It's clear to me that this has been sickeningly difficult and profoundly tragic circumstance," Leavitt said.

That's his evidence?! It's clear to him because it's a 'profoundly tragic circumstance'? Interesting. At least we haven't had to endure comparisons to the Asian tsunami since that Official's tantrum immediately following the Katrina's landfall. "This is our tsunami!" he practically wailed. As if we deserved our share of sympathy, and the hurricane proves it. Editorials were all over that shit. It isn't possible to compare the two, but the opinions were a little subdued, as if the originator of this statement can be excused because he was under a lot of pressure. Some of it was apologetic and seemed to say 'we won't let THAT happen again'. No, you would think nobody would be so stupid, in light of the emerging facts, to compare the hurricane that buried a city and the wave that washed one away.

One can hope, but it was not meant to be. There are others without the sense to stay off the bandwagon.

"What? Someone was stupid enough to do the same thing, even after all the understanding critique?"

Uh huh. Sad, isn't it....

"The world saw this tidal wave of disaster ascend upon the Gulf Coast," said Bush, who plans to return to the region Monday. "Now they can see a tidal wave of compassion."