From my small corner of the world

I just grudgingly took my morning handfuls of pills; as will many of my cohort (senior citizens) today. I'll take another bunch tonight, a normal part of the process of growing older. My thought was, "at least I have the medicine I need. Stop complaining." People are dying right now in New Orleans, due to lack of the most basic necessities of life. It is a disaster following a disaster of unfathomable proportions.
Blogging in real time:
This is what I see and hear on MSNBC @ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/.
7:00 A. M.: At this moment I am watching a story about a couple who built a hurricane-proof house in Slidell, LA. Here is a summary of their story: The boat they had been living in was tied up behind the fortress-like building, as the hurricane came through. It washed away. The family members started in their pickup inside the building, they had to evacuate up to the second floor. They were safe during the storm and the building is now intact. When the wind died down, they were the first ones out of their fortress. They went around in a boat looking to see how they could help. They admitted to police that they took some water from a store to give to others from their party barge as they came upon survivors. Their names are Missy and Bruce Sauer.
*President Bush speaks to us from the south lawn of the White house, before taking off for his inspection of the disaster. He had a few predictable things to say that did not seem to match the moment. But he was able to say that the response to the hurricane up to this point were "are not acceptable."
*MSNBC interviewed Washington Post reporter Jim Van de Hei, asking him to give a quick analysis of the current climate in Washington. Here were some of his points, to paraphrase: "This ain't 9/11. Blaming is starting to happen a lot. The climate has changed; there is a poisonous atmosphere politically."
The city is experiencing a lot of smoke from a chemical fire. The smoke is nontoxic, they say.
*8:40 MSNBC "Tony, their reporter who shot the shocking footage yesterday at the conventions center, is doing a live standup from out front of the center again this morning. Duane Jones, a survivor, who somehow got the reporter to come back, is at the Convention Center, speaking now to those in charge: "There isn't a security problem. I can guarantee your safety; you don't have to worry. I have a bullhorn. People will listen to me. Just send help, now please, people are dying." He was begging, this leader on the ground.
FEMA seems paralyzed. In fact, the help at the convention Center to date seems to have consisted of one helicopter with a few cases of water and a bit of food who made a quick delivery and left.
*9:00 MSNBC just interviewed Congressman John Lewis of Georgia about how Black poverty has been ignored in America. The subject now changes to how hard the people who are in the trenches are working, trying to help in their own indefatigable ways. The scene changes to Biloxi. Help is coming in there. The hurricane death toll will be horrific there.
I cannot even begin to imagine what we will learn about the death toll in New Orleans, in the aftermath of the hurricane. Now there is a fire in a downtown office building, not far from the French Quarter. It is not being fought. There is no way to try to put it out.
And the criticism on TV is now raging. The young black girl at the Convention center says through her tears, "It's just not right."