Tall water

  There is a strand of thinking,

  not unknown along the Gulf of

  Mexico, that natural disaster

  is an expression of a divine

  displeasure. There is a strand

  of thinking, not unknown along

  the Gulf of Mexico, that Feder-

  al union is a condition of cap-

  tivity. But tall water is simp-

  ly tall water, and one can on-

  ly hope that local thinking is

  not arrayed against human res-

  cue, as if a nation building.

update : On September 4th,

The New York Times was

full of a Republican torrent

of Texan antipathy toward

Federal assistance they

were demanding.