Where were you when the ship hit the sand?

No blogging the last couple of weeks. I have been pretty busy at work and as the chief flunkey for my wife's business as well. On top of that, a routine software update on my principal home PC ended in a complete re-install over the last weekend. Thank God for backups!
Finally, there was Katrina. Being old, retired from the service, and 2000 miles away means there isn't much I can do to help except contribute money. It's a pity that the USS Bataan didn't have the Marines aboard. A thousand Marines with a helocopter squadron and AAVs would have really helped. I hope the ships that left Norfolk stopped in Moorehead City long enough to pick up some Leathernecks.
My guess is that many of the problems encountered so far are due to the reluctance of the Federal Gov'mint to take charge. Historically, the states and local authorities are in charge of these things and the Feds assist as needed. This time, however, the damage to such a widespread area has knocked out much of the local's ability to keep order. I may be wrong, but I would suggest declaring the affected areas under Federal martial law and start shooting looters immediately. Additionally, the Feds should take charge of and coordinate all relief efforts.

[Posted with hblogger 2.0 http://www.normsoft.com/hblogger/]