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Thursday, December 30, 2004

Rooting For Natural Disasters

James Wolcott"

I root for hurricanes. When, courtesy of the Weather Channel, I see one forming in the ocean off the coast of Africa, I find myself longing for it to become big and strong--Mother Nature's fist of fury, Gaia's stern rebuke. Considering the havoc mankind has wreaked upon nature with deforesting, stripmining, and the destruction of animal habitat, it only seems fair that nature get some of its own back and teach us that there are forces greater than our own. Sure, a hearty volcano can be enjoyable. Burning rivers of lava: so picturesque. But a volcano is stationary, like Dennis Hastert after a big lunch. It doesn't offer the same dramatic suspense. Hurricanes are in unpredictable flux. They move, change direction, strengthen, weaken, lose an eyewall, repair an eyewall; they seem to have volition and opera-diva personalities.

So there's something disappointing when a hurricane doesn't make landfall, or peters out into a puny Category One. Reporters and weather announcers may profess relief and gratitude that residents were spared the full unleashing of the vortex, but their coverage belies this. They love having reporters shouting into microphones on rain-lashed beaches as the stray yacht gets flung around like a bath toy. The helicopter shots of rows of mobile rooms smashed as if stomped on by a giant boot are money shots to the news networks.

Hurricane Frances also has a heraldic quality. Camille Paglia observed on Salon in February, 2003 that the explosion of the Columbia shuttle on the eve of the war on Iraq was a "stunning omen," one that would make a Roman general think twice. A catastrophe strewing death, fire, and human remains across Bush's home state of Texas was inauspicious to our undertaking; and so it has proven to be. Frances is the second hurricane to afflict Florida, home of brother Jeb, in rapid succession.


Hopefully the 100,000+ victims of the tsunami in Asia are enough to quench his thirst for death, destruction and mayhem.

Asswipe.

He deserves every one of the trackback spams that seem to be afflicting his site.

(via The Agitator)

Update:

Here's what Wolcott had to say about the President's reaction to the tsunami disaster.

I was pleased to see the President of the United States put down the frigging rake long enough to put on his best Sunday-go-to-meetin' suit and issue a public statement regarding the catastrophic tsunami.


Yup. Still an asswipe.

Comments

Avatar for ian

Anyone who believes in gaia’s hypothesis is an asswipe.

ian on December 30, 2004 at 07:13 am
Avatar for Mr. Bowen

Look at that superstitious laden spew Mr. Wolcott has vomitted forth, and then ask yourself how any self respecting Leftard can refer to the Left as a “reality based community”.  Sheesh.  My great grandparents had more grounding in reality.

Mr. Bowen on December 30, 2004 at 08:12 am
Avatar for Tetzman

Geez… Is this bonehead for real?

Tetzman on December 30, 2004 at 09:13 am
Avatar for Mark J

"Man vs. Nature"… when are people ever going to realize that man is PART of nature, not some alien invader hell-bent on destroying it?

Survival of the fittest means that stragglers get left behind.  Someone once said “the surest way to preserve an animal species is to start eating it.” If something becomes extinct, it must not be very useful to anyone, or very adaptable.  I haven’t once craved a dodo omelet, ya know?

“destruction of animal habitat"… how the hell do you think the animals got that habitat?  Did freaking Gaia give it to them?  Or did they just TAKE it from other animals?

The earth isn’t static.  You can’t expect every animal’s unique balance with nature to be upheld as species continue to adapt and situations change.  Grah… what a dillhole.  I need to go improperly dispose of some motor oil or something.

Mark J on December 30, 2004 at 06:12 pm
Rob
Rob
17185 comments
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I know what you mean.  After reading that I went and hairsprayed my hair for like...an hour.


The war against illegal plunder has been fought since the beginning of the world. But how is… legal plunder to be identified? Quite simply. See if the law takes from some persons what belongs to them, and gives it to other persons to whom it does not belong. See if the law benefits one citizen at the expense of another by doing what the citizen himself cannot do without committing a crime. Then abolish this law without delay … If such a law is not abolished immediately it will spread, multiply and develop into a system.

Frédéric Bastiat, The Law

Rob’s recently listened-to songs:

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Rob on December 30, 2004 at 07:12 pm
Avatar for adam s

ya’ll should just chill.

http://eyeofthestorm.blogs.com/eye_of_the_storm/2004/12/sometimes.html

“Every now and then the universe decides to remind us that we are neither in control nor aware of much of anything. I heard a newscast that speculated that the quake may have had an impact on the orbit of the earth; if true, interesting; if even possible worth reflection.”

adam s on December 31, 2004 at 01:12 pm
Avatar for Bill Cason

Excellent!! nature,mankinds population control! natural disasters remind mankind whos boss on this planet.not us..i greet any reduction in our ridiculous swarming of this planet with great glee.we could use a couple of nuclear wars to thin us out and restore the balance before we ALL die.let the bleeding hearts weep and gnash their teeth all they want,Im willing to bet not one of the dead were going to discover a cure for cancer!

Bill Cason on January 4, 2005 at 06:02 pm
Avatar for Oriental Redneck

[...] [...]

Oriental Redneck on December 14, 2005 at 11:12 am
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