Watching Dean

When you watch Dean, you know that the energy of the storm will have to go somewhere. Dean keeps pulling up the warmth of the water and with no shear to slow it down, it has to grow. You don't want it to hit your house, but you worry for the places and people where it may be going. For instance, I would like a catastrophic storm like Dean has become to hit an error with the ability to prepare and opportunity to recover. Bermuda is a good place. They have money, the building codes, and the government structure to handle a hurricane with minimal loss of life.

I pray for the people of Jamaica, Dominican Republic, and Haiti. The money in those countries is so small and held by so few that most of the people will have little opportunity to protect themselves, even if they receive a warning. Dean will cut like a buzz saw across Jamaica if the track holds correct. And, unfortunately I almost wish it would hit Texas if it doesn't dissipate. I think that Texas is better equipped to handle Dean than northeast Mexico. The tourist spots on the Yucatan will do OK. Wherever there is money, those people can get away and rebuild.

Go down to New Orleans. People with money have found a way to rebuild. The people that were completely dependent on the government support are still waiting on the government to do the work for them. If they had money, they may have left and not returned. Let's hope that many people can rebuild after Dean comes through. I think that the issue is economics not ethnicity.

That leads to a larger question. We Americans love Haiti, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic for vacation when we go to the areas with money. Should we take more responsibility to share our wealth (not just our tourism dollars) to improve the lives of people in the islands around us? We supposedly went into Iraq to remove a dictator that was not good to his people. What about these island countries with a barely functioning government? Our church and others in the Presbytery support a Haiti mission with St. Joseph's home for boys. Rather than grass roots, should our government which has spent $450 billion and counting, help out with a few billion?

Wow, this post took you on a roller coaster.