Just because we like something, doesn't mean it's a good idea.

An ad for one of those NFL 'best-of' DVD's shows ex-Falcons' coach Jerry Glanville telling a referee that his current bad call just trumped some other ref's previous bad call.  It's a funny moment, and one that plays into the current situation that Louisiana is facing.

It's 8:50 pm CST on the Saturday before Labor Day.  As I type, Hurricane Gustav is churning out in the Atlantic Ocean, having just pounded Cuba and sadly making a beeline toward the Louisiana coast.  All of the models currently have the storm making landfall west of New Orleans, which is bad because it puts NOLA in the worst of it.  As the storm moves north, we here in Ouachita Parish will get a good deal of rain and wind and likely some tornados.  We'll be fine, but let's look at New Orleans.

It's almost three years to the day when Hurricane Katrina brought some of the worst images of damage and despair to our televisions and burned them into our consciousness.  Three years later much has been done, and much progress has been made, but much remains unsettled.  People still live in FEMA trailers, neighborhoods are still decimated, evacuees still have not come home.  And now, here we go again.  A million people hit the roads this afternoon and evening to evacuate.  Mandatory evacuations are soon to be announced, contraflow starts in the morning, and states of emergency have been declared.  We appear to be better prepared, and we pray that even if damage is done, that lives won't be lost, both in actuality and in spirit.

But here's the rub, and let me explain where I'm coming from.  First, I'm not a southerner.  I was born and reared (you raise vegetables, you rear children) in Wisconsin.  Our weather disasters consist of feet of snow over hours of time.  Yes, you may be without power for a day or two, you may not be able to get out of your house, but in a day or two you plow and shovel out and carry on.  This year, historical rains flooded a bunch of the midwest; my parents' house almost got washed away.  But we know nothing like a hurricane.  Second, I was taught to learn from my mistakes.  You touch the stove burner when it's hot once.  You tell a lie once.  Basically, if there is going to be a punishment or something bad is going to happen then second time you do something, don't do it.  Third, much to the occassional chagrin of my family and friends, I am a pragmatist.  I can be an emotional person at times, but I tend to lean toward the practical instead of following my feelings.

This translates into a mild disgust with the whole concept of a rebuilt New Orleans.  NOLA continues to persist based on emotion...