A Thousand Points of Light......

As much as it may gall me that that expression was coined by President Dimwit himself, I have to give homage to the countless Americans who have rushed to the aid, either figuratively or literally, of our brethren suffering in the wake of Katrina. Donations are pouring into the coffers of the American Red Cross, people are donating food and water and all kinds of needed articles to the victims, and even countries that once were on the receiving end of our generosity are returning the favor in kind. When your government fails you, somehow a caring hand can appear out of nowhere from strangers who we could never repay for their kindness. These are the humans meant to lend meaning to the term "humanity".
There is one group of people whom I wish to lend special kudos to, for I feel a kinship with them, as but for the grace of Bob went I. The Doctors, nurses, and medical staff of Tulane Hospital and other like institutions were trapped in utter hell along with those in their care, and I can not in my wildest dreams imagine the extra yard they were forced to run. Patients that hospitals deal with these days are sicker and closer to the reaper than they ever have been, thanks to a health care system that despite it's excellence, is dangerously close to a total meltdown. Imagine a ward full of patients depending on the most advanced medical technologies to keep them alive, for better or for worse, and then imagine all we take for granted being stripped away in a short moment. No electricity to keep the ventilators and I.V. pumps going, no oxygen, no heart monitors, no food, water, linen...........hell, no anything. The lower floors are flooded, marauding gangs of looters are threatening the facility, psychopaths are shooting at the helicopters trying to evacuate these patients. Could you actually attempt to keep your sanity while faced with such horror?
Count your blessings, my fellow Americans. Then, count them again. And again. But, in the meantime, smile, and know true joy, that such people exist in this world that persevere in the face of utter despair. Bob bless them all.