I have avoided writing anything about the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in the Indian Ocean. Tragedies are best dealt with by those who are affected and nothing I could say or write could help. However, I’m filled with a level of disgust by a letter that appeared in the New York Times a couple of days ago:

To the Editor:

It’s easy for George W. Bush to express sorrow and to send condolences and even some aid for the Indian Ocean tsunami devastation, since he appears to bear no culpability, as he does in other situations in other parts of the world.

But the next time there is a severe offshore earthquake and resulting tsunami, the sea level will be just a little bit higher, and the water and destruction will go a bit further inland and kill even more people. And for that, he will bear some culpability for not even wanting to consider global warming, much less do anything about it as the leader of the country most responsible for man-made warming and ice-cap melting.

Pierre E. Biscaye
Palisades, N.Y., Dec. 27, 2004
The writer is a special research scientist at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory.

Via: The Corner on National Review Online

Of all the things that are immune to politics I would think this one should be. I guess my trust in the good taste of my fellow men is not well grounded. Enough said . . .