Not walking on sunshine

I know I'm not going to be the first to say this, but it needs to be said:

Katrina sucked.

That applies equally whether the Katrina in question is Katrina Leskanich, the lead singer of one-hit wonder Katrina and the Waves, whose infernally perky "Walking on Sunshine" still keeps popping up in commercials and such like 20 years after its release, or the same-named hurricane that devastated southern Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama earlier this week.

Yes, I know that the phrase "devastated southern Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama" seems a trifle dedundant. But let's show a modicum of respect for our suffering fellow citizens in their hour of extreme need.

Of course, not all of those citizens are showing much respect themselves. It's the eternal paradox of human tragedy: Some people rise to it; others sink beneath it. That some right in the middle of Katrina's destruction are seizing the opportunity to commit inhumanity against their neighbors is appalling. But that's people for you.

Let's you and I be better than that.

I'm inviting every SSTOL reader outside Katrina's wake to find a worthy charitable organization working in the disaster zone and contribute whatever makes sense to your compassion and budget. Even if what you can do is only a little bit, at least do something. Let's show the best of ourselves in an hour when some are showing the worst.

And to those within the path of the storm, may you get the help you need to rebuild your lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.