The Informationist

Atlantis Redux?

It’s hard to see the scenes of devastation from New Orleans without being affected. I keep hearing Satchmo sing ”Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans:”

Do you know what it means to miss new orleans
And miss it each night and day
I know I’m not wrong… this feeling’s gettin’ stronger
The longer, I stay away
Miss them moss covered vines...the tall sugar pines
Where mockin’ birds used to sing
And I’d like to see that lazy mississippi...hurryin’ into spring

The moonlight on the bayou.......a creole tune.... that fills the air
I dream… about magnolias in bloom......and I’m wishin’ I was there

I’m beginning to miss New Orleans. Will we ever see it again? Or will the city sink into the sea, never again to arise? Three weeks ago I wandered around the island of Santorini, reputedly the source of the Atlantis myth, as a volcano and the sea conspired to swallow its major city.

I also have to wonder about global warming. I have long been perplexed by this issue. As far as I can tell, all political positions on global warming seem to be ass-backwards. From a global Gaia perspective, its effect should be minimal. Land masses will become a bit smaller, a few islands will disappear, crops and species will migrate away from the equator, and mother earth will recover. From an economic perspective, the impact will be overwhelming. Human activity and wealth lies disproportinately in coastal plains and in river valleys. More and more of our cities will find themselves underwater. These simple observations suggest that environmentalists should welcome the phenomenon with a shrug, while those who focus on economic development should be frantic. Needless to say, such is not the case.

I had always assumed that our canary in the coal mine would be Bangladesh, but it could turn out to be New Orleans. I’m certain that when the final numbers are in, we will find more dead and greater damage than we did in the wake of 9/11. Perhaps its time to commit resources to combat global warming on par with those that we have committed to combating Islamofascism. Writing this devastation off as an “Act of God” may be accurate (whom am I to judge?) but it’s also too easy. There are things that we can do complicate God’s future attempts at such devastation; I’m certain that any just God would welcome our interference.

I have visited New Orleans only twice, and I have twice been taken by its charms. I hope to see it again, vibrant and healthy, someday soon. I do hope that we are not witnessing Atlantis Redux. But from the scenes on TV, it’s hard to be sure.

Posted by Bruce Abramson from on 09/01 at 02:59 AM in American Government, Politics, and Domestic Policies, Religion, Faith, God, Mystery, and the Unexplainable