Just an item or two...

What is going on in the Gulf of Mexico?!!! For me, I'm sure that this hurricane season is a statistical anomaly exacerbated by global warming. But I can imagine the fundamentalist Christians in that area fear that Armageddon is upon us at last! - or at least we sinners are being punished for perhaps electing Bush? (grin)

But seriously, I really feel very, very sorry for those who have suffered and lost everything this season.

Also, I believe that this is primarily a peak in a weather cycle or group of cycles and certainly has nothing to do with George Bush, sin or even Jesus. I would be interested in more definitive scientific information which would indicate whether global warming actually does have a part to play.

The last scenario I'm aware of is that there is a melting of permafrost and the polar ice cap with a resulting increase in ocean volume and coastal submergence but it is unclear to me how that has anything to do with hurricanes or tropical storms.

Although, come to think of it - one fact is that the ice pack melting on Greenland is flowing into the North Atlantic. The cold waters could and might be blocking the Gulf Stream of warm waters flowing north up the east coast in a clock-wise flow about the Atlantic.

If that is happening, the warm waters of the Gulf could be trapped there and become much warmer than usual.

I have also learned from commentaries on this summer's series of storms that the primary reason the storms in the Gulf have been so strong this year is that hurricanes gain strength from warm waters - and they have been warmer than usual.

Strangely, this year is not even an El-Nino nor La-Nina thus one would think somewhat normal - if anything is.

Also, it has just been announced on TV that many football games have been canceled for this next weekend! My goodness! - what are the couch potatoes going to do this weekend?

I note that the stock market is up today (even I made some money) - so perhaps the money people are anticipating a robust economy resulting from yet another rebuilding with non-bid contracts of the deep South with even deeper Federal deficits. And, of course, further profits from selling scarce oil and gas to UNO who. They are already praying for a colder than usual winter along with severe shortages. It seems that large disasters are good for business!

If it gets bad enough, perhaps the people will allow them to drill in the arctic wilderness and other sacrosanct places in Colorado and Montana near the parks - even if they don't really have all that much oil to provide and most certainly won't solve our energy problems.

And finally, if this isn't enough for one day, Tom De Lay is technically under arrest! I won't say that it "Couldn't happen to a nicer guy!" - but I do wonder whether it will have any real effect on his political career...

According to Jeff Franks of Reuters in Houston today, "An arrest warrant was issued on Wednesday and bail set at $10,000 for former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay ahead of his first appearance in court on money laundering and conspiracy charges."

"The warrant ordered by state District Judge Bob Perkins in Austin, Texas, called upon any Texas law enforcement officer to arrest DeLay, but he was expected to turn himself in voluntarily."

He added that "DeLay has been charged with conspiracy and money laundering in a campaign finance scheme tied to his political action committee, Texans for a Republican Majority, or TRMPAC. He could face up to life in prison if convicted."

One thing is certain about Texas law - they don't mess around!

According to Reuters, he is accused of laundering $190,000 in corporate campaign contributions through the Republican National Committee for distribution in 2002 to Republican candidates for the Texas Legislature.

At DeLay's urging, the Republican-led legislature conducted a controversial re-mapping of Texas congressional districts that helped add five Republicans to the U.S. House.

He's also been chastised by the House Ethics Committee over the past year for ethics problems involving lobbyists, fund-raising and foreign travel.