Katrina Impacts

This Could be a VBT*
According to Forbes, at least 20 oil rigs have sunk or come adrift in the Gulf of Mexico.  Now that is less than four percent of the existing number of rigs, but it does cause one to wonder how many other rigs have suffered sufficient damage to keep them from getting back into production quickly.  The disruption in Gulf Coast oil production and refining capacity is already sending gasoline prices through the roof.  (Yes, Virginia; the price of oil may not be that much higher, but to convert oil into gasoline at the pump requires refineries, pipelines, etc.)

I have a pretty healthy respect for both Satanic Western Technology and the American work ethic, so I can’t get too gloom-and-doom about the long range impacts, but in the short term it could have some significant nation-wide effects.

Having said that, I feel a little tacky griping about the pain in my pocketbook when so many people are in truly dire straits.  The citizens of New Orleans are going to need a lot of help to keep things together while they rebuild.  There are plenty of scum sucking vermin poor souls who haven’t yet found Jesus who will even now be cooking up phony charity scams to intercept the donations.  Make sure you donate to a worthwhile organization, and at this point, cash is probably better than gifts in kind.  Catholic Charities USA is a reliable agency, though there are many others.

*VBT = Very Bad Thing.