So tonight, Hurricane Rita is going to hit the coast of Texas. Last I heard, it should be a Category 4, but it might end up as a Category 5. It might sweep through Galveston, which has been hit by prettymuch every bad thing you can imagine, and who's defenses against hurricanes and storm surges (17' wall around the city) have only been tested by Cat 3's. Some damage estimates have reached $800 billion -- that's $800,000,000,000. Houston, the fourth largest city in America, is nearly a ghost town now because of everybody having evacuated.

You heard me. Everybody left.

People said "Hey, there's a bigass storm coming, and everybody is telling me to leave, so I think I WILL." Very few people are staying back to weather the storm (no pun intended).

My question is...why? Why do they follow directions in Houston, but not in New Orleans, where they knew it would be incredibly devastating? Is it because those in Houston have places to go to get away, and those in New Orleans didn't? Or are people in Houston just smarter, and listen to repeated warnings to evacuate, while people in New Orleans ignored them? Is it that the emergency teams are racist and Texas is better warned becuase there aren't as many blacks there? Or could it be simply that people saw what Katrina did, and are more willing to listen when they say "get the hell out"?

Another thing I do like, too. Texas has a "looter law". Meaning, if you see somebody coming on your property with the direct intent to cause harm to you or your property, you have the legal right to shoot them. Food stores and such, this won't happen -- taking food from the Quicky-Mart isn't looting -- but what happened in New Orleans, where some people took advantage of the opportunity to steal everything they could get their hands on? Uh-uh.