Disneyland Days 1 & 2

2320

A rather lazy day here in Washington. Trying to catch up on my postcardx " stuff " , ran a few errands, picked through a MESS of an art studio. Where on earth does all this paper come from ? It seems to mutiply if placed anywhere even near my desktop. I feel bad that I am recycling so much, but I feel worse about the stuff I get lazy and toss. My project for vacation is to REALLY organize supplies and " move along " those things I really have no use for. I'm also going to drag out the old blender and start MAKING some new paper out of the stuff I'm recycling.

Also, FINALLY, stay tuned for some pictures of the new cards I'll be printing in a few weeks. I still need only to choose the paper stock and envelopes and I'll be on my way ... it's taken a long time. I'm not sure what the hesitance is. It's a natural " next step " and long overdue. I'll need a little luck on this. Both in my mental preparation and also in seeing that the details are covered. I'm looking forward with my usual " cautious optimism " ( which some folks don't see as optimism at all, but really it is ...)

Listening to ( and LOVING ) K.T. Tunstall this week. Blows me away, really. I have Blackberry on PX to thank for the CD. I'm officially hooked. I have Murderball on the coffee table ready for my next free evening of DVD viewing. I've been wanting to see it for quite awhile.

2320 young men and women killed in IRAQ. And still, it's just a talking point for this administration. Shameful that they still say we are " winning " their war on terror. Some of us are more afraid than ever before ... and it ain't of Al Queda. So you know ... Here is what 2320 looks like :

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2317

2307

JELLO EGGS !!!!

2296

2290

Yesterday, on the way home from work and picking up Natalie from ballet, we stopped in downtown Auburn. They have " gutted " an entire city block to make way for a new Convention Center and City Park. One of the buildings was a Ballet Academy and I have driven by the empty space a hundred times. I noticed something spraypainted on the wall inside, and yesterday ...I stopped. Great piece of small town history ... Great message to share with Nat as we strolled the block, peeking in doorways at empty spaces ...I hope to go back soon with a better camera than my phone... but this captures it just fine ...

" Dance Like No One's Watching ..."

2287

2276

Finally a weekend away. Well, not really even a whole weekend, but I'll take a good long Saturday and most of Sunday. Laconner was quaint and charming as ever. There are new " innkeepers " at The Wild Iris so we were a bit curious as to the changes they may have made, but it was as wonderful as we remember. In another month or so the tulips will be popping up everywhere ! There is nothing quite like spring in Skagit Valley. We usually go in February, but someday we'll take The Clipper over for a day trip if only to take pictures !

Life has been busy. Mostly I think it's because I'm working a little more and I seem to be commuting A LOT more. My day gets sucked into this drive/work/drive vacuum and I just know there's SO MUCH more I could be doing with my time and my life. I am still volunteering on Thursdays for a couple hours, and I have joined a soccer team that begins this March ! THAT oughta be interesting ! I played for years as a young person, but ever since that fateful last day of RUGBY ( a wrecked knee AND a small ROCK imbedded in the back of my head !! ), I haven't done any competitive sport. This should be more fun and exercise than anything else, but we'll see !

Just saw " 8 BELOW " this afternoon ! What a great movie! I think I cried about four or five different times ! Really good show. We also managed to watch one of our DVD's in Laconner ... " In Her Shoes ". LOVED that one too ! We're two for two on the movie front !

Besides being back at work tomorrow I'm looking forward to a good week !

State of The Union ( 2243 )

2225

2222

2193

So,the New Year is beginning with a BANG in Iraq. Let's hope and pray that cooler, wiser heads will soon prevail and we will find a way to begin leaving that country. The " spin " of this war by the administration STILL does NOT match the reality. It was a colossal mistake. It will take a bold decision of an equal magnitude to stop the insanity. I hope and pray we will soon elect a leadership who has the courage to do what is truly right.

On other, lighter notes ...

Finally got a good nights' sleep. Otter is SO insistent on getting up before 5AM that it's almost impossible to sleep in to any degree. I am glad Kelly's home and can take back those morning " Otter duties " ... at least on my days off. Today I'll be rested enough to tackle taking down all the Christmas decorations. I wish we had a tree year round in here . Not exactly a Christmas tree, but something green and alive ... I may have to start looking for a new years' edition to our family room ...

I have lots of art projects to finish. I mailed SOME cards to the cARTalog project in IOWA, but I have more to contribute. Also have a couple to do on Postcardx. I'm trying ( AGAIN ) to start reading Million Little Pieces , and I'm listening to Jonatha Brooke and my new FAVORITE, Anna Nalick. Her lyrics are really phenomenal. Definitely worth a listen !

I have no real resolutions still. Maybe to just keep up a bit better here ...

Oh, and that kindness thing ... :)

Happy New Year !!

Now THAT is what I call a FEAST ! Thanks, Steve ! Outstanding !
Happy New Year everyone !


I'm not sure I have any real resolutions this year, although I can always hope to be a bit more centered and lean further toward kindness in those instances where I have a choice. My last fortune cookie proclaimed that next month ( THIS one, January ) would be my most profitable one in 2006, so I am DEFINITELY buying a lottery ticket today. I don't imagine the post office will be springing for any bonuses, so it must be " lady luck " I am courting this year ! I'll stay aware .

Aside from that, I hope 2006 continues to bring us all good health.

I've made some new friends this year and I hope to continue to cultivate those relationships. Now that I think about it .... maybe that fortune wasn't talking about " money " after all. Maybe it was a different kind of " profitable " ...

Here's to family and friends *

2178

2165

Merry Christmas Everyone !

2127

Give PEACE a chance ...

Still 2113

2113

Those who know me best, know that I am on a long, winding spiritual journey. Many twists and turns along the way, trying to find what I believe to be my own spiritual center. I'm not there yet, but what I envision is a spinning ball; a riot of color at the very core. Something brilliant and solid. I only mention it all this morning because there are days I feel like all I can do is ask The Universe for help. Ask for patience. Ask for peace. And so today I am asking ... for P E A C E . I know it begins here, inside me. So, with a blanket of freshly fallen snow outside I resolve that it begins here. With me. Today.

I've got piles of projects sitting around begging for my attention. Everything from ATC's to Christmas cards, to the cARTalog Project for the University of IOWA. I love this time of year. I am perpetually behind, but behind in the sense that there's so much to give and so little time to prepare it all for the window that is Christmas. I imagine some wishes will be late ... others will arrive just in time ! I've got a couple pictures of these projects in process ...

Do let me know what you think ...*

TidBits : Rosie's Blog Store opens soon. Check it out. All profits go to charity so your " gettin' " is really " givin' " ! I still hope everyone has seen CRASH by now, but if you haven't ... I highly recommend doing so. It is the most thought-provoking film I've seen in a long time. It's not a family show. But in the sense that what you learn and discover about yourself you can share, I'd say it is ALL ABOUT what you can do FOR your family. Sometimes it's important to be FOR something ...

Enjoy the pics ...

Hope you are all ready for the holidays !

2068

Tonight as I was driving home I was mesmorized by the moon. And not just the brightness or the size ... but the little star that seemed to hang just below. I tried to photograph it, but even that borrowed moment was not to be had. It is really remarkable. It's been a very reflective week. I'm not sure what caused them to come about, all these restless thoughts of days past, but I am actually welcoming them to me. Taking pleasure in reliving time that has passed. It could just be the full moon ...it could be something more.

It doesn't really matter, the why. All that I need to know is that I feel a little different tonight. Sharper, more like the Bonnie Rae I remember. Maybe even a bit more spiritual, though I couldn't pick a thing ; point at it ; and say " that's it " . Nothing is ever that clear

Or that simple.

Wish I could have captured that moon ...

2060

In war, there are no unwounded soldiers. ~José Narosky

2057

AND SO IT IS ...

OTTER

Over the river and through the woods, to GrandDad's house we go ... I realize she doesn't look THRILLED to be in the car, but there is a definite contentment that is unmistakable .

2046

Ahhhh ... Sunday morning. Nothing quite like a few hours relaxing and mindlessly searching the internet for whatever comes into my mind. I've become spoiled on GOOGLE search. It seems to somehow understand how I think, and allows me to type in just about anything and get responses back. As an example, type in the word " failure " . See what comes up. No real surprise.

Kelly seems to think I'm not very effective at getting my point across with regard to my political opinions. She says I leave the debate open, that I don't have a point or closure. I say I do. Mostly, it is about broadening your vision of the world. If we lived in the soundbite world of network TV we'd be doomed. We need to challenge our best selves to search for MORE information. Watch several different shows on the current news. Listen to more than just ONE radio program, and be mindful that if it is " Talk Radio " it is NOT news. Read more than just the local paper. Explore blogs. Read news online. It was amazing to me to read the New Orleans newspapers after Katrina. There was NOT a lot of sugar-coating. There were pictures of a very harsh reality. If I were to only have read my local paper, I would have an incomplete picture. I also sought out photo journalists. It helped me understand the real nature of the situation. I'm just saying we need to WAKE UP.

I meet hundreds of people a week and have lots of opportunity for chit-chat. It surprises me how many people don't " follow " politics . It's really like saying " I don't care if other people decide what is best for me " . I think it is irresponsible to "NOT follow " a process that determines so much of how we live our lives.

I know there are people who think I'm a bit radical. That's fair. I am the opposite of FOX News. The opposite of " soundbite " network reporting. I seek out information, do my homework, and decide in my own mind that the thing I should fear is not terrorism or bird flu, but an establishment that is slowly taking away my rights. And it's not just about my rights. It is about privelege and wealth and world power ... and if you don't believe it could happen here, think again. My prediction of a police state and a cancelled 2008 election are among my least popular theories, but among my worst fears.

And finally, Kelly and I are still at odds about God. She turns to God for comfort, and I am still searching ...

( FYI : Otter is doing wonderfully in her new home. She has adjusted to her surroundings and is establishing herself in the family. It's good to have such a sweet diversion most days ... )

2035

Yes, that's what it says ... TWENTY THIRTY FIVE. TWO THOUSAND THIRTY FIVE. It's been just over a week since we hit 2000. I don't even know what to say about that ...

2000

No further comment needed today on that number. Sad, just so very sad ...






On a lighter note, we may have gotten ourselves a new addition here ! We signed up with Seattle Purebread Dog Rescue and " Otter " came to us last night. Well, actually WE came to " Otter " . We had signed up in hopes of " rescuing " a needy pet. ( We lost Bosco in March. She was 15 and a half. ) Otter had lived her whole life with one woman before a stroke made her unable to care for her. Otter's 12 and in darn good health for her age. She is also a sweet, sweet spirit. Even Snippy ( our cat ) has taken to her. After a night apart, they woke up today and quickly became fast friends. It's nice having a dog underfoot again . I love the little tapping sounds her toes make in the kitchen, and the little snoring sounds she makes when she sleeps. And mostly it just adds a delightful energy to our home.

Thanks SPDR ! We think she's going to love being part of our family *
Hope she doesn't mind if we call her OtterGustazzi !

1996

I'm guessing that by the first of the week we will see the 2000 mark reached in IRAQ. Two THOUSAND young men and women, giving their lives and bright futures for a miserable excuse for liberation in a country that neither wants us there or asked us to come. Two THOUSAND. GW won't say it aloud, but he considers this " acceptable loss " on some level. I still don't know if anyone can REALLY articulate just WHY we are still there. Lord knows, it's still not clear WHY we went in the first place. I tend to think it is because a FEW chosen groups prosper during war. It's not you and I. It's not our parents or our grandparents or our siblings or our children. It's not OUR families that prosper.

So unbearably sad, all of it.

1983

Ahhhh ... the coast ! I'll write this weekend about life and leisure and politics ... for now, just enjoy the view *

George Speaks

"We're facing a radical ideology with an unalterable objective, to enslave whole nations and intimidate the whole world," he said.

Is he speaking of THEM or US ????

1945

As George Bush moves his lips again about the war in IRAQ, I watch the numbers of the dead still climbing. How stupid are we supposed to be ? How long is " until IRAQ can defend itself " really translate to in REAL NUMBERS ? What should we use as a measure when they insist we must have patience ? Days, months, years, decades, generations ? Are we really prepared to trust this man with the lives of our sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, grandkids and neighbors ? Has he EARNED that trust ? I think he's exploited it, and I am wary now of any time he says " trust me " .

I don't. I can't. I won't.

The new nominee for the Supreme Court is another example of " trust me " ... and ultimately, why we should NOT. What we DO know about Miers, is that she belongs to an extremely conservative, evangelical church. What do you THINK that means for gay rights and abortion rights ? What do you THINK that means for the growing interest this administration has in executive power and privilege ? I do not believe we will have an election in 2008. I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it until it is 2009 and I have been proven wrong. I don't think the issue for this administration is really abortion. I think the issue is about power and privilege that includes the right to cancel an election if there is a terror " threat " or event. People say " that could never happen here " ... Why do you think Bush is trying so hard to change the role of the military in domestic situations ? Do you really think they are considering the outbreak of avian flu ? I think they are considering only the possibility of an uprising, when the election is cancelled. We already have the Patriot Act, which gives them the right to declare an individual an " enemy combatant " . The make-up of this Supreme Court is more important than ever when it comes to the questions of executive power and privilege. If they can focus the debate on social issues, it is unlikely people will see the REAL goal of this administration in shaping this country for decades to come.

The Patriot Act, control of the media, control of Congress and control of the court. Doesn't that shake people up a bit ? Do you really think this administration is focusing on " hot-button social issues " ? This administration is exploiting good Christian people and taking advantage of their support based on issues that matter to them. But when it comes right down to it, they will throw us all under the bus when the time comes.

On a lighter note, fall is everywhere now. From the cool mornings, to the glistening drizzle on the trees, to the leaves that are changing color and then falling to the ground. If it weren't so beautiful I'd think it was nothing but work. Our birch tree is a prolific shedder of leaves. They cover the lawn and taunt me on days I prefer to stay inside. Today again, the beauty will win out over the duty ...

The kids are coming for the weekend beginning tonight. It should be a nice change here to have them with us. We are hoping to go to WolfHaven this Sunday to visit the wolf we " adopted " for Blake last Christmas. It is a sanctuary of sorts, and it sounds like an adventure for sure.

NEXT weekend, Kelly and I will celebrate our fifth anniversary down at the Oregon Coast. We haven't gotten away together for quite some time. I look forward to being away from the electronic world for a while. Cannon Beach is beckoning, as well ... strolling through an artsy town is always such a joy for me. We'll be staying at the beach, and I really look forward to the time alone. I can't say enough about the opportunity for a re-connection, of sorts. Ahhhhh ....

And soon enough, it will be Halloween and all that it means and implies ! The kids have their costumes and I think Kelly has something in mind too. Now I have to figure something out ... Hmmm ... Sounds like a good project for today ;)

1920

It's been awhile. Sometimes it's hard to find the balance it takes to keep a journal. I always figured an online one would be simpler. No scrounging for "just the right pen", or "just the right paper" or "just the right place". No empty pages staring you down as you try to begin.

But it's really all about time and priorities. ( There is still the question of pen ( font ), paper ( photo or not ??), and location ( I'm wireless, I can use any room ). Oh, and a blank screen is just as daunting as a blank page. )

Time and priority.

I wrestle with that. I always have. I love my PX site, but sometimes I spend TOO much time actually ON the site and not enough time sending mail. And even though I'm online, it's sooooo hard just to steer away for a minute and log an entry here. I find myself reading other blogs, commenting and cycling through all the other sites I frequent.

I'll do better.

Fall is when I settle down a bit. I don't have any more time, but I seem to narrow my focus a bit. Why, just today I noticed how leaves are beginning to change around me. I'll probably start taking an even longer route to work ( Egads ! ) just so I can bear witness to this change in the season. Highway 18 winds up to Tiger Mountain and then trails off onto the Interstate. In between where I live and that interesection at the Interstate is the most glorious scenery. So many trees. So many beautiful reminders of Mama Nature, when so many bad reminders are still lingering ...

Here's my suggestions this week: Rent CRASH.
Make a donation to your local food bank.
Notice the trees ...

And remember today : " The only thing that has to be finished by next Tuesday is next Monday "

1895

1894

Let's not forget about IRAQ. Let's not forget about our troops. But let's finally realize the TRUTH about this Administration and their promise of safety and preparedness. The " spin machine " is working overtime. In fact, I heard that after a delayed response to the Hurricane, FEMA officials were instructed to put a good face on this tragedy and their response to it. They were instructed FIRST AND FOREMOST, to " spin " this tragedy. Sickening. Shame on them all.


From BLOGGERMANN ( Olbermann @ MSNBC )

• September 5, 2005 | 8:58 p.m. ET

The "city" of Louisiana (Keith Olbermann)


SECAUCUS — Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff said it all, starting his news briefing Saturday afternoon: "Louisiana is a city that is largely underwater..."

Well there's your problem right there.

If ever a slip-of-the-tongue defined a government's response to a crisis, this was it.

The seeming definition of our time and our leaders had been their insistence on slashing federal budgets for projects that might’ve saved New Orleans. The seeming characterization of our government that it was on vacation when the city was lost, and could barely tear itself away from commemorating V.J. Day and watching Monty Python's Flying Circus, to at least pretend to get back to work. The seeming identification of these hapless bureaucrats: their pathetic use of the future tense in terms of relief they could’ve brought last Monday and Tuesday — like the President, whose statements have looked like they’re being transmitted to us by some kind of four-day tape-delay.

But no. The incompetence and the ludicrous prioritization will forever be symbolized by one gaffe by of the head of what is ironically called “The Department of Homeland Security”: “Louisiana is a city…”

Politician after politician — Republican and Democrat alike — has paraded before us, unwilling or unable to shut off the "I-Me" switch in their heads, condescendingly telling us about how moved they were or how devastated they were — congenitally incapable of telling the difference between the destruction of a city and the opening of a supermarket.

And as that sorry recital of self-absorption dragged on, I have resisted editorial comment. The focus needed to be on the efforts to save the stranded — even the internet's meager powers were correctly devoted to telling the stories of the twin disasters, natural... and government-made.

But now, at least, it is has stopped getting exponentially worse in Mississippi and Alabama and New Orleans and Louisiana (the state, not the city). And, having given our leaders what we know now is the week or so they need to get their act together, that period of editorial silence I mentioned, should come to an end.

No one is suggesting that mayors or governors in the afflicted areas, nor the federal government, should be able to stop hurricanes. Lord knows, no one is suggesting that we should ever prioritize levee improvement for a below-sea-level city, ahead of $454 million worth of trophy bridges for the politicians of Alaska.

But, nationally, these are leaders who won re-election last year largely by portraying their opponents as incapable of keeping the country safe. These are leaders who regularly pressure the news media in this country to report the reopening of a school or a power station in Iraq, and defies its citizens not to stand up and cheer. Yet they couldn't even keep one school or power station from being devastated by infrastructure collapse in New Orleans — even though the government had heard all the "chatter" from the scientists and city planners and hurricane centers and some group whose purposes the government couldn't quite discern... a group called The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

And most chillingly of all, this is the Law and Order and Terror government. It promised protection — or at least amelioration — against all threats: conventional, radiological, or biological.

It has just proved that it cannot save its citizens from a biological weapon called standing water.

Mr. Bush has now twice insisted that, "we are not satisfied," with the response to the manifold tragedies along the Gulf Coast. I wonder which "we" he thinks he's speaking for on this point. Perhaps it's the administration, although we still don't know where some of them are. Anybody seen the Vice President lately? The man whose message this time last year was, 'I'll Protect You, The Other Guy Will Let You Die'?

I don't know which 'we' Mr. Bush meant.

For many of this country's citizens, the mantra has been — as we were taught in Social Studies it should always be — whether or not I voted for this President — he is still my President. I suspect anybody who had to give him that benefit of the doubt stopped doing so last week. I suspect a lot of his supporters, looking ahead to '08, are wondering how they can distance themselves from the two words which will define his government — our government — "New Orleans."

For him, it is a shame — in all senses of the word. A few changes of pronouns in there, and he might not have looked so much like a 21st Century Marie Antoinette. All that was needed was just a quick "I'm not satisfied with my government's response." Instead of hiding behind phrases like "no one could have foreseen," had he only remembered Winston Churchill's quote from the 1930's. "The responsibility," of government, Churchill told the British Parliament "for the public safety is absolute and requires no mandate. It is in fact, the prime object for which governments come into existence."

In forgetting that, the current administration did not merely damage itself — it damaged our confidence in our ability to rely on whoever is in the White House.

As we emphasized to you here all last week, the realities of the region are such that New Orleans is going to be largely uninhabitable for a lot longer than anybody is yet willing to recognize. Lord knows when the last body will be found, or the last artifact of the levee break, dug up. Could be next March. Could be 2100. By then, in the muck and toxic mire of New Orleans, they may even find our government's credibility.

Somewhere, in the City of Louisiana.

SHAME walking ...

1886

Thinking tonight about the unimaginable events of the past week. It has eclipsed the horror in IRAQ with a new horror here. I frequent an internet forum that has members from all over the world. While they share our sadness, many also share our frustration and rage at the slow Federal response. I wrote earlier, somewhere else, that I wonder whether the fact that it was poor, black communities that were hit the hardest, had anything to do with the delays. It's terrible to think of it all that way, and yet I am disgusted by the " spin machine " hitting the airwaves trying to paint a pretty picture about an ugly, ugly tragedy. They have been doing it in IRAQ for months, but HERE it won't work. HERE, we can see the pictures. We can hear the stories first hand. These are our friends and families. You can't " spin " yourself out of this one, George.

I suppose the worst part for me is having the FEMA chief and " Homeland Security " chief talking about this catastrophe like no one could have predicted this storm, the flooding and despair. Not only COULD someone predict it, someone DID. The TIMES-Picayune predicted, with startling detail, the events that could happen in the event of a major hurricane and flood in New Orleans. And this wasn't days ago ... it was long enough ago to PLAN for the possibility. Really, you owe it to yourself to READ THIS series of articles from the TIMES-Picayune. It will infuriate you every time you hear one of the administration " talking heads " try to shift responsibility onto the victims of this horrible tragedy. This administration knew. They saw it coming. And they CUT funding. Shame on them.
http://www.nola.com/hurricane/?/washingaway/

I actually saw where the FEMA chief said the VICTIMS had to assume a good share of the responsibility. Shame on him. Those are not CNN/ cell phone communities that nearly perished in this tragedy. They may have never even gotten the word that this time it was for real ! So many false alarms before. I imagine they became immune to the reports of a big huuricane coming their way. Just another slow news day where the TV stations blow everything out of proportion in order to HAVE some news to report. Sad situation.

Thank God Americans haven't lost their faith. There are stories coming from Mississippi and Louisiana that are heartbreaking, and yet rich with the human spirit. Our people keep us strong. But our government has to go.

George Bush's response has been shameful.
And Dennis Hastert isn't far behind.
The people deserve better.

America ?

America, is that you ??

An AP Essay: Is this happening in America?

By JIM LITKE

Associated Press Writer





Image after image of unrelenting sorrow, layered one atop the other like a deck of haunting cards. A baby held aloft, inches above a sea of desperate faces, gasping for air. The dead left where they've fallen, in plain view, robbed of even the simple dignity of a shroud. Survivors waiting, then begging, then fighting, finally, over food and water.

Here.

While the images of natural disasters and man-made ones alike, from Sri Lanka or Baghdad, cause despair, the pictures from New Orleans inspire not just helplessness, but disbelief. The richest, most powerful nation in the world can build schools, hospitals and shelters halfway around the globe, but it can't provide the basic necessities for its own days after a disaster that everybody saw coming?

Here?

Usually, we shudder, change the channel or turn the page, awaiting better news. But there is something too compelling about these pictures. The distance between us and the people in them has been narrowed, rendered uncomfortably close, and not just for those who are family, friends or neighbors. We recognize them. We all see people like them.

Here.

Authorities can't make the waters that did that retreat. They can't begin to rebuild the levee or the homes and businesses made uninhabitable, at least not now. They will never be able to restore much of what was washed away in the flood.

But if a reporter can interview a man standing outside a looted drugstore, and record his reluctance at having to go inside and steal pads for incontinence, why couldn't someone get medical supplies to the people huddled at the Superdome or the convention center in time, or the buses promised to evacuate them?

There are more questions than answers, and will be for years to come. That's the nature of disaster, and its aftermath. They expose our fragility, overwhelm our best intentions, mock our attempts to impose the sense of calm and order that prevails when life proceeds according to some rough plan.

Yet, ultimately, that's what is most unsettling about the constant stream of images: The suffering goes on not just for hours, but for days after we should have and could have ended it. And for all the commissions, reports and bravado that passes for preparedness, we didn't. It was a hand we never expected to be dealt.

Here.

There will be time enough, too, to assess blame, for politicians to point fingers, find and fire those deemed accountable. And maybe even to figure out how a handful of Southeast Asian governments, whose economies, armies and emergency resources could all be folded comfortably several times inside those of the United States, responded to a tsunami much larger and fiercer than Hurricane Katrina with swiftness and efficiency, and we could not. And so the frustration builds, not so much over what happened, but what did not.

Here.

In the meantime, the disturbing images keep rolling in, interrupted now and then by more hopeful ones. The trucks, jeeps, buses and helicopters so scarce the past few days are out moving in force. Police and National Guardsmen are on the streets, rescue workers are getting in place. The babies in the latest pictures are contentedly emptying bottles, pallets filled with water and food are being unloaded by human chains. One administration official after another turns up on the screen to offer reassurances and soothing words.

But the damage has been done, and it's no longer limited to the lives lost and ruined, or the property destroyed. Those are things, sadly enough, that can be totaled up over time.

Much harder to measure is the cost of all those searing images burned into the national conscience, and what they've done to the sense of security that was our last refuge when disasters wreaked havoc, and then, unnecessary suffering, in distant lands - the certainty that it couldn't happen here.

Now we know better.