Fore Play

I'm looking out of my study window and it's blue sky and sunshine. A few hundred miles south, and the good people of North and South Carolina are facing some of the worst flooding and landslides they have seen in years. I cannot even imagine how horrific it must be. I've seen in the news examples of real grit and resilience as communities come together to take care of the most vulnerable to pull through this disaster.

Good thing, too, because I wouldn't want to wait around for Trump and the Traveling Clown Show to come to my rescue. The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency is currently under investigation for misusing official cars. Nothing like the irony of a disaster of a public administrator trying "manage" this disaster. At least he didn't fly down first class in a private jet to the scene of the disaster or engage in insider trading. I guess we should all be thankful that there are many shades of slime when it comes to corruption in the Trump administration.

Still, if you're a Carolinian, it has to be anxiety-provoking to wonder if you'll get the Harvey or the Maria treatment. My guess is that individuals and communities of color will get the latter, while whites and predominantly white communities will get the former, since institutional racism has always influenced the quality of public services delivered in general and, sadly, even and particularly in the U.S. Government's response to disasters.

Meanwhile, you can be rest assured that Trump is on top of all of this...in between rounds of golf...