Hurricane Ida

Leave a comment September 7, 2021 Steve Wiggins

Last Thursday, apart from being the day after the plumber came, Tropical Storm Ida dumped on us, and the first day of September, the New York Times headlines were disturbing. I don’t have time to read many news stories in depth, but I glance at the headlines to inject just enough worry into my day. After discussing the flooding, Afghanistan, and a few other stories a particular quote caught my eye and kicked my gut: “Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican leader, threatened to retaliate against technology companies that comply with the inquiry into the Capitol attack.” This was a bit much after reading how much suffering is going on in the world. Republicans threatening retaliation to keep the truth hidden in plain sight. Is there any term for this but moral bankruptcy?

I simply can’t understand how any moral Republican can hold their head up proud. I grew up Republican. I was conservative most of my way through college. I would never have stood up for a politician of either party that said “I’ll get you back if you tell the truth.” Lies are the most insidious of acts. How can you ever believe someone after they establish a reputation of being untruthful? How can you believe he actually does support your cause? How can you believe anything he says? Not only that, but threatening his own fellow Americans for wanting to find out what his party supported on January 6. There’s a reason the day is known as Epiphany—“the manifestation.” When truth becomes clear.

A political party that has nothing to offer but lies and violence has become an organ of organized crime. Perhaps our legislators should be given a dictionary open to the entry titled “perjury.” We now have Republicans who lie under oath to become Supreme Court justices. Who try to start rebellions with mobs ready to murder their colleagues and who then sit back and claim the rectitude of God Almighty when it’s over. What have we come to here? People were drowning in basement apartments and people were suffering loss of power and damaged homes. Republicans meanwhile were working up threats of retaliation against people for simply trying to get at the truth. The plumber did the job he said he would. Those who projected and tracked Ida told the truth to try to save lives and property. In the sewers of Washington, however, those loyal to the party vowed to keep their secrets safe.

1 Comment September 3, 2021 Steve Wiggins

Around here we welcomed September in with the remains of Hurricane Ida. For the second summer in a row, far inland, we’ve sustained hurricane damage. For storms like this it’s not so much a question of if there will be damage, but rather “how much?” It was complicated by the paper wasps. It’s like a 1970s natural disaster movie. It starts at the end of August.

I was going out to put the recycling bin away (more on this later). When I opened the garage door I was stung three times by a paper wasp (or maybe two)—twice on the face and once on a finger. The previous day when I’d taken the bin out there hadn’t been a nest, but 24 hours later, angry waspids were protecting their territory. I couldn’t even get the door closed. We don’t have any bug-killing spray on hand since we believe in live and let live. But I do need to get into the garage. Due to my weekly schedule I couldn’t get to the hardware store before Friday. Fine, let the Hymenoptera have the garage.

The next day—actually later that day—Ida began to arrive. We’ve had extensive roof repairs since moving in here. We’ve had two-thirds of it replaced entirely. Then the rain started. The plumber came before it got bad to replace a cast-iron radiator that we had moved so I could repair the drywall behind it. While doing that I repaired the ceiling where water from ex-Hurricane Isaias leaked through. The roofer had patched this part after Isaias, so we thought we were good. By mid-afternoon there was water dripping from the ceiling again and the repairs I had made crumbled into the bucket set there to catch the water. So it goes. Outside the street was closed due to flooding. I couldn’t get into the garage to check for damage because, you know, wasps guarded the only door (still open).

It used to be that weather was a neutral topic to discuss. Of course, it’s become politicized now. Having a climate-change denier in the White House for four years made the topic dangerous to raise. This area used to never get hit too badly by hurricanes. Global warming, however, has changed everything. I got up the morning after wondering where to start. It was still dark and a cricket had come inside to get out of the weather. It chirped as I came down stairs. Everything will be all right.