That was the subject line on the email sitting in my inbox from my brother-in-law.  He's a self-described moderate Republican, living in Kansas.  I once heard him say "If I lived in California I would probably be a Democrat".  When the important decisions are in the primary, he wants to be voting in the one that matters.  I opened the message.

You're more in touch with the political blogosphere than I am.  The Ohio Secretary of State wants to be governor.  He's posted million of Ohioans social security numbers on his web site, and only moved to remove them in the face of a class action lawsuit.  He's handed out copies of the voter registration records that include every voters social security number, but assures the press that none of the recipients has a history of identity theft.  Where's the outrage?  Have we become so inured to the massive data losses and thefts exposing thousands and millions to identity theft that we've lost the ability to get upset about it?

Dear Friends,

Each day, the news is grimmer, the images more horriffic.  What seemed a few days ago t obe a disaster largely averted has instead become the greatest American disaster of our lifetimes -- perhaps in our history.  And each day brings worse news than the one before.

I didn't think I knew anyone in New Orleans.  But Thursday a new co-worker, in her second day at the job, said "I'm from New Orleans.  My mom is homeless and jobless right now, and it'll be at least two months before she can even go back to see if our house is still standing."

As my grandmother would have said, "There but for the grace of God..."  I live in Southern California, the heart of earthquake country.  I grew up in a region known as Tornado Alley.  I have friends who have lived where people die due to cold every winter, and friends who have lived where people die due to heat every summer.  None of us are safe from disaster.  Every place has its dangers.