Cape Karen
Well, I, for one, am glad to see 2005 drawing to a close. It has been an amazing year full of weather 'firsts' that we could have done without; just a year ago, the first tsunami of such magnitude in our recorded history exploded in the Indian Ocean; late last fall, we saw the first hurricane in recorded history to grow from a category 2 to category 5 in a matter of hours, taking even the experts by surprise; and then, with Katrina, we saw the first surreal damage that could be done by a category 4 hurricane in MS and LA ~ leaving many of the surviving residents of those areas homeless, displaced and jobless.
Whew! It's been an exhausting, emotional year.
And, although the number will change to 2006, I don't think we've seen the last of the firsts.
Scientists around the world, from all the various scientific disciplines, are predicting that another earthquake, with a resulting massive tsunami, is "imminent" off the coasts of WA, OR and northern CA. The Cascadia faultline, running 500 miles long, is located very close to the coastline, unlike the faultline in the Indian Ocean that was located hundreds of miles out to sea. 
This time, there will only be a 10-15-minute warning time before the earthquake-driven tsunami engulfs the WA, OR and CA shoreline communities. It is projected to come in at 500 mph, with waves that could amplitude up to 90 feet tall as they slow down and heighten when hitting the shallows. During the preceding earthquake, large buildings will collapse, the roadways and bridges will swell, buckle and break, and there will be no way for folks to run to safety. Even if they did have more warning time, their current evacuation routes are located much too close to the sea for protection against such a catastrophic event, and driving out of danger will have been rendered impossible.
There was a time, not long ago, when we could afford to be skeptical, and to scoff at such dire predictions ~ but, not anymore! How many years did the people in New Orleans know that if a large hurricane were to hit them, it would be totally disasterous? And still, no good evacuation plans were in place, or had ever been practiced, for the displaced, the sick, the elderly and those without transportation. Even with days of warning, they remained unprepared ~ and, I won't even get into the non-response efforts of FEMA, that left us all shaken by their show of gross incompetence.
Over the last few years, when urged for government help, President Bush, et al, refused to allocate the projected $13 billion needed to upgrade the New Orlean's inadequate levee system. Now, it will cost U.S. taxpayers $200 - $300 billion to repair the damage that was done, because he refused to spend the money to prevent it. Now, they have to completely redesign and rebuild the levees, repair all the damaged oil rigs, and try to reclaim and restore the entire Gulf Coast to a viable, productive status. And, nothing can ever repair the damage done to the thousands of lives that were forever changed by that long-predicted event.
With some foresight, and a willingness to plan ahead, much of what happened could have been prevented. . . and that's a really sad truth. . . as we look back today with 20-20 hindsight.
Who was it that said, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?"
Whoever it was, perhaps it's high time to start taking that advice to heart; it's time to look to the future with an eye to prevention on many fronts; from the environment and global warming, to warnings of future storms and other possible catastrophic events. I think we'd better start listening to the scientist's, and others 'in the know,' and at least try to prepare for whatever is predicted to come our way. Otherwise, after all is said and done, we'll have learned absolutely nothing this year.
And that would be the biggest catastrophe of them all.
So, here's to a calm and peaceful New Year ~ one in which we do not become complacent, but stay alert in the midst of temporary quiet. Here's to a New Year in which our elected leaders will hear our 'call to disarm' and get our soldiers out of harms way in the forever-turbulent Mideast. Here's to a New Year where our government leaders will start listening to, and caring for, Americans and America. Here's to a year where, instead of legislating and passing bills, designed to line their already bulging pockets with more big-oil money, those on Capitol Hill will start caring more about the quality of life ~ for all of us.
And most of all, here's to a New Year full of our increased involvement in matters that really matter; let's make 2006 a year of foresight, wisdom, and integrity ~ a year of the people, by the people and for the people ~ by letting our voices be heard in Washington, D.C.
With e-mail available to us, there's really no excuse not to let your concerns be known to your state senators ~ Senate majority leader, Bill Frist (R-TN) and I are now on a first-name basis. I'm saving all his 'thank you for your concern' letters, and I'll mail them back to him in his jail cell, someday. (He's currently under Senate investigation for doing ~ $omething Fi$hy.)
Remember. . . all it takes for evil to succeed is for good people to remain silent. . .
. . .Have a Happy New Year!