Readiness

There seemed to be several different themes this morning in the news.
First, the ink wasn't dry on the Israel-Palestine agreement to try to find a formula for peace when settlers in an Israeli colony were killed in a surprise attack
Second, Hurricane Earl is not yet sure exactly which path it will follow up the American East Coast.
Third, the last report on Katrina - Five Years Later was published in my local paper.
Where's the connection?
Maybe it's the government, because its role in all these will be vitally important.
The peace negotiations will surely be the target of many terrorist attacks, as Hezbolleh and Hamas try to destabilize the process for their own non-democratic political goals.
Hurricane Earl is already requiring government action - today from NOAA and tomorrow and over the longer term from national, state and local governments in an effort to avoid loss of life and property.
Katrina. We all know too sadly the governmental failures that surrounded it and that are still making the rebuilding process slower than it needs to be.
Let's hope this time around our political leaders hold on to the peace process, to the alert reaction required by Hurricane Earl, and to the final surge, if I may borrow the word, needed to finish the job in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.
But, private Americans everywhere can help enormously - by supporting the peace effort and staying informed about the Middle East where so many of our national interests lie, by following the sound advice about how to protect loved ones' lives and property from Earl, and by not abandoning Katrina rebuilding efforts.
Afterall, the government is us, all of us, and our responsibility as citizens is to do our best each day to insure that America and the world survive as we all would like them to be for the next generation.