Under normal circumstances, I might be snickering about the possibility of Tropical Storm (expected to strengthen into Hurricane) Isaac hitting Tampa the first day of the Republican Convention. So, fundamentalists, what would God be punishing the GOP for? Failing to give a damn about the poor and helpless among us, maybe?
Except I can't. First of all, a hurricane is a natural disaster you do not wish on anyone. People's houses can be destroyed, people may even die. Secondly, it's been a long time since Tampa has had a direct hit from a hurricane. They get sideswiped every so often -- last time in 2004, causing winds of 67 m.p.h. in the city -- but very rarely head on. Thirdly, being intimately familiar with the area (I grew up in St. Petersburg), I can say pretty confidently that evacuating the Pinellas peninsula -- especially the low-lying beach areas -- would be an absolute nightmare.
But my real reason is that Mom still lives there. She's 85, and lives a mile from Tampa Bay -- I do not want to have her have to deal with evacuating, or worse.
So I'll just keep my snarky thoughts to myself this time.
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