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SOMETIMES YOU HAVE to wonder if hurricanes are sentient.
When you look at the behaviour of the hurricanes that have hit or passed through the region in the past couple of years or so, if you're a God-fearing person or slightly superstitious, you would be inclined to believe that some invisible force has been guiding these forces of destruction.
Starting with the most recent, 'Katrina', when you look at what was damaged in Louisiana, not the people, who in this instance can be considered collateral damage, but the oil refineries. When you consider that it was only recently that President George Bush gave oil companies a tax break valuing billions of dollars, you can't help but wonder if some unseen force was taking a bite out of that significant windfall that the oil companies are enjoying.
These are the same oil companies whose scientists have been proclaiming that the use of fossil fuels do not have an effect on the environment, causing global warming which many other scientists believe is responsible for the increasing numbers of hurricanes being formed in this region.
If you doubt what I am saying look at where 'Rita' is headed now Texas, of all places where there are more offshore wells and refineries. It doesn't help the people of Texas that they share the same home state as the president. And think about this: When was the last time that the Gulf Coast got two hurricanes in a row? Well, almost in a row.
This one headed there now, 'Rita', is packing winds that exceed the ceiling of a Category Five hurricane. Right now as I am writing this, wind speeds are about 165 mph!
The thing that tells me that 'supernatural things a gwaan' is where the hurricanes are being formed. The first one of the season emerged from near the Yucatan Peninsula and 'Rita' was formed just north of Cuba, somewhere near the Bahamas, and after it lingered there for a while plotting strategy, it found that it could 'screechie' between Cuba and Florida and head straight for Texas.
If you go back a couple years or so, shortly after Democrats claimed that George Bush and his brother Jeb, the Governor of Florida, conspired to steal the presidency from Al Gore, the president, following September 11, 2001, wrongfully and on the basis on a whole pack of lies attacked Iraq.
Ever since then, Jeb has been suffering at the hands of one hurricane after the other. It's almost like they were blaming Jeb for his brother's indiscretions and have taken turns beating the crap out of Florida.
The hurricane that missed Florida this year, 'Philippe' I think it was, is like the team player who had a bad game. When it realised where it was, which was not off the coast of Florida, it just sat there for days. It was like it was saying to itself, "Damn, I missed, I missed, I missed. Florida is down there."
Then after a few days lingering it decided, "Well, I may have missed Florida but I'll be damned if I don't get my licks in." So it slammed the Carolina coastline for a little while and then made its way off out to the Atlantic.
Whatever it is though, it has made weather experts of us all. There is hardly anyone now living in this region, including those in Florida, who don't make the weather channel must-see TV and who don't have it as a 'favourite' on the computers.
It also makes people like me wonder if these are the effects of global warming, bad karma, or a nasty combination of both.
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