By Brian Carnell

Wednesday, September 8, 2004

As yet another hurricane threatened -- and later made landfall -- Florida, left wing nutcase James Wolcott described on his weblog how much he enjoys rooting for death and destruction from such storms,

I root for hurricanes. When, courtesy of the Weather Channel, I see one forming in the ocean off the coast of Africa, I find myself longing for it to become big and strong--Mother Nature's fist of fury, Gaia's stern rebuke. Considering the havoc mankind has wreaked upon nature with deforesting, stripmining, and the destruction of animal habitat, it only seems fair that nature get some of its own back and teach us that there are forces greater than our own. Sure, a hearty volcano can be enjoyable. Burning rivers of lava: so picturesque. But a volcano is stationary, like Dennis Hastert after a big lunch. It doesn't offer the same dramatic suspense. Hurricanes are in unpredictable flux. They move, change direction, strengthen, weaken, lose an eyewall, repair an eyewall; they seem to have volition and opera-diva personalities.

So there's something disappointing when a hurricane doesn't make landfall, or peters out into a puny Category One.

So far, as many as 14 people are believed to have died due to Hurricane Frances. Wolcott must have been positively jumping for joy at Gaia's revenge.

Source:

An ignoble confession. James Wolcott, September 4, 2004.

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