Seattle's Hurricane Pam

Unlike the earthquakes that have done incredible damage to Haiti, Chile, and New Zealand, the earthquake in Japan has rocked the American psyche. Not only is our stock market in freefall, but the "renaissance" of nuclear energy is now being questioned in a way that was unthinkable before.

Because if it can happen to Japan, it can happen to us. That seems to be the opinion, anyway. Nevermind that an earthquake in Haiti could very well set off a tsunami that batters an already fragile Gulf Coast...

But it does awaken some folks to the risks "the big one" poses to American cities. While we all suspect San Francisco and Los Angeles are tops on the list, you can't forget about Seattle. Maybe the city leaders in the Northwest, the people who live there, and the political federal authorities who will be tasked with response will take their scenario simulations more seriously than past worst-case scenarios that later proved prescient.

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Japan vs. New Orleans

This train is never late.

There are many comparisons and contrasts that reporters and punditry could make between the disasters in Japan and the disasters in New Orleans. A short list could include a comparison where officials ignored warnings of impending danger, you could contrast the differences in response, or you could examine the parallels of energy safety failures.

Instead of those policy failures at the hands of highly placed officials, who have so often let us down while serving as mouthpieces for well-moneyed interests let us focus on the "real" story here - why there isn't any "looting" going on in Japan.

You don't have to wonder what they're trying to say.

But if we're going to go down this road, maybe we should ask why certain Japanese citizens and local police didn't start gunning down other citizens for "looting".

Update: You knew the narrative would get busted (at least in some quarters). The news is just in - the Japanese people are just as human as the rest of us, and while they might be more "culturally resillient" in the face of many natural disasters, they still experience thieves at a fire like all other cultures.

Update 2: Yet another comparison between Japan & New Orleans and the corners cut that made local energy infrastructure unsafe. More deregulation, anyone?

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