Ranting on Hurricane Sandy

Sandy came and went and New Jersey will not be the same for a long time. I wish I could tell stories of heroism and pulling together, but my experience of Sandy was the insanity of other people. When I realized the storm was going to be historically bad I put four 2 liter bottles of water in my freezers (next to the bread and milk I always keep frozen for emergencies, and as usual, on Saturday I filled my tank for the week. On Monday I was called into work for a forty hour stretch, but otherwise (including Halloween Costumes, Party for the kids at work, and a haunted house) my week was typical. I drove 300+ miles on 2/3rds of a tank of gas, with no extraneous trips, or purchases. All along the highways, the usual 75 mph traffic was driving 85 (90?) cutting each other off and generally being a nuisance. At 50 mph, to save gas, I was the obstruction they were all honking and screaming at in the slow lane. When I was driving home from work, at 1:30 am or 2:30 am during the week, I saw them waiting 3-5 hours on long gas lines in the middle of the night often (according to my co-workers) to be turned away 2, 4 or ten cars from the stations as the gas ran out. Every car in line RUNNING THEIR GAS, LIGHTS AND MUSIC continuously, as if the dead cars (that ran out of gas ahead of them) were not symbolic of any concern or fear.

Almost every store, employer or business ran at half staff because everyone took the week off. People abandoned clients, customers and needy people in their pursuit of a crazed and untenable lifestyle. Store threw out food rather than donating it, when the power went off and the fridges stopped working. The whole state seemed to be, well, in a state. Topping it off was Governor Half-Wit yelling at mayors and assigning blame to a natural disaster. He cursed out reporters who asked him about the elections, because it will read well for him in 2016 if he was more concerned with hurricane relief.

Why has the human race abandoned, cooperation, conservation of resources and even self-preservation, in pursuit of ease, indulgence and plastic lifestyle?

WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?

I am starting to miss the days after 9/11 when everyone pulled together. Even despite the jingoism and racism (anti-Muslim sentiments) it was a time of caring and cooperation. Then again, if the Patriot Act was the result, maybe Hurricane Sandy's self-destructive insanity is less problematic in the long run.

Trees leaning on telephone poles or wires were becoming a common sight.	Another Tree leaning for support on our antiquated New Jersey infrastructure.
The 800+ lb. branch that landed on my car Monday morning. It did virtually no damage miraculously. some scratches and a ding.	The neighbors will even luckier with this enourmous tree that merely knocked off a rain gutter.
A church also fared well when their giant tree feel taking out a twelve foot wide swath of roots.	The same tree from another angle.
Another church, another tree and a another narrow escape.	From the same spot as the last picture, but in a different direction, the Freedom Tower, Tower Four, reminds us that we can rise above any difficulties.