The tsunami

I haven't posted anything on the tsunami in the Indian Ocean because there hasn't been much that could be said. A horrible loss of life which some are suggesting might reach 400,000.

Parents waiting for word from their children and children trying to find their parents. Not one instance of it or a couple or even in the thousands, but in the tens of thousands. There is just nothing that can be said about it.

One thing that is really gratifying is to see the response of my countrymen, the people of the US. Notwithstanding Egeland's idiotic statement, the American people have responded to this catastrophe by giving, much as they always do. And the government has responded by putting military assets in the area to help out along with monetary aid. (For an onsite view of this, see this post and this.) This is all gratifying and reminds me of the response by some readers of this blog to the Orange Revolution. "Scott, you will of course tell us if there is any money needed and where we can send it?" Very gratifying to hear and to see.

And others from around the world are doing the same thing not just the US.

It was apparently so powerful that the wave was detected, in a severely weakened form, on the Pacific coast of Russia.

But there is nothing much that can be said about it but to hope the totals don't go up more.