When Katrina hit New Orleans I heard someone from Europe being interviewed about the American reaction to that crisis. The person said something to the effect that America was such a new country that we hadn’t had to deal with natural disasters taking out cities like most other civilizations. I thought at the time that person had hit the nail on the head.

From the time I heard that statement the reaction only got worse and worse.

Now we find ourselves with another city, actually another entire area, of the country threatened with disaster. This time people aren’t claiming that any particular ethnic group is being purposely left to die and conspiracy theories haven’t surfaced - yet. But while the fire is still raging and people are still in danger the fingers of blame have already started pointing.

Its the President’s fault (that’s a given). Its the war’s fault (that’s another given). Its global warming (the sky is falling, the sky is falling!). On and on and on. Its all very predictable in our society, unfortunately.

We currently live in a society in which it is acceptable to use any event, regardless of how tragic, to further ones own personal agenda. We live in a society that has a media system that pretty much openly twists and turns stories to suit their political agenda (that’s called propaganda). We live in a society where someone has to be to blame for everything that happens, even hurricanes and wild fires that have raved this land since before mankind ever stepped foot on it.

California headlines from 1956
San Diego Fire 1956

We enjoy freedoms that no other society in history has enjoyed. The problem is that we’ve become a society that has freedom without responsibility. Its a dangerous path we are on.