NOLA (continued)

Alas, I was wrong about New Orleans in my post two days ago. The city evidently survived the hurricane winds but, as this is written, Wednesday morning, floodwaters are still coming in through the breached levees and are rising. Looting seems to be rampant. We may be watching the destruction of a historic and vibrant American city. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin says residents may not be able to return to the city for 12 to 16 weeks. But the American impulse to rebuild is strong.

What can we do? The least we can do is to contribute to relief efforts. Instapundit has a list of organizations to which you can donate. My choice is the Salvation Army. In July 1967, I was working as an intern in the office of the mayor of Detroit when the city suffered one of the worst urban riots in American history. At one point I was asked to find 2,000 mattresses for the men who had been jailed. I called various organizations and could come up with nary a mattress. Then I called the Salvation Army. Before the day was over, the Salvation Army delivered. I do not share the Salvation Army's religious beliefs. But I know from experience that they can get things done. I've sent them $500. Please send as much as you can send to the Salvation Army or to one of the other worthy organizations on Instapundit. Or consider contributing to one of the churches identified by Hugh Hewitt. Some 78 blogs have signed up to make tomorrow (September 1) Hurricane Katrina: Blog for Relief Day. But I don't think anyone would mind if you contributed a day early.