FEMA, First Responders, Federalism, All the King's Men and Mallory for Mayor

How will SWNID tie all of those threads together? With few-to-no errors and absolutely zero doubt, of course.

First, check in to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for an opinion piece that notes that, by law, local officials, not FEMA or any other agency of the federal government is responsible for emergency planning and first response to actual emergencies.

Those who blame Uncle Sugar for everything that happens should be reminded that ours is a federal republic, and that's a very good thing too. A national government big enough and strong enough to run everything everywhere in this sprawling, hyperwealthy nation would be so powerful as to overwhelm liberty and initiative, not to mention utterly incompetent to do anything right, led and staffed as it would be by humans. Federalism, as Iraq will show (and, SWNID knows from experience, Britain has yet to learn) is a pretty good thing in light of human fallibility.

Now, the movie. Those who haven't seen Broderick Crawford's brilliant acting in the brilliant film version of the brilliant Robert Penn Warren's brilliant novel must do so before Sean Penn's remake fouls up everything. ATKM is a thinly disguised novelization of the career of Louisiana's demagogic governor from the Depression, Huey Long. It was the role Crawford was born to play, and the book Warren was born to write.

What ATKM reminds us is that Louisiana has suffered for generations from lousy state and local government. And that's been at its pinnacle in New Orleans, that center for all forms of corruption. Local and state officials have grafted New Orleans to the point of dysfunctionality. It's become part of the charm of the place.

So New Orleans has been a disaster waiting to happen not just because it's surrounded by water on three sides and sits below sea level. It's been a disaster waiting to happen because it and its state have had some of the worst local governing in our federal republic.

Which brings us to the last thread. Cincinnati is moving on a New Orleans trajectory. SWNID allows that none of the current candidates are grafters, but only one demonstrates competency. Mark Mallory has not been a part of the problem at City Hall. His experience and skill suggest that he can be part of the solution.

More particularly, his proposal to restore the office of public safety is more than bureaucratic deck-chair shuffling. It will mean a keener focus on matters like coordinated emergency response.

Cincinnati's midwestern German heritage bodes for better civic life than does New Orleans' roots in France and the Caribbean. Let's just be careful not to let the French win their first battle with the Germans, or we Cincinnatians will all lose the war.