Editor’s Note: Pray for Japan

8.9 on the Richter Scale. That’s the number. It sounds innocuous enough, I mean its not even double digits.
In Japan however, that number probably strikes fear into the hearts of the thousands upon thousands who have been nailed by one of the worst natural disasters in the history of mankind.
Pick up a newspaper, turn on a newscast, flip on a radio and see how long it takes for an update on Japan to flow out of whatever orifice you are obtaining your news from.
All I can say is, don’t watch the videos if sheer terror and immense disaster makes you uncomfortable. It was reported today as the tide came through Japan’s coastline, upwards of 1,000 bodies rolled in with it.
A fact like that is all you need to know. You don’t even need to be aware of the potential meltdown of the island’s main nuclear power plant to really understand. You don’t need to hear about the hydrogen explosions blowing the tops off the reactors as the authorities are desperately trying to cool the reactors.
After Hurricane Katrina we all blamed FEMA. They were the ones that dropped the ball. There was a clear scapegoat and that seemed to help people cope because they had something to direct their anger and frustrations at.
Who’s to blame in Japan?
From all reports it seems the buildings were built up to code. Apparently, the only reason the earthquake didn’t do more damage was because they were prepared.
It’s a sad day when you realize there is just nothing you can do. When all you can do is watch the coverage on TV and the best advice you can get is the trending topic on Twitter
#prayforJapan. There is always a disconnect between the U.S. and the troubles of the rest of the world. But at certain times our political squabbles and money issues take a backseat to something real; this is one of those times.