Thankfully, those I know who have been hit by Katrina are safe and sound, having evacuated their homes before the storm hit.  Although some, like Danielle, aren’t sure where they are going to relocate, they realize that the most important thing is that their families and loved ones are safe.  I finally reached her via text message — it was impossible to get through any other way — and Sue, Nancy and I called her together.  Given the fact that her house was entirely destroyed, she sounded calm and composed and ready to try and move forward.  Yesterday, after an announcement that the E train wasn’t sticking to its ordinary route, I popped out and ran into my friend Ana, who was scheduled to get married in Pass Christian, Mississippi later this month.  We had already corresponded earlier this week about the wedding — I hadn’t made travel plans yet — her response was "if you were considering coming down for the wedding, hold off.  I’m pretty sure the church and the reception site are gone."  We walked across town together, and she told me about all that she and her family have been dealing with over the past few days.

But these are the lucky ones.  As some of you may know, I was heavily involved in the pro bono legal work surrounding 9/11, and I’ll be participating in a call next week with bar and legal services leaders from the impacted states, as well as the ABA and others.  Until the legal work gets underway, I’ve donated money to America’s Second Harvest, and would encourage you all to give there or elsewhere if you haven’t already.  I selected that organization in particular because of the times New Orleans has been there to feed me — both my body and my soul:  two New Years’ Eves, two Jazz Fests, late night burgers at the Clover Grill, soft shell crab po’ boys, Rebirth, Kermit Ruffins, Ozomatli, the Mermaid, the generosity of Arielle’s family and Danielle and Alan, and so many other great memories.  I figured I could at least try to return the favor in their time of need.

UPDATE:  Since the timing is right and I’m happy to be part of something so good in the blogosphere, the Hurricane Katrina Blog for Relief weekend, outlined here and here.

Man Sentenced to Death for Killing Wife Who Nagged Him to Cuddle After Sex

A Florida man who said he was angry with his wife because she nagged him to cuddle after sex while he wanted to watch sports on television was sentenced to death for killing her with a claw hammer.

[via Law.com ]

Thankfully the court had the sense to throw this case out. Talk about your frivolous litigation. Sheesh. Court Rules Woman Isn’t Liable for Injuring Boyfriend During Sex.

This article about a Congressional study on the failure of federally-funded abstinence-only sex education is a perfect example of the stupidity of the Bush administration.

The report, by the Democratic staff of the House Government Reform Committee for Representative Henry A. Waxman, Democrat of California, says the programs provide "false, misleading or distorted information" about contraception, abortion, sexually transmitted diseases and sexual stereotypes.

The report says some of programs erroneously teach, among other points, that condoms fail to prevent H.I.V. in heterosexual sex 31 percent of the time and that touching another person’s genitals may result in pregnancy.

Nice, huh?  Back in high school, I participated in model congress.  I always sponsored the bill to distribute condoms freely in high schools along with thorough, accurate education on how to use them.  And yes, I think that kids shouldn’t have sex until they’re ready, and part of being ready is being responsible enough to obtain use birth control and use it properly, but condom distribution in schools is, to me, a no-brainer.  Kids are going to have sex, so it’s better that they are protected from HIV, STD’s and teen pregnancy because they have free condoms available to them.  It infuriates me to no end that the same folks who are constantly cutting funding for and limiting access to safe, legal abortion are also out there screwing up sex education — most likely leading to unwanted pregnancies, among other things.   Boggles the mind, doesn’t it?

This article, describing Rev. Jerry Fallwell’s plan for an “evangelical revolution,” made me gasp out loud when I saw it. To carry out his revolution, he has formed the “Faith and Values Coalition,” a group whose mission is “to lobby for anti-abortion conservatives to fill openings on the Supreme Court and lower courts, a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, and the election of another “George Bush-type” conservative in 2008.”

Fabulous. Now please excuse me while I go throw up.