Tropical Storm Isaac’s soon to be a hurricane if the doomsayers get their way. The projection is landfall later tonight with a Cat-1 status hitting between Mississippi and Baton Rouge.

My family survived Andrew and Katrina by living in an area removed from those folks electing to live in the idyllic (?) gulf coast region. We’ve been distant enough to avoid the devastation and still keep on trucking, before, during and after the storms. I feel blessed. No re-building, no reconstruction, no devastation has struck me (much), so far.

I appreciate people finally getting the message a hurricane is nothing to ignore, minimize as “just a storm” or fail to recognize things can change in a heartbeat. Tornadoes can spawn as the storm passes. Losses of services for weeks because of some utility companies’ poor preparations can be a pain. The past, total destruction of people’s lifestyles and schedules all stick in the craw as we pull ourselves from the rubble of downed trees, snapped power lines and destroyed homes. Flooding destroys.

I’ll take sheltering in place over evacuation any day. There’s a strange feeling of comfort in the thought of being at home when bad things happen. You at least know (in your heart) the adversity you suffer is survivable for being on your turf. You feel you know what to expect.

Now for the segue into the topic at hand.

The Presidential Campaign isn’t so soothing. All of the assaulting elements are foreign born (no; that’s not a “birther” statement). It means the main actors come from areas outside of our borders. They create a storm front of controversy expected to get the public moving toward an area of safety alleged to be safe-harbor. They hand-out basic necessities like water and shelter; food and possibly lodging to people shocked by their circumstances and weakened by their fears.

The main reason so many people suffered was they failed to prepare. They were forced to jump and run rather than plan before the levees broke in New Orleans. They never expected the levees to break because they’d never broken before. But the levee did break from a lack of proper construction values. The structure was weakened over time. It broke from a lack of substantive inspections monitoring a structure expected to constrain the dynamic stresses and currents of hurricane force winds and storm surge. The edifice was composed of hope where steel, concrete and understanding could have prevented the collapse if thoughts recognized possible failure and people planned on preventing the catastrophe.

Upgrades are always necessary when it comes to earthen-work structures and barriers. They must be maintained. It can’t be accepted “because it hasn’t happened, it can’t happen” and the corollary; “if we survived it once we can always survive it”. There’s always room for improvement.

There’s a storm front on the horizon and it’s easily recognizable as being of major consequence. It’s a presidential election being conducted and a campaign for dominance between two different ideologies. America‘s been under the spell of a sea-side Carnival Barker’s spiel for the past four years.

We’ve seen the inertia in the White House’s resident party fail miserably at directing the economy and producing jobs. We’ve been misled into believing the hype of a changeling. His postures, stances and positions on issues shift like shadows hiding his real agenda. He plots the destruction of a uniquely American stance in the world-view and home front. He wants to change America terminally. America’s been enthralled by the show and enamored of the showman.

Watch this showman’s left hand and you’ll miss what he’s done with his right. Stand in the presence of his messianic persona and fail to see the reality he’s a deeply flawed and disturbed man. But, while he puts on his show: the storm builds behind the audience, their guard dropped by his misdirection and sleight of hand. He tries concealing the truth: he’s incompetent as a president. He’s where he is because people wanted to be entertained more than informed.

Wake-up America. The storm front approaches. We’ve got two months to get ready. Obama’s got to GO!

Thanks for listening.