Nightline reported on the wildfires in California last night. There is no summary/transcript up on their home page yet, but if/when it gets there, it might be worth a glance. The opening report had me thinking "hey, this looks a lot like the devastation in Iraq," and, sure enough, one of the reporters noted later that he felt like he was back in Iraq, embedded with the troops.

I don't wish any ill will towards the people of Southern California, and it is my hope that the fires will subside ASAP. Still, the irony. This summer the Northeast had a major power blackout, and now the Southwest experiences property destruction on a par with what you'd get during a fire-bombing run.

Thank heavens the loss of life has not been greater, although reports say as many as 20 people have been killed.

A large segment of Nightline focused on how thinly stretched the firefighting force is. This is probably the result of years of budget trimming without regard as to the jobs that are actually cut. Sure, firefighters might not have to work on any given day, but, when the fire does come, you're damn well glad they're there, and in this case folks in SoCal probably wish they had a few more firefighters.

Meanwhile, although I can't recall the web log where I saw this, some wingnuts are trying to blame it on Clinton, of course. I presume the nuts will come up with some way to trash his forest policy--and, I will be honest, I do not know precisely what the policy was. However, he's been out of office for almost three years.

Again, from Nightline, it appears that extended drought killed a number of trees which now provide tinder for the conflagration. I expect the lunatic right will blame the drought on Clinton, while the "moderate" right will offer the opinion that Clinton should have cut all the trees down--personally, with a non-motorized saw--before the drought manifested itself.

Forest policy is something I have a casual interest in, but don't know enough about. From mostly Public Television shows, I've heard that the seventy-year policy of fire prevention at all costs was not the right thing to do, although I'll bet clearcutting isn't either. I can't recall what PBS show it was, but I vaguely remember seeing/hearing that modern scientists report Native Americans were practicing a much greater degree of forest management than was previously considered. Sustainable forest management was a way of life for those Native Americans who lived in an arboreal environment.

Uh--I usually don't take moderate stances, but I guess my position makes me somewhat of a moderate. Odd.

More to follow, maybe on this topic, but probably about something else.