An anonymous right-winger has boiled the story of Katrina and Rita down to a nasty little e-mail that's starting to make the rounds:

2 States, 22 Observations

Things I have noticed while watching media coverage of the recent hurricanes.

1. Texas: Productive industrious state run by Republicans.

Louisiana: Government dependent welfare state run by Democrats.

2. Texas: Residents take responsibility to protect and evacuate themselves.

Louisiana: Residents wait for government to protect and evacuate them.

3. Texas: Local and state officials take responsibility for protecting their citizens and property.

Louisiana: Local and state officials blame federal government for not protecting their citizens and property.

4. Texas: Command and control remains in place to preserve order.

Louisiana: Command and control collapses allowing lawlessness....

Is this being happily passed on by many of the people who receive it, regarded as something that cuts through the bullshit and gets to the truth? I don't know, but I wouldn't be surprised. I'm not sure people would even realize that point #15 ("Louisiana: Over 400 killed by storm, flooding and crime. Texas: 24 killed in bus accident on highway during evacuation, no storm related deaths") is simply untrue. (Apart from the victims of the bus explosion, at least ten Texas have died as a result of Rita.)

And I don't know what the writer of this would say about solidly red Mississippi, with its 218 hurricane-related deaths -- or, for that matter, what the writer would say about a certain sudden loss of life up here in blue New York City one day four years ago. Hey, we voted for Clinton and Gore (and Chuck Schumer and Hillary), and we believe in government social programs -- maybe the deaths of 9/11 were our fault, right?