Report From The Doorstep of Hell - Now What?

MESMERIZED BY MAYHEM
After spending much of the time since last Sunday glued to the television and listening to radio reports about the devastating fires throughout Southern California and trying, with only marginal success, to contact friends and relatives in the fire zones, I feel like I've been pulled through an emotional knot hole.

FRIEND'S FUTURES
We have many friends who live in or around the affected areas, some of whom evacuated and others who chose to hunker down and see what happened. That latter is not advised and we're keeping our fingers crossed that their decision doesn't come back to bite them.

ORANGE JUICE BLOG ON THE JOB
Since Monday I've tinkered with a blog entry to address this subject, but kept bumping up against statistics that were accumulating so fast that it was just overwhelming. Fortunately, our pal Art Pedroza over at the Orange Juice! Blog has been doing a daily update. If you click here you can go to that blog and scroll down through his summaries and the links he's provided. The articles and images will give you all the information you need on our situation out here. Art's done an amazing job on this subject all week. Kudos to him.

BICYCLE CAUTION
In his most recent entry he included a link from The Cycling Dude blog which addresses riding bicycles in this smoke-filled environment. Click here for that link.

HEROES TO THE RESCUE
The scope of these fires and the tremendous efforts made to combat them are staggering. The images of helicopters, Super Scoopers and that huge DC-10 tanker dropping water and fire retardant all over our region for the past five days have been amazing. Stories of firefighters going for 36-48 hours without sleep, trying to protect homes and lives, makes you realize how much we owe to those heroes.

QUANTIFYING LOSS
One number I heard this afternoon that rocked me - 25% of the land area of San Diego County has been burned in this set of fires! That's an astounding number, which only compounds the half million residents displaced at least temporarily and more than 1500 homes that have been destroyed.

MINDLESS VIOLENCE
Those of us in Orange County are dealing with the fact that the Santiago Fire - "our" fire - was caused by an arsonist. This fact heaps even more emotional grief onto an already terrible situation. To date, more than $150,000 in reward money has been made available for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the arsonist.

CAPRICIOUS ZEPHYRS
Among the many frustrating situations being faced here has been the wind - then the lack of it. When the fires first started winds were being clocked in some places at over 100 miles per hour, with constant winds well over 50mph in many places. This made it almost impossible to contain the fires - the wind-driven embers simply jumped fire lines and started new fires miles away. At one time during the past three days there were nearly 30 separately identified fires burning from the Santa Inez Valley north of Santa Barbara to the Mexican border. Today there is very little wind, which some would cheer. However, because the entire region is covered with thick, acrid smoke, some of the most effective air assets cannot be used because the pilots cannot see! What we need is a little breeze from somewhere to move the smoke around a little so the big guys can get back into the game.

THE FIGHT GOES ON
It's going to take more than a week for most of the fires to be contained based on recent reports. I doubt we will have full containment of all the fire locations until well into November and probably won't have meaningful statistics until Thanksgiving.

ENDLESS GRATITUDE
Thanks to each of you who have expressed concern for us out here on the Doorstep of Hell. Thanks to those of you who have chosen to contribute to the various relief organizations helping the newly homeless from these fires. Thanks to the emergency personnel - the firefighters, police, National Guard and the countless volunteers who continue to provide support to the evacuees. Thanks to you all.

Memorial Day, 2007

REMEMBERING FALLEN HEROES

As we approach the Memorial Day holiday my thoughts turn to those brave men and women who have fought for this country over the years. Of course, I think of those who attempt to fulfill their mission in the Middle East today - those brave volunteers who serve this country in what can only be described as a hell-hole in Iraq, with the ever-present threat of IEDs, snipers and mortar attacks. I think of those who continue to chase the Taliban back into their dusty holes in Afghanistan. They all deserve our respect and support. I think of Jose Angel Garibay, the young Costa Mesa resident who was the first Orange County resident to fall in the current war, and who was laid to rest at the Riverside National Cemetery

My thoughts also turn to those who have fought for this country in other remote parts of the world. I recall, during a trip to Europe twenty years ago, visiting the American Military Cemetery just south of Florence, Italy. The photo at the top of this page is of that location. This place - 70 acres of sacred soil - is the location of graves of 4402 dead American soldiers, airman and sailors who lost their lives fighting in Italy in 1944. As you walk through the grounds and view the monuments and grave markers you cannot help but be moved by the sacrifice those men gave in defense of their country. I still get choked up just thinking about my experience there. This burial ground is one of 24 such places located on foreign soil that are managed by the American Battle Monuments Commission, established in 1923. You can read more about this commission and the battle monuments here.

The image to the right is of the cross and flag at Mt. Soledad, in San Diego. At the base of the cross are plaques with names and accomplishments of men and women who served our country. I recommend a day trip down to see this wonderful monument, which is viewed by hundreds of thousands of people each day as they commute to and from work. As you celebrate this holiday in whatever way you feel is appropriate, I hope you'll take a moment to reflect on it's real purpose. California Assemblyman and former Orange County Supervisor Jim Silva has posted a very relevant entry on the Red County/OC Blog entitled "Freedom Isn't Free". I hope you'll click on that link and read his message on this very special holiday.

Whether you agree with the current conflicts in the Middle East or not, please remember the men and women who volunteered to serve on our behalf. As you watch the race cars circle the track at Indianapolis I hope you'll think of the brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for us. As you picnic in a park, incinerating hot dogs and hamburgers, please remember those who serve us in distant places. Our freedom and liberty were won with the sacrifice of young lives. Please take a moment to recall their sacrifice and that of their families so we all can enjoy our lives today. Remember the flag and cross and all they represent.