Death comes

the hurricane katrina cut a swath of destruction from new orleans to someplace in the southern united states. most of the coverage has centered on new orleans and southern louisiana so the terminus of destruction is not known to me. some people evacuated others stayed. some died because they were convinced that they could 'stick it out' yet again through a storm and other because they didn't have transportation out. the effects of the storm will be felt in the region for a longer period than any news publisher will cover. thus far the death toll is said to be 'in hundreds maybe thousands.'

today another story of death came with its sharp sickle. shia muslims marching as part of a religious festival were trampled to death and jumped to their deaths when rumors of a suicide bomber in the crowd circulated. this wasn't an incident like the americans who wanted the $50 ibooks where only 17 people were hurt. in this case, close to 1,000 people died, according to the last tally i read. this didn't happen over a wide swath of land and didn't come with a weather forcast. it was mostly women, children, and the elderly who died. sticks and stones may break my bones, but words are sure to kill many.