David Brooks can go to Hell or New Orleans

His choice–for saying “We have to think about whether we want to rebuild New Orleans” on the (Lehrer) News Hour this afternoon. Whaddya mean “we” Mr. Smarty Pundit?! Like, if a hurricane had destroyed Washington D.C. there would be a vote to decide whether or not it was wise to rebuild the nation’s capitol in a former swamp (wetland to the environmentally savvy). Like David Geffen would be told by George Bush’s FEMA Director (Army General, Air Force Captain, Monkey Cage Manager, whatever) that he couldn’t rebuild his whumpdazillion dollar Malibu beach mansion after a major storm because “it’s not safe”. So what if the California coast loses forty feet a year to storm waves and earthquakes and sudden “slumps”. So what if thousands of homes get burnt every year in wildfires. And the Mississippi (diked up and down the whole enchilada) floods its banks and millions of acres of farmland and river towns every few decades. So what if typhoons take out a couple of Hawaiian islands. Etc. Etc. Etc.
New Orleans is home to the people that want to go back and rebuild. New Orleans can decide for itself if it wants to be rebuilt. And David Brooks should just keep his smiley hole shut about what should and should not be done about rebuilding other people’s cities.