All Else Pales...

None of it really matters in comparison. All the petty infighting everywhere. Especially this time of the year.

Not two weeks ago, I had just finished reading Simon Winchester's book Krakatoa about the 1883 enormous volcanic eruption in Indonesia. Winchester reconstructed the catastrophe, in which tidal waves following the eruption, and the virtual destruction of an island, killed 40,000 people.

So it was with a chilling reminder that in the same part of the world, a similar disaster repeated over the last couple of days in nearly the same location, with similar results. If you have Winchester's well-written historical account, take a look at the maps compared to the ones in your newspaper this morning.

But more importantly: there are dozens of ways you can help in the days ahead. Do so.

I'll have more to say in the next week about how the administration has reacted to the disaster.