This just in....

...a candle, left burning while you sleep, MAY burn your house down!



MDB and I watched the news last night and were left quite perplexed. Apparently, a young woman, who, like many in Houston these days had no power, fell asleep after lighting some candles and awoke to the sound of fire engines and roaring flames!



What part of "sleeping while candles are burning" did you not understand as hazardous?



What was really troubling was the reaction of relatives who were interviewed.



"Well, she didn't have any power, so she lit some candles to see and, next thing you know, her house was gone! If she'd have had power, this never would have happened!"



Newsflash! Everyone in Houston is burning their own house down because they don't have power!



Uhhhh....no they're not!



I guess the part that troubled me more than anything was the tone of the comment about not having power. The young woman, who, based upon her comments, was obviously not the brightest crayon in the box, expressed surprise and out-and-out shock over the concept that an open flame near combustibles might be a problem. The tone from her grandmother, though, was a bit more irritating. I know I'm just reading into her comments, but it was almost as though she was saying her g-daughter was being discriminated against by the power company because she was African-American.



Let's don't go there, grandma!



If we pull the race card on a hurricane, what's left? Let me guess....large weather systems are racist? God sends hurricanes only to harm black people? Nobody who was white or Hispanic lost power? Only black folks were affected, is that right?



Let's don't go there, grandma!



Let's take a deep breath, think about what you're saying, and reason through this, shall we? Millions of people here and elsewhere were affected by Ike and I'd venture to say that a number far below a majority of them were AA. so...

let's don't go there, grandma!

Ike struck homes representing every race, creed, language, and color. This was not some re-enactment of the Passover where people with "Ike-Away" painted above their doors were spared (although some actually tried it! How many "Take a hike, Ike!" signs were emblazoned across plywood window coverings?). So, before you start crying that it was the lack of power that burned down your granddaughter's home, why don't you try asking her whether or not she knew that an open flame might propagate into one much larger if left alone long enough! While you're at it, ask her WHY NOT if she answers "NO" and offer to send her to the volunteer fire academy if she's really that ignorant about fire and what causes it!

Sheesh!