A Few Notes on Hurricane Sandy

• The preparations for Hurricane Sandy were apparently based on theory that history repeats itself and therefore Sandy would be “just like Irene.” On the other hand, see John Campbell on whether history repeats itself:
  

  History doesn't always repeat itself. Sometimes it just yells, ‘Can't you remember anything I told you?’ and lets fly with a club.
  

• As a libertarian, I should regard government responses to disasters as a mark of a primitive society. On the other hand, in some ways we're still in a primitive society. As the saying goes: Governments are for gravity wells.
• In related news: It's time for a Federal ban on thiotimoline.
• I think it's very ungrateful of trees to come down on our power lines, considering all we've done for plants such as providing them with CO₂ fertilizer and suppressing insect pests. This is a violation of toxic-waste emitter solidarity!
• Product wanted: a generator that burns tree branches. There might be a shortage of pumpable gas in the area affected by Sandy but there's no shortage of tree branches.