From what I have been able to discern, Hurricane Rita is right now a Category 2 hurricane, with a 45% chance that it may turn into a 4.

What that means is that the chances are greater that it won't.

While I don't mean to engage in denial, I just turned off the television, as they're acting as if it's already a Category 4. If and when it becomes a Category 4, I promise to call it a Category 4.

But the time for yelling that it's a Category 4 is not now. They should be getting prepared for that possibility -- and they should be methodical about their preparations.

Not hysterical.

I've just had a bit too much media hysteria lately, and I'm not ready for more right now. They can't turn up the volume any louder, and yet instead of trying to remain calm and rational, they're trying to turn up the volume, which is why I just turned them off. The MSM could help everyone right now if they just urged people to remain calm. Is that asking too much? I'm afraid it is, so I'll just have to remain calm to the best of my abilities without their help.

There can be no denying that it would be a terrible, terrible thing to have another Category 4 slam the Gulf Coast right now. In fact, I can think of few things worse, short of a nuke being detonated in a U.S. city.

But it isn't denial to say that it hasn't happened yet.

Nor is it denial to turn off a stupid broken record about a not-yet broken record. (Via InstaPundit.)

Sheesh.

Once again, General Honore's looking like a hero to me.

MORE: I'd like to stress that I mean what I say about General Honore. The way a guy like that can just appear out of nowhere and perform a great deed for the country -- all without egotism or grandiose posing, as if he's just doing his job or something -- it's utterly inspiring and renews my faith in humanity. Emergencies have a way of bringing people like that to the forefront, and I'd like to think that if (hopefully not when) the chips are down and a major city has been nuked, someone like Honore might do something radically good -- like, say, honoring his oath to support, protect, and defend the Constitution, and, just, you know, saving our freedom while the chorus of hysterical maniacs was demanding that we lose it.

(I know I'm making it sound as if heroism can be as simple a thing as a good guy doing his job, but Honore sure makes it seem that way.)

UPDATE (09/21/05, 08:14 a.m.): Hurricane Rita has now officially been upgraded to a Category 4:

NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
8 AM EDT WED SEP 21 2005

...SATELLITE SUGGESTS THAT RITA HAS BECOME A CATEGORY FOUR
HURRICANE...

A TROPICAL STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA KEYS FROM
THE MARQUESAS KEYS WESTWARD TO THE DRY TORTUGAS.

INTERESTS IN THE NORTHWESTERN GULF OF MEXICO SHOULD MONITOR THE
PROGRESS OF RITA.

MORE: Read this post from LT Smash too:

The Houston/Galveston area is also home to several large refineries. If oil and gas production is further impacted, energy prices are going to go through the roof, and we're looking at a possible global economic downturn. Businesses will go bust, factories will shut down, and people will lose their livelihoods.

Please, please, please remember this: hurricanes will happen. It's not our fault. No leader, politician, or policy can prevent them. We can't control the weather, but we can control how we react to it.