I don't know why but I've always been a sucker for roller coasters in movies.

Now that I'm a mom I'm way more laid back. If you come into my house don't look for a coaster. Forget it. There is not a piece of furniture in my house now that is too precious.

We've done it in intelligence sharing and certain elements of security. There were parts of the department in fact that worked very well in Katrina like the Coast Guard and TSA.

It's self-effacing it's hard-luck the shtetl stories. All those Coasters things are an amalgam of Yiddish and black humor.

I always thought the biggest failing of Americans was their lack of irony. They are very serious there! Naturally there are exceptions... the Jewish Italian and Irish humor of the East Coast.

Never in our country's history have we witnessed a natural disaster that has impacted so many people in such a wide area. In fact as of the writing of this column millions of people along the Gulf Coast have been displaced from their homes in a period of only five days.

The people of South and Central Texas and the Coastal Bend need jobs they need health care they need water infrastructure improvements they need a quality education and they need the resources to keep our borders safe and secure.

Everybody in America is going to have to sacrifice to help us rebuild the Gulf Coast. Every government program every individual we are all going to have to sacrifice.

I have no doubt that the government of this great nation will work with its people to lead New Orleans and the Gulf Coast back to an enlightened proud safe part of the world.

It's funny but we were living on this small island off the coast of Charleston South Carolina when I was 9.