Image above: Upworthy.

Photos of the aftermath, plus info, resources, links and quotes: (will be updated continually).

One thing we can all agree upon: Mother Nature, in her fury, brings us all together, as do all times of challenge and tragedy. Also: we can and should all offer thanks to those first responders and emergency workers who headed into the eye of the storm, instead of away from it. For the greater good. ~ ed.

NYC, Atlantic City…Severely Flooded? Severe Republican Romney says “cut FEMA.”

I’m sure you’ve all seen the photos: flooding Ground Zero, subways, flooded LaGuardia, lower Manhattan underwater, same with Brooklyn, millions without electricity, 33 dead and counting, millions and perhaps billions of damage, a nuclear plant near its limit, and more. The role of government is not to invade our private lives (gay marriage, Patriot Act)—it’s to protect freedom, and We the People. It’s us: while weaker than it ought to be, who protects us from corporations who’s profits are their sole goal, not public safety.

Corps of course can be good and most are responsible—but government is not other. In the words of (Republican) Lincoln, it’s by of and for the people. It’s us. If it’s not us, that’s because we’ve disengaged. That’s our responsibility, and means we oughta step up.

Arianna Huffington: “Sandy didn’t just knock the campaign off the front pages; it transformed it, as well. At a moment of extreme polarization, Mother Nature brought us together. Suddenly, the artificial walls that our political process erects to separate us into little demographic micro-groups to make us believe we have no mutual interests got blown away by the massive hurricane.”

Romney on Eliminating FEMA: “Absolutely!”

I’m sure we’ve all read Gov. Romney’s position on this, but: if no (video from primary). To be fair, that was his position monthhhhs ago—he’s an entirely different candidate now.

But for all those who think he’s secretly moderate, remember what Maher said: he’s made a lot of promises to a lot of extremists, and his extreme choice of an extreme VP speaks volumes.

And, even if that doesn’t convince us, remember the man put down 800 plus vetoes as guv’ner in Massachusetts, in only four years. That’s not bipartisanship, that’s…you know, partisanship.