Iowa is suffering right now. It's so bad that President Bush is headed out to see it, so you know it's got to be horrible to get him out of his hidey hole.

He hasn't declared it a federal disaster area yet; I wonder if he will. I mean, it's not like we have any spare money to help these poor people out, thanks to the Iraq debacle. Hey, that thing also took away a great number of National Guard members who would normally be home to help out in their home state, but who's counting the number of ways Bush's lie-based quagmire is hurting our country right now. Well, me, but...

But this story isn't about George Bush, but another disaster devastating our fellow suffering countrypeople right now. While a flood like this is more gradual and the footage less dramatic, it is no less catastrophic for the people and the towns it affects. Especially in agricultural areas, the water damage is only part of the problem. Add the health issues of bloated, dead livestock and manure and rotting vegetation and you have a clean-up that is horrific at best.

I remember the flooding in 1993. I flew over it in an airplane, nearly two months after the initial rainfalls that led to the disaster. The water still sat at the rooftops of houses and farms. That's economic and emotional devastation for the people. Afterwards, they face not only cleanup but the tiresome task of dealing with insurance companies and seed companies (Monsanto is the devil) and whoever else they owe money without the ability to pay.

Of course, back then state coffers weren't stretched to the limits they are today, and the federal government was able to help out.

And what will happen to our artificially inflated food prices now, now that they have a real excuse to pin them on?

Hang in there, Iowans. We're rooting for you, thinking of you, and will do what we can to help. We're all in this smelly, soggy boat together.