Katrina, the old South, and the new South

Don't miss this op-ed piece in Saturday's New York Times by Georgia professor James Cobb. In it he touches on the animosity, the religiosity, and the generosity he sees in the South in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

His argument: "If the Hurricane Katrina experience reveals that the South remains in many ways what Mr. [Howard] Zinn described as a 'marvelously useful' mirror where other Americans can see some of their nation's most egregious flaws magnified, it also suggests that in looking southward these days they should recognize some of its most admirable virtues writ large as well."

Cobb's piece is brief but memorable for its even-handed approach. Even almost three months after the catastrophe, it's too easy to forget about Katrina for many Americans. Cobb's essay will help.