Rita now a Category 2 Hurricane

The National Hurricane Center is now reporting that Rita has reached 100 mph winds, placing it as a Category 2 Hurricane on the Saffir/Simpson Scale.

Galveston Begins Voluntary Evacuations; Mandatory Evacuation Set for 5 p.m. Wed.

The Chronicle is reporting that Galveston officials have issued voluntary evacuation orders as Hurricane Rita continues on a course to strike the Texas coast just north of Matagorda Island. A mandatory evacuation will be ordered on Wednesday at 5 p.m. CDT unless the hurricane's projected path varies significantly from current forecasts.

The more I look at the evacuation map above and look at the forecasts, I believe I wouldn't be in too much danger holding out in my house. Unless I hear of any evacuation orders from the City of Houston, I'll be riding out the storm in the Montrose.

Thoughts on a Chief Justice Roberts

I honestly don't know where I stand on the idea of a Roberts Court after living through the Rehnquist Court. I didn't get much of a chance to follow the confirmation hearings, but I did catch some parts of hearings on C-SPAN's website and through media reports on the hearings.

One thing I do like about Judge Roberts: the far-left considers him too conservative and the far-right considers him too liberal. What's not to love about that?

My favorite aspect of Roberts is reflected in a recent editorial from The New Republic:

"I do not have an overarching judicial philosophy," Roberts told the hearings. It is impossible to imagine Antonin Scalia or Clarence Thomas uttering those words. And, he added, "I tend to look at the cases from the bottom up rather than the top down." This is a man animated by the law, not by the movement. He rejected the dogma that the Constitution should rigidly be construed in accordance with its original understanding, and he endorsed "a more practical and pragmatic approach."

Bingo.

Update: Hurricane Rita

As of 8:15AM CDT, the National Hurricane Center in Miami, FL is reporting that Tropical Storm Rita has now strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane.

The official projected path, as of 4AM CDT, has the hurricane passing just south of Galveston, possibly sparing us a direct hit. Of course, this projection should start to become more reliable in the next 24 hours as the storm approaches a point where landfall on the Texas coast falls within the 3-day projection as opposed to the less reliable 5-day projection.

It's our turn: Hurricane Rita

There was some concern that refugees from New Orleans would bring the chaos and crime of the city with them to Houston. Instead, it looks like they brought the bad weather.

The map to the right here is the projected path of now-Tropical Storm Rita (as of 10AM CDT). It is expected that this storm will become a Category 1 hurricane by later today or tonight. The Chronicle is reporting that the storm could be a Category 3 hurricane by the time it makes landfall. The high percentage target? Galveston, Texas.

If you're in the Galveston/Houston area, it would be in your best interest to get the plywood collected now and prepare to board up your windows and head for the hills (Texas hill country, that is).

I suppose if things start to look bad for Houston, I'll take an early camping trip to Lost Maples State Natural Area or enjoy the riverwalk in San Antonio.