Hopes Rita Could Gut Texas
Millions all over the world are watching television screens intermittently in keen anticipation of Texan disaster as Hurricane Rita approaches the US Gulf Coast.
There are high expectations the ironic hurricane, which grew in power after crossing over monoxide-heated Pacific waters, could cause significant damage to the oil-loving State of Texas.
The oil wealth of the powerful US State has funded and inspired wars, assassinations, presidential campaigns and fuelled massive Texan greed and profiteering since the film Giant was released more than 50 years ago in an early critique of the insufferable Texan character.
US authorities have disappointed the storm's many fans in recent hours, downgrading Hurricane Rita's severity from category five to category four.
While there is now little chance Texas will be washed away entirely, viewers arond the world hope to see the most obnoxious state of the union seriously reduced by the storm.
In a further irony, many of those stuck in traffic on highways out of Houston and other Texas towns are running out of 'gas', suddenly not so flush with the black gold they've grown fat on, and could be left sitting on the tarmac when the big winds hit.