N.O. had its own issues, such as Voodoo practice and creating a rampantly amoral tribute to Ash Wednesday (the bastardization and paganization of Mardi Gras).
No one wants to say it because people who do get shot down. God is most definitely trying to get our attention.
Katrina = pure
Aug. 29th = feast of John the Baptist
Indonesian Tsunami occurs on Christmas morning.
In January, Pope John Paul II gives a public address stating, essentially, that the prophecies of Revelation are upon us, that Satan knows he is running out of time.
Sr. Lucia and Pope John Paul II, inexorably connected to Fatima, die one month apart. JPII dies during eclipse and is buried on the feast of Divine Mercy.
Terri Schiavo's gruelling death march occurs during Holy Week, succombing right after Easter.
Meanwhile, 2005 has become a landmark year for cloning, embryonic stem cell research, and gay marriage - a spiritual Axis of Evil.
All I can say is this. Scripture is a blueprint for all times. Just as the naysayers ridiculed Noah for building his ark, we will be ridiculed for building ours. But we enter our ark every time we receive the Eucharist, whereas the world seeks to build a better levee. The storm clouds have formed. The signs are in the air. As someone who spends a great deal of time being personally skeptical of eschatological prophecies and "visions", I think it's staring us in the face. New Orleans is yet another wake-up call. He will keep knocking until we a) answer, or b) allow ourselves to be conquered by the price of our sins.
To me this is nothing new. I don't need any signs and wonders other than Israel reforming as a nation. 'That generation' is my generation. Born in 1950. Those who have ignored Bible prophecy, the very words and warnings of Christ, will ignore all the sorts of signs you mention in your post.
I suppose a few of them might wake up when the Tribulation gets into full swing but most will curse God. You RCs seem to pay more attention to Fatima then you do the Word of God. I keep getting the idea from your writings here and there a call for general repentence and things will get better. They're not going to get better. The clock is ticking. The only thing that can be salvaged in the twenty years or so left to man is one's soul.
We have been weighed in the balance and found wanting. The harvest is ready. Those called are looking up, for their redemption draws near. This planet is the crucible of God. In which souls are tempered. The full number is just .... about .... here.