Half-wits, hyperbole, and the Jackson water "crisis"

As the Jackson-area readers of this blog surely know by now, the City of Jackson is under a "boil water" notice throuh the weekend. The chief water main from the O.B. Curtis Water Treatment Plant ruptured, sending water pressure through the floor across the city. Mayor Harvey Johnson and his administration have responded extremely well to the event, and pressure's already back to normal.

Here's my beef: if you read Facebook Thursday morning, you would have been bombarded with alarmist proclamations about the main break, and more than a few comparisons to the Deepwater Horizon disaster. I can't think of a more misguided, hurtful statement than that. We have to drink bottled water for a few days and that somehow is on par with the massive damage to the Gulf Coast's wildlife and beaches?

The next time I hear that comparison, the person who makes it is getting the inaugural "Ipse Blogit Idiot of the Year Award." You've been warned.