They work in the standard “if not for pork Iraq, we could have fixed it in time” angle too, but the following bit is original and straight-up money. Caveat to Andy Warhol’s adage: in the future, every Muslim community located within 50 miles of a disaster will have its 15 minutes of leftist media fame.

The collapse too adds to uneasy feelings among Somalis who say they have felt a federal backlash since Sept. 11, 2001 not only because of their Muslim faith but also because Somalia has been accused of harboring terrorists associated with Osama bin Laden. The bridge collapse has added jitters for Somalis who in recent years regrouped and rallied around one another.

“This all adds up to be very painful,” said Omar Jamal, a Somali who directs the Somali Justice Advocacy Center that fights for Somali rights.