Shakespeare called them "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune." So are those slings and arrows the little devils responsible when our lives are turned upside down and stomped upon by fate?

Today, foremost among all days of the year, we remember how it was that 3,000 or so good Americans perished at the hands of those who loathe what this country stands for. Beyond those who died, many others were afflicted by outrageous fortune on that day -- spouses, children, parents, friends.

Spare your breath if you would try to convince any of them that out of the catastrophe of 9/11, anything possibly could have occurred to redeem their misery. Awards of money? Appreciated, certainly, but there can be no fair trade of dollars for lives. A heightened attention to the necessity of shielding the nation from terrorists? Fine, but why did it require such pain before that lesson could be learned?

That very question, of course, has lain at the heart of the bruisingly contentious effort to pinpoint the factors leading to the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 -- and to strengthen America's defenses in the face of ongoing terror threats.

Many are the steps that have been taken in response. Whether they are adequate can never be proved. Every day that passes without another terrorist act of war committed on our home turf -- call it 1,461 days and counting -- is a sign that we're doing some things, perhaps most things, right. But to declare this effort a success, this mission to have been accomplished, could turn out to be sickeningly premature.

That is merely one of the reasons why the colossal inadequacy of the initial response to Hurricane Katrina's devastation looms so large.

The most immediate reason, of course, has to do with the scale of the casualties -- becoming all the more grimly apparent as the New Orleans pump stations come back on line and floodwaters recede. It couldn't be plainer that many people died because the authorities who might have acted aggressively to get them out of harm's way in advance of the storm, or to rescue them from a watery hell afterwards, were confused, over-whelmed, complacent, stricken or some combination thereof.

Which authorities? Oh, we all have our candidates -- pointing fingers in ways that too often seem influenced by our predisposition not to like or trust the powers that be at the various levels of government. Eventually, we'll want to put the whole sorry fiasco under a harsh spotlight and ask all the suitably tough questions.

Yet if that exercise only builds on the partisan blame-storming that's already too much in evidence, the country probably will fail to grapple seriously with lessons that we will overlook at considerable risk.

That's because, as much as we hate to think in such terms, Katrina for all the suffering it has caused also has amounted to a shockingly realistic test bed. It has given us a remarkable case study of the nation's preparedness in the face of an awful disaster. For the record -- not that this is the most original of observations these days -- we flunked.

The effects of hurricanes, even great ones, can be mitigated with careful planning and a clear-eyed appraisal of where the dangers lie. And at least when it comes to storms, earthquakes and the like, we can be fairly certain what we'll sooner or later have to confront.

The threat posed by terrorists is far more difficult to quantify. Who knows the mode of attack they might next choose, or which point of vulnerability might prove to be the weak link in the chain? What's sure, however, is that we absolutely must be prepared for the worst. Katrina has shown us how far short of that goal we fall.

No, let's not suggest to any of the storm evacuees who have found shelter here in the Triangle -- folks among the thousands of homeless now scattered coast to coast -- that their fate somehow serves a greater good. That sounds like an invitation for a cussing out.

But if there's been any aspect to this tragedy that gives cause for hope, it consists precisely of the great outpouring of care and concern from so many people, determined to do whatever they can to ease the suffering of strangers.

All have seen how the brunt of the hurricane was borne by Americans who often had the least to start with. That their country now has come face to face with the realities of their shattered lives and has responded so generously speaks to a depth of national character unseen, to many eyes, since the days after the planes struck and towers fell. It is our nation's sense of community that is summoned by fortune's slings and arrows. And it remains strong.

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