Hurricane Katrina was a helluva storm. The damage it caused to Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and other states was incredible. Many people lost their property and their lives due to its destructive power. As Haley Barbour (governor of Mississippi) said yesterday, Katrina is “our tsunami.”

But there is a bit of an upside to this: 123 Wal-Mart locations were closed due to flooding and storm damage.

I’m no fan of Wal-Mart. Their employment practices are terrible, they have little regard for social and community responsibility, and they openly discriminate against huge segments of the population. Musical artists are subject to censorship in order to sell their wares in the music department. Many towns have seen their local economies – the mom & pop shops, butchers, grocers and hardware stores – shuttered due to the Wal-Mart empire. Low cost crap – much of it made overseas under terrible working conditions – is aimed at the people who can least afford it.

Sure, the temporary idling of 123 Wal-Mart stores won’t likely cause any lasting change in shopping behavior. And the people who depend on Wal-Mart for their income will see some tough times, and I do not wish them any ill will.

But there’s a little bit of me that’s happy to see a portion of Wal-Mart shut down. Evil Rudi – evil, evil Rudi.