I have spent a fair portion of the last several weeks doing the same thing as many of you — pouring over the Internet reading every story I could find about the tornadoes that swept across Alabama last month. Since that tragic night, we've all read heartbreaking stories of loss, heroic stories of resolve, and humbling stories of sacrifice.

I thought I had just about run the gamut of emotions as I read through them. It wasn't until May 8, however, that I read a story that made me just, plain mad.

While browsing through several storm-related stories on al.com that morning, I ran across one titled “Predicting severe weather could be hampered by expected gap in satellite coverage.” The column explained that one of the many shortcomings of the most recent spending bill passed by Congress will leave the entire nation with “a gap in weather satellite coverage starting in 2017 and lasting about 18 months.”

I'm the first liberal to admit that the federal government spends billions every year on programs it doesn't have to, or just plain shouldn't. Still, as I read through the article, it occurred to me that our state's entire delegation in Washington should have looked for something more appropriate to cut out of the budget besides the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) next-generation Joint Polar Satellite System.

I didn't dwell on the fact that all our people in Congress are Republicans, either. This transgression transcended party affiliation, in my opinion.

Obviously, I told myself, our representatives got caught up in the current “cut, cut, cut” climate in Washington, and failed to ask the right questions about this particular funding request. After all, our representatives are from Alabama, too, and they know too well how frequently our state suffers from severe weather events and how critically important an early warning can be.

My suspicions about our officials' lack of attention were confirmed later in the article when I read that Rep. Spencer Bachus of Vestavia Hills, after being made aware of the coming gap in satellite coverage, said he would work to “minimize, if not eliminate, delays or disruptions in the launch of this new system … This issue has not received the attention it needs and is something that we should work on in a bipartisan way.”

Thank goodness, I thought when I read that quote. My anger was gone immediately, my confidence in government (somewhat) restored. I wondered what our own man in Washington, Dist. 3 Rep. Mike Rogers, would have to say about the NOAA budgeting oversight, and fired off an e-mail seeking a response.

Rep. Rogers apparently assumed I was going to take a liberal line in my column. (In his defense, I usually do.) His reply began: “The lives lost and impacted by the severe storms and tornadoes in Alabama on April 27 shouldn't be used as a justification to make a partisan, political argument.”

Agreed, congressman. Unlike some commentators, I understand that the bill Rep. Rogers voted for funded the entire government and was a document that, as another Republican official recently admitted to me, “no one liked everything in.” I don't care anything about making political hay over the Alabama delegation's ill-advised acquiescence. I just want it fixed, and fast.

And I honestly I believe Rep. Rogers realizes there has been a mistake that needs to be corrected. The next sentence of his reply read: “We can all agree on doing all we can to forecast and warn folks of these type events, and I will continue to work with my colleagues to see that the needs of my constituents are met.”

Rep. Rogers' willingness to review this issue is welcome news to all Alabamians, regardless of party. It's embarrassing to me that a few liberal commentators chose to play politics with something so important, especially in light of the current conditions in Tuscaloosa, Cullman, Hackleburg and dozens of other communities across our state. As we were all reminded last month, a mile-wide tornado packing 190 mph winds doesn't distinguish between much of anything, including Democrats and Republicans.

And when it comes to making sure we utilize the most advanced technology available to help us prepare for the next round of possibly deadly storms, neither should anyone else.