I have never been so proud to be on the far left-wing. I don't have the highest regards for religion and this is why. Below is part of an article by Tim Grieve for www.salon.com
The real cause of Hurricane Katrina?…
"A sinister cabal of superior writers."
Article comments
— go to most recent comments26 - Natalie Davis
Oh, Steeeeeeve.
No, Mr. Kain, you aren't the only one. I've already written my lawmakers and in fact, I would like to share the idea -- attributed, natch -- on my blog, if it's OK with you.
27 - Steve S
You all better be nice to me, I'm almost at hurricane level. A dozen more converts and I'll finally be able to pound them beeches.
28 - Nancy
If I were really off my meds, I could almost make a case for the MSM conspiring to set up New Orleans for destruction because the news had been so slow lately....
29 - Silas Kain
Thank you, Ms. Davis. Feel free to distribute it any way you want. I am working on a couple of other things along this regard as well and will be writing a piece later today. I'm really serious about the fact that collectively we can facilitate these politicians sending $250 million into the effort. Many of us cannot afford more than $100, $20 or even $5. But we all can afford three stamps or an email.
I'm not going to demonize any politicians right now because we need their help. They've been elected to serve the people and now they have been faced with the ultimate test. If any sitting office holder has done their job to the satisfaction of their constituency, then there is no reason why they can't ask their PAC supporters to divert the money from the campaign to the relief effort. Our elected officials talk about the generosity of the American people. Well, folks, charity begins at home and right now home is the Gulf coast.
30 - Silas Kain
You all better be nice to me, I'm almost at hurricane level. A dozen more converts and I'll finally be able to pound them beeches.
You better hide from Al Barger, Steve. That boy is a dawg in heat these days.
31 - gonzo marx
no Silas, yer not alone
and Matthew..noble sentiment..the Question is , WHO do the "United" rally behind?
until some leader steps up and actually achieves some type of program meant for ALL americans, some folks are just going to dig in their heels in Opposition...
Excelsior!
32 - Silas Kain
Well, gonzo, why not you? You're astute. You're compassionate. You command a presence here at BC. Why don't you stand up and try to lead? Maybe that's what we've been doing wrong in this country. We're so busy looking for leaders, we're forgetting to look inside ourselves.
33 - with karate ill kik ur ass
In the movie Drop Dead Gorgious one of the contestants syas ' no mater who u r or were u come from, u can be who u want to be'
now that is a load of bullshit.
34 - Silas Kain
Oh come on now, with. You can be whoever you want to be! Ask Jeff Gannon - A Voice of the New Media!
35 - augrad
I just want to say that I, as a true Christian, am humiliated and embarrassed by what those people said (that God sent the hurricane because of the gays, etc.). Apparantly they are not familar with John 8:3-11, where the pharisees brought the adulterous woman to Jesus and wanted him to condemn her to death. He said, "If any of you are without sin, let him cast the first stone."
Please know that people who are real followers of Jesus Christ do not think that way. We are ALL sinners and are quite aware of our shortcomings. As Billy Graham put it "we are just beggars telling other beggars where to get the bread."
People who say things like that have a hidden agenda--you can count on it.
I sincerely apologize for their comments--they do not represent true Christians.
36 - eriqo
preach, preacher!!
37 - Steve S
Please know that people who are real followers of Jesus Christ do not think that way.
Nor are the real followers of Jesus representative of Christianity in the public eye at all. Only the extremists like Pat Robertson define what Christianity is to the rest of the world.
38 - Warren
Yep -- let's focus on the idiots who say stupid things.
Let's ignore the teams of Soutehrn Baptists who headed down there with foor -- 100 disaster relief teams, at last count, serving over 300,000 meals a day. All volunteers, serving on their own dime, with no pay. Let's ignore the Salvation Army folks down there.
Yep -- Christians = bad.
39 - Steve S
Hmmm, Warren, I guess it depends on where one sits, on the fence of life. Here's my unasked for perspective:
The CHristian groups that demonize gay people, saying that natural disasters are Gods punishment for us existing deserve our animosity.
The Southern Baptists who boycott businesses who have the audacity to treat gay people as customers/employees too, deserve our animosity.
The Salvation Army who wants the right to fire us, simply for us being ourselves, deserves our animosity.
All Christians might not be bad, but there is a Christian movement in full swing in this country, hell-bent on demonizing, ostracizing and oppressing people who do not fit it's biblical mores. They want to punish/ostracize/condemn and blame us in all facets of life. In the school system, on tv, in the work force, in the military, etc.
Some of us do not want to go quietly into the night, and perhaps what goes around comes around.
40 - Matthew T. Sussman
WHO do the "United" rally behind?
Well, it's an easy answer, but a hard one to accept.
The President.
You don't have to like him. You don't have to agree with him. But he's the one calling the shots.
People didn't like him prior to 9/11. But we stood behind him. And now the nation is split on whether or not he did the right thing.
Since then, the two sides have been slinging mud at each other, and the mud has packed into a giant statue spelling the words "I Told You So." And this statue has grown between the two sides with every news item -- Osama on the loose, the U.N. weapons inspections, the decision to go to war with Iraq, the "Mission Accomplished," the fall of Baghdad, the capture of Saddam, the Newsweek Qu'ran story, the Downing Street Memo, the free Iraqi elections, free Afghani elections, the Cindy Sheehan protest, the constitution delay, the possibility of four more years in Iraq, the "last throes" sound byte, the different rationales for the war ... and countless others in the past that have built up are still unresolved.
And like I said with the Iraq war (I may or may not like it, you may or may not like it, but we're in this together, so hope for the best) applies here. That big "I Told You So" mudstatue was blown away and engulfed by Katrina's flood. Being right isn't important anymore. Rebuilding New Orleans is.
And what so many rabid bloggers (Conley, Balletshooz, Bambanek, Jan, Alethinos, Adam Ash, others) did almost by instinct is find an angle with this story. Throw the mud, if you will. An angle? People are dead, more are dying and stranted, the government is helping, and in a current state of panic, these bloggers on dry land are already blaming others. Their mud is doing nothing but hitting fellow Americans and plopping into the flood, to be lost in a sea of filth. It will take a miraculous change of heart for me to read any of these bloggers again.
Meanwhile, the news-happy bloggers did some -- gasp -- reporting (Nalle, Zabel, Dr. Pat, Sadi, others) while others acknowledged the state of things and turned their energy towards supporting the relief efforts and showing others how to help (Olsen, Lisa Hoover, Connie Bennett, others), because that's what is needed now. They may ask questions now, but they're not going to get many answers when people are pleading to be airlifted off rooftops.
Looters destroy. Messengers report. Saviors rebuild. Which blogger do you want to be?
It's about survival, which means joining forces with people you wouldn't want to be seen in public with. That's democracy for you. It involves working together with people you don't like for a common goal. The politicans in D.C. have forgot about this for quite some time, but bipartisanship is the only way this city will be restored and its (former) citizens rescued.
41 - Silas Kain
Gee, Matthew, isn't that what I've been saying? As much as I am in horror that this man is President, he remains so and has my unequivocal support in this time of crisis. And, I consider myself a messenger/rebuilder because I am delivering news that can lead to rebuilding.
42 - Matthew T. Sussman
That's the spirit.
Then when everyone's safe and things are back to normal, remind him about the door-hitting-ass warning
43 - Aldino
The United States were "united" for about 5 months under a blanket of blind ignorance caused by fear and grief.
To assume that the entire country should continually rally behind the President regardless of his performance or personal ethics completely removes one of the most vital cogs of the checks and balance system, which is the responsibility of the public and the media to make sure the government that they elected is doing the job that they are supposed to be doing.
There are two very large, very opinionated and very polarized (thanks to the '04 elections) camps fighting for control of america right now, and i personally believe that their views are so disparate that i personally do not know where they are going to be placated. perhaps the McCain/Clinton ticket.. it might reach out to enough people to provide at least a short term answer.
In a larger sense, there's also a battle of over the secularity of america. There's an extreme irony to this, considering the concerns the government has now about letting Iraq turn from a secular to a country to a secular one when you consider the fact that the current conservative trend to push a farther intergration of Christianity into the daily lives of every american, regardless of creed or culture. These people go so far as to recall the names of our (insert booming movies voice here) "founding fathers!!!!" in their support, forgetting that many of the philosophical minds that truly drove our independance from the british were actually deists. do you honestly think that a truly christian thinking nation would have bartered a separation of church in state in the constitution if they were hardcore christian they're being billed as? proliferation of the faith is one of the main tennants that holds this brand of christianity so strongly across the world (and in america in particular), and i don't believe for a second that a truly christian core of government would have denied themeselves the opportunity to continue that trend.
in short, these arguments for a truly 'united' state of america ring false and diversionary to me. while i'm sure there are people out there who just want everyone to get along and want to end the partisan bickering, there are just as many using this argument to circumvent facing the facts about what this presidency hasn't (and unfortunately has) accomplished. the truth is there is such a significant difference in views that a bi-partisan agreement is near impossible to reach. America has to decide WHO it wants to be before it can come together and become it, and Bush is not nearly a strong enough leader to galvanize his people behind him to do so.
44 - billy
must have been all that dick sucking that created the hurrican action, like a vacumm or like a herky bj or something like that and the sounds of a monster dick pulling out of some dudes ass.... yah that's totally possible
45 - Doonesbury
Hey I got one for all you stupid shits.
Satan comes to seek, kill, and destroy.
Go read the scriptures before opening your ignorant lips.
46 - Silas Kain
Satan comes to seek, kill, and destroy.
Um, did Satan kill or destroy anyone in the Bible? I mean, in cold blood? Did he destroy Sodom and Gomorrah? Did he flood the earth for 40 days and cause Noah to forget the Unicorn? Did he crucify Christ? Acts of God are just that, forces of Nature. Let's get off the Satan kills bus and start worrying about taking care of what we need to take care of. It's so easy to blame something ethereal when you have no answers at all, isn't it?
47 - Matthew T. Sussman
Aldino, you make a good point.
BUT NOT IN THIS CASE.
It's like you ignored the last part of my comment -- which was the crucial part.
There's kind of a big crisis down in Cajunland, if you haven't been following the news. In this case, there's no use being a house divided when it comes to rescuing civilians in our own country and rebuilding the city. We need to do this together.
If you were a liberal in New Orleans, would you be so stubborn as to refuse the army's help because you don't like what Bush is doing with the country? If so trade places with someone who would like to be rescued.
48 - jack e. jett
as an aging homosexual, please accept my sincere apology for creating this hurricane. i was bored and wanted to see anderson cooper get wet.
jack jett
49 - Bob A. Booey
That's some good satire, boys :)
I blame it on the feather boas, the power bottoms, and the felching. Oh, and the mint juleps. No man should ever drink a mint julep.
That is all.
50 - Winston Jen
Probably the wierdest thing about these religious bigots is that they're campaigning for pornography to be banned because it's 'obscene'. *rollseyes*
51 - Anthony Grande
God got the wrong city, I think he was aiming for San Fransisco.
52 - Bob A. Booey
Anthony,
Did you know I made out with the "God Hates Fags" guy in San Francisco?
Or maybe I was confused because it was a dark, smoky, loud room and he was trying to turn me on by saying that stuff. I told him to "Put down that sign, sailor!"
And the rest is romantic history.
That is all.
53 - Natalie Davis
Another "good Christian" speaketh.
54 - Bob A. Booey
Who you callin a "good Christian," human?
That is all.
55 - Doonesbury
Silas,
Touche'... now pull your butt out of the OT and look at the NEW COVENENT, which is what authority over Satan is all about.
Holy Spirit, power and authority over Satan... is granted. It is exactly what the NT is about. Two different approaches, and not altogether accepted. For instance, the Baptists, while believing in Christ, believe that God punishes good people.
If you will spend a bit of time in researching, vice talking out of your ass, you will see that thought goes against what Jesus spoke about.
Believe it.... or not. It's up to you. Speak it.... or not. It's still up to you.
There is power is positive thought. Believe
56 - Anthony Grande
The hurricane was done by God, because everything is done by God.
57 - Bennett
"The hurricane was done by God, because everything is done by God."
Heh!
Somebody stop me from funnin with this child!
58 - Steve S
if everything is done by God, then you would be making a big mistake to condemn anything at all.
59 - NUblogger01
augrad:you said
"I just want to say that I, as a true Christian, am humiliated and embarrassed by what those people said (that God sent the hurricane because of the gays, etc.)"
...Don't overlook the words of Jesus in Luke 13:4-5
"Those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."
Even Jesus used events like these to preach on repentance from sin.
Are you?
60 - DrPat
Are we what?
61 - Silas Kain
as an aging homosexual, please accept my sincere apology for creating this hurricane. i was bored and wanted to see anderson cooper get wet.
Ain't THAT the truth, Jack! Who needs the turncoat Bill Hemmer when we have Anderson at CNN and that new hunk-o-the-month Rob Marciano at MSNBC.
62 - Aldino
@ Matthew:
I agree- the only way to rebuild N'Awlins will be bi-partisan cooperation, my comments were more aimed at a more overriding theory of how "united" we are. we're still a country, we are still human, we still respect and warrant tragedies such as these as abhorrent and we all want to do something. so many of our politicans are forgetting the human element in this scenario.
A great case of so was Anderson Cooper l ast night ripping some Louisiana senator into pieces (who btw WAS a dem, just for reference) for backslapping all these politicians for what they've been doing (both dems and republicans), instead of concentrating on how to get help in faster, trying to comfort the people of her state and answer some of the questions as to WHY IT DIDN'T GET THERE FASTER? it may not seem important for some when considering the rebuilding efforts, but do we honestly want that kind of incompetence impeding progress in not only New Orleans, but in Mississippi and Alabama too?
I live in florida, and lived through last year's hurricanes (they were nothing like Katrina, but they were expensive and destructive.) here, people were ready ahead of time, and the local government was in control for nearly all of it. I would rather impale myself w/ the spear of longinus than give any bush credit for anything, but the truth is Jeb Bush is a reason why Florida stayed unified and together during our disasters last year. i don't see GW Bush exhibiting these kinds of leadership, and it makes it hard to rally around him.
the truth is people want answers. the poeple there are PISSED OFF, and with every right. the mayor issued a full city evac notice 3 or 4 days ago now, and there are still tens of thousands left behind. the population has been told to leave by foot along the highways!! where are they gonig to go? dallas? Baton Rouge?? not before they starve and die of dehydration in the Louisiana heat!
completely impermissable, completely inexcusable lapse of leadership across the board. we knew it was gonig to be big, even watching the Weather Channel you could tell sunday night that they were going to get the shit kicked out of them. staging areas should have been set up ahead of time, national guard resources should have been put at alert, and we should have had assistance on the ground AT LEAST in mississippi and 'bama the next day. NO's tragedy was the levees, harder to predict and also delayed in action. but why did it take until only last night for Guard troups to pool into Lakewater, MS?
If we are to rally around something, rally around the humanitarian effort at this point. donate money, try to preserve the gas you can't afford anyway, even volunteer if you can. i'm sure there will be opportunities abound later in the year.
but the truth is, the ramifications behind the failures of our government to mobilize will run far beyond bi-partisan politics. at the lastest, people should start to be held accountable once we get these cities evacuated and maybe an idea of the loss of human life in these cities.
63 - bhw
Actually, New Orleans should not be rebuilt unless it's done with private money. Spend federal money to save lives and that's it. It's just completely stupid to build a city under sea level along the gulf coast. Let private citizens or the people of Louisiana fund the rebuilding, but leave federal money out of it.
64 - Nancy
Just a tad off subject, but not really, I think that anywhere developers build & people insist on living in stupid or unstable, unsafe conditions, they ought to be slapped with a hefty annual surcharge/tax to help pay for their annual - sometimes even monthly - rescue. I do think, tho, that New Orleans should be finished. Wrapped up. Relocated. But not allowed to rebuild there.
65 - Yada
That's silly, if that were the real deal then California should be burned and flooded.
66 - Liberal
"Actually, New Orleans should not be rebuilt unless it's done with private money. Spend federal money to save lives and that's it. It's just completely stupid to build a city under sea level along the gulf coast. Let private citizens or the people of Louisiana fund the rebuilding, but leave federal money out of it."
Oh my God! My taxes will go up and I won't be able to buy that new Lexus next year!!! Forget that the economy of the midsection of the country depends on the ports that depend on the city of NO. Forget that 25% of the country's oil comes from that region and that those producers also need the city's infrastructure to operate. Let the country slip into recession or even depression. Just don't raise my fucking taxes!!!!
67 - bhw
Um, Liberal, don't make assumptions.
I don't think we should have had a tax cut. I didn't vote for Bush. I drive a Dodge. But this isn't about taxes or my car, it's about where it is and isn't smart to rebuild a city.
If the city wants to relocate to higher ground, that's a different story. And THEN if a hurricane levels it, we can blame it on the homos and baby killers.
68 - Mark the Sane and Sensible
"For your information, the opinions expressed by a very small group in PA are exactly that: the opinion of a very small group."
Yes, and hypocrisy of the libbies is again revealed by own edict that we should ALWAYS heed the ideas and needs of very small minority interests.
This is why they are joke. Who sane and sensible could be a part of that kind of ideology?
69 - Mark Adams
And they say such things because it draws attention to themselves. I'm not sure what's more irritating: those who say gays caused the hurricane or those who publicize such things.
70 - caroline
everybody is upset right now .Let people handle this tradgedy in there own way.Free speech is a very important thing in this country . you have to take the good with the bad .You are no better yourself when you start bashing people .Or lumping everyone together .If you are so intelligent than rise above it and worry about the important things like helping the victims and the restoration of this area .Soon things will be put back and life will go on and the important lesson here is that what was learned is that the US is weak in helping its own disaster victims .Next time if it happens again worry about not what is said , but what is being done . Don't attack everyones belief system it is what we hold on to for hope .
71 - deadpirate
Oh, god. whoever created this is a horrible person. oh my god. if he is serious. oh, my god. you sick bastard. well it is an opinion, but that was mine. i'm sorry. but really, come on.
72 - jenny newbolt
Okay, I live fairly close to the disaster-area of the US(North Eastern Arkansas- unfortunately), and there are families here from the Southeast.
Yes, I feel horrible for the people still down there, for all the people without jobs, and for all the homes that were ripped apart.
As for the whole christian arguement you guys are having... the entire thing is ridiculous, and everyday I find another reason why I'm not christian, or any other religion for that matter.
If I wanted to be gay, there had better not be anyone telling me who I can or can't be attracted to. If I want to have an abortion, there had better not be anybody (especially a man- because he doesn't have a uterus, ovaries, or vagina) telling me I can't.
As for the rescue situation, I have spoken with quite a few people who left Louisiana, Mississippi, etc. Apparently, they didn't see rescue till a day or two ago. They hadn't had water or food till then either. Dead bodies are lying around in full display. The national guard wasn't dispatched till Thursday. The hurricane happened on MONDAY MORNING. Oh, and there are SO many more people fleeing from Mississippi rather than New Orleans. The media just chooses that city because it is notorious.
I think using the word "United" to describe the States is absurd. This country continues to astonish me.
I would just like to add that I've been volunteering here in town since the shelters were established, and tonight, my sister and I went to a new shelter and asked some men sitting outside if that was where we need to go to volunteer. They then proceeded to answer IMMEDIATELY with "Not at 11:30 at night." (Yes, that was the time, but I wasn't aware that people in need were on a 9-5 schedule?) He continued on a little, but I wish I would have asked what the hell they were doing there if it was not the "volunteering hour." And why were they wearing Red Cross smocks?
And, this was directly outside the good 'ol First Baptist Church. Innnteresting.
I'm tired, and this probably doesn't make much sense. I just needed to vent. And reading the above arguements was highly entertaining.
73 - nugget
good job jenny. scoop up those antagonizing christians with your big spoon of morality and tell us all how hypocritical they are. you choose to deny a faith because some of its fraudulant adherents pissed you off? jenny you're judgemental and a lunatic. do you hate all muslims because of 9/11?
74 - Jenny Newbolt
Wow, never once claimed to be moral, nor did I even use the word "hypocritical."
I choose to deny a faith based upon personal views.
And while I may be a lunatic and judgemental, I have no disdain towards Muslims at all. I have no certain feelings towards any religious sect, but I do have feelings towards certain people based upon experiences with them, despite religious preference.
Anything else?
75 - Jennifer
Lmao, what a *joke*