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taratemimaUntil the reports of 140 mph winds, I didn't think it would be too bad. I lived through Hurricane Gloria, which was predicted to be much worse than it really was.
But this really blows. No pun intended.
I had thought of posting it but![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
browngirl beat me to it. If anyone on my flist in the Southeast has spare room, please do. You know better than me how terrible this is. "On the Times-Picayune's website ( http://www.nola.com/ ) there's a place to offer space for refugees to stay long-term (http://www.nola.com/forums/homesavailable/), as well as many other useful links and ways to help. That struck me particularly, so I'm putting it here. (A similar effort is here: http://www.hurricanehousing.org . Hopefully they have coordinated/will coordinate.)"
It puts dark light on some prime piece of fiddle-dee-dee right-wing commentary posted a few days earlier. Basically, this person says, it isn't really important in Judaism and Christianity to help the poor. Oh, let him say it--
But such concerns were never the only Judeo-Christian values, and the "poor" in biblical nomenclature were truly destitute, not at all analogous to those classified as "poor" in America. Overwhelmingly, the "poor" of America live in a home with two or more rooms per person and air conditioning, and own a car, refrigerator, stove, clothes washer and dryer and microwave. They have two color televisions, cable or satellite TV reception, a VCR or DVD player and a stereo, and obtain medical care (even without health insurance). Nearly half actually own their own homes.
(quoted here at World O'Crap)
Yep, the 'poor' have real great until one of them gets too sick to be taken care of by free or sliding scale clinics. Or their shack they own gets foreclosed because of said medicial bills. Or they can't get out of the city before a hurricane sinks all that (used, gifted, salvaged, or, I'm sorry to say, stolen*) possessions. See, whatever material goods you can get, it comes down if you have resources at hand to deal with disaster, be it your father coming down with leprosy or a huge hurricane.
I am going to give the commentator the benefit of the doubt and assume he is helping out. Unlike certain whiny mamma's boys not getting that lack of resources and few savings = screwed**. He is certainly not calling this God's punishment for Girls Gone Wild and partying gay men like some people. I mean, why does their God have such poor aim and timing?
Plus, before we get all smug about cities built below sea level, Boston is damn close to the ocean. Just saying. Plus, cutting budgets and not undertaking studies to make NOLA safe against levee breakage (You can watch an ad to read this--I'd just get pissed if I did). Remember what I said about lack of resources?
I can't believe that these folks piss me off more than the looters. Now the rapists in the Superdome on the other hand, makes me wish I could kill people with my brain.
Hey, speaking of Sodom and Gomorrah, wasn't their sin that they were uncharitable to strangers? Just testing.
*My stepfather bought stolen goods. This is not a judgment on anyone in Biloxi or New Orleans. I assume those not looting are more honest than my stepfather.
**Guys, I'm torn. I want to give this guy a lecture about loving the stranger and practicing mercy and lovingkindness that is supposed to be part of his religion and I want to kick him repeatedly in the shins and saying nasty things about whether he is half-vampire bat.***
***I won't make the fat jokes, however. Hell, I'm chubby and don't have kids, and I don't send people who may be my friends and acquaintances to do something I am not willing to do. As a citizen, I owe them to make sure war is the last resort, that reasons are clear and verifiable and consistent, and that there is agreement on when it is accomplished and how (freaking constitution that could lead to Islamist government, rah rah).
But this really blows. No pun intended.
I had thought of posting it but
browngirl beat me to it. If anyone on my flist in the Southeast has spare room, please do. You know better than me how terrible this is. "On the Times-Picayune's website ( http://www.nola.com/ ) there's a place to offer space for refugees to stay long-term (http://www.nola.com/forums/homesavailable/), as well as many other useful links and ways to help. That struck me particularly, so I'm putting it here. (A similar effort is here: http://www.hurricanehousing.org . Hopefully they have coordinated/will coordinate.)" It puts dark light on some prime piece of fiddle-dee-dee right-wing commentary posted a few days earlier. Basically, this person says, it isn't really important in Judaism and Christianity to help the poor. Oh, let him say it--
But such concerns were never the only Judeo-Christian values, and the "poor" in biblical nomenclature were truly destitute, not at all analogous to those classified as "poor" in America. Overwhelmingly, the "poor" of America live in a home with two or more rooms per person and air conditioning, and own a car, refrigerator, stove, clothes washer and dryer and microwave. They have two color televisions, cable or satellite TV reception, a VCR or DVD player and a stereo, and obtain medical care (even without health insurance). Nearly half actually own their own homes.
(quoted here at World O'Crap)
Yep, the 'poor' have real great until one of them gets too sick to be taken care of by free or sliding scale clinics. Or their shack they own gets foreclosed because of said medicial bills. Or they can't get out of the city before a hurricane sinks all that (used, gifted, salvaged, or, I'm sorry to say, stolen*) possessions. See, whatever material goods you can get, it comes down if you have resources at hand to deal with disaster, be it your father coming down with leprosy or a huge hurricane.
I am going to give the commentator the benefit of the doubt and assume he is helping out. Unlike certain whiny mamma's boys not getting that lack of resources and few savings = screwed**. He is certainly not calling this God's punishment for Girls Gone Wild and partying gay men like some people. I mean, why does their God have such poor aim and timing?
Plus, before we get all smug about cities built below sea level, Boston is damn close to the ocean. Just saying. Plus, cutting budgets and not undertaking studies to make NOLA safe against levee breakage (You can watch an ad to read this--I'd just get pissed if I did). Remember what I said about lack of resources?
I can't believe that these folks piss me off more than the looters. Now the rapists in the Superdome on the other hand, makes me wish I could kill people with my brain.
Hey, speaking of Sodom and Gomorrah, wasn't their sin that they were uncharitable to strangers? Just testing.
*My stepfather bought stolen goods. This is not a judgment on anyone in Biloxi or New Orleans. I assume those not looting are more honest than my stepfather.
**Guys, I'm torn. I want to give this guy a lecture about loving the stranger and practicing mercy and lovingkindness that is supposed to be part of his religion and I want to kick him repeatedly in the shins and saying nasty things about whether he is half-vampire bat.***
***I won't make the fat jokes, however. Hell, I'm chubby and don't have kids, and I don't send people who may be my friends and acquaintances to do something I am not willing to do. As a citizen, I owe them to make sure war is the last resort, that reasons are clear and verifiable and consistent, and that there is agreement on when it is accomplished and how (freaking constitution that could lead to Islamist government, rah rah).
