Rambling...

In a column titled "Shock and Awe in America", syndicated columnist Kathleen Parker states, "No, he [Pres. Bush] didn't cause the hurricane, nor, by the way, did God in retribution against sin, or gays, or corruption - or whatever story the end-time gang is advancing this week." Now the major thrust of her column was to criticize the President's actions following Katrina's leveling of the Big Easy. I've heard everything from President Bush's failure to sign the Kyoto protocol to the diversion of levee funds to build a new casino given as reasons for the catastrophic destruction in the Gulf. I've heard numerous pundits emphatically deny that our sins had anything to do with the the tragedy. I don't presume to speak for God, nor will I definitively say that He directly caused this particular hurricane. I can say that at the least, He either allowed it, or He was powerless to stop it. I know the latter is not the case, but if it is, then it doesn't matter how we as individuals or nations live. If the former is the case, however...

I've stopped counting the number of times I've heard that some variation of "God wouldn't do such a thing". These thoughts (IMHO) are based upon two false premises: That any of us are truly "innocent", and Who and What God is. Deceived - yes. Ignorant - yes. Innocent - no. None of us. The Bible is full of examples of God punishing disobedient nations using catastrophes, famines, plagues, droughts, lack of peace, and subjugation. Once again, I'm not saying God targeted New Orleans, but there are most certainly plenty of precedents.

The people affected are certainly in need of any help we can give them. I feel helpless, but not nearly as helpless as I imagine the residents of New Orleans, Gulfport, and Biloxi feel. The suffering there is unimagineable to me. There are so many people out there like Heather who are in pain because their neighbors are in pain. There, but for the grace of God, go us. Everyone is wondering how we can prevent such a catastrophe in the future. The one sure way to prevent this type of thing, along with tsunamis, looting, rapes, murders, cancers, etc., is never broached - unless it's by the "religious crackpots."

On a lighter note, we took a pic after Jalen's game. They're 2-0, and have won their two games by a combined score of 80-12.