A Stitch in Haste

I would never make light of a natural disaster, but this post needs to be written.

Remember how some fundamentalist Christians blamed Hurricane Katrina on the sinfulness of the City of New Orleans, conveniently forgetting both that many other regions suffered from the catastrophe and that, if anti-gay bigotry is a proper Christian virtue, then the State of Louisiana went out of its way to be virtuous.

Then Pat Robertson reminded the voters sinners of Dover, Pennsylvania, that if God happened to be in a smiteful mood any time soon, then they shouldn't be surprised if He set His sites on that Intelligent-Design-rejecting locale. (Never mind that ID proponents insist that their anti-science gobbledygook is not in any way "Christian" theology.)

Well, God still has lousy aim:

At least a dozen wildfires were burning in Oklahoma on Sunday, pushed by 50 mph wind gusts.
...
"Today has been extremely intense," Fire Maj. Brian Stanaland said in Oklahoma City. "I think it's maybe starting to take its toll on our department."

Remember, the single most important (even if unwritten) Commandment for fundamentalist Christians is to oppose gays at all costs.

So how pious are Oklahomans?

In the first weeks of Oklahoma's 2004 legislative session, 10 anti-gay bills were introduced, including one to ban gay marriage and another to prohibit the recognition of out-of-state adoptions by same-sex couples.

One of those bills was a resolution urging Congress to pass the Federal Marriage Amendment. And the state's bigot amendment passed in November 2004 by a 3-1 margin. If God hates gays, then he ought to love Oklahomans.

Like I said, God has lousy aim. Either that or -- can it possibly be -- the fundamentalists might be wrong?

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While watching CNN from my San Francisco hotel room, I heard Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry indicate that, when he called the White House to urge the rapid declaration of Oklahoma as a federal disaster area, the President was "unable to take his call." What the heck could the President be doing on New Year's Day that was so important (besides trying various hangover remedies)? Does the fact that Henry is a Democrat matter? I certainly hope not.