Florida ‘Punished’. The State of Florida, whose egregiously incompetent and unjust election in the year 2000 gave George Bush the White House, and which has, according to some observers, not made enuf changes to guarantee there will be no repeat of unfairness, has been hit by 4 hurricanes this year (so far), the first time in 118 years that it has felt the sting of 4 hurricanes in one season. Large parts of other Southern states have as well been hit by high winds, soaking rains, massive property damage, and weather-produced deaths. This hurricane season happens also to be a presidential election season. In every era of human history but ours, such “acts of God” would be taken as clear signs that God is angry with the South generally and Florida in particular.
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Considering that the areas of the South struck by hurricanes constitute a large part of the Bible Belt, we can hope that millions of the people affected will indeed feel that God is specially angry with them, and actually ask themselves why. Might their vicious attitudes toward other people and their consistently voting for the most regressive politicians and policies have stirred the wrath of the Almighty?: Didn’t I tell you to do unto others as you would have them do unto you? What does it take to get thru to you people?
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In being vicious toward others, the Deep South has held itself back. After all, to keep a man down, you have to stay down with him.
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It is well past time for the South to stop being so ugly and negative, but let people live their own lives by their own lites — including gay men and blacks; stop voting for jingoists, militarists, and imperialists; and become in truth the New South we keep waiting for.
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Then maybe the hurricanes will veer out to sea harmlessly. Maybe not. But it’s worth a try.
- posted by L. Craig Schoonmaker @ 1:50 PM