Quiet Storms

Wow, Barack Obama really really gets it. And the Republicans absymally do not.

This is some wonderful stuff, from an Obama speech, on Gustav and storms. It's from a piece by Jay Newton-Small at Time, who has some excerpts.

That spirit of looking out for one another, that core value that says I am my brothers’ keeper, I am my sister’s keeper, that spirit is most evident during times of great tragedy, it’s most evident during times of great hardship, it’s most evident when natural disasters strike because we understand that only God has control and so it takes it out of the realm of politics. We all understand that we have to come together.

But that spirit can’t just be restricted to moments of great catastrophe. Because as I stand here today and look out at the thousands of folks who have gathered here today, I know that there’s some folks that are going through their own quiet storms.

Then he gets into the personal or community struggles over jobs shipped overseas, not having healthcare, seniors unable to afford heating their homes, young people who can't go to college.

All across America there are quiet storms taking place. ... And what has always made this country great is the understanding that we rise and fall as one nation, that values and family, community and neighborhood, they have to express themselves in our government. Those are national values. Those are values that we all subscribe to. And so that the spirit that we extend today and in the days to come as we monitor what happens on the Gulf that’s the spirit that we’ve got to carry with us each and every day. That’s the spirit that we need in our own homes and it’s the spirit that we need in the White House. And that’s why I’m running for president of the United States of America.

Because if there’s a poor child out there, that’s my child. If there’s a senior that’s having trouble, that’s my grandparent. If there’s a guy who’s lost his job, that’s my brother. If there’s a woman out there without healthcare, that’s my sister. Those are the values that built this country. Those are the values we are fighting for.

John McCain wants to rush to the storm when it's glaring and obvious, and where there are political points to score. But all the other storms that are raging, he's nowhere to be found, personally or in his policy.

Republican Convention: "Angry Man Yells At Cloud"

The Republicans have a real opportunity with Gustav bearing down on the Gulf coast. It's reported that John McCain may be giving his speech directly from the hurricane path.

This gives them the perfect convention theme, "Angry Man Yells at Cloud." He'll be right there on the scene where all the clouds live, and, for all of us, he can give them a piece of our mind!

Gustav

Here's "hoping" that Hurricane Gustav doesn't affect populated areas or cause great devastation, loss of life and property. But we all ought to realize that what we "hope for" doesn't appear to affect storms and weather patterns.

It seems like a big deal, even though it shouldn't, whenever someone suggests that a hurricane has some discernible cause relating to current events. Such as "God is angry with New Orleans for having a gay rights parade," or "God is angry with the Democrats," or "God is angry with the Republicans." All of that ought to be seen as hogwash. When Focus on the Family prayed that God would send a torrential downpour and rain out Obama's speech, and it didn't happen, that's something to mock. Even if there had been a torrential downpour, it would have been a real stretch to give Dobson credit for it. It'd still be something to ridicule, to think God is simply man's puppet to be worked for partisan dirty tricks!

When people say such things, of course they can be serious. When you hear John Hagee say such things, you know he's serious, because that's the kind of outlook he has. But when you hear someone like Michael Moore say it, you know he's joking, because his true outlook is nothing like that. So it's a matter of fake outrage when the right-wingers try to spin comments someone like Moore makes as something that makes any difference to the situation. It's just trying to score points with potential victims, which is disgusting.

None of this is to suggest that humans have nothing to do with the severity of hurricanes. I don't know much about climate change as it relates to humanity. But it would be hard to believe we could just endlessly pollute the environment and not expect some bad effects. The thing is, though, it doesn't have to do with humanity's actions this week or next week or whether a parade is held.

I'm hoping, hoping, hoping that nothing bad happens. For all the good that hoping, hoping, hoping is likely to do!