by Pa Rock
Citizen Journalist
The bottom line is that Houston - and, indeed, much of coastal Texas and Louisiana - needs our help. Hurricane Harvey dumped rainfall on the low and densely populated areas of those states so deep that it had to be reported in feet rather than in inches. The resulting flood would have gotten the attention of Noah, and it was just one of several occurring worldwide at that same time.
Texas politicians are among some of the hardest to convince that the earth is undergoing dramatic climate changes - and that those changes are the result of actions by mankind, never mind that the evidence is flooding the streets and homes of the people who vote them into office. But regardless of the ignorance and indifference of their politicians, the people of Houston need our help. That's the bottom line.
A big part of the reason that the flood damage has been so colossal in and around Houston is that the city and the state of Texas have never been proactive in addressing the danger of potential flooding. Governing bodies are elected to find ways to increase gun sales, dumb down education, and stymie abortions. Anything else is probably socialist in nature and can best be addressed through individual initiative or the good will of charities. But the people who have traditionally never had a voice in Houston are now standing in four feet of water - and they need our help. That is the bottom line.
Texas politicians were among some of the most mean-spirited in Congress when it cane to providing disaster relief to people in New Jersey and along the East Coast after the horrors of Hurricane Sandy - with over twenty members of the Texas congressional delegation and hateful Senator Ted Cruz voting against the aid package. But now the shoe is on the other foot, and we must hope and pray as a nation that New Jersey's politicians possess more true Christian charity than their Texas brothers in Christ. That's the bottom line - Houston and its neighbors need our help.
Joel Osteen, the well-heeled pastor of a Houston mega-church, an edifice to the glory of God that seats in excess of 16,000 donating souls at its regular services, literally tripped all over himself this week as he struggled to justify not opening his church's doors to the bedraggled and muddy refugees of the storm. Negative publicity and increasing public pressure for some good old-fashioned Christian compassion has apparently finally succeeded in forcing Rev. Osteen to open the doors of God's showplace to the muddy masses, albeit belatedly and reluctantly.
But this crisis isn't about protecting carpets and plush pews, or sticking it to East Coast liberals, or issuing recriminations against Texas for being Texas. This is about casting a lifeline to those in need. It is about the social obligations that should be felt by all humans - and that is the bottom line.
The Salvation Army has my donation. I have had involvement with them through several disasters, and know firsthand they can be relied upon to spend the money where it is actually needed. But regardless of how one chooses to get involved, it is imperative that we all do something.
Houston needs our help. That is the bottom line.
Citizen Journalist
The bottom line is that Houston - and, indeed, much of coastal Texas and Louisiana - needs our help. Hurricane Harvey dumped rainfall on the low and densely populated areas of those states so deep that it had to be reported in feet rather than in inches. The resulting flood would have gotten the attention of Noah, and it was just one of several occurring worldwide at that same time.
Texas politicians are among some of the hardest to convince that the earth is undergoing dramatic climate changes - and that those changes are the result of actions by mankind, never mind that the evidence is flooding the streets and homes of the people who vote them into office. But regardless of the ignorance and indifference of their politicians, the people of Houston need our help. That's the bottom line.
A big part of the reason that the flood damage has been so colossal in and around Houston is that the city and the state of Texas have never been proactive in addressing the danger of potential flooding. Governing bodies are elected to find ways to increase gun sales, dumb down education, and stymie abortions. Anything else is probably socialist in nature and can best be addressed through individual initiative or the good will of charities. But the people who have traditionally never had a voice in Houston are now standing in four feet of water - and they need our help. That is the bottom line.
Texas politicians were among some of the most mean-spirited in Congress when it cane to providing disaster relief to people in New Jersey and along the East Coast after the horrors of Hurricane Sandy - with over twenty members of the Texas congressional delegation and hateful Senator Ted Cruz voting against the aid package. But now the shoe is on the other foot, and we must hope and pray as a nation that New Jersey's politicians possess more true Christian charity than their Texas brothers in Christ. That's the bottom line - Houston and its neighbors need our help.
Joel Osteen, the well-heeled pastor of a Houston mega-church, an edifice to the glory of God that seats in excess of 16,000 donating souls at its regular services, literally tripped all over himself this week as he struggled to justify not opening his church's doors to the bedraggled and muddy refugees of the storm. Negative publicity and increasing public pressure for some good old-fashioned Christian compassion has apparently finally succeeded in forcing Rev. Osteen to open the doors of God's showplace to the muddy masses, albeit belatedly and reluctantly.
But this crisis isn't about protecting carpets and plush pews, or sticking it to East Coast liberals, or issuing recriminations against Texas for being Texas. This is about casting a lifeline to those in need. It is about the social obligations that should be felt by all humans - and that is the bottom line.
The Salvation Army has my donation. I have had involvement with them through several disasters, and know firsthand they can be relied upon to spend the money where it is actually needed. But regardless of how one chooses to get involved, it is imperative that we all do something.
Houston needs our help. That is the bottom line.
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