First Door on the Left

An evangelical Christian group that regularly demonstrates at LGBT events is blaming gays for hurricane Katrina.

Repent America says that God “destroyed” New Orleans because of Southern Decadence, the gay festival that was to have taken place in the city over the Labor Day weekend.

“Southern Decadence” has a history of filling the French Quarters section of the city with drunken homosexuals engaging in sex acts in the public streets and bars” Repent America director Michael Marcavage said in a statement Wednesday.

“Although the loss of lives is deeply saddening, this act of God destroyed a wicked city.” Marcavage said. “From ‘Girls Gone Wild’ to ‘Southern Decadence’, New Orleans was a city that had its doors wide open to the public celebration of sin. May it never be the same.” [link]

Hat tip: AmericaBlog.

What?! No mention of Mardi Gras? God likes Mardi Gras?

I laugh every time I hear the term “compassionate conservative.” I do not believe such a thing exists. It may have at one time, but it has become extinct as the radical right-wingers have taken charge of the Republican party.

Perfect example (unedited):

Let me explain something: life if full of choices.

Take what happened in New Orleans for example: People had plenty of forewarning that a monster hurricane was headed there way. They could have left town. They didn’t. They could have gone to the Super Dome. They didn’t. They could have prepared properly for the storm by stocking up on bottled water, food, and other necessities. They didn’t.

So the storm hits and suddenly they they realize — duh — I have no food, I have no water, and I’m in trouble. So then, if instead of looking for help or trying to move to a place where they’ll have easier access to help, they kick in a door and start stealing whatever they want, I have very little sympathy for them — even if they’re taking food, water, and baby food.

These people didn’t prepare and if they turn to crime because of it, they deserve to be treated like exactly what they are: scumbag criminals…

Just to be clear: Am I saying the police should force to keep people out of grocery stores? Absolutely. Should people be prosecuted and sent to jail for looting whenever possible? Absolutely. Should the police, national giard, and military be willing to gun people down to keep them from looting? Absolutely.

This is not downtown Baghdad after Saddam fell, it’s not the Sudan, and it’s not “Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome”. This is United States of America and we should not tolerate this ridiculous, lawless, behavior in this country.

My dictionary defines compassion as deep sympathy or pity. Doesn’t seem to be much of either there. Not at all.

President Bush, left, plays a guitar presented to him by Country singer Mark Wills, backstage following his visit to Naval Base Coronado, Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2005. Bush visited the base to deliver remarks on V-J Commemoration Day. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais):

Nice guitar… presidential seal and everything.

Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast on Monday, Aug. 29, 2005.

Today, Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2005, the AP reports:

The president decided he should be in the nation’s capital given the magnitude of destruction and death caused by Katrina, one of the most severe storms to ever hit the United States.

Mighty nice of him to reach this decision more than two days after the fact!

Meanwhile…

Mayor: Katrina May Have Killed Thousands

NEW ORLEANS (AP) – The mayor said Wednesday that Katrina probably killed thousands of people in New Orleans – an estimate that, if accurate, would make the storm by far the nation’s deadliest hurricane in more than a century.

“We know there is a significant number of dead bodies in the water,” and other people dead in attics, Mayor Ray Nagin said. Asked how many, he said: “Minimum, hundreds. Most likely, thousands.”

The frightening estimate came as Army engineers struggled to plug New Orleans’ breached levees with giant sandbags and concrete barriers, while authorities drew up plans to clear out the tens of thousands of people left in the Big Easy and all but abandon the flooded-out city.

There will be a “total evacuation of the city. We have to. The city will not be functional for two or three months,” Nagin said.

But George got his guitar… that’s the important thing.

From USA Today…

Gov. orders city abandoned, Navy ships enroute

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Army engineers struggled without success to plug New Orleans’ breached levees with sandbags, and the governor said Wednesday the situation is worsening and there was no choice but to abandon the flooded city.

“We’ve sent buses in. We will be either loading them by boat, helicopter, anything that is necessary,” Gov. Kathleen Blanco said.

Army engineers struggled without success to plug New Orleans’ breached levees with sandbags, and Blanco said Wednesday the situation was worsening, leaving no choice but to evacuate…

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said hundreds, if not thousands, of people may still be stuck on roofs and in attics, and so rescue boats were bypassing the dead.

“We’re not even dealing with dead bodies,” Nagin said. “They’re just pushing them on the side.”

The flooding in New Orleans grew worse by the minute, prompting the evacuation of hotels and hospitals and an audacious plan to drop huge sandbags from helicopters to close up one of the breached levees. At the same time, looting broke out in some neighborhoods, the sweltering city of 480,000 had no drinkable water, and the electricity could be out for weeks.

Perhaps Paul says it best… unless you’re living it, it is difficult to understand it.