Hurricane Katrina Disaster

New Orleans—If God Didn’t Do it, Who Did?

After reading several articles about the media's coverage of the Hurricane Katrina disaster, I finally found what I was looking for. Several days ago, I heard a commentator making several parallels between the attacks of 9/11 and the present disaster. While not entirely "awestruck", I did quickly divert my attention away from my computer screen to the television. The comments sounded something like this:

When the towers fell, Bush stood on a still smoldering pile of rubble and said, "We'll hunt down whoever's responsible and make them pay!" Well, now what's he going to do? Do you think he'll come down to Louisiana and pound his fists on the ground, stare skyward and scream "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT GOD!?!?" Hah, hah-- I don't think so [smirk] Back to you...

I was somewhat taken aback by this comment, and have been scouring the Internet in search of a religious discussion of the disaster. MAZEL TOV!!! I had to look no further than Washington's very own Rabbi Daniel Lapin. Here are some quotes from his latest essay on Toward Tradition:

The immediacy of the suffering makes us forget that disasters have afflicted mankind since the days of Noah. Like the Asian tsunami did, the New Orleans disaster provokes serious questions. Some ask, "What sort of God would allow so many innocent people to be killed?" Others present the quandary this way: There are only two choices. Either God is all powerful in which case he did this cruel thing or else he couldn't stop it in which case he's impotent and who needs an impotent deity?

In reality however, there is another approach. This catastrophe was horrible but instead of waving a defiant fist at God, let us calmly examine how He set up the world to work.

If you have time, read the full text available at www.TowardTradition.org by clicking here. I found the Rabbi's essay quite inspiring. In times of tragedy and great need we often forget how small we are compared to the bigger picture, Rabbi Lapin reminds us.

Blame Amid Tragedy

For a great commentary on the 'blame-game' taking place in the mainstream media, read the Evergreen States' very own Bob Williams' guest commentary to the Wall Street Journal (available here).



Just more food for thought as the response continues.

(hat tip to Brian Crouch at http://www.soundpolitics.com/ for blogging on the Rabbi's essay)