My last update on Sunday night’s Katrina post was slightly relieved and even a little hopeful. On Monday morning, it truly seemed as though New Orleans had escaped the worst of the hurricane and that the predictions of catastrophic flooding had been averted.

Well, that momentary relief has turned to horror as the levees began to break this morning. With floods rising in New Orleans and cities like Gulfport and Biloxi bearing the full fury of the storm, it looks like this might be the most costly disaster in American history.

Once it flows in, the water will not drain from New Orleans because of the very levees that protect the city and that largely held during the hurricane. Those levees, built to keep water out, are now keeping the water in, and reports from across the city indicate that water levels are rising.

There was also growing concern that the floodwaters were carrying sewage, spilled fuel and other potentially dangerous pollutants.

In addition, bodies were seen floating in the rising waters, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin reported. But it was not immediately clear whether they were victims of Katrina or corpses unearthed from the above-ground tombs of the city’s cemeteries.

It now appears that those who evacuated the city may not be allowed to return for as long as a month. I can’t even imagine how confusing and scary that must be.

I posted these earlier, but here they are again:
American Red Cross
Catholic Charities USA
Others...

Maybe if stand on one foot and hold the antennas just so, I can keep this site up for more than a minute or two at a time. Sheesh.

I apologize for the intermittent Salmon.

You’ll be happy to know that those responsible for sacking the people who have just been sacked, have been sacked.

:: :: :: ::

Update: Good grief. We apologize again for the fault in the servers.

The directors of the firm hired to continue the Salmon after the other people had been sacked, wish it to be known that they have just been sacked.

I Get Letters

Okay, one more perspective on Pat Robertson and then I’ll let it go. At least until the next time he makes with the crazytalk.

Anyhow, y’all have graciously put up with me, but my sister’s actually the passionate one in the family:

i think that my biggest feeling is not anger or indignation...but one of sadness. sadness that one man’s comments have overshadowed the good that’s being done by christians all over the globe on an hourly basis.

pat robertson is one man — and one man only. and granted, robertson has a major platform in the spotlight and therefore needs to be held accountable for his stewardship of that spotlight...but still, he is just one voice. and in light of that, i refuse to let his voice overshadow the countless voices of christians working to help bring an end to suffering, starvation, hunger, and violence all over the world.

it’s been been a tough couple of weeks for christians everywhere — one of those weeks where i feel like i’m supposed to apologize for being a christian. but to do so would be to turn my back on people such as jenna who’s followed god’s calling from the inner city streets of oakland to the poverty of kenya, or jacob who dodged bullets in the back alleys of palestine in order to bring the word of god’s peace to grade school students in ramallah, or to our parents who gave up a great many things to help fight starvation and infant deaths in developing nations.

most importantly, to apologize for being a christian would be to turn my back on god.

so i hear pat robertson’s voice and i accept its challenge. not a challenge to retaliate, or to excuse, or to hide...but a challenge to join others and speak the truth of christ’s love in a voice so loud that it will overcome any doubt that robertson has planted in the hearts of people everywhere.

so mr. robertson, bring it on. in the name of jenna, and jacob, and brother roger, and my parents, and most importantly, in the name of christ, i am not afraid.

Page 1 of 1 pages