Check out Amanda’s post, about reading Shakespeare to her children.

Be Still, My Beating Heart – indeed.

Good stuff.

UberKuh has an interesting post, listed in the Dec. 11th Carnival of the Godless, which lists various forms of “Atheistic Belief”, along with a brief explanantion and example. I found it interesting, myself.

He makes a point that jumped out at me.

Until one has attempted to understand why atheists are who they are, one’s biases and arguments for and against atheism must be said to be superficial and trite, and should not be taken seriously.

I’m not quite sure about some of the listings, though, like this one:

Incapable (Da₂):
This type of atheist is aware that a deity is claimed to exist and is motivated to form an opinion about the truth of that claim, but is incapable of grasping what that claim entails. For example, a mentally challenged person who has been told about Jesus but is unable to grasp who Jesus claimed to be can be called an atheist with respect to belief in Jesus.

I’ve worked with children quite a bit. I know children as young as 3 who know who Jesus was, and who He claimed to be. Not fully, but quite enough to explain to someone else. Some, on the other hand, don’t – but there are some who do. I don’t know how well that one holds up. We’re talking about mentally retarded people in this instance – but children are usually the best comparison, there.

I’ll have to devote some time to examining them. Just thought I’d share.

I watched “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” yesterday.

It was visually exquisite. It was very faithful to the spirit of the book (with one exception I’ll explain later). It was, in a word, a movie which actually made me tear up, due to the sheer power of presentation – which, I’ll say, was due to three things.

1. The absolutely breathtaking visual presentation.

2. The casting genius, and acting skills of the characters.

Most importantly:

3. The story.

As far as #1 goes, this was what made the movie work. No doubt, and no argument allowed. Narnia was…. impossible, incredible, and just like you imagined it as a child. Exactly like it. Whoever came up with the visual “look” for Narnia.. was a genius. The effects were superb, and Aslan was… Aslan. Down to the eyes. It was magnificent.

As for #2: Peter looked exactly like Peter should. Edmund looked just like I’d always imagined Edmund – even down to the bratty older brother looks he gave Lucy. Perfect. Susan was, indeed, Susan the Gentle. Lucy… the most adorable little girl I’ve seen on film since Drew Barrymore in ET.

The acting was great. The white witch was almost perfect… except she was blond. Plus the whole “ninja queen” thing at the end. C’mon. Oh well. Aslan ate her. hah.

Liam as the voice of Aslan … awesome. The dwarf? Picture perfect. The minotaur? Great. The centaurs? Rockin. The fauns? Holy crap, they were great.

The giants! Sweet!

#3? The story, was… C.S. Lewis. Fantasy by a professor of medieval literature is, and SHOULD be good. It is, and always will be, one of the hallmarks of children’s fantasy.

How did they screw up? They departed from the story. Every part of it that was Lewis’ shone through with the brilliance of a master’s work. If you realize a master’s work, it will be masterful. The departures looked forced, they didn’t make as much sense as sticking with the story would have, and the character departures were jarring. Even if I hadn’t read the books over 3-4 dozen times, I’d still say the same. Peter was Peter… until they made him a wuss. Then, he was someone else for a while – and it showed. Edmund was spot-on. Susan was a bit less gentle then she should have been, and a bit more bossy. Lucy… was spot-on. The two older children were messed with, and they should not have been, to fit cultural “norms”. The book is about gentle young women, and strong young men, and how those two are what make Men and Women.

Anyway. The movie, despite the departures, is EXCELLENT. I recommend it very highly. I really wish they hadn’t changed parts, the same as I wished it with LOTR. Despite that, it’s incredible. Peter’s charge will bring tears of joy to your eyes, you young men. Don’t be ashamed. That sort of thing is what young men are made for. A glorious charge, a righteous fight – these are the things men are built to do. We love them. Well we should.

Aslan’s roar… a thing of beauty. There’s too many great things to count. A few things which mar it, but overall, it’s awesome.

Watch it. Peter isn’t as strong as he should be – but he’s still the High King he should be, once the battle starts. Edmund is still the hero, attacking the Witch. It’s not quite – the BBC version was closer to the book. This version, however, is simply a masterpiece, (visually) if not quite as story-perfect. The BBC version’s effects are quite dated. This is Narnia, and nothing else has ever looked anything close.

Aslan is on the move. Long live Aslan.

and we’re gonna get married!

The big date is Saturday, November 26th, at 9am CST!

So, I hope that explains the lack of posts recently, and the dearth of posts you’re going to experience for a bit longer, as we go on our honeymoon for the week following.

We’re just having a simple, garden wedding. We’re going to Gatlinburg, TN for the honeymoon.

Sorry, but I’m not going to even think about blogging – at all – for, oh, roughly a week 😀

Hate it for ‘ya!

So, have fun, read someone else in the meantime (what few readers I still have, after all of this craziness lately, post-Katrina, and pre-wedding!), and have a great Thanksgiving holiday!

Just in case you didn’t know – the bride blogs here. She’s not blogging either, incidentally 😀

Seeya!

~ RK

Posted originally as one of the opening entries on this blog. I’m pressed for time, as you may have noticed, and I feel bad just letting this blog sit here. Some of you may not have seen this one…

So, enjoy.

Atheism

Definition:
Dictionary.com

Quote:

1. Disbelief in or denial of the existence of God or gods.
2. The doctrine that there is no God or gods.

Language origin: Greek

“a” (negative, negator) – “theos” (god) = “No God”

Antithesis:

Theism – Belief in the existence of a god or gods, especially belief in a personal God as creator and ruler of the world. (Dictionary.com)

Self-definitions

* “An atheist is someone who believes and/or knows there is no god.”
* “An atheist lacks belief in a god.”
* “An atheist exercises no faith in the concept of god at all.”
* “An atheist is someone who is free from religious oppression and bigotry.”
* “An atheist is someone who is a free-thinker, free from religion and its ideas.”

Reasons:

1. Lack of Evidence

Example:

The supporting evidence isn’t good enough for him to affirm God’s existence. (agnostic?)

2. Illogical

Example:

Says there is evidence contrary to God’s existence.

3. Non-Issue

Example:

Lack belief in God the way they lack belief in invisible space snails in orbit around Saturn.

Common Presuppositions

(NOTE – NOT universally adopted. The ONLY common belief is a belief that God does not exist.)

1. There is no God or devil.
2. There is no supernatural realm.
3. Miracles cannot occur.
4. There is no such thing as sin as a violation of God’s will.
5. Generally, the universe is materialistic and measurable.
6. Man is material.

7. Generally, evolution is considered a scientific fact.
8. Ethics and morals are relative

Example Argument

God is supposed to be all good and all powerful. Evil and suffering exist in the world. If God is all good he would not want evil and suffering to exist. If He is all powerful then He is able to remove all evil and suffering. Since evil and suffering exist, God is either not all good (which means he is not perfect and not God), or he is not all powerful (and limited in abilities and scope). Since either case shows God is not all good and powerful, then He does not exist.

Mission: Prove a negative, absolute statement

Your mission, should you choose to accept it – is to state that there is absolutely no god, and that the concept of god is absolutely false -then, to prove this statement: NO GOD =1

First, we have to make a couple definitions. A CANNOT be A and NOT A, at the same time.

To say there is NO God is an absolute statement. So, if you say that there is NO God, No God = NOT A. If you say that there IS a God, God = A. A cannot be A, and NOT A at the same time, remember. So, the mission is to prove that A =/= A – but A = NOT A.

If A = god, and NOT A = No god

A cannot be A, but MUST be NOT A, in order for NOT A to be true.

NOT A and A are not equal, and cannot have the same value – so, we must accept that NOT A =/= A.

In order for NOT A to be a true statement. A MUST be false. In order for NOT A to be accepted true, the axiom of “A =/= NOT A” MUST be accepted – thus, absolutes must be accepted, in order for there to be NO god. No is an ABSOLUTE statement – thus, A MUST be false, and it MUST be accompanied by a proof, for the statements GOD = A , and NO GOD = NOT A, to be logically true.

So, since we’ve established that “No God”, and “God” are mutually exclusive – we’ll move on.

“No God” is a negative value – so, the mission is to prove a negative. God cannot exist, and there must be proof of God’s non-existence – or there is still a possibility of A equaling A.

To prove that A = A, however, is still pretty hard. It’s an axiom, like 0=0, or 1=1. To prove that God = A, requires that Not A also be proven false. So, on the other side, we’re also stuck.

But, we’ve proven that it’s impossible to “prove” God’s existence, or non-existence – and, we HAVE proven the existence of absolutes. So, it’s now possible to use absolutes in our argument,s henceforth. A, forever after, CANNOT also be NOT A – thus, unless you invalidate absolutes altogether, and thus, any scientific method, you’re stuck with absolutes as an axiom. So to accept that A cannot be NOT A did absolutely nothing but prove absolute exist. So, let’s move on.

So, here’s the next question – if a statement is unprovable – how can it be absolute?

The answer?

It can’t.

So, the basic statement Atheism is founded upon is based upon belief, to put it bluntly – yet contains an absolute statement – which, in order to be undeniably correct, would have to prove a negative – something which has NEVER been done in the history of logical thought.

So, in order to back up that absolute statement saying there is NO god, you would have to prove a negative – but, how do you prove that the negative of something which you say does not exist, does NOT exist – without recognizing it’s existence?

On the other hand, any Religion has only the burden of evidence to bear – not the burden of proof – because all religions are based upon faith in the unprovable – not an absolute statement of fact. If you believe something, you believe IN something. You have no need to prove the non-existence of a thing – you just have to prove a thing exists. Also impossible, but not because of logical impossibility – but factual impossibility. Noone, but the God believed in, can know ALL the facts – so, it’s unprovable. There is evidence, of course – which an Atheist can never have – there CAN be no evidence of the NON existence of something – because there would be nothing to see, if the thing which does not exist – doesn’t exist.

Existence is either believed, or disbelieved – but it is never known, with complete certainly.

I originally wrote this post on July 3rd, 2004, on my original blog. The area between the horizontal breaks was added today.

This week has been wild. First, Bethany’s car died. I spent until 9 pm fixing it, after I had worked a long day. The next day, Bethany’s power dims, and none of her plugs work. I have a computer I’m about to work on, and I have to tell this nice older man at church that I can’t fix it just yet… That same night, my truck dies… horribly. Blew a head gasket. Bethany’s had a psychotic week at work, she’s sick, I’m exhausted… So, I figure this is appropriate.

I used to HATE it when this didn’t go my way. It’d get me down, depressed, and oh, so pissed off.

Praise the Lord, I’m no longer bound to the emotional savagery that washes over you when it seems everything in life is conspiring to drown you, and crush you.

See, I live by a different paradigm, now. My goal is NOT to advance myself, and to make sure I’m #1 on everyone’s list. It’s to advance the cause of Christ! So, like my friends from Skillet,

 Quote:

I’m a beep, I’m a vapor
I’m just a blinking light
I’m a beep, I’m a vapor
And I’m about to evaporate

And the future’s robbing my soul
I’m face to face with my futility
And my life is slipping away
Inhaling my mortality

And I feel my skin’s just a shell
Underneath is my reality
I breathe dimensions unknown
It conquers my mortality

It’s a mad world will it ever stop?
Will the madness end?
While my body decays my soul does not
Death is just the beginning

And the future is robbing my soul
Inhaling my mortality

‘Vanity of vanities – all is vanity”, says the preacher – and I’m inclined to agree with him. Everything I’ve ever set my heart on, save God, has been systematically dismantled, bit by bit. I know why, too – I still claim ownership over my own life, in many respects, and count my worthiness in other’s esteem, much too often.

God’s solution, as usual, is to pare my life down to it’s essence – He asks me, like Peter:

 Quote:

15 So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Tend My lambs.” 16 He said to him again a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.” He said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.

– John 21:15-19

That’s all that matters, folks.

Not job, not significant other, not children, not hobbies, not skill, not esteem – just read this.

 Quote:

23 And Jesus, looking around, said to His disciples, “How hard it will be for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!” 24 The disciples were amazed at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They were even more astonished and said to Him, “Then who can be saved?” 27 Looking at them, Jesus said, “With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.” 28 Peter began to say to Him, “Behold, we have left everything and followed You.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or farms, for My sake and for the gospel’s sake, 30 but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life. 31 “But many who are first will be last, and the last, first.”

Yeah, I’m some religious nut. You betcha, kids. I stand on the promises of God. I don’t need man’s affirmation, I need God’s. “Whom God loves, He chastens”, though, is also something that comes to mind for a Believer. God destroys you, in order to build you up. Doesn’t sound
like fun?

Oh, it isn’t. You Jesus was kidding, above, when He says “Children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God”? Heck no. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world, though.

Cause despite the “refining” I’m going through right now – like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – I’m FIREPROOF

Job 13:15 – “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”

I get periodical updates from Apologetics Press about articles they’ve added.

The three for this update are as follows:

Theism or Atheism: Whose Fruit is Sweeter

Deism, Atheism, and the Founders

Myth and the Claims of Bible Writers

If you’d like to get these yourself: Go to the very bottom left of their website.

Enjoy!

So, while I was gone, my splash page gets hacked, right? I know how it happened, and I don’t really care. It’s a part of my site I rarely use, and it’s easy to fix – in fact, I usually monitor it regularly when I have my typical access to the internet. See, though, this guy was persistent. He did it 3-4 times running, after I had fixed it. This guy is getting on my nerves, actually.

He calls himself “Interex”, and runs a little website called “virtualaddiction.net“. See, what got me was that his site is full of 90’s spinning gifs, a chain lightning footer, and has 1337sp33k all over it. I’m still trying to stop laughing, and hit his photo gallery. (He had left his email address, proud of the fact that he’s a 1337 h4xx0r, evidently, which is how I found his website…) Well… he has pictures of him going to a drag strip, he (including his first name!) and his girlfriend (her first name…), his dog (and his dog’s name) … and he SAYS WHERE THE DRAGSTRIP IS LOCATED. Southern Illinois. I had idly gone through the “h4xx0r3d” files earlier, looking for ips – and an ISP entry came up.

Netwitz. Which services southern Illinois! How about that. The dragstrip was located in Benton, IL, which is located just northwest of Netwitz’s service area. Also, he has pictures of a Jefferson County sheriff’s car, which is also in that area. Wow, how ’bout that math.

So, suffice it to say, both his ISP, and his DNS masking service got an email from me today. He was nice enough to leave a log of his connections to his lil script kiddie program (the program’s actually pretty cool, but the way he used it is script-kiddie-ish). He used something else to get access, but I’m not telling what that is. I’ve already used too many h4ck3r comments in this post, and I don’t want to tell a script kiddie how to hack a site, y’know?

But anyway, it was also a useful tool, misused. So, I sent him a nice email, too.

Hi Rob.

How’s Kathryn?

Hopefully, Spike’s doing well, also.

Things going well in Illinois? How do you like Netwitz’s internet service? Do well by you?

FreeDNS does a good job re-routing you packets for you. I complimented them on an (almost) good job hiding you completely. Unfortunately, you left your home website address, containing your personal photo album.

Your site is a bit plain, incidentally. Might want to do less of the mid-90’s spinning gifs, lightning effect, etc. It’s 2005, man.

2005 means that whois lookups and reverse DNS are old school, man. I was doing it way back in ’98, when I opped for Cyberangels.

I would have had this mail back to you sooner, but I just went through a hurricane recently, and got my internet back today. Surprise, how are ya?

Took me all of two hours after church to collect the stuff to send to your ISP and FreeDNS.

*program name deleted* , huh? That’s an old-school program. Saw an IRC client in there too. Too bad you left your bnc.log connection info on the site. I may never have linked the Illinois dragstrip on your photo album with Netwitz’s southern Illinois service area otherwise. You so kindly left me a log of when you connected. bnc.log. Thanks.

Quit being a script kiddie. Yes, programs have holes in them. It’s part of the business.

Your “hack” was temporary, limited, and pretty amateur, dude.

1. Don’t leave an email I can look up your info with.
2. Don’t leave personal info on the site for your email.
3. Don’t use a DNS masker. It just annoys me and makes me look harder.
4. They don’t work anyway.

Do something more useful with your time.

~ RK

H4xx0rs are annoying. But at least I had some fun today. I used to love doing this stuff. Oh well. it’s fun occasionally, but it gets tiring after a while.

So, how’s your day, folks? Have a good Sunday morning worship service?

Yeah, so.

Main splash page gets hacked within a week of Katrina.

( https://razorskiss.net/ )

Now it points to yahoo.

Bleh. I haven’t had time to fix it.

Main site goes down.

Blog goes down.

I don’t have intarwebs.

Yay.

Still don’t, but I got fed up with seeing a dead site. So i borrowed somne intarwebs, and fixed it.

Somewhat.

News:

Katrina sucked, people here were cool for a while, but now they’re back to their normal, irritable selves. Katrina still sucks. The gulf coast is getting back to normal, slowly.

Mumon is still a windbag 😀

(But we love him anyway…)

But, most importantly…

I’m now officially engaged!

Envy, all of you.

I have the coolest soon-to-be-wife ever.

Yesh, I do.

So, anyway. Post something else soon. I have to get up in like 6 hours, and I’m very tired. I worked 10 1/2 hours today, but it’s all good. Putting the coast back together takes work, you know?

Thank you for the prayers, emails, and etc. They were/are appreciated.

I’m still wading through several thousands of emails I received while I was out, so forgive any tardiness in replying. I have to separate the 2/3 spam out of it (AFTER my spam filter works on some of it).

See you soon.

~ RK

You can find the original comment here. You are now reading my response, since Mumon was SO kind as to respond with such compassion, such heartwarming concern.

Not.

I don’t apologize for the tone. I won’t, either. Suck it up. I got good and royally pissed off. I have people like him in my “Ripostes” section, with a content warning, for a reason. Times like this are why.

You know, it’s not a feeding frenzy.

Yes, yes it is.

You don’t live here. You don’t see the absolute nonsense – the pablum – that is being substituted for truth about conditions and attitudes here.

So please.. spare me the condescending “you don’t really understand” crap.

It’s retarded.

Take ownership: did you vote for Bush?

Yes? What does that have to do with whether and where a natural catastrophe hits?

You own what happened. Bush – and FEMA had authority to act even if Nagin and Blanco were utter incompetents – by law- and sat on their hands.

No, FEMA assists the local, county, and state authorities where they do not have the resources to do things on their own.

This is a common misconception. FEMA assists the local agencies in things they do not have the resources to do themselves. Such as flying in 1.5 million meals a day. Which, I might add, is being coordinated by our local National Guard commander – who is under the command of our state’s governor.

The state controls the national guard. The national guard keeps the peace where local authorities cannot. They, however, are not the responsibility, or under the authority of, the national government, on the soil of the continental United States.

FEMA assists MEMA (or LOHSEP) in emergency *management* operations. They *assist*. They do not take charge, they assist!

The Federal Government declared the disaster *before* it actually happened – an unprecedented move. The warnings issued before the emergency, both here and in New Orleans (my dad works there, mind) were the most dire I have EVER heard, and I’ve heard plenty. I’ve evacuated several times before, and stayed several times. I stayed for this one. I heard all the warnings – they begged, pleaded, did everything they could to get people out.

This is NOT anyone’s fault. It really, really pisses me off that people are actually *blaming* someone – ANYONE – for a natural disaster.

You really don’t know squat about it. You’re an armchair commentator, nowhere close to the scene. I’m right in the friggin middle of it, buster, so kindly shut your yap until you learn something – anything – about what you’re talking about.

I’ve cleaned up after two hurricanes before this one. I know what they do, and how little warning people get. We had a very short warning period for the size of the storm. The warnings were absolutely frightening, for those who live here in hurricane country. Everyone was given ample warning, however. This is a storm like NO other. Nothing has even been close. Do you really understand what the word “unprecedented” means? They’ve been using it for a reason, I promise.

Bush did worse- he did photo-ops that actually impeded aid!

Get over yourself.

A president visiting a disaster area occurs everytime there is a disaster. He visited after Ivan, after Hurricane George here, and after just about every other declared disaster in the history of the area.

Once again – the ignorance rears it’s head. Shut up. Everyone appreciated it here.

And as far as “those types of people” are concerned, (you mean African Americans?) you’ve just outed yourself.

Oh, please. Gag me with a Buick. The types of people who shoot at rescue copters. The types of people who rape women in the Convention center. The type who loot everything not nailed down.

THOSE types of people, you race-fixated dunderhead.

Noone cares about any racism conspiracy theories. What, do you think the rescue copters were flying over saying “oh, let’s pick him up – he’s white. Don’t pick him up – he’s black”?

Do you think Mississippi’s black population isn’t high, too? They are a very, very, very high percentage down here, too. It isn’t race. It’s the criminal idiocy, and crminal behavior of some elements of the population of New Orleans. That’s what “those people” is. Those people who have no morals, no decency, and did not even attempt to assist in saving, or evacuating. Just kept on doing what they always do – act like criminals. New Orleans is one of the most gang-infested cities in the nation. It is *unreal*. I know them, I have friends who have escaped the culture there. Those are who were doing these things. I recognized the modus operandi. I don’t care if they are black, white, latino, or asian – and New Orleans contains gangs of all 4 types, and others besides. The problem is the criminal behavior, not race.

Yeah, I outed myself as someone who can’t stand criminal thugs shooting at rescue copters. Boo friggin hoo.

Take a look the video here, (courtesy of this Kos diary, and you tell me, you tell the whole blogosphere, that in that situation you’d have had the courage and the sense of community and decency that Charmain Neville did.

This entire community been doing things for people. We’ve been cutting yards out, cleaning out the food rotting in refrigerators, clearing roads, and everything that needs doing. I’m the only member of a large extended family in the whole area down here. I’ve cut trees out of 5 yards now, and I’m still working on it.

That’s what we are all doing. That’s what we all have been doing for the past week and a half, while you’ve been sitting in your armchair making comments. I’m IN THIS AREA, Mumon. You aren’t within 500 miles. Maybe not even 1,000.

I *watched the hurricane come in*. I was sitting on my girlfriend’s porch, watching it, until it got too bad. I’ve been running chainsaws ever since, buddy.

The rest of the world saw this stuff, and yes, they said “racism.”

*What* racism? What is racist about a hurricane? What the HECK are you talking about? What are you comapring it to? Does the word “incomparable” mean anything to you? There is NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING comparable to this, in the recent history of this nation. 9-11 didn’t do near this damage. The city of New Orleans, the ENTIRE city of New Orleans, is gone. (Save very, very few areas) An area the size of England, the country, is devastated, beyond your wildest imaginings. The work that has been done so far is absolutely mind-boggling.

I was just down at the southern half of Diamondhead – the part near the water – yesterday. Nothing is left. Nothing. The houses there were beautiful. They were, most of them, up on stilts, in case of flooding. The posts are still up. The houses are scattered bits of kindling, strewn all over the surrounding miles.

A city I used to live in – wiped off the face of the map. Pass Christian. A city I used to work in – decimated. Long Beach. A city not even 10 minutes from my front door – flooded, devastated, destroyed. Bay St. Louis. A town I bought groceries at every month, and used to work in – wiped away. Waveland.

The town my girlfriend lives in, and I stayed the hurricane in – Gulfport – ravaged. The city where both of my brothers go to school – trashed. Biloxi. This is where I live, Mumon. My dad works in New Orleans. I JUST went to Six Flags at New Orleans, not even 3 weeks ago. The roller coasters are sitting in 3-4 feet of water, right now.

You don’t know what you’re talking aobut. Linking to a sad story does not make you an expert on all things Katrina. You have no clue, no way of getting one, and Sherlock Holmes may not be able to retrieve one for you. Shut up, sit down, and don’t even bother trying to think you know what you’re talking about.

You’re parroting all of the little talking points fed to you. Good minion. We don’t care. We’re in the midle of it, and we’re doing just fine, thanks. We don’t need handouts, we want help, freely offered. We don’t want condescension – we want compassion. We don’t want blame – we want blessings. We don’t want partisan bickering – we want prayer.

We don’t want you, we don’t need you, and we just don’t care, if that’s all you have to say. Noone down here cares.

We’re grateful, beyond grateful, to those who came to help, and for our neighbor’s help. We’re happy to help our neighbor. Those who want to play the blame game, over our heads, like we don’t hear, understand, or are incapable of it? I, personally, think you are lower than the muck I was slogging through, walking up to Wiggins the day of the Hurricane.

I don’t care what you have to say, if all you’re capable of doing is pointing fingers.

(I personally think it’s poverty, so maybe you’re only someone who hates the poor…is that what Jesus would do?)

See that video, and do the honorable thing.

Shut your mouth, and get a clue, boy. You aren’t here. You aren’t down here in the mud, the tree branches, the damage, and the rotting garbage still floating on Biloxi’s back bay. You aren’t smelling the putrid food still decaying in Gulfport’s harbor.

You aren’t running a chainsaw, cutting trees off your parent’s house, and clearing off their driveway. You aren’t waiting in line for an hour to get *into* the supermarket. Our church is out delivering food to anyone who wants it – right now. Every morning at 9 am. I’m cutting trees.

I’ll do the honorable thing, all right. I’ll tell you to get a freaking clue, get off your fat butt, and DO something, if you’re so all-fired worried about it.

That’s what WE are all doing down here, bucko. Whether in New Orleans, or in Mississippi. We don’t need your parsimonious concern, your veiled allegations, your willful neglect, or your “principled” disdain.

You’re nothing. Nothing but an armchair commentator.

I’m right in the center of Katrina Country, bub. Don’t tell ME what is happening. I’m living it.