I can't imagine why anyone would take an impending natural disaster and use it to mock an individual or a group for political gain.
From RedState:
On a plane from Denver to Charlotte following the Democrats' convention, I found myself seated behind former National Chairman of the Democratic National Committee Don Fowler and Congressman John Spratt of South Carolina. Their conversation was interesting to say the least.
For example, they made fun of Sarah Palin for several minutes, Fowler calling her "Dan Quayle" on steroids and Spratt creatively describing her as "just terrible." They both agreed that, "Other than the simple fact that she's a female," she has nothing to offer.
That's sexist, plain and simple.
Sarah Palin has nothing to offer the Republican ticket other than her gender. That's ridiculous. Such statements make Fowler and Spratt sound clueless.
There's more and it's even worse.
Fowler was yucking it up about Hurricane Gustav. He found it amusing that the hurricane is predicted to make landfall on Monday, the day when President Bush was scheduled to speak at the Republican Convention.
Yeah, that's funny.
Listen to Fowler's remarks.
He apologized on Sunday. The problem is Fowler needs to apologize for his apology. He's making an excuse for what he said rather than owning up to the fact that he made a very inappropriate remark.
From FOX News:
Don Fowler, who was DNC chairman from 1995-1996, said he was just mimicking Rev. Jerry Falwell when he was caught on tape during a flight from Denver to North Carolina Friday.
“That just demonstrates that God is on our side,” Fowler said during the flight of which a video was posted on YouTube...
After an uproar, Fowler said he was sorry if anyone was offended.
“I don’t believe in a God that’s vengeful. I believe in a God that’s compassionate,” Fowler said.
“This is a point of national concern. I think everybody of good will has great empathy and sympathy for people in New Orleans,” Fowler said. “Most religious people are praying for people in New Orleans. There is no political connotation to this whatsoever. This was just poking fun at Jerry Falwell and the nonsensical thing he had said several years ago.”
There is absolutely nothing in the recording that points to Fowler "poking fun at Jerry Falwell." He's just trying to weasel his way out of this.
And then there was Michael Moore also claiming that God was sending Gustav to screw up the Republicans' convention.
Business and Media Instititue describes the conversation Moore had with the Leftist partisan hack Keith Olbermann of MSNBC, on the low-rated program, Countdown with Keith Olbermann:
[Michael Moore's] latest outrage occurred on MSNBC’s August 29 “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” and when he commented about the coincidental timing of an unfortunate disaster – the potential for Hurricane Gustav to make landfall at the beginning of the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn.
“I was just thinking, this Gustav is proof that there is a God in heaven,” Moore said, laughing. “To have it planned at the same time – that it would actually be on its way to New Orleans for day one of the Republican Convention, up in the Twin Cities – at the top of the Mississippi River.”
After that comment, Moore backed off a bit and did say he hoped nobody got hurt and he hoped everybody is taking cover. However, he failed to make note of the $43.625 billion in damage the last hurricane to strike New Orleans caused – Hurricane Katrina in 2005 – and the billions of dollars the storm cost taxpayers.
Moore's comment was no surprise. It was typical of his usual hateful drivel.
It was typical of Olbermann to play right into it, not questioning why Moore would say something so offensive.
Fowler, Moore, and Olbermann marginalize themselves by saying such outrageous things.
Two million people from Louisiana's coast fled their homes to escape Gustav.
There could be heavy flooding and damage.
HAHAHA! Isn't that hilarious?
God is punishing the Republicans by sending Hurricane Gustav! That's so funny!
Fowler and Moore and Olbermann are such losers.
6 comments:
A few comments:
First, I just did a quick search of your blog, but couldn't find a single entry criticizing Pastor John Hagee for claiming that Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment because a homosexual rally was scheduled to be held in New Orleans the following Monday. The only difference between Hagee's comment and Fowler's is that Hagee was dead serious, while Fowler's was "tongue-in-cheek". Perhaps Fowler's comment would have been more acceptable if he actually believed that God was going to devastate New Orleans again because of the sins of the Republian Party? Is it only ok to believe in God's vengence, but not joke about it?
Then, back in September, 2006, you said: "There always seems to be some sort of demand for an "I'm sorry." I'm not saying that at least some of the apologies aren't deserved. I'm just saying that we're in an era of hypersensitivity." It would appear that when the liberals ask for an apology, they are hypersensitive, but when the conservatives want one, they are not. Of course, part of the reason the Democrats were being hypersensitive was that the comments in question (Jerry Falwell comparing Hillary Clinton to Satan) were made "tongue-in-cheek".
It's nice to see that your double standards haven't changed.
Liberals spend an incredible amount of time rationalizing and making excuses for their boorish behavior. If they spent that all that time actually doing something to help people, the world would be a better place.
august26,
First, don't condemn me for not criticizing Hagee. The lack of a post about his Katrina comments doesn't mean I'm OK with what he said. There are so many things I'd like to write about but I can't, time being finite and all.
Second, it would appear that you are judging me unfairly. In the post you cite, September 25, 2006, I wrote: "I'm Christian, but Jerry Falwell doesn't speak for me. I hereby officially condemn his remarks. Frankly, I think he's a nut."
Isn't it clear that I didn't give him a pass?
In a post from January 6, 2006, I slam Pat Robertson for his terribly inappropriate remarks. I wrote: "Robertson is a disgrace... I hope that Robertson fans are beginning to see that this man has some serious issues. I hope they realize how much he and Ahmadinejad have in common. I hope they understand that's not good."
I compare Robertson to Ahmadinejad!
Those are just two examples. There are many other instances on my blog when I've condemned the comments and actions of conservatives or Republicans.
Double standard? Give me a break.
Third, in my opinion, the video reveals that Fowler's comments weren't tongue-in-cheek. He seemed very pleased that a hurricane was hitting the Gulf during the Republican Convention.
Liberals do spend a lot of time making excuses for their inexcusable behavior.
Conservatives do the same when caught behaving badly. However, the difference is conservatives have been less likely to cut the offenders slack and more likely to eat their own.
I think they can be too quick to condemn other conservatives when they could be more forgiving.
I wasn't judging you about Jerry Falwell - I understand perfectly well that you do not support his position. However, despite not agreeing with him, you make it quite clear that you think the Democrats were being hypersensitive in wanting an apology from him. So who is being hypersensitive now? Your positions apply to the Democrats, but to yourself or the Republicans - That's called a double standard.
There are a lot of religious nutjobs like Hagee, Robertson and Falwell (RIP) who will all to quickly claim a disaster is due to God's wrath against feminist, abortionist, and homosexual rallies or events. And yet those same nutjobs are strangely silent when the disaster coincides with their own rallies, such as the RNC convention. Again - that whole double standard thing. Gay rally -> God's Vengence; RNC Rally -> just another storm.
Fowler and Moore undoubtedly find such hypocrisy so unbelievable that all they can do is laugh at it - which is exactly what they are doing in the video. They are laughing at the stupidity of religious nutjobs, not at the suffering of the residents of New Orleans. Just because you want them to be evil, boorish people taking pleasure in the suffering of others doesn't make it so.
There is a double standard but it's not on my part.
I condemn the ramblings of nutjobs. I don't serve as an apologist for them. I'd like to hear those on the Left condemn Fowler and Moore. They don't. They excuse them.
Regarding my 2006 post, you must take it in its context, when every other day some public figure was demanding an apology over something as ridiculous as Falwell's remarks.
I wrote:
The question here is not whether Falwell said something stupid; the question is whether Hillary's camp should be bothered by it?
I don't think so.
Just as the White House wouldn't dignify Hugo Chavez's idiotic UN remarks about President Bush with a response, I think it would have been much more effective if Hillary's people would have reacted to Falwell's lunacy in a similar fashion.
In Chavez's address to the UN General Assembly last week, he referred to President Bush as the devil at least eight times.
Wisely, the White House ignored Chavez. By doing so, it didn't legitimize Chavez or his words.
Do not twist my commentary from 2006.
There is no such hypersensitivity issue when it comes to Fowler. After listening to Fowler, I don't beieve that his remarks were tongue-in-cheek. They were snarky. How many times do I need to repeat that?
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