Martial Law
by Jason
My morning coffee was met with anger this morning. People firing gunshots at the helicopters trying to evacuate refugees? My cheeks are quite hot at the moment.
Erica and I have been talking the past few days, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, about the people who are still in New Orleans. What could have possibly kept them there when imminent devistation was headed their way? Arrogance? Being uninformed? Too many "boy-who-cried-wolf" stories? I may be ignorant of their reasons, but the both of us are astounded by the number of people who were in New Orleans when Katrina hit.
And in the midst of all of this, looters and idiots firing guns at medical helicopters are hindering operations. Instead of focusing on helping people the police are pulled off rescue detail and must babysit. Perhaps this is a time when martial law should be enstated. I'm all for it. There are too many people who need help right now and too many others who are risking life and limb by simply being in the aftermath. Take these bullies out of the picture. Thankfully, it sounds like President Bush agrees (maybe not the martial law part).
It occurs to me that these people who stayed behind did not believe that the threat was so great, or did not do all that they could to leave the city. If you knew that your town would be wiped out, wouldn't you get out of there any way possible? Isn't it worth the risk of walking for 3 days if you had to? While still remembering that I don't know each story, I am left with an upsetting feeling that many of these people are causing others to risk their lives now when it could have been avoided, or at least mitigated. But this begs a question: How do you convince people that it is worth leaving everything they know behind when there's no way to prove precisely what will happen?
This morning as we were talking about it, we agreed that it is not too different than the promise of salvation. God promises sheilding from impending doom and death, yet so many refuse to take it. My hot cheeks are being cooled by my tears for them and those who now must try to rebuild their lives in the Gulf. Regardless of the reason, many people decided to stay at home this past weekend, and now they need help. Our prayers are with you all.
Pictures from FOXNews.com
Erica and I have been talking the past few days, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, about the people who are still in New Orleans. What could have possibly kept them there when imminent devistation was headed their way? Arrogance? Being uninformed? Too many "boy-who-cried-wolf" stories? I may be ignorant of their reasons, but the both of us are astounded by the number of people who were in New Orleans when Katrina hit.And in the midst of all of this, looters and idiots firing guns at medical helicopters are hindering operations. Instead of focusing on helping people the police are pulled off rescue detail and must babysit. Perhaps this is a time when martial law should be enstated. I'm all for it. There are too many people who need help right now and too many others who are risking life and limb by simply being in the aftermath. Take these bullies out of the picture. Thankfully, it sounds like President Bush agrees (maybe not the martial law part).It occurs to me that these people who stayed behind did not believe that the threat was so great, or did not do all that they could to leave the city. If you knew that your town would be wiped out, wouldn't you get out of there any way possible? Isn't it worth the risk of walking for 3 days if you had to? While still remembering that I don't know each story, I am left with an upsetting feeling that many of these people are causing others to risk their lives now when it could have been avoided, or at least mitigated. But this begs a question: How do you convince people that it is worth leaving everything they know behind when there's no way to prove precisely what will happen?This morning as we were talking about it, we agreed that it is not too different than the promise of salvation. God promises sheilding from impending doom and death, yet so many refuse to take it. My hot cheeks are being cooled by my tears for them and those who now must try to rebuild their lives in the Gulf. Regardless of the reason, many people decided to stay at home this past weekend, and now they need help. Our prayers are with you all.
Pictures from FOXNews.com
posted by Jason @ 08:35
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2 comments
2 Comments:
Yo Bud...
You touched on lots of areas there... lots of hard questions and few answers.. a lot like life. I agree with the conclusion... our prays are with them....
Dad
Sometimes the the little decisions in our lives determine the great big decisons. Shall I go to church or shall I stay in bed? Hurricane Katrina shows us all that we should be cautious in the little decsions in case they turn out to be great big ones. Thanks for letting God speak through you!
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