18 JAN 05: DEAL WITH IT
The Columbus Cottonmouths announced Monday they'll donate the money from Thursday night's hockey game, to help survivors of the South Asia tsunami. The hockey team must realize how well off it is by comparison. For one thing, in hockey the zamboni machine only creates waves of less than one inch.
Isn't it nice to see how the world has joined hands to help survivors of the tsunami? Welllll - not so fast. I've been hearing someone suggest lately you should NOT assist the orphans and widows of Asia. And amazingly, I didn't have to turn on WRCG's "TalkLine" to hear it....
Believe it or not. the hints of opposition to tsunami relief come from a church pastor - MY church pastor. He admits the pictures from Asia "leave you numb," and perhaps even speechless. But with this man, a change of mouth does not change a heart.
The tsunami struck December 26th. The following weekend, my pastor made his first comment about it - and warned about con artists who might collect money for survivors. This is certainly understandable. If the teenagers aren't offering candy bars at your door in exchange, forget it....
My pastor even offered a way to dodge possible "tsunami tscams." Tell them "you've made a donation already" - through U.S. tax dollars going to Asia in aid. Based on this logic, I don't have to help any more homeless people into shelters. My tax money also goes for housing grants.
On the weekend of January 1, my pastor also announced our church denomination had made a donation to the American Red Cross. But the denomination never has announced the amount of that donation - perhaps to avoid being embarrassed by some extra-generous Hollywood star.
But the last couple of weekends, my pastor's tone about the tsunami has become more strident. On the weekend of January 8, he offered a personal opinion from the pulpit: "I thought charity begins at HOME." With some ministers, this could be understood as a sneaky appeal for money to buy a vacation cottage.
This pastor went on to claim some people are trying to be "more godly than God" in the wake of the tsunami. How is an average listener supposed to understand this? "God is godly, so you don't have to be"?!?!
This past weekend brought round three of the anti-relief remarks. The Pastor again said during our "church announcements" that charity should begin at home - but he stopped short of suggesting all the U.S. government aid be spent on Thursday's inauguration.
"Who's going to come to OUR aid?" the pastor asked - apparently referring to deadly mudslides in California. The answer to that seems obvious, at least in part. They're called home insurance companies....
"We're trying to buy lovers," the pastor went on to say. This refers to a Bible verse about trying to win friends in surrounding countries - and let's face it: if it's illegal on Victory Drive, it ought to be illegal nationwide.
Another minister in this church denomination has set up a charity fund, to help Sri Lankan fishermen rebuild lost business after the tsunami. But of course, my pastor never mentioned this in his remarks -- although he admitted the U.S. gives aid to other countries because "that's the kind of people we are." Stupid idiots, maybe, but that kind of people....
My Pastor cited Indonesia's government as a reason not to help tsunami survivors - since it's told the U.S. military to end its relief work by March 31. "Well, isn't that a fine how-do-you-do?" the pastor commented. But if the German army came ashore in Savannah to aid hurricane survivors, the minister's World War II references might never end.
So, you may be asking, ave I tried talking to my Pastor about all this? I suppose I should - at least to ask if he's read the section of the Bible about the "Good Samaritan" lately....
But I've known this Pastor for years, and I know I can't change is mind about issues such as this. Correcting him a couple of years ago about Will Rogers coming from Oklahoma and not Indiana was a more obvious error -- yet apparently I was the only one in the congregation to dare to mention that mistake.
I'd mention more, but I must wrap things up for reasons which will be explained later:
+ Aflac used the Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Breakfast to announce its donating $1 million for a national King Memorial in Washington. Using my pastors catch phrase about charity, somebody's gotta ask it - how about some money to build one HERE first?
+ Wilton Gregory officially was installed as Roman Catholic Archbishop of Atlanta. Coretta Scott King attended the ceremony - and now somewhere Roy Bourgeois is preparing a request letter for next November.
+ Georgia Power employees presented a King Day program at Carver High School, urging students to stay in school. If the students are at the school on this holiday, isn't this like preaching to the choir?
+ A Virginia businessman offered to buy and reopen the bankrupt Quantegy plant in Opelika. The businessman's name is Race Cannon - and I was surprised to learn he's NOT an heir to the Cannon Brew Pub fortune.
+ Instant Message to nearly all Columbus gas stations: Why did you raise your price to about $1.80 a gallon Monday? I don't think that many people here use heating oil for their homes....
COMING SOON: Opelika needs an official city song.... and we're working on one....
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