Miscellaneous reflections

[ladynox25]

As those of you who keep track might know, I live in the Bible belt. Fundamentalists, evangelicals, and weirdos abound. Not to mention bigots and assholes. As I drive around, I see various church signs from various branches of one evangelical sect or another. Sometimes these signs can be witty, make an intelligent observation, or provide food for thought, even if I happen to disagree, which I often do. Not so with the one I saw the other day.

It said, and I quote: "Y IS IT THAT CHILDREN CANNOT READ A BIBLE IN SCHOOL BUT THEY CAN TEACH P...." Unfortunately, I didn't catch that last word. Pornography (in reference to sex ed)? Poison (in reference perhaps to evolution)? Who knows? Who cares, really? Except that my gut reaction to that sign was to say "Because of people like you. Asshole." And it's true. If the fundamentalists and evangelicals didn't push their religion on other people, they wouldn't have such a difficult time. It's precisely *because* of the assholes who feel that you're going to hell and it's their sacred duty to tell you so in graphic terms that religion in school has become such a problem.

In general, it boils down to the following fact of life: If you tolerate other people, other people will be more willing to tolerate you. But apparently these people just don't get it. And won't get it. Ever.




At work today, I came out to pick up some printouts from the printer only to find a handful of my work colleagues standing around griping about gas prices and other assorted and related shit. One of them was a woman who I shall call M. I find her to be a real bitch. She never seems happy except when she's complaining. About her kids. About her ex. Ex what? Husband? Boyfriend? I haven't figured that one out. About a boyfriend who ended up in jail. Etc. Etc. Etc. IMO, she seems to be only one step up from white trash, and that only by virtue of the fact that she holds some sort of college level or greater degree, to work here. Educated white trash, maybe. Even more scary in some respects.

Because what she was advocating in a fairly loud voice was that she was so fed up with gas prices that she wanted to go down to her local gas station and start collecting signatures. At this point, I asked her what good she thought that would do and was she planning on sending them to OPEC, who actually set the prices and did she really think that OPEC cared what she thought?




I come home today to find my water bill on my door. This is typical; the apartment complex divides up the water and sewage bill and then tells you what your share is. This always happens around the end of the month in order for you to pay your water along with next month's rent. And the manager usually attaches a little newsletter, talking about problems, suggestions, pool closings, whatever.

This time the attachment detailed the numbers of refugees from Katrina that have come into this area, where most of them are being housed, what kinds of supplies are the most needed at the moment, and where to go to make your donation. This was all very nice and thoughtful, except for the typo in the last paragraph. The manager ended her newsletter by reminding us that we should all be aware of the travesty that is occuring in our neighboring states and be willing to help.

I'm willing to chalk this one up to airheadedness because our manager is a really nice woman who is not stupid. I think she made a geniune typo there. Katrina is definitely not a travesty, but she is becoming a horrible tragedy.


On that note, after making my personal donation to the American Red Cross c/o Katrina disaster relief, I spent some time with Debbie at work today finding out if Ana-Lab does matching donations. It's such a small company that there really isn't a set plan for such. The policy seems to be that if Dr. Whiteside (the founder and owner) likes the cause or thinks it is worthy, he will authorize matching funds. I pointed out to Debbie that things don't get much worse than Katrina, which she agreed with and promised to ask Dr. Whiteside when he gets back tomorrow. Next, I will see what I can do to acquire some toiletries and other supplies, and put them in the pile to go to the local refugees.

I wish I could do so much more, but what I can do, I will do. Always.

Comments

[desdenova.livejournal.com]

Re: asshattery: I'm pretty sure that nowhere in the United States are students forbidden to read the Bible on public school property.

I swear, we could turn into a theocracy run by the Christian version of the Taliban, and these nutters would still complain about being persecuted by secular socity.

[panacea1.livejournal.com]

When it comes to disaster supplies, as opposed to money, I would strongly suggest talking to your *local* red cross folks. A lot of Louisianians ran off to Texas with what they could carry - I'm not sure where you are (Houston? Austin?) but even if you're not in east Texas your local RC can get stuff to Houston, where the folks that have been holed up in the Superdome are being shipped (since at least the Astrodome has flushing toilets and functioning AC).

[texas-tiger.livejournal.com]

I'm doing both. Monetary donation to the Hurricane Katrina relief effort to help NO and MS; gathering toiletries to help the local refugees.

I live in East Texas and apparently there's a number of them located at the Maude Cobb Convention Center in Longview.

[silmaril.livejournal.com]

The "gather signatures at gas station" thing actually made me laugh.

There are two churches near campus who have signs with wildly-varying message qualities. Sometimes I wonder if they come up with those things church-by-church every week, or if some central authority sends them slogans.

[turnberryknkn.livejournal.com]

Argh.

Frustrations all around.

[prince-corwin.livejournal.com]

It said, and I quote: "Y IS IT THAT CHILDREN CANNOT READ A BIBLE IN SCHOOL BUT THEY CAN TEACH P...."

It probably has something to do with many Bible-thumpers being utterly devoid of context, or outright deceitful in their phrasing. Can't read a Bible in school? Highly unlikely. Can't grab the P.A. system and shout it all over the school? Likely. Can't commandeer secular activities as an excuse to proseltyze? Likely.

At this point, I asked her what good she thought that would do and was she planning on sending them to OPEC, who actually set the prices and did she really think that OPEC cared what she thought?

OPEC ain't got nothin' to do with it, today. Eleven major oil refineries in the coast region were shut down. Only one of them has re-opened. Well over a million barrels per day refining capacity is still off-line. About a quarter of domestic oil production is centered in the area, and most of it is offline. Offshore drilling stations are fucking missing.

And something like 16% of domestic consumption (or domestic imports, I forget which) flow through one or both of the bottlenecks of the LOOP (LA Offshore Oil Platform facility) or Port Fourchan. The LOOP is reputedly mostly okay, expect for its pipelines... and it connects to Port Fourchan, anyway, about which the best I've heard is a rumor that a very few of its docks are open.

She can petition all she likes, but unless she can start pissing refined gasoline-- and teach everyone else-- it ain't gonna do dick.

(ALso, there's not much OPEC could do even aside from that. OPEC nations have been pumping at capacity for months, with the possible exception of Venezuela-- because Hugo Chavez has done so much damage to his own oil production facilities, I don't think anyone knows what his real daily pumping capacity is. Even him.)

[texas-tiger.livejournal.com]

I know. I didn't really fell like giving her a dissertation on oil production, though.