The idea of Katrina as god's wrath has certainly gained momentum. It's not just more media picking up on the story. The first article I noticed was in the Jerusalem Newswire which is a mouthpiece of the Christian zionist movement. It's easy to dismiss as a fringe outlet as Christian zionism has traditionally been an embarrassment to the mainstream zionist movement. Binyamin Netanyahu was a laughing stock for enjoying a "prayer breakfast" with a bunch of Christian rightists back in the 1980s but, of course, that was pre-Bush (not to mention pre-Reverend Blair). Anyway, the next article I saw was via a link to the America-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Now that is the foremost zionist organisation in America but still the zionists could marginalise that one on the grounds that AIPAC and its news wing have a disclaimer. You know the one: Views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect those of israelinsider[,AIPAC, Lenin's Tomb, etc.] Well now a former Chief Rabbi of Israel has said that hurricane Katrina was indeed a punishment from god. And it's not just that America pressed Israel to disengage from (whilst retaining control of) Gaza. Former Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rav Ovadiah Yosef blamed the blackness of the New Orleans poor for the disaster that befell them. Believe me, look.
black people reside there (in New Orleans). Blacks will study the Torah? (God said) let’s bring a tsunami and drown them."At the moment the Anti-Definition (sic) League is calling on the rabbi to apologise to America. They issued a statement calling the rabbi's remarks "outrageous...disturbing...insensitive... beyond the acceptable limit for national dialogue. In fact they called them just about everything but racist.
"Hundreds of thousands remained homeless. Tens of thousands have been killed. All of this because they have no God," said the rabbi.
I don't think Pat Robertson will be entering the fray. I've just read that he stands make a few dollars more on the back of the disaster.
With the Bush Administration's approval, Robertson's $66 million relief organization, Operation Blessing, has been prominently featured on FEMA's list of charitable groups accepting donations for hurricane relief. Dozens of media outlets, including the New York Times, CNN and the Associated Press, duly reprinted FEMA's list, unwittingly acting as agents soliciting cash for Robertson. "How in the heck did that happen?" Richard Walden, president of the disaster-relief group Operation USA, asked of Operation Blessing's inclusion on FEMA's list. "That gives Pat Robertson millions of extra dollars."God sure does work in mysterious ways.
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