I'm kinda pissed ... [View All]

This is a mini-rant I'm going to put here rather than elsewhere because I'm not wanting to start a big ol' thing with it. But, I wanted to get it off my chest.

A couple days ago, when the grass fires in OK were making national news, a couple people started threads about it, and one of those had a lot of posts that were really critical of not just the OK government but the people living in Oklahoma generally. There were suggestions that Okies were just too damn stupid to know how to fight fires, that we weren't doing anything but waiting for God to intervene, that since we were a red state, it might do the country a service just to let us burn. These comments weren't offered by the people who started these threads of course, but that's where it went.

So, apparently today California is having a lot of rain, rain that's causing floods. I heard about 5 inches in one location. I've seen, just through casual browsing of one forum, four separate threads inquiring as to the well-being of CA DU-ers, a lot of nice comments, hopes for the best, etc. This brought to mind past threads warning people in certain places, say, Michigan or New York or other places that, ohmygod, you're under a thunderstorm warning. Much discussion ensued offering well-wishes for the residents, offers of prayers even ... all good things actually.

So, back to the start, Oklahoma is having wild fires killing people, killing animals, destroying people's lives, and what happens? "What's wrong with you people in Oklahoma?"

I wouldn't vote Republican if you put a gun to my head, but I am unfortunately starting to understand why some people I know who live in Oklahoma and do vote Republican in national elections feel like "liberals" can't be trusted, if this is the example they go by. Our state is burning, and it's our fault or we deserve it. Some other place has a thunder boomer, and we need to call out the national guard.

Feh.

</rant>