Criticism Good, Playing Politics Bad

Though I try to avoid such labels, many people consider me a liberal. As a liberal, I feel that I need to say something about a recent post by Joseph Cannon, a guest blogger on Brad Blog, a somewhat popular liberal blog. On Wednesday Cannon wrote:

My original reaction to the Katrina catastrophe was going to be: "NOT ONE DIME."

For an hour or so, I contemplated the idea of turning it into a crusade: No-one in the blue states (where the money is) should give one dime of aid to the victims of this hurricane, which devastated Bush-friendly regions.

Why did I flirt with such a callous attitude?

Because it should be obvious to all that this tragedy was not just an act of God. Dubya and his diety conspired to transform mere disaster into an unprecedented mega-catastrophe.

Scientists warn us to expect more Katrinas. Global warming -- the existence of which W would prefer to rationalize away -- caused the temperature of the sea's surface to rise in the Gulf of Mexico, thereby transforming what should have been a manageable hurricane into a monster.

While some have taken Cannon out of context and have made his message sound even worse than it really is, his post is still pretty awful when it is taken in context. I think everyone thinks terrible thoughts that they later regret or feel guilty about. There's a time and a place to explore the darker side of the human psyche. On a semi-well-known political blog in the aftermath of one of the worst catastrophes in our nation's history is not such a time or place. Actually, I'm not entirely sure that Cannon really regrets his cold, heartless thoughts. He later writes, "But let us make one thing clear: We WILL politicize this issue."

I think there's a difference between holding accountable our elected officials and politicizing a crisis. Saying, "It is embarrassing that every major news organization in the country knew about the crisis at the convention center two days before FEMA did," is OK. Saying, "Republicans are to blame for the slow reponse and they will pay in the next election," is making generalizations and going too far. And, as a church guy, Cannon's careless discussion of God's role in all of this bothers me.

So be critical, but remember that this is a time to identify problems, find ways to solve problems, and help people. This is not an opporunity to advance a political cause or ideology.