Yes,
I said it last year, but I don�t think you were listening.
That�s okay because that�s also par for the course for
the American populace. When E.F. Hutton spoke, people
listened�remember that? Well, when God speaks, people
hear what they want to hear.
I
- and you too - witnessed another round of winter tornadoes
(are winter tornadoes worse than summer ones?). It�s been
a couple weeks and the non-stop media 
coverage
has waned, but my heart still aches for the Indiana, Kentucky,
and other Ohio
Valley residents affected by the devastating weather. Many believe
that God is the maker of all things - including tornadoes.
I
recall respected Christian evangelical leaders attributing
hurricanes and earthquakes to God�s wrath on a �single
people� namely Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the earthquake
in Haiti
in 2009. I was appalled, as were many in this country
that anyone could be so presumptive - in light of all
the hell America has wreaked on people of color worldwide.
Taking that judgment to heart, I�d give evangelicals the
benefit of the doubt. If they were right, then it would
be simply a matter of time before justice would come this
way, that is, come to the USA.
Hence, the God of politics�
If
I were to take evangelicals seriously, then I have arrived
at the conclusion that God is a respecter of political
boundaries. With that in mind, I imagine God looks down
at the United States and sees the same map on the wall
that I see - just a smaller version - and, commences to
plan the device of justice; in this case, tornadoes.
Is
my theory questionable? Maybe - but, humor me for a few
minutes. The recent tornadoes crushed Americans in both
Henryville and Marysville, Indiana, and forged a path of destruction in West Liberty, Kentucky (where
it immediately snowed after the tornado). Overall, the
twisters killed 39 people and injured dozens more. God�s
handiwork touched five states - Red States - in the country�s
heartland. This only confirms my assertion from 2011�s
spring tornadoes that God is watching the course of political
events. With that said, is God getting our attention?
We�re
quick to claim that �God is on our side� at sporting events
- think Reggie White, Jeremy Lin and Tim Tebow - or at
war - think the Fort Bragg evangelical event or soldiers
undergoing Spiritual Testing. We claim God�s �hand of
protection� when we send our troops to kill, but who�s
side is God on when natural disasters decimate our homeland?
Do we have the heart to take responsibility for any wayward
conduct that might have brought the devastation upon us?
Does God have our attention?
I
don�t find it ironic that the states hardest hit are states
that voted Republican; the populace is mainly conservative
- especially in their social policies, that is, policies
that hurt the most vulnerable of our county�s citizens:
poor people. Republican policies that drape Red States�that
empower and enrich corporations and bankrupt the people
(and no, I won�t invoke the �99%� right here) are policies
that lower the taxes of the top income earners over the
interests of the poor and working class. It appears God
saw fit to even the scales. God is a God of justice, you
know.
I
just don�t see God standing silent while 1.4M Americans
are forced to live on $2-a-day, or less, in the richest
country on earth, the same space where the wealth of 1.8M
Americans tops $2B. Don�t get me wrong: In a country of
330M people, those stark facts leave lots of people caught
in the middle. I can guarantee you that those affected
by the tornadoes are not in the top income bracket�funny
how that happens.
I
think God is trying to tell you something. Coincidentally,
in Ohio�s Super
Tuesday primary, Republicans Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum
took the lion�s share of votes. All four �front runners�
espouse policies h armful to America�s most vulnerable
of God�s people (God didn�t create ALL people equal?)
including those who will surely be disenfranchised by
the Republican�s dogged push for voter ID laws. Cuts to
affordable housing and threats to repeal the Affordable
Healthcare Act are just a few of the policies that won�t
affect the rich but will affect the victims of these tornadoes.
I hope Red State folk understand that. I hope that
in the midst of their recovery, they vote for their interests
and not against them, based on some superficial loyalties
from days past. Rebuilding their towns and lives after
a tornado, like rebuilding America�s broken economy and
twisted revenue-generating scheme won�t come overnight.
I hope these Red
State voters remember this come Election Day this November. Even more
so, if they listen to �anyone,� I hope they hear God and
realize God is trying to tell �em something.
BlackCommentator.com
Columnist, Perry
Redd, is the former Executive Director of
the workers rights advocacy, Sincere Seven, and author
of the on-line commentary, �The
Other Side of the Tracks.� He is the host of the internet-based
talk radio show, Socially Speaking in
Washington,
DC.
Click
here to contact Mr.
Redd.
