Fringe bytes

They really do say this stuff

The reason New Orleans slid so quickly from civilization into Third World conditions was that it was pretty much a Third World city already, and didn't have too far to go. In its violence, in its corruption, in its reliance on ambience and tourism as its critical industry, in its one-party rule, in its model of graftocracy built on a depressed and crime-ridden underclass that was largely kept out of the sight and the mind of vacationing revelers, it was much more like a Caribbean resort than a normal American city. Its crime and murder rates were way above national averages, its corruption level astounding…

-- Noemie Emery, “A Two-City Tale,” The Weekly Standard, 09/06/05

How then shall we look at New Orleans and the devastation that occurred? If we look at this as one event in the long history of the world, and then look in the Bible to see how this might be an early warning of God’s judgment, we might look at the final judgment in Revelation 18:10-11: "For in one hour your judgment has come. And the merchants of the earth weep and mourn over her.

This description fits what happened to New Orleans and many people might say that New Orleans would be a good candidate for an early warning. Its immorality, corruption, and crime are legendary. Nevertheless, for nearly a century God spared the city from major hurricanes that everyone agreed would destroy it. When He finally did allow a major storm, there was a 3-day warning and plenty of time to evacuate, although the governor, mayor and thousands of residents either waited too long or ignored the warnings.

-- “Could Katrina Be Good?” – World Magazine’s blog, sent in by Missionary Jim Hogrefe (9/6/05)