[Editor’s Note: Yes, Morbo sort of retired a few weeks ago, but he suggested he might come back on occasion, when he has something to contribute. Thankfully, today is one of those days. Enjoy. -CB]
Guest Post by Morbo
I realize New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has had a tough time of it lately. But that does not excuse him behaving like a Democratic version of Pat Robertson.
As the Carpetbagger noted, Nagin recently opined that New Orleans was zapped with a nasty hurricane because God is mad with the black community for various reasons.
Perhaps Nagin was just reaching for lurid rhetorical excesses to make a point. Perhaps he really is that ignorant. Whatever. I just wanted to take this opportunity to remind everyone what really causes hurricanes: Extremely bad feng shui.
Just kidding. To quote from a very cool NASA site:
“Hurricanes form when the energy released by the condensation of moisture in rising air causes a chain reaction. The air heats up, rising further, which leads to more condensation. The air flowing out of the top of this ‘chimney’ drops towards the ground, forming powerful winds.”
OK, I admit that’s a short explanation in need of elaboration. The NASA site will give you that. Go take a look if you want to know more about hurricanes and their destructive power.
The important thing to remember is that even something as potentially scary as the formation of hurricanes is a natural process.
Nature is indifferent to our existence; thus it brings us good and bad things. A gentle spring shower that spawns bright May flowers is always a delight. A driving rain accompanied by high winds that rips the roof off your house is a pain. Nature gives you both, but in neither case is nature trying to send you a message. Nature is not Western Union.
When it comes to hurricanes, the conditions that cause them to happen are more likely to occur in the summer and early fall months, which is why we have a hurricane season. If hurricanes were God’s punishment, we would get them all year long because we’re pretty bad all year long.
Also, did you know that the term “hurricane” derives from “Huracan,” a god of evil recognized by the Tainos, an ancient aboriginal Central American tribe? I didn’t, and that’s a cool thing to know. The NASA site told me that. Go ahead, use it at parties. People will think you’re smart.
The things you can learn from reputable online sites run by real scientists! There’s no hope for Pat Robertson because he believes science is of the devil, and that god wants us to remain ignoramuses. What is Ray Nagin’s excuse?