(1) Gil, as usual, is on the ball, only he has this deplorable habit of putting things gently:
The connection between this evacuation and the recent evacuation of Jews from Gaza has tempted some to consider this a divine punishment. While the attempt to find significance in this seemingly meaningless tragedy is commendable, there seem to me to be no reasonable midah ke-neged midah connection at all between the two events.(2) Next up, someone more after my own heart, someone who didn't hold back. The very great Miriam Bloghd:
...imho, reading G-d's intentions into acts of nature is theological folly, terrible arrogance and extremely dangerous3) And, finally, don't miss the withering disaproval of another super blogger: OrthoMom.
4) UPDATE Abracadabrah agrees with me, too.
5) UPDATE Mirty throws in her lot with the bloggers who have common sense.
6) Treppenwitz: "This isn't to say that G-d isn't capable of visiting fire and brimstone (or a hurricane for that matter) upon the entire U.S. gulf coast. But unless you are prepared to call the shot before the devastation begins... you had better be prepared to be judged for trying to make yourself into a prophet on the backs of countless good people's losses!"
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Okay, Sultan and Lazer, you've been rebuked, are you ready to recant? Are you willing to embrace humility and to acknowledge that "the judgments of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether" and not just when you can squeeze them into your petty politics?
I do wonder why you imagine that God went after the poor people of the Gulf-Coast and not someone really evil, someone like Osama bin Ladin who (a) actually has hurt Israel, and (b) is a bad man besides. Was it just easier to send the hurricane? Is God, in your limited imaginations, just enjoying something of a late Summer lie-down? To much trouble was it, for him to send the hurricane after a real villian?
It appears that not only is your God a serial killer, He is a lazy serial killer,
[Related 1 and 2]