Richard H. Baker - Misquoted Like Pat Robertson?

  • Context: News 
  • Thread starter Thread starter faust9
  • Start date Start date
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the controversial statements made by Richard H. Baker regarding public housing in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, and the implications of those statements in the context of religious beliefs and political attitudes. Participants explore themes of media representation, religious interpretations, and the socio-political ramifications of the disaster.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express skepticism about Baker's claim of being misquoted, suggesting that the original statement reflects a troubling mindset regarding divine intervention in human affairs.
  • One participant questions the mentality that attributes natural disasters to divine punishment or intervention, particularly in relation to public housing issues.
  • Another participant refers to a statement by Barbara Bush, implying a dismissive attitude towards the conditions faced by evacuees, which adds to the critique of political responses to the disaster.
  • There is a suggestion that the disaster may be viewed by some as an opportunity to eliminate perceived burdens on government resources, raising ethical concerns about the attitudes towards the affected population.
  • Participants note the irony in the idea that God might be seen as working through such tragedies, with some humorously attributing the situation to political figures instead.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally express disagreement regarding the implications of Baker's statements and the broader political context. Multiple competing views remain about the motivations behind such statements and the ethical considerations involved.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference various statements and articles to support their views, indicating a reliance on media narratives and public figures' comments, which may not fully capture the complexities of the situation.

faust9
Messages
690
Reaction score
2
Meet Richard H. Baker. He's spent the 20 years of his life in Washton DC representing the good people of http://baker.house.gov/ . Now, Mr. Baker seems to have a problem. It seems the liberal media overheard him saying:
We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn't do it, but God did.

However, Mr. Baker's side of the story is a little different. He says he was misquoted---Like good'ol pat---and his statement went more like this:

We have been trying for decades to clean up New Orleans public housing to provide decent housing for residents, and now it looks like God is finally making us do it

The corrected statement isn't much better IMHO. This has the surprising smack of the Pat Robertson debachle from a few weeks past. Ya'll remember that where the liberal media was working to torpedo poor poor Pat through no fault of his own?

Anywho, what do ya'll think?

Oh, and a link for those who want to read the WaPo article for yourselves.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/09/AR2005090901930.html
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Physics news on Phys.org
I think it's a weird mentality indeed that embraces a God who sends a cat 4/5 hurricane because He got tired of waiting for local officials to clean up public housing.

What is *with* this religious segment?
 
Another "religious compassionate conservative".
 
I have also heard mention of a statement from Barbara Bush (Gee Dub's mommy) saying that the conditions provided the evacuees wasn't that bad because "They don't have anything anyway"
 
I have disagreed that the disaster has been used as a psyops. However, if there are those who are thinking happily how the natural tragedy is eliminating poor people who are a drain on government resources, I would not be at all surprised. And if so, I gather they are feeling some disappointment that the death toll is not likely to be as high as originally projected, and worse yet, now these poor people are displaced--some in their own neighborhoods. Hmm...maybe God does work in mysterious ways.
 
Last edited:
Tarheel said:
I have also heard mention of...
Yes, here's a source for you:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/06/katrina.presidents.ap/
Barbara said:
"What I'm hearing, which is sort of scary, is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality ... And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this is working very well for them."
 
Last edited by a moderator:
SOS2008 said:
Hmm...maybe God does work in mysterious ways.
Then again.. maybe george did it.
 

Similar threads

News Does 'pack journalism' shape the science news we read?
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
4K
News The lie of media liberal bias continued.
  • · Replies 21 ·
Replies
21
Views
5K
News Bush Honest & Trustworthy Until How Many Lies?
  • · Replies 65 ·
3
Replies
65
Views
13K
News The Roots of Terrorism and US Foreign Policy
  • · Replies 31 ·
2
Replies
31
Views
6K
News Obama Inaugural Address: Summary & Analysis
  • · Replies 33 ·
2
Replies
33
Views
7K
News Is the Tax-Cut Strategy a Con to Dismantle Government Programs?
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
5K