Wait until the information comes out. That's what I said about Ferguson, but no one listened. There is no hurry. Yes, those who would politicise the issue (mostly, but not entirely on the left) will get there before you, poison the well, and influence the discussion disproportionately, but that was gong to happen anyway, regardless of what is written here.
I don't think we need to wait until the information comes out to express sympathy and brotherhood. These congregations may be as afraid of the uncertainty as they would be of a certain case of violence toward their church. It might turn out later (I say for the sake of argument) that their pastor burned it down for the insurance. Fine: but right now, then, is when they need expressions of brotherhood, because right now is when they are afraid.
You must always examine what's not said in such situations. In this case, specifically, how many white churches have burned in the last week?
I seem to recall just such a case a decade or two ago, where someone was burning down churches, but only those with black congregations were attended to by the media, so a general attack on churches was turned into a racial attack for news-reporting purposes.
Well, OK: there should be statistics on that, since the Congress passed a 1996 law on the subject of burning churches. Someone must be collecting the data about how many are burned.
Thirty odd years ago a black church burned down in the Tacoma Hilltop area. The local public news station was all over the story, the pastor was regaling everyone about racism and extremism, the media followed suite, it was a cut and dry thing-obvious with anyone with a brain that some evil white devil burnt the church. So I called the station, got the reporter on the line, and read him the riot act. Why was he promoting the idea that it was a racist motivated arson attack, when there was no evidence whatso ever and the report was not even started? Well, he said, "I did not SAY it was arson"- my reply-but you damn well IMPLIED it with every word, and every quote. So a week later after the investigators went over the scene, it turns out there was some bad wiring. Not nearly so dramatic. I think this sort of thing is SOP.
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Well, one of them was caused by downed power-lines which ignited the building.
Good. That leaves several.
Wait until the information comes out. That's what I said about Ferguson, but no one listened. There is no hurry. Yes, those who would politicise the issue (mostly, but not entirely on the left) will get there before you, poison the well, and influence the discussion disproportionately, but that was gong to happen anyway, regardless of what is written here.
It was ever thus.
I don't think we need to wait until the information comes out to express sympathy and brotherhood. These congregations may be as afraid of the uncertainty as they would be of a certain case of violence toward their church. It might turn out later (I say for the sake of argument) that their pastor burned it down for the insurance. Fine: but right now, then, is when they need expressions of brotherhood, because right now is when they are afraid.
You must always examine what's not said in such situations. In this case, specifically, how many white churches have burned in the last week?
I seem to recall just such a case a decade or two ago, where someone was burning down churches, but only those with black congregations were attended to by the media, so a general attack on churches was turned into a racial attack for news-reporting purposes.
Well, OK: there should be statistics on that, since the Congress passed a 1996 law on the subject of burning churches. Someone must be collecting the data about how many are burned.
Thirty odd years ago a black church burned down in the Tacoma Hilltop area. The local public news station was all over the story, the pastor was regaling everyone about racism and extremism, the media followed suite, it was a cut and dry thing-obvious with anyone with a brain that some evil white devil burnt the church. So I called the station, got the reporter on the line, and read him the riot act. Why was he promoting the idea that it was a racist motivated arson attack, when there was no evidence whatso ever and the report was not even started? Well, he said, "I did not SAY it was arson"- my reply-but you damn well IMPLIED it with every word, and every quote. So a week later after the investigators went over the scene, it turns out there was some bad wiring. Not nearly so dramatic. I think this sort of thing is SOP.
Looks like the ATF has authority over these things now. Since they aren't very forthcoming, I suppose we'll just have to wait and see what they say.
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