TEXAS’ Widest Circulated and Read Newspaper with a Black Perspective

Click here to join our mailing list and to receive late-breaking news

The Wrath of God?
Forces of nature warn evil in high places

“For all of our technology, humanity has yet to conquer--the most powerful force on Earth -- nature. Extreme weather and natural disasters continue to strike with little warning, wreaking havoc on the lives of millions around the globe.” The foregoing excerpt from the Discovery Channel’s online magazine gives one cause to pause and ponder the salient fact that “Weapons of mass destruction” has become a media cliché every since Pres. George W. Bush’s propagandist made the phrase part of the most powerful nation in the history of the known, civilized world’s lexicon.

Even so-- from an “old school,” biblical based Black perspective-- men are not only arrogant, but also foolish to compare the most devastating, man made contrivance, to the awesome forces of nature. Nuclear weapons notwithstanding, it’s tantamount to comparing a big rock to a landslide, in the minds believers in the Holy Bible’s Revelations of “Four Horsemen of The Apocalypse.” Surely Revelations 6: 14-16 (“And every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondsman, and every free man, hid themselves in dens and the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb”) is frightening.
Prophetically, it comes chillingly close to Science Fiction movie’s depictions of how America plans to survive a “first strike” nuclear attack. Furthermore, Florida’s true believers wouldn’t be the slightest bit surprised if three of the horsemen’s names were Frances, Charley and Ivan. Meanwhile, one can be sure that the happenstance of three powerful Hurricanes hitting Florida (just as Pres. George W. Bush was beginning to ratchet up his re-election campaign and lingered through 9/11) isn’t lost on African Americans who believe in God’s awesome wrath. Such beliefs have always been part of Black America’s spiritual culture. Then again, mankind has historically considered natural and/or man made disasters the wrath of an angry God reminding evil in high places that He’s still in control.

But, even if an unrepentant Florida electorate fails to get the (real or imagined) message, African American News & Issues would be remiss not to seize an excellent opportunity to remind our estimated 2 million readers that a presidential election is less than a month away. Thus, if there be any who have the remotest possibility of allowing the ongoing war on terror hype to influence their vote (on Nov. 2, 2004), we are sure their pastors will assure them that there is no hiding place-- on this sin sick planet-- when it comes to the wrath of God. In fact, when one considers the proliferation of devastating forces of nature that we can do absolutely nothing about... but pray, Homeland Security’s color-coded terrorist alerts become a joke.

Nevertheless, there is credence to Alexander the Great’s assertion, “Fear makes men believe the worst, ” hence we offer insight into the most fearful natural disasters strictly FYI: According to NATIONALGEOGAPH-IC.COM, the deadliest forces of nature (in order) are: Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Tornadoes and Hurricanes. Earthquakes occur when vast plates, or rocks, within the Earth suddenly break or shift under stress sends shock waves rippling. The sudden movement along the fault causes the ground to shake. Most earthquakes occur along fractures in the Earth’s crust called faults. Intraplate quakes occur far from plate edges and happen when stress builds up and the Earth’s crust is stretched or squeezed together until it rips. Thousands of quakes occur every day around the globe, most of them too weak to be felt.
However, every year about 10, 000 people, on average die as a result of earthquakes.
Volcanoes are vents in the Earth’s surface from which molten rock, debris, and steam issue. About 1, 900 volcanoes are active today or known to have been active in historical times. Almost 90 percent of volcanoes are in the Ring of Fire, a band of volcanoes circling the edges of the Pacific Ocean. Most volcanoes occur at plate boundaries, areas where huge slabs of rock meet in the Earth's lithosphere, or outer shell. Although some volcanoes are considered extinct, almost any volcano is capable of rumbling to life again. Tornadoes are violently rotating columns of air that descends from a thunderstorm to the ground. Tornadoes form when warm, humid air collides with cold, dry air. Twisters are usually accompanied or preceded by severe thunderstorms, high winds, or hail.

Once a tornado hits the ground, it may live for as little as a few seconds or as long as 3 hours. Every U.S. state has experienced twisters, but Texas holds the record: an annual average of 120. Most tornadoes in the U.S. occur in Tornado Alley, a swath that stretches from Texas to Nebraska. Hurricanes are a rotating tropical storm with winds of at least 74 miles (119 kilometers) an hour. They develop over the Atlantic or eastern Pacific Ocean. But, they are called cyclones when they form over the Indian Ocean, or typhoons when they develop in the western Pacific. Once a tropical storm's winds hit a constant speed of at least 74 miles an hour, it becomes a hurricane. The air sinks inside the eye, making it relatively calm.
A ring-shaped eye wall surrounds the eye and carries the storm's most violent winds and rain, creating flash floods, tornadoes, landslides and storm surges. An abnormal rise in sea level, is usually the most dangerous part of a hurricane. Forecasters at the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Florida use satellite imagery, airborne reconnaissance, and computer-model projections to track storms. Red alerts aside, Florida’s denizens will testify--other than move out-- there isn’t much one can do but pray. Perish the thought we’re joking about Floridians grief, or Bush’s war on terror. Nor are we belittling Homeland Security’s efforts to keep America safe. Instead, African American News & Issues suggests that the highest level of caution possible must be maintained.
On the other hand, we truly believe that Black America would be better served adhering to the Prayer of Serenity, rather than living in fear. Alas, descendents of slaves have been in a war with terror since coming to America and that’s why we tend to believe what evil in high places think are errant forces of nature is actually The Wrath of God.