The Republicans, Christian Right, Family Values, and Big Parties in a Time of a Biblical Disaster

The Republicans and Bush have already raised $35 million in private money to pay for their blowout party to celebrate W's inauguration. Now we have the Tsunami disaster. This $35 million equals the initial US pledges to disaster relief. This is not just an ordinary hurricane disaster that appears on the evening news, but a disaster of truly "Biblical" dimensions. Even someone as hardened to day-to-day events as me has been moved.

The thought crossed my mind earlier this morning that it might be a nice thing, a Christian act, even a demonstration of good "family values", for the Republicans to forgo a few balls and rounds of drinks to give a few $ million of this cache to the relief efforts. Then, I moved on to more likely events about more generous "family values" that are really grasping the Republicans. What silly business to think that people who gave over $400 million to re-elect W would want to miss out on the hoopla and more opportunities to be seen near, or even to press, the Presidential flesh.

But, just now I saw this little article in the New York Times today:

December 31, 2004
Clemente to Switch Aid Mission to Asia
By THE NEW YORK TIMES

The son of Roberto Clemente, the first Latino in the National Baseball Hall of Fame, is sending money and two tons of clothing and medical supplies - originally destined for Nicaragua to honor his father - to tsunami victims.

Roberto Clemente Jr. canceled a commemorative flight he was to make today, the 32nd anniversary of his father's death, and will divert the supplies and $18,000 earmarked for charities in Nicaragua to earthquake victims in Asia.

"My father always said, 'If you have an opportunity to make things better and you don't, then you are wasting your time on earth,' " Mr. Clemente told The Associated Press.

Mr. Clemente, 39, has been raising money and collecting supplies for several months to re-enact his father's unfinished mission.

The ballplayer died in a plane crash in 1972 trying to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.