by The Well Infidel – June 27, 2010
In his first Oval Office speech, the head of our secular
state unveiled his plan to deal with the Gulf oil spill. This disaster is
destroying the livelihoods and quality of life of millions of humans and other
species. In fact, the entire country relies on a healthy ecosystem connected to
this great water body. Alas, our president's plan seems to focus on
prayer. I'm not making this up. Here is the text of the last part
of Obama's speech last Wednesday night from the White House:
Each year, at the beginning of shrimping season, the
region's fishermen take part in a tradition that was brought to America long
ago by fishing immigrants from Europe. It's called "The Blessing of the
Fleet," and today it's a celebration where clergy from different religions
gather to say a prayer for the safety and success of the men and women who will
soon head out to sea - some for weeks at a time. The ceremony goes on in good
times and in bad. It took place after Katrina, and it took place a few weeks
ago - at the beginning of the most difficult season these fishermen have ever
faced.
And still, they came and they prayed. For as a priest and
former fisherman once said of the tradition, "The blessing is not that God
has promised to remove all obstacles and dangers. The blessing is that He is
with us always," a blessing that's granted "...even in the midst of
the storm.
The oil
spill is not the last crisis America will face. This nation has known
hard times before and we will surely know them again. What sees us
through -– what has always seen us through –- is our strength, our
resilience, and our unyielding faith that something better awaits us if we
summon the courage to reach for it.
Tonight, we
pray for that courage. We pray for the people of the Gulf. And we
pray that a hand may guide us through the storm towards a brighter day.
Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.
Now let me
paraphrase what Obama said. Basically, with the flowery language stripped
away, this was the message:
The
superstitious, undereducated and economically distressed working class folks
along the Gulf who eke out a living fishing have an annual black magic ritual
designed to gain favors from a god character. The ritual involves
talking, or sending thoughts, to a sky creature, presumably the same character
athletes acknowledge as complicit in their touchdowns - or whatever. This
ritual somehow motivates a deity to "watch over" fishermen at sea.
This implies that, unless they ask, they won't get watched over but, with the
prayers, maybe they will. Primitive stuff - the kind of rite that in one form
or another was practiced by Aztecs, Zulus and no doubt even earlier hominid
species millions of years ago. I'd be tempted to suggest progress in overcoming
irrationality is glacier-like, except that it clearly is much slower than that.
Obama urged
prayer in the absence of any evidence throughout all of history that prayer has
any effect. Why? Who knows? Maybe because while prayer itself is ridiculous,
praying is not - for a politician. Perhaps Obama prays for Obama (good
ratings and outcomes at the poll may be the goals), not for a divine clean-up
of the Gulf.
Obama said, The
blessing is that He is with us always, a blessing that's granted ...even in the
midst of the storm. Actually, no, HE is not. As far as we can tell,
there is none to grant blessings, storm or no storm. If they were not
dead, tens of thousands of drowned sailors would so advise Obama. There's
nobody out there - and it's a pity that our head of state suggests otherwise.
And we pray
that a hand may guide us through the storm. Don't bet on it. Pray
for courage? And what, pray, is the source or grantor of that sought-after
courage? Alas - an imaginary friend.
As usual,
Obama ended his speech with that annoying ritual, egregious blessing slogan
that mingles church and state - "And may God bless the United States of
America." Whatever that means.