Ann Coulter
Some of the right wing commentators most desperate for attention blamed the Houston flood on its lesbian former mayor. Among them floating that brilliant theory was Ann Coulter. She, like the Rev. Bobby Jeffress of First Baptist, have been largely marginalized by mainstream media for their stupid comments and have learned that to get the attention they thrive on, they have to say stupider and stupider things.
So let’s go with the premise that Annise Parker is responsible for the floods.
First, I assure you that if anyone is less responsible for the flooding in Houston, it’s Parker. During her first campaign for mayor, any reporter who asked her the gay question got the same answer I did.
“Well, David, I’m sure some people would be very interested in that, but we have a terrible flooding problem, especially on the south side of Houston,” Parker told me in the first phone interview I did with her. Then she went on to explain where the flooding was worst and what type of engineering would be needed to correct some of the problem and where the city was at or below sea level and how the city could afford to fix some of the problems and how the city couldn’t afford not to.
And once she got into office, she began some of the work to fix the flooding — something other mayors only dreamed of doing.
In fact, without Parker, the flooding would have been worse.
But that wasn’t Coulter’s point. It was God’s revenge on a city that vote for a lesbian.
Here’s what doesn’t make sense. The city voted for Parker three times to be an at-large city council member. Then Houston put her in office three times as city comptroller. Then she was mayor three times. That’s 18 years in office. She’s been out of office eight months now, so why didn’t God put a stop to Parker’s reign of terror, I mean nine-time re-election usually by a landslide, much sooner?
If we want to blame karma, let’s blame something larger — and more recent.
The city council passed a nondiscrimination ordinance. The city voted to repeal it. That happened much more recently than electing the lesbian.
If you believe that God interferes in local politics by sending floods, earthquakes, tornadoes and tsunamis as retribution, then its much more likely God did it because God believes everyone of the people God created is equal and deserves equal treatment.
One more reason Coulter’s claims are irrational. Everyone knows dikes hold the water out.