Web Letters: Rapture Rescue 911: Disaster Response for the Chosen

There is nothing silly about what is found in this article.

Ok, maybe the idea of insurance contractors riding around pretending to be firemen is laughable, but what is not is the fact that people in America accept this passively. I wonder if the firemen of San Diego are laughing about the wildfires?

Let's take a look at what the failing state of the US has to offer:

-A callous and ignorant population (see posts below)

-Fake press conferences (when people lives are in danger)

-Torture and abuse of detainees at home and abroad (look up ICE Detention Center San Diego ACLU, look up Iraq War)

-Corruption and incompetence at every level of government (I should know, Nancy Pelosi is my representative)

-Aspiring dictators with phony elections (with friends like Musharref, who needs the Supreme Court? oh, wait...)

-Private mercenary armies, e.g., Blackwater, DynCorp etc. (wow, what a track record these people have!)

What people of conscience need to ask themselves is; how can we stop this? Go shopping? (our patriotic call to duty after 9/11)

Professionals, religious leaders, workers, students from every discipline must come together and start to build a more just and sustainable society.

That is, if you still believe life is worth saving.

I find it difficult that people allow their children and loved ones to endure this deepening cesspool.

Samuel Cooper

San Diego, CA

Something that isn't addressed in the article is the fact that the economy throughout Michigan--and particularly in the UP and tourist-destination towns--is about on a par with areas of the rural South. In other words, my community is begging for jobs, any jobs.

Some think this is a stupid article. And you don't understand the connection between this organization and fundamentalist religion. I don't know the religious beliefs of the founder/owner of SD. However, if these folks are fundamentalist Christians, as is the founder of Blackwater (his sister is Betsy Devos, whose husband Dick ran for MI governor last time around, and she herself was the state GOP chairperson in 2004; they live in Grand Rapids, home of Michigan Christian fundamentalism--but I don't expect out-of-staters to know all of that), then there should be concern about this sort of exclusive first-responder industry.

Maybe before some of you denigrate the article and the viewpoint, you ought to attempt to talk with some of the people who live in that community. There are now public meetings being held re permits etc., and not everyone is enthused about this organization.

There is indeed something sickening about the mindset that people with money are the ones who matter the most and go to the head of the line. And this is the USA? No wonder so many people don't care about national healthcare and other issues pertaining to the real majority. We are in danger of becoming a nation of "it's all about me."

It's possible that our largest danger is ourselves and our willingness to cut out those we view to be lesser in some way.

Kimberly Jones

Petoskey, MI

This is the silliest article I have read in a long time. Liberals are constantly telling us how to live our lives to protect the planet and society. Saving these homes helped the environment and prevented additional global warming. How is that bad? Should we not have smoke detectors? should we not have fire and building codes? Should we not replace our roof before it leaks? This is my property and my money--what business is it of the author how I spend my money?

Oh, right: class envy! What a dope!

Would society have been better served if these homes were destroyed? And what does this have to do with Christian beliefs?

This author is so blinded by her own prejudice and bigotry that she is unable to craft an objective intelligent article about important topics.

Because of this success, I bet more and more homes will be saved in the future--no thanks to people like the author!

Russell P. Rasche

Naperville, IL

What an incredibly stupid article. I can't believe Ms. Klein is whining about a service that homeowners and insurance companies pay for out of their own pockets. It's a good thing when these homes don't burn, because that means the insurance companies don't have to pay millions to replace them, the cost of which would be passed on to the rest of us. Liberals just have no common sense!

John Carter

Cool, CA

As much as I have been dismayed and appalled by the arrogance of our government and corporations, this article went a bit further.

It seems that democracy is not merely in danger - it is on its deathbed.

There has always been selfishness and greed - but I'm not sure that it has been flaunted this way in my lifetime (sixty-three years).

As the bumper sticker says, "If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention."

I guess a lot of people are not paying attention.

Beverly Alexander

Petaluma, CA

There's no denying there is gold in them there disasters. Rarely does the Red Cross drive away from a catastrophe with less than they drove up with. The Salvation Army now manages to channel billions of federal dollars through their coffers. Yet once the spotlights dim and the networks turn off their cameras, watch how quickly those bright banners and mobile canteens disappear. Politicians use disasters to push personal agendas, usually drawing an extra large donation from some shady source. Any number of NGOs attach themselves like leeches to recovery efforts, doing essentially nothing but blazing their involvement across websites while beating the drum for more and more donations. At least Naomi Klein's corporate sharks are actually doing something. Natural disasters tend to bring out the very best and the very worst in people. At first, everybody loves their neighbor, then it devolves into do unto others before they get a chance to do unto you. There's just too much loose money being thrown around in a disaster for ordinary mortals to resist the temptation to grab for it.

James Altman

Stanley, WI

Private fire departments aren't anything new. In fact, humorist Bob Newhart created a famous, hilarious sketch involving himself having a fire ar home and calling for quotations from a fire department to come put out the fire. The longer he talked the larger the fire got, and so negotiations had to restart. Priceless stuff.

Tucano Fulano

Big Bear, CA