Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Many groups helped
It is quite baffling to think that one man could drive, in a week’s time, the 627 square miles of the Houston metropolis, and still be able to do so much to help those in need. However, Mr. Gerald Griffin of Benton was apparently able to do just that, asking each individual helping whether they were a freethinker or not.
FYI, Mr. Griffin, there are many freethinkers and Christians alike who have genuine compassion for their fellows without having the necessity to toot their horns about it. The problem with Mr. G is that he apparently does not truly want to know of the freethinkers groups that were there. If he saw the Foundation Beyond Belief, the Freedom From Religion Foundation, the Houston Food Bank, the Humanists of Houston, the Houston Oasis, the South Texas Atheists For Reason, the Beaumont Humanist Society, or any other groups there helping, that might make him feel uncomfortable. There were even a couple of Muslim groups there, which he claimed not to have seen. Could he accept that they were actually doing some good? I doubt it!
And although it was great that Samaritan’s Purse, Salvation Army, and Southern Baptists helped the American Red Cross (a secular group), they likely did no more than other nonreligious groups such as Wal-Mart, PepsiCo, Apple, Home Depot, Cheniere Energy, and many others.
So next time one jumps to any conclusion about a subject, perhaps it would be important to do a little more research than, say, walking down a street or two. DONALD CASE Onia