God Hates China

This week's massive earthquake in Sichuan province has caused the death of at least 20,000 people so far. As the hope of rescuing survivors trapped in the rubble begins to fade, media sources suggest that the body count could climb much higher into the 50,000-100,000 range. One can scarcely fathom the loss of so many human lives or the (material, monetary and emotional) resources that will be needed to return the ruined cities to a state approaching normalcy.

It is difficult, indeed, to come to terms with the arbitrariness of such an enormous tragedy.

At least one religious organization from the lunatic fringe of middle America thinks it has an explanation, however. As far as the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas is concerned, the earthquake struck because (wait for it) "God hates China." Below is their news release:


(Yes, this church is for real, and this is not the first time it's come up with a hateful, crack-pot conspiracy theory.)

We already know how riled up Chinese youth can become when the honor of their motherland is questioned by the international community. The Opposite End of China blog has suggested that patriots consider directing at least some of their anger towards the WBC: "if you're someone out there looking to make a display of China's strength and unity, why not give the WBC a piece of your mind (or perhaps something more tangible)?"

It's an idea worth entertaining. If you're so inclined, "something more tangible" (a smelly old carton of General Tso's Chicken, perhaps) can be sent to the WBC at 3701 SW 12th, Topeka, KS 66604.

Alternatively, I urge those of you who prefer to direct your energies in a more positive way to make a donation to support the relief effort. The Hong Kong Red Cross is accepting online donations here (this website has been intermittently down in recent days because of high traffic, so you might have to be a bit patient), and One Foundation, an organization affiliated with the Red Cross Society of China, is accepting them here. If you are in Beijing and would like to make an RMB donation at a local bank, see instructions here.