X has evolved into a place where free talk also enjoys a residence under the leadership of Elon Musk. While X has given people access to information, like any other system, it offers an outlet to sewer-dwellers who cannot wait to sensationalize a catastrophe, feebly strive to score a few items with the self-styled aristocracy, or just revel in the pain of their perceived or chosen rivals.  ,
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Such is the case with one Betsy Packard. Packard was a graduate instructor and an MFA candidate at the University of Kentucky, according to the New York Post. Even her university email address was there.  ,
On Sunday, she put up a post on X with a winking emoji that read,” Hurricane Helene…what if GOD is punishing MAGA populations for their hate and hypocrisy? Works for me”!
When X readers took her to task, she was unaware of the crude nature of her remarks and chose to ratchet up the hate:
You were struck by an Act of God. She reacted to a poster that mocked the small size of the National Guard’s deployment following the storm with the message,” Looks like God’s pissed off at you.”
 ,” An Act of God hammered you, and you still din’t ]sic ] hear Him? God is undoubtedly very upset about MAGAs. How can you not see this”? she made fun of another user.
She continued to rant the entire day before giving in and writing,” I erred in thinking Americans could read. I stated WHAT IF. DO I BELIEVE THIS? No. Do I believe it, or not? Nope. However, some fools actually hold that to be true.
Too little, too late, Betsy.
Packard is not an employee, according to the University of Kentucky.
We were just made aware of this post. We have reported it to the appropriate campus offices who review conduct inquiries.
These statements do not accurately reflect our values as an institution and are abhorrent. These ominous storms have had our thoughts and concerns. Many members of our community who are directly impacted by them are our institution, and we are working with them to provide support and resources at this time.
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I bring this up to provide an idea of what people of goodwill are up against, not just a monolithic government, a compromised media and academic system, or any of the other entities seeking prestige, power, and cash. Packard’s mindset has seeped into every corner of America.
Tuesday, I wrote about Pastor Rafael Cruz’s speech at the Chrisitans Engaged Conference in Texas. He claimed in his speech that too many people use the phrase” God is in control” as an excuse not to get involved or speak up. One reader posed the question,” What was my alternative?” to just about any reader.  ,
In her book” Night,” Elie Wiesel, a survivor of a concentration camp, describes her experiences. In one chapter, Wiesel describes a situation where three people were hanged, including a young boy:
” Where is God? Where is He”? someone behind me asked…
For more than half an hour]the child in the noose ] stayed there, struggling between life and death, dying in slow agony under our eyes. And we had to look him in the eye intently. When I passed in front of him, he was still alive. His tongue was still red, his eyes were not yet glazed.
Behind me, I heard the same man asking:
” Where is God now”?
And I muttered a message to him:
” Where is He? Here He is— He is hanging here on this gallows. .”.
There will always be people in the world who are boundless in their cruelty and/or selfishness. The” Church militant” response is not to be violent but to speak out against those who exist. God was on the gallows. God is in abortion clinics, both in the babies and mothers who have been victimized. God is on the streets, and God is in the aftermath of Helene. ( For context, see Matthew 25: 31-45 .)  ,
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Those are the times and places people to activate: to go and do. Although God may be in charge, it means that people must act as per their own instructions because, as mentioned above, God has issued a call for service. That entails stepping out.  ,
By now, it is quite obvious that the government is failing the victims of Helene. The churches, neighbors, and volunteers are not. To go beyond” God is in control” as a comforting phrase, we must go where we can and do what we can. It might not mean traveling to North Carolina with a truckload of relief supplies, but it does mean standing wherever you are.