Say...what?!

I've never been a big Wal-Mart shopper, but Sean recently read/heard about a pretty sick story that pretty much sealed the deal that I will never personally go spend money there. I will not support a company that does this to their employees:

"A collision with a tractor-trailer seven years ago left 52-year-old Deborah Shank permanently brain-damaged and in a wheelchair. Her husband, Jim, and three sons found a small source of solace: a $700,000 accident settlement from the trucking company involved.

After legal fees and other expenses, the remaining $417,000 was put in a special trust. It was to be used for Deborah Shank's care."

"Two years ago, [Wal-Mart]'s health plan sued the Shanks for the $470,000 it had spent on her medical care. A federal judge ruled last year in Wal-Mart's favor, backed by an appeals-court decision in August. Now, Deborah's family has to rely on Medicaid and her Social Security payments to keep up her round-the-clock care."

"The reason is a clause in Wal-Mart's health plan that Deborah Shank didn't notice when she started stocking shelves at a nearby store eight years ago. Like most company health plans, Wal-Mart's reserves the right to recoup the medical expenses it paid for someone's treatment if the person also collects damages in an injury suit."

"In cases such as the Shanks', in which injuries and medical costs are catastrophic, accident victims sometimes can be left with little or none of the money they fought for in court. Health plans increasingly are adopting language such as Wal-Mart's, which dictates that it is to be paid first out of any settlement, regardless of what remains for the injured person. Moreover, the victim is responsible for all legal costs in pursuing the suit."

What also scared me about this is the article stated "like most company health plans". So, apparently Wal-Mart isn't the only one.

Nonetheless, I won't be shopping there anymore. I won't go so far as to call people who do shop there terrible people...or vow to never set foot in Wal-Mart...I just won't spend my money there.

"God hates your tears"...NOT.

The other morning on Good Morning America, I heard a story about Westboro Baptist Church. If you haven't heard much about this church, I'm sure you will on the news at some point. So...some might be asking "What did they do now?" ...

They picketed at the funeral of a soldier (Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder) who died in Iraq. They held signs that said things like "THANK GOD FOR 9/11", "YOU'RE GOING TO HELL", "AMERICA IS DOOMED", and "GOD HATES YOUR TEARS". They were sued by the family of the soldier...about 1 million dollars.

And Fred Phelps' (the pastor) reaction to all of this...? He's glad for the publicity. It makes the Snyder family's victory bittersweet.

Obviously, as I was watching the news clip I was dumbfounded. I've heard about this church doing things before, but to go to someone's funeral carrying those signs is repulsive. I was especially put-off by the "THANK GOD FOR 9/11" sign. Wikipedia lists all the signs they're known for carrying.

They say that everything tragic that's happened in the world (i.e. the tsunami and the current war) are due to America's tolerance of homosexuality. They run the website Godhatesfags.com.

It was all I could think about while driving to work. The fact that they call themselves Christian...that they claim to be doing God's will...that they think they're telling people His message...that they somehow think God is pleased with their actions is so far removed from the truth. Apparently, though they say they're baptist, they are not affiliated with any baptist conventions and the baptist church as a whole does not recognize them as "a Bible believing fellowship". Thank God for that.

It's no wonder people don't like Christians and question God and who He is when people like the members of Westboro are doing such a terrible job of representing Him! And I'd hope that if anyone who is not a Christian hears about this church would not think that every single Christian is the same as they...or believes the same things.

These people have no respect for anyone. I also read this on Wikipedia: "When Kevin Oldham, a homosexual musician, died of AIDS-related causes in 1993, Phelps Sr. sent a photo of Kevin to his parents. The photo contained the caption: "Kevin Oldham: Dead Fag'."

It makes me sick.

"My God is loving God...I don't look for hatred in the Bible."
-Albert Snyder (father of Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder)