Colorado Springs Wildfires

[RR88]

This is the place where Randy Wilson (a director of "purity balls") lives, right? While I hope no one is hurt, it would be nice if one of the consequences of the wildfire were a delay/cancellation of the next purity ball for that area. http://cnn.com/2012/06/26/us/western-wi ... index.html

[dawn9476]

Colorado Springs is full of religious people. Several religious organizations have their headquarters there. The Duggars spoke at Focus On The Family there last year.

[LaydNimue]

It's also home to New Life Church and pastor Ted Haggard who strongly supported a ban on same sex marriage in CO. Not surprisingly, a huge scandal erupted when he was busted for seeing a male escort and using lots of Meth. He admitted to the drugs but not the sex, because "we don't do that sort of thing' :roll: :lol: He got busy repenting and restoring himself with his loyal family and accepted $$ donations to support him while getting educated using an online university. They have a huge, expensive home in the Springs and I think he started up his own church. Pretty sure his wife wrote a book too; she stands by her man. And a movie on HBO? He was recently busted again, some man at his church said he was paid off not to go public with their affair. So now Ted says he's bi-sexual but he doesn't act on it, uh huh. :naughty:

Colorado Springs is a awful place. Dry and dusty, trashy and old, full of drugs and gangs. Also full of fringe churches/cults. The air force base brings it's own good and bad. Regular folks make a living there too, work hard and do good but most don't choose to live there unless they can afford the million dollar homes (those are the ones in danger of burning). If anyone is familiar with Denver then I'd describe CS as the Colfax Ave of Colorado.

[lilwriter85]

I have a few relatives who live in Springs. They have also told me about their fundie encounters. My aunt used to live next to a fundie type pastor and he tried to buy an old office building near the neighborhood to use it as a church. He never had enough money to buy the building.

[Terrie]

It's also home to New Life Church and pastor Ted Haggard who strongly supported a ban on same sex marriage in CO. Not surprisingly, a huge scandal erupted when he was busted for seeing a male escort and using lots of Meth. He admitted to the drugs but not the sex, because "we don't do that sort of thing' :roll: :lol: He got busy repenting and restoring himself with his loyal family and accepted $$ donations to support him while getting educated using an online university. They have a huge, expensive home in the Springs and I think he started up his own church. Pretty sure his wife wrote a book too; she stands by her man. And a movie on HBO? He was recently busted again, some man at his church said he was paid off not to go public with their affair. So now Ted says he's bi-sexual but he doesn't act on it, uh huh. :naughty:

At first, of course, he claimed that he was completely heterosexual.

HZmHC75FDqQ

[PennySycamore]

OOH, I love me some Roy Zimmerman!!

One of the problems with so many fundies in Colorado Springs is their malignant influence on the Air Force Academy. You can find out more about it here: www.militaryreligiousfreedom.org

[starfish]

When Katrina hit Nola, and anytime California gets hit with earthquakes, etc., the first thing the fundies do is blame the natural disaster on all the sinners who live there.

But gosh, it's been awfully quiet about Colorado Springs....

[Terrie]

When Katrina hit Nola, and anytime California gets hit with earthquakes, etc., the first thing the fundies do is blame the natural disaster on all the sinners who live there.

But gosh, it's been awfully quiet about Colorado Springs....

It's the same when tornadoes hit the Bible belt. Not a single peep about how they were specifically targeted.

[HoneyBunny]

Well, I'm sitting here so close to the Springs that I am smelling the smoke from the Waldo fire (about 30 minutes drive south of me). Since I'm actually closer to Denver, I couldn't claim to know much about the Springs until my husband was activated during the second Iraq War, and he was at Fort Carson for a year before moving out. I spent a lot of weekends down there with him, and we did a lot of fun stuff. There's no denying the beauty on the western side of town...Garden of the Gods, Manitou Springs, Pikes Peak. I love all that. But the first time we ventured upon New Life Church (pre-Haggard's fall from grace) was when we did a motorcycle meet up there to accompany the traveling Vietnam Wall back to Denver. My husband and I both looked at each other and asked, "What the hell is THIS?". It was so much the epitome of commercial Christiandom (reminded me a lot of Jim and Tammy Baker's place in South Carolina which we also visited for fun right before that all hit the fan).

I love the natural beauty of the Springs but not the vibe of the place. Talk about a town taken over by the religious right. I know many people who now live near me who had to get out. I'm not surprised that no one has said a peep about the Springs fire and its connection to sin; what I keep waiting for is someone saying the Waldo fire is an attack by the Left on Christianity and another example of a culture war. Faux News- you're slackin' here!

I will admit to reading Gayle Haggard's book. I expected lots of opportunities to snark, but in the end I couldn't help feeling just the slightest bit sorry for them. Oh yes, they are hypocrites of the highest order, but what that church did to that family...those people are truly evil.

[shesinsane]

When Katrina hit Nola, and anytime California gets hit with earthquakes, etc., the first thing the fundies do is blame the natural disaster on all the sinners who live there.

But gosh, it's been awfully quiet about Colorado Springs....

Christian Colorado Springs is burning, Christian gulf coast Florida is under water, maybe God's trying to tell you something*?

*Yes, that's a reference from The Color Purple. :D

[FundiesInMyFamily]

Hey does anyone know where the Jeubs live? Are they in town or closer to the hills?

I'm sure Chris will turn the fire into a fine money making opportunity... Can't wait to see his spin on all of this destruction around us.

[dawn9476]

It's also home to New Life Church and pastor Ted Haggard who strongly supported a ban on same sex marriage in CO. Not surprisingly, a huge scandal erupted when he was busted for seeing a male escort and using lots of Meth. He admitted to the drugs but not the sex, because "we don't do that sort of thing' :roll: :lol: He got busy repenting and restoring himself with his loyal family and accepted $$ donations to support him while getting educated using an online university. They have a huge, expensive home in the Springs and I think he started up his own church. Pretty sure his wife wrote a book too; she stands by her man. And a movie on HBO? He was recently busted again, some man at his church said he was paid off not to go public with their affair. So now Ted says he's bi-sexual but he doesn't act on it, uh huh. :naughty:

Colorado Springs is a awful place. Dry and dusty, trashy and old, full of drugs and gangs. Also full of fringe churches/cults. The air force base brings it's own good and bad. Regular folks make a living there too, work hard and do good but most don't choose to live there unless they can afford the million dollar homes (those are the ones in danger of burning). If anyone is familiar with Denver then I'd describe CS as the Colfax Ave of Colorado.

Never heard about Colorado Springs being full of drugs and gangs but that makes sense considering the fundies have dismantled the government including the police department there.

[Childless]

I went to Colorado Springs once. I left and never went back. Did not like it at all.

[snickerz]

The Jeubs have evacuated.

[gustava]

The Jeubs have evacuated.

OMG!!! For real????

[PokaDot]

The Jeubs have evacuated.

Why?

They live in Monument, which isn't under evac orders.

[dawn9476]

Why?

They live in Monument, which isn't under evac orders.

Air quality maybe? Even if your house is no where near to catching on fire, the air quality is probably beyond awful.

[polabear]

Why?

They live in Monument, which isn't under evac orders.

They are under pre-evac orders, so maybe they decided to bug out early.

I grew up on the south side of Colorado Springs (Widefield, close to Fort Carson). There's a reason why I don't live there now - when I was in high school, the fundies invaded. The springs have always been very conservative, but it wasn't religious conservative - more like Ron Paul conservative.

The south side of the Springs isn't super nice, but its hardly dangerous. We did move up North (Briargate, which is on the other side of I-25, across from the fire last night) so my sister could go to a better high school. But, I have lots of high school friends who still live down there, and they manage to not die. :)

[snickerz]

Monument IS under evac orders as of this afternoon. It's on their facebook & twitter feeds. They went to Denver to stay with friends.

[PokaDot]

They are under pre-evac orders, so maybe they decided to bug out early.

I grew up on the south side of Colorado Springs (Widefield, close to Fort Carson). There's a reason why I don't live there now - when I was in high school, the fundies invaded. The springs have always been very conservative, but it wasn't religious conservative - more like Ron Paul conservative.

The south side of the Springs isn't super nice, but its hardly dangerous. We did move up North (Briargate, which is on the other side of I-25, across from the fire last night) so my sister could go to a better high school. But, I have lots of high school friends who still live down there, and they manage to not die. :)

Maybe, but in all honesty, I don't see the fire going that far North. In terms of fire geography....Monument is pretty far away from where the north part of the fire is right now. In order for Monument to be "properly" threatened we'd be talking about a fire bigger than Haymen. It would have to burn through Academy grounds, and they're still inducting the doolie class and about ready to put them through the beast.

I just hope they aren't going to use it as an excuse to beg their readers for donations for themselves.

As for south CSprings....My coworkers used to find shell casings in the parking lot. We just assumed they were gang related because who the hell just shoots in an office building parking lot for the hell of it?

[Glass Cowcatcher]

I was going to post this in "Things I want to Say but Can't," but this is a better place.

Dear Dr. Dobson, Lahaye, Haggard, et all,

I don't think there ever has been a more appropriate opportunity to ask this question:

WHERE IS YOUR GOD NOW?

Hope everybody is okay out there :(

[gardenvarietycitizen]

When Katrina hit Nola, and anytime California gets hit with earthquakes, etc., the first thing the fundies do is blame the natural disaster on all the sinners who live there.

But gosh, it's been awfully quiet about Colorado Springs....

SRSLY. Just this morning I was wondering to my husband if the same people who said God caused the tsunami because Japanese aren't Christian are going to think that possibly God caused the wildfires because he doesn't like what THEY are doing for a change!!

(not that I wish harm to anyone, but I do wish they would wake the heck up to the double standard)

[Boltingmadonna]

I don't want anyone's house to burn down, especially my dear hive-vaginites. And, so, but, therefore . . . FUNDIES! PRAY MOAR!

Because global warming is a liberal myth and government is bad, so that's the only way to fix this, right?

[CrazySister]

Colorado Springs is a awful place. Dry and dusty, trashy and old, full of drugs and gangs. Also full of fringe churches/cults. The air force base brings it's own good and bad. Regular folks make a living there too, work hard and do good but most don't choose to live there unless they can afford the million dollar homes (those are the ones in danger of burning). If anyone is familiar with Denver then I'd describe CS as the Colfax Ave of Colorado.

:lol: so true! When I was looking for a new place, I told people where it was and when they'd grimace my automatic response was, "hey, at least it's not on Colfax!"

[IceQueen]

Colorado Springs is that bad? I knew focus on the family and lots of religious right wingers lived there. There is a pretty famous (in the skating world) club there. Its called the Broadmoor Skating Club the US Olympic Committee is there too. I always assumed it was a very fancy vacationy type place. I was never talented or wealthy :lol: enough travel to compete or train there.