Gotta Love Jesus. And the South.
October 10th, 2007Thanks reader Kent for sending this in. o
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October 10th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Oh, Jesus.
October 10th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
Can’t decide whether to laugh or cry.
Watched it again. I’m crying.
October 10th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
whoa. Whoa. WHOA!
Ortwerth is a county executive in St. Charles County, Missouri. As an Atlantan, I fully admit that the South has the market cornered on flappy-headed crazies, but let’s not pile-on mistakenly here. This guy is all midwest.
October 10th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
OH MY GOSH that is hilarious, but infuriating at the same time. What a jerk. He could have easily said NO COMMENT politely. It seems a bit sacrilegious to use Jesus as a way to avoid such questions. Doesn’t sound to me like he was trying to “spread the word” as much as he was being a smartass LOL
October 10th, 2007 at 2:22 pm
Wow, if I had known it was that easy, I would have pulled the Jesus Card long ago:
“Did you finish your homework?”
“Jesus loves you.”
October 10th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
Tony, if Jesus gets brought into it, you are either Southern or Mormon.
DOGPILE!
October 10th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
PSYCHO!
October 10th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
Holy sweet baby infant jesus, I was a reporter for more than a decade and no one ever told ME jesus loved me. Mad props to the reporter for not cracking up on camera. That’s hard to do!
Mike
October 10th, 2007 at 3:05 pm
I really don’t think that level of aerobic Jesurcising would take place in Utah. Our church/state mash-ups seems to be more subtle and behind-the-scenes in nature. I can’t imagine anyone here tolerating a public official snidely (and repeatedly — what was that, 6-7 times???) whipping out a Lord-shaped shield to deflect the press.
October 10th, 2007 at 3:47 pm
That man sounds like there’s a string hanging out of his back, and someone keeps pulling it. Next, he’ll say there’s a snake in his boot.
October 10th, 2007 at 4:45 pm
It’s like a segment on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart”–only not funny.
October 10th, 2007 at 4:56 pm
Oh dear.
Most Missourians (the natives at least) would tell you that anything south of the Missouri River is “The South.” St. Charles, bordered by the Missouri River, is an interesting place. I know, I work there now (at a church, mind you). Its half full of southern farmers and the other half full of gen-xers turned yuppies.
I would cower in embarrassment, but I live in St. Louis and have no say in the voting in St. Charles.
I wish it surprised me.
October 10th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
Awesome. That’s what you get when politicians try to make like a Jedi.
October 10th, 2007 at 6:58 pm
amen.
October 10th, 2007 at 6:59 pm
I don’t know if it’s more crazy that the councilman broke into his Jesustongue or that the reporter, rather than asking what Jesus had to do with it, repeatedly assured the councilman that he does, in fact, love Jesus.
October 10th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
St. Charles is “country” or “rural” or “backwoods,” but decidedly Midwestern. If we were talking St.Charles Alabama or St. Charles, Mississippi, Ortwerth would have slapped the reporter firmly on his back and said “Now, I’ve known you since you played fullback at Jackson High, and in all that time have you known me to be a man who doesn’t love Jesus and his family with all his heart? Of course not, and that’s your answer right there. So let’s get on home, don’t ya think.”
October 10th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
I live in this town… don’t envy me!!
October 10th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
Like Alaina I live in St. Louis, just across the Missouri River. St. Charles is a suburb (but don’t tell them that). My jaw dropped to the floor when I saw that clip.
Nothing wrong with southern cities whatsoever (virtually my whole family lives in Nashville… awesome city), but St. Louis isn’t one. This is just a crazy man who is… county executive?!?
*sigh*
St. Charles is a lovely place too… if you like antiquing.
October 10th, 2007 at 8:39 pm
If it ain’t the south, it sure sounds like it.
Dave Thomas, I agree. Southern Jesus is a bit louder than Utah Jesus.
I wonder if Ortwerth holds an appointed position or an elected one…
October 10th, 2007 at 9:11 pm
County Executive is elected… the title varies from county to county across the country, but it’s the “mayor of the county. That’s what makes it all the more shocking. Not only is it a totally bizarre answer to a question, but an inappropriate one for an elected official to making in his public capacity. I’ll certainly be scouring the regional news looking for any talk of a recall.
As far as perceptions go (north south east west), I’m just reporting how we think of ourselves (at least in St. Louis… can’t really speak for St. Charles). I actually thought the clip was from Salt Lake at first. Just goes to show that nutcases are nutcases, no matter where they’re from.
October 10th, 2007 at 9:57 pm
I have learned something new today. Any time I screw up on a massive scale, I just say, “Do you know Jesus loves you?” Missed a major launch date for that web site? Forgot to pick the kid up from daycare? “Yes, I did… but do you know that Jesus loves you?”
Oh my GAWD.
October 11th, 2007 at 12:20 am
Dude!
Jesus wants you to own up to the responsibilities of the job you were elected to.
To quote Frank Zappa — “Jesus thinks you’re a Jerk.”
October 11th, 2007 at 12:44 am
Since I am a relatively new resident to Columbia, Mo, the liberal oasis in the middle of a seriously screwy state, I can only continue to wonder how I ended up here.
Joe Crawford-I know that quote and I think Frank Zappa may have been a prophet.
October 11th, 2007 at 5:44 am
Take a look at one of those red/blue political maps of Missouri and you’ll see the bright blue of KC and St. Louis. Where it starts to fade to purple, then red right off the “bump” of St. Louis? That’s St. Chuck, as many of us refer to it (no offense meant to the Former Congressman.)
Me, I live here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_City%2C_Missouri
Note the third sentence of the entry. I’m darn proud of that.
And no, really none of us in Missouri - including me, a former out-stater - consider ourselves “Southern,” even though some exhibit quaint little characteristics like speaking in tongues during interviews…
October 11th, 2007 at 5:46 am
Eh, 4th sentence of wiki entry. Must be my outstate ejimicashun.