Shaken up

I was at my local mincha minyan (afternoon prayer group) today. Someone said, "Did you hear there was another earthquake in Japan today?" Said one of the rabbis, "Well, until they let those boys out..."

"Those boys," of course, being some mules in black coats who are currently in jail in Japan. (Other rabbis have spoken in public as obscenely as our local one did.)

Then another coreligionist of mine said, "Well, the Ran says that evil will be done in the place of those that did it."

"For that, thousands of  Japanese had to die?" I said.

I don't understand how people can say these things.