Pat Robertson's special Hatian theory

[Ed Oscuro]

Yes, after all the aid we have pledged to Haiti, Americans need something to balance out the good will and results that will create. Something like asserting that Haitians are devil-worshippers.

Robertson, the host of the "700 Club," blamed the tragedy on something that "happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it."

The Haitians "were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III and whatever," Robertson said on his broadcast Wednesday. "And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, 'We will serve you if you will get us free from the French.' True story. And so, the devil said, 'OK, it's a deal.' "

Native Haitians defeated French colonists in 1804 and declared independence.

"You know, the Haitians revolted and got themselves free. But ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other." Robertson has previously linked natural disasters and terrorist attacks to legalized abortion in the United States. Soon after Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, killing more than 1,800 and wreaking unprecedented devastation on New Orleans, Louisiana, Robertson weighed in with his own theory.

COOL STORY BRO

http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/01/13/haiti. ... index.html

However, an expat Haitian radio host in was saying that some people in Haiti are thinking along the lines that this could be a message from God. That said, there's a big difference between already poor people looking for their sanity and an explanation in the midst of devastation, and a man who lost his sanity long ago pushing an evil agenda. I don't know where Robertson thinks his information came from but I wouldn't be surprised if he was just watching Live and Let Die and hallucinating.

[Square King]

I'm all for freedom of an individual's right to speak his or her mind, but the sooner swine like Robertson take a dirt nap, the better.

[Stormwatch]

He wouldn't be a better troll if he tried to.

[NR777]

Pat Robertson has been a professional douche for a very long time. I've had more insightful farts.

[Mortificator]

I don't know where Robertson thinks his information came from but I wouldn't be surprised if he was just watching Live and Let Die and hallucinating.

I'm thinking he could be a Rockstar fan.



Napoleon III wasn't even born when the Haitian revolution took place, but I guess Pat covered his bases with "and whatever."

Anyway, who does Robertson believe caused the earthquake? It wouldn't make sense for the devil to kill his own followers, and Robertson calls the carnage a blessing, so it seems he thinks that god caused it... which isn't exactly painting the big guy favorably. I mean, if one entity frees your nation from slavery and the other kills your people wholescale, which one would you say's the bad guy?

[Ed Oscuro]

I bet Pat Robertson thinks those black people in Africa are somehow responsible for all the criticism his blood diamond mining has gotten. "They're opposing GOD'S WORK! That'll teach 'em." It's hard to believe he sincerely believes any of this if he has an inkling how duplicitous his own industries have been. I think the man still has a bust of himself in his foyer too.

[BulletMagnet]

Pat's been spewing trash like this for ages, and he's never going to stop - at this point, nothing he says surprises me.

The million-dollar question, though, is when will anybody else claiming to be Christian (both high-profile figures and "regular" people) finally come down hard on him, distance themselves from him, and stop watching his TV show and otherwise supporting him? I mean, how much more does the guy have to do to be officially branded the pariah he should be? He's hardly the only one I'd ask that question about, but he's got to be one of the foremost "why does anyone still listen to this guy?" types out there...

[BIL]

Good lord. Who could even make this shit up?

A long time ago in Haiti

Haitians: We will serve you if you will get us free from the French.
Devil: OK, it's a deal.
Napoleon III: Curses! The Haitians revolted and got themselves free.

TRUE STORY

[Ed Oscuro]

DEVIL'S ISLAND, FRENCH GUIANA - 1895

Alfred Dreyfuss: Sacré bleu! I could be sitting on a beach in beautiful Haiti if it wasn't for those Satanists!

ALSO TRUE.

[Damocles]

Wait...he's still alive? I thought he kicked the bucket some time ago. There goes my good day.

[Ed Oscuro]

Wait...he's still alive? I thought he kicked the bucket some time ago. There goes my good day.

You'll be able to hear the party from da moooon when he does.

[Specineff]

As a human being I'd distance myself from that man. The One he claims to follow said it better:

Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?

Quakes happen. Innocent and guilty people die equally in them.

The million-dollar question, though, is when will anybody else claiming to be Christian (both high-profile figures and "regular" people) finally come down hard on him, distance themselves from him, and stop watching his TV show and otherwise supporting him?

I am *positive* a lot of (good, believing and unbiased) people have pointed out when he's wrong, but are we to believe he'll dedicate time to such letters on his program, versus the ones that make him/his program/network look good?

[kengou]

Yeah his theory is "special" alright.

[BulletMagnet]

I am *positive* a lot of (good, believing and unbiased) people have pointed out when he's wrong

I'm sure they're out there, but am I asking too much when I wish that the reaction to outbursts like this by him and others was much louder and more directed/effectual? However much protest he's gotten up till now, it certainly hasn't slowed him (or his profit margin) down one bit...every other faith on the planet is immediately put on the hot seat (usually by self-described "Christians") and told that their reaction was "insufficient" when one of their members does something foolish/offensive, so why not clean out one's own house before criticizing how dusty someone else's is? Or, as Jesus himself put it, take a moment to pull the rafter out of your own eye?

[Udderdude]

This is hardly his first outburst of crazy, and doubtless there will be more.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Robertson#Predictions

[linko9]

The million-dollar question, though, is when will anybody else claiming to be Christian (both high-profile figures and "regular" people) finally come down hard on him, distance themselves from him, and stop watching his TV show and otherwise supporting him? I mean, how much more does the guy have to do to be officially branded the pariah he should be? He's hardly the only one I'd ask that question about, but he's got to be one of the foremost "why does anyone still listen to this guy?" types out there...

A small minority of Christians support him. Since he doesn't like Catholics (and presumably Orthodox Christians too, though he might not know they exist), or liberals of any kind, there are plenty of Christians who don't like him, and even more that just ignore him. Honestly, it's pretty much just the Evangelicals who support him. I don't know how effective this analogy will be, but that "million-dollar question" is similar to the question, "When will Muslims come down hard on Bin Laden." Sure, there are many Muslims who support him, but I imagine the vast majority of them don't like him at all.

[saucykobold]

Very timely, Pat. I've entertained the notion that he's really an agent provocateur.

[CMoon]

I'm all for freedom of an individual's right to speak his or her mind, but the sooner swine like Robertson take a dirt nap, the better.

Him and the GodHatesFags dude. Man if you're going to spew your hate message at soldiers' funerals, you deserve to be sodomized by a rabid grizzly bear.

[BulletMagnet]

I don't know how effective this analogy will be, but that "million-dollar question" is similar to the question, "When will Muslims come down hard on Bin Laden."

Your analogy is pretty sound, but there are a lot more people willing to treat the latter question as a "legitimate" one than the former - and perhaps even more ironically, those most eager to shout down Muslims for not wearing "I Hate bin Laden" t-shirts 24/7 are the ones who insist that there's a wide-spread "war on Christians" even as they take just as blatant (if not more so) a "look the other way" attitude when it comes to Robertson and those like him.

[StoofooEsq]

Much like the Westboro Baptist Church, Pat Robertson is essentially a Professional Real Life Troll.

[nZero]

White House criticizes evangelist's Haiti remark

[Ed Oscuro]

Your analogy is pretty sound, but there are a lot more people willing to treat the latter question as a "legitimate" one than the former - and perhaps even more ironically, those most eager to shout down Muslims for not wearing "I Hate bin Laden" t-shirts 24/7 are the ones who insist that there's a wide-spread "war on Christians" even as they take just as blatant (if not more so) a "look the other way" attitude when it comes to Robertson and those like him.

Why are we even discussing that? Robertson didn't launch a terrorist attack that killed 3000 people. Who knows what he's responsible for, but not that. Anyway, that's a different subject entirely.

[BulletMagnet]

Why are we even discussing that? Robertson didn't launch a terrorist attack that killed 3000 people. Who knows what he's responsible for, but not that. Anyway, that's a different subject entirely.

What you say is true, but I don't think it's a stretch to assert, regardless, that he's no more deserving of the platform and prestige he has than bin Laden is. As for why I brought this up, I suppose what frustrates me most about incidents like this is not even so much what's said but that while a handful of people make a bit of fuss about them for a few days, most simply shrug their shoulders, it soon blows over, and the idiot is free to keep vomiting up hateful nonsense on a national/international stage like nothing ever happened. If this is the way the cycle goes, why even bother getting up in arms at all, if he's apparently untouchable, for reasons beyond my comprehension? Am I wrong to feel frustrated when I see nutcases like him continually swimming in money and influence, seemingly immune to any consequences for their words and actions, when the average schmuck on the street probably would have had the cops called on him for saying such things to a group of five people, let alone a live TV audience? I don't think I'm "overly idealist" in hoping that there's some way, short of taking a loaded assault rifle and Hitler poster to his house, to hold people like this accountable, and wondering why it hasn't happened yet, several times over.

[MadScientist]

Who knows what he's responsible for

If you really want to know...

"Far from the media's gaze, Robertson has used the tax-exempt, nonprofit Operation Blessing as a front for his shadowy financial schemes, while exerting his influence within the GOP to cover his tracks. In 1994 he made an emotional plea on The 700 Club for cash donations to Operation Blessing to support airlifts of refugees from the Rwandan civil war to Zaire (now Congo). Reporter Bill Sizemore of The Virginian Pilot later discovered that Operation Blessing's planes were transporting diamond-mining equipment for the African Development Corporation, a Robertson-owned venture initiated with the cooperation of Zaire's then-dictator Mobutu Sese Seko."

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050919/blumenthal

[Ed Oscuro]

"Far from the media's gaze, Robertson has used the tax-exempt, nonprofit Operation Blessing as a front for his shadowy financial schemes, while exerting his influence within the GOP to cover his tracks. In 1994 he made an emotional plea on The 700 Club for cash donations to Operation Blessing to support airlifts of refugees from the Rwandan civil war to Zaire (now Congo). Reporter Bill Sizemore of The Virginian Pilot later discovered that Operation Blessing's planes were transporting diamond-mining equipment for the African Development Corporation, a Robertson-owned venture initiated with the cooperation of Zaire's then-dictator Mobutu Sese Seko."

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20050919/blumenthal

That exact story is what I had in mind earlier (mentioned "blood diamonds").

[undamned]

Am I wrong to feel frustrated when I see nutcases like him continually swimming in money and influence, seemingly immune to any consequences for their words and actions, when the average schmuck on the street probably would have had the cops called on him for saying such things to a group of five people, let alone a live TV audience?

No, your frustration is completely warranted. Sadly, he may never get "nailed" for his exploits, and as a follower of Christ (albeit an idiot at times) I can think of no worse exploit than using Christ as a money machine or some other sordid gain. He may not get it in this life, but scripture is clear that, before God, "teachers will receive a greater judgment" than joe-shmoe. They know better, they are leading others astray, and they will be judged accordingly (I just hope I get to see the look of shock on their face, lol).
-ud

[Jockel]

and they will be judged accordingly

True story.

[Engineer]

What a disgusting excuse for a human being. Shame I don't believe in the afterlife because I would love to see this fucker fry in hell.

[Ravicious]

Wow! There is a major hole in Pat's poorly-constructed argument there. If that rubbish about the Haitians supposedly making a pact with the devil were true, wouldn't he consider the Christian thing by at least trying to save the Haitians from the impending earthquake after warning them it would occur?

If it was true (which I know it is not) that would make him a racially-insensitive, hypocrite for not warning the Haitians.

The theory is blatantly false.

Pat Robertson is a living example of a bad Christian: an ignorant pile of feces left over from a time that should've died off by now. I don't even know why he decided or even thought about voicing such an inane conjecture about this current tragedy. Maybe it's because he prides himself on how much everyone hates him?

[Radiant Cinnabun]

Pat Robertson's just mad at Haiti because they stole his nickname.