"The 'what-ifs?' increase exponentially when your heart is walking around outside of your body wearing Buzz Lightyear light up shoes."
- BlestWithSons
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Pat Robertson says the earthquake in Haiti is just one more link on a chain begun when Haiti signed a pact with the devil to be free of the French. And he didn't mean "the devil" figuratively. He meant they literally signed a pact with Satan himself.
Not only is this untrue, it's silly.
But most of us have tuned Robertson out and did so long ago.
But I bet we still have plenty of Rush Limbaugh listeners. I don't mean to knock political radio or talk shows or what-have-you. But I do mean to knock Rush Limbaugh.
On his radio show yesterday Limbaugh said the earthquake in Haiti will play right into Obama's hands by allowing him to play up his "compassionate" and "humanitarian" credentials, and that the President will use this crisis to "boost his credibility with the black community."
As if that weren't enough, Limbaugh also pivoted off a caller who complained about Obama directing the public to the White House website to find charitable organizations operating in Haiti to promote a conspiracy theory that finding these charities via the White House website puts your money at risk of not reaching Haitians.
Limbaugh also seems to feel we've done enough already for Haiti: "We've already donated to Haiti. It's called the U.S. income tax."
In terms of our attention, can we throw this guy under the bus yet?
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Comments on "Hate-y":
5. Bill
- 01/14/2010 9:39 am CST
I hate it when tragedy is politicized. When the first thought after a tragic occurrence is "I wonder if [fill in the blank] is going to use this to help himself/herself politically" - that's a sign of someone who can no longer think on a human level, but boils everything down to political strategy.
I don't have much of an opinion on Limbaugh, but it appears that he's firmly in that mode. It's a bad place to be.
6. Fred
- 01/14/2010 9:53 am CST
I stopped listening to Rush and others like him a couple of years ago.
7. Thirsty Bear
- 01/14/2010 10:42 am CST
I listen to Rush...did not hear these comments.
I do believe that any administration will use a tragedy as an opportunity to deflect media from bad policy or scandal or bad poll ratings. I think I hear Rahm Emanuel agreeing with me somewhere. I need only mention Katrina as an opportunity that one poliical party utilized against the administration in power.
So I take these comments with a grain of salt. I'm not defending Rush...just praying for him. And Haiti.
9. t.smith
- 01/14/2010 12:10 pm CST
Thanks Thirsty Bear.
"RUSH: That's another point, too. Churches --
CALLER: No government money, Rush.
RUSH: Exactly right. Look, there are people that do charitable work every day in Haiti. It's not as though -- like Debbie Wasserman Schultz, it's our fault. Reverend Wright, it's our fault, there's no excuse for such poverty when there's a nation as rich as we are so close. There are people that have been trying to save Haiti just as we're trying to save Africa. You just can't keep throwing money at it because the dictatorships there just take it all. They don't spread it around, and even if they did they're not creating a permanent system where people can provide for themselves. It's a simple matter of self-reliance. Nobody takes that approach down there because this has always been a country run by dictators and incompetent ones at that."
I think this might clarify what Rush was refering to. It is our taxes that will be paying for the help our governement has sent, and will send to Haiti. I find it suspicious that the President wants people to send their money to www.whitehouse.gov, instead of directly to the charity, church, or mission organization of their choice. Pat Robertson is the one that I think needs to be called out. I remember when Katrina hit, a family member went down the road of "this is punishment from God to New Orleans for their sins" thing. I asked, "What about Gulfport Mississippi?" It was pretty much wiped off the map. But the idea that Pat Robertson believes God punishes citys and countries minimizes the work of Jesus on the cross, and His Resurrection. This, in my view is a great sin. What Rush says is nothing compared to a self-professed believer/follower in Christ taking anything away from all the sin and punishment that Jesus Christ bore on the cross, it says it wasn't enough, when in fact, in Jesus' words "It is finished." That, in my opinion, is what should be bothering those of us who follow Jesus.
11. Bill
- 01/14/2010 12:57 pm CST
One thing I will add, though - I completely agree that we should be sending our money directly to the charities and relief organizations on the ground, not to the Government.
12. Wickle
- 01/14/2010 2:01 pm CST
"We've already donated to Haiti. It's called the U.S. income tax."
"Are there no prisons? Are there no poor houses?"
I gave up listening to Limbaugh some time ago because he only made me angry. This is the kind of garbage that prompted that reaction.
There is no charity that's ready to provide the massive amount of support that's needed right now. I'm glad to see the US Navy and Coast Guard mobilizing to help.
Any other comment I make about Limbaugh right now will probably need to be filtered ... minimally, I need to repent for thinking the stuff.
13. Bill
- 01/14/2010 2:49 pm CST
One thing to clarify on my previous comment - I fully support our military and governmental support organizations providing massive relief to Haiti. But I think for personal donations, it's better to send to a charity you trust. We need both.
I hope and expect Obama to mobilize our military for support and relief efforts to Haiti.
14. Hank Harwell
- 01/14/2010 3:05 pm CST
Take a look at this article for a little more context on what Pat Robertson said. I'm not defending the comment, but it helps to know where he was coming from.
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/01/pat-robertson-blames-earthquake-on-pact-haitians-made-with-satan.html
15. Jared
- 01/14/2010 3:12 pm CST
Yes, I watched the video segment in which Robertson made his remarks. I know they were in the midst of a fundraising drive for Haiti relief.
If I were CBN's board of directors, I would call for a vote of no confidence in Robertson as a CEO (or whatever he is) and fire him immediately. He does nothing but discredit them and hamper whatever good they could do. I know he's the face of CBN, but he's a liability to their credibility.
Because of his wonky theology (and regular false prophecies), I wouldn't ever give CBN a dime, even if it was ostensibly for Haitian relief. There's plenty of places helping out that are NOT connected to and driven by a personality who is a false prophet.
CBN should recognize that whatever good they've been trying to do, Robertson nullified it with his remarks.
16. Milly
- 01/14/2010 6:02 pm CST
I tossed Rush away from the get go. And Pat never was an issue for me I can turn the TV off.
It's sad because people will listen to them
17. Paul Walton
- 01/14/2010 6:55 pm CST
Romans 8:20-22
20 Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, 21 the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. 22 For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
I think sometimes we forget that the very ground we stand on is cursed. I don't believe I have ever heard any teaching about this fact in any great detail. I don't believe earthquakes would have been in God's original plan and purpose, before the fall. Perhaps our original parents are at fault (no pun intended) more than anyone or anything else.
18. Jonathan W.
- 01/14/2010 10:45 pm CST
I find it suspicious that the President wants people to send their money to www.whitehouse.gov, instead of directly to the charity, church, or mission organization of their choice.
That is simply false, t.smith. Obama asked people to visit whitehouse.gov, "where you can learn how to contribute." Not where you can donate money to the government, but where you can find links to private organizations.
Here's the relevant page at Whitehouse.gov. It contains instructions for donating directly to the American Red Cross, as well as a link to the website of CIDI, a federally funded but independent clearinghouse for international relief efforts. No sign of anybody asking me to send money to Uncle Sam for any purpose.
19. Bill
- 01/15/2010 7:02 am CST
Well said, Jonathan. It seems like there's just a reflexive reaction (on both sides of the political spectrum) to try to stir things up, engage in conspiracy theories, etc. It appears the white house is just pointing people to charities - my guess is the Bush white house probably did the same thing during Katrina, etc.
Truth is good.
23. Tony
- 01/15/2010 1:14 pm CST
What is just as appalling is Danny Glover's comment:
"When we did what we did at the climate summit in Copenhagen.. this is the response.. this is what happens.. we have to act now."
Ah, I see, mother nature was upset. She was sick AND tired of all the CO2 and took it out on the Haitians. Sounds like he just got done watching Avatar and got caught up with the pantheism. Gag me with a spoon.
I don't see the media spewing their hatred towards Mr. Glover as they are with Pat Robertson. Oh, I forgot, Pantheism is the American religion of choice nowadays.
Source:
http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=193818&catid=3
25. Shrode
- 01/18/2010 5:18 pm CST
OK, so I was wondering if there was some kind of historical basis for Robertson's comment. Not that I am defending him, I was just trying to figure out if that crazy comment came from somewhere.
I'm a curious fellow. I kept thinking, "Where in the world did that crazy idea come from?" I've been wondering that for days.
I still disagree with him. Haiti's not cursed. But here's what he was talking about.
26. Shrode
- 01/18/2010 5:20 pm CST
Check out this scholarly article about Voodoo and Hatian national identity.
Leave a Comment:
I rarely listen to Limbaugh, but I do know he makes a lot of good points on occasion. Still, the guy, in my opinion, stews with anger toward "liberals" and anyone else who doesn't agree with him. I know many evangelicals like to think of him as "one of us," but the reality is he's a political talking head, nothing more.
While I think he can, at times, serve a valuable purpose, he can be very moronic at times. This is one of those times.
Personally, I've had enough of him and just about all of the right-wing loudmouths.