"Operation Blessing", Faith-Based charity or frauding the Government?

[icymist]

In the LBN section is a thread called "Bush Focusing on Faith-Based Initiatives". This brought up a slight discussion about Pat Roberson and 'Operation Blessing'. I have just read the following off of a link provided by Marianne: "All the more surprising then, that among the very first organizations to be funded by the Bush administration's new program is Operation Blessing International, a Virginia Beach charity created by Robertson. This group is to receive $500,000 in the first wave of grants to be distributed under the faith-based initiative. The award to Operation Blessing is one of 25 announced on October 3rd by Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson."

Because I constantly read everything I get my hands on I just read that Operation Blessing is supposed "to help alleviate the woes of refugees fleeing genocide in Rwanda." According to Greg Palast's book The Best Democracy Money Can Buy (page 240) "Operation Blessing purchased planes to shuttle medical supplies in and out of the refugee camp in Goma, Congo (then Zaire). However, investigative reporter Bill Sizemore of the Virginian-Pilot discovered that, except for one medical flight, the planes were used to haul heavy equipment for something called the African Development Corporation, a diamond-mining operation distant from Goma. African Development is owned by Pat Robertson." (Greg Palast, 'The Best Democracy Money Can Buy' Published by Plume, a member of Penguin Putnam Inc., 2002)

Is this a real chairty or is this frauding the Government? Any Comments?

[Sandpiper]

1. I prefer to call it

Operation State-Funded Evangelism

[noonwitch]

2. If those allegations are true, it's fraud

I don't know if they are or not.

I have seen Operation Blessing at work through a church in Detroit, but it was a while ago and I haven't been looking for them lately. They used to distribute lunches to the homeless hanging out in Clark Park, and distributed food to families in the Southwest Detroit area. They also did the program to give school kids new clothes every fall, so that each kid could have a new outfit for school. I have no problem with these programs, because they really do help people and it is what christians are supposed to do. I have a serious problem with using the planes for Pat's gold and diamond scam.