The Never-Ending Horror of Pat Robertson

[marmar]

from HuffPost:


Michael Rowe
Award-winning independent journalist, essayist, and author

Posted: January 13, 2010 08:58 PM
The Never-Ending Horror of Pat Robertson


Last night, as I was updating my Facebook status, I briefly considered a post wondering how long it would take before Pat Robertson made some monstrous insinuation about the earthquake in Haiti being God's will. I remember thinking, No, even Pat Robertson wouldn't exploit a tragedy of this magnitude--a tragedy that, as of this writing, has claimed over 100,000 lives.

Even Pat Robertson would have seen the pictures of the broken and mangled bodies of children, their limbs bloodied, crushed by fallen concrete. Even Pat Robertson, T-1000 Pharisee though he might be, would have a vulgarity threshold he wouldn't cross. Surely a natural disaster in one of the poorest countries on earth would be beyond the pale, even for him, especially given Christ's edicts relating to the blessedness of the poor.

As it happens, I should have taken bets on "when" instead.

On the 700 Club today, Robertson did what he does best: he perverted a tragedy to suit his religious agenda. In his best creepy Evangelical wizard voice, he intoned that the people of Haiti had brought this catastrophe on themselves by compacting with the Devil. ............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-rowe/the-never-ending-horror-o_b_422615.html

[Mimosa]

1. Why care? The man is SENILE ...

I don't know why there are so many pat robertson threads here on DU. The old buzzard is seriously senile. Yes, he's on TV, but he's hardly an authority. Why give him the attention he desperately craves?


BTW, here's a pretty good article about Haiti's mythic 'pact with the Devil.':

http://www.salon.com/news/haiti/index.html?story=/mwt/feature/2010/01/13/haiti_satan_pact

[kevinbgoode]

2. That old buzzard, unfortunately, is allowed to broadcast often

on the PUBLIC airwaves - meaning the "700 Club" is not confined to cable access. I've lived in two locations now where one local over-the-air station carries an hour of his "news" and commentary in the middle of the day - where children can tune in to watch his latest tantrums. I have wondered for years why local television stations (usually affiliates for one of the networks) are allowed to carry his crap and justify it as "serving the public interest" - particularly during the day. If there was some radical leftwing "religious" group on the air spouting that kind of nonsense on a public airwave, the conservatives would be throwing fits every single day.

If there is one thing we should be doing, it is demanding that his crap be confined to CABLE television broadcasts, or at least moved to the late night hours.

[Jkid]

6. Because it's profitable

Local tv stations actually sold the time to the production company making the program.

[tsuki]

3. I saw a quote I liked. If there were a god, Pat Robertson would be a pillar of salt by now.

[Demeter]

4. The REAL Horror Is That He's Taken Seriously, Even Today

by too many people who are not in their right minds or hearts.

[Bragi]

5. He would only matter in a country of stupid zealots

Oh, nevermind.

[bedazzled]

7. yes, there are people who listen to him - shudder!

amazing disconnect there, they supposedly believe in
jesus' teaching.

same concept as my fundie cousin who listens to rush
all of the time.

[Pab Sungenis]

8. ABC Family airs his crap every day.

I think some pressure needs to be brought on them.

[TommyO]

9. ABC Family was originally Pat Robertson's CBN Satellite Service

It eventually became The CBN Family Channel, and was later spun off into an entity separate from CBN and renamed The Family Channel. It was later sold to Fox and the name changed to Fox Family Channel and finally sold to Disney in 2001. Part of the agreement when it was sold to Fox was that The 700 Club and Living the Life be aired daily, this agreement is also binding on any subsequent owners, like Disney. Disney does place strong disclaimers before, during, and after these shows are aired.

[Pab Sungenis]

11. Disney can get out of the deal very easily.

Either rebrand one of their other underperforming channels (like they did with Toon Disney) and move the successful "ABC Family" programs to it. Then shut down ABC Family completely. That way it deprives Robertson of at least one of his platforms.

[DefenseLawyer]

10. Good for him. The crazier the better.

Put that evil, twisted world view out there for everyone to see. It's the smiling, "mainstream" snake-oil salesmen that scare me more.