Evil is everywhere. And no, I'm not talking about natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, or the tsunami in Indonesia or the most recent devastating earthquake in Haiti that we're witness to now, but to some of the reaction that it is garnering.
Regardless of political ideology or religious persuasion, I never expected some public, prominent figures to not even bother taking a breath before using this horrible situation as an opportunistic opening.
A supposed man of the cloth, the televangelist shyster Pat Robertson spewed the usual hateful crap in the guise of religion.
"Something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it," he said on Christian Broadcasting Network's "The 700 Club." "They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III, or whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, we will serve you if you'll get us free from the French. True story. And so, the devil said, okay it's a deal."
Robertson said that "ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other" and he contrasted Haiti with its neighbor, the Dominican Republic.
...Or whatever... True story.
Then there's the always-good-for-an-outrageous-statement douche
Rush Limbaugh, taking the tragedy and using it for right wingnut political hackery and of course, attacking and criticizing President Obama for his quick response.
LIMBAUGH: I want you to remember it took [Obama] three days -- three days -- to respond to the Christmas Day Fruit of Kaboom bomber. Three days. And when he came out after those three days, he was clearly irritated that he had to do it. He didn't want to do it. He comes out here in less than 24 hours to speak about Haiti.
[...]
Oh, this is what he lives for. He lives for serving those in misery. Now don't misunderstand here, folks. See, this is -- I wonder -- I don't have the whole press conference, but I wonder: Did he apologize for America before acknowledging we are the only people on Earth that can possibly help them out down there in any significant way?
[...]
This will play right into Obama's hands -- humanitarian, compassionate. They'll use this to burnish their -- shall we say -- credibility with the black community, in the both light-skinned and dark-skinned black community, in this country. It's made-to-order for 'em. That's why he couldn't wait to get out there. Could not wait to get out there.
You have to wonder what Limbaugh's reaction would have been had it been his favorite sex tourism spot, the Dominican Republic, where he loves to travel with an illegal cache of Viagra. Of course, Limbaugh would have been the first to criticize the President had he not made a statement for being aloof or indifferent. It's a win-win for the Obama's enemy political pundits.
Speaking of aloof or indifferent, do you remember the
embarrassment this country suffered at the Bush government's reaction in 2004 in aiding the victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami?
The year before Katrina, Bush had faced international complaints about what was seen as a sluggish response in both U.S. aid and manpower to the Asia tsunami that killed 226,000 people in 13 countries.
His administration's initial cash assistance of $35 million for tsunami victims was widely derided as paltry. What helped to salvage the U.S. image in affected countries was a goodwill tour then launched jointly by Bush's father, former President George H.W. Bush and former President Bill Clinton.
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