President Préval: 100,000 or More Dead

OH FOR FUCK’S SAKE:

Pat Robertson says God is punishing Haitians because they sold their souls to the Devil when they overthrew the slave-holding French

“Something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it,” he said. “They were under the heel of the French … 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 the devil said, ‘OK, it’s a deal,'” Robertson said. “Ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after another.”

/headbang on desk

@SanFranLefty: Man, I am glad I have no idea where Robertson is right now, and that I don’t own a gun.

@Prommie: I guess the lesbians and abortionists weren’t responsible for this one. Just the uppity Africans revolting against slavery.

More at Politico

I think we have our Douchebag of the Day, ladies and gentlemen.

@SanFranLefty: Liberia didn’t work out too well as a colony for freed slaves, maybe we should turn it into a colony where we can send conservative fundies and evangelicals.

Neat system — after you text your donation into the ether, you get a response asking to confirm.

Looks like my nephew, in the Coast Guard in the Caribean, and my daughter’s boyfriend, in the Navy on the Bataan, are on their way to Haiti.

@SanFranLefty:
He’s just pissed because he can’t money off blood diamonds as Haiti has none.

“Another godless force in the African diamond plunder is Pat Robertson, evangelist minister with the Christian Coalition. A Mobutu confidant, Robertson’s African Development Corp. used the “humanitarian” cover of “Operation Blessing” to plunder diamonds during Congo’s bloodbath. He worked closely with Charles Taylor (1997-2003). “

@Prommie: We already have that in DC.

@ManchuCandidate: I’m surprised he didn’t blame voodoo. Well, at least this time it’s not the fault of the feminists and the gheyz. What a fucking douchebag.

@SanFranLefty:

Is it too early to nominate for the 2010 Golden Anal Pear? Pat seems to be angling to end up *under* Hell…

@nojo: That made me feel better – you never know who is really on the other end of those 5 digits – tried to find on Red Cross site, but could not.

@SanFranLefty: I wish he would die already. That fucking moron makes Scientologists look good by comparison.

@SanFranLefty: Jesus wept.

Just hit me – sitting here watching MSNBC, ships are going, planes are being loaded, other countries are being mobilized, the president is on TV talking about what’s being done. Compare that to Bush and Katrina.

@blogenfreude:
W did “play” a mean guitar.

@Mistress Cynica: My favorite Gawker comment was along the lines, “So wait, God is a mass-murderer of catastrophes and the Devil works to get rid of slavery?”

@TJ/ Jamie Sommers /TJ: When I sent the link to Mr. SFL, his response was “I thought that asshole was already dead.” Too bad his protege is about to become the next Governor of Virginia and the graduates of his law school are embedded at DOJ from the Gonzales days.

@blogenfreude: Urban preznits don’t have “brush” to “clear.”

MSNBC just said the prison, with 4000 inmates, collapsed, and many of the inmates are now running around. Just ducky.

@blogenfreude: The port is damaged, unclear how ships are going to get in there.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/americas/haiti/story/1423022.html

@blogenfreude: Excellent point.

You can’t. Rove wanted New Orleans to drown to pick up LA’s electoral votes.

@blogenfreude: Compare that to Bush and Katrina.

@SanFranLefty: They’ll have to ferry stuff over w/ Zodiacs or choppers, which will take a lot of time.

@blogenfreude: Yep it adds time. And there’s limited or no fresh water in the city, depending upon the media outlet. This is going to be like Katrina where you thought there was a lot of destruction initially and then two days later all hell really breaks loose. Several battalions of Marines will be needed just to keep some semblance of order when food and water is distributed.

@blogenfreude: They’re sending two ships which are actually designed to be used as temporary piers for unloading cargo after amphibious landings.

@blogenfreude: Someone (NYT?) reported that the Southern Command may send Marines with amphibious landing craft, which might help. MSF is sending people and supplies into the DR and trying to get over the mountains to the quake zone.

I bet I know at least a few reporters and photographers who trying desperately to get over there.

Guy on Skype on MSNBC said there was another aftershock 5 minutes ago – enough to shake buildings.

Also – Wyclef Jean’s sister has a foundation – heard her talking about it on TV earlier today. She is, of course, planning to contribute to the relief effort.

@blogenfreude: USGS site shows a 5.3 aftershock about 7.5 hours ago: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_big.php

Now with every new story of horror, for example, the news that the Red Cross is out of medical supplies and doesn’t know when more are coming, makes me all the more want to unleash some FCS on Pat Robertson.

@SanFranLefty: It’s just possible that this time even he has gone too far.

@Benedick: As opposed to 9/11? Yes, perhaps. Then again, I don’t know. The New York Daily News had a survey about his comments – 11% agreed that what he said it was true, another 15% said they thought that what he said was “possible” – oy fucking vey.

Then again, since a majority of this country thinks that evolution isn’t true and that UFOs exist, I’m sure they agree that this earthquake couldn’t have been caused but plate tectonics but rather God poking his big finger down and shaking Hispanola around.

@SanFranLefty:
i’m clapping my hands. i believe in fairies.
the people of my country scare the shit out of me.

@redmanlaw: Hey, I was not speculating in my other post, my nephew in the Coast Guard is on his way there, as is my stepdaughter’s boyfriend, in the Navy. I am proud of them, and my country for sending them.

The contrast between what is happening now, and how Bush responded to Katrina, is stark, and it makes me appreciate why we elected Hopey McUnicorn again.

The response of the right wing, criticizing Obama for being too quick to help foreign and brown people, makes me ashamed for my country.

I was curious, and did some reading today on the history of US relations with Haiti, more later.

So here is the “more.” Turns out, the Haitian slave revolt was a major major issue in the Confederate states, for the whole time from the Revolution up until the Civil War, the Haitian slave revolt fueled the fears of the southern slave owners over what would happen if their slaves were freed. Shortly after the Civil war started, the North recognized Haiti as a nation, and during the war, Haiti was one of the only friendly countries, and ports for northern ships, in the Caribean, most of the rest being allied with the British, and the Confederates.

I truly do not think it is possible to truly understand and correctly analyze US politics, now, here in the 21st century, without accepting the premise that southern US politics in many ways has not changed at all from the status quo in 1860.

@Promnight: There is an extraordinary part of Jamaica which was for all intents and purposes independent. The home of the Maroons who were governed for a time by Nanny who lived in Nannytown in the cockpit country. It’s still remote. Rebellions were much more common than we are now led to believe. Yes, Haiti was the grandest but they happened all over the Caribbean. Here in the States, too. Eg Florida was a refuge for many who threw in their lot with the Seminoles. And there were many small rebellions throughout the South.

@Benedick: Don’t the Maroons still pretty much blow off the Jamaican government?

@Benedick: Yes, my research led me to read that the only reason the south wanted Florida made a State was so it would no longer be a refuge for escaped slaves.

The continuing impact of southern slavery on modern politics in the US is beyond astounding after all these years, and to my thinking, the biggest elephant in the living room ever, something noone, not even liberal, progressive, marxist historians give enough weight to, or, should I say, to which they fail to give enough weight, when considering the continuing effects on modern politics.