Pat Robertson said something impolitic about Haiti (like the earthquake was because they made a pact with the devil) and as result he gets a lot of hate mail. I wouldn't ordinarily reprint any of it, but it seems like the devil (aka Satan) was pretty pissed and sent him a letter (hat tip readers J and K C). So we decided to give the Devil his Due:
Dear Pat Robertson,
I know that you know that all press is good press, so I appreciate the shout-out. And you make God look like a big mean bully who kicks people when they are down, so I'm all over that action. But when you say that Haiti has made a pact with me, it is totally humiliating. I may be evil incarnate, but I'm no welcher. The way you put it, making a deal with me leaves folks desperate and impoverished. Sure, in the afterlife, but when I strike bargains with people, they first get something here on earth -- glamour, beauty, talent, wealth, fame, glory, a golden fiddle. Those Haitians have nothing, and I mean nothing. And that was before the earthquake. Haven't you seen "Crossroads"? Or "Damn Yankees"? If I had a thing going with Haiti, there'd be lots of banks, skyscrapers, SUVs, exclusive night clubs, Botox -- that kind of thing. An 80 percent poverty rate is so not my style. Nothing against it -- I'm just saying: Not how I roll. You're doing great work, Pat, and I don't want to clip your wings -- just, come on, you're making me look bad. And not the good kind of bad. Keep blaming God. That's working. But leave me out of it, please. Or we may need to renegotiate your own contract.
Best,
Satan (via Star Tribune)
Or maybe the Haitians would even have their own TV show bringing in scads of filthy lucre. Anyway, apparently Satan's missive had the desired effect, because the real Pat apologized. You know he means it because he used his real name, Paco (he's Cuban):
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Robertson's Operation Blessing rushed in to offer Christian counseling to make up for it Some were not amused. (NYT w/ video)
Revere, why do you bother with things like Pat Robertson and Creationism? Your other posts about Howard Zinn, Infectious Diseases, Israel/Palestine, etc are much more useful.
This is the only thing people need to know about Pat Robertson:
http://attendingtheworld.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/pat-robertson-prop…
And these are the only things they need to know about Creationism:
http://proch.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/science_vs_creationism.png?w=4…
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_-0-wMAKJvko/SoRSgAdM9cI/AAAAAAAAAJA/zGEm7aTrI…
http://whoyoucallingaskeptic.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/creationism-1…
Alex: I do one of these every Sunday (for many years). Some are better than others (grant writing doesn't encourage long searches) but I do it because it amuses me and there is always an element of subversion involved, often subtle (maybe too subtle, sometimes).
I understand but it's just that Robertson and Creationism are easy targets. But hey, they are hilarious easy targets. That's why I added some cartoons on the previous post.
But as a word of praise: I've known ScienceBlogs for a while and most people who post here know only about their domain. I was very glad when I found out about Effect Measure since you guys are like Chomsky and Zinn: outstanding in your domain and also very knowledgeable in other domains. Keep up the good work!
FWIW I found the video quite funny. :) Not because it picks on creationism but because it gives Roberts what he deserves for his remarks. Thanks!