Playing Politics With Haiti Is Stupid … Even By Glenn Beck’s Standards

Take a peek at this comment I discovered on Think Progress from Fox News and radio talk show host Glenn Beck, a far-right talker.

Today on his radio show, Fox News host Glenn Beck jumped on the bandwagon:

BECK: I also believe this is dividing the nation…to where the nation sees him react so rapidly on Haiti and yet he couldn’t react rapidly on Afghanistan. He couldn’t react rapidly on Ft. Hood. He couldn’t react rapidly on our own airplanes with an underwear bomber…it doesn’t make sense. [...] Three different events and Haiti is the only one. I think personally that it deepens he divide to see him react this rapidly to Haiti.

Here is one major difference between Haiti and the other two examples cited by Beck. In Fort Hood, the tragedy (13 people killed) happened and then it was contained. In the failed attempt at a terrorist attack on Christmas in Michigan (three people were burned … including the alleged attacker), it happened (or was attempted) and quickly was contained. In Haiti, however, the tragedy continues, people need medical attention, thousands have died or are dying, people need food, people need shelter, people need protection. The U.S. had to act quickly in Haiti for those reasons and in case of potential aftershocks in the wake of such a devastating earthquake.

It’s not a situation where a black president is simply trying to help in Haiti because they’re black, as one prominent right winger suggested.

Pat Robertson Shows The Darkness Of His Soul With Reprehensible Comments About Haiti

Pat Robertson, who supposedly is a Christian commentator and is a former Republican presidential candidate, disgusted people all over this country and perhaps all over the world with his vicious, insensitive, hateful and borderline racist comments about Haiti (in the wake of a devastating earthquake for which the death toll could reach in the neighborhood of 100,000). Robertson’s show, the 700 Club, is his platform to unleash his sometimes hateful rhetoric. Wednesday, as the death toll continued to rise in Haiti and the reality of the devastation suffered by the small island nation begins to come into focus, Robertson took time out of his schedule to take a shot at the Haitian people as he offered his explanation for why the earthquake happened.

ROBERTSON: [S]omething happened a long time ago in Haiti and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French. Napoleon the Third and whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, “We will serve you if you get us free from the prince.” True story. And so the devil said, “OK, it’s a deal.” They kicked the French out, the Haitians revolted and got themselves free.

But ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other, desperately poor. That island of Hispaniola is one island. It’s cut down the middle, on the one side is Haiti, on the other side is the Dominican Republic. The Dominican Republic is prosperous, healthy, full of resorts, etc. Haiti is in desperate poverty. Same island.

They need to have, and we need to pray for them, a great turning to God. And out of this tragedy I’m optimistic something good may come. But right now, we’re helping the suffering people and the suffering is unimaginable.

So, he blames the earthquake on the Haitian people who were, in Robertson’s own words, “under the heel of the French” and wanted freedom. It’s like Robertson is saying that if the Haitians would have let the Europeans continue to rule over them then perhaps they would not have had this earthquake. This ignorant and stupid even by the standards of Pat Robertson (who once had a decent amount of power and influence but now is a shell of what he once was in this country).

It goes back to the old racist stereotype of white Europeans civilizing the world centuries ago and showing people of color how to live, think and behave (because they know what’s best).

Obviously, some of the Haitian leaders have not served the people well, but the comments of Robertson are hateful and completely uncalled for, but hardly unexpected.

To Pat Robertson, Haiti wanting freedom was making a pact with the devil.

Think Progress:
http://thinkprogress.org/2010/01/13/robertson-haiti/

Hater Rush Limbaugh Exploits Haiti Disaster, Race To Attack President Obama

Rush Limbaugh, who has built a financial fortune and a large fan base on hate, sunk to a new low (and that is saying something by his standards), with his words in the wake of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. The disaster in Haiti, by the time everything is said, done and written, could claim in the neighborhood of 100,000 lives. The death toll, the destruction and the loss of life are so incredible it’s almost impossible to fully comprehend. But, that has not stop the disgraceful and hateful Limbaugh, the lowest among us, from taking this international tragedy and using it as an opportunity to score political points against and take a racially tinged shot at President Obama.

Jan. 13, on his hate radio show, Limbaugh had comments that you can check out on this video clip from Media Matters for America.

Rush Limbaugh never misses an opportunity to take a shot at President Obama and rarely misses an opportunity to use race as a wedge issue.

Still, so many people continue to support this man and so many people wonder why black people turn away from Republicans and are disgusted by so much of what Republicans stand for in this country. It’s a shame (and I’ve written it so many times on this blog) that good conservatives (reasonable conservatives) lack the character to stand up and speak out against hate speech like this from Rush Limbaugh which serves only to divide people. Instead, they either go silent or they make every excuse possible for Limbaugh and his hate speech.

Be honest, this is Limbaugh’s way of using race to attack President Obama for wanting to go out of his way to help black people (suggesting the president would not have done the same, as quickly, for white people … because all black people stick together).

I commend Ed Schultz (and the others who did likewise) for calling out Rush Limbaugh for these unbelievably callous comments in the wake of a disaster of epic proportions.

Rush Limbaugh is a disgraceful man who has no decency. Limbaugh makes his millions of dollars off such hate speech, but what about the cowards on the right who are unwilling to face him on his bigotry. What do they get out of supporting his hate and daily forms of bigotry? Maybe he speaks to what truly exists in their hearts … things they want desperately to say, but lack the courage to say it. Those are the people we should truly fear.