Haiti

Yesterday, at 3:53 p.m. local time, a 7.0 earthquake hit the island nation of Haiti.

The quake was centered about ten miles southwest of the capitol, Port-au-Prince, and about five miles underground, which means there was almost no buffer between the epicenter and about two million people living in buildings that were not that sturdy to begin with.

Numerous aftershocks averaging 5.0 on the Richter scale have continued through the night. Experts say they could continue for weeks, even months.

The best aggregate site for information seems to be haitifeed.com. And Dallasdoc at dKos has links to relief agencies, as well as a couple of ways to kick in simply by texting.

And, Americans with family in Haiti can call 888-407-4747 for more information.

I AM NOT HAPPY WITH THE UBER-RELIGIOUS RIGHT NOW

Don't tell me how wonderful and virtuous God is. Not today. Not when, once again, God makes Pat Robertson open his big fat yap:

And you know, Kristi, something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon the third, or whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, we will serve you if you will get us free from the French. True story. And so, the devil said, okay it's a deal.

And they kicked the French out. You know, 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 is cut down the middle on the one side is Haiti the other is the Dominican Republic. Dominican Republic is prosperous, healthy, full of resorts, etc. Haiti is in desperate poverty. Same island. They need to have and we meed 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 are helping the suffering people and the suffering is unimaginable.

This greedy, squinty fucktard has, does, and will continue to blame anything on various and sundry people turning away from what he tells them is the True Faith. Notice that I didn't say "what he believes", 'cause I don't even think he believes it himself.

You want evil? Saying that an entire nation's troubles are based on a two-hundred-year-old fairy story, and further saying that they'd better come to your way of thinking before even worse happens... using a goddamn 7.0 earthquake as a warning poster to boost your church's recruitment... that is fuckin' evil.

ETA: Even Fox News is offended. Well, at least Shepard Smith, who is way, way better than a lot of people there.