Irrelevant

Crooks and Liars: "Irrelevant"

Rightwing dopes, in pictures.

God Talks to Pat Robertson: "Ask Her About Her Sex Life"

I heard the icky audio clip of Pat Robertson describing his conversation with god on AirAmerica radio this morning. It's from the interview with Rita Braver on CBS's Sunday Morning program.

RB:
What-- what's the basic thesis of your book?
PR:
Well the basic thesis is that there's a god in heaven who is all powerful who wants to help people. And that-- he will answer prayer, and does miraculous things in people's lives. And so I've documented some of these wonderful things.

I've-- I've had one woman-- African-American woman raised from the dead. She was stone cold dead, and her prayers of her church brought her back to life. Another woman was a spastic quadriplegic from the time--
RB:
These are [] things you've been particularly personally involved in? Or just--
PR:
Well-- some of us-- have-- the-- these stories that we've carried on our television. And-- (COUGHS) our producers have done it. I-- they're-- they're not-- what I think-- involved in prayers that I gave spec-- specifically. But-- they have really-- they're heartwarming. They're just bring tears to your eyes, some of these things. And they're-- they're--
RB:
You know you-- you talk about-- a couple very specific cases in the book that []you say you were personally involved in. You tell the story of-- being on a trip to the Holy Land, and some people coming to you and asking you if you can help a woman with severe asthma.
PR:
That's right.
RB:
And you say-- that God spoke to you and--
PR:
Well--
RB:
--told you--
PR:
--well it wudn't (PH) quite that way. Well-- well anyhow, they thought she was demon possessed. And these women are in the conference, and they said, "Go cast demons out of her." And I ignored it and ate dinner and went on to the meeting.

And then the next night, they had moved this poor woman out of the hotel. She was crying out for mercy and saying, "Oh God, help me," because she had such bad asthma. So-- I had to go see her. But fortunately I had my wife with her, so we went to another hotel-- in the heart of Jerusalem and knocked on the door.

And here, this haunting woman, she looked like-- she really looked like she was terrified-- very attractive-- striking brunette, 45 years old, you know thin, 5'8" kinda thing. And-- she had this look in her eyes. And-- so I went in, and my wife was with me. And they took the two chairs and I sat on the bed.

And I said, "Tell me about your problem." And she said, "I've got this asthma." And I said, "Have you been to the (LAUGHTER) doctor?" And-- and she said, "Yes. The doctor said my asthma was caused by praying with nuns." And I said, (LAUGHTER) "A doctor?"
RB:
That sounds--
PR:
"A doctor?"
RB:
--that sounds like-- (LAUGHTER) you should've advised her, "Maybe go see another doctor."
PR:
There was-- (LAUGHTER) well see-- the-- "A doctor told you this?" (UNINTEL) said, "Yes, that's what my doctor told me." And I says, "There is no way that praying with nuns is gonna cause you-- asthma." And then I prayed. And I said, "Lord, what's wrong with her?" I just prayed silently. And the Lord said, "Ask about her sex life." And--
RB:
The-- the Lord said that to you?
PR:
Yes, He said that to me. And I said, "There's no way I'm going to ask a strange woman about her sex life." So I said-- (COUGHS) "Excuse me for-- being personal, but would you tell me about your marriage."

She said, "Oh, I have a wonderful marriage." I said, "You do?" She (UNINTEL PHRASE), "A wonderful husband, wonderful marriage. It's just absolutely marvelous." I said, "You do?" She said, "Yes." So I prayed again. (LAUGHTER) I said, "Lord, what's the matter?" And she-- He said, "Ask her about her sex life."
RB:
I-- it's hard to imagine the Lord--
PR:
The-- the--
RB:
--saying this to you--
PR:
--the Lord say-- well He did. And I-- and I said-- "You know, please forgive me if I'm being personal, but tell me about your sex life." And she said, "I don't have any." And I said, "Well, I thought you had a wonderful marriage." And she said-- "I do, but I don't have any sex life."

And I said, "How long has that been going on?" And she said, "Two years." And I said-- "And that's when your asthma started, isn't it?" And she said, "Yes." And I said, "Well it's obvious that you're blaming yourself-- for this condition. What's the problem?" And she said, "My husband's impotent."

And I said, "You think it's your fault." And she said, "Yes. It's-- I think it's my fault." And I said, "Well it isn't your fault. And it may be that he's working too hard. He may be having a physical impairment. But-- there's something in his life, that this isn't your fault." And she said, "It's not?"

I said, "Absolutely not." And I said, "Okay, now let's pray for your asthma. And she said, "Okay." And we prayed. And God healed her asthma just like that.

Here's the link to the CBS story and video. Turn down your volume before you click the video link; it has a hideous full-volume commercial before the clip.

The End is Near

Have I woken up in La La Land? I turned on the TV this morning, and there on C-Span is right-wing nutjob Rick Scarborough, telling us that Tom Delay is a fine man and that he supports him no matter what. Tom is a good man, persecuted by those who hate Christians. I turn to CNN and they are reporting that Seymour Hersh reports that Bush intends to use nuclear weapons against Iran. He's gonna drop the bomb! Then I turn to CBS Sunday Morning, usually an oasis of calm, but Rita Braver is doing a piece on Pat Robertson. Pat Robertson goes mainstream.

Then the host, Charles Osgood, wishes Hugh Hefner a happy birthday, and I feel the ground beneath me begin to shake.

Is the end really near?

2006 Predictions

Jeanne Dixon I am not, but here goes:

1. Karl Rove indicted, resigns, gets job with Hudson Institute.

2. After spending the last quarter of 2005 vilifying John Murtha for suggesting that U.S. forces be drawn down and deployed to the borders of Iraq, BushCo will do just that in 2006. Prediction of numbers of American troops in Iraq, end of 2006: 80,000.

3. Liverpool wins Premier League in shocking upset over Chelsea. (Prediction or hope? You make the call.)

4. Argentina wins World Cup.

5. Neocons will begin sabre rattling about attacking Iran. Can you say, Mushroom cloud?

6. Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and James Dobson will each say something incredibly stupid and offensive.

7. Red Sox finish in second place in American League East behind MFY.

8. BushCo's vast data-mining operation will be exposed. Forget Christiane Amanpour. We've all been caught up.

9. When Fitzgerald's investigation begins to focus on Cheney, he resigns for health reasons. Condi appointed Vice President, Stephen Hadley appointed National Security Advisor.

10. Democrats sweep to victory in midterm elections, but electoral gerrymandering has been so successful that Republicans retain control of House of Representatives.

Who Would Jesus Assassinate?

I guess Pat Robertson's WWJD bracelet stands for "Who Would Jesus Do?"

Did Jesus come to Pat and say, Hugo Chavez? Or did he come up with that on his own.

Onward, Christian soldiers.

Living in La-La Land

Robertson: I warned Bush on Iraq casualties
President's response: 'We're not going to have any'

OK, so we here on the left know Bush is a nut job. Now even his supporters are saying he's nuts. Pat Robertson (yes, THAT Pat Robertson, the one who blamed 9/11 on the ACLU, gays & lesbians, feminists, secular humanists, and People For the American Way, among others) says he warned George W. Bush against the war in Iraq:

Pat Robertson, an ardent Bush supporter, said he had that conversation with the president in Nashville, Tennessee, before the March 2003 invasion. He described Bush in the meeting as "the most self-assured man I've ever met in my life."

"You remember Mark Twain said, 'He looks like a contented Christian with four aces.' I mean he was just sitting there like, 'I'm on top of the world,' " Robertson said on the CNN show, "Paula Zahn Now."

"And I warned him about this war. I had deep misgivings about this war, deep misgivings. And I was trying to say, 'Mr. President, you had better prepare the American people for casualties.' "

Robertson said the president then told him, "Oh, no, we're not going to have any casualties."

GOTV people. We got to get this crazy guy a one-way ticket to Palookaville where he belongs.

Dick & Lynn Cheney: Hypocrites

The Cheneys = Hypocrisy personified

Posted by beaconess on Democratic Underground:

Pat Robertson: Blames Mary Cheney, by extension, of responsibility for 9/11 terrorist attacks. "I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America--I point the finger in their face and say, 'You helped this happen."(September 2001)

Lynn and Dick Cheney's response: Silence

Rick Santorum: Accuses Mary Cheney, by definition, of immorality comparable to polygamy, adultery and incest. "If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual (gay) sex within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything." (April 2003)

Lynn and Dick Cheney's response: Silence

Alan Keyes: Specifically accuses Mary Cheney, by name, of being a "selfish hedonist." (August 2004)

Lynn and Dick Cheney's response: Silence

John Kerry: Sympathetically and eloquently explains that the Cheney's gay daughter is "she's being who she was. She's being who she was born as."

Lynn and Dick Cheney's response: THIS IS NOT A GOOD MAN!!!! WHAT A CHEAP AND TAWDRY POLITICAL TRICK!!! YOU SAW A MAN WHO WILL DO AND SAY ANYTHING TO GET ELECTED!!!

See also this post from blogactive, reminding us that before Mary Cheney signed on as campaign director for her father, she was an out lesbian activist for Coors. TAKE ACTION: There's Something About Mary. She was the paid lesbian diplomat for Coors Beer!