Did anyone see the NBC piece on Charles Taylor?

[NinetySix]

I was really surprised to see it, myself. Especially on NBC.

Taylor is the former dictator of Liberia who was deposed in a successful coup that cost the lives of many thousands of Liberians. He also happens to be (or to have been) a very close business associate of Pat Robertson, who has vociferously defended him (and by implication his own business dealings) in the past.

So essentially, the scoop on Taylor is that he is complicit in helping members of Al Qaida launder money by selling diamonds to them directly, which may then be sold anywhere in the world, making the origin of the terrorist funding untraceable. Remember all the ads linking marijuana to terrorism? That claim was an enormous stretch at best, but the relationship between diamonds and terrorism is pretty clear. Same goes, I guess, for hypocritical Christian fundamentalist leaders. Is two degrees enough distance for Robertson to maintain his innocence to his own conscience?

The moral of the story? Well, I guess it's that power corrupts, you have to be careful who you shake hands with, and don't buy diamonds, because they are made of blood.

[Nikki Stone 1]

1. This is quite interesting. And Robertson's involvement doesn't shock me

There was a recent scandal in Scotland regarding Robertson's questionable dealings. I have to go look it up.

I am going to recommend this topic because I believe that West Africa is going to be the next big area of military activity/oil grabbing.

[NinetySix]

2. The story mentioned the Administration's relationship

with Nigeria, a West African country with significant oil reserves, in relation to the "War on Terror," although I can't recall now the significance of that aspect to Taylor himself.

[Nikki Stone 1]

3. Somebody ought to map all these interconnections

I think we'd be really surprised.

[NinetySix]

4. Not surprisingly, there was no mention

of Robertson's close business relationships with Taylor. I wonder how reticent NBC would have been if some left-leaning powerbroker had had the same relationship with him. I expect that would have warranted at least a MENTION....

[hannah]

9. More interesting

is that Pat Robertson blamed 911 on liberals, homosexuals, and anybody on the left. Was he projecting?

[Gloria]

5. Here's one I picked up today on shortwave/BBC/Netherlands....

that our secret services have a much closer relationship with SUDAN than is being let on. Why? Because Sudan, on our TERROR LIST, having hosted Bin Laden, etc., is giving us some info.

So apparently, all TERRORIST countries are not the same in the eyes of Bushco....

[NinetySix]

6. When the game is control,

it doesn't pay to have too many principles. Hard to believe you could envision bringing the full cooperation and influence of the responsible nations of the world to bear while simultaneously "playing ball" with the most irresponsible ones.

"Darfur? That's nothin'. But that Osama bin Laden fellah, he's trouble."

[lebkuchen]

7. Operation Blessing's relief planes hauled diamonds for Pat

More interesting is the way the Operation Blessing funds were used in Africa. Through an emotional fundraising drive on his TV station, Robertson raised several million dollars for the tax-free charitable trust. Operation Blessing bought planes to shuttle medical supplies in and out of the refugee camp in Goma, Congo (then Zaire).

But investigative reporter Bill Sizemore of the Virginian Pilot discovered that over a six-month period - except for one medical flight - the planes were used to haul equipment for something called African Development Corporation, a diamond mining operation a long way from Goma. African Development is owned by Pat Robertson.

Did Robertson know about the diversion of the relief planes? According to pilots' records, he actually flew on one plane ferrying equipment to his mines.

and, my favorite part...

Volder counters that by diverting the planes for diamond mining, Robertson was actually carrying out God's work. The planes proved unfit for hauling medicine, so Robertson salvaged them for the diamond hunt which, if successful, would have 'freed the people of the Congo from lives of starvation and poverty'.

http://www.sullivan-county.com/news/pat_quotes/palst.htm

[NinetySix]

8. Y'know, faith is an amazing thing.

It helps the blind to see, and what they see is exactly what people like Robertson wants them to see. By invoking faith with every breath, the masses, knowing him to be a Good Man, are blinkered, their attention turned away from any appearances of impropriety by the Hand of the Lord.

I don't necessarily think that ALL of Robertson's followers are HypoChristians like he is, but I think that their belief and trust in God ought to compel them to thirst for the truth, no matter how ugly it might be, at least a little.

I mean really, Ma and Pa Kettle, don't you want to make sure that's REALLY an angel leading you down the path? Just lift the veil a little.