The ONE (Progressive) Campaign Pat Likes
The ONE (Progressive) Campaign Pat Likes
The anti-poverty campaign “ONE” recently launched a TV ad featuring an array of celebrities, including actor and eligible bachelor Brad Pitt, U2 front man and activist Bono, Christian musician Michael W. Smith, supermodel Claudia Schiffer, “Funk Pioneer and Chef” Isaac Hayes, Christian rock group Jars of Clay, Ugandan Nurse and Global AIDS activist Agnes Nyamayarwo, televangelist Pat Robertson, and Dikembe Mut… Wait, Pat Robertson?
Back in 2001, a columnist for The Washington Post unearthed some extremely interesting details about Pat Robertson’s investments. In 2003, Douglas Farah, who covered West Africa for the Post, resurrected the story about Robertson’s financial interests in the war-torn state of Liberia:
Part of the administration’s unwillingness to confront Taylor may be that the dictator still retains powerful and influential friends. Taylor’s staunchest defender is the Rev. Pat Robertson, owner of the Christian Broadcasting Network and host of ‘The 700 Club.’ Robertson has invested more than $ 8 million in a gold mine in Liberia under Freedom Gold Limited, registered in the Cayman Islands. In recent weeks Robertson, on his TV show, has been extolling Taylor’s virtues as a ‘fellow Baptist’ and ‘a fine Christian.’ In a recent interview with The Washington Post, Robertson, who has never been to Liberia and has never met Taylor, said Taylor’s indictment ‘is nonsense and should be quashed.’…Taylor ‘definitely has Christian sentiments, although you hear all these rumors that he’s done this and that,’ Robertson said.
Taylor, who was forced to get out of town as violence engulfed the Liberian capital, is now under guard in Nigeria and still reportedly causing trouble. He is wanted for war crimes in Liberia and Sierra Leone, where he contributed to the “deaths, rape, abduction and mutilation of thousands of civilians.” As a result of the civil war Taylor fueled, Sierra Leone was still ranked dead last in the 2004 UN Development Programme Human Development Index. Human Rights Watch continues to urge President Obasanjo to extradite Taylor to the Special Court for Sierra Leone. How could Robertson defend a war criminal like Charles Taylor who has blocked peace and development in two countries and claim to be for eradicating extreme poverty?
Maybe Pat Robertson’s signing of the ONE Campaign’s petition indicates he has finally noticed the many passages in the Old and New Testaments that decry poverty. He clearly didn’t catch that pesky sixth commandment about not killing anyone (and by logical extension, not doling out money to those who do).
– Jon Sherman
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I can’t belief that Bono would associate himself with someone like Robertson. That’s the real outrage here.
May 3rd, 2005 at 6:40 pmActually, it’s the 7th Commandment that enjoins murderers. The 6th is that killjoy thing about not commiting adultery.
May 3rd, 2005 at 6:46 pmSorry Jim, it’s the 6th. http://business.gorge.net/zdkf/lawlib/law6.html
May 3rd, 2005 at 6:59 pmSince this costs Robertson nothing, not surprising. He’s willing on occassion to say the right things. The Liberia episode, sadly, is only one instance of his unwillngess to do the right things.
As for Robertson taking seriously what Jesus said about the poor, not in this or any other lifetime.
May 3rd, 2005 at 8:05 pmThere’s a photo of Bush that is used most often in the texas village has lost an idiot joke. Looks almost like this….
May 3rd, 2005 at 8:28 pmDays ago, I wrote to this campaign, telling them that they would not get dime ONE out of me until they dropped Robertson from their campaign.
Just ten minutes ago, I got a reply from them, but it was just an email asking for verification that I wasn’t spamming them.
By now, hopefully, they have read my objection. Pat Robertson cares about poverty and hunger like I care about unicorns and fairy dust.
May 3rd, 2005 at 8:51 pmJust to clarify the Bobbo/Jim debate, the Ten Commandments vary depending on one’s faith tradition. The Decalogue first appears in the Book of Exodus, but it spans 17 verses, not 10. As such, there are three different Ten Commandments — Jewish, Protestant, and Catholic versions — which label and number them differently.
In other words, Bobbo and Jim, you’re both right.
May 3rd, 2005 at 8:58 pmRobertson and all the gang that pass the collection plate 24/7 are the antichrist.
May 3rd, 2005 at 9:36 pmThis is only the beginning. Check out Pat Robertson’s second term agenda.
May 4th, 2005 at 12:29 amYou gotta wonder about Robertson’s “good Christian” sticker. If that ever lands on you, you are truly one of the most despicable humans to walk the planet. In that vein, I’d rather he call me a “bloodthirsty satanic pagan.â€?
As far as Robertson’s membership in this foundation: it’s all marketing. He’s a two-faced little beeyatch. I’m sure his money is still being put to use in nefarious places – all under a new “holding company” of course…
May 4th, 2005 at 9:22 amDon’t tar the whole campaign because of Robertson’s involvement. Encourage them to give Robertson the boot for his intolerance, sure. But part of Bono’s effectiveness on this issue has been his ability to work with a broad spectrum of people and to be taken seriously on this issue.
Bono’s not just another celebrity face on a feel good campaign, he’s earned his respect on this through hard work and continuing involvement. This is the time to push hard for this issue as there’s a broad and growing concensus that debt relief is necessary. Whether that happens in a meaningful way, whether happens at all, or whether things continue as they are will depend on a continued focus.
Some issues are too important to subject them to an ideological purity test. As much as I despise Pat Robertson, I support the ONE campaign.
May 4th, 2005 at 10:39 amI think ONE’s use of Robertson’s image and Bono’s image is genius in a way. That way they are able to get donations from a wide spectrum of people. The test here is how ONE uses the money.
May 4th, 2005 at 12:31 pmRemember the adage – even a broken clock is right twice a day.
May 4th, 2005 at 2:25 pmOperation Blessing, Robertson’s own African “charity,” was used for flying supplies to his diamond mines.
But that’s not the worst. Robertson managed to get a law passed diverting 1/3 of federal AIDS funding to useless faith-based “abstinence education” which teaches that condoms don’t work! Countless lives may be lost as a result.
Now he sees an opportunity to intercept even more funding.
No matter how large or well-intentioned his constituency, Pat Robertson’s own words have identified him as an enemy of homosexuals and feminists. (Empowerment of women is another factor necessary to stop the spread of AIDS.) He helped the current crew of thugs seize control of the White House. Pat Robertson is a dangerous man. His involvement – plus that of Jeffrey Sachs, whose “Shock Therapy” destroyed the economies of Eastern Europe – has made me reevaluate my longstanding involvement with these global antipoverty campaigns.
May 10th, 2005 at 10:10 pmHow can i contact the ONE campaign? This is insane!!!
June 8th, 2005 at 10:10 amI cannot bleave, and am quite shocked, and put off by the whole One campaign, when I see their TV advertisment. How can they promote a campaign to support the end of world hunger and poverty, and then show a comercial spot where the spoksman has the mark of the beast across the brow of his had. It aslo makes me uncomfortable when all I have to do on my browser to find anything about their campaign, is to type in the numbers 666. I don’t think they are promoting anything but the Devil himself….. Using the face and stature of celebs, people that young people look up to, I find most disturbing. Have these good entended folks never read or heard of the good book, the Words of the Lord. Or has Satin made them a better deal. Better re-read his contract guys…..
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