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Banned
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On August 29, FEMA issued a disaster relief announcement that listed and linked Pat's "Operation Blessing" as fourth on it's list of organizations to donate money to NOLA relief efforts...........
http://www.fema.gov/news/newsrelease.fema?id=18473
Quote:
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/HurricaneK...1112518&page=1
Operation Blessing Is Second on FEMA's List for Donations for Hurricane Victims
By BRIAN ROSS
Sept. 9, 2005 — Charity and religious leaders are questioning why the Federal Emergency Management Agency designated Operation Blessing as the No. 2 charity for donations in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Operation Blessing is the charity founded and still chaired by Pat Robertson, the politically well-connected television evangelist, who recently called for the assassination of Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we've never had anything like this," Robertson told his audience. "Let's rally together and do what we can."
In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the federal government, through FEMA, issued a list of charities to which Americans should donate. On that list, Operation Blessing was only second to the American Red Cross.
Charity leaders say this FEMA recommendation is a huge boost for Robertson's charity.
"It could be worth tens of millions of dollars," said Richard Walden, president and founder of Operation USA, a non-governmental organization specializing in disaster relief.
However, as Robertson hosted his daily television show in Mississippi this week, other charity leaders were questioning why FEMA had recommended Robertson's operation and left others off the list, including Walden's Operation USA.
"I was shocked," said Walden upon seeing Robertson's charity so prominently displayed on the FEMA Web site. "It stuck out for a reason because of Pat Robertson's activities over the years."
Questions of Accountability
Seven years ago, those activities led Virginia investigators to say there was evidence to prove Robertson "willfully induced contributions from the public through the use of misleading statements." Robertson denied the allegations. He then personally reimbursed Operation Blessing. No action was taken.
"Based on their track record, I would say that, as an individual, I would not give to Operational Blessing," admitted the Rev. Charles Henderson, a Presbyterian minister, who is the executive director of the Association for Religion and Intellectual Life.
<h4>According to its most recent filing with the Internal Revenue Service, Operation Blessing gave more than half of its yearly allocation of cash donations — $885,000 — to the Christian Broadcasting Network, or CBN, of which Robertson is also the chairman.</h4>
"There is no accountability when you have two boards working hand in hand like this," said Henderson. "One never knows when you're contributing to Operation Blessing whether the money is really going to the hurricane victims, or whether it's going to pay for some more television time for Pat Robertson's television show."
Some charity watchdog groups have given high marks to Operation Blessing. Bill Horan, the charity's president, at first denied his charity gave any money to Robertson's television operation..........
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Quote:
http://www.nydailynews.com/front/sto...p-293221c.html
........FEMA's official Web site (www.fema.gov) is encouraging concerned citizens to help Katrina victims by giving money to the Robertson-run relief organization Operation Blessing.
Operation Blessing - which Robertson founded in 1978 - is listed third on FEMA's site, right after the American Red Cross and America's Second Harvest.
Never mind that on his religious show, "700 Club," Robertson urged a sudden death for U.S. critic Chavez, saying: "We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability."
I wanted to find out more about our government's endorsement of Robertson's efforts, but calls to Robertson, Operation Blessing and FEMA weren't returned.
True, Robertson seems to think of himself as an expert on hurricanes and other disasters.
In 1998 - when the citizens of Orlando planned to observe Gay Pride Month by flying special flags - he warned them: "You're right in the way of some serious hurricanes, and I don't think I'd be waving those flags in God's face if I were you. ... A condition like this will bring about the destruction of your nation. It'll bring about terrorist bombs. It'll bring earthquakes, tornadoes and possibly a meteor."
As for FEMA's advice to donate to Robertson's group, one wag quipped: "Maybe we can have him take a small part of that [money] to hire a hit team to take out Chavez, put in a puppet government and take control over Venezuela's oil and help our suffering oil companies."
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Faith based, compassionate conservatism at work.....provocative statements advocating the assassination of a foreign, democratically elected head of state are "no problemo", nor are controversies of past "Operation Blessing" performance, I guess......
Last edited by host; 09-15-2005 at 10:50 AM..
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