Amy Davidson aims her sympathetic intelligence at Haiti--see here and here and here. Oh hell, there's more, and not only about Haiti: just go to her blog, "Close Read," and start rooting around.
It's lamentable that Pat Robertson has to be mentioned. I didn't know that his 700 Club was still on the air, but it is, and on Wednesday's show he made a connection between the earthquake and a "pact to the devil" made by the Haitian people when, too eager to end the French occupation, they in 1791 demised their island to Satan for 200 years in exchange for his assistance against the French. What to say? It seems lame to mention only that the lease should have terminated on its own terms almost twenty years ago. God's vengeance was late.
Ms Davidson does not mention that Rush Limbaugh used his radio show to discourage people from contributing to Haitian relief efforts. "We've already donated to Haiti," he explained to a caller. "It's called the US income tax." Talent on loan from God, Who, according to Robertson, regards the Haitians with somewhat less sympathy than Limbaugh does. What adjectives apply? Grotesque? Sickening? Davidson, speaking of Robertson, deploys "outrageous." Yes, yes, and yes, but too bad exponents are for math.
The New York Times has links to web sites accepting donations for Haitian relief work. They're here, in case you're feeling flush on account of having dodged the federal taxman.
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