Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty's comments

Apropos of this discussion, http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/duck-dynasty-star-rants-against-homosexual-behavior-islamists-and-shintos-in-magazine-interview

It's just a little sad, in a way. They're some of the last people on the wrong side of history and are the last to realize it. I'd like to think that many similarly minded people are basically good and if they'd been raised in a different time they'd hold more considerate beliefs about others.

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http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/12/gop-politicians-defend-duck-dynasty-stars-right-to-anti-gay-comments/

The Robertson stuff is unfortunately not that shocking these days, though the fact that such a guy gets a TV show and GQ exclusive interview is. Some Republicans' "defense of his first amendment rights" really pisses me off. I understand that Duckman was within his rights to say those things, but the blatant politics and hypocrisy is unacceptable. Palin, Jindal, Cruz - as if they have any credibility anymore, but folks like them weren't defending Rev. Wright's first amendment rights at the time. In fact they were convicting Obama as un-American just for sitting in the same room with Wright. Where is their outrage about homophobia, racism, and almost comical ignorance - traits that should be un-American but are unfortunately celebrated/condoned at times for being "traditional values"?

Sure, I get it that any time Christianity seems under attack, they circle the wagons. But another important American value is not ramming your beliefs down everyone else's throats (despite FNC and the Tea Party's revisionist history to the contrary). I'm sorry that the mere existence of gays, Muslims, and ethnic minorities in "your country" makes you upset. Part of a free society is tolerating diversity and even tolerating people you can't stand. Like how thinking people have to tolerate the likes of Robertson, Palin, and Cruz. Otherwise they might as well stop hating Iran and move there, because that is the type of regime that they are promoting. Let's see if these GOP figures similarly come to the defense of Joe Biden the next time he mouths off, or god forbid an urban black celebrity. They are good Christians too, aren't they? They're just as much Americans as Robertson, right?

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In typical Palin-esque fashion, the momma grizzly admitted that she didn't even know what Robertson actually said (didn't read his statements from GQ) before opining on his free speech rights and the tyranny of political correctness/liberal intolerance. If only Robertson said something about Mein Kampf... would Palin have stood by her defense of his rights? 

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/sarah-palin-admits-not-having-read--duck-dynasty--interview-180236668.html

Of all companies, Cracker Barrel pulled its Duck Dynasty themed merchandise from its restaurants after the Robertson comments, but a day later reinstated them after outcry from customers. Only in Amurrrica. :P

On a related note, here is an interview from a Harvard neuroscientist about why the human brain may be hard-wired for narrow-minded moral judgment and us-vs-them tribalism.

http://www.kqed.org/a/forum/R201312240900

An explanation for the Haiti quake

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0110/Robertson_Haiti_cursed_since_Satanic_pact.html

So according to Pat Robertson, Haitian rebels made a deal with the devil (yes, Satan) to free them from French rule, but as a consequence god has punished Haiti ever since (poverty, hurricanes, civil war), with this month's earthquake being the most recent manifestation of his wrath. And then Robertson said that he hopes this tragedy will help Haitians turn to god. Hello, Pat? Haiti is a predominantly Christian country (80% Catholic, 16% Protestant). Yes there's some black magic voodoo here and there, but I guess he wants them to all become evangelicals?

Granted that Pat is probably senile (he claimed to bench 300 lbs. or something, right?), his take on history can only be described as "whack". Haitan rebelled from France under Napoleon I, not III. Not sure if the devil had a hand in it, but Napoleon was less interested in France's colonies in the New World, and needed every able soldier for his invasion of Eastern Europe. That's also why he sold us Louisiana on the cheap, because he was desperate for war funds. Pat also said that the Dominican Republic is prosperous with resorts and such, compared to neighboring Haiti. Obviously he has never been there. They are clearly better off than Haiti (not hard to do since Haiti is the poorest nation in the Americas and ranked #157 by IMF's per capita GDP estimate of $1,300), but the DR is ranked #84 with a pcGDP of a mere $8,600. That is good for Central American standards, but they are still pre-industrial. Ask David Ortiz or Vlad Guerrero how wealthy they were growing up.

Part of Haiti's troubles is due to geography and bad luck, but their man-made "curses" are deforestation (logging has destroyed 98% of original forests, ruining farmland and accelerating erosion, which led to famine), colonialism (diseases killed practically all of the native Haitians so the current population are blacks, the US actually occupied Haiti for 20 years, and the dictator Trujillo we installed in the DR massacred thousands of Haitians too), and civil war (Haiti has had 32 coups, and the US took turns supporting and then kidnapping President Aristide, and since we left the nation deteriorated into failed state status).

BTW, Pat didn't seem to care but Int'l Red Cross, Medecins sans Frontiers, and UNICEF (among many others) are all having special collections for Haiti relief.