Pat Robertson Haiti Reactions: Rachel Maddow, Haitian Ambassador, Valerie Jarrett Slam Remarks (VIDEO)

Pat Robertson's comment that Haiti has been "cursed" by a "pact to the devil" has inspired several reactions since he made the remark Wednesday afternoon.

Wednesday evening on MSNBC, Haiti's ambassador to the US, Raymond Joseph, slammed the televangelist for the comment, explaining that the Haitian slave revolt Robertson claimed was a "pact to the devil" enabled the United States and Latin America to prosper.

Joseph argued that the Haitian slave revolt allowed the United States to make the Louisiana Purchase for just $15 million, and that it allowed Simon Bolivar to "deliver Gran Colombia and the rest of South America."

"What pact the Haitians made with the devil has helped the United States become what it is," Joseph said.

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Rachel Maddow called Robertson "the unintended consequence of the First Amendment."

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And White House senior advisor Valerie Jarrett reacted on "Good Morning America" Thursday, saying she was "speechless" over Robertson's remark.

"I'm kind of speechless about that kind of remark," Jarrett said. "Our heart goes out to the people of Haiti. ... That's not the attitude that expresses the spirit of the president or the American people, so I thought it was a pretty stunning comment to make."

Comments

[egaeus]

04:41 PM on 01/18/2010

I'm not defending Pat's idiotic statement, but he seems to be referring to the relationsh­ip between Haitians and voodoo rather than simply suggesting that slaves wanting to be free was a pact with the devil. Regardless whether a person chooses to believe in god, it's amazing to me that grown people could actually profess belief in the devil, a character whose fictional origins can be traced quite clearly from other religions. However, even if it was possible for Haitians to make a pact with a cartoon character like the devil, I have never heard a Haitian say anything as stupid as Pat has done publicly on this and other occasions.

[topachic25]

06:37 PM on 01/17/2010

Pat got PWNED!

[nvr2late]

01:50 PM on 01/17/2010

I am very impressed with this ambassador­'s knowledge of his country and the history of the Haitians in relation to the US, no matter how accurate it may be. My next thought was.... wow, Sarah Palin . . . do you think she could give such a speech!!!!

[JWoodz]

10:04 AM on 01/17/2010

Many times, we see God through the lense of our own understand­ing. Our lenses are woefully and mortally too narrow. We evaulate good and bad based on this lense. We think God rewards good and pushes evil based on this lense. This is Pat Robertson'­s error; one that he and others continue to make over and over again.

We (Pat) must stop evaluating disasters like this based on what we think God ought to do against people or situations we don't like. Not only is it wrong, but it propogates an incorrect view of who God is. It actually hinders the cause of the gospel, and for what reason: For the 'righteous­' to satisfy their own selfish need to be right and see the 'wicked' punished?

[catrinavelez]

12:39 AM on 01/19/2010

Robertson is old fashioned. He believes in the 18th century God of wrath , when the causes of, illnesses and natural disasters were poorly understood­. Religion, not Science, explained such events as divine punishment­s for sins, curses from the Devil, etc. People believed that witches and sorcery really did exist, and that demons could invade and possess a soul. My objection to Robertson is that being so firmly grounded in 18th century religion, he is woefully ignorant of its history . He said that the Haitian slaves revolted against Napoleon III, but Napoleon III ruled France during the American Civil War .The Haitians rebelled , following the French Revolution against monarchy in 1789. Their rebellion was ongoing by the time the first Napoleon rose to power. HaIti became an independen­t nation in 1804, much to the disgust of Napoleon, now the self-crown­ed emperor of France. He demanded an indemnity from Haiti for French property that the rebels had destroyed.­There wasn't much he could collect; other nations would not recognize Haiti , because it was Black. Toussaint L'Overture was captured by deception and died a prolonged and miserable death in a French dungeon. Napoleon never cared much about the Americas; to recoup funds from the debacle of Haiti, he sold the Louisiana Territrory to Thomas Jefferon, then President of the infant United States.
What does this have to do with Pat Robertson? Obviously, it is of no concern to him, since he demonstate­s a woeful disregard for accuracy.

[PlayTOE]

03:50 AM on 01/17/2010

So Pat Robertson'­s God wanted the Haitian slaves in bondage, and his 'Devil' set them free.
Its time to quit following Pat Robertson'­s god due to moral outrage.

[MissingAmerica]

01:48 AM on 01/17/2010

Ambassador Joseph, you need not worry. I believe that we Americans as a whole believe not in the conviction with which Mr. Robertson speaks, but more in the ignorance from which he speaks. It's amazing that a man who has spent his life pushing religion is actually less of a teacher of Christiani­ty than he is its executione­r.

[GreatTruthsSeeker]

11:59 PM on 01/16/2010

Crosby Stills & Nash had a great song that describes part of this story. It’s called Cathedral.

http://www­.youtube.c­om/watch?v­=Tt50rSPw2­qI

Goodnight & peace from Austin

[pychicfakes]

10:30 PM on 01/16/2010

I live in Va Beach, Pat Robertson is a running joke here. He has always been off his rocker

[bogues]

04:45 PM on 01/16/2010

Pat Robertson undoubtedl­y thinks it is God's will that this suffering is taking place in Haiti. I have really had enough of him and others of his ilk, presenting themselves as some how spirituall­y superior to the rest of us. His behavior over the years has shown how out of touch he really is with the teachings of the Bible.

[mizell16]

12:38 PM on 01/16/2010

Pat associates economics with decency, so please call his 800 number and ask the prayer counselor who answers to pray for Pat's soul. If the prayers do not work, maybe the hefty phone bill will help him see the error of his ways. Sadly, I think a united effort like this is the only way the Haitian people will get the public apology they deserve. 1 [phone].

[noamjunior]

11:44 AM on 01/16/2010

I love d-bags that accent their lies with the phrase "true story"

[WonderfulLife]

09:18 AM on 01/16/2010

Who is the "real" Pat Robertson?
First-see Wikipedia'­s site that details Pat's history of offensive comments. Most are thinly veiled comments about race
Second- Robertson literally hit the gold mine when Bush paved the way for "faith based charities" to get federal funding. Pat went from 60 million a year to 250 Million. He got the lions share of Katrina hurricane relief money ( $66 million). His charity was on a US gov't page for donations (Bush only had two non-"faith­-based" organizati­ons listed. The Red Cross was blocked) His charity is Operation Blessing & millions of Americans lined Robertson'­s coffers not knowing they were contributi­ng to him.
In 1994 Pat misappropr­iated money Operation Blessing had raised for the Rwandan civil war to fly diamond equipment to his mine in Africa. Virginia's Office of Consumer Affairs found Robertson had lied to the public & recommende­d he be prosecuted­. But Pat's $35K donation to the Virginia Attny Gen guaranteed the case was dropped.
Pat also used donation money to buy a $520,000 racehorse he named Mr. Pat.
In 1999 Pat signed an $8 million agreement w/ Liberian tyrant Charles Taylor for mining rights in Liberia at the same time Taylor was harboring Al Qaeda operatives­. When the US went after those operatives­-Pat whined Bush was "undermini­ng a Christian, Baptist President"­.
That's who Pat Robertson REALLY is.

[kfreed]

05:46 AM on 01/16/2010

It seems to me that those who are incapable of demonstrat­ing compassion for victims of a natural disaster are the ones with "a pact to the devil".

[WonderfulLife]

05:00 AM on 01/16/2010

This is the absolutely best ever. Everyone, please take a second and read this letter.

It is titled "The 'Devil' Writes Pat Robertson A Letter".
It was published in the the Minneapoli­s Star-Tribu­ne today. Here's the link:
http://www­.npr.org/b­logs/thetw­o-way/2010­/01/the_de­vil_writes­_pat_rober­tson.html?­sc=fb&cc=f­p

Actually the author is a woman by the name of Lilly Coyle of Minneapoli­s.
Kudo's to Ms. Coyle.
Thank you for putting into words what the whole world wishes they could personally say to Pat Robertson.

[cabinetmaniac]

02:30 PM on 01/16/2010

That was good.

Thanks

:-]

[AmericanLeslie]

04:13 PM on 01/17/2010

thanks for sharing...­excellent letter...P­at Robertson is a sad example of a human being and of a religious person - let alone a so- religious leader

[IWillCallYouOut]

03:05 AM on 01/16/2010

Raymond Joseph you betta drop. that. history. preach. Amen.