Haitian Hell! (and other Thursday junk)

As the images stream from Haiti of the devastation left by Tuesday's 7.0 magnitude earthquake, a picture of true horror emerges. Even though I have no special knowledge of what "actual hell" would be like, I'm assuming that this is about as close to it as we'll see on earth.

Then again, since the beginning, "hellish" events have plagued the earth, due to natural disasters. This will not be the last, and probably not the worst that this orb has seen. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, tsunamis... If you are interested, there is a pretty good list here. I doubt that the Haitian 2010 earthquake will be the "worst." Regardless, it's BAD!

When an event like this takes place, the world (usually lead by the U.S.) charges into action to relieve the suffering. And, there is the inevitable attempt by many to pontificate. Many will attempt to attach a spiritual tag to the suffering. And, truly, in times of human suffering the normal human does look within for some solace, and without for a "reason."

Looking for a "reason" is almost always futile. So, in walks Mr. "There ya' go!" Drudge has highlighted on his site a link to a video of Pat Robertson talking about Haiti's "deal with the devil." I will not post the video, but you can see it there if you like. Now, this post is not to dis' Pat Robertson. I'm sure that he is a good man, with a good heart. But, could he just be wrong?

For most of my adult life I have heard the tale of how a group of Haitians made a compact with satan in the late 1700's. For giving Haiti to the devil, they would receive his help to become independent from the French. Now, I was dubious when I first heard this about 30 years ago. But, as I grew older and learned more about France, the story made MUCH more sense. And, for many years I accepted it as truth.

The evidence that Haiti is cursed is fairly convincing. I have watched one form of carnage or the other take place in Haiti for my entire adult life. But...

I have an acquaintance here in NW Louisiana. He is from Nigeria, and is now an American citizen. Heh! I guess he's a real African-American, but I digress. He is in the medical profession, and his wife (also from Nigeria) is a physician in Shreveport. He is also the pastor of a Christian church here in the area...and I might add...one of the nicest men I've ever met. Well, I just happened to run into him yesterday morning at the Post Office, and the subject of the Haitian earthquake came up while we were visiting.

He said to me, "Andy, my home country is 'poor,' but I was in Haiti last year. Haiti is almost a world of its' own. The poverty I saw there made even a west African hurt in the heart." So, I asked him about the "Haitian Curse." His eyebrow raised, and he told me that he had also heard the story. But, he had never been able to find any real evidence of it, and that I should do some research.

"Andy, do you have a computer?" he asked with a big grin. "No," I replied with an even bigger grin. He laughed, and advised me to dig in and get back with him. After many hours of computer research, I can't really find any true evidence that a "deal with the devil" had ever been made. Sure, there are hundreds of articles that restate the claim. But, I can't seem to find any historical evidence.

In fact, one of the most interesting articles I found was written by a Haitan at BlackandChristian.com. It seems that the author is a Church of God minister, and very knowledgeable of Haitian religious history.

From his post: "I was born and raised in Haiti, and I am a graduate of the State University in Port-au-Prince. I am also a believer in the Lord Jesus-Christ in accordance with the Bible. In all of my studies of Haitian history, however, I have yet to find a good evidence of even the idea of Satan’s assistance in the Independence War, let alone a satanic pact..." Read the whole thing, if you're interested.

So, as we view the pain, and dig into our wallets to support relief agencies with boots on the ground, it will do us well to expand our thinking. And, as always, pray! There are real people going through a real hell. We have local people trapped in Haiti right now (the local news has been interviewing their kinfolks)...folks who were there overseeing orphanages, and medical clinics. Pray for them all.

Now, on to Thursday junk...

My friend, Two Dogs (Paul Mitchell, mean ol' meany...whatever he's going by now) posted on his blog a very interesting screen shot of a Google search. Now, let me preface this by telling y'all that Two Dogs has been polled as one of the "25 most influential right wing bloggers."

And, he's a helluvaguy. He's a guy that really gives a damn. He cares about our nation, and he cares about people individually. I'm proud to call his potty-mouthed self my friend.

In his post, Paul (Two Dogs) notes that he actually beats The BlogFather, Glenn Reynolds, on the Gooble search for "Dow Jones Industrial Average since Democrats took control."

Go look at it, and come back for the rest of the story. I'll wait.

Okay, now you're back. So, after reading his post this morning I got to wondering just what other terms Two Dogs might show up as #1 on The Gooble. And lookee here... (please be sure and note who he beat out on this one).

Yep, that's our boy! He be #1, even ahead of Horsesass.org. Impressive!

But, I must confess that I have learned that The Gooble is awfully easy to manipulate. Witness this:

Unfortunately, this is more like it.

And, just one more Thursday thing. I love y'all...each and every one. That's why I'm posting this picture. I don't really know who it is, or why Cowdad sent it to me. But, it should keep you up late at night, and listening for monsters in your closet, or under your bed.

Don't bother to thank me.