An American Lion

Liberian Mineral Interests

Your questions are always welcome. Few people ever pause and say, hello. Welcome to my blog on whatever day you land here. You might be reading this two years from now. That’s why blogging is so weird. In any event, take off your shoes and browse. I’ll answer whatever you want to ask of me.

Yes, yes I was a Republican.

I’m sort of a conservative independent now. I often find myself shaking my head at some of my previous ideas about life, and society in general. Great in theory; impossible in practice. That’s the entirety of my quick review of a life believing that, by being a Republican, I knew what was what. It turns out, when I go with my gut, and expose the hypocrisy of everyone, I do fine. I don’t knock it out of the park every time, but I can hold my head up.

To answer your obvious question, no, I have never been a fan of faux Republicans, and that means that I am not a fan of the religious right in this country. They have ruined what used to be my Republican Party.

What does Jesus say about gold mines and dictators and lobbying? I’m curious, because I found out that, the best way to figure out who is, and who is not, a phony is to see how they act when the opportunity to make some money comes about. The more holier-than-thou, the greedier they are. Pat Robertson epitomizes this for me, and I always delight in seeing something that will make that crooked old bastard squeal:

Former Liberian President Charles Taylor, testifying in his own war crimes trial today, said that the American conservative evangelist Pat Robertson was awarded a Liberian gold-mining concession in 1999 and subsequently offered to lobby the Bush administration to support his government.

The revelations came in the midst of a U.N.-backed trial of Taylor at The Hague on 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity during Sierra Leone’s 1990s civil war. Taylor is accused of directing a Sierra Leone rebel group, the United Revolutionary Front (RUF), in a campaign aimed at securing access to the country’s diamond mines. The rebel movement stands accused of committing mass atrocities in the late 1990s in the West African country, including the mutilation of thousands of civilians.

The international prosecutors contend that Taylor offered concessions to Western individuals in exchange for lobbying work aimed at enhancing his image in the United States. The prosecution maintains that Taylor also spent $2.6 million on lobbying firms and public relations outfits in the hopes of influencing the policies of former President Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

Under cross-examination, Taylor said that Robertson had volunteered to make Liberia’s case before U.S. administration officials, and had spoken directly to President Bush about Taylor. He also confirmed that Robertson’s company, Freedom Gold Limited, signed an agreement to exploit gold in southeastern Liberia, but that it never generated any profit.

“Mr. Taylor, indeed at one point you said that you can count on Pat Robertson to get Washington on your side,” he was asked by the lead prosecution counsel, Col. Brenda Hollis, a former U.S. Air Force officer. Taylor replied: “I don’t recall the exact words, but something to that effect.”

A spokesman for Robertson, Chris Roslan, confirmed that Robertson was awarded a gold exploration concession by the Liberian government during the 1990s. But he said that there was “no quid pro quo” to provide the government with anything in return. Roslan said the company, Freedom Gold, is no longer in operation and has never found any gold.

Can you hear the squealing now? If we had a competent, brave, and viable working media, this sort of thing would be all over the place. Alas, it is just one more outrageous example of what Robertson can continue to get away with by playing the persecution card. What does acquiring gold mine rights have to do with being a man of God, anyway? Doesn’t that seem vaguely evil and especially greedy and corrupt?

Want proof there is a God? His endeavor came to naught. Somewhere, old Pat is squealing, and somewhere, the devil is waiting for another soul to torment.