TV preacher Robertson joins Liberian dictator in gold-mining venture. (People & Events).TV preacher Pat Robertson Marion Gordon "Pat" Robertson (born March 22 1930)[1] is a televangelist from the United States.[2] He is the founder of numerous organizations and corporations, including the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), has solidified his partnership with Liberian dictator Charles Taylor
Charles Taylor may refer to: Political figures
Washington Post columnist Colbert I. King Colbert I. King (born 1939-09-20) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for the Washington Post. He is Deputy Editor of the Post's editorial page. King earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in government from Howard University in 1961. outlined the deal in his Sept. 22 column. King noted that Robertson cited America's pursuit of financial gain and our focus on wealth as two of the reasons God had allowed terrorists to attack the country Sept. 11. The columnist found the Robertson allegation ironic, given the TV preacher's own financial adventures. Asked King, "What, pray tell, does the Good Lord make of Pat Robertson's gold-mining venture in Liberia with Charles Taylor, international pariah and one of the most ruthless, greedy and terror-producing heads of state in all of sub-Saharan Africa?" Robertson founded Freedom Gold Limited in May of 1999. Registered as an offshore company in the Cayman Islands, the firm operates out of Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network The Christian Broadcasting Network, or CBN, is a Christian television broadcasting network in the United States. Its headquarters and main studios are in Virginia Beach, Virginia. CBN was founded by evangelist Pat Robertson in 1961. in Virginia Beach. Under the terms of the Robertson-Taylor agreement, Freedom Gold won the rights to explore for gold in southeast Liberia. The company has found little gold so far, but King reported that the firm is committed to spending $15 million on exploration. If gold is found, Taylor's government will pocket royalties and rental fees. King noted that under Taylor, Liberia totters on the verge On the Verge (or The Geography of Yearning) is a play written by Eric Overmyer. It makes extensive use of esoteric language and pop culture references from the late nineteenth century to 1955. of chaos. Twelve years after Taylor seized power, King reported, the government is unable to provide basic services basic services, n.pl frequently insurance companies split dental procedures into basic and major categories. Basic services usually consist of diagnostic, preventive, and routine restorative dental services. to its people. Wrote King, "[W]ith tens of thousands of Liberians slain, hundreds of thousands displaced throughout West Africa, a generation of young Liberian boys ruined by their conversion to child soldiers, women raped and mutilated mu·ti·late tr.v. mu·ti·lat·ed, mu·ti·lat·ing, mu·ti·lates 1. To deprive of a limb or an essential part; cripple. 2. To disfigure by damaging irreparably: mutilate a statue. , his country is in absolute ruins and is ostracized by the world community -- except for hustlers, mercenaries and the preacher/entrepreneur from Virginia Beach." Freedom Gold officials told King that the firm has worked to be good corporate citizens in Liberia, pointing out that the company has built wells for drinking water drinking water supply of water available to animals for drinking supplied via nipples, in troughs, dams, ponds and larger natural water sources; an insufficient supply leads to dehydration; it can be the source of infection, e.g. leptospirosis, salmonellosis, or of poisoning, e.g. and roads. But King noted that, thanks to Taylor, most of the country remains poverty-stricken. Taylor can hang on to power, King asserted, only because of "deep-pocketed foreigners and their unquenchable thirst for a buck." "What a marriage," wrote King. "Can't you see it now? Robertson, fresh from his latest condemnation of sin, prediction of world collapse and visions of Liberian gold, sports his best `aw, shucks' smile, throws his arm around Taylor -- who ought to be standing before a war crimes tribunal -- and coos: `C'mon, Charlie, what's a little human rights between friends?'" |
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