Rev. Pat Robertson not praying right

[Anymouse]

Back in 1989, when I was in the Navy and stationed in Virginia Beach (living in the resort strip near the Edgar Cayce Foundation), Hurricane Hugo was predicted to make a direct strike on Virginia Beach.

Rev. Pat Robertson and his folk at CBN University in Va Beach made a big deal out of praying to God to spare Va Beach (and presumably his broadcast network).

He then took all the credit when the storm veered at the last and went into Charleston, So. Car. Of course, Robertson chalked it up to the power of prayer (essentially claiming credit for his god's work). I'm not sure how all the Christian-living people in Charleston felt about it though.

While he was praying, at Naval Air Station Oceana we were doing more practical things like flying all our aircraft out.

He must not be living right this week. First the earthquake in Richmond, now Hurricane Irene is bearing down on Virginia Beach (now Virginia's largest city). CBN and Robertson are still there, still hoping the power of prayer will somehow blow Irene away from the city.

Meanwhile, the mayor of Va. Beach ordered all tourists out of the city yesterday (Virginia Beach has the longest stretch of publicly accessible beaches in the USA, ninety miles), and residents will be leaving today. The Second Fleet (all of it) took on emergency relief stores and headed out to sea to both ride out the hurricane, and to be pre-positioned to provide support to coastal cities.

I wonder who is accomplishing more, Va Beach's mayor and the Navy, or Rev. Robertson? And will CBN disappear from cable and satellite networks come Saturday? (Crossing fingers - his organisation was the one that picketed my house when I ran up my Wiccan bulletin board service on my Commodore 64).

James