Haiti's latest impending and catastrophic misfortune is being attributed to one of two causes. American evangelist Pat Robertson said Haiti was "cursed" because it made a deal with the devil to guarantee a successful Revolution.

This theory only makes sense if you've read J.A. Wylie's The Pope is the Antichrist (which Robertson likely has) and the Constitution Haiti sent Napoleon in 1801 (which he likely hasn't) designating Roman Catholicism the official faith. Sadly the second, more widely accepted explanationis considered realistic, but is no less crazy: just send your cash. And leave it tous.
That this call for cash comes from a man who failed utterly to ensure the proper distribution of similar donations to his own citizens affected by the attacks of September 11 or Hurricane Katrina is ominous enough.But the solution being bandied about for Haiti is a redoubled effort to apply the very policies which created frail infrastructure, an impoverished population, hillsides denuded of trees and export-driven agriculture in the first place.