$50 MILLION Embezzled by the Good Christians at Trinity Broadcast Network

[d_r]

44. no you wouldn't

when I was 14 my Dad had meningitis and it left him blind and physically impaired. But he loved to go to walks around his rural "neighborhood" (loops of blacktopped and gravel roads), tapping his folding cane, and visit with people. He did it every day. Loop around to pick up the mail to get his library books on tape. Sometimes I'd go with him, probably not often enough, but anyway, one day we were walking and he told me he wanted me to meet someone. We went down a path off a gravel road, near an old church building that hadn't been used in years. There was this little home, made of unpainted plain grey concrete blocks with a tin roof, and we were greeted at the door by a girl in a wheel chair. Even as a teen, though I didn't have words for it, I knew that she had a birth defect, her legs were tiny and shriveled from never having muscles work. Her legs were maybe a foot or so long, with tiny little block feet on the end, and just skin and bone. And she was glad to see my dad and invited us in. It was clear to me that they knew each other, that he walked over here regularly. And she was happy and talking non-stop about the preacher that was on the religious show she watched on the tv. It was an old rabbit ear thing against the wall, covered in cheap knick knacks and they were preaching on it right then. And she watched. She talked about how she didn't have much money but she sent whatever part of her ssi check she could, and she just knew her blessing was coming any time now. She was so happy she could help others as much as she could, and she knew that it was going to return to her. She would sit with her wheel chair right in front of the tv so she could hold out her hands and touch it. And the preacher would say things like "there's someone with cancer, receive your blessing now you are healed." And she was so confident that she would get her turn. She just knew that she was going to get up and walk. She said so. She didn't hide it or keep it a secret dream, she talked about it out loud with English words that were just heart breaking. And you could tell how happy it made her, she was so excited about it.

Now, I was a cynical teenager anyway, and the whole thing horrified me. Looking back, maybe it was worth it for her to pay for that hope. I don't know. But at the time I knew she was being ripped off and I realized that there were a gazillion more desperate folks out there. I knew right then what that racket was all about. It broke my heart. But I'll never forget her faith. I have such mixed emotions about those memories, tragic and sad and hopeful and excited and faithful. She had no doubt. I knew they were crooks. Not sure now who was better off. Well, actually that is a stupid thing to say isn't it? She had faith and I had cynicism but my luck of the draw has been way better.

Anyway, they are bastards, I'll tell you that. Perfect effing bastards. That's the kind of folks they are preying on. No pun. Anyway, I don't think you'd want to do that.