good gods! someone who makes robertson seem compassionate! i didn't think anyone could have expressed their feelings about the quake victims in haiti with more distain for the human condition but this guy manages to out disgust the disgusting…….i am praying that he has a very low sperm count.

Former NBA player Paul Shirley has a lot to say, regarding whether he will donate any money to the people of Haiti since the Jan. 12th earthquake.

According to the NY Daily News, Shirley blogged on flipcollective.com:

"I haven't donated a cent to the Haitian relief effort. And I probably will not. I haven't donated to the Haitian relief effort for the same reason that I don't give money to homeless men on the street. Based on past experiences, I don't think the guy with the sign that reads "Need You're Help" is going to do anything constructive with the dollar I might give him. If I use history as my guide, I don't think the people of Haiti will do much with my money either.

… Shouldn't much of the responsibility for the disaster lie with the victims of that disaster?"

During his brief stint as a basketball player--he only played 18 games--Shirley played with the Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls and Pheonix Suns. He used to spend part of his time blogging for ESPN, up until he blogged these comments yesterday:

"Shouldn't there be some discourse on how the millions of dollars that are being poured into Haiti will be spent? And at least a slight reprimand for the conditions prior to the earthquake? Some kind of inquisition? Something like this?:

Dear Haitians –

First of all, kudos on developing the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Your commitment to human rights, infrastructure, and birth control should be applauded.

As we prepare to assist you in this difficult time, a polite request: If it's possible, could you not re-build your island home in the image of its predecessor? Could you not resort to the creation of flimsy shanty- and shack-towns? And could some of you maybe use a condom once in a while?

Sincerely,

The Rest of the World

ESPN had this to say:

"The views he expressed on another site of course do not at all reflect our company's views on the Haiti relief efforts. He will no longer contribute to ESPN."

Wow. What a tool. Very compassionate, really.

With charitable giving – I think you go where the heart leads. I have donated domestically. I have donated in the wake of disasters. When my heart says "help" I do – wherever that is geographically and whatever the issue is. When I donate to an animal shelter, it isn't because I am ignoring starving humans. It is because that is where my heart led me in that moment. When I donate to the homeless in this country I'm not ignoring animals, illness or the rest of the world. When I donated to Haiti, I wasn't ignoring people domestically. I am but one person with a very limited bank account in a world filled with inequity, tragedy, illness, pain, and often injustice. If I could, I would give unlimited amounts of money to every good cause, adopt every shelter animal and heal the world of all of its inequities and injustices. But I can't. I'm one person. That leaves me to follow my heart where it takes me and where it feels right in the moment. Last month, that was Haiti. Before and after that, it has been and will be different causes.

I tend to believe that if everyone opened their hearts, there would be enough to go around. I feel that because we believe that by giving to one cause we are taking away from another (or from ourselves), that is why it seems like there isn't enough to go around.

History is one thing, but right now is another. I'm a big believer in second chances. And third chances….or as many chances as it takes. After all, we're talking about human beings here. I know that I would like to be treated with compassion in the wake of disaster regardless of mistakes that I might have made – or that my forbearers made – because I am doing my very best right now in this moment. While my very best may not be as good as someone else's very best, it is still the best I can do, and given the tools I have to work with, I am trying. And so is everyone else.