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PHS Haber: Force Aid Recipients to Speak English; Use Religious Guilt to Get Donations

The week after Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines, Preventive Health Strategies president Chad Haber met with Veterans for a Strong America director Joel Arends to discuss fundraising and logistics for a medical mission trip to assist typhoon victims. Comments made during that discussion offer useful and unpleasant insight into the attitude of PHS president Haber toward his beneficiaries and his benefactors.

Haber said he would make some pre-trip calls to connections he had in the Philippines. Arends asked a practical language question, to which Haber offered a response that revealed a lack of knowledge, curiosity, and cultural sensitivity:

Haber: "I would reach out to people that I know that have Philippine connections and I'd say o.k., I need a community to serve, ideally one or two, I want to be on the ground for a few days—"

Arends: "Someone who speaks Tagalog, right? Isn't that, Tagalog—"

Haber: "I have no idea. Don't care."

Arends: "It's called Tagalog."

Haber: "I don't want to say Please or Thank You. I don't want to know, o.k.? They need to learn how to speak English so they can thrive in the world."

Arends: [pause] "We need someone who speaks Tagalog. We're gonna need a couple of 'em" [Chad Haber and Joel Arends, transcript of meeting, November 2013].

In the midst of a humanitarian crisis, a humanitarian doesn't wage overt linguistic imperialism. A humanitarian learns whatever he can about the local culture that will help speed the delivery of aid to those in need.

But Haber has made clear in other fundraising pitches that the big solution to disease and poverty overseas is to get everyone to speak English.

In the fundraising discussion, Arends said VSA had already secured $5 million in medicines to deliver. Additional fundraising was needed to cover costs for airfare, security, and in-country needs. Haber ballparked the per-person cost to be $10,000 but said they dared not speak that number, since South Dakota donors couldn't handle it:

Haber: "Basically to be able to have that kind of experience and go to Haiti, it's ten grand a person. So that's just a number where it's too big to talk to South Dakotans about, and so depending upon where we go, we say, well, here's what it is for plane tickets, can you help with that much?"

Haber and Arends assessed fertile ground for fundraising. Haber engaged in some sociology:

Haber: "All these farmers right now, they— most of them just had their best year ever, right?... They had amazing years. They had great yields and they had good prices."

Arends: "Yeah, that's a pretty good bet, especially, you know, the cut-off was South Dakota - Iowa, especially if these guys are in Iowa—"

Haber: "Oh, crazy."

Arends: "Weather was a hundred times better, forty minutes across, like my dad, fantastic."

Haber: "Unbelievable, you're right. And, Iowa, they— the 1950s when the revival movement came through, they all bought into money is root of evil because farmers were poor at that time. Every single one of these men has a huge guilty conscience about being rich now.... They can't stand it. They just think they're going to hell because they have money and they just want to get rid of it."

Arends: "Especially if they're in Sioux County."

Chad: "Sioux County. And so then it's a very soft outreach...."

Ah, yes, guilty Christians. Always easy marks for a quick scheme. Or so Haber seems to think.

Arends and Haber delve into more theology as they discuss one specific big-money donor who could fund the whole Philippines trip with one check. Arends says he feels uneasy making the Jesus pitch to this donor; Haber says they just have to remember the donor is as interested in saving himself as saving any Filipinos:

Arends: "I'm not going to be able to speak to his Christian soul or any of that kind of stuff. I'm... I'm in there talking numbers. I'm not a evangelical— I'm a heathen Catholic...."

Haber: "You've gotta toe the middle ground there. God's calling Annette to go...."

Arends: " I just can't talk the evangelical piece if that's what folks are, you know— I'm a technician, man."

Haber: "He [the donor] is too, o.k.? He's trying to— he really wants God to save him. He's a numbers guy, too, that's trying to figure out how to get into heaven. Grace is freely given is a foreign concept to him and he's fighting it every step of the way.

Arends: "Right."

Haber: "And he doesn't really want to go to these places, but he likes to cut checks and think that he's doing his part."

Arends: "Well, he would be."

Haber's comments indicate that under his leadership, Preventive Health Strategies lacks cultural sensitivity toward the people it claims to serve. Haber's analysis of potential donors indicates an unhealthy view of religion as a tool to exploit to raise money.

Arends and Haber carried out this medical mission trip in January. Accompanying them was Haber's wife, U.S. Senate candidate Annette Bosworth.

48 Comments

  1. WestRiver 2014.05.22

    And there you have it...some pretend Christians using Christianity as a way to manipulate people's hearts and minds, not to mention their pocket books. As a Christian I take great offense to someone using Christianity in ways that were never intended and in doing so they only serve to make people who truly are living the best they can and truly are making mission trips to care for the poor a source of doubt and mistrust to the general public. Maybe if we keep working on letting the world know the truth behind the Bosworth-Haber campaign (their life campaign that is) we can rid this world of yet another poser, exposing them for who they really are and then those who have integrity can still accomplish the goals we are called to do.

  2. mike from iowa 2014.05.22

    Sioux County is quite Dutch Reformed territory and was a dry county back in the 60s and 70s,I believe.

  3. Steve Hickey 2014.05.22

    This. Makes. Me. Sick.

  4. Steve Hickey 2014.05.22

    We have our very own Ananias and Sapphira.

  5. Roger Cornelius 2014.05.22

    Did Jesus insist that all those he helped speak English?

    West River, these tactics have been used for a long time, the Billy Gramhan's, the Pat Robertson's, etc. live their lives of luxury and security while those gullible donors live on the edge of society thinking they will be saved by these grifters.

  6. Steve Hickey 2014.05.22

    Come on Roger. How much have you given away? I've seen Billy Graham's house. He and his son have raised millions and millions for humanitarian work and they live simply. And they live with the highest level of financial accountability and scrutiny.

  7. Jenny 2014.05.22

    Steve, the Graham's are worth millions, just google their net worth. I saw old man Graham's house one time in a magazine and it was very upper class.

  8. Steve Sibson 2014.05.22

    Great story Cory, using Neo-Marxism in the name of Christianity to raise money that is suppose to take care of the poor. How much of the money then actually goes to poor?

  9. grudznick 2014.05.22

    This isn't about Billy Graham. It's about that mean Haber fellow manipulating and using people, especially his young wife, and bilking other people. I say we should all march over and visit this fellow. Mr. Hickey, could we do it under torchlight, just for effect?

  10. larry kurtz 2014.05.22

    Neo-klepublicans, more like it. She deserves an Oscar® for her ability to distract a horny electorate just like Kristi did.

  11. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.05.22

    I'm with Grudz, barely. Billy Graham's money doesn't interest me. We should all wonder how PHS has gotten its money and where that money has gone.

  12. Rocky Racoon 2014.05.22

    Oscar? She's only managing to distract 4-6%.

  13. Roger Cornelius 2014.05.22

    Sorry for my "zen moment" on Billy Graham. Will try to stay grounded and focus on Bosworth/Haber.

  14. Been There 2014.05.22

    This is a good example of Chad's thinking process.

  15. larry kurtz 2014.05.22

    Tying Arends to her fundraising funneling money to the Rounds campaign would be a journalism coup fer sure.

  16. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.05.22

    It's all right, Roger—just don't fall into Neo-Marxism. ;-)

    Been, by "thinking process", do you mean "totally self-absorbed utilitarianism"?

  17. mike from iowa 2014.05.22

    Sioux County's very own Robert Schuller of Crystal Cathedral fame reaped untold millions and lived very luxuriosly-tax free grifter imho.

  18. WestRiver 2014.05.22

    Yes, Roger, I agree, there are corrupt people using Christianity and every other type of tactic to use others. The difference with the Bosworth-Haber campaign is they aren't just anywhere. They are in my backyard and I am sick of their vileness. Annette talks of a 'whisper campaign' and although we are not whispering, we are all shouting 'hey look, there's a conspiracy over here' we need to do more. How do we do more?

  19. Roger Cornelius 2014.05.22

    Yo! Me fall into Sibson's fantasy world of neo-Marxism? Not hardly.

    Sibson confuses neo-Marxism with the Bosworth/Haber greed and scam.

  20. Roger Cornelius 2014.05.22

    West River,
    What do we do about Bosworth/Haber sick fundraising?

    We do what Cory is doing, getting the story out about their cons as often as possible and at every opportunity.

    Go to her Facebook pages and tell her supporters the truth, you'll eventually be banned and your comments deleted, but maybe they will stay up long enough for a vulnerable reader to realize that they have been had.

    I have proudly been banned from all her Facebook accounts, but I can still share her bullshit with my own comment.

  21. grainofsalt 2014.05.22

    Cory and Steve, Remember when Chad scammed his father last year when Denten Haber gave the money needed to establish the "Denten Haber English Immersian School and Clinic in Haiti, and sent his son with a one way ticket to get it done. Scammed his own dad! Royally! Denten died the same day he handed Chad the money and in Feb. 2013, Chad took his money, son Prescott, Taylor Allis and David Jansa and went to Haiti to "build it". At least that's what Prescott, Taylor and David thought. What really happend was a 3 month vacation at the Kaliki Beach Club instead. Oh, and by the way, at daddies funeral Chad told a church full of people about it in the Eulogy. The eulogy is printed on Chads blog, Halfwayish.blogspot.

  22. Rhino Lynn 2014.05.22

    "What do we do about Bosworth/Haber sick fundraising?"

    It's been posted here numerous times.
    Steve Hickey, Steve Hildebrand and others have done their best.
    If you post on the campaign facebook page it will be deleted fairly quick.

    What is left? Picket the Bosworth campaign office and heavily publicize it?

    Let the slow wheels of justice take it's course while more out of state campaign donors contribute and others donate to the Annette Bosworth Ministries?

  23. Douglas Wiken 2014.05.22

    "Did Jesus insist that all those he helped speak English?"
    King James English to be specific.

  24. grainofsalt 2014.05.22

    Rhino Lynn, Push Jackley to prosecute and jail them. Push the SDBMOE to pull the "crazy lady's" medical license, and get her psychiatric help. Lots and lots of psychiatric help.

  25. Dave Baumeister 2014.05.22

    Cory, where did this transcript come from? (And I don't expect this to be answered with a blog post.) I don't doubt that it is dead-on accurate, but I would be curious to know how you got a complete transcript from that meeting. I would say someone there taped it for you to get it that accurate. Whoever was there besides Arends and Haber must look pretty suspicious right now! Unless Arends was the one who recorded it and gave it to you, now thinking that Bosworth might be taking away some of the votes Rounds would get, as she is no longer appealing to conservatives, but simply to nut cases.

  26. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.05.22

    Grain, can we get some coordinates on this school site in Haiti? I'd love to check Google Earth. I'd love to find some way to check the register of deeds office in Haiti.

  27. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.05.22

    Dave, don't you remember? I'm the guy who can break into an imaginary locked desk. I can do anything. :-D

    I affirm what Dave says: the transcript is unrebuttably accurate. I wouldn't print it if it weren't.

  28. Roger Cornelius 2014.05.22

    It appears that some here on Madville believe in the mythology of the King James version of the Bible.

  29. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.05.22

    West, just like Chad, we keep telling the story. Unlike Chad, we don't make up new stories each day. We tell the same story, from June 4, 2013, to today, and tomorrow, that Chad and associates are up to mischief. We keep adding details, adding voices, adding every bit of truth people are willing to share.

    And when Chad keeps throwing the new shiny pebbles he digs from the rubble of his mind, they will ping uselessly against the immovable mountain of truth we drop between him and anyone else he might try to exploit.

  30. Rhino Lynn 2014.05.22

    Lets say the Chanette team are charged. It depends on what they are charged with and prosecuted. (Sorry I'm not an attorney) Besides incarceration could they possible be forced to return the money from running an invalid campaign? I realize BaseConnect and other services have been paid. What about the other scams? Have they declared bankruptcy in the past 7 years?

  31. Douglas Wiken 2014.05.22

    It appears Roger wouldn't recognize satire or irony if it had fangs and bit him on the butt.

  32. Roger Cornelius 2014.05.22

    I recognize satire and irony Wiken, I just don't recognize it coming from you.

    And leave my butt out of it.

  33. grainofsalt 2014.05.22

    Cory, IF there was a school, we could get coordinates on it. The point is, Chad and Annette conned people into believing they were going to build this English Immersion School and Clinic. They took the money earmarked for the school and then failed to build it. So no school, no clinic, zippo. ( Annette and Chad were also telling people that they were GIVEN land in Haiti for this school. Chad even had video of it on his halfwayish.blogspot for a while. In the video he was walking one of his children through this very large, nice ocean side property and telling them about the clinic/school going up there. This school/clinic should have been built, but it was just a story they made up to scam people. (Chad was probably showing vacant land to his son and lying to him about it. Poor confused kid)

  34. Deb Geelsdottir 2014.05.22

    Yes, the scammers should be ashamed down to their bones. But no.

    BTW Doug, Jesus did not speak King James English. He spoke that fine, old Roman Catholic language - Latin!

  35. concerned 2014.05.22

    I think we all want this exposed as much as possible and to get people to stop buying her "product" by sending donations. We need to look at it a different way---we have been tagging links here and there and posting them on facebook---to one or two articles. But for most people who haven't been following it's "too much" work to actually google search further than that. How about a Timeline from when we know all the shams began. Very brief with a link to support each statement. This can be posted as a status and we can ask everyone who has been scammed by her to share and their friends and family to share....we should be using the social media like she is. Since we are unable to beat her by posting on her pages without getting deleted...beat her at her own game. This may also gain support for her and hubby to be prosecuted and for those poor children to be taken care of by someone who isn't a sociopath.

  36. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.05.23

    A timeline would be useful but far from brief. I may have to write an entire book when the primary is done.

  37. PNR 2014.05.23

    American Entrepreneurial Christianity at its worst. Not quite up to the financial level of Jimmy & Tammy Faye Baker, but it's sure not for lack of trying.

    Oh, Deb, Doug, et al., Jesus may well have spoken some Latin at least. Also some Greek and Hebrew. Mostly, though, Aramaic. It's the Holy Spirit who spoke in King James English - or, as it says in Romans, "inexpressible groanings."

  38. CK 2014.05.23

    There is a fb page, "Animals against Annette Bosworth" that could probably be utilized.

  39. WestRiver 2014.05.23

    Cory! A book! No! That's my idea...ok, well, maybe we can co-write it.

    Deb--Jesus spoke Aramaic

  40. grainofsalt 2014.05.23

    If Chad and Annette were imprisoned the boys would most likely be in good hands with either set of grandparents or any of their aunts and uncles. As far as I know, the only aunt who is remotely involved with Annette is Peggy Craig, who works with her. I've heard good things about their families (I don't know any of them myself) I thought Child Protective Services might have visited them during the RV days (no heat, no water, frozen pipes, no toilet, all while people are offering places to live and Annette and Chad are insisting on keeping those kids in the RV and subjecting them to deplorable living conditions. Who in their right mind does that?

  41. Deb Geelsdottir 2014.05.23

    PNR. I know. The language crack was sarcasm. I'm 99% positive that's what Doug was doing too. However . . .

    I don't use the King James Version any more, either spoken or written. I haven't for decades. Some denominations still do, especially fundamentalist churches.

    Even so, after a worship service, a middle aged man, who did shake my hand, was visibly upset. He told me that there is simply no other way to say the Lord's Prayer than Elizabethan English. He believed anything else was blasphemous.

    BTW, he was a nice enough gentleman in most ways, and not a fundamentalist in any other way. I was so surprised at his words that I was speechless. His wife followed him, shaking my hand and rolling her eyes at her husband's back.

    Congregations. :-* (That's my eye roll.)

  42. CK 2014.05.24

    They are not still living in the RV, are they?

  43. CK 2014.05.24

    I have it on pretty good authority that Annette does not have admitting at neither Avera nor Sanford hospitals.

  44. grainofsalt 2014.05.24

    CK, Chad and Annette and the boys do not still live in the RV. They live in an apartment. (she listed her address on the petitions she circulated)

  45. caheidelberger Post author | 2014.05.24

    The RV is but a memory... and a mistold narrative. The RV happened because of choices by Chad and Annette. The apartment is part of a different scheme, which I'm working on for another blog post....

  46. Nick Nemec 2014.05.24

    Does this saga ever end? Maybe Chad and Ted Klaudt can hook up in Springfield and help each other file bogus lawsuits.

  47. JeniW 2014.05.24

    CK, that would not be a surprise because that is not the type of practice that she has.

    If any of her patients had a hot appendix, heart attack, or broken bone, they would go to the ER in either hospital ER, and a doctor from the respective hospital would be in charge of treatment.

    I could be wrong, but It looks like she treats those who have drug addictions, and those who physical complications from using drugs.

Comments are closed.