I’m sorry she got cancer, I wouldn’t wish that on a dog. She was kind of cute, too, in a perverted way. But I never understood why Jim Bakker went to jail and Tammy walked free. It must be the Imelda Marcos syndrome. I guess Jim’s name was on all the papers when the couple were exposed for lying, cheating and robbing trusting old people who thought they’d bought the vacation of a lifetime among the godly and got taken. How could Tammy not see anything wrong with going on TV begging for money in the name of Jesus, and then buying gold-plated bathroom fixtures and an air-conditioned doghouse? For her, shopping was an addiction, and there was always other people’s money to do it with. Yes, she grew up poor, which makes it all the worse that she treated the donations of the faithful with such casual contempt.

She and Jim marketed the personal Jesus, the one who hands out goodies to the believers. I think she really believed that He was taking care of her, but it was more like she helped herself to what became very easy to steal.

It’s amazing that Jim and Tammy got away with it for so long, and their followers were able to ignore the naked greed that infused their TV show and all their dealings. Christians — I have news for you. God doesn’t need your money. He’s God. Think about it for a minute.

No, it wasn’t the greed that woke up the flock to the total dishonesty of these people, it was sex. Jim was caught in a sordid scandal with Jessica Hahn, a church secretary who ultimately talked to the press and had her fifteen minutes of fame. The affair destroyed Jim Bakker’s reputation among his followers. I can still see him crying on camera saying, ‘Jesus forgave me, why can’t you?’ He was the first one to use this shameless line, but plenty of disgraced ministers and politicians have followed since. The church punished him for sex, the state got him for stealing money and he got five years in prison.

While he was locked up, the little woman divorced him and married one of their rich friends, Roe Messner. Unfortunately, Messner was also a crook, and spent two years in jail. You can see their romantic reunion in the documentary, ‘The Eyes of Tammy Faye.’

Tammy managed to stay in public, she thrived on attention. Also, she had no other marketable skills. She was kind of an older, religious, Paris Hilton — more notorious than famous. Her son, Jay Bakker, has gone into the family business and is a preacher. It’s all they know how to do.

She really was evil, in a kind of pink, fluffy way. Maybe tonight she’s giving the Devil tips on how to spruce up Hell, and flattering him, and talking him into trying a little bronzer.