| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"Fredric L. Rice" |
| Date: |
27 Aug 2005 04:37:19 AM |
| Object: |
Robertson rhetoric adds fuel to fire |
Robertson rhetoric adds fuel to fire
Thursday, August 25, 2005 10:37 AM CDT
http://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/articles/2005/08/25/news/editorial/aaaaaaaaaarobertson..txt
In the volatile political environment of the new millennium, plenty of
countries and their leaders despise the U.S. Some have good reason for
resentment; others are responding to widespread paranoia, based on what the
U.S. may or may not have done in the past.
For any recalcitrant head of state who dares to openly criticize U.S.
policy, Pat Robertson has a solution: a bullet to the brain.
Assassination doesn't exactly have its basis in the teachings of Christ.
But nevertheless, the multimillionaire religious broadcaster suggested on
air this week it might be the best way to permanently zip the lip of
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who has uttered some scathing invectives
to describe U.S. President George W. Bush.
Chavez has been making a lot of noise lately, mostly in the form of insults
to the U.S. He insists the U.S. government is plotting to kill him,
presumably to give American companies unfettered access to Venezuelan oil,
the reserves of which are the largest on this side of the globe. Over the
summer, Chavez had armed civilians training with the regular military, to
beat back the invasion he's certain the U.S. has planned for his country.
He's been threatening to sell less oil to the U.S. and more to perceived
anti-Western countries like China, and further tweaks the nose of the U.S.
administration by maintaining warm relationships with rogue nations like
Iran and Cuba.
Chavez may be be just another a penny-ante Third World autocrat with
delusions of grandeur, but publicly labeling George Bush an "a--hole"
should not be reason to target him for assassination. If that's the case,
legions of Americans - including a growing number of loyal Republicans -
are in big trouble.
Chavez, as far as the American public knows, has not threatened the life of
Bush. He has not launched any deadly attacks against U.S. citizens or
property. What he's doing is exercising a prerogative to rant and rave - a
right he would be guaranteed under the First Amendment, if he were a little
farther north on the map. And of course, he's hanging out with despots - an
activity in which American presidents have been known to dabble.
Robertson evidently reasons that if Chavez is going to accuse us of
plotting to kill him, then we ought to make sure his predictions come true!
"You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he
thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go
ahead and do it," Robertson was quoted as saying. "It's a whole lot cheaper
than starting a war ... and I don't think any oil shipments will stop."
This isn't the first time Robertson's haranguing has offered the public a
peek at his questionable sanity - and his incredible hypocrisy. In October
2003, he suggested the State Department should be blown up with a nuclear
device, an act that would unquestionably violate the Sixth Commandment. He
has no qualms about breaking the Ninth Commandment by "bearing false
witness," as he did with his statement that feminism encourages women to
"kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become
lesbians."
The 10th Commandment - the admonishment against coveting - fell by the
wayside as Robertson introduced the magic word, "oil," into his diatribe.
Chavez apparently deserves to die not just because he had the nerve to
insult the U.S. and its noble leader, but because he implied he might give
"our" oil to someone else! And since the U.S. sucks up nearly 60 percent of
Venezuela's crude, that would be bad news - not just for regular Americans
but for tycoons like Robertson, who motor around in luxurious, gas-guzzling
vehicles, paid for by his trusting and comparatively impoverished "flock."
The U.S. government might not want to admit it, but Chavez has credibility
in many places - far more than Bush. Americans might not like it, but he
was democratically elected in a national recall referendum approved by
international observers. He achieved success largely by decrying "U.S.
imperialism," and his defiant attitude toward a superpower nation is only
adding to his popularity. A huge majority of Venezuelans already believe
the gap in that country between rich and poor - wider now than anytime in
history - has been perpetuated by capitalist "reforms" pushed by the U.S.
Unfortunately, Robertson's ridiculous statements only lend credence to
Chavez' claims of impending coups against him. They give him a ready excuse
to cause more trouble for America on a global scale. After all, he might
say, the U.S. did invade Iraq, and even if Americans themselves feel
justified in that action, the rest of the world (with a few exceptions)
doesn't see through the same lens. How is Chavez to know his country won't
fall victim to the same aggression?
Bush doesn't need any more help fomenting hatred for the U.S. than his
staff already gives him, but Robertson's offering it anyway, free of
charge. Karl Rove should advise Bush to put as much distance between
himself and "The 700 Club" as he possibly can.
As for Robertson himself, many well-meaning Christians are beginning to see
the man for what he really is. A doctrine of hatred, murder and discord
points to the worship of someone else entirely.
---
http://www.ElmerFudd.US/ http://www.notserver.com/
http://sf.irk.ru/www/ot3/otiii-gif.html
http://www.rightard.org/ http://www.thedarkwind.org/
http://www.spaink.net/cos/warhero/
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