When Osama asks for Bush and Blair’s head – he is a nasty terrorist.
But, when Pat Robertson, the founder of Christian Coalition and a former Presidential candidate and someone who makes our rabid right wingers seem like flower power children – calls for the assasination of democratically elected Venezualan president Hugo Chavez – I am sure that he would be reflecting the patriotic sentiments. This is what he said
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. It’s a whole lot cheaper than starting a war … and I don’t think any oil shipments will stop.”
Incidentally, the Christian Coalition is one of those entities that screams loudest about the sanctity of life !
It would be interesting to see the Bush Administration bring charges of ‘encouraging terrorism’ on Robertson. But, it will probably be shrugged off as free speech.
Which leads us to an interesting verb conjugation
My country has freedom of speech
yours has rabble rousers
and his incites people to commit terrorist acts.
Does this remind any one of Salvatore Allende?
Incidentally, this was Kissinger on Allende:
“I don’t see why we need to stand by and watch a country go communist due to the irresponsibility of its own people. The issues are much too important for the Chilean voters to be left to decide for themselves.”
Pat Robertson is definitely one of hte worst; what is truly horrible is the fact that he actually commands a pretty large following.
Gawker too has an excellent post on the same topic.
Oops! That link takes you to a different post. Sorry about that.
Here is the right link.
Yup……was talking about this with my (american) collegues over lunch today. I wanted to know if “threatening to kill or asking for some one to be killed” constituted a crime for which a person could be prosecuted. Didn’t get any answers though….
It depends on who want to kill. Threatening the life of the President of the United States, even in jest, is likely to get you in trouble. Otherwise, the legal test has been “does the speaker have the means to carry out the threat?” So if I say “Somebody should kill Pat Robertson”, that is protected speech, if I lack the obvious means to kill Pat Robertson. But if I own a sniper’s rifle, and Pat Robertson is coming to town, I would open myself to a criminal investigation.
Disclaimer: I do not own a sniper’s rifle, and Pat Robertson is not coming to Milwaukee, as far as I know. Furthermore, I believe Pat Robertson is hopeless wantwit and a huge embarrassment to 200 million American Christians, which is really cool.
Heraldblog. all of us talk about bumping off our political leaders all the time. It is part of the joys of being a democracy 🙂
hang the bastard, cut off his b***s is a common refrain here.
there are enough religious nuts in both your country and mine who will take a religious leader’s words seriously.
But, guys like this with a foot in the mouth disease are always good for embarassment value. i am sure that all who are oppose them will have a good laugh seeign them squirm.
In the context of your comment on Salvador Allende, you may like to read this post:
Not sure if the link I posted came through, I was referring to the post ‘The Last Song of Manuel Sendero by Ariel Dorfman’ on my blog. Also perhaps the review of another book on a neighbouring dictator “The Feast of the Goat” again on my blog.
I was disappointed that the Venezuelan government referred to Robertson as a Christian minister. Robertson is a radical cleric.
Hi Heraldblog, maybe you want to export him to Iran 🙂