http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9047102/

Venezuela reacts to Robertson statement
Televangelist wants Chavez killed; White House calls idea ‘inappropriate’


Updated: 5:32 p.m. ET Aug. 23, 2005
CARACAS, Venezuela - Pat Robertson’s call for American agents to assassinate President Hugo Chavez is a “terrorist” statement that needs to be investigated by U.S. authorities, Venezuela said Tuesday. The Bush administration quickly distanced itself from the religious broadcaster.

Robertson’s suggestion Monday that the United States “take out” Chavez to stop Venezuela from becoming a “launching pad for communist influence and Muslim extremism” appeared likely to aggravate tensions between the United States and the world’s fifth-largest oil exporting country.

Chavez, who was democratically elected, has emerged as one of the most outspoken critics of President Bush, accusing the United States of conspiring to topple his government and possibly backing plots to assassinate him. The United States is the top buyer of Venezuelan oil, but Chavez has made it clear he wants to decrease the country’s dependence on the U.S. market by finding other buyers.

Winding up a visit to Cuba, Chavez said in response to questions from reporters at Havana’s airport that he did not have information about Robertson’s comments.

“I haven’t read anything. We haven’t heard anything about him,” Chavez said. “I don’t even know who that person is.”

‘The ball is in U.S. court’
But Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel said the U.S. response to Robertson would be a test of its anti-terrorist policy and that Venezuela was studying its legal options.

“The ball is in the U.S. court, after this criminal statement by a citizen of that country,” Rangel said. “It’s a huge hypocrisy to maintain this discourse against terrorism and at the same time, in the heart of that country, there are entirely terrorist statements like those.”

Rangel called Robertson “a man who seems to have quite a bit of influence in that country,” adding sarcastically that his words were “very Christian.” He said the comments “reveal that religious fundamentalism is one of the great problems facing humanity in these times.”

Reagan's daughter checks in on the issue:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9053644/site/newsweek/

WEB-EXCLUSIVE COMMENTARY
By Patti Davis
Newsweek
Updated: 3:27 p.m. ET Aug. 23, 2005

Aug. 23, 2005 - Pat Robertson considers himself a man of God, a Christian, a preacher of the Gospel. To all of these aspects of his self-delusion, the only appropriate response is: Huh? His latest suggestion, as this self-proclaimed man of God, is that Hugo Chavez, the president of Venezuela, should be assassinated. On his “700 Club” TV show, Robertson said Chavez could turn Venezuela into a safe haven for Communist and Muslim extremists. "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," said Robertson, who founded the Christian Coalition. "It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war ... and I don't think any oil shipments will stop."

True men of God, of course, do not entertain such notions. They certainly don’t preach them. Men of blasphemy do.

Did Robertson lose his Bible? Or has he simply rewritten it in his own language? What happened to “Thou Shalt Not Kill?” This is not the first time Robertson has expressed a fondness for assassination. In October 2003 he suggested that nuclear weapons be dropped on the State Department.

Have any authorities checked his basement?

Here’s what I’m curious about. How does someone who has wrapped himself in the cloak of Christianity for decades come up with such ideas and express them with such ease? Does he pray first? Does he get on his knees, close his eyes and say, “God, I really want to take a few people out here. I know we’re all supposed to be your children, but there are some bad ones in the bunch and I’m figuring they probably got through by mistake. So how about culling the herd?” And then does he actually imagine God answering him and saying, “Go forth, my child with whatever weapons you can find. If you can’t scrounge up any yourself, spread the word. Preach to the masses. Someone will pick up the sword, pull the trigger or drop the bomb.”

At the risk of sounding quaint, this is just not the God I was raised with, and it certainly isn’t the God who answers me. I close my eyes sometimes and say, “God, I gave someone the finger today when I was driving. I know I shouldn’t have.” And what I hear back is something like, “I saw that. And I’ve told you before, that was a child of mine too. A tailgating one, but my child nonetheless.”

I’m actually feeling a lot better now about my temper flares in traffic. At least I’ve never considered using weaponry.

I’m sure the members of the Christian Coalition won’t take my suggestions, but they might want to consider making a rule that anyone who calls himself a Christian has to have some passing acquaintance with the teachings of Jesus. I’m no Biblical scholar but I am absolutely sure that Jesus never suggested assassinating anyone.

When I lived in New York City, I used to give money to a homeless man who stood on the same corner of Columbus Avenue every day, rain or shine. He was never pushy, he was always polite, and I just felt like giving him money. One day, I saw a man in a business suit getting right in this man’s face, waving a Bible at him and telling him he was a sinner and he had to accept Jesus and ask forgiveness for his sins. I walked up, gave the homeless man a five and said to the sidewalk preacher, “You know, Jesus would never do what you’re doing.” I walked away quickly before he could hit me with his Bible. And I walked away feeling very sorry for Jesus. People keep doing things in his name that are so un-Christianlike.

Well, if I felt sorry for Jesus then, I feel like weeping for him now. Shouldn’t people like Pat Robertson just go start their own religion and leave Jesus out of it?

I found another quote of Robertson’s from several years ago. He said that feminism encourages women “to kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.”

I would respond to this but I have to go boil some eye of newt, lizard tails and pig blood. And I am so behind on my schedule to bring down the bastions of capitalism. I got delayed because I was flirting with this cute girl down the street.

Davis, the daughter of Nancy and Ronald Reagan, is a writer based in Los Angeles.

Message to Robertson from God: "What part of 'Thou Shalt Not Kill' didn't you understand?"

Robertson's reply: "I never killed anyone. I said SOMEONE ELSE should do it, so clearly I am not breaking any commandment."

Robertson is one of those Wolves in Sheeps Clothing the bible talks about .

Matthew Chapter 7 verse 15 : Beware of false prophets,which come to you in sheeps clothing,but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Verse 16 : Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Obviously he was raised improperly because he didn't see the Ten Commandments on the courthouse steps or in his schoolroom! :D

Venezuela is PISSED OFF ............ as they should be. Isn't this pretty much what Bin Ladan and other "terrorists" advocate? Killing people because of their political, social or religious beliefs???

I do believe that Pat Robertson now qualifies as an advocate for violence and extremist views.

This post has been edited by Dyan: Aug 23 2005, 09:46 PM

Pat Robertson is demented or a loud mouth criminal. I will give him the benefit of doubt: He is nuts.

Ambassador: Robertson's call to murder President Hugo Chavez is a call to terrorism
Venezuela's Ambassador to Washington D.C., Bernardo Alvarez Herrera, has issued a statement on the Robertson debacle...

http://www.vheadline.com/readnews.asp?id=45618

" The United States may not permit its citizens to use its territory and airwaves to incite terrorism abroad and the murder of a democratically-elected President.

Venezuela demands that the US abide by international and domestic law and respect our country and its President. "

This post has been edited by wundermaus: Aug 23 2005, 09:58 PM

Robertson's statement is indefensible in moral terms, but should we listen to the Venezuelan Ambassador in his views on how our laws should be carried out, perhaps even seeing laws that no legislature in the U.S. ever passed?

Should we jail Robertson to satisfy him? What law would cover that? Or should we just assume a law?

To paraphrase Shakespeare, the Chavez government protests too much. I think that for all of their bluster they are overjoyed that Robertson said this, as his statement plays right into their purposes in terms of propaganda.

Chavez offers cheap gasoline and free health care to America's poor.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/americas/08/...reut/index.html

Venezuela is PISSED OFF?

I don't give a "expletive deleted" that some piss ant dictator is pissed off.

If someone put a new "expletive deleted" in his forehead the world would be a better place.

Oh please. How would they administer this? I just filled up at a local Citgo yesterday afternoon. How would Chavez' people know that I wasn't poor next time I come by?

And I think that providing free health care to the poor of America would be way too much for Venezuela and Cuba to handle. I don't think the problem is a shortage of doctors in the U.S., but inequality in the accessiblity to the abundant medical resources that we do have.

If they want to give money to existing charities, they could probably find a few takers, and make a dent in the problem of health care for the poor. But it seems a bit bizarre that they are proposing to send resources from their countries, which are of middle income status, to the U.S., a rich country with the resources to deal with its poverty problem, if it so decides to do so and figures out how best to do it. If I were a Venezuelan I would wonder what Chavez' priorities were.

It's hard to see this as more than a publicity stunt.

And why do you think that, in particular? Has Chavez or his policies affected you personally in some way? What has he done that has made the world a worse place? What hasn't he done that would improve the world?

This post has been edited by grammydidi: Aug 24 2005, 06:51 AM

I guess when he preaches about abortion clinics, he doesn't say I'll go bomb one or two this week, he let's his flock do the "evil" bidding for him in Robertson's name and that of Gods.

This guy is whacked in the brain.

Well - Marine - I guess the balls in your court - You got your marching orders from Robertson - Go Kill Chavez. Write me a letter from Venuzuela.



What you haven't left yet - what are you waiting for? Hooaa !

Your right!...He's a "expletive deleted"ing sweetheart!...Maybe we should canonize the SOB...

Easy. Send ChavezCards to the poor, coded to only work at ChavezGas stations (the next Wal-Mart).

Or send them scrip.

While he's at it, he could put a price on Pat Robertson's head.

5 fill-ups and a free lube!...

I know it's just a publicity stunt. I suspect Robertson's comments are also a publicity stunt. For whom, I'm not sure. But at least Chavez isn't threatening to kill anyone.