Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Thanks, Pat
Televangelist Pat Robertson has called for the assassination of Venezuelan Dictator President Hugo Chavez by covert American operatives.
Thanks to Mr. Robertson, we are now assured that:
(1) If anyone ever makes an attempt on Mr. Chavez' life, the United States will be accused by the usual suspects of perpetrating or sponsoring the attempt, and millions around the world will accept the accusation as Gospel truth;
(2) In the event of (1), the United States government will be painted by every anti-American organization from al-Qaeda to the ACLU as being in the thrall of right-wing Christian religious extremists, and millions around the world will accept the characterization as Gospel truth.
By putting his mouth in gear without first engaging his brain, Mr. Robertson has, in my opinion, single-handedly complicated the US government's ability to deal with Mr. Chavez by at least an order of magnitude. He was able to accomplish this by virtue of his media presence and the fact that he has had the ear of many American politicians over the years.
All of which leads me to pose the question, has Mr. Robertson gone completely off the rails, or is he a secret agent of some anti-American power?
The only saving grace is Mr. Robertson's past history of making outrageous statements. According to the Fox News story linked above,
Thus it at least can be argued that Mr. Robertson is just a daffy old preacher who's merely reverting to type, although that argument won't hold water with anyone who is predisposed to thinking the worst of the USA.
Thanks to Mr. Robertson, we are now assured that:
(1) If anyone ever makes an attempt on Mr. Chavez' life, the United States will be accused by the usual suspects of perpetrating or sponsoring the attempt, and millions around the world will accept the accusation as Gospel truth;
(2) In the event of (1), the United States government will be painted by every anti-American organization from al-Qaeda to the ACLU as being in the thrall of right-wing Christian religious extremists, and millions around the world will accept the characterization as Gospel truth.
By putting his mouth in gear without first engaging his brain, Mr. Robertson has, in my opinion, single-handedly complicated the US government's ability to deal with Mr. Chavez by at least an order of magnitude. He was able to accomplish this by virtue of his media presence and the fact that he has had the ear of many American politicians over the years.
All of which leads me to pose the question, has Mr. Robertson gone completely off the rails, or is he a secret agent of some anti-American power?
The only saving grace is Mr. Robertson's past history of making outrageous statements. According to the Fox News story linked above,
"Robertson has made controversial statements in the past. In October 2003, he suggested that the State Department be blown up with a nuclear device. He has also said that feminism encourages women to "kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians.""
Thus it at least can be argued that Mr. Robertson is just a daffy old preacher who's merely reverting to type, although that argument won't hold water with anyone who is predisposed to thinking the worst of the USA.
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