Inappropriate or Incendiary?
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gretriever
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 Posted: 08/23/05 - 13:55 Post subject: Inappropriate or Incendiary?
Freedom of speech or not, these are very disturbing statements from a self-professed man of God (the comments highlighted I did hear on several radio broadcasts):
| Quote: | CARACAS, Venezuela - Venezuela's vice president accused religious broadcaster Pat Robertson on Tuesday of making "terrorist statements" by suggesting that American agents assassinate President Hugo Chavez.
Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel said Venezuela was studying its legal options, adding that how Washington responds to Robertson's comments would put its anti-terrorism policy to the test.
"The ball is in the U.S. court, after this criminal statement by a citizen of that country," Rangel told reporters. "It's 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."
The State Department distanced itself from Robertson's comments.
"We do not share his view, and his comments are inappropriate," spokesman Sean McCormack said.
There was no immediate comment from Chavez, who was winding up an official visit to Cuba on Tuesday. Scores of journalists awaited Chavez at the airport, where he was to board a plane for a trip to Jamaica to discuss a Venezuela initiative to supply petroleum to Caribbean countries under favorable financial terms.
On Monday, Robertson said on the Christian Broadcast Network's "The 700 Club": "We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability.
"We don't need another $200 billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator," he continued. "It's a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with."
Chavez 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. U.S. officials have called the accusations ridiculous.
"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 said. "It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war ... and I don't think any oil shipments will stop."
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."
The comments "reveal that religious fundamentalism is one of the great problems facing humanity in these times," Rangel said.
Robertson's remarks appear likely to further stoke tensions between Washington and Caracas. Chavez has repeatedly claimed that American officials are plotting to oust or kill him — charges U.S. officials have denied.
The United States is the top buyer of Venezuelan crude, but Chavez has made it clear he wants to decrease the country's dependence on the U.S. market by finding other buyers.
Chavez has survived a brief 2002 coup, a devastating two-month strike that ended in early 2003 and recall referendum in 2004. The former army paratroop commander, a close ally of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, is up for re-election next year, and polls suggest he is the favorite |
Last edited by gretriever on 08/25/05 - 20:38; edited 1 time in total
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Gogirlgo
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Posted: 08/23/05 - 14:28 Post subject:
He does a real disservice when he does this. Remember his agreeing with Falwell's comments after September 11th, on the 700 Club? Let me just remind you.
| Quote: |
JERRY FALWELL: And I agree totally with you that the Lord has protected us so wonderfully these 225 years. And since 1812, this is the first time that we've been attacked on our soil and by far the worst results. And I fear, as Donald Rumsfeld, the Secretary of Defense, said yesterday, that this is only the beginning. And with biological warfare available to these monsters - the Husseins, the Bin Ladens, the Arafats--what we saw on Tuesday, as terrible as it is, could be miniscule if, in fact--if, in fact--God continues to lift the curtain and allow the enemies of America to give us probably what we deserve.
PAT ROBERTSON: Jerry, that's my feeling. I think we've just seen the antechamber to terror. We haven't even begun to see what they can do to the major population.
JERRY FALWELL: The ACLU's got to take a lot of blame for this.
PAT ROBERTSON: Well, yes.
JERRY FALWELL: And, I know that I'll hear from them for this. But, throwing God out successfully with the help of the federal court system, throwing God out of the public square, out of the schools. The abortionists have got to bear some burden for this because God will not be mocked. And when we destroy 40 million little innocent babies, we make God mad. I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way--all of them who have tried to secularize America--I point the finger in their face and say "you helped this happen."
PAT ROBERTSON: Well, I totally concur, and the problem is we have adopted that agenda at the highest levels of our government. And so we're responsible as a free society for what the top people do. And, the top people, of course, is the court system.
JERRY FALWELL: Pat, did you notice yesterday the ACLU, and all the Christ-haters, People For the American Way, NOW, etc. were totally disregarded by the Democrats and the Republicans in both houses of Congress as they went out on the steps and called out on to God in prayer and sang "God Bless America" and said "let the ACLU be hanged"? In other words, when the nation is on its knees, the only normal and natural and spiritual thing to do is what we ought to be doing all the time--calling upon God.
PAT ROBERTSON: Amen
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airehead
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Posted: 08/23/05 - 14:35 Post subject:
It is sad these men represent Christianity. That's what people now think of when they think "Christians".
I never asked them to be my spokesperson. I'm not all too sure God's real happy right now either.
Falwell has a long history of hoof IN mouth disease. Despite being a Christian, he has not learned tact or discretion. 
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Pug
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Posted: 08/23/05 - 14:40 Post subject:
Scary.
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robp
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Posted: 08/23/05 - 14:56 Post subject:
Pat Robertson is an idiot and the media fuels the flames by publicizing his b.s.
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TOsteve
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Posted: 08/23/05 - 15:00 Post subject:
As GGG says, this is nothing new from Robertson. As far as I can tell, the God he professes know can't be found in person of Christ that is presented to us in the Bible.
And please don't call him a Christian fundementalist. He wouldn't know what Christianity is fundementally about even if I hog tied him and read scripture to him for weeks on end... which is what I want to do any time I hear him open his mouth on behalf of my God.
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gretriever
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Posted: 08/23/05 - 15:06 Post subject:
| robp wrote: | | Pat Robertson is an idiot and the media fuels the flames by publicizing his b.s. |
True dat. You hear very little of him and other religious-political types (sole exception: Jesse Jackson), and you think they've at least given up the media attention to focus on what they profess to be. Then they let fly with something like this, and the media is "This isn't the first time he's said something controversial." It's a mutual feeding process.
And you expressed the views of a lot of people too, Aire. Sad, no?
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robp
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Posted: 08/23/05 - 15:08 Post subject:
| TOsteve wrote: | As GGG says, this is nothing new from Robertson. As far as I can tell, the God he professes know can't be found in person of Christ that is presented to us in the Bible.
And please don't call him a Christian fundementalist. He wouldn't know what Christianity is fundementally about even if I hog tied him and read scripture to him for weeks on end... which is what I want to do any time I hear him open his mouth on behalf of my God. |
We call the hard line Muslims extremists so Pat can be a Christian extremist. He's still a moron.
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TOsteve
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Posted: 08/23/05 - 15:09 Post subject:
| robp wrote: |
We call the hard line Muslims extremists so Pat can be a Christian extremist. He's still a moron. |
I'm happy to leave it at moron.
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thegman
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Posted: 08/23/05 - 15:11 Post subject:
| robp wrote: | | Pat Robertson is an idiot and the media fuels the flames by publicizing his b.s. |
Amen.
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thooogy
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Posted: 08/23/05 - 22:44 Post subject:
| airehead wrote: | | ... Despite being a Christian, he has not learned tact or discretion. |
... Or humility. He can learn a thing or two - from Jesus...
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airehead
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Posted: 08/23/05 - 22:49 Post subject:
| thooogy wrote: | | airehead wrote: | | ... Despite being a Christian, he has not learned tact or discretion. |
... Or humility. He can learn a thing or two - from Jesus... |
Well said.
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MechEngDropout
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Posted: 08/24/05 - 03:36 Post subject:
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AlaninTX
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Posted: 08/24/05 - 12:00 Post subject:
I think these comments are just Pat punching the time clock. He has a long history of making inflamatory, nonsensical comments on the 700 Club.
For me, Pat has a very high entertainment value, and if the media didn't report on his more outlandish antics I would miss them as I generally don't catch the 700 Club on tv.
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airehead
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Posted: 08/24/05 - 20:45 Post subject:
Funny tidbit. Today I had to defend my faith. Pat Robertson was brought up a lot.
Thanks Pat. Thanks for making it harder than it already is. 
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